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gillianw's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a sucker for the con-man-with-a-heart-of-gold trope and this one was no exception. This was my first Lisa Henry/J.A. Rock book but I know it won't be my last. Fast paced, funny and sexy, this book is the story of two men on opposite sides of the law, forced to work together. Mac is a gruff, lonely cop desperately trying to solve a murder and Henry is a Shakespeare quoting grifter and reluctant witness to a brutal shooting. When the two men are forced to hole up in Mac's isolated fishing cabin to avoid the bad guys, sparks start to fly, Shakespeare is acted out and the two men must learn to trust one another with their lives.
I look forward to more Mac and Henry (and less coitus interruptus) during their next adventures. 4 stars
I look forward to more Mac and Henry (and less coitus interruptus) during their next adventures. 4 stars
zaza_bdp's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 ⭐
J'ai choisi ce livre sur un coup de tête sans avoir lu le résumé (et j'ai carrément bien fait, car celui-ci en dévoile beaucoup trop !!), du coup c'était quitte ou double, et au final, ce fut une bonne surprise !
Une bonne surprise, oui, parce que j'ai beaucoup aimé les personnages et leurs prises de becs constantes. Henry est un personnage très surprenant, c'est le roi des menteurs et de l'illusion, et comme Mac, je mourrais d'envie de le voir se dévoiler, et d'en apprendre plus sur lui, car derrière toute cette façade bravache, on sent les failles et les souffrances. Et en même temps, ce type est drôle ! Les différents surnoms qu'il donne à Mac au début du livre m'ont tellement fait rire, il est créatif comme tout et a un sens de l'humour qui m'a bien plu !
Mac, lui, est l'archétype du flic bougon et bourru, et je lui aurais facilement donné dix ans de plus. Au final, j'ai l'impression de ne pas savoir grand chose sur lui non plus.
On ne peut pas vraiment parler de romance ici, disons qu'il y a une attirance mutuelle, des pas en avant, d'autres en arrière, bref, comme dirait l'autre ... c'est compliqué !
Du coup, il s'agit plus d'un tome introductif, d'une mise en bouche qu'autre chose, d'autant plus que la fin nous laisse carrément sur ... notre faim !
Au final, c'est surtout un roman qui vaut le détour pour ce jeu du chat et de la souris, ces joutes verbales entre Mac et Henry !
J'ai choisi ce livre sur un coup de tête sans avoir lu le résumé (et j'ai carrément bien fait, car celui-ci en dévoile beaucoup trop !!), du coup c'était quitte ou double, et au final, ce fut une bonne surprise !
Une bonne surprise, oui, parce que j'ai beaucoup aimé les personnages et leurs prises de becs constantes. Henry est un personnage très surprenant, c'est le roi des menteurs et de l'illusion, et comme Mac, je mourrais d'envie de le voir se dévoiler, et d'en apprendre plus sur lui, car derrière toute cette façade bravache, on sent les failles et les souffrances. Et en même temps, ce type est drôle ! Les différents surnoms qu'il donne à Mac au début du livre m'ont tellement fait rire, il est créatif comme tout et a un sens de l'humour qui m'a bien plu !
Mac, lui, est l'archétype du flic bougon et bourru, et je lui aurais facilement donné dix ans de plus. Au final, j'ai l'impression de ne pas savoir grand chose sur lui non plus.
On ne peut pas vraiment parler de romance ici, disons qu'il y a une attirance mutuelle, des pas en avant, d'autres en arrière, bref, comme dirait l'autre ... c'est compliqué !
Du coup, il s'agit plus d'un tome introductif, d'une mise en bouche qu'autre chose, d'autant plus que la fin nous laisse carrément sur ... notre faim !
Au final, c'est surtout un roman qui vaut le détour pour ce jeu du chat et de la souris, ces joutes verbales entre Mac et Henry !
bitchie's review against another edition
4.0
Finished week 2 [b:The Two Gentlemen of Altona|22439645|The Two Gentlemen of Altona (Playing the Fool, #1)|Lisa Henry|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1408431875s/22439645.jpg|41864532] 4 stars.
This was such a fun book! I loved Henry's smarts, and how Mac tried to be all stoic and by the book. This was really just a "getting started" book, so no real "moments" between Henry and Mac, but a lot of UST. Hopefully, the moments come in next book, which I'd be starting NOW, if only it fit my challenges.
Soon, my pretties! Soon!
This was such a fun book! I loved Henry's smarts, and how Mac tried to be all stoic and by the book. This was really just a "getting started" book, so no real "moments" between Henry and Mac, but a lot of UST. Hopefully, the moments come in next book, which I'd be starting NOW, if only it fit my challenges.
Soon, my pretties! Soon!
a_reader_obsessed's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars
To be honest, I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting myself into with this, but overall, I had a good time!
Ryan “Mac” McGinnis is bound and determined to arrest an infamous mobster, and he knows the only way he can do that is to get witness Henry Page, to testify he saw said mobster shoot one of his lackeys. The thing is, Henry has no reason and no plans to do such. He wants to stay alive, and promising to point the finger is not going to help him maintain such a reasonable goal.
What ensues is a comedy of errors with some dashes of suspense. There’s a lot of cat and mouse as Henry puts Mac through his paces. When danger lurks too close, they’re forced to run and inevitably, close quarters reveal some interesting developments.
Where this shines is the juxtaposition between benign con man Henry, whose sparkling congenial and wily personality battles the no nonsense, by the books Mac, who is aggravated but also helplessly charmed by Henry’s antics. There’s definitely fun and funny chemistry plus great banter between these two leading to a very nice build up as they dance around each other while trying to not die. However, this was one big cock tease where the ultimate culmination is rudely interrupted at the end, setting the stage for the next book. Grrrrr.
Regardless, the writing is top notch! I was entertained, and I look forward to revisiting opposites Henry and Mac, if only to see them do more than just circle each other.
To be honest, I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting myself into with this, but overall, I had a good time!
Ryan “Mac” McGinnis is bound and determined to arrest an infamous mobster, and he knows the only way he can do that is to get witness Henry Page, to testify he saw said mobster shoot one of his lackeys. The thing is, Henry has no reason and no plans to do such. He wants to stay alive, and promising to point the finger is not going to help him maintain such a reasonable goal.
What ensues is a comedy of errors with some dashes of suspense. There’s a lot of cat and mouse as Henry puts Mac through his paces. When danger lurks too close, they’re forced to run and inevitably, close quarters reveal some interesting developments.
Where this shines is the juxtaposition between benign con man Henry, whose sparkling congenial and wily personality battles the no nonsense, by the books Mac, who is aggravated but also helplessly charmed by Henry’s antics. There’s definitely fun and funny chemistry plus great banter between these two leading to a very nice build up as they dance around each other while trying to not die. However, this was one big cock tease where the ultimate culmination is rudely interrupted at the end, setting the stage for the next book. Grrrrr.
Regardless, the writing is top notch! I was entertained, and I look forward to revisiting opposites Henry and Mac, if only to see them do more than just circle each other.
tanilian's review against another edition
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jackiehorne's review against another edition
4.0
Fun, lighthearted crime caper + m/m romance thrown into the bargain. Wily con artist Henry Page gets more than he bargained for when his latest mark turns out to be related to a mob boss, and he witnesses said mob boss shooting a man in the middle of his mark's kitchen. After phoning the police, Henry realizes that sticking around might not be so wise, given his less-than-law-abiding past, and runs a con on FBI agent Mac McGuinness. The rest of the book consists of Mac tracking down Henry, Henry befriending then hoodwinking Mac's colleagues and escaping, and Mac tracking down Henry again, with sexual tension simmering between charm-talking Harry and all-business Mac all the while. Thanks to Elizabeth page for recommending!
chloeinbooksland's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
3-3,25/5
I mostly enjoyed it but it didn't quite feel like a full novel for me-more like the first act of it.
I mostly enjoyed it but it didn't quite feel like a full novel for me-more like the first act of it.
acaprice20's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mikibooks's review against another edition
3.0
Entretenido, disfrutable. No mucho más. Eventualmente leeré la continuación
fae_princess_in_space's review
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a lot of fun!! I really enjoy Henry/Rock writing together, and although I didn’t love this as much as their ‘Lords of Bucknall Club’ series (which is you haven’t read, you really need to) it was a great read and I will definitely be continuing with the series 💕
Mac is an FBI agent at the end of his tether. His doctor has said he’s not allowed sugar or caffeine, the mob informer he has been grooming has just been shot in the head and his only witness just skipped out the front door. He is not happy.
Henry is a con-artist. He lies, steals and cheats to his heart’s content, but he has some pretty serious skeletons in his closet. When he sees a mob informant shot in the house where he is running a con, he dials 911 and runs away from the mess. Unfortunately Agent Mac McGuinness is determined to keep him on his radar until he is able to testify, so running might not be his best option going forward…
I enjoyed both Henry and Mac’s characters - it’s the ultimate grumpy x sunshine pairing and their interactions made me giggle. This is a slow burn, as there was a lot of ‘right person, wrong time’ vibes going on here so I’m really hoping we get to see more of their growth in the next book! Also, we learn a lot about Mac but Henry is still a bit of a mystery, so also keen to learn more about him and what drove him to be a con-man!
This book ends on a cliffhanger so you bet I’ll be jumping straight into the next one!
Mac is an FBI agent at the end of his tether. His doctor has said he’s not allowed sugar or caffeine, the mob informer he has been grooming has just been shot in the head and his only witness just skipped out the front door. He is not happy.
Henry is a con-artist. He lies, steals and cheats to his heart’s content, but he has some pretty serious skeletons in his closet. When he sees a mob informant shot in the house where he is running a con, he dials 911 and runs away from the mess. Unfortunately Agent Mac McGuinness is determined to keep him on his radar until he is able to testify, so running might not be his best option going forward…
I enjoyed both Henry and Mac’s characters - it’s the ultimate grumpy x sunshine pairing and their interactions made me giggle. This is a slow burn, as there was a lot of ‘right person, wrong time’ vibes going on here so I’m really hoping we get to see more of their growth in the next book! Also, we learn a lot about Mac but Henry is still a bit of a mystery, so also keen to learn more about him and what drove him to be a con-man!
This book ends on a cliffhanger so you bet I’ll be jumping straight into the next one!