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Stuck
Ben Watkins has a gift. His dreams drop him into other people’s bodies…for five minutes. When Ben is dropped into Billy Shoe, drummer for the world’s most popular rock band, all bets are suddenly off. The needle in his arm, the tattoos on his hands, and the loud pounding on the other side of the stall door are just the beginning. He wakes up after a drug-induced slumber, sick and in dire need of another fix. The five-minute rule has been kicked to the curb. Somehow, he’s gotten…STUCK.
- GenresParanormal
309 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 18, 2016
49 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Steven L. Hawk
17 books46 followersSteven L. Hawk spent six years as a Military Intelligence Specialist with the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division before joining the ranks of corporate America. He has a B.S. in Business Management from Western Governor's University and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). He has traveled extensively across the United States and, at various times, has lived in Georgia, North Carolina, West Virginia, Massachusetts, California and Idaho.
Steve currently resides in Boise, Idaho with his wife, Juanita. Together, they have a blended family of five sons: Paul, Gordo, Aaron, Taylor and Steven Jr.
For more information, you can follow him via the following channels:
Website: http://www.SteveHawk.com
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenhawk
Twitter: @stevenhawk
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/steven.hawk1
Steve currently resides in Boise, Idaho with his wife, Juanita. Together, they have a blended family of five sons: Paul, Gordo, Aaron, Taylor and Steven Jr.
For more information, you can follow him via the following channels:
Website: http://www.SteveHawk.com
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenhawk
Twitter: @stevenhawk
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/steven.hawk1
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 17, 2017
STUCK by Steven L. Hawk is a kindle scout book and a fantasy/sci-fi. The plot is fairly good and the characters are well developed. It is a little slow in spots but I did enjoy this book.
January 1, 2017
I really liked the premise of the story. It would make an awesome movie or series if it was done correctly. However, I'm not sure if the book itself would be much of a blue print to follow.
The story starts strong enough. The first couple of chapters are real page turners. Everything flowed very well and I could barely finish reading one page, before wanting to turn the next. However, when the "switch" happens, the story seems to get bogged down. It goes from being a very original, taut, sci-fi, thriller to an almost meandering Hallmark kind of movie, but in book form. The "bromancing" between the main characters comes across as contrived and I felt very little in the way of empathy for what they were going through. They came across as wooden puppets, rather than real flesh and blood characters that I could relate to and cheer on.
The strongest scene in the entire book is what happens in the bathroom stall. Excellent piece of writing. The deleted scene at the end of the book and the other dream sequence featuring the psycho hillbilly, (the one in the final print) were exceptional.
I wish the entire book was written with that level of intensity.
The story starts strong enough. The first couple of chapters are real page turners. Everything flowed very well and I could barely finish reading one page, before wanting to turn the next. However, when the "switch" happens, the story seems to get bogged down. It goes from being a very original, taut, sci-fi, thriller to an almost meandering Hallmark kind of movie, but in book form. The "bromancing" between the main characters comes across as contrived and I felt very little in the way of empathy for what they were going through. They came across as wooden puppets, rather than real flesh and blood characters that I could relate to and cheer on.
The strongest scene in the entire book is what happens in the bathroom stall. Excellent piece of writing. The deleted scene at the end of the book and the other dream sequence featuring the psycho hillbilly, (the one in the final print) were exceptional.
I wish the entire book was written with that level of intensity.
January 10, 2017
In today's episode of Quantum Leap, Dr. Sam Beckett finds himself in his own present time and stuck inside a junkie rock star...
An enjoyable read, but not a single original idea in it. The premise is identical to Quantum Leap (main character time travels in other people's bodies at critical points in their lives to help them), but it all happens while the protagonist sleeps instead of using a time machine. The story follows one such event, with the story progressing like a regular episode of the said TV show. I liked that show and so I enjoyed this book too, but nothing to write home about.
An enjoyable read, but not a single original idea in it. The premise is identical to Quantum Leap (main character time travels in other people's bodies at critical points in their lives to help them), but it all happens while the protagonist sleeps instead of using a time machine. The story follows one such event, with the story progressing like a regular episode of the said TV show. I liked that show and so I enjoyed this book too, but nothing to write home about.
January 16, 2017
The thing that got me was it was identical to Quantum Leap, traveling into other people's bodies. We meet main character just before he is experiencing traumatic circumstances. The way to resolve situation is acceptance of a new role. And then changing his host's life piece by piece. I really wanted to like it more but it's identical to Quantum Leap. I mean everything in this book is like watching a old episode.
February 22, 2018
STUCK sucked me in.
I worked for years managing rock and roll bands, so naturally I was deeply offended that the manager of the band Junk Mustard wasn’t the hero of the story. Okay, but other than that obvious oversight, STUCK sucked me in and held my interest all the way to the end.
Steven L. Hawk is a talented storyteller, and I recommend this fast, enjoyable read.
Marty Essen, author of: Time Is Irreverent
I worked for years managing rock and roll bands, so naturally I was deeply offended that the manager of the band Junk Mustard wasn’t the hero of the story. Okay, but other than that obvious oversight, STUCK sucked me in and held my interest all the way to the end.
Steven L. Hawk is a talented storyteller, and I recommend this fast, enjoyable read.
Marty Essen, author of: Time Is Irreverent
November 27, 2018
I actually really enjoyed this book... until about 85% of the way through, at which point it just a bit ridiculous and rushed. But still not a bad ending, it does have an alternative ending in the author's note.
April 6, 2019
Couldn't put it down.
My only complaint about the book is I couldn't stop reading till I finished. So here I am at 4:00 in the morning writing this review. Misery loves company, so read it now and lose some sleep like me.
My only complaint about the book is I couldn't stop reading till I finished. So here I am at 4:00 in the morning writing this review. Misery loves company, so read it now and lose some sleep like me.
March 22, 2018
Very good
This book was a lot of fun to read. While I'm not thrilled about the stupid wife, it was a great concept played out well!
This book was a lot of fun to read. While I'm not thrilled about the stupid wife, it was a great concept played out well!
March 18, 2019
3.5 stars. Fun tale of redemption through sleep possession.
November 11, 2020
Great story!
October 7, 2016
Like an Earworm...It's "Stuck" In Your Head
Stuck by Steven Hawk is a wonderfully unique book. It's difficult to classify, and it's even harder to forget.
It would be easy to adapt as a major motion picture. It even has an alternate ending and deleted scene. I'd love to see Stephen Amell as Ben, David Spade as Billy, and Lucy Lawless as Natalie.
Stuck by Steven Hawk is a wonderfully unique book. It's difficult to classify, and it's even harder to forget.
It would be easy to adapt as a major motion picture. It even has an alternate ending and deleted scene. I'd love to see Stephen Amell as Ben, David Spade as Billy, and Lucy Lawless as Natalie.
November 5, 2016
Steven L. Hawk, the writer who so expertly crafted the "Peace Warrior" trilogy, veers from the military sci-fi in his latest offering, "Stuck," to create a mundane (supremely) working stiff protagonist named Ben Watkins. Watkins' wife and kids don't respect him. They don't have any reason to. He's a guy who goes to work and pretty much ignores them while providing a respectable white collar income. His sense of self comes off completely differently as viewed by others. He solves problems. He helps people. He fixes things. Really. But not in real life. Watkins dreams. In his REM mode, he's out there jumping from one scenario to the next. At first he observes the life of the random person whose mind he inhabits, then he takes control and just long enough to help avert disaster or make the right decision. Weird, right? Only Watkins has no idea what he's doing is really happening. It's likely just a dream. Meanwhile, he sleepwalks through life. His kids disrespect him. His wife beds the weirdo neighbor. He ignores them. But then Watkins jumps into the head of a guy who happens to be the semi mindless goon of a crazy would-be killer. This is the sequence that Hawk uses to launch "Stuck." The killer is distasteful in the extreme. He's a dirtbag. And he nearly kills a man and his daughter. But Watkins steps in and averts disaster. He saves the kid, using his reasoning rather than brawn, and then steps out and wakes up. Then, for some reason I've forgotten, Watkins looks up the people in his dream. After some Google searches prove fruitless, he stumbles across an identity. These people are real. So was the confrontation. However, it took place a decade past. But it gives him the realization but what he's been doing has been making a difference. The epiphany this gives him should have paid dividends and given him the benefit of knowing that he really is a guy who can get results with people and right wrongs. But then he wakes up in a new guy, this one a famous drug-addicted rock drummer. What puts him in this spot is his getting hit by a truck. And this time, the shift into the host doesn't end. The drummer, Billy Shoe, is about to die. He's expected to succumb to the lure of a needle in his vein. But Watkins won't allow it. He goes through detox with all the indignities associated with it while trying to convince others he's not lost his mind and become some sort of mild-mannered finance executive rather than a foul-mouthed rocker. The book was so damn good I stayed up all night reading it. I finished and then went to work out. I was dog tired by the end of the next day, but I didn't regret it. The ride was a blast. Weird as sci-fi but without the guns and space ships. Hawk knows pace. He moves forward like a pro. And he resolves the bizarre web he creates and makes it make sense. I'm biased though. I like his style. He's also included an alternate ending that's pretty haunting. He explains why his editor wanted to cut it, and I agree. But for fans. You gotta read it.
December 27, 2016
I really like it. Well, you may already know from my rating. The cover is good. At first I thought it was science fiction thriller. But it turned out to be mixed. Anyway, it is an interesting story. The story was engaging and move in steady pace. It was not too slow to make you boring and yet not too fast to make it confusing. I love the characters Benjamin Watkins and Billy Shoe. To be honest I don't really like Shoe as last name but after a while, it kind of stick. Maybe that the author intention. Both of them are very different person. Benjamin is semi successful manager with family and Billy Shoe is drummer addict that cannot function independently. He needs his best friend Cotton to keep helping him.
Despite the body change, both of them can adjust to their surrounding without much drama. At first, it may look like the story about how Ben can get to his body back. But after a while, you realized that it was much more than that. The story tell about Ben and Billy new experience and perspective how to deal with their own problems. At times, you kind of understand both of them as their own characters. I also like that the author also put alternate ending. You can choose the happy one or the more thorough one. Personally I prefer the more thorough one, simply because it was more thorough. The deleted scene is also a nice addition. Anyway, I really recommend this story for people who want to read light and inspiring story. Don't let the synopsis and cover deter people who doesn't like science fiction because it is not really science fiction.
Rating : 5 of 5.
www.sharing55tories.blogspot.com
Despite the body change, both of them can adjust to their surrounding without much drama. At first, it may look like the story about how Ben can get to his body back. But after a while, you realized that it was much more than that. The story tell about Ben and Billy new experience and perspective how to deal with their own problems. At times, you kind of understand both of them as their own characters. I also like that the author also put alternate ending. You can choose the happy one or the more thorough one. Personally I prefer the more thorough one, simply because it was more thorough. The deleted scene is also a nice addition. Anyway, I really recommend this story for people who want to read light and inspiring story. Don't let the synopsis and cover deter people who doesn't like science fiction because it is not really science fiction.
Rating : 5 of 5.
www.sharing55tories.blogspot.com
December 8, 2016
This review was first published on Kurt's Frontier.
Synopsis:
Ben Walkins has a rare gift. His dreams drop him into other people’s bodies for five minutes. For this five minutes, he can do what he can to improve their lives before returning to his own body. However, his own life needs some work. He is becoming a stranger to his wife and kids. When he is hit by a car, he wakes up to the loud pounding on a stall door with a needle in his arm.
He has been dropped into the body of Billy Shoe, a drummer for a popular rock band and heroine addict. Five minutes comes and goes, and Ben realizes that he is “Stuck” as Billy Shoe until he can find a way back to his own body.
Review:
Steven L. Hawk has written and interesting “What if …” story about switching identities. Ben Walkins has the ability to enter other peoples bodies. When it happens and with whom it happens is not under his control. He goes along for the ride until at some point he can take control. Then he has five minutes before he is returned to his own body. He has used this ability to help people when it manifests. When he is dropped into Billy Shoe’s body, the rules are suspended.
The story is well written and thought provoking on a cerebral level. However, it is not a page turner. It moves at a slower pace than what I am used to. However, it is an entertaining and enjoyable novel.
Synopsis:
Ben Walkins has a rare gift. His dreams drop him into other people’s bodies for five minutes. For this five minutes, he can do what he can to improve their lives before returning to his own body. However, his own life needs some work. He is becoming a stranger to his wife and kids. When he is hit by a car, he wakes up to the loud pounding on a stall door with a needle in his arm.
He has been dropped into the body of Billy Shoe, a drummer for a popular rock band and heroine addict. Five minutes comes and goes, and Ben realizes that he is “Stuck” as Billy Shoe until he can find a way back to his own body.
Review:
Steven L. Hawk has written and interesting “What if …” story about switching identities. Ben Walkins has the ability to enter other peoples bodies. When it happens and with whom it happens is not under his control. He goes along for the ride until at some point he can take control. Then he has five minutes before he is returned to his own body. He has used this ability to help people when it manifests. When he is dropped into Billy Shoe’s body, the rules are suspended.
The story is well written and thought provoking on a cerebral level. However, it is not a page turner. It moves at a slower pace than what I am used to. However, it is an entertaining and enjoyable novel.
November 5, 2016
I enjoyed this read very much. The characters were full, believable, and had a lot of depth to them, mostly as a result of the consciousness-switching. The story itself was very entertaining and kept my attention throughout.
The issues which the story highlighted made me think. Would I actively choose to help make someone else's life better if I was inhabiting their body? Or would I just go along for the ride and do nothing? What would I learn about my loved ones and my life? What important things would I learn from looking at myself from the 'outside'? I'd like to think that our inherently good human nature - which, let's face it, doesn't always show itself in a positive light - would rise to the surface and help our fellow man.
The two 'extras' at the end added nothing to my reading experience. In fact, I found that they almost entirely removed the good feeling which remained after reading. I don't think that we need to have these in the book, sorry.
I received a free copy via the Kindle Scout scheme, and this is an honest review.
The issues which the story highlighted made me think. Would I actively choose to help make someone else's life better if I was inhabiting their body? Or would I just go along for the ride and do nothing? What would I learn about my loved ones and my life? What important things would I learn from looking at myself from the 'outside'? I'd like to think that our inherently good human nature - which, let's face it, doesn't always show itself in a positive light - would rise to the surface and help our fellow man.
The two 'extras' at the end added nothing to my reading experience. In fact, I found that they almost entirely removed the good feeling which remained after reading. I don't think that we need to have these in the book, sorry.
I received a free copy via the Kindle Scout scheme, and this is an honest review.
December 29, 2016
MAN, I love a good sci-fi story that takes a new angle on something I have read before! This books does it without all the techiness and gadgets and just lays it out and paints the story for you to follow. I feel the characters were Amazing and the premise was super cool!
November 13, 2016
Different
This is very different than his other works. I enjoyed that in different situations we can be different people. I hope writes another story with this character.
This is very different than his other works. I enjoyed that in different situations we can be different people. I hope writes another story with this character.
April 11, 2017
This book reminded me a bit about Freaky Friday, where people change bodies, only this was much better. Ben trades places with Billy Shoe, a rock star he doesn't know. Parts of the story felt predictable, but I enjoyed the author's execution of the plot. While Ben body-hikes, he helps the people he's taken control of. Now he just needs someone to do the same for him. Can Billy Shoe come through, or will Ben have to sort out his own problems?
The book is well-written. It's not fast-paced, nor is it supposed to be. The characters drive the story as they try to solve their problems. You learn a lot about the human spirit, how it wants to do the right thing, but our emotional baggage gets in the way. I could relate to much of what the author wrote. A thoroughly enjoyable book.
I received a copy of this book through the Kindle Scout program.
The book is well-written. It's not fast-paced, nor is it supposed to be. The characters drive the story as they try to solve their problems. You learn a lot about the human spirit, how it wants to do the right thing, but our emotional baggage gets in the way. I could relate to much of what the author wrote. A thoroughly enjoyable book.
I received a copy of this book through the Kindle Scout program.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews