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Lights - Camera - Heist!: A Romantic Misadventure
What would happen if a handsome pair of clever thieves completely bungled the heist of a priceless Guarneri cello from an Emir in Dubai? Run like hell, of course. And not only run, but hide. Create new identities, and try to figure out a way to somehow recoup their losses, and make a bundle from a newly conceived art heist at a high-end museum.
And what if the new heist involves the making a movie, fending off a Chinese crime baron, and falling in love? Not with each other - but she with the lead actor in the phony film, and he with an undercover spy sent by the Emir to squelch their best laid plans.
This genre-bending novel of crime and romance is filled with humor, surprises, and a cast of eccentric characters including a bunch of kids that intrude just as the new heist is about to be executed. Think of the Keystone Cops cast in The Thomas Crown Affair.
If you are looking for a fun time, with lots of laughs, tons of suspense, and the blushing thrill of new romance you will LOVE Lights - Camera - Heist! A Romantic Misadventure.
And what if the new heist involves the making a movie, fending off a Chinese crime baron, and falling in love? Not with each other - but she with the lead actor in the phony film, and he with an undercover spy sent by the Emir to squelch their best laid plans.
This genre-bending novel of crime and romance is filled with humor, surprises, and a cast of eccentric characters including a bunch of kids that intrude just as the new heist is about to be executed. Think of the Keystone Cops cast in The Thomas Crown Affair.
If you are looking for a fun time, with lots of laughs, tons of suspense, and the blushing thrill of new romance you will LOVE Lights - Camera - Heist! A Romantic Misadventure.
248 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2014
143 people want to read
About the author
Jon McDonald
17 books6 followersAs an author, Jon’s mission is to provide readers with stories that delight and entertain so they can enjoy a pleasurable respite from their busy day to day lives. Readers describe turning the last page of McDonald’s books not only feeling completely satisfied, but also wanting more.
His adventure stories are exciting - fast paced and captivating. They are filled with intriguing plots, imaginative locales and storylines that make you think about real issues in an engaging way. His adventure readers are selective - typically enjoying the works of other notable peers in the field including David Baldacci, John Grisham, Tom Clancy, and James Patterson.
His humorous tales delight and amuse - evoking the satire of David Sedaris, the laugh-out-loud humor of Ethan Mordden or the sly English observations of E.F. Benson.
Jon’s readers are just as likely to be found listening to classical music, NPR, traveling abroad, shopping at local farmer’s markets, preparing gourmet food or walking the halls of the Hermitage, the Met, or the Louvre as they are reading his humorous, intelligent stories written for an audience who shy away from run of the mill writing.
Jon McDonald lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He won awarded 1st prize in the 2009 Santa Fe New Mexican holiday short story contest, 2009. He has also been published in Raphael's Village, ImageOutWrite, Bay Laurel, Jonathan, and Off the Rocks, Vol 17.
His adventure stories are exciting - fast paced and captivating. They are filled with intriguing plots, imaginative locales and storylines that make you think about real issues in an engaging way. His adventure readers are selective - typically enjoying the works of other notable peers in the field including David Baldacci, John Grisham, Tom Clancy, and James Patterson.
His humorous tales delight and amuse - evoking the satire of David Sedaris, the laugh-out-loud humor of Ethan Mordden or the sly English observations of E.F. Benson.
Jon’s readers are just as likely to be found listening to classical music, NPR, traveling abroad, shopping at local farmer’s markets, preparing gourmet food or walking the halls of the Hermitage, the Met, or the Louvre as they are reading his humorous, intelligent stories written for an audience who shy away from run of the mill writing.
Jon McDonald lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He won awarded 1st prize in the 2009 Santa Fe New Mexican holiday short story contest, 2009. He has also been published in Raphael's Village, ImageOutWrite, Bay Laurel, Jonathan, and Off the Rocks, Vol 17.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 26, 2019
rep: gay mc & li, East-Asian side character
tw: internalized homophobia, racism
ARC provided by the publisher.
I saw the word heist and I saw this advertised as a gay romance so obviously I was on board. I had such high hopes!! And of course that means my disappointment is even greater.
The thing about this book is, it feel very much like a first draft. The idea is good and it's all there but the author didn't took time to turn it into something truly Good. The writing is dry and boring, it's just a list of things that happened with a few feelings scattered here & there and no real attention paid to them. The whole book is in Max and Maddie's POV but then it switched a few times for no other reason than to let the reader know about some important plot line.
And see, that's the thing really w Lights, Camera, Heist! in general. Nothing feels real. The characters have names and some basic descriptions re: their past & jobs but that's where they end. They're nothing more than cardboard cutouts, only here to be moved around at the author's leasure so that the plot moves. And even when the plot requires that they make sacrifices or have scary conversations, the reader can't connect with them. Because they're not actually there. I can't tell you a single thing about any of them, apart from maybe that they keep calling Han mysterious.
The gay romance part that I was looking forward to? Oh, yes. We go from some lowkey internalized homophobia on the main character's side straight into making out with a guy in a car. There's of course the obligatory "I always thought you were gay!" from his best friend too. The two guys might have been flirting - and even got a happy ending! - but again, none of it felt real. The flirting was actually incredibly awkward... At one point the main character called his future boyfriend a "big sexy guy". I mean, really? It's like it was added as an after-thought and literally nothing would change if the love interest was a woman. Frankly, I'm not only disappointed but also kind of offended.
I mentioned Han before. He's the important figure in the story, making a lot of it even possible. He's also one of the Asians. Yes, that's how every person from North-East Asia was described in the book because we all know Asia is a very small continent and everyone looks exactly the same there. Han was also the only Asian who could speak proper English & of course he's a mysterious criminal mastermind who can secure any funds and pull off any impossible jobs. And knows everything about ancient Chinese pottery.
Throughout the whole story, everything fell into place nicely and easily for the two main characters. All their problems were resolved with little trouble from them and very often by accident by other parties. Sometimes it even seemed like those other parties were introduced solely so they could solve a problem in the future. The whole thing is fake and that's not even taking into the account just how successful the events in the very ending turned out to be. The story was sure fast paced but that's only because no real emotions were involved and it's easy to describe more & more events. It could be a good story, if it was reworked from the ground up.
tw: internalized homophobia, racism
ARC provided by the publisher.
I saw the word heist and I saw this advertised as a gay romance so obviously I was on board. I had such high hopes!! And of course that means my disappointment is even greater.
The thing about this book is, it feel very much like a first draft. The idea is good and it's all there but the author didn't took time to turn it into something truly Good. The writing is dry and boring, it's just a list of things that happened with a few feelings scattered here & there and no real attention paid to them. The whole book is in Max and Maddie's POV but then it switched a few times for no other reason than to let the reader know about some important plot line.
And see, that's the thing really w Lights, Camera, Heist! in general. Nothing feels real. The characters have names and some basic descriptions re: their past & jobs but that's where they end. They're nothing more than cardboard cutouts, only here to be moved around at the author's leasure so that the plot moves. And even when the plot requires that they make sacrifices or have scary conversations, the reader can't connect with them. Because they're not actually there. I can't tell you a single thing about any of them, apart from maybe that they keep calling Han mysterious.
The gay romance part that I was looking forward to? Oh, yes. We go from some lowkey internalized homophobia on the main character's side straight into making out with a guy in a car. There's of course the obligatory "I always thought you were gay!" from his best friend too. The two guys might have been flirting - and even got a happy ending! - but again, none of it felt real. The flirting was actually incredibly awkward... At one point the main character called his future boyfriend a "big sexy guy". I mean, really? It's like it was added as an after-thought and literally nothing would change if the love interest was a woman. Frankly, I'm not only disappointed but also kind of offended.
I mentioned Han before. He's the important figure in the story, making a lot of it even possible. He's also one of the Asians. Yes, that's how every person from North-East Asia was described in the book because we all know Asia is a very small continent and everyone looks exactly the same there. Han was also the only Asian who could speak proper English & of course he's a mysterious criminal mastermind who can secure any funds and pull off any impossible jobs. And knows everything about ancient Chinese pottery.
Throughout the whole story, everything fell into place nicely and easily for the two main characters. All their problems were resolved with little trouble from them and very often by accident by other parties. Sometimes it even seemed like those other parties were introduced solely so they could solve a problem in the future. The whole thing is fake and that's not even taking into the account just how successful the events in the very ending turned out to be. The story was sure fast paced but that's only because no real emotions were involved and it's easy to describe more & more events. It could be a good story, if it was reworked from the ground up.
September 27, 2017
I really wanted to like this book, but for a heist story it was dull. I let myself stop reading by the time they had already begun infiltrating their target without even considering equipment, crew, or plan.
August 15, 2014
Once in a while there comes along a book that will give endless delight and peals of laughter with each turn of the page. Not necessarily a great story but nevertheless an entertaining read. With the last page, like the flash of a memory, the book is gone and so is its memory. There’s no life-lessons, just light banters and pure enjoyment. One such novel that is such a lighthearted and entertaining read is Lights - Camera - Heist!: A Romantic Misadventure by Jon McDonald.
Not so great a title for a book, yet between the covers you have a riotous fun at the expense of your own belly. It is a romantic suspense, a comedy of errors where nothing seems to be going right for our two central characters - Max & Maddie. Author Jon McDonald crafted a hilarious story as they planned to steal a priceless Guarneri cello from an Emir in Dubai. The failure of their plan prompted the duo to come up with an almost impossible scheme of an art heist at a high-end museum in the guise of shooting a movie.
The plan seems to go wrong from the start and the reader is treated a delightful feast of fun, glamor, romance, glitz, suspense, misadventure and a mild dose of action all over the book. They are such likeable characters that you actually want them to succeed in their planned heist. Though the story lacked depth and character building, it is very much an entertaining read that gives you tons of delight.
Not so great a title for a book, yet between the covers you have a riotous fun at the expense of your own belly. It is a romantic suspense, a comedy of errors where nothing seems to be going right for our two central characters - Max & Maddie. Author Jon McDonald crafted a hilarious story as they planned to steal a priceless Guarneri cello from an Emir in Dubai. The failure of their plan prompted the duo to come up with an almost impossible scheme of an art heist at a high-end museum in the guise of shooting a movie.
The plan seems to go wrong from the start and the reader is treated a delightful feast of fun, glamor, romance, glitz, suspense, misadventure and a mild dose of action all over the book. They are such likeable characters that you actually want them to succeed in their planned heist. Though the story lacked depth and character building, it is very much an entertaining read that gives you tons of delight.
August 7, 2014
Two partners in crime-Felice Sommer and Jack Russell-the first of many aliases, set out on a wild adventure to steal a cello. But this is not just any cello this instrument is a Guarneri owned by Emir the Deputy Prime Minister of UAE worth an estimated two million. The duo feels they have a foolproof plan than “ooops” as this adventure is appropriately called. The escape plan was not as foolproof as they thought as they are chased by helicopters only to end up with an upside down dunk in the Persian Gulf. After a costly failure they decide to play dead. Once they are declared dead and new identities are established it’s onto the next caper with even more madcap adventures.
Funny, comical and witty James Bond it’s not but I love it! McDonald writes with an exceptional flair using great attention to detail allowing the readers imagination to flow with this scripted tale. This clearly would make a great movie along the lines of Inspector Clouseau of the Pink Panther fame only with a funny crime duo. I love the uniqueness of combining crime with romance giving us the readers a rare treat.
So whether hilarity or crime or even romance is your taste this is one great fiction that should not be missed!!
Funny, comical and witty James Bond it’s not but I love it! McDonald writes with an exceptional flair using great attention to detail allowing the readers imagination to flow with this scripted tale. This clearly would make a great movie along the lines of Inspector Clouseau of the Pink Panther fame only with a funny crime duo. I love the uniqueness of combining crime with romance giving us the readers a rare treat.
So whether hilarity or crime or even romance is your taste this is one great fiction that should not be missed!!
August 11, 2014
Lights - Camera - Heist! A Romantic Misadventure by Jon McDonald is a romantic book with a touch of crime that leaves you wanting more! Jon is an author who loves to entertain his readers with a lot of humor in his writing. The characters here are well thought out and the story reads excitingly well.
Jon tells the story of a pair who attempt to steal a priceless Guarneri cello from an Emir in Dubai. Their plans seem to go wrong as the story develops and you definitely want to find out what happened next in this brilliant book. This book is full of adventure, fun, humor, and laughs that makes it a great read and you just can't stop reading until it's finished.
Lights - Camera - Heist is a book I would recommend!
Jon tells the story of a pair who attempt to steal a priceless Guarneri cello from an Emir in Dubai. Their plans seem to go wrong as the story develops and you definitely want to find out what happened next in this brilliant book. This book is full of adventure, fun, humor, and laughs that makes it a great read and you just can't stop reading until it's finished.
Lights - Camera - Heist is a book I would recommend!
August 26, 2014
Just as the title evokes, this is a romantic misadventure! Not just any cello, this instrument is a Guarneri owned by Emir the Deputy Prime Minister of UAE worth an estimated two million and this crime-duo is out to snatch it! This story is full of comedic and witty characters, they leave you laughing the whole way! This story should appeal to a wide range of readers with its speedy pace and quick dialogue. I definitely recommend it to anyone who comes across it!
August 26, 2014
Loved this book! This book had me rooting for the bad guys the whole way through! Maddie & Max were very lovable characters. Thanks Jon McDonald & Goodreads for this first reads!! Would recommend this story to anyone!!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews