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Mia Kazmaroff Mysteries #1
Reckless
Mia Kazmaroff has a gift nobody wants. She's able to tell the story behind any object simply by touch. It’s a gift that comes in handy when her only brother, a detective with the Atlanta Major Crimes Division, is murdered. Determined to find his killer, Mia reaches out to the one person in Atlanta she believes can help her—Dave’s ex-partner, Jack Burton.
Unfortunately, Burton is also the prime suspect.
Together, Mia and Jack create a partnership that breaks all the rules, skirts every law, and lobs as many sparks and landmines at each other as if they were adversaries–which half the time they are—all while attempting to ignore their undeniable mutual attraction.
Can two people so different—one intuitive and inexperienced, the other cynical and by-the-book—work together to solve the murder?
And can they do it before the killer turns his attention to Mia?
Unfortunately, Burton is also the prime suspect.
Together, Mia and Jack create a partnership that breaks all the rules, skirts every law, and lobs as many sparks and landmines at each other as if they were adversaries–which half the time they are—all while attempting to ignore their undeniable mutual attraction.
Can two people so different—one intuitive and inexperienced, the other cynical and by-the-book—work together to solve the murder?
And can they do it before the killer turns his attention to Mia?
291 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 21, 2014
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3374 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 230 reviews
June 25, 2016
One star is perhaps a little overtly harsh, but it's hard to feel much sympathy for a detective novel in which we find out (as if it wasn't obvious because I guessed about halfway through and I can normally never tell) who the killer is more because of the killer seeking out the "investigators" and them making stupid decisions than any actual meaningful investigation *cough*My So-Called Afterlife*cough*. It's equally hard to like a book in which almost every single character is reprehensible.
Our male characters range from old school detective who reminded me a fair bit of bloody Nigel Farage to cocky git who uses women then tosses them on the rubbish heap - including his boss' wife - to kidnapper, wife beater and full blown sexual sadist. As for the female characters, we have Mia who is so damn stupid I'm amazed she even knows how to breathe. She makes stupid decision after stupid decision, bitches when anyone dares to suggest she's made a stupid decision and makes even more stupid decisions in retaliation. Meeting someone who she believes to be a murderer by herself is a classic example.
J: “Yeah, and by the way telling them before they even had a chance to run a tox screen that she died of an Ecstasy OD was not a good move.”
M: “Why? It’s the truth.”
J: “Why? Because they are not going to believe you know because you felt it. They are going to think you know because you did it.”
M: “That’s ridiculous.”
Apart from Mia, we have a load of female characters who are skanks (think Miss I'm Married but I Could Not be Married for You... and You... and You... and Maybe My Husband's Other Colleagues Would Like to Tag Team?), idiots or murderers. Mia's mother Jess is the only ray of sunshine and she only has a bit part in the story.
Amazingly, Reckless is actually the first part of a series. Mia and Jack apparently decided to carry on with their detective agency even though Mia has exactly -257369 detective skills and is more of a liability than a help. If the next book has any realism, Mia will either get the two of them killed in the first ten pages or, if Jack is lucky, she'll get arrested early on for feeling people up and he can just solve the crime himself without having to save her life every few minutes.
Our male characters range from old school detective who reminded me a fair bit of bloody Nigel Farage to cocky git who uses women then tosses them on the rubbish heap - including his boss' wife - to kidnapper, wife beater and full blown sexual sadist. As for the female characters, we have Mia who is so damn stupid I'm amazed she even knows how to breathe. She makes stupid decision after stupid decision, bitches when anyone dares to suggest she's made a stupid decision and makes even more stupid decisions in retaliation. Meeting someone who she believes to be a murderer by herself is a classic example.
J: “Yeah, and by the way telling them before they even had a chance to run a tox screen that she died of an Ecstasy OD was not a good move.”
M: “Why? It’s the truth.”
J: “Why? Because they are not going to believe you know because you felt it. They are going to think you know because you did it.”
M: “That’s ridiculous.”
Apart from Mia, we have a load of female characters who are skanks (think Miss I'm Married but I Could Not be Married for You... and You... and You... and Maybe My Husband's Other Colleagues Would Like to Tag Team?), idiots or murderers. Mia's mother Jess is the only ray of sunshine and she only has a bit part in the story.
Amazingly, Reckless is actually the first part of a series. Mia and Jack apparently decided to carry on with their detective agency even though Mia has exactly -257369 detective skills and is more of a liability than a help. If the next book has any realism, Mia will either get the two of them killed in the first ten pages or, if Jack is lucky, she'll get arrested early on for feeling people up and he can just solve the crime himself without having to save her life every few minutes.
June 8, 2018
The premise had potential but the female protagonist was just too stupid to be believable...and this is the start of a series based on her? No way I could read another one. She nearly gets killed, repeatedly, and yet still goes alone to meet someone, who she believes is a killer (!) in an out of the way abandoned place. This is AFTER getting kidnapped and becoming a victim of brutal torture. Sorry, no one is that stupid.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2014
Loved the characters, but I found the story to be weak. Jack Burton was a terrific character, believable and sexy. The heroine Mia Kazmaroff I had a great deal of trouble with. For a smart girl she continually put herself in risky situations that just made her seem plain dumb. Talk about Peyton Place, everybody in this police force in Georgia had either slept with, was sleeping with, or wanted to be sleeping with everyone on the force, or their wives or husbands. I love a good sexy read, however, it has to have some connection to what is reality. I did enjoy the paranormal ability that Mia possessed of being able to read people by touching them.
June 6, 2018
2.5 stars. It had flashes I enjoyed but I didnt particularly like any of the characters. Pretty much every secondary character was an unlikable bitch/ asshole or worse. Then there was Mia who was just plain annoying with her random convictions and loud accusations of who the killer was that seemed to change on a daily basis. And the drama & crime was over the top ridiculous. The whole kidnap torture thing had nothing to do with the murder and was just unnecessary drama. The murder and reason for it was kind of basic and silly as was the whole stalking of Mia. I just didn't buy it.
NOTE: in the version I read the main characters name was Mia not Nuala.
NOTE: in the version I read the main characters name was Mia not Nuala.
August 17, 2015
Mia's character was very irritating to me. I find it very hard to believe that someone who is suppose to have the special abilities that she has can be that stupid. How is she going to be an efficient private dick when she has no basic survivor instincts ? However I gave the book 3 stars because the rest of the story was pretty interesting. I can't honestly say that I would buy any of the remaining books in the series. Perhaps if I ran out of other books to read & a sequel was free, I might. No promises though.
January 2, 2015
I totally enjoyed reading this, just goes to show a man needs to listen to the woman sometimes. :)
June 11, 2018
Well this book took twenty spins around the mountain before reaching the top.
I do think, in the end I liked it, so why the 2 stars.
The female characters - other than the leading lady - WERE ALL THE SAME PERSON. They were all lying, cheating, police wives stabbing each other in the back and none of them had any defining abilities so I actually found it very hard to keep track of who was who and who slept with who and when.
The brother starts off being the nice guy and his partner is painted as a dick but then the roles actually end up switching and not only does the partner help Mia when no-one else will but they fall in love. ummm huh?
I am ok for a little mystery and character revelations but there was so much changing and twisting and then you think they have solved it but then Mia is kidnaped again and you just want to scream by the end.
So the 2 stars because it was 'ok' not great and not terrible. I really wanted Mia's gift to be better/more supernatural and lead them down really weird paths that would somehow all work together but in the end her gift was a little underwhelming. Also in the description of this book it says the girls name is Nuala but she is Mia in my kindle version.
June 19, 2018
2 1/2 stars. The story jumps back, forth and between different people and was hard to understand what they mattered to the story. I almost set this one down, however the storyline was interesting enough for me to keep reading. I found Mia to be on the stupid side for a "smart modern woman" she made so many questionable decisions that I couldn’t believe anyone would be so dumb. The saving grace was Jack, I read just to see what he would do. I might even read the next installment of the series in the hope that Mia isn't as stupid. I will leave a review for the next book and let you know if there's hope for a good read. This one was barely okay.
April 10, 2017
"A gifted mystery"
There's plenty going on in this story. The characters are familiar, but have more than one dimension. If you throw a mystery death, a supernatural gift. and a hint of romance into the mix, then you get something for everyone. As with many books today, the ending isn't tied up with a neat bow, and the 'taster' for the next book in the series is tacked onto the end. As series go, if it's variety you seek, then you could do worse than follow this one.
There's plenty going on in this story. The characters are familiar, but have more than one dimension. If you throw a mystery death, a supernatural gift. and a hint of romance into the mix, then you get something for everyone. As with many books today, the ending isn't tied up with a neat bow, and the 'taster' for the next book in the series is tacked onto the end. As series go, if it's variety you seek, then you could do worse than follow this one.
June 20, 2019
First in the Mia Kazmaroff crime thriller series and revolving around a woman with a psychometric gift in Atlanta, Georgia.
My Take
It's an interesting start to this character-driven tale. A cop partnership in which one hates the other. A cop's wife who loves to stir up trouble. Another wife who screwed up big time. A sister too headstrong to think.
It's a contentious partnership with Dave wanting to be all "hey, bro" while Jack simply despises him. An intense dislike that Jack finally realizes the truth of as he works to understand why he feels as he does. And it's darn confusing about Jack's happiness-guilt, which is the underlying story conflict. Hmmm, maybe that means it's supposed to be confusing..?
It's helped by that third person dual protagonist point-of-view coming from Jack's and Mia's perspectives, as we read what each of them thinks and feels. As for Dave...whoa...learning about the real Dave was so unexpected. I liked Dave until I didn't...and I came back to thinking I might like him. Maybe...
Mia is blunt and forceful. It took me by surprise when she insisted on Jack opening a private investigations agency with her. It definitely took Jack by surprise, lol. And it is convenient that Mia has inherited her brother's place. And interesting that he can afford something that nice...ahem.
Which leads into that romantic interest. Yeah, it was too quick for me. It's not that I object to it. It's simply that Kiernan-Lewis didn't work up to it. Not in my opinion.
I must say that gift of Mia's is rather handy for knowing the truth about people, but Mia irritates the hell out of me. She's all self-righteous and only her ideas have any merit. And, and, and she doesn't want someone around who doesn't respect her...boo-hoo. Jack does have to take some blame as well for not at least listening to her. But how Mia thinks someone will immediately take her seriously...especially when she's jumping all over the place!
As for why Dave's fellow detectives simply wrote him off...I don't feel as if Kiernan-Lewis ever did answer that question.
The Story
It's too much, Mia's gift and riding. It's become lethal and is why Mia took that bad tumble at the gymkhana. Then her brother's death shocks her and their mother.
Dave didn't just die in bed, and it isn't right that his fellow detectives, his deputy chief, are just walking away from his death. Mia knows it's murder. Why are they not pursuing it?
The Characters
Mia Kazmaroff has a gift for psychometry, a branch of retrocognition, and has lost her job teaching at Georgia State. Shiloh is her thorough-bred cross. Detective Dave Kazmaroff is her brother and Jack's partner. Heather is/was Dave's girlfriend and supposedly about to get engaged. Jess is their mother with the same gift. Their father, Gaspar, was killed by a drunk driver.
Major Crimes Detective Jack Burton is splitting up with his wife, Diane. Tommy had been their lawn boy. He rescues a Maltese mix and calls her Daisy.
Atlanta PD
Detectives Elliott Johnson and Henderson are partners in Major Crimes. Detective Keith Barnes in Narcotics is Dave's best friend. Detective Kirkland. Detective Rocky Daniels is new. Jasper is the sergeant on the desk.
Deputy Chief Bill Maxwell is married to Carol, his second wife. And she's "too good for the redneck, uneducated other halves of Atlanta's finest". Cindy had been his first wife. Mindy is Maxwell's daughter, married to Tad. I think Ellie is Maxwell's secretary.
Karen Sanders is the medical examiner who owns an elderly black Lab, Cocoa; Bennett is her new assistant. Peterson is a med tech. Kiernan-Lewis mentions an Ange, and I think it might refer to Karen??
The wives include the too-good-for-them Trish Barnes who'd gone to college with Karen (Sheila Graber is Trish's mum), Carol Kirkland, and Edie Johnson who fancies herself as the intelligentsia of the group.
Ketchum, Davey, Marley, Fatso, Grub, and Beaner, the young lieutenant from Boston were Jack's brothers in Iraq. Jethro had been a homeless man.
The Cover and Title
The cover is Mia's head with her straight dark hair, a three-quarter profile with her head and eyes glancing down to our right. Her hands are clasped together in prayer, primarily due to the thick rope tying her wrists together. The series information is in white by Mia's knuckles with the title in a pale gray immediately below it. The author's name is in white against a transparent charcoal band at the bottom.
The title is all about Mia and how Reckless she is.
My Take
It's an interesting start to this character-driven tale. A cop partnership in which one hates the other. A cop's wife who loves to stir up trouble. Another wife who screwed up big time. A sister too headstrong to think.
It's a contentious partnership with Dave wanting to be all "hey, bro" while Jack simply despises him. An intense dislike that Jack finally realizes the truth of as he works to understand why he feels as he does. And it's darn confusing about Jack's happiness-guilt, which is the underlying story conflict. Hmmm, maybe that means it's supposed to be confusing..?
It's helped by that third person dual protagonist point-of-view coming from Jack's and Mia's perspectives, as we read what each of them thinks and feels. As for Dave...whoa...learning about the real Dave was so unexpected. I liked Dave until I didn't...and I came back to thinking I might like him. Maybe...
Mia is blunt and forceful. It took me by surprise when she insisted on Jack opening a private investigations agency with her. It definitely took Jack by surprise, lol. And it is convenient that Mia has inherited her brother's place. And interesting that he can afford something that nice...ahem.
Which leads into that romantic interest. Yeah, it was too quick for me. It's not that I object to it. It's simply that Kiernan-Lewis didn't work up to it. Not in my opinion.
I must say that gift of Mia's is rather handy for knowing the truth about people, but Mia irritates the hell out of me. She's all self-righteous and only her ideas have any merit. And, and, and she doesn't want someone around who doesn't respect her...boo-hoo. Jack does have to take some blame as well for not at least listening to her. But how Mia thinks someone will immediately take her seriously...especially when she's jumping all over the place!
As for why Dave's fellow detectives simply wrote him off...I don't feel as if Kiernan-Lewis ever did answer that question.
The Story
It's too much, Mia's gift and riding. It's become lethal and is why Mia took that bad tumble at the gymkhana. Then her brother's death shocks her and their mother.
Dave didn't just die in bed, and it isn't right that his fellow detectives, his deputy chief, are just walking away from his death. Mia knows it's murder. Why are they not pursuing it?
The Characters
Mia Kazmaroff has a gift for psychometry, a branch of retrocognition, and has lost her job teaching at Georgia State. Shiloh is her thorough-bred cross. Detective Dave Kazmaroff is her brother and Jack's partner. Heather is/was Dave's girlfriend and supposedly about to get engaged. Jess is their mother with the same gift. Their father, Gaspar, was killed by a drunk driver.
Major Crimes Detective Jack Burton is splitting up with his wife, Diane. Tommy had been their lawn boy. He rescues a Maltese mix and calls her Daisy.
Atlanta PD
Detectives Elliott Johnson and Henderson are partners in Major Crimes. Detective Keith Barnes in Narcotics is Dave's best friend. Detective Kirkland. Detective Rocky Daniels is new. Jasper is the sergeant on the desk.
Deputy Chief Bill Maxwell is married to Carol, his second wife. And she's "too good for the redneck, uneducated other halves of Atlanta's finest". Cindy had been his first wife. Mindy is Maxwell's daughter, married to Tad. I think Ellie is Maxwell's secretary.
Karen Sanders is the medical examiner who owns an elderly black Lab, Cocoa; Bennett is her new assistant. Peterson is a med tech. Kiernan-Lewis mentions an Ange, and I think it might refer to Karen??
The wives include the too-good-for-them Trish Barnes who'd gone to college with Karen (Sheila Graber is Trish's mum), Carol Kirkland, and Edie Johnson who fancies herself as the intelligentsia of the group.
Ketchum, Davey, Marley, Fatso, Grub, and Beaner, the young lieutenant from Boston were Jack's brothers in Iraq. Jethro had been a homeless man.
The Cover and Title
The cover is Mia's head with her straight dark hair, a three-quarter profile with her head and eyes glancing down to our right. Her hands are clasped together in prayer, primarily due to the thick rope tying her wrists together. The series information is in white by Mia's knuckles with the title in a pale gray immediately below it. The author's name is in white against a transparent charcoal band at the bottom.
The title is all about Mia and how Reckless she is.
July 28, 2022
So much better than the "French" books by the same author. Harder edged, grittier and more exciting.
Mia has a gift or a curse that finally becomes useful when her cop brother suddenly dies. Herrings of all colours abound as she and the former partner of her brother Jack set off to prove murder and catch the killer.
The book is let down by the lack of resolution of the love story - then that is typical of Ms Kiernan-Lewis's stories.
Book 2 awaits!
Mia has a gift or a curse that finally becomes useful when her cop brother suddenly dies. Herrings of all colours abound as she and the former partner of her brother Jack set off to prove murder and catch the killer.
The book is let down by the lack of resolution of the love story - then that is typical of Ms Kiernan-Lewis's stories.
Book 2 awaits!
July 29, 2022
This book was a murder mystery book. It kept a pretty fast pace from start to finish and I never figured out the guilty person until the author revealed them. There are 6 books in this series and I have already downloaded book number 2!
July 7, 2015
The book I read was titled, 'Reckless,' not Relentless, so there's a problem with the link from my Kindle Fire. This review is of 'Reckless.'
Mia Kazmaroff has a ‘gift’ that is sometimes a curse—she can tell the story behind any object, person, or animal she touches. When her brother, Dave, a detective with the Atlanta Police Department, is found dead in his condo, Mia knows that it wasn’t from natural causes, but she has no hard evidence to take to the police. Her only hope is to seek the help of her brother’s former partner, Jack Burton. There’s just one problem: Jack is the prime suspect when it turns out that Dave was deliberately administered an overdose of Ecstasy.
Reckless, the first book in the Mia Kazmaroff mystery series by Susan Kiernan-Lewis is a finely written mystery that follows Mia and Jack as they try to determine the identity of the killer before Mia becomes the next victim—and, at the same time, stay out of jail.
The author knows her stuff when it comes to pulling the reader into the story, with enough plot twists to keep you on your toes from page one. The thing that is most endearing about this book, though, is the interpersonal byplay between Mia and Jack as they discover, to the dismay of both, that their feelings for each other go far beyond just trying to find Dave’s killer.
Looking for a mystery that will have you hooked—get this book immediately, turn on some smooth jazz and pour yourself a glass of wine, and prepare to be entertained.
Mia Kazmaroff has a ‘gift’ that is sometimes a curse—she can tell the story behind any object, person, or animal she touches. When her brother, Dave, a detective with the Atlanta Police Department, is found dead in his condo, Mia knows that it wasn’t from natural causes, but she has no hard evidence to take to the police. Her only hope is to seek the help of her brother’s former partner, Jack Burton. There’s just one problem: Jack is the prime suspect when it turns out that Dave was deliberately administered an overdose of Ecstasy.
Reckless, the first book in the Mia Kazmaroff mystery series by Susan Kiernan-Lewis is a finely written mystery that follows Mia and Jack as they try to determine the identity of the killer before Mia becomes the next victim—and, at the same time, stay out of jail.
The author knows her stuff when it comes to pulling the reader into the story, with enough plot twists to keep you on your toes from page one. The thing that is most endearing about this book, though, is the interpersonal byplay between Mia and Jack as they discover, to the dismay of both, that their feelings for each other go far beyond just trying to find Dave’s killer.
Looking for a mystery that will have you hooked—get this book immediately, turn on some smooth jazz and pour yourself a glass of wine, and prepare to be entertained.
August 1, 2016
didn't really like jack, and really didn't like stupid, headstrong mia. even if she didn't remember being abducted and beaten, I'm assuming she did remember recovering from her injuries? maybe weaning herself off of painkillers? how about the emotional trauma her mother experienced at having her son just die (whether to overdose or murder is irrelevant...her son just died) and having her only living offspring kidnapped and abused at the hands of a sadist, only to have said offspring foolishly and pointlessly risking her safety again. not a fan.
July 20, 2017
I liked the idea of the story. The characters seemed a bit underdeveloped, and there were so many editing errors. It really got to be frustrating.
I think Jack and Mia could develop into a great team for further series, but please double check again and again the editing. I did not figure out the killer, I normally do not try to as I want to allow the story to take me along the journey. Mia's mother....really? Was that relationship at the end necessary? It seemed forced.
This was a quick read, it wasn't horrible but it wasn't a favorite.
I think Jack and Mia could develop into a great team for further series, but please double check again and again the editing. I did not figure out the killer, I normally do not try to as I want to allow the story to take me along the journey. Mia's mother....really? Was that relationship at the end necessary? It seemed forced.
This was a quick read, it wasn't horrible but it wasn't a favorite.
July 30, 2014
A fast-paced, easy read that keeps you guessing who the killer is until the very end. The characters are real, the dialogue snappy, and the plot believable. Looking forward to the second book in the series.
October 15, 2024
Awful
Don't waste your time. The female lead is an Immature, idiotic, spoiled idiot who thinks she knows better how to find a killer than a seasoned detective and almost gets herself killed numerous times. I only finished it to see who the actual murderer was.
Don't waste your time. The female lead is an Immature, idiotic, spoiled idiot who thinks she knows better how to find a killer than a seasoned detective and almost gets herself killed numerous times. I only finished it to see who the actual murderer was.
January 13, 2015
This was a good mystery. It kept me guessing. The murderer in the end was surprising which I love.
June 21, 2018
I despise Mia. She was so selfish, thoughtless and ridiculous. Why would anyone fall for her? I got the set of 1-3, but have deleted after one.
November 11, 2023
Didn’t finish after page 82. It started out fairly well. It isn’t a bad book but I don’t love books that have a lot of points of view, especially pov’s of side characters. It feels a little lazy to me. And takes away a lot of the mystery and intrigue because it’s like a spoiler of who is involved and why. So I’m not as compelled to keep reading as I know from the side character’s povs what they’re up to. I liked Burton. Mia was okay but kinda acted weird sometimes. Which, I know it was because of her gift, but the awkward things she did were kinda cringy.
But the biggest thing I didn’t like was burton and mias relationship. It was too insta lovey. Burton is lusting all over mia every two seconds in his inner monologue. He can’t stop mentioning how he wants to take off Mia’s pants or how he’s always checking out her perfect ass and things like that on literally the first day they are together for an extended amount of time. It’s just too much too fast in my opinion. It makes it feel less real and it also feels out of character for him for some reason. It doesn’t feel natural and it felt like the author was trying to get the romance thrown in there for the sake of making it a romance novel, instead of making it a natural progression.
Also I wish the author would have used a more delicate touch when it came to Mia’s gift. It would have been more intriguing to watch burton figure out her gift for himself, like have Mia show him bits and pieces of herself and have things happen to where burton realizes for himself that she has the gift she has. Instead it’s just like, hey burton, guess what I can do! And she just kinda lays it all out there for him immediately. I mean I guess it’s fine I just prefer to watch the characters unravel eachother. I like the progression, the trust building, the whole process of removing the layers of one another. Its what makes a story become deeper and more profound. More real. And more interesting. It keeps you reading. You want to see how the characters will get to know one another and how they will figure eachother out. At least that’s just what I like so if that isn’t important for you then this book is a good read. I liked the concept and it does have a lot of good things to it.
But the biggest thing I didn’t like was burton and mias relationship. It was too insta lovey. Burton is lusting all over mia every two seconds in his inner monologue. He can’t stop mentioning how he wants to take off Mia’s pants or how he’s always checking out her perfect ass and things like that on literally the first day they are together for an extended amount of time. It’s just too much too fast in my opinion. It makes it feel less real and it also feels out of character for him for some reason. It doesn’t feel natural and it felt like the author was trying to get the romance thrown in there for the sake of making it a romance novel, instead of making it a natural progression.
Also I wish the author would have used a more delicate touch when it came to Mia’s gift. It would have been more intriguing to watch burton figure out her gift for himself, like have Mia show him bits and pieces of herself and have things happen to where burton realizes for himself that she has the gift she has. Instead it’s just like, hey burton, guess what I can do! And she just kinda lays it all out there for him immediately. I mean I guess it’s fine I just prefer to watch the characters unravel eachother. I like the progression, the trust building, the whole process of removing the layers of one another. Its what makes a story become deeper and more profound. More real. And more interesting. It keeps you reading. You want to see how the characters will get to know one another and how they will figure eachother out. At least that’s just what I like so if that isn’t important for you then this book is a good read. I liked the concept and it does have a lot of good things to it.
February 13, 2019
This is quite the entertaining debut to this series, although it needs a better proofreader !
I read on Goodreads that it had an alternative title and main character name in a prior incarnation and I think a couple of times the original names were used, which is a bit slapdash. Naomi was mentioned as was Ange, just the once apiece, yet we didn't have anyone with either name in the story....
She also did the guaranteed-to-be-marked-down-a-star thing of misspelling one of her own character's names, changing from Elliott to Elliot. Always unforgiveable for me, I'm afraid.
She misuses apostrophes or leaves them off altogether, writes ex-presso and at other times gets it right as espresso, where abouts doesn't need a space and this sentence is just nonsense-"He reached out and cupped both her chin with a hard hand." By products and work out both needed hyphenating and this sentence too is a mess-"What he means by that is, sweetie, is he never met anybody as crazy."
I did like Jack a great deal, mainly because of the dog, though. Mia I'd happily have smacked upside the head a few times. Reckless as a title suited her behaviour most of the way through pretty precisely !! And I know she learns information via touch but a couple of instances, when she'd just grab somebody, I just couldn't believe would ever happen. It seemed odd to me, too, that she is 28 yet is pussyfooted around like she's a child at times.
There were some funny moments peppered here and there that made me smile and I'll give the next story a go but it is hopefully better presented than this one.
I read on Goodreads that it had an alternative title and main character name in a prior incarnation and I think a couple of times the original names were used, which is a bit slapdash. Naomi was mentioned as was Ange, just the once apiece, yet we didn't have anyone with either name in the story....
She also did the guaranteed-to-be-marked-down-a-star thing of misspelling one of her own character's names, changing from Elliott to Elliot. Always unforgiveable for me, I'm afraid.
She misuses apostrophes or leaves them off altogether, writes ex-presso and at other times gets it right as espresso, where abouts doesn't need a space and this sentence is just nonsense-"He reached out and cupped both her chin with a hard hand." By products and work out both needed hyphenating and this sentence too is a mess-"What he means by that is, sweetie, is he never met anybody as crazy."
I did like Jack a great deal, mainly because of the dog, though. Mia I'd happily have smacked upside the head a few times. Reckless as a title suited her behaviour most of the way through pretty precisely !! And I know she learns information via touch but a couple of instances, when she'd just grab somebody, I just couldn't believe would ever happen. It seemed odd to me, too, that she is 28 yet is pussyfooted around like she's a child at times.
There were some funny moments peppered here and there that made me smile and I'll give the next story a go but it is hopefully better presented than this one.
March 26, 2025
What does this book give you? An annoying FMC who was psychic powers but also doesn’t really. A MMC who hates the FMC brother who is also his police partner until the partner is murdered and then all of a sudden he realizes he wasn’t that bad to work with? A villain who goes around stabbing people with hypodermic needles and/or poisoning people. An angry police chief but we don’t know why he’s angry. Another person (won’t give it away in case anyone is crazy enough to read this book after this review) who drugs and ties up the FMC to whip her and torture her because they’ve wanted her for a long time and are unsatisfied with their married life. A horse being manipulated to kill her brother’s killer until the very last second when someone comes to rescue the FMC. Finally a randomly masked man who breaks into the FMC apartment to threaten her for absolutely no reason because at the time this happened, she hadn’t even really began digging into her brother’s death.
So how does all of that fit together in the story?
It doesn’t. This book was like a fever dream you kept waiting to wake up from so it would be over and then it kept going and adding more and more crazy stuff that made the book even more unenjoyable.
So how does all of that fit together in the story?
It doesn’t. This book was like a fever dream you kept waiting to wake up from so it would be over and then it kept going and adding more and more crazy stuff that made the book even more unenjoyable.
June 22, 2020
28-year-old Mia Kazmaroff’s unique gift allows her to tell what someone is feeling just by touching them. It’s a skill that comes in handy when she tries to find out who killed her Atlanta police detective brother, Dave. Her gift isn’t appreciated by Dave’s partner, who doesn’t want her investigating Dave’s death. But Jack’s strained relationship with Dave and his abrupt decision to quit the police force only increases Mia’s determination to find answers.
The strongest aspect of this book is the chemistry between Mia and Jack. As much as they are attracted to each other, they’re also complete opposites in personality and approach to crime-solving. Their differences create well drawn characters and tension on every page. Mia is far more reckless than Jack, overly so toward the end of the book. As suspects were eliminated from Mia’s list, it became easy to identify the killer, though this is still a good suspenseful read.
The strongest aspect of this book is the chemistry between Mia and Jack. As much as they are attracted to each other, they’re also complete opposites in personality and approach to crime-solving. Their differences create well drawn characters and tension on every page. Mia is far more reckless than Jack, overly so toward the end of the book. As suspects were eliminated from Mia’s list, it became easy to identify the killer, though this is still a good suspenseful read.
May 22, 2024
⭐️ horrible, ⭐️ ⭐️mediocre, ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ entertaining, ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ great, ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ excellent
[***The following rambling notes are for me. They may contain spoilers or no information at all.***]
I finished it to know who the killer was. The mystery was interesting enough, although the idea that the death of a 35 yo cop was accepted as natural because they didn’t run a full tox screen is idiotic. The main character, Mia, is awful. She was immature, stubborn, and one of the stupidest characters I’ve ever read. She constantly insists on doing things her way, ignoring the season police officer trying to keep her safe, and doing things that make her a lead suspect in a few murders. Days after being kidnapped, drugged, and tortured, she sneaks away from the person protecting her, , alone to the middle of nowhere, to meet the person who says they murdered her brother. No one is that stupid.
[***The following rambling notes are for me. They may contain spoilers or no information at all.***]
I finished it to know who the killer was. The mystery was interesting enough, although the idea that the death of a 35 yo cop was accepted as natural because they didn’t run a full tox screen is idiotic. The main character, Mia, is awful. She was immature, stubborn, and one of the stupidest characters I’ve ever read. She constantly insists on doing things her way, ignoring the season police officer trying to keep her safe, and doing things that make her a lead suspect in a few murders. Days after being kidnapped, drugged, and tortured, she sneaks away from the person protecting her, , alone to the middle of nowhere, to meet the person who says they murdered her brother. No one is that stupid.
February 13, 2020
This book was hard for me to review. I like the writing; it's tight, for the most part, and the editing was good.
On the other hand, I really, REALLY don't like Miz Kazmaroff. I wanted to; there was a lot there to make me want to be sympathetic. But, it boils down to this: she's a brat who refuses to listen to anyone else and doesn't care who she endangers. I think the intent was to show her as a strong, independent woman who didn't want to be patronized, etc., but that's not how she seems to me. A strong woman still listens when others point out danger and such; being a strong woman does NOT mean always having to have your own way, but Mia seems to think that no one's opinion matters but hers.
I liked the overall book well enough to read the next one. Hopefully, Mia will have grown up a bit by then!
On the other hand, I really, REALLY don't like Miz Kazmaroff. I wanted to; there was a lot there to make me want to be sympathetic. But, it boils down to this: she's a brat who refuses to listen to anyone else and doesn't care who she endangers. I think the intent was to show her as a strong, independent woman who didn't want to be patronized, etc., but that's not how she seems to me. A strong woman still listens when others point out danger and such; being a strong woman does NOT mean always having to have your own way, but Mia seems to think that no one's opinion matters but hers.
I liked the overall book well enough to read the next one. Hopefully, Mia will have grown up a bit by then!
May 25, 2021
One of the nicest things about reading is that you get to visit other places you have never been. One of the joys of this book is visiting Atlanta, GA. We have a protagonist/heroine who needs to be shaken for some of the stupid stunts she pulls. We have the guy she forces into starting a business with her. She rides rough-shod over him throughout this book. She has this rogue ability to read impressions off of inanimate objects, not to mention people, but she doesn't know how to control it very well. The guy was to detective partner to her brother, who has turned up dead. Trying to keep up with her is a lost cause and will make a basket case out of him unless she can gain control and he starts following her lead. I must admit, I didn't know who did it until the big reveal scene, and that's the first time in a long time. I loved it!
August 31, 2023
I give everything 5 stars because the writer has gone to the trouble of writing it and I only read free books from Bookbub so they have been generous enough to donate to my library. I did like the story and the concept of Mia's gift but it would have been more benefit if she had a bit more of a self preservation instinct and didn't keep putting herself in situations where she is likely to be killed despite Jack's efforts to save her from herself then blaming everything on his possessive nature when he is infatuated with her and is helping her to find her brother's killer even though he didn't like him and with good reason it seems as he was a bit of a reprehensible character. Everyone in the police department is screwing someone else's wife or is a psycho wife beater, what kind of place do they live in ?
September 21, 2023
I thought the book was just okay. I wished that Mia had used her “gift” more often. For that being a major selling point of this book and that she was going to be able to solve the murder because she had this special gift of seeing and feeling things that happened by touching things, it seriously fell flat. She hardly ever used her “gift”. I wanted to see much more of it in the investigation. Also, for Jack to be a lead detective (the best in the department), he didn’t do much detecting. Mia took the lead and Jack barely did anything at all! Side characters were okay. The majority of them were “villains” with secrets involving her murdered brother. Overall, not bad, but it could have been so much better had the author used more of Mia’s gift and Jack’s supposedly advanced detective skills…
February 21, 2024
I kept wanting this to be better. Mia is an idiot and the story devolved into her being a beyond stupid reckless idiot (hence the name of the book, presumably). For someone who closes a lot of cases, her partner is an idiot. The culprit is an idiot. The writing was almost passable, but true to form the usual trope of blabbing everything showed up at the end. Romance was cringe. Male characters didn’t feel quite right. Most of the women characters were clones, and I had to keep searching in book to remember which was which. One scene should have been rougher but the author was afraid to go there. And the culprit was obvious but the motive was stupid.
So why did I read to the end? Because I liked the basic premise. Maybe the next will be better? I don’t think I want to risk it even if I do have the first 3 books in a bundle.
So why did I read to the end? Because I liked the basic premise. Maybe the next will be better? I don’t think I want to risk it even if I do have the first 3 books in a bundle.
January 16, 2018
Both the hero and the heroine need to grow up
While I found the story easy to read,and there were many moments that caused a laugh; I felt the heroine was working at cross purposes to everyone. I felt sorry for her impromptu "partner" with all the covering/saving of her butt he had to do. And I hate how she was not mature enough to see the situation they were in called for personal discretion. I loved the idea of her and her mom's ability, but she really needs to control and use it better while learning how to read people without it. Most of all this book needed a trigger warning for people who currently are in or have been in a Domestic Violence/Intimate Partner Violence situation!! Some of this could have been very distressing for them.
While I found the story easy to read,and there were many moments that caused a laugh; I felt the heroine was working at cross purposes to everyone. I felt sorry for her impromptu "partner" with all the covering/saving of her butt he had to do. And I hate how she was not mature enough to see the situation they were in called for personal discretion. I loved the idea of her and her mom's ability, but she really needs to control and use it better while learning how to read people without it. Most of all this book needed a trigger warning for people who currently are in or have been in a Domestic Violence/Intimate Partner Violence situation!! Some of this could have been very distressing for them.
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