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princessleopard's review
3.0
Preface: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May Day is a novel that isn't intended for me - not for readers of my gender, my age, or my interests. It wasn't any surprise that I didn't find it particularly engaging, as I am far from being the target audience. That being said, it does fit most of the standards of its genre pretty well. It has a tough, bland hero. It has a sexy female sidekick (though Jade actually does get stuff done). It has one-dimensional villains. And it has plenty of shootbangs.
It does bring some new things to the genre, however. For one, most of the novel isn't a mystery. There's no piecing together of who the bad guys are or what they want. It's primarily centered around a plane crash caused by the baddies, and most of the novel revolves around the main characters surviving and shooting the bad guys that come after them, while paper-thin side characters do the actual sleuthing. There's not a lot of tension, since you know Walker Texas Ranger is in no danger, and Jade isn't really either - most of the tension comes from whether the additional sidekick character will survive the whole ordeal. But, as stated, if all you want is shootbangs and gun-talk, this is the book for you.
I do have some complaints, however. As stated, most of the characters are pretty thin. Jade is actually interesting, but we never really find out what happened in the inciting incident that led to her being on the run in the first place. We know she killed a guy, but she never explains the circumstances of that particular scene. The injured guy they drag around with them (I've already forgotten his name) is unconscious most of the book (though he does have some good lines). And of course, our main character is just the typical straight white cowboy hero type. He does have one nice moment where Jade is coming onto him and he turns her down because duty and stuff -- only to immediately change his mind and have sex with her. And, wouldn't you know it, he's the first man to ever make her orgasm. Yeah, it's that kind of book.
Going off of that point, representation in this book is...poor. We start off with a Hispanic character who is just there to act buffoonish in the first chapter. Then we get black-guy-whose-name-I-forgot, who gets hurt and is carried around the rest of the novel. We have a stereotypical Latina sex worker with an atrocious accent. We have a stereotypical black thug with an atrocious accent. We have another Latino villain who curses in Spanish all the time. And our only gay characters are also villains, one of whom gets by far the worst death for no reason. I don't know if any of this was intentional, but it all came off looking pretty bad.
The dialogue/humor in this is kinda crappy, too. The title is even a joke - the story is about a plane that crashes, but it also all takes place in May, get it? One of the main characters name is Jade Stone - and her siblings are Diamond and Gem, hohoho. Injured black partner guy makes consistently terrible jokes throughout (though this was a kinda funny character thing). All the Texan characters constantly spout off awful sayings (my "favorite" being "[character] was leaking blood faster than a vampire humping a porcupine"). It's a little rough to get through.
All that set aside, I will say this again - I'm not the target audience. I did not particularly enjoy this book, although I did not hate it, either. I will probably never think of it again. If you want a cowboy hero shooting the bad guys dead and hanging out with a tough hottie and cracking awful jokes while the actual cops do the actual cop work, you'll enjoy this. Otherwise, give it a pass.
May Day is a novel that isn't intended for me - not for readers of my gender, my age, or my interests. It wasn't any surprise that I didn't find it particularly engaging, as I am far from being the target audience. That being said, it does fit most of the standards of its genre pretty well. It has a tough, bland hero. It has a sexy female sidekick (though Jade actually does get stuff done). It has one-dimensional villains. And it has plenty of shootbangs.
It does bring some new things to the genre, however. For one, most of the novel isn't a mystery. There's no piecing together of who the bad guys are or what they want. It's primarily centered around a plane crash caused by the baddies, and most of the novel revolves around the main characters surviving and shooting the bad guys that come after them, while paper-thin side characters do the actual sleuthing. There's not a lot of tension, since you know Walker Texas Ranger is in no danger, and Jade isn't really either - most of the tension comes from whether the additional sidekick character will survive the whole ordeal. But, as stated, if all you want is shootbangs and gun-talk, this is the book for you.
I do have some complaints, however. As stated, most of the characters are pretty thin. Jade is actually interesting, but we never really find out what happened in the inciting incident that led to her being on the run in the first place. We know she killed a guy, but she never explains the circumstances of that particular scene. The injured guy they drag around with them (I've already forgotten his name) is unconscious most of the book (though he does have some good lines). And of course, our main character is just the typical straight white cowboy hero type. He does have one nice moment where Jade is coming onto him and he turns her down because duty and stuff -- only to immediately change his mind and have sex with her. And, wouldn't you know it, he's the first man to ever make her orgasm. Yeah, it's that kind of book.
Going off of that point, representation in this book is...poor. We start off with a Hispanic character who is just there to act buffoonish in the first chapter. Then we get black-guy-whose-name-I-forgot, who gets hurt and is carried around the rest of the novel. We have a stereotypical Latina sex worker with an atrocious accent. We have a stereotypical black thug with an atrocious accent. We have another Latino villain who curses in Spanish all the time. And our only gay characters are also villains, one of whom gets by far the worst death for no reason. I don't know if any of this was intentional, but it all came off looking pretty bad.
The dialogue/humor in this is kinda crappy, too. The title is even a joke - the story is about a plane that crashes, but it also all takes place in May, get it? One of the main characters name is Jade Stone - and her siblings are Diamond and Gem, hohoho. Injured black partner guy makes consistently terrible jokes throughout (though this was a kinda funny character thing). All the Texan characters constantly spout off awful sayings (my "favorite" being "[character] was leaking blood faster than a vampire humping a porcupine"). It's a little rough to get through.
All that set aside, I will say this again - I'm not the target audience. I did not particularly enjoy this book, although I did not hate it, either. I will probably never think of it again. If you want a cowboy hero shooting the bad guys dead and hanging out with a tough hottie and cracking awful jokes while the actual cops do the actual cop work, you'll enjoy this. Otherwise, give it a pass.
avoraciousreader68's review
5.0
Book source ~ ARC. My review is voluntary and honest.
Texas Ranger Sam Cable’s boss has sent him to pick up a prisoner out in California and bring her back to Texas to face charges of murdering her cop boyfriend. So he takes off with his pilot, DPS Trooper Marlon Boggs and away they go. Sam hates flying in the tiny Cessna, but Boggs gets him there easy peasy and in one piece. They pick up their prisoner and head for home. And that’s where things get real interesting.
If you are looking for a smartass hero with stubborn to spare who can think fast on his feet then look no further. This is the story for you! The first couple of chapters set the scene and then it’s non-stop action until the end. What a ride! After reading book 1 April’s Fool, my fingers were itching to open this one because I just knew I was going to love it. Holy shit, was I right! Scott Bell really knows how to put the reader in the shoes of his characters with just the right amount of description to keep the flow fast-moving and not bogging it down. Awesome characters, an interesting world, ass-puckering action, and a mystery to solve are just what I needed to escape the daily grind. Bravo!
Texas Ranger Sam Cable’s boss has sent him to pick up a prisoner out in California and bring her back to Texas to face charges of murdering her cop boyfriend. So he takes off with his pilot, DPS Trooper Marlon Boggs and away they go. Sam hates flying in the tiny Cessna, but Boggs gets him there easy peasy and in one piece. They pick up their prisoner and head for home. And that’s where things get real interesting.
If you are looking for a smartass hero with stubborn to spare who can think fast on his feet then look no further. This is the story for you! The first couple of chapters set the scene and then it’s non-stop action until the end. What a ride! After reading book 1 April’s Fool, my fingers were itching to open this one because I just knew I was going to love it. Holy shit, was I right! Scott Bell really knows how to put the reader in the shoes of his characters with just the right amount of description to keep the flow fast-moving and not bogging it down. Awesome characters, an interesting world, ass-puckering action, and a mystery to solve are just what I needed to escape the daily grind. Bravo!
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