A huge congratulations to Gwen Hernandez. This is Mr Manview's second 5 star review since starting. :-)


I loved this book because
it combined my favorite genre of being a corporate espionage thriller
along with good romance between two characters that were easy to like!
Additionally, it had a very well-done computer security angle which is
critical to any good mystery-solving story these days.
What did you think of Scott and Valerie?
It is rare to have both a
male and female lead who are so likeable. They were both nice people,
but had an edge, were competitive and competent. Neither felt a need to
rescue or fix the other. They were equals, skill-wise,
relationship-wise and sexually, discovering what they liked about each
other as the story evolved. Additionally, they consummated their sexual
urges for each other in the right timeframe; I mean, they acted like
real people, which I do not always see in romance novels!
You said while reading that this was a romance written for the man and perfect for a Manview. What did you mean by that?
Well, this romance evolved
around a great story line, a real corporate thriller. I felt like I was
reading David Baldacci or Dan Silva with a romance weaved in. The
problem solving revolved around the main story, not around 'fixing the
other.' Additionally, I really enjoyed Valerie being the aggressor
sexually and surprising and taking Scott in her mouth at an unexpected
moment! That is clearly a way a man should be seduced!
Was there a good balance between the suspense and romance in the story?
Very much so. I think it
is hard to get the right balance, but Ms Hernandez did a brilliant job
with this. The story had great pace as did the romance. I find too many
romance novels have too much romance and not enough of a plot to evolve
the romance around. This was done extremely well in this story line.
Was the suspense realistic?
Yes, both for the crime
involved and how they solved it and the challenges they faced and
overcame, even though they were occasionally defeated during the
journey. And same for the challenges they faced with their romance
evolving. I really enjoyed that neither Scott nor Valerie were 'broken'
like so many of the protagonists are in romance novels, but yet both
were challenged to have the confidence that they deserved being loved
due to their upbringing and previous life experiences and choices. Both
Scott and Valerie had traumatic experiences early in life that shaped
why they would be relationship-challenged, and caused some initial
difficulty in either of them accepting the other was attracted to them.
Yet, they helped each other work through that and took some emotional
risks, which is the way a romantic relationship should evolve.
Did the romance fit in well in between all the suspense and action going on in the story?
Yes, the spots were picked
well and the situations where they explored and consummated their
relationship were well-placed.
What was it about this book that made you enjoy it so much and rate it so highly?
First, it was a great
corporate espionage story and it involved technology which was very
well handled. It also had three great plot twists. Too many romance
novels follow a cookie-cutter format and I can see what is coming next,
but in Blindsided, I was really caught off guard several times and each
plot twist ramped up my enthusiasm to rapidly move through the next
section of the book.
Would you be going back and reading the earlier books in the series?
Absolutely! I am quite
excited to read Gwen's previous works and also see how she has evolved
as a writer from book 1 to book 3 in her series, or if she started out
being this good a writer!
What are you going to read next?
I think I am going to
stick with American romance authors for another round and read the
second book in the Red Team series by Elaine Levine. I did not give the
first book a great review, but am anxious to see how this story
evolves, especially as so many readers love this series.
View all my reviews
About the author

Gwen Hernandez: Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads
About the reviewer

Steve Shipley: Website - Facebook - Twitter - Amazon
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Wow, Steve, thank you! I'm so glad you connected with Scott and Valerie and enjoyed the story. I've never been compared to Baldacci or Silva, but I'll gladly take it! ;-)
ReplyDeleteBaldacci and Silva are two of his favorite authors too. :-)
DeleteGreat review as always
ReplyDeleteCathleen
He does write good reviews. I'm so fortunate to have him contributing to the blog.
DeleteAnother great review and if only I had more time it is a book I am sue I would love :)
ReplyDeleteHave Fun
Helen
I know. I love books like this too, so I want to read it as well.
Delete