August 21, 2018
“When you kill someone, it changes you. Totally. My name is Natalie McMasters. I’m twenty, short and blonde (OK, it’s bleached) and I’m way cute. And I’ve killed three people.”
As Natalie is dealing with the psychological strain created by the events in Stripper!, the first book in the series, we learn enough to follow along without having read Stripper! (although you really should read it).
And by the end of the first chapter we are back to the races again as one or more somebodies is out to get Natalie again.
In the process we see matters develop in Natalie’s romantic and family life as the pretense with her uncle that her lover Lupe is just a roommate is uncovered and family trumps other concerns. The characters flesh out more, although I keep wanting to get more of Uncle Amos and also the setting is fleshed out more – a University city i the south.We also get some backstory on Natalie her pre-Stripper walk on the wild side, which may now be coming back to haunt her. So character and setting are good, quite good, but it is the relentless plot that keeps the pages turning.The biggest criticism I have is that a couple of the villains don’t quite hang together and their actions against Natalie are a little implausible. Behind the though is a villain of Moriarty quality lurking from Natalie’s past.
Although the book ties things up in a quite satisfactory manner, we are left with a new crisis that will keep us waiting for the next installment.
August 21, 2018
This book occupies a niche outside of my usual reading, and I probably wouldn’t have given it a second glance if I’d stumbled across it on Amazon. I only discovered it because the author and I attended the same beta reader group, and I’m glad I did. Revenge! turned out to be a very enjoyable read.
First off, the writing is great. Natalie McMasters, the protagonist, has a distinct voice and a complicated personality. Most of the supporting characters have some depth to them as well, and the setting (a fictionalized version of a certain Southern city) is vividly drawn. I thought the book nailed the plot and pacing as well. The story does a great job of sprinkling in little details that turn out to be important later, and the tension level increases with almost every page up to a downright thrilling climax.
No book is perfect, and I did find a few minor elements I was less enthusiastic about. I wished that Natalie’s girlfriend Lupe had been fleshed out as thoroughly as Natalie herself. Also, there’s some very graphic sex and violence throughout the book. Given the theme, it’s kind of unavoidable, but it’s something you should be aware of going in.
These quibbles took very little away from a great book, and I’m looking forward to the sequel. Speaking of sequels, it’s worth mentioning that while Revenge! is the second book in a series, it stands on its own very well. Even though it (minor spoiler) ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, it manages to tell a complete story while still fitting into a larger plot. I wish more authors could pull this off.
These reviews are posted on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Revenge-Natalie-McMasters-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B07FNVV3ZY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1534337515&sr=8-1&keywords=burns+revenge%21.