Short Take Reviews: Four Letter Word | J. Daniels & Only One Kiss | Natasha Madison

 



FOUR LETTER WORD
J.Daniels
Published: October 4, 2016
3.25 stars

Fate. Hate. Love. Lies.

Which four letter word will change their lives forever?


Sydney Paige was never so mortified to hear the words "wrong number" in her life. She meant to tell off the guy who broke her best friend's heart but unleashed her anger on a perfect stranger instead. And now her world is turned upside down by the captivating man who wants to keep her on the line.

Brian Savage is living a life he's quickly come to hate-until Sydney's wild rant has him hooked and hungry for more. Soon the sexy woman on the phone becomes the lover in his bed. But Brian has secrets, and the closer he lets Syd get, the harder it is to shield her from the devastating mistakes of his past.

*****

I read the fourth book in this companion series earlier this year and absolutely loved it. This one... not so much. Was this actually written by the same author? The books were published 3 or 4 years apart so I can only guess that her writing changed (improved?) over those few years.
What I Liked:
- A meet-cute that began with a wrong number.
- I appreciated the way Sydney and Brian's relationship started and progressed through their phone calls. They shared more than they might have face to face and it created a strong connection.
- Brian's back story and the mantle of guilt he carried made him sympathetic. His need for atonement was admirable and felt realistic.
- Sydney and Tori's friendship was something special. These were true ride-or-die friends.
But Not So Much:
- Brian's dialogue was always so choppy and it felt like he spoke in half-sentences. The speech patterns and syntax were so awkward and I never got used to it. I wanted to yell at Brian: Why are you dropping the pronouns from every sentence? Speak in complete sentences! It was an odd choice for the author to make and absolutely did not work for me.
- Sydney told Brian she wanted babies with him less than 48 hours after their first face-to-face meeting. I had no words. 
- Sydney constantly referred to Brian as "my boy" ("this boy was so sweet, "I had the best boy"). I cringed every time. Unless they were both twelve, she was dating a man, not a boy. Ugh.

*****

ONLY ONE KISS
Natasha Madison
Published: September 1, 2020
3.25 stars

Ralph
Being traded to Dallas was a dream come true. I had everything I wanted, my game had never been better, and my wife was due to have our baby any day now.

What could go wrong?
Everything.

I was now raising our baby on my own. After hockey practice and games, I didn't have time to sleep, let alone make sure my social media was up to par.

I never thought I'd get a second chance at love.

Candace
When my hotshot brother was drafted in the NHL, he didn't have time to do his social media, so I took over for him. Little did I know it would become my career.

My plate was full with over fifty NHL players, and I wasn't taking on any new clients.
Yet when he showed up on my doorstep with the cutest little girl in the whole world, I couldn't say no.
I was just helping, but it turned into more than that. He's the man I've been waiting for.
All it takes is one touch, one night, one chance, and only one kiss.

*****
What I Liked:
- Ralph's absolute love and devotion to his daughter. As a single father, he worked so hard to be there for Arianna but still felt as if he was failing every day. It was easy to empathize with him.
- Candace was a smart and savvy woman who ran her own business coordinating the social media accounts for NHL players. I appreciated that she was hard-working but also very family-focused. She was open and loving to those in her inner circle.
- Even though Ralph and Candace got serious quickly, I still felt their chemistry and was invested in them.
- With not one but two epilogues, I was in HEA heaven.
But Not So Much:
- In the beginning Ralph was totally sending mixed signals. He made a production out of telling Candace he couldn't date her, as if she was the one pursuing him. Huh?
Madison’s writing style was overly detailed and repetitive. For example, the number of times I read about Ralph (or Candace) making a bottle for the baby was crazy. Literally, every other page. (For funsies, I searched the word “bottle” in Kindle and it came up with 120 uses. Granted, that included the few times someone grabbed a bottle of water but still… it was a lot.)
- Call me shallow, but it's hard to feel swoony over a hero named Ralph. *cringe*
- When the main conflict came, Candace acted like a total drama queen. Her reactions were so over the top and out of proportion to the situation that it didn't even make sense.



HAVE YOU READ EITHER OF THESE BOOKS?


20 comments

  1. I've been wanting to pick up a book by J. Daniels and have Where I Belong by her on my Kindle. I'm thinking that would be a much better fit since I too would have issues with how he was talking and how she referred to him. I always wonder why, why did the author add those quirks hmmm. Here's hoping the next book you pickup by her you love *fingers crossed*!
    Jen @ Star-Crossed Book Blog

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    1. I've heard excellent things about her Alabama Summer series, Jen, so maybe that's the place to start. I'll probably move on from Daniels because there are so many other authors/books that I'm truly excited to read.

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  2. Sorry Four Letter Word wasn't your favorite. I would say that series got better as it went along. Books 3 and 4 were my favorites. Madison's books are hit or miss for me these days. I loved the start of that series, but the newer books not so much.

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    1. I've read two or three by Madison now and they've all fell in the "okay" range. Probably time for me to move on.

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  3. LOL! These reviews made me laugh! Ralph.. You're so right about that one!
    I'm sorry to read these books dissapointed you. Ugh.. I hate it when woman say 'my boy'. That's just the worsed.

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  4. Ugh, I am not a fan of adults calling their partners "girl" or "boy" - so cringey!

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    1. Oh my goodness, her referring to him as her "boy" just icked me out.

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  5. I read and loved Down Too Deep, too. I was thinking of going back and reading some more of the series, but maybe I shouldn't start at book one.

    I'm not a fan of unnecessary over-the-top drama or repetitive writing so I doubt Only One Kiss would work for me. Great review, Tanya!

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    1. For me, Four Letter Word had none of what made me love Down Too Deep so much. It really didn't even feel like the same author. :(

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  6. I went 3.5 on the Madison book. I mean, it had two epilogues. That's a sure fire way to win my heart.

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  7. Ew, that "my boy" line makes me cringe so I can definitely see how that would be an issue. Repetition makes me crazy too! I'm sorry neither of these were great reads for you!

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    1. I guess on the plus side, I now know that these authors probably aren't for me. :)

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  8. So far J Daniels has never worked for me and I have no idea why!

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    1. As much as I loved the 4th book, I doubt I'll continue with the rest of the series. There was too much in that first book that did not work for me.

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  9. To be fair... Ralph is another slang term for throwing up, so I can see why you'd not like that.

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  10. Oh wow, that repetitive writing style probably would have done my head in, as would "my boy."

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    1. Yeah, the repetition was so noticeable and become a real stumbling block for me.

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