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Riley Covington #2
Blown Coverage
Linebacker Riley Covington returns to another season of mini-camp for the Colorado Mustangs just as a wave of terrorist attacks begin to occur across the country. Sleeper cells are being awakened--likely by the leader of the Cause, who has recently escaped from captivity and is coordinating attacks not only on America but also on Riley and his loved ones. As Jim Hicks, Scott Ross, and the rest of the Counterterrorism Division follow leads in Europe, Riley goes on the offensive to draw out his attackers. But can the Cause be stopped before they're able to reach their ultimate goal?
ebook
First published December 22, 2008
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About the author
Jason Elam
10 books9 followersJason Elam (born March 8, 1970 in Fort Walton Beach, Florida) is a retired[1] American football placekicker. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Hawaii.
Elam also played for the Atlanta Falcons. A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Elam won two Super Bowl rings with the Broncos and is tied with Tom Dempsey for the longest field goal in NFL history at 63 yards.
Series:
* Riley Covington
Elam also played for the Atlanta Falcons. A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Elam won two Super Bowl rings with the Broncos and is tied with Tom Dempsey for the longest field goal in NFL history at 63 yards.
Series:
* Riley Covington
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
January 27, 2018
All star linebacker/ spec ops soldier Riley Covington is returning to mini camp as a franchise player for the Denver team, when a wave of terror attacks start. Not only focused on killing innocent people, this group want vengeance on Covington for the events of the last book.
Riley uses himself as bait to draw the terrorists out, while the team hunts for the group leaders in Europe. Implausible, but a lot of fun. Lots of action.
Riley uses himself as bait to draw the terrorists out, while the team hunts for the group leaders in Europe. Implausible, but a lot of fun. Lots of action.
May 16, 2012
If you're into action/thriller books where suspension of belief is a must, this could be an enjoyable book. The authors have come up with a fairly action-packed storyline and maintain tension throughout the novel. My problems with the book come from how the book is presented and the portrayal of certain peoples in the book that I find inexcusable.
So, how is this book presented and what are my issues with this representation? Starting with the cover art; I have an early reviewer copy with different cover art than the mass market version, but both covers portray the same thing...FOOTBALL. I knew that this was an action/thriller from the blurb on the back, but I did expect there to be some involvement with actual football throughout the book. Besides the main character being a linebacker/special ops military guy (I told you to suspend belief a bit) and some of his acquaintances also being professional football players, the amount of football involvement in this book is VERY minimal. The beginning seemed promising as the readers are presented with a pretty good scene involving the draft day team war room and a controversial draft decision. Besides that, Riley (the main character) attends one team meeting which he is ushered quickly out of for the good of the team and one practice. All this in an almost 400 page book with an action shot of a football player on the cover!
From this point, we'll move on to the misrepresentation of the book from the blurb on the back. The blurb does a fairly good job of describing the general plot of the book, however nowhere in the blurb or on any of the cover information anywhere is this book depicted as Christian reading. The only hint that this book may have religious themes is in the author blurb for Steve Yohn who is a minister. I have no real problems with Christianity or Christian literature, but if I wanted to read a book focusing on Christianity, I would specifically seek out that book. Throughout the book the main character struggles with his faith, constantly offers prayers to God, and has to decide whether or not to pursue a relationship with a woman of another faith. I also found the constant allusions to characters swearing instead of actually printing the dialog to be very childish and distracting.
Now to my main issue: the portrayal of the characters of the book of middle-eastern heritage and/or Islamic faith. Besides two characters in the book who are obviously set up to assuage our feelings that the authors have no prejudice against those who follow Islam, every character of middle-eastern descent in the novel follow stereotypical American values about middle-eastern people. The majority of the middle-eastern characters who live in the U.S. are involved in a sleeper cell. They appear to be hard-working, well-liked individuals who have preyed upon American trusts and are merely biding their time until they are awakened to reign terror upon the populace. I find this incredibly disturbing. As if racial tensions are not high enough in the current state, let's plant unreasonable distrust of anyone who happens to be of middle-eastern descent upon the readers of this book. As if this portrayal is not bad enough, the author's who have disdained cursing of any kind through-out the novel constantly refer to their middle-easter adversaries as hajji's. As far as I can tell, this is a very derogatory term similar to using the 'N'-word when referring to African-Americans. I find this to be extremely offensive and totally unacceptable from someone who is trying so hard to show their high levels of Christian faith.
Anyway, the storyline is really not that bad, but the other problems that I had caused my total dislike of this book. I don't recommend it to anyone.
So, how is this book presented and what are my issues with this representation? Starting with the cover art; I have an early reviewer copy with different cover art than the mass market version, but both covers portray the same thing...FOOTBALL. I knew that this was an action/thriller from the blurb on the back, but I did expect there to be some involvement with actual football throughout the book. Besides the main character being a linebacker/special ops military guy (I told you to suspend belief a bit) and some of his acquaintances also being professional football players, the amount of football involvement in this book is VERY minimal. The beginning seemed promising as the readers are presented with a pretty good scene involving the draft day team war room and a controversial draft decision. Besides that, Riley (the main character) attends one team meeting which he is ushered quickly out of for the good of the team and one practice. All this in an almost 400 page book with an action shot of a football player on the cover!
From this point, we'll move on to the misrepresentation of the book from the blurb on the back. The blurb does a fairly good job of describing the general plot of the book, however nowhere in the blurb or on any of the cover information anywhere is this book depicted as Christian reading. The only hint that this book may have religious themes is in the author blurb for Steve Yohn who is a minister. I have no real problems with Christianity or Christian literature, but if I wanted to read a book focusing on Christianity, I would specifically seek out that book. Throughout the book the main character struggles with his faith, constantly offers prayers to God, and has to decide whether or not to pursue a relationship with a woman of another faith. I also found the constant allusions to characters swearing instead of actually printing the dialog to be very childish and distracting.
Now to my main issue: the portrayal of the characters of the book of middle-eastern heritage and/or Islamic faith. Besides two characters in the book who are obviously set up to assuage our feelings that the authors have no prejudice against those who follow Islam, every character of middle-eastern descent in the novel follow stereotypical American values about middle-eastern people. The majority of the middle-eastern characters who live in the U.S. are involved in a sleeper cell. They appear to be hard-working, well-liked individuals who have preyed upon American trusts and are merely biding their time until they are awakened to reign terror upon the populace. I find this incredibly disturbing. As if racial tensions are not high enough in the current state, let's plant unreasonable distrust of anyone who happens to be of middle-eastern descent upon the readers of this book. As if this portrayal is not bad enough, the author's who have disdained cursing of any kind through-out the novel constantly refer to their middle-easter adversaries as hajji's. As far as I can tell, this is a very derogatory term similar to using the 'N'-word when referring to African-Americans. I find this to be extremely offensive and totally unacceptable from someone who is trying so hard to show their high levels of Christian faith.
Anyway, the storyline is really not that bad, but the other problems that I had caused my total dislike of this book. I don't recommend it to anyone.
January 6, 2011
Blown Coverage by Jason Elam and Steve Yohn, follows PFL Linebacker and Counter-terrorist Riley Covington as he and the rest of the Front Range Response Team uncover and defeat the Causes’ dubious plot. From attacks in Costa Rica to far more personal acts of violence, keep Riley on his toes, while terrorist acts in major cities throughout the U.S. keep FRRT occupied. As a thriller, this book is full of action packed scenes and plenty of violence. The Descriptions of the individual terrorist attacks is griping and very well done. As the violence ensues, Riley relies on his faith and guidance form family to get him through this.
Farfetched concept, bland characters, and coming off as a little preachy made this book hard to get through for me, but then again I'm not exactly their target audience anyway.
Farfetched concept, bland characters, and coming off as a little preachy made this book hard to get through for me, but then again I'm not exactly their target audience anyway.
July 26, 2012
Three stars might be a little generous.
This is the sequel to Monday Night Jihad, staring Riley Covington, the football star and military special ops guy. It was thrilling during a few scenes, but overall it was less interesting than the first book. Also, the ending left me thinking, "That's it?" Overall, I was annoyed by the extreme preachy-ness that the book gave off. We get it. It's a Christian novel, but a) it's not advertised that way, and b) it doesn't have to be so preachy to be a Christian novel. I felt like I was in the middle of a sermon that was anti-Islamic/Muslim/Middle-Eastern. (Does every Muslim have to be a terrorist? Is a Christian Middle-Easterner really such a big deal?) Promoting a Christian agenda while simultaneously tearing down other religions and races just doesn't sit well with me.
This is the sequel to Monday Night Jihad, staring Riley Covington, the football star and military special ops guy. It was thrilling during a few scenes, but overall it was less interesting than the first book. Also, the ending left me thinking, "That's it?" Overall, I was annoyed by the extreme preachy-ness that the book gave off. We get it. It's a Christian novel, but a) it's not advertised that way, and b) it doesn't have to be so preachy to be a Christian novel. I felt like I was in the middle of a sermon that was anti-Islamic/Muslim/Middle-Eastern. (Does every Muslim have to be a terrorist? Is a Christian Middle-Easterner really such a big deal?) Promoting a Christian agenda while simultaneously tearing down other religions and races just doesn't sit well with me.
August 15, 2014
I was drawn to the book to see how well a retired NFL jock could write. The writing wasn't too bad and the plot had lots of twists and turns. In my rating, rarely does a novel exceed three stars, so this isn't an awful novel. It is loaded with too much Christian context while the good guys are killing the bad. That seems a bit incongruous. Further, while the bad guys are praying to Allah earnestly, the good guys pray to the Christian God. Who is right seems to depend upon who wins the gunfight! That definitely downgraded my rating.
Some of the contextual facts (like names of hospitals are accurate) while the football team the hero plays for are the Mustangs, not the Broncos. Some of that makes the book somewhat contrived. And clearly the plot is set up for the next episode.
Some of the contextual facts (like names of hospitals are accurate) while the football team the hero plays for are the Mustangs, not the Broncos. Some of that makes the book somewhat contrived. And clearly the plot is set up for the next episode.
March 4, 2014
There is so very much wrong with this book that I really don't want to waste my time with it. The whole idea of a part time NFL football player & part time CIA/terrorism agent/superhero I find to be greatly offensive. Skeet said it best: "find something you believe in & give yourself completely to it." This is drivel! It is the worst that I've ever hated about Christian fiction. It is preachy to a fault & drips with cliche. I wouldn't recommend anyone read it. EVER!
September 25, 2019
Picking up shortly after Monday Night Jihad ends, Riley and his friends are recovering/relaxing in Costa Rica when an attempt is made on his life. They hustle back home just before training camp starts only to be greeted with bombs going off in the Northeast and Hollywood. Plus Riley has a new teammate, Afshin Ziafat, whose name alone is a constant reminder of the attack at his football stadium.
Blown Coverage, a Christian novel that explores the differences between radical Islam, moderate Islam, and Christianity, does a great job of putting the reader in the mindset of each character. Some of the terrorists have doubts about what they are doing. Christians make mistakes and act decidedly non-Christlike. Riley is strongly attracted to Khadi, a moderate Muslim woman, and he continually tries to fight it since neither of their faiths allow them to marry an unbeliever.
While Blown Coverage contains quite a bit of violence due to the genre and storyline, it has no profanity or sex scenes. Its respectful treatment of Islam and Christianity helps the reader to see from a different perspective, though this is definitely a Christian novel and explains several times what it means to be a Christian and how to lean on that faith.
Blown Coverage, a Christian novel that explores the differences between radical Islam, moderate Islam, and Christianity, does a great job of putting the reader in the mindset of each character. Some of the terrorists have doubts about what they are doing. Christians make mistakes and act decidedly non-Christlike. Riley is strongly attracted to Khadi, a moderate Muslim woman, and he continually tries to fight it since neither of their faiths allow them to marry an unbeliever.
While Blown Coverage contains quite a bit of violence due to the genre and storyline, it has no profanity or sex scenes. Its respectful treatment of Islam and Christianity helps the reader to see from a different perspective, though this is definitely a Christian novel and explains several times what it means to be a Christian and how to lean on that faith.
January 10, 2022
I received this book as an early reviewer, which I was excited about as a Denver resident and fan of the Denver Broncos (co-author Jason Elam was a long time player for the Broncos) but unfortunately that was not enough to make this book readable. The premise was poor (a professional ball player that is also a counter-intelligence agent, who needs a body guard!?!), the storyline was terrible (this is not a stand-alone novel), and Christian lit is not a genre that I enjoy and I'm disappointed that the publishers don't advertise it as such. I gave this book 100 pages before moving on to something more deserving of my time.
August 23, 2023
Second in the Riley Convington Thrillers and the action keeps going. You will not want to put it down. I like all the characters and their interaction with each other except for the terrorists. You can see the difference in the god of terrorist and the one true God. I enjoy the believers talking about their faith and where they draw their strength. I am looking forward to the next book.
June 21, 2017
For me it was too much football, not enough of the special ops type action. If you don't mind characters that don't really develop, and a bunch of football talk, you mat enjoy this more than I did.
July 22, 2018
A surprisingly good story, I hadn't read the first book so this one has spoilers in it... but I did enjoy reading it...
May 19, 2020
Great book for action fans and football fans alike. Riley Covington and team are true heroes.
September 25, 2021
Certainly not "high" literature but a fun and exciting story. Just a hint, read "Monday Night Jihad" first.
July 15, 2014
Hey y'all this is Molly's friend Jesse Vercher. I'm borrowing her account since I have none, and just so you know, I did not mean to include this under "royal intrigue drama" category. "Football gunfights and" was supposed to be "football gunfights and humor", but I accidentally saved the shelf title too soon.
But anyway, about the book. It's a great, exciting read with plenty of action, humor, and, of course, football. Riley Covington is a great character, very relatable. I also like the character of Scott Ross- he has my sense of humor. Oh, and did I mention that the whole book is thought out to keep you reading and bring you to a thrilling climax? Brilliant plot.
P.S. The guy who wrote this is a former Broncos kicker, Jason Elam. Being an avid Saints fan, I'm not huge on Denver (I was until they betrayed Tebow for Peyton Manning). But Jason Elam is a great author, a great guy, and a great kicker. This book is awesome!
P.P.S. Jason also played for the Falcons. No matter what my fellow Saints fans say, Atlanta is NOT our enemy. The Falcons are, truthfully, on the side of good- just like us Saints. And that's all that matters in the end.
P.P.P.S. (if, in fact, that many P's before an S exist) The 49ers are our true nemisis.
I know this sounds extensive, but here we go: P.P.P.P.S. Sorry if I got carried away talking about football, but you can't blame me. Just speaking the truth. But anyway, back to the subject of this great book: It displays a very real fight between good and evil, and it is a great story about a man who aspires to do good in the world. And more than humor, action, or football, it is about one great cause: defending freedom.
Bye folks!
-Jesse
But anyway, about the book. It's a great, exciting read with plenty of action, humor, and, of course, football. Riley Covington is a great character, very relatable. I also like the character of Scott Ross- he has my sense of humor. Oh, and did I mention that the whole book is thought out to keep you reading and bring you to a thrilling climax? Brilliant plot.
P.S. The guy who wrote this is a former Broncos kicker, Jason Elam. Being an avid Saints fan, I'm not huge on Denver (I was until they betrayed Tebow for Peyton Manning). But Jason Elam is a great author, a great guy, and a great kicker. This book is awesome!
P.P.S. Jason also played for the Falcons. No matter what my fellow Saints fans say, Atlanta is NOT our enemy. The Falcons are, truthfully, on the side of good- just like us Saints. And that's all that matters in the end.
P.P.P.S. (if, in fact, that many P's before an S exist) The 49ers are our true nemisis.
I know this sounds extensive, but here we go: P.P.P.P.S. Sorry if I got carried away talking about football, but you can't blame me. Just speaking the truth. But anyway, back to the subject of this great book: It displays a very real fight between good and evil, and it is a great story about a man who aspires to do good in the world. And more than humor, action, or football, it is about one great cause: defending freedom.
Bye folks!
-Jesse
Read
December 15, 2009It's a few months after the first terrorist attack stopped by Riley Covington. The terrorists are angry and looking to make a dramatic statement. Sleeper cells are waking up all over the United States, and bombs are going off in very public places. Riley is supposed to be starting mini-camp for the Colorado Mustangs, but that is becoming more unlikely. Following an attack on Riley and his friends before mini-camp, and the death of Riley's father by a terrorists bomb, Riley decides to take on the terrorists personally.
I did not read the first novel in this series, but enjoyed Blown Coverage. Despite the way the cover portrayed the book to me (as a football novel), I was pleased to discover that it was an interesting thriller. Riley did not have to be a football player for the plot to work, and the game was not integral to the plot. I didn't connect to the characters the way I would have liked. They were likable, but I did not find many similarities between myself and them. The relationship between Riley and Khadi annoyed me. They either need to be together or let each other go.
Overall, this was an entertaining book, great for an easy weekend read. I do not feel compelled to read more in the series, but am glad I read this one.
READ MORE REVIEWS AT http://sschpagepals.blogspot.com
I did not read the first novel in this series, but enjoyed Blown Coverage. Despite the way the cover portrayed the book to me (as a football novel), I was pleased to discover that it was an interesting thriller. Riley did not have to be a football player for the plot to work, and the game was not integral to the plot. I didn't connect to the characters the way I would have liked. They were likable, but I did not find many similarities between myself and them. The relationship between Riley and Khadi annoyed me. They either need to be together or let each other go.
Overall, this was an entertaining book, great for an easy weekend read. I do not feel compelled to read more in the series, but am glad I read this one.
READ MORE REVIEWS AT http://sschpagepals.blogspot.com
March 17, 2009
This book is suspenseful from start to finish. There are several plot lines going on at once and at times, I got a little confused. I thought it might have been helpful to have read book 1 of the series to get some of the characters straight, but this one can stand on its own. Elam is a former NFL football player, so the football references are authentic.
This is the first Christian fiction book I've read that didn't feel like "Christian" fiction. The characters turn to God for help, but it's realistic, not distracting, and happens at appropriate times. This is truly representative of the move Christian fiction is making into mainstream fiction.
Because of the terrorism theme, there is plenty of "blood and guts" in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would read this author again.
This is the first Christian fiction book I've read that didn't feel like "Christian" fiction. The characters turn to God for help, but it's realistic, not distracting, and happens at appropriate times. This is truly representative of the move Christian fiction is making into mainstream fiction.
Because of the terrorism theme, there is plenty of "blood and guts" in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would read this author again.
January 21, 2016
When I first began reading this book, I felt lost. It took about 50 pages or so to connect all the dots. Elam and Yohn need to do a better job on filling people in as they continue to write this series. They should not assume that everyone has read the previous books in the series. Hopefully with more writing experience this will improve.
I should have read this book in one night. It was very intense, fast paced. But I found myself putting it down and walking away. To come back later in a couple of days. What does this say about the book I am not sure. Maybe it was the predictablitiy and sterotypes as mentioned in other reviews. All I know is that I could not get into it and I should have.
I did enjoy getting a peak into the world of professional football. This part of the book rang true thanks to Jason Elam experience in the NFL.
I should have read this book in one night. It was very intense, fast paced. But I found myself putting it down and walking away. To come back later in a couple of days. What does this say about the book I am not sure. Maybe it was the predictablitiy and sterotypes as mentioned in other reviews. All I know is that I could not get into it and I should have.
I did enjoy getting a peak into the world of professional football. This part of the book rang true thanks to Jason Elam experience in the NFL.
January 5, 2015
What an awesome book!!! I loved the first book of this series (Monday Night Jihad) but would have to say that this second book of the Riley Covington series is even better. Jason Elam & Steve Yohn are an excellent pair. I am looking forward to reading book #3!!
I was lucky to receive this book for free through the Tyndale Rewards program & am so glad that I did. For those of you who are football fans you might recognize Elam's name as a kicker from the Denver Broncos & the Atlanta Falcons.
If you are interested in joining the Tyndale Rewards program follow this link. It is a wonderful way to find new authors & earn free books.
www.tyndalerewards.com/signup/?pc=8bb...
I was lucky to receive this book for free through the Tyndale Rewards program & am so glad that I did. For those of you who are football fans you might recognize Elam's name as a kicker from the Denver Broncos & the Atlanta Falcons.
If you are interested in joining the Tyndale Rewards program follow this link. It is a wonderful way to find new authors & earn free books.
www.tyndalerewards.com/signup/?pc=8bb...
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February 22, 2020Review of Blown Coverage: Reading this whole series in a matter of days this book blends somewhat with book one and three, oops, which is causing a problem in the review department since it's hard to review a book that has blended in with other books. So, big oops!
Anyway, it's a good book and it starts out a little crazy, there are terrorists, lots of shootings, shooting, and fights, of course, plus some characters die, and there's a countdown on more dangerous attacks, blah blah blah, review complete. For readers over 17/19 or so for violence. (Hopes this would get a Scott Ross stamp of approval if he were a real person.)
Anyway, it's a good book and it starts out a little crazy, there are terrorists, lots of shootings, shooting, and fights, of course, plus some characters die, and there's a countdown on more dangerous attacks, blah blah blah, review complete. For readers over 17/19 or so for violence. (Hopes this would get a Scott Ross stamp of approval if he were a real person.)
July 9, 2010
Sports star and part-time anti-terrorist special services hero Ryan Convington is having a bad day. On holidays with friends recovering from the crisis of the previous book (that I haven't yet read), his troubles follow him. Convington plays detective, hero and friend in an entertaining book that I enjoyed enough to look out for the first one in the series.
October 2, 2009
recommended by a christian friend...I enjoy gentle christian fiction and really enjoyed Joel Rosenberg's more action-packed Jon Bennett/Erin McCoy novels and thought to give this series a try...good Vince Flynn/Brad Thor-like action...likable, heroic characters
Read
March 9, 2013The suspense was great! Not my usual genre but this book was an excellent page turner. The character development was outstanding, and the story was a truly intriguing! Can't wait to read the first in the series. I recommend this book.
August 15, 2016
The second Riley Covington thriller. The Cause is back. They stage simultaneous bombings across the US to flush out Riley. Members of the Response Team travel to Europe to suss out the Cell. 1st book was better.
June 28, 2009
This was a great book. I already can't wait for the third book in the series!
Read
June 21, 2010This book is even better than the first one.
August 12, 2010
This is the second book of the series. Definitely keeps you going.
August 15, 2010
Great Book, It seems like this is what can happen in todays world.
August 7, 2011
Second book is better than the first!
November 30, 2012
Even more gripping than the first book; another winner
December 15, 2013
I don't like to watch football on tv but I really like to read a good sports novel. This one tied in the end times into football very nicely.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews