Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Book Review - Last Name Unknown - Danielle Real

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Title:  Last Name Unknown

Author:  Danielle Real

Review:  Danielle Real contacted me though Goodreads and asked me to review her book Last Name Unknown.  After reading the synopsis I agreed because well who doesn’t want to read about someone who is just as accident prone as me. I always warn author I am not one to hold back my opinions- maybe that’s because in life I hold back my opinions to spare feelings or I have just learned to filter myself and this is my chance to let my thoughts be known for a change.

Addison Walker is a walking talking waiting to happen accident prone person who thinks she must have walked under a dozen ladders, broken too many mirrors in life because she can’t seem to keep from getting injured and if she’s not to careful the ER room nurse will know her personally. However this time in the span of 48 hours her once quite boring life has turn upside down with killers trying to- well kill her, a Sexy neighbor who isn’t really who he says he is and too many dead bodies and bullets shooting at her to keep track of and thrown in an amazing best friend and creepy abandoned house and you get a surprisingly fun adventure.

I love finding or in this case she found me self-published authors who are creating their own voice in women’s mystery.  They are taking the best of what they have read and are trying to make and create a character they would rather read. Sometimes in women’s mysteries the character is too perfect, too perky, too beautiful, too everything and even in this book Addison is almost too sassy but she has the right amount of sassy for what is happening around her. Kade the anti-hero is the typical Alpha male which draws Addison in but he warns her off many times at the same time sending mix singles causing Addison more confusion in her already unbalanced life. The characters are all missing something to make them completely come to life but I can’t quite put my finger on it.  The best I can come up with is the books needs a little polish but like I said I just can’t seem to put my finger on it.

I do feel that the swearing was a little heavy handed and she could have used less F words.  I think after a while the reader got the fact that Addison was freaked out but the over use of the F word and many other swear words made it have less of a punch and became almost predictable which is the last thing a mystery author wants. The author doesn’t hide who is trying to hurt Addison or really the reason why he is after her if you read carefully but then again I guess the end of books and movies all the time so it could just be a habit of my brain.  The end of the book ties everything into a nice little bow with a few surprises and has the reader excited for the next book in the Addison Walker series.

I have four kids and was able to read this book in all the craziness of my life without getting lost so I have come to call those books pool reads but at the same time I might have bit a nail or two in excitement, laughed out loud enough times to have my kids come running into the room questioning what was so funny and tried extremely hard to hide so I could finish the book. I was also surprised at the lack or in fact very few errors in grammar, spelling or missing words.  A lot of the time with self-published authors you find enough errors to take the reader from the story but I only found one missing word towards the end.

My only complaint is the over use of swearing in the book. The book has sexual tension, laugh out moments, moments of duh and even times were you start to think if this was me I would totally be acting like that.  I can’t wait to read the next in the series.  I hope this author gets a voice in the women’s mystery/romance world.

Thanks Heidi for this review

Published:  Published March 20th 2014
ISBN:  B00J50XJEA
Page Count: 356
Quick Review:  41/2 out 5 stars –
Why I Read this Title:  Sent by the author for review.

Synopsis:  My name is Addison Walker.

(Remember the name. It’s going to become synonymous with disaster one day.)

I’m not sure what it is about me exactly that attracts disaster like a magnet. Maybe it's my inability to walk on my own two feet or the dozen of ladders I've inadvertently managed to walk under all these years. Whatever it is, my luck went from bad to deadly. And needless to say, I am not equipped to handle this kind of crisis!

Sadly I will admit that my life has always been a little bit boring, a whole lot of predictable, and inevitably filled with some random and completely avoidable mishap. But trust me, I would happily embrace my bad luck if it meant that someone would stop trying to shoot me!

In the span of forty eight hours, what was once a boring and unassuming life is suddenly out of control and I’m running from killers unknown. And to make it even worse, I have no idea why! What I do know is that my bad luck turned deadly when I met tall, dark and dangerously sexy Kade (Last Name Unknown).

Now I’m trying to avoid any additional head injuries while I dodge bullets, visit creepy abandoned houses, and oh yeah, avoid tripping over anymore dead bodies.

I would kill for a cup of coffee right now…and a bullet proof vest.

Author Information:  Danielle Real hails from the always-under-road-construction metro Detroit area where she still resides today with her husband and three young sons. Writing since childhood, Danielle has amassed a variety of stories of various genres but recently decided to take on the challenge of putting her overactive imagination to paper and becoming an indie author, self-publishing her first book Last Name Unknown for other avid readers to enjoy. Having always been a fan of the damsel in distress turned unintentional heroine, Danielle created her most passionate, and sadly most relatable, character Addison, a woman with a knack for getting into trouble and a natural talent for creating disaster wherever she goes. Did we mention her fondness for mental forehead slaps? Using the people around her for inspiration, and maybe even a few qualities of her own, Danielle tries to embody humor and sarcasm to bring her newest heroine to life.

As a passionate reader herself, Danielle enjoys a variety of genres, especially those in mystery and suspense, though from time to time she will unwillingly admit she’s enjoyed a few romance novels (and is even considering writing one.)

Danielle is currently working on the second Walking Disaster Mystery featuring the naturally disastrous Addison Walker.


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