REVIEW of TALK TO ME by STEPHANIE REID

Most of you know that I've been doing book reviews on my blog in recent months. I'm always up for helping other authors and if I can give them a review that will expand their exposure, I'll gladly do it. Today's spotlight author was introduced to me by the amazing Brenda Rothert, and I definitely think that her faith in this writer's ability is well-placed. Below is my review for Stephanie Reid's debut novel, Talk to Me. If you've read reviews here before, I usually list my Amazon/Goodreads review score, which are limited to whole numbers between 1-5 stars. Yeah, I think that's bogus. The other thing that I try to do differently at my blog reviews is give a more specific opinion. If a review is too long on Amazon or Goodreads, some people won't bother read them, and I try to consider that. With all this in mind, here's my official In Patti's Imagination blog review! Oh, and I received an ARC of this book for an honest review, so that's what you're getting, people!

Amazon Rating: 4 Stars rated/4.5 actual out of 5
Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars rated/4.5 actual out of 5
In Patti's Imagination Rating: 9 out of 10 Stars

I enjoyed this story. It took me a bit to get into the groove of it, but that was partly my fault. My critique partner launched her book today, and I was trying to help with the lead up to that, so I had to keep putting down this book and picking up Laurie's manuscript when she gave me new material. I was also on vacation and it wasn't until the end that I was able to concentrate on Talk to Me (I know, makes no sense to normal people, but I live with a husband who does not think that sitting and reading a book qualifies as vacation). So there is that, and I'm accounting for my deficiencies in my review.

But even still, I've been pressed for time before and loathed actually putting a book down, so I have to weigh that in my discussion of the story. By the time I was about 75% into the book, I didn't want to stop reading it, but I'd say it took me to about 50% before I began to feel that way and another 25% before the book had its hooks in me.

That said, the end of the story had me on the edge of my seat (er, Kindle), wondering what was next. I think a lot of it might have had to do with the slower build to the official coupling of Mac and Emily. I think that probably correlates well to where I became more invested in the story. And also, to be fair, there is some element of mystery/suspense in this story, which isn't always my cup of tea.

Nonetheless, I'm very excited to read more from Stephanie. Her style appeals to me and I think you'd be hard-pressed to call her out as a first-time published author, but she's just that. The quality is there in her work and I think that deserves to be rewarded, especially since I know from first-hand experience what a tough road it is to get to this point, particularly the first time. She does so with aplomb.

The high points for me? There were several twists that I thought helped make the story more powerful and more interesting. I won't give them away because I think that they're not completely obvious and not everyone likes spoilers. And the other high point for me was Mac. He was a great hero - one of my favorite types, a uniformed alpha with a big heart and a big sexual appetite. Did I mention he's hot? Or that the love scenes were fan-worthy? Like all great male leads, Mac boosted the story for me.

I really enjoyed the book and can't wait to hear more from Stephanie Reid. I predict great things in her future!