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jakewritesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I’m trying to become a published author. I don’t have any illusions about potential greatness but it’s painful to read someone so lauded when I know I could write circles around them. No less than Sarah Weinman of the Gray Lady praised Gordon’s Bouncer series. I feel like Kanye West in “Testify” recalling his pre-fame songwriting days: I was having nervous breakdowns like damn, this dude much better than me?
Anyway, much of this was predictable, the characters are thin as paper, the less said about the main villain the better. Gordon does do pace and his atmosphere isn’t bad. This barely clears the 3-star threshold but now I need to read more to see what Weinman is talking about and maybe…maybe I can learn something?
Anyway, much of this was predictable, the characters are thin as paper, the less said about the main villain the better. Gordon does do pace and his atmosphere isn’t bad. This barely clears the 3-star threshold but now I need to read more to see what Weinman is talking about and maybe…maybe I can learn something?
chadmchunt's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
arthur_pendrgn's review against another edition
4.0
This was quite a funny romp. Gordon develops an intricately designed plot, but it all works. A thoroughly enjoyable read. I already have its sequels reserved.
tbsims's review against another edition
3.0
funniest line? He's been arrested. He sits reading 'the trial'. A stripper says 'maybe you should just get an attorney'.
jokos's review against another edition
2.0
Two stars seems really harsh, especially for a book that was not offensively bad. But honestly, it was just okay.
mommasaystoread's review against another edition
1.0
I really tried with this one. The blurb caught my interest and it looked like an exciting read. The start of the story held true to that, but it didn't take long before my interest started to wane. By about the twenty percent mark, I was setting it aside for later. I kept picking it back up and I would get a bit further into it, but it reached the point that trying again felt more like a chore and that is certainly not what any reader wants in a book. Maybe this one just wasn't for me, but try as I might, I just couldn't connect with any of the characters and there was so much going on that after a while, I wasn't even sure whether or not the story was about Bouncer Joe. It felt a bit like throwing everything you can against a wall and hoping something sticks. Unfortunately, that just didn't work for me, and I finally gave up at about the sixty percent mark. Life's too short to have to work that hard at something meant to be entertaining.
jedbird's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The book starts out with Joe working as a bouncer for a mob guy's strip club. I was looking forward to that strip club story, so I was dismayed when this turned out to be about a wayward ex-Special Forces guy doing ensemble crimes, but it was a quick, engaging read. Colorful, likable characters, a million POVs. The framework for a romance is assembled but not filled out.
My lowered rating is for the bait-and-switch, which probably wasn't intentional on the author's part, but I really wanted the strip club story, not the preposterous high-stakes caper. There are more books in this series, and now that I know what I'm in for, there's a possibility that I'll continue reading, but I'm not gonna be in a hurry to do that.
My lowered rating is for the bait-and-switch, which probably wasn't intentional on the author's part, but I really wanted the strip club story, not the preposterous high-stakes caper. There are more books in this series, and now that I know what I'm in for, there's a possibility that I'll continue reading, but I'm not gonna be in a hurry to do that.
alaina_difiore's review against another edition
3.0
Based on the description, I was expecting a lot more fun but after the promising start, the story took a turn into what felt like a checklist for plot:
Out of nowhere villain with 'reasons'? Check.
Action sequence where a few non-essentials get killed? Check.
Sort of romance? Check.
Joe is an interesting character and I would have enjoyed reading more about him specifically instead of racing through plot at breakneck speed. But like other reviewers mentioned, this will make a great movie one day.
**Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for an advanced copy of this book**
Spoiler
Out of nowhere villain with 'reasons'? Check.
Action sequence where a few non-essentials get killed? Check.
Sort of romance? Check.
Joe is an interesting character and I would have enjoyed reading more about him specifically instead of racing through plot at breakneck speed. But like other reviewers mentioned, this will make a great movie one day.
**Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for an advanced copy of this book**