Review: good start and potential but with reservations
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 26, 2014
Unfiltered & Unlawful. Book 1 of the Unfiltered series. Payge Galvin and Ronnie DouglasReview from Jeannie Zelos Book reviews.So, being a sucker for romance with lots of drama this sounded perfect. I'd read the Amazon sample, and it was good so put in request. But I'd misunderstood exactly what this series is, looking at book two and seeing it had different characters I'd assumed this would be a complete book...and its not. Having read it, and looked again at book two I can now understand what's happening – it's 12  linked books about the people in the shop and the action on that night, and the story continues through each person, and I’m guessing we'll catch up with what's happening with each one as the series continues. That sounds a fun concept, and though I usually hate serialised novels this is that bit different. There's a time limit – one book each month – so my pet hate of not knowing when the series continues is sorted. I just hate waiting months, years even, for next part of a novel, whether its a serialised one or a trilogy or whatever, unless there's at least some kind of closure at the end. My other worry is price, this part is only 74p for 143 pages, and that's fine, but what about as the series continues? It could prove expensive, and if there's suddenly a price jump partway through it'll mean either spending more or giving up and wasting what's already been spent. If authors have fixed a price for the others I'd love to know, and would certainly make sure that has place in my reviews. I'm sure that would help sales too, as readers will know total cost from the outset. Its one of the things that put me off the CrossFire saga – began as a trilogy, then on day last part out it became a five book serial. That bumps up the total cost considerably especially as often when series get more well known future books go up a huge jump in price. I gave up in that series, felt cheated as a reader and felt I’d wasted money on the first two books. .Anyway – got that off my chest! So on with the actual book. Excellent writing, plenty of drama and action, coupled with a brief overview of the characters we'll be meeting, and a beginning of the overall story, starting with Sasha, Adam and Tommy. Sasha has been with addict Tommy on and off over a period of time, but stayed off drugs for the last five months. She really likes his cousin Adam, but he's not interested she thinks, as shown by his constant string of one night stands ( why stands I wonder?? after all standing isn't what happens most of the time...) As it happens Adam really likes Sasha and the girls are just a way of escape for him,  given that he's very stringent about what he eats, drinks and exercises. His body is a work of art, and he's a believer in organic, healthy eating and drinking. Drugs are most definitely out.So, we've two people who would love to get together, but each thinks the other is not interested. How long will that last now they're on the run together?As I said earlier, now I understand what the series is about better I can see the potential, but with the pitfalls I’ve queried. There's several different authors too and for the first ( and second) book they're writing as a duo, which is fun. I'm wondering though how well the continuity will stand up to different authors with different writing styles? I guess having a fairly fixed outline will help that – its going to be interesting finding out. I enjoyed this book, plenty of heat, real characters, a flawed heroine – I do like that. Those perfect ladies just don't get to have half the fun! Its a lot though to introduce the concept and the beginning of the story in just 143 pages, and I think if this first one at least were a bit longer that would have worked better for me. I just felt like I was getting to grips with a scene or person and it was on to the next one..Stars: three and a half.  I’m finding a rating difficult, I liked the book but its incomplete, and it's so different from rating a conventional serial, stand alone or duo/trilogy. I think for this particular part I'm going three and a half, because I feel its got good potential, but very it's difficult to introduce story and characters properly in such a short length of novel and that's where it fell down for me. I needed that extra to get really engrossed in the story and people.ARC supplied by Netgalley