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'Saving Grace' #2
Prayer for a Sinner
Charlie Edwards has an appointment with death that she has promised to keep. The death occurs before she is ready and that makes her really mad.
250 pages, ebook
First published October 19, 2013
7 people want to read
About the author
Robin Peacock
16 books30 followersYou decide about me from what you read about me. I flew for many years in and around Europe. I retired early, thank goodness! Now I live in Thailand with my new family and a soon to be 4 year old girl. I began writing many years ago but never had time; now I have lots of it. All the stories I began so long ago have been updated and completed. I am in love with Charlie Edwards, my kick-ass heroine in the 'Saving Grace' series. I think you will fall for her too if you get to know her.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 10, 2015
This book was allocated to me for a review, randomly. Which is a pity because it was the worst match possible. Since I'm obliged to write down a review, I'll have to emphasize how subjective my opinion is- what the hell do I know about this genre? I'm sure that within his target group the writer will be considered great and I'm a bitter frigid spinster.
Let me start with some praise and chant all the positives...You know how in this indie author world there are so many complaints regarding bad grammar, formatting etc? Things that an author can be crucified for? Well, this book is immaculate in that respect. I didn't encounter a single letter going out of line, not a paragraph jumping, not a little grammar faux pas. Nothing. Pure perfection. The author did a professional work and he is to be complimented for his sharp eye for detail.
Now the negatives: the whole context.
The story starts with the first page giving us an idea of the heroine, Charlie. We get to know that she lives in the yacht she inherited -together with lots of dosh- from 'her beloved husband' who sadly passed. We are reassured that she was genuinely bereaved as she lived in chastity for five whole years but then -beginning of page two- she had a nymphomaniac fit to 'make up for the lost time'. (Nymphomania in the erotica genre is what is feather in chickens).
So beginnings of page 2 we start the sexual reveries of the widow and how she had 115 orgasms in a quarter of an hour, or something like that. In the following lines we are welcomed by his elongated whatsit and her moist whatsit, then his rigid whatsit and her eager whatsit in a hardcore porn circus where we change positions every so often so we don't get bored. We also have some novelty little numbers where the male character 'walks' his (again) rigid whatsit in her eager whatsit and starts counting one, two, three strokes exactly and then off he goes to count in some other part of her anatomy, one, two, three strokes exactly. Then we have revolving chairs. Then we have technical negotiations and clinical descriptions with dirty names. Even as hard core as it is, I found it resembling dangerously an instruction manual for building an IKEA bookcase rather than a sex session, despite all the elongated and the eager whatsits going on for five pages. Oh and it was as erotic as toe nail clipping.
Aaaah, but it was all a fantasy and Charlie comes back to reality because now that we hooked you with the bad sex, reader, we have the hardcore action with the murders and all to get out of the way and we shouldn't waste any time.
I understand that the author tries to present his heroine as a strong, powerful woman. Also through the author Charlie contemns the 'misogynists' demonstrating the feminist values of this book. This 'powerful woman' notion is supported by Charlie's habit to smoke Cuban cigars and drink beer from the bottle. Also she has her own yacht to play sailor. Her sexuality puts ten sailors' worth of testosterone in shame. Also she is a writer of erotica and she makes lots of dosh out of her writing talents although she doesn't need the money because 'her beloved husband' left her with millions. And in between orgasms she runs around and catches bad guys in frantic adventures.
Pardon me, but the whole thing doesn't seem feminist at all but mere masculinisation. (Since she's at it why isn't she given a moustache to shave every morning, as well?). Jung would probably class her as the male's anima and Laura Mulvey would talk about the sadistic, patriarchal point of view. I don't think that feminism has even been invented within this book.
I don't think I need to add that there is no internal life or thought, or soul in this story. Or flesh and depth in the characters. (Although there are anemic, half-hearted and truly unconvincing attempts for some of the above). Which is exactly the reason why I'm certain that the book will probably be a commercial success with many satisfied customers who will appreciate the frantic pace and the action relieved that they were not force fed anything literary, god forbid.
Let me start with some praise and chant all the positives...You know how in this indie author world there are so many complaints regarding bad grammar, formatting etc? Things that an author can be crucified for? Well, this book is immaculate in that respect. I didn't encounter a single letter going out of line, not a paragraph jumping, not a little grammar faux pas. Nothing. Pure perfection. The author did a professional work and he is to be complimented for his sharp eye for detail.
Now the negatives: the whole context.
The story starts with the first page giving us an idea of the heroine, Charlie. We get to know that she lives in the yacht she inherited -together with lots of dosh- from 'her beloved husband' who sadly passed. We are reassured that she was genuinely bereaved as she lived in chastity for five whole years but then -beginning of page two- she had a nymphomaniac fit to 'make up for the lost time'. (Nymphomania in the erotica genre is what is feather in chickens).
So beginnings of page 2 we start the sexual reveries of the widow and how she had 115 orgasms in a quarter of an hour, or something like that. In the following lines we are welcomed by his elongated whatsit and her moist whatsit, then his rigid whatsit and her eager whatsit in a hardcore porn circus where we change positions every so often so we don't get bored. We also have some novelty little numbers where the male character 'walks' his (again) rigid whatsit in her eager whatsit and starts counting one, two, three strokes exactly and then off he goes to count in some other part of her anatomy, one, two, three strokes exactly. Then we have revolving chairs. Then we have technical negotiations and clinical descriptions with dirty names. Even as hard core as it is, I found it resembling dangerously an instruction manual for building an IKEA bookcase rather than a sex session, despite all the elongated and the eager whatsits going on for five pages. Oh and it was as erotic as toe nail clipping.
Aaaah, but it was all a fantasy and Charlie comes back to reality because now that we hooked you with the bad sex, reader, we have the hardcore action with the murders and all to get out of the way and we shouldn't waste any time.
I understand that the author tries to present his heroine as a strong, powerful woman. Also through the author Charlie contemns the 'misogynists' demonstrating the feminist values of this book. This 'powerful woman' notion is supported by Charlie's habit to smoke Cuban cigars and drink beer from the bottle. Also she has her own yacht to play sailor. Her sexuality puts ten sailors' worth of testosterone in shame. Also she is a writer of erotica and she makes lots of dosh out of her writing talents although she doesn't need the money because 'her beloved husband' left her with millions. And in between orgasms she runs around and catches bad guys in frantic adventures.
Pardon me, but the whole thing doesn't seem feminist at all but mere masculinisation. (Since she's at it why isn't she given a moustache to shave every morning, as well?). Jung would probably class her as the male's anima and Laura Mulvey would talk about the sadistic, patriarchal point of view. I don't think that feminism has even been invented within this book.
I don't think I need to add that there is no internal life or thought, or soul in this story. Or flesh and depth in the characters. (Although there are anemic, half-hearted and truly unconvincing attempts for some of the above). Which is exactly the reason why I'm certain that the book will probably be a commercial success with many satisfied customers who will appreciate the frantic pace and the action relieved that they were not force fed anything literary, god forbid.
December 2, 2016
I like the title—it’s intriguing, alludes to a sinner’s absolution and has the effect of luring in the reader. The first paragraph of the first page does the same. The first scene has got a sailboat Curacao—and yes, this American has been there, as well as the rest of the ABC islands. From the description, the author knows a thing or two about sailing. He also gives away his taste for cigars and Cognac, by having the heroine voice the desire by having an after dinner drink and smoke abroad her sailboat. There is a lot of overly descriptive sex, and that’s a bit of a distraction as I usually like a division of porn and literature, but since Shades of Gray was such a big hit, it seems a large percentage of readers don’t share my opinion. Still, the sex scenes may turn off the more prudish readers. Charlie is an author and the protagonist of the novel. She travels around on a vintage wooden sailboat, smokes cigars and drinks, Cognac—like a man. The action starts off fast with a murder and the pursuit of the only witness—Charlie. The chapters are short, and that helps impart a brisk pace to the action. I like the author’s use of a metaphor to describe the layout of the marina—tines of a fork. I also like the way the author describe the hitman and his reconnoiter of the hit. It shows attention to detail and indicates some thinking he did on what details to share with the reader—especially including the ingenious camera/pistol. The Hitman turns out to be a rather roguish fellow who takes love them and leave them to the next level. The book quickly proves itself to be a rather straightforward and then throws the reader a few curve balls. There are hints that some of the cops are not to be trusted and thoughts that some of the folks who came aboard Charlie’s sailboat may not have walked off. The formula works, and it causes me to read more. In summary, the thriller has got a great cast of diverse characters, some great locales, lots of sex and enough murder and mayhem to keep things interesting. A definitely enjoyable novel. I was internally struggling on the rating to give it. I think the graphic sexual content is a mistake and trust me I’m no prude. It’s just that it takes away from the plot and I don’t want to be titillated by a thriller. I faced the same problem with my second book, and several readers panned it for the strong sexual content, so I decided in the future to write something that would be more PG than R. All of that having been said, the book hits all the notes it needs to be a good read and you should consider giving it a try.
September 22, 2017
First and foremost, the plot and story is engaging, twisting and turning through mysteries of murder, sex, love, and money. Although aspects of some actions and motivation strained credulity, the power of the story allowed me to suspend disbelief and stay engaged. That's the good part.
Some negative aspects
- For me, there were too many point-of-view characters. This made it harder to identify with any particular character, including Charlie Edwards, the seeming protagonist.
- On multiple occasions, the writer withheld information from the reader that was available to the current point-of-view character. To me, that is annoying, not intriguing. As an example, in one section instead of using pronouns, a potential lover is repeatedly identified as the officer to conceal the gender.
- To me, it is unfair to the reader for the writer to delve into the consciousness of a character and fail to reveal important facts that character knows and must cross their mind.
- Small errors threw me. As an example, the famous hotel Marriott was spelled consistently with a single 't', causing me to question how much research had been done.
- More proofreading would help. A thorough line edit would improve the reading experience.
- The epilogue was too much information for me.
Other elements
- Did I mention the sex? There's lots of it: boy-girl, girl-girl, and even a bit of caning. Some of it moves the plot; most of it moves lots of wet body parts in exquisite detail.
- Twists and turns of the plot, surprising subplots, and tugs at heart strings helped me keep turning the pages.
- Wish fulfillment. The female lead is incredibly intelligent, beautiful, sexy, able to sail the ocean solo, has an eidetic memory, fancies fine wine and good cigars, and is independently wealthy. She can also take care of herself in any fight. Rather than being annoying, it provided this reader with dreams of escape.
All in all, a rollicking story but with too many problems to warrant a higher rating.
Some negative aspects
- For me, there were too many point-of-view characters. This made it harder to identify with any particular character, including Charlie Edwards, the seeming protagonist.
- On multiple occasions, the writer withheld information from the reader that was available to the current point-of-view character. To me, that is annoying, not intriguing. As an example, in one section instead of using pronouns, a potential lover is repeatedly identified as the officer to conceal the gender.
- To me, it is unfair to the reader for the writer to delve into the consciousness of a character and fail to reveal important facts that character knows and must cross their mind.
- Small errors threw me. As an example, the famous hotel Marriott was spelled consistently with a single 't', causing me to question how much research had been done.
- More proofreading would help. A thorough line edit would improve the reading experience.
- The epilogue was too much information for me.
Other elements
- Did I mention the sex? There's lots of it: boy-girl, girl-girl, and even a bit of caning. Some of it moves the plot; most of it moves lots of wet body parts in exquisite detail.
- Twists and turns of the plot, surprising subplots, and tugs at heart strings helped me keep turning the pages.
- Wish fulfillment. The female lead is incredibly intelligent, beautiful, sexy, able to sail the ocean solo, has an eidetic memory, fancies fine wine and good cigars, and is independently wealthy. She can also take care of herself in any fight. Rather than being annoying, it provided this reader with dreams of escape.
All in all, a rollicking story but with too many problems to warrant a higher rating.
August 27, 2016
The book was provided free in turn for an honest review.
Prayer for a Sinner was a troublesome read for me. While I don’t normally mind long passages of descriptions, this book would be benefited with a great deal more dialogue. Small encounters, like Charlie’s first report to the police, or even some of the sex scenes, I feel should have been written out as dialogue and action, rather than the author telling us what happened. It’s almost as if the author is afraid to leave anything to the reader’s imagination.
There is too much over-explanation of unimportant things (describing what a Blackberry is rather than just naming it), confusing usage of quotation marks to signify dialogue as well as designation of individuals and names of objects and a clear inability to paint a picture for the readers. The book is written from a “let me tell you everything” point of view, rather than using any writing tools to allow the reader to see the story unfold before them. The sparsity of dialogue in the book detracts from the story telling and makes it a much more difficult read. It seems that the author just sat down at the computer, started writing and published it without bothering to go back and read the book for errors or clarity, much less how to improve the prose.
If this is erotica, then I would have expected to be semi-aroused, but the clinical description and the repetitive usage of the same word to describe body parts, caused me to just skim the scenes because they were basically the same thing over and over. For the most part, it seemed to be gratuitous boring sex that could have been left out to make the story stronger.
At the end of the day, having read erotica before, this doesn’t reach the mark of the genre. The crime/detective story that is interwoven into the book lacks maturity and makes the reader struggle to understand what was important and what is superfluous. Additionally, the numerous errors in terms of formatting, chapter naming and overall book structure make this a chore of a read for anyone who knows good writing. The characters were minimally developed, in my opinion, but it could just be that it was done in the first book of the series, and the author expected that everyone would have read that prior to reading this.
Prayer for a Sinner was a troublesome read for me. While I don’t normally mind long passages of descriptions, this book would be benefited with a great deal more dialogue. Small encounters, like Charlie’s first report to the police, or even some of the sex scenes, I feel should have been written out as dialogue and action, rather than the author telling us what happened. It’s almost as if the author is afraid to leave anything to the reader’s imagination.
There is too much over-explanation of unimportant things (describing what a Blackberry is rather than just naming it), confusing usage of quotation marks to signify dialogue as well as designation of individuals and names of objects and a clear inability to paint a picture for the readers. The book is written from a “let me tell you everything” point of view, rather than using any writing tools to allow the reader to see the story unfold before them. The sparsity of dialogue in the book detracts from the story telling and makes it a much more difficult read. It seems that the author just sat down at the computer, started writing and published it without bothering to go back and read the book for errors or clarity, much less how to improve the prose.
If this is erotica, then I would have expected to be semi-aroused, but the clinical description and the repetitive usage of the same word to describe body parts, caused me to just skim the scenes because they were basically the same thing over and over. For the most part, it seemed to be gratuitous boring sex that could have been left out to make the story stronger.
At the end of the day, having read erotica before, this doesn’t reach the mark of the genre. The crime/detective story that is interwoven into the book lacks maturity and makes the reader struggle to understand what was important and what is superfluous. Additionally, the numerous errors in terms of formatting, chapter naming and overall book structure make this a chore of a read for anyone who knows good writing. The characters were minimally developed, in my opinion, but it could just be that it was done in the first book of the series, and the author expected that everyone would have read that prior to reading this.
March 2, 2014
A Must Read - highly enjoyable book! I started "Prayer for a Sinner" with mixed expectations. The reviews were mixed and I had not read any books with the erotica genre associated to them. I was extremely happy to find one of the most satisfying independent books I have read. Let's leave the erotica out of it for a moment. The book, with out erotica, would stand on it's own. The Caribbean, a boat, murder, traitors, a tropical setting, and drug lords are enough to develop solid characters and several plot lines. The author moves the plot ahead with a skilled hand. The plot builds in steady steps of intertwined relationships that conflict and challenge the characters.
Charlie is the main character who has docked her boat in Curacao and has been thrust into the murder mystery. She becomes the target of a killer and she becomes involved with the local police to help protect her and solve the mystery of the murder.
Now for the erotica. Although the book could be constructed without the erotica, it is written into the story as an integral part of the characters. You get the impression if this were in another setting the sex may not be part of the characters. But here it is a natural extension of the characters and is blended in as another subtext to the plot. While there was certainly nothing held back in the descriptions, there was nothing that disrupted the flow of the story. Here it feels like we are sharing in the intimate lives of the characters as much as we are getting the extra thrill of some erotic storytelling.
Even good books like this have some weak spots. I felt like the author must write a lot when he's hungry. Many of the meals, and especially the breakfasts, are described in more than enough detail. While food can be an erotic for some, the connection never hit home for me here. If we were talking about local or high cuisine, it might make it more interesting. But that wasn't the case here. This was easy to overlook as I eagerly awaited each new development in the plot line or the erotic relationships that were developing.
I will be glad to follow this series as it develops and becomes more successful. It will be satisfying to know I was introduced early to this story.
Charlie is the main character who has docked her boat in Curacao and has been thrust into the murder mystery. She becomes the target of a killer and she becomes involved with the local police to help protect her and solve the mystery of the murder.
Now for the erotica. Although the book could be constructed without the erotica, it is written into the story as an integral part of the characters. You get the impression if this were in another setting the sex may not be part of the characters. But here it is a natural extension of the characters and is blended in as another subtext to the plot. While there was certainly nothing held back in the descriptions, there was nothing that disrupted the flow of the story. Here it feels like we are sharing in the intimate lives of the characters as much as we are getting the extra thrill of some erotic storytelling.
Even good books like this have some weak spots. I felt like the author must write a lot when he's hungry. Many of the meals, and especially the breakfasts, are described in more than enough detail. While food can be an erotic for some, the connection never hit home for me here. If we were talking about local or high cuisine, it might make it more interesting. But that wasn't the case here. This was easy to overlook as I eagerly awaited each new development in the plot line or the erotic relationships that were developing.
I will be glad to follow this series as it develops and becomes more successful. It will be satisfying to know I was introduced early to this story.
November 4, 2017
A few months ago I set out to read books outside my comfort zone, and to try and rate them, as much as possible, on their own merit, rather than a subjective, arbitrary comparison to the type of books I actually ENJOY. Cause, hey, I might find a hidden gem, right? I'm really struggle to do that here. It doesn't help that this is literally the furthest thing from my go-to style as is possible, short of maybe sitting down with an outright sex manual. Actually, I'd probably be more comfy with the manual, because it likely wouldn't have stepped on one of my biggest pet peeves ever in entertainment.
But let me back up for a sec before I get off on a rant, and mention that, as far copyediting and formatting go, this wasn't half bad. The writing style itself is a bit cut-and-dry, and doesn't flow smoothly, with a lot of repeated words and monotonous sentence length, but in spite of that, it's engaging enough to get sucked into when the story is actually moving. And really, it's not a huge thing. A simple out-loud read through from the author would have caught those issues. My biggest complaint with the actual writing is that there are a few random tense changes (nothing majorly distracting), and a lot of head hopping. Whose point of view we're in is totally arbitrary, and not limited even to paragraph changes. That always makes me a little crazy, but again, it's nothing that would ruin the story for most readers. None of that ruined the book for me, either. It was just... everything else.
Charlie Edwards writes erotica, lives on a boat, and enjoys inflicting damage on men, apparently. Her plans (which we don't actually find out until the last 1/3 of the book) are interrupted when she witnesses a murder and is drawn into the subsequent police investigation. Her involvement in the investigation is nominal, the majority of it being relegated to sexual exploits with other parties involved. During the later part of the book we are finally introduced to her reason for being on Curacao in the first place, and, well, it kinds of ends up feeling like two separate plot lines. The original murder mystery, and then a sickening revelation of Charlie's original plans, followed by a tale of revenge. I don't want to give anything away, but... this was a book that left me cringing at the end and wondering, What was the point? I didn't find any characters I could really root for. The title, "Prayer for a Sinner," suggests a possible redemption arc, or similar, but I'd have a hard time pegging the title "Sinner" on any one character in particular, since it could as easily be applied to the protagonist as to the antagonist. In the twisted sense of morality embraced here, her motives for her actions are supposed to be somehow superior to her enemies'. In reality, she's every bit as cold as they are.
My true pet peeve on this one is the character, Charlie. She's obviously mean to be a "strong female character." That lofty, aspiring darling of feminist. What she actually is, like so many other attempts at "strong female" characters coming out of Hollywood in particular, is a man with boobs. Big boobs (of course). What really struck me as ironic is that early on in the story there's a subplot involving a pretty brutal revenge on a rapist who's portrayed as a chauvinist pig, who's into submission from his women. He's a despicable character, for sure, and is condemned and punished in the worst possible ways for his narrow-mindedness and acts of abuse. But then, literally, the ENTIRE rest of the book goes on to celebrate Charlie's persona as nothing more than an object of desire for the other male (and female) characters in the book, and, I'm sure the intention is, for the reader as well. Isn't objectifying, subverting, and scorning women the thing thats supposed to be condemned? Isn't feminism about celebrating freedom and empowerment for women? So then why do I get the feeling that the way they're trying to accomplish that is to have women who act like men? Or, for all the preaching, is femininity really nothing more here than having boobs and carrying tampons? Really? REALLY? The point of the book is erotica-- or, more accurately, porn-- I get it. Everything else is just sort of thrown in as a bonus. But that fact in and of itself subjects Charlie's character, and women in general, to becoming nothing more than an object for arousal. A framework on which to display luridly detailed images of men's fantasies. Tell me again how much better it is to read porn about a woman who is so marginalized as to be a paper cutout that thinks, talks, and acts like a man, than it is to watch/enact porn that outright abuses women. Isn't it the first type of mindset that enables the second? If you can't have respect for women as THEMSELVES, with all their strange and unique combinations of femininity and tomboy and human, then you don't have any respect for them at all. Maybe you wouldn't go so far as abuse or rape someone, but it's NOT OK to objectify them, either. OR to dismiss them as less valuable, less strong, because they actually have the gall to act like a woman instead of a man. Heaven forbid.
And heaven forbid we actually have a realistic female character, with flaws and things that men don't like so much, like mood swings, hormones, and a fascination for shopping, or shoes, or whatever. Pink handguns. Combat boots with bling. Karate katas performed like dance moves to a Cinderella soundtrack. Instead, we're presented with a caricature-- someone that could never exist, who I certainly wouldn't want to meet if they did.
The potential strength of the story here is weakened by a muddy morality and characters who were not heroic or even very likeable. There were a couple side characters that weren't so bad. If the story had focused more on Jens and Monika, I probably would have enjoyed it a lot better. It's a book about sex. If that's your thing, then have at it. You'll probably enjoy it. I really, really wish I had been able to find more redeeming factors in this one. But there was just so little room in it for anything BEYOND sex, and beyond Charlie putting her "strong" martial arts skills to brutal use.
Like I said, if you're looking for a book about sex, with a plot thrown in just for kicks, then you're in luck. And I apologize for the rant. I try to steer clear of those in reviews, but it's such an upside-down issue, this chasm between the ideal of false feminism, where women are scorned, in essence, for loving things unique to womanhood, vs. true feminism, that celebrates women as HUMAN BEINGS, and lets them know that it's ok to be either as girly-girly or as tomboy as they want to be, that strength doesn't have anything to do with your career or whether you can kill someone with your bare hands. Part of me concedes and perhaps even appreciates that the author was at least attempting to create a strong female lead. But next time, maybe put a little more thought into the issue. Or not. I guess the target audience on this one wasn't really for women anyway, which makes this review, as much as I try to be fair, as subjective as any other. In the end, I'm sure there's a market for it. It's just not me.
But let me back up for a sec before I get off on a rant, and mention that, as far copyediting and formatting go, this wasn't half bad. The writing style itself is a bit cut-and-dry, and doesn't flow smoothly, with a lot of repeated words and monotonous sentence length, but in spite of that, it's engaging enough to get sucked into when the story is actually moving. And really, it's not a huge thing. A simple out-loud read through from the author would have caught those issues. My biggest complaint with the actual writing is that there are a few random tense changes (nothing majorly distracting), and a lot of head hopping. Whose point of view we're in is totally arbitrary, and not limited even to paragraph changes. That always makes me a little crazy, but again, it's nothing that would ruin the story for most readers. None of that ruined the book for me, either. It was just... everything else.
Charlie Edwards writes erotica, lives on a boat, and enjoys inflicting damage on men, apparently. Her plans (which we don't actually find out until the last 1/3 of the book) are interrupted when she witnesses a murder and is drawn into the subsequent police investigation. Her involvement in the investigation is nominal, the majority of it being relegated to sexual exploits with other parties involved. During the later part of the book we are finally introduced to her reason for being on Curacao in the first place, and, well, it kinds of ends up feeling like two separate plot lines. The original murder mystery, and then a sickening revelation of Charlie's original plans, followed by a tale of revenge. I don't want to give anything away, but... this was a book that left me cringing at the end and wondering, What was the point? I didn't find any characters I could really root for. The title, "Prayer for a Sinner," suggests a possible redemption arc, or similar, but I'd have a hard time pegging the title "Sinner" on any one character in particular, since it could as easily be applied to the protagonist as to the antagonist. In the twisted sense of morality embraced here, her motives for her actions are supposed to be somehow superior to her enemies'. In reality, she's every bit as cold as they are.
My true pet peeve on this one is the character, Charlie. She's obviously mean to be a "strong female character." That lofty, aspiring darling of feminist. What she actually is, like so many other attempts at "strong female" characters coming out of Hollywood in particular, is a man with boobs. Big boobs (of course). What really struck me as ironic is that early on in the story there's a subplot involving a pretty brutal revenge on a rapist who's portrayed as a chauvinist pig, who's into submission from his women. He's a despicable character, for sure, and is condemned and punished in the worst possible ways for his narrow-mindedness and acts of abuse. But then, literally, the ENTIRE rest of the book goes on to celebrate Charlie's persona as nothing more than an object of desire for the other male (and female) characters in the book, and, I'm sure the intention is, for the reader as well. Isn't objectifying, subverting, and scorning women the thing thats supposed to be condemned? Isn't feminism about celebrating freedom and empowerment for women? So then why do I get the feeling that the way they're trying to accomplish that is to have women who act like men? Or, for all the preaching, is femininity really nothing more here than having boobs and carrying tampons? Really? REALLY? The point of the book is erotica-- or, more accurately, porn-- I get it. Everything else is just sort of thrown in as a bonus. But that fact in and of itself subjects Charlie's character, and women in general, to becoming nothing more than an object for arousal. A framework on which to display luridly detailed images of men's fantasies. Tell me again how much better it is to read porn about a woman who is so marginalized as to be a paper cutout that thinks, talks, and acts like a man, than it is to watch/enact porn that outright abuses women. Isn't it the first type of mindset that enables the second? If you can't have respect for women as THEMSELVES, with all their strange and unique combinations of femininity and tomboy and human, then you don't have any respect for them at all. Maybe you wouldn't go so far as abuse or rape someone, but it's NOT OK to objectify them, either. OR to dismiss them as less valuable, less strong, because they actually have the gall to act like a woman instead of a man. Heaven forbid.
And heaven forbid we actually have a realistic female character, with flaws and things that men don't like so much, like mood swings, hormones, and a fascination for shopping, or shoes, or whatever. Pink handguns. Combat boots with bling. Karate katas performed like dance moves to a Cinderella soundtrack. Instead, we're presented with a caricature-- someone that could never exist, who I certainly wouldn't want to meet if they did.
The potential strength of the story here is weakened by a muddy morality and characters who were not heroic or even very likeable. There were a couple side characters that weren't so bad. If the story had focused more on Jens and Monika, I probably would have enjoyed it a lot better. It's a book about sex. If that's your thing, then have at it. You'll probably enjoy it. I really, really wish I had been able to find more redeeming factors in this one. But there was just so little room in it for anything BEYOND sex, and beyond Charlie putting her "strong" martial arts skills to brutal use.
Like I said, if you're looking for a book about sex, with a plot thrown in just for kicks, then you're in luck. And I apologize for the rant. I try to steer clear of those in reviews, but it's such an upside-down issue, this chasm between the ideal of false feminism, where women are scorned, in essence, for loving things unique to womanhood, vs. true feminism, that celebrates women as HUMAN BEINGS, and lets them know that it's ok to be either as girly-girly or as tomboy as they want to be, that strength doesn't have anything to do with your career or whether you can kill someone with your bare hands. Part of me concedes and perhaps even appreciates that the author was at least attempting to create a strong female lead. But next time, maybe put a little more thought into the issue. Or not. I guess the target audience on this one wasn't really for women anyway, which makes this review, as much as I try to be fair, as subjective as any other. In the end, I'm sure there's a market for it. It's just not me.
September 28, 2014
This is a detailed and well constructed “police procedural” mystery with many clever twists. The plot drives the reader along despite what this reviewer considers side shows. Drug running, police corruption, a strong female main character, an exotic location, and many well thought-through secondary characters contribute to the novel. The author has clearly worked hard at it and the result deserves to be read.
Unfortunately, I found distractions to my enjoyment of the book. The language is often humdrum and labored: “Her timing was perfect; she exploded once again … She fell forward on his chest and promptly passed out. [He] slipped clear without disturbing her, wrapped the condom in a tissue, wiped himself and got into bed beside her. They both slept, deeply and refreshingly for five hours.”
Sometimes, the sentence construction was simply puzzling even if the meaning was clear: “Nowhere was far from anywhere on Curacao.” Or “Your downfall is that you were never arrested before.”
Further, Quito is in Ecuador, not Chile, and a boat’s anchor would probably “bite” rather than “bight” into the sand. The main bad guy’s body would probably “rock” rather than “rot” on the boat as he is not yet dead (when he is finally killed, he is tossed overboard). The 2010 Chateau Pontet-Canet would in all likelihood exhibit all those wonderful characteristics that professional tasters detected or forecast to ordinary drinkers--after having aged ten years or so; it is unlikely to be anything like that in 2014.
These and other errors notwithstanding, I enjoyed reading the book.
Unfortunately, I found distractions to my enjoyment of the book. The language is often humdrum and labored: “Her timing was perfect; she exploded once again … She fell forward on his chest and promptly passed out. [He] slipped clear without disturbing her, wrapped the condom in a tissue, wiped himself and got into bed beside her. They both slept, deeply and refreshingly for five hours.”
Sometimes, the sentence construction was simply puzzling even if the meaning was clear: “Nowhere was far from anywhere on Curacao.” Or “Your downfall is that you were never arrested before.”
Further, Quito is in Ecuador, not Chile, and a boat’s anchor would probably “bite” rather than “bight” into the sand. The main bad guy’s body would probably “rock” rather than “rot” on the boat as he is not yet dead (when he is finally killed, he is tossed overboard). The 2010 Chateau Pontet-Canet would in all likelihood exhibit all those wonderful characteristics that professional tasters detected or forecast to ordinary drinkers--after having aged ten years or so; it is unlikely to be anything like that in 2014.
These and other errors notwithstanding, I enjoyed reading the book.
August 27, 2015
Hmmm... I didn’t find this an easy read at all. Starting with the chapter list, the chapter names make little sense. I can see what the author has tried to do, but it needed a trifle more thought and consideration. This lack of attention to detail creeps up now and again in this novel, there are clusters of grammatical issues that I am confident any editor worth their salt would have spotted a mile off and indeed I am sure the author could have as for the most part his grammar is pretty damned good (perhaps they were written on bad days, but I think they ought to have been picked up in the editing process). The sex scenes lack depth and feeling, reading much like a repetitive shopping list.
HOWEVER… It works. The story is, in my opinion, very good indeed. There were several points throughout where I was certain I was being led down an irrelevant plot fork, only for it to make perfect sense in what unfolded to reveal a well-conceived plot. The rather stock characters are woven into the plot with sufficient flair as to render them quite likeable. I haven’t read any of this author’s prior works, but this book would seem to me to be the work of a good, seasoned author who either hasn’t hired an editor, or has hired a bad one.
HOWEVER… It works. The story is, in my opinion, very good indeed. There were several points throughout where I was certain I was being led down an irrelevant plot fork, only for it to make perfect sense in what unfolded to reveal a well-conceived plot. The rather stock characters are woven into the plot with sufficient flair as to render them quite likeable. I haven’t read any of this author’s prior works, but this book would seem to me to be the work of a good, seasoned author who either hasn’t hired an editor, or has hired a bad one.
December 3, 2016
An escapist thriller with violence, and sex both M/F and F/F, all set in an exotic location.
Some books ease into the action, some hit you with a sucker punch straight away. In this case the heroine witnesses a murder. Charlie is a together, hard hitting, independent and significantly sexually active woman, with both sexes. Most of the time I really liked Charlie, at others I thought she went too far with her ‘kick-ass’ moves. If you ever meet a statuesque English woman with long ash blonde hair in the topics, I suggest you don’t upset her. In any way. Ever. Especially if you're a chap and you'd rather your wedding tackle stays in functioning order for the rest of your life.
This is a mix of intrigue, suspense, and intermittent graphic sex and violent scenes, set in the gloriously described Dutch Antilles. It had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish, and at one point I was moved to tears by Charlie's tragic love for her best friend.
The M/F sex scenes were hot and steamy, but I can’t really comment on the extensive F/F scenes as I don’t lean that way.
Some books ease into the action, some hit you with a sucker punch straight away. In this case the heroine witnesses a murder. Charlie is a together, hard hitting, independent and significantly sexually active woman, with both sexes. Most of the time I really liked Charlie, at others I thought she went too far with her ‘kick-ass’ moves. If you ever meet a statuesque English woman with long ash blonde hair in the topics, I suggest you don’t upset her. In any way. Ever. Especially if you're a chap and you'd rather your wedding tackle stays in functioning order for the rest of your life.
This is a mix of intrigue, suspense, and intermittent graphic sex and violent scenes, set in the gloriously described Dutch Antilles. It had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish, and at one point I was moved to tears by Charlie's tragic love for her best friend.
The M/F sex scenes were hot and steamy, but I can’t really comment on the extensive F/F scenes as I don’t lean that way.
September 13, 2015
This book falls in a strange category for me. It starts off with the character of Charlie, who while sitting on her boat, recalls a memory from an encounter with a man...
It's an extremely explicit and quite steamy intro that certainly captures the readers attention. Follow this up with a great murder and you've got a thrilling read on your hands that keeps pace through out the book.
My problem falls in the over explanation and overly described scenes. While nothing is left to the imagination, sex scenes and all, it felt at times, the amount of description took away from the experience. There was a confusing amount of head hopping in a single paragraph as well.
Still, it was an enjoyable read, one filled with great and strong characters, though I admit, there were times Charlie was a bit over the top, she was likable if not always believable.
Overall this was a good book. Even if you took out the erotica, you'd have a good mystery that anyone would enjoy.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
It's an extremely explicit and quite steamy intro that certainly captures the readers attention. Follow this up with a great murder and you've got a thrilling read on your hands that keeps pace through out the book.
My problem falls in the over explanation and overly described scenes. While nothing is left to the imagination, sex scenes and all, it felt at times, the amount of description took away from the experience. There was a confusing amount of head hopping in a single paragraph as well.
Still, it was an enjoyable read, one filled with great and strong characters, though I admit, there were times Charlie was a bit over the top, she was likable if not always believable.
Overall this was a good book. Even if you took out the erotica, you'd have a good mystery that anyone would enjoy.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
March 1, 2014
I preferred this story than the first, there is more story behind this rather than just action. The author still manages to break your heat but he keeps it for the end, I can't wait to read the next part.
February 15, 2014
PRAYER FOR A SINNER ('Saving Grace') by Robin Peacock:
When I began reading this book I was of the opinion that the term “erotica” was just a euphemism for “literary porn” and that the reader warnings about adult fiction and explicit language, in the blurb, would be as water off a duck’s back, to drag in another cliché. After all I had read D H Lawrence’s novels, as a teenager, as soon as they became available as unexpurgated editions. I recently enjoyed the Enderby novels of Anthony Burgess, admittedly after some initial apprehension, finding them amusing, well written and with strong believable characters. After the first three pages of Prayer For A Sinner what I read did nothing to make me change my opinion, it merely helped to confirm it.
The main protagonists in the book are Charlie and Rudi who are brought together as characters involved in a murder investigation. Charlie is the main witness with Rudi the detective. There is a second murder and a succession of events that drag the MP into an intricately contrived plot for Charlie to solve.
If I were still a 14 year-old boy looking for an exciting adventure book with “rude words” throughout it then I might have found every page gripping. Sadly this was not the case since I thought most of the book was puerile nonsense. Charlie, the main character, appears to be a female version of an amalgam between James Bond and Philip Marlowe, but who is obsessed by sex, thereby allowing the author to introduce freely explicit descriptions of her promiscuity. Any mature and reasonably intelligent adult is well aware that people may use profanities in their conversations with others and its inclusion in the dialogue of a novel is to be expected. But when it occurs regularly throughout the narrative then I find it very disappointing and a cheap method of attracting readers and/or attention. It seems to be a waste of writing skill and talent. What happened to subtlety and innuendo? This is quite apart from the effect that so-called erotica and porn may have on impressionable young minds, which we know will inevitably happen at some point in time.
I think that this could make quite a suspenseful “ripping yarn” for teenagers if the erotica was omitted and I realise that this was a sequel in a Charlie series of books but nothing I read made me want to read another.
When I began reading this book I was of the opinion that the term “erotica” was just a euphemism for “literary porn” and that the reader warnings about adult fiction and explicit language, in the blurb, would be as water off a duck’s back, to drag in another cliché. After all I had read D H Lawrence’s novels, as a teenager, as soon as they became available as unexpurgated editions. I recently enjoyed the Enderby novels of Anthony Burgess, admittedly after some initial apprehension, finding them amusing, well written and with strong believable characters. After the first three pages of Prayer For A Sinner what I read did nothing to make me change my opinion, it merely helped to confirm it.
The main protagonists in the book are Charlie and Rudi who are brought together as characters involved in a murder investigation. Charlie is the main witness with Rudi the detective. There is a second murder and a succession of events that drag the MP into an intricately contrived plot for Charlie to solve.
If I were still a 14 year-old boy looking for an exciting adventure book with “rude words” throughout it then I might have found every page gripping. Sadly this was not the case since I thought most of the book was puerile nonsense. Charlie, the main character, appears to be a female version of an amalgam between James Bond and Philip Marlowe, but who is obsessed by sex, thereby allowing the author to introduce freely explicit descriptions of her promiscuity. Any mature and reasonably intelligent adult is well aware that people may use profanities in their conversations with others and its inclusion in the dialogue of a novel is to be expected. But when it occurs regularly throughout the narrative then I find it very disappointing and a cheap method of attracting readers and/or attention. It seems to be a waste of writing skill and talent. What happened to subtlety and innuendo? This is quite apart from the effect that so-called erotica and porn may have on impressionable young minds, which we know will inevitably happen at some point in time.
I think that this could make quite a suspenseful “ripping yarn” for teenagers if the erotica was omitted and I realise that this was a sequel in a Charlie series of books but nothing I read made me want to read another.
October 7, 2015
I was pleased to find how easily the start of this novel caught my interest, and not because it starts out with a sex scene, but because of the fascinating setting: a sailboat in a Caribbean island. I read the book in record time, and enjoyed it very much. The mystery hinges around the contract murder of a cartel-connected prostitute. The hit is witnessed by Charlie Edwards, an author who travels and lives in her sailboat, the “Saving Grace.” As Charlie becomes involved with the local investigators as a witness, things become complicated.
Be warned: Explicit sexual content. I appreciate sexual content, but some readers may feel uncomfortable with the sex scenes between two women. There is also extreme violence. It seemed to me that Charlie’s character was a dichotomy: she practices Yoga and spiritualism and yet exhibits such extreme violent behavior. Lovers of strong female leads will love Charlie.
I feel, as a reviewer, that this work could use a good final editing round. I found many errors in punctuation, some word usage (ex: palette instead of palate), and whole pages of bold text in Chapter 69. Given that the file I read was provided by the author and is maybe not a final draft, this may not be so in the published files.
All in all, I enjoyed the book very much. I recommend it to adult readers who like their mysteries spiced with sex!
Be warned: Explicit sexual content. I appreciate sexual content, but some readers may feel uncomfortable with the sex scenes between two women. There is also extreme violence. It seemed to me that Charlie’s character was a dichotomy: she practices Yoga and spiritualism and yet exhibits such extreme violent behavior. Lovers of strong female leads will love Charlie.
I feel, as a reviewer, that this work could use a good final editing round. I found many errors in punctuation, some word usage (ex: palette instead of palate), and whole pages of bold text in Chapter 69. Given that the file I read was provided by the author and is maybe not a final draft, this may not be so in the published files.
All in all, I enjoyed the book very much. I recommend it to adult readers who like their mysteries spiced with sex!
November 22, 2013
I absolutely loved the second book in the Saving Grace series!
I can't say enough good things about Charlie! I may have a literary crush on her! I felt like I got to know Charlie way better in this book than in the first book. Charlie just keeps on getting better and better too.
Prayer for a Sinner has a lot of great elements--action, love, female on female love scenes, crime, heartache and sexiness. It kept me reading and the story did not get bogged down or convoluted.
I look forward to reading the next installments in this series. I will follow Charlie forever!
**I was provided the book by the author in return for an honest review.
I can't say enough good things about Charlie! I may have a literary crush on her! I felt like I got to know Charlie way better in this book than in the first book. Charlie just keeps on getting better and better too.
Prayer for a Sinner has a lot of great elements--action, love, female on female love scenes, crime, heartache and sexiness. It kept me reading and the story did not get bogged down or convoluted.
I look forward to reading the next installments in this series. I will follow Charlie forever!
**I was provided the book by the author in return for an honest review.
November 18, 2013
I received it in exchange of an honest review! Must read alert! Thrilling, heartbreaking and red hot, i wasn't able to put it down! I cried even more than the first book, Charlie continued to amaze me and the twist is really well thought!!!! Fluid, researched and well written, with amazing characters, a really great story and very hot scenes this book is a full package!!! Charlie continues her adventures with her amazing charlie's angel/mary higgins clark charm and personality! A pleasure!!!
September 7, 2017
As soon as I read the first page, I thought, here we go, I'm going to enjoy this one, but two pages in and the explicit nature of the sex scenes made me so uncomfortable, that If I didn't need to read this book, I would have dropped it immediately. Five more pages and I am still awkwardly reading the step by step tutorials of Charlie and her fella's escapades. I mean, it went on for an aeon. Still, I soldiered on, and I must mention, that I don't mind sex scenes in some books but this was just too crude in its nature. Also, this is a very long book I know every book isn't for everyone and this one and the plot isn't for me. I did not connect with the characters in this book, the author described everything to a fault. I don't mind elaboration in books when it's necessary but I didn't think some of the in-depth descriptions here were important to the story. Needless to say, I did not enjoy it as I had initially thought I would.
October 7, 2015
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, so here it is…
This is a really long book! I’m sure it wouldn’t have felt quite so long if it hadn’t been quite so descriptive.
I’m sorry but there is far too much description for my taste e.g. I don’t really need to know the exact model and dimensions of the boat, but I certainly don’t need to know where it was renovated etc. Fine if it’s important in the plot but it really wasn’t in this case.
Even the sex scenes get bogged down in description, rendering them passionless.
I was intrigued by ‘The Young Man’ character and had high hopes of him cropping up later in a wonderful plot twist. He doesn’t. At least not in this book and I don’t have any intention of reading others.
It’s frustrating, as I loved the plot and this could have been a great book.
I do have other issues with this book. BDSM is included which would be fine but it infers this lifestyle is only used my villains and is something seedy. Having researched the topic for one of my own books this really isn’t the case. There’s a huge amount of trust involved in that world which is completely missed in this novel.
Also, I really don’t mind f/f scenes or bi-sexual couples. But this book portrays the main character as being broken by grief from the loss of her husband yet she’s been madly in love with a woman the whole time. It just didn’t sit right, I’m afraid.
Charlie herself is supposed to be a strong female, but this goes overboard (pun intended) and she ends up being a secret ninja warrior type. And is also ‘bloked up’ by her cigar and cognac habit. I'm not convinced this was all entirely necessary.
There was a good trail of breadcrumbs as to the identity of the killer which seem to have been subtle enough to not be noticed by some readers.
Summary; OK but if it was pared down it could’ve been really good.
This is a really long book! I’m sure it wouldn’t have felt quite so long if it hadn’t been quite so descriptive.
I’m sorry but there is far too much description for my taste e.g. I don’t really need to know the exact model and dimensions of the boat, but I certainly don’t need to know where it was renovated etc. Fine if it’s important in the plot but it really wasn’t in this case.
Even the sex scenes get bogged down in description, rendering them passionless.
I was intrigued by ‘The Young Man’ character and had high hopes of him cropping up later in a wonderful plot twist. He doesn’t. At least not in this book and I don’t have any intention of reading others.
It’s frustrating, as I loved the plot and this could have been a great book.
I do have other issues with this book. BDSM is included which would be fine but it infers this lifestyle is only used my villains and is something seedy. Having researched the topic for one of my own books this really isn’t the case. There’s a huge amount of trust involved in that world which is completely missed in this novel.
Also, I really don’t mind f/f scenes or bi-sexual couples. But this book portrays the main character as being broken by grief from the loss of her husband yet she’s been madly in love with a woman the whole time. It just didn’t sit right, I’m afraid.
Charlie herself is supposed to be a strong female, but this goes overboard (pun intended) and she ends up being a secret ninja warrior type. And is also ‘bloked up’ by her cigar and cognac habit. I'm not convinced this was all entirely necessary.
There was a good trail of breadcrumbs as to the identity of the killer which seem to have been subtle enough to not be noticed by some readers.
Summary; OK but if it was pared down it could’ve been really good.
October 20, 2014
I thought this book needed a major substantive edit.
Improve the visual flow. The scene where the character apparently jumps in time, walking in a dark room, doesn't need a light, wants a cigar, then cutting the end of the cigar all in the same sentence without ever actually going to get the cigar or the cutter as an example of what I mean in visual flow. The reader is not taken along with the character with jumps in flow like this.
Cut the fluff. The first scene that introduces the detective was filled with info dumping that wasn't necessary and cut the pace of the book way back. Stuff that would have been much better shown later on instead of just dumped on the reader immediately.
A strong woman is not a whore. The author claims to write strong women, but I found the character off putting as well as having had my fiance read some of the scenes she was highly offended.
The plot has potential, I think with a substantive edit and addressing of the main character in some ways it could be a good book but it is not on my recommended reading list as it is presented.
Improve the visual flow. The scene where the character apparently jumps in time, walking in a dark room, doesn't need a light, wants a cigar, then cutting the end of the cigar all in the same sentence without ever actually going to get the cigar or the cutter as an example of what I mean in visual flow. The reader is not taken along with the character with jumps in flow like this.
Cut the fluff. The first scene that introduces the detective was filled with info dumping that wasn't necessary and cut the pace of the book way back. Stuff that would have been much better shown later on instead of just dumped on the reader immediately.
A strong woman is not a whore. The author claims to write strong women, but I found the character off putting as well as having had my fiance read some of the scenes she was highly offended.
The plot has potential, I think with a substantive edit and addressing of the main character in some ways it could be a good book but it is not on my recommended reading list as it is presented.
February 17, 2014
Charlie has moved on from her brush with mortal danger in the Bahamas. Her kidnapping is in the past. She has other, more important things to do. Her best friend, Julia Monroe, needs her for something that only Charlie is able to accomplish. Their plan is destroyed when Charlie witnesses a murder, throwing her and her friend into danger. Witnesses talk and some people do not like talkers. When Charlie is in danger, she becomes dangerous. She is not going to let the bad guys get away with it, even if she has to risk everything to get her peace of mind and justice for both of them.
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