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The Anti-Love Agents #1
Take My Hand
Online dating was supposed to lead me to finding true love.
The only thing it did for me was put my life in danger.
When the guy of my dreams asks me to dinner, I leap at the chance, hoping against hope that I can rein in my awkward for at least one night.
And when that night is over, I’m sadly unsurprised to find him long gone.
Or so I thought.
Turns out, my dream guy isn’t exactly who he said he was, not at all.
Online dating was supposed to be about finding true love.
All I found was trouble.
The only thing it did for me was put my life in danger.
When the guy of my dreams asks me to dinner, I leap at the chance, hoping against hope that I can rein in my awkward for at least one night.
And when that night is over, I’m sadly unsurprised to find him long gone.
Or so I thought.
Turns out, my dream guy isn’t exactly who he said he was, not at all.
Online dating was supposed to be about finding true love.
All I found was trouble.
- GenresRomance
361 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 23, 2019
15 people are currently reading
209 people want to read
About the author
J.S. Wood
33 books182 followersJ.S. Wood is the author of the Average Gents series. After coining the phrase "Nice Guy Romance", she has used this to make a brand for herself to represent the underrated nice guy. Originally from Colorado, she now resides with her husband and children in Wyoming, writing anything that inspiration strikes. Her next series, The Three Rivers Trevors Ranch, is inspired by her horse training upbringing and will bring a slew of 'touch her and ---" cowboys. You can connect with her on Instagram @authorjswood, TikTok, @authorjswood, or her website www.jswoodauthor.com
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 25, 2019
I fell in love with this book in the 1st chapter. Margaret and Liam are great characters that connect well and fit this story perfectly. Take My Hand kept my heart warm and kept me on the edge of my seat. Loved it!
July 25, 2019
Margaret and Dan aka Liam go one one date then they see each other again when she stumbles up on him and he needs help.
This story has funny moments, serious moments and sexy moments and it makes for a perfectly awesome story!!!
This story has funny moments, serious moments and sexy moments and it makes for a perfectly awesome story!!!
July 24, 2019
I loved reading this. A new author for me and it will not be my last. A fabulous story that captures you. I loved reading this. A wonderful story x
August 1, 2019
First of all thanks to L2RR and J.S.Wood for the opportunity to read an early ARC.
Secondly have y'all seen the cover? Le sigh! Absolutely gorgeous and the blurb totally cought my interest. You see, what can I say more about this book?
It was packed with lots of turns and action fabulously wrapped with humour. From my POV it was ah...mazing undercover action/romcom with HEA.
When you get deeper into the story and learn all the other characters you just get hungry for more ;)
I can only recommend this book to everyone who loves to read something funny although spiced with unpredictable mix of twists. You won't be disappointed at all.
Secondly have y'all seen the cover? Le sigh! Absolutely gorgeous and the blurb totally cought my interest. You see, what can I say more about this book?
It was packed with lots of turns and action fabulously wrapped with humour. From my POV it was ah...mazing undercover action/romcom with HEA.
When you get deeper into the story and learn all the other characters you just get hungry for more ;)
I can only recommend this book to everyone who loves to read something funny although spiced with unpredictable mix of twists. You won't be disappointed at all.
July 28, 2019
Really enjoyed reading this story.
We meet Margaret who is leading a normal life, until she meets Dan. They ‘meet’ on a dating app and decide to meet in person, sparks fly between them but both think it’s only going to be a one time thing.
What Margaret doesn’t know Dan’s real job or his real name! As Dan is really Liam and he is an uncover FBI agent, and now she is in danger too all because of a date.
It was a great read with enough angst that you don’t get bored.
We meet Margaret who is leading a normal life, until she meets Dan. They ‘meet’ on a dating app and decide to meet in person, sparks fly between them but both think it’s only going to be a one time thing.
What Margaret doesn’t know Dan’s real job or his real name! As Dan is really Liam and he is an uncover FBI agent, and now she is in danger too all because of a date.
It was a great read with enough angst that you don’t get bored.
July 14, 2019
I absolutely enjoyed reading Take My Hand! Liam’s job as an Undercover FBI agent pulls innocent Margaret out of a life she had become bored with. Their story is suspenseful and endearing leaving me wanting more. I absolutely recommend this book.
I received an Arc copy through Love2ReadRomance Indie Tool Box and wanted to leave my honest review!!
I received an Arc copy through Love2ReadRomance Indie Tool Box and wanted to leave my honest review!!
July 25, 2019
This books started with an awesome prologue and then it takes you to how they meet. Gotta love a dating app😉. They start out with an innocent date from a dating app, and that date ending in a memorable one-night stand. These two had great chemistry on their date, but with his job, a relationship is not possible. Not that she knew that, she was just putting herself out there. Fast forward a few weeks later and she sees him again, this time he is trying to protect her and has been shot. And then the storyline really picks up. They are on the run together and trying to hunt down the bad guys. But let me tell you, if there was an obstacle, they ran right into it.....every time. Eventually the story comes back to the time of the prologue and then we get the rest of the story.
This was a fast paced story with a lot of action and bad guys. This was a safe read, they were separated for about 2 years, but my understanding was neither were with others. As always, I was not crazy about the time apart....at all. My heart went out to her in his absence. Really liked her, he...not as much. This is my book by this author and let me tell you, I floved her witty sarcasm, I just loved it. Oh and a very funny shout out for the use of the name Gemma James, that whole scene cracked me up. We get more story about 2 years after their time together, an epilogue and an hea.
This was a fast paced story with a lot of action and bad guys. This was a safe read, they were separated for about 2 years, but my understanding was neither were with others. As always, I was not crazy about the time apart....at all. My heart went out to her in his absence. Really liked her, he...not as much. This is my book by this author and let me tell you, I floved her witty sarcasm, I just loved it. Oh and a very funny shout out for the use of the name Gemma James, that whole scene cracked me up. We get more story about 2 years after their time together, an epilogue and an hea.
July 13, 2019
Take My Hand was full of suspense, mystery spy drama! Not normally my genre but a great read never the less! I liked Margaret and Liam's characters great ending!
July 25, 2019
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review of Take My Hand by JS Wood.
Let me start by saying that I was immediately drawn in by the exciting prologue!! I loved that it began with a glimpse ahead of Mo and Liam.
Margaret "Mo" was already a likeable character, but she turned into a bada$$ which made me like her even more!
Liam was a good guy in a tough position so his choices weren't always "the best" even if his intentions were.
They had quite a road to get their 'happy' but they were great together and they ended where they needed to!
Supporting characters were strong! I will 100% read the next book, super anxious to hear more from Ford!
I give 5 stars. Very much looking forward to the rest of the series!
Let me start by saying that I was immediately drawn in by the exciting prologue!! I loved that it began with a glimpse ahead of Mo and Liam.
Margaret "Mo" was already a likeable character, but she turned into a bada$$ which made me like her even more!
Liam was a good guy in a tough position so his choices weren't always "the best" even if his intentions were.
They had quite a road to get their 'happy' but they were great together and they ended where they needed to!
Supporting characters were strong! I will 100% read the next book, super anxious to hear more from Ford!
I give 5 stars. Very much looking forward to the rest of the series!
July 14, 2019
First I've read by this author. Fast paced, sassy & resilient heroine, protective & loving hero. Look forward to reading Ford's story.
July 25, 2019
First, I want to say thank you to J.S. Wood for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC.
This book is about Liam and Margaret and their journey through some serious rough times to get to their HEA.
If you love action as well as romantic comedies, then you'll definitely love this book. Imagine Jason Bourne meets Get Smart. Margaret and Liam's witty banter is the perfect relief between some really heavy scenes.
With never a dull moment, and some amazing secondary characters, I will be impatiently awaiting the arrival of Ford's story in the sequel awesome action packed novel.
This book is about Liam and Margaret and their journey through some serious rough times to get to their HEA.
If you love action as well as romantic comedies, then you'll definitely love this book. Imagine Jason Bourne meets Get Smart. Margaret and Liam's witty banter is the perfect relief between some really heavy scenes.
With never a dull moment, and some amazing secondary characters, I will be impatiently awaiting the arrival of Ford's story in the sequel awesome action packed novel.
July 23, 2019
Thank you J.S Wood for the ARC early review of this book. This was a great read I couldn't put it down. This was my 1st book by this author and she will be added to my must read list!!
This book is about Margaret a lonely retail person and Dan (AKA Liam) who plays a travel agent for the 1st date but turns out to be something else. This story follows Liam on his adventures while dragging Margaret along. Lots of ups and downs. Twists and turns. Wow what a read. If you like cops getting the bad guys. This is a must read.
This book is about Margaret a lonely retail person and Dan (AKA Liam) who plays a travel agent for the 1st date but turns out to be something else. This story follows Liam on his adventures while dragging Margaret along. Lots of ups and downs. Twists and turns. Wow what a read. If you like cops getting the bad guys. This is a must read.
July 29, 2019
Margaret never imagined her hot night with a guy she met on a dating app would change her life in such crazy ways.
Liam is undercover when he hooks up with Margaret. He's used to one and dones, but there's something about Margaret he can't get off his mind. But he knows that not only does he need her help, but she needs his protection when his job brings danger to both their lives. When it's all said and done, will their feelings be strong enough to keep them together?
Whew, Take My Hand is a rollercoaster ride of action, suspense and sex! I love the way Mo and Liam's feelings were heightened by the crazy action going on, but were real and genuine. But most of all, I love how Mo changed her life near the end, how what happened with Liam compelled her to become the person she was meant to be, the person Liam had seen in her all along. And the fact that she made him work his ass off to get her back didn't hurt either - groveling men, sincerely groveling men, are one of my favorite things, and Liam groveled beautifully, worked really hard to get Mo back. I loved Take My Hand and can't wait for Ford's story next!
ARC via Love2ReadRomance Indie Tool Box for an honest review.
Full review ---> Live Through Books Blog.
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March 18, 2022
While I actually liked the story, but couldn't get past some aspects:
Liked: The h didn't mope around after the H, she gets on with her life.
Their first date is actually kinda cute and till 45% the story is good.
Didn't like:
The H didn't grovel half of what he needed to grovel for the h to take him back.
He simply vanished for 2 years after sending her away with only a plane ticket and zero explanations!
2 years with only 3 letters that were a phrase long, the last 3 months in the same town.
The H lack any happiness for what the h achieved in the 2 years they were apart, expecting for "relationship" to pick up where it stopped.
The Story around the "bad guy" Is very weak and with a lot of holes. The FBI doesn't work that way!
Liked: The h didn't mope around after the H, she gets on with her life.
Their first date is actually kinda cute and till 45% the story is good.
Didn't like:
The H didn't grovel half of what he needed to grovel for the h to take him back.
He simply vanished for 2 years after sending her away with only a plane ticket and zero explanations!
2 years with only 3 letters that were a phrase long, the last 3 months in the same town.
The H lack any happiness for what the h achieved in the 2 years they were apart, expecting for "relationship" to pick up where it stopped.
The Story around the "bad guy" Is very weak and with a lot of holes. The FBI doesn't work that way!
March 26, 2020
This started off so promising but took a nose dive somewhere around the 30% mark. At that point I was invested enough to keep going, but I ended up skimming most of the rest of the book.
I was mostly okay with Margaret. I felt like she adjusted to the dangerous situation a little too quickly. Throwing up at the sight of a bullet wound to being able to redress the wound the next time she saw it? Didn’t feel realistic to me (and that was one of many things that didn’t feel realistic).
Liam wasn’t a bad guy although Wood tried to describe him as a douche bag with a kind heart. My problem was that it was obvious he was written by a woman. His internal monologue and voice didn’t feel natural for a man. But even that I was able to deal with.
What really killed this for me was the absolutely unbelievable premise and plot. I found myself constantly rolling my eyes because I just don’t believe monsters or FBI would actually behave that way. I don’t think any of those people would actually be motivated in that way. And I know very little about what undercover FBI actually do so I could suspend belief for quite a bit.
But Liam being off grid for a year with pretty much no repercussions? No.
FBI kidnapping unrelated people to get him to come out of hiding? No. (Why wouldn’t they take his actual family?)
Mobsters targeting a one night stand? Puh-lease. I’m sure they have better things to do. There was absolutely no indication that he cared for her beyond fucking her once (at least not to any outside observers).
Those were just a few things that made this whole book unbelievable to me.
I was mostly okay with Margaret. I felt like she adjusted to the dangerous situation a little too quickly. Throwing up at the sight of a bullet wound to being able to redress the wound the next time she saw it? Didn’t feel realistic to me (and that was one of many things that didn’t feel realistic).
Liam wasn’t a bad guy although Wood tried to describe him as a douche bag with a kind heart. My problem was that it was obvious he was written by a woman. His internal monologue and voice didn’t feel natural for a man. But even that I was able to deal with.
What really killed this for me was the absolutely unbelievable premise and plot. I found myself constantly rolling my eyes because I just don’t believe monsters or FBI would actually behave that way. I don’t think any of those people would actually be motivated in that way. And I know very little about what undercover FBI actually do so I could suspend belief for quite a bit.
But Liam being off grid for a year with pretty much no repercussions? No.
FBI kidnapping unrelated people to get him to come out of hiding? No. (Why wouldn’t they take his actual family?)
Mobsters targeting a one night stand? Puh-lease. I’m sure they have better things to do. There was absolutely no indication that he cared for her beyond fucking her once (at least not to any outside observers).
Those were just a few things that made this whole book unbelievable to me.
July 27, 2019
I got this as an ARC and it’s my first read of J.S. Woods.
I was intrigued right away with that prologue. That was a great way to get the reader sucked in!
I just loved Margaret. I love when the heroine starts out different then how she ends up in the end. She finds herself living a life she wasn’t really happy with with no one to share it with. Which is how she ended up on a hook up/dating app. All she wanted was someone to talk too and maybe find a relationship with. What she wasn’t expecting was Liam!
Liam is all about his job. I mean he has been living that job for 3 years. He doesn’t have any friends, doesn’t really speak with his family and definitely has no girlfriend! But he has his reasons. One lonely night he decides to meet up with someone from the app just to have some kind of conversation, then he lays his eyes on her and everything changes!
I loved everything about this book but there was one thing that kinda bothered me a little. It seemed some information kind of kept repeating itself over again. It wasn’t a big deal cuz I still loved everything about this storyline but it just kinda seemed a little much to keep repeating the same reasons over again.
For that I give the book 4.5 stars and would totally recommend this one to friends!
I am excited for the next one!! Agent Dimples please!!!🥰
I was intrigued right away with that prologue. That was a great way to get the reader sucked in!
I just loved Margaret. I love when the heroine starts out different then how she ends up in the end. She finds herself living a life she wasn’t really happy with with no one to share it with. Which is how she ended up on a hook up/dating app. All she wanted was someone to talk too and maybe find a relationship with. What she wasn’t expecting was Liam!
Liam is all about his job. I mean he has been living that job for 3 years. He doesn’t have any friends, doesn’t really speak with his family and definitely has no girlfriend! But he has his reasons. One lonely night he decides to meet up with someone from the app just to have some kind of conversation, then he lays his eyes on her and everything changes!
I loved everything about this book but there was one thing that kinda bothered me a little. It seemed some information kind of kept repeating itself over again. It wasn’t a big deal cuz I still loved everything about this storyline but it just kinda seemed a little much to keep repeating the same reasons over again.
For that I give the book 4.5 stars and would totally recommend this one to friends!
I am excited for the next one!! Agent Dimples please!!!🥰
February 27, 2022
“Team Miam” All The Way!
This was such a wild ride!!! I don’t know what I was expecting but hot dang!!! Gun fights, car jacking, jumping out windows, spies, FBI moles?!? Sure, you’d think all of that sounds unrealistic - but the way this book was written? It feels so real! Like, yeah! Sneeze through a headshot! Yeah, makes sense!
I think my favourite thing about this book was the time jump. Real life doesn’t keep on a schedule. I appreciate (SPOILER ALERT) the growth of a woman who is stuck in retail, goes through a harrowing upheaval of life, and then comes out of it HELLA STRONG!! And that she has the backbone to say “no, what you did is NOT okay” and actually stick to it for more than a single scene is so refreshing!!! I think it is a bit insta-lovey, but I liked it. Romance ought to be insta-lovey because it’s about love!!
I’m on to read the next one about Agent Dimples!
This was such a wild ride!!! I don’t know what I was expecting but hot dang!!! Gun fights, car jacking, jumping out windows, spies, FBI moles?!? Sure, you’d think all of that sounds unrealistic - but the way this book was written? It feels so real! Like, yeah! Sneeze through a headshot! Yeah, makes sense!
I think my favourite thing about this book was the time jump. Real life doesn’t keep on a schedule. I appreciate (SPOILER ALERT) the growth of a woman who is stuck in retail, goes through a harrowing upheaval of life, and then comes out of it HELLA STRONG!! And that she has the backbone to say “no, what you did is NOT okay” and actually stick to it for more than a single scene is so refreshing!!! I think it is a bit insta-lovey, but I liked it. Romance ought to be insta-lovey because it’s about love!!
I’m on to read the next one about Agent Dimples!
November 18, 2021
This is the first in a new series and is Margaret and Dan / Liam’s story. Margaret meets Dan on a dating app and thought she had met her dream man, and the sparks fly between them when they have a dinner date, and then he disappears. Liam is an undercover agent, and because of their date Margaret is now in danger. This is a well written story which is heartwarming, and with suspense, mystery, danger, humor, action, intrigue, and love, which leads to a riveting page turner. I look forward to reading more from this talented author whose work I highly recommend.
February 18, 2022
DNF, I really hate this coward Hero and this weak heroine,
I just stopped because I feel he only feels sorry for her, for how he left her and how he broke his heart,
He lied, twice, and disappointed her, what was the grovel? Donuts, her favorite, apparently and holding hands in the way back her home! Like, really???
He left you for two years! Ok, you keep going, wich is a new line in second chances, but camon,
I really hate no grovel and the sorry he felt for her!
Pity and so much hurt it’s not romantic women!!!
I just stopped because I feel he only feels sorry for her, for how he left her and how he broke his heart,
He lied, twice, and disappointed her, what was the grovel? Donuts, her favorite, apparently and holding hands in the way back her home! Like, really???
He left you for two years! Ok, you keep going, wich is a new line in second chances, but camon,
I really hate no grovel and the sorry he felt for her!
Pity and so much hurt it’s not romantic women!!!
July 28, 2019
Margaret leads a boring ordinary life until she meets Dan (Liam) on a dating app. The first date ends up in a one night stand. She though she would never see him again until he shows up and drags her into his life as an undercover FBI agent. Liam has no room in his life for anything permanent because of his job as an undercover FBI agent. These two were fantastic together. Will Liam be able to keep Margaret safe? A must read.
I received a copy of this book and am leaving a review.
I received a copy of this book and am leaving a review.
May 27, 2020
This was a good read. Loved the story and the chemistry between Margaret and Liam. It would have been a 5 star read for me if not for the mistake in his sisters name, in the beginning of the book her name is spelled Lyla (page 60, and three times on page 70) then the rest of the book her name is Layla...I'm assuming the Lyla is a spelling mistake, but for it to happen that many times just made me feel like I couldn't give it 5 stars.
July 29, 2019
Love Maragaret and Liam so much and since the first page I was hooked. This story is somewhat different than what I usually read but no less amazing than any other book. It has everything I love in it and these two had some great chemistry for sure. So glad I read this one.
August 20, 2019
This was a action packed, fast paced and fun read! I loved Margret, she was an awesome heroine! She was easy going and determined to go on this adventure whatever it took! I loved that when it was over her life was changed and she became even more of a Bad***. Great balance of romance and action!
Want to read
July 20, 2019Can't wait to read. Sounds so good!!!
Want to read
March 16, 2020🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/16/2020)! 🎁
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews