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Every Waking Moment

Every Waking Moment

List Price: $6.99
Your Price: $6.29
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Very disappointing from a good author
Review: ... That's the only way to explain how I feel after finishing Meryl Sawyer's latest romantic suspense novel. I've enjoyed many of her books in the past, especially Unforgettable, and was looking forward to this one. I was disappointed.

This soap opera of a romantic thriller is set in South Beach, FL, which is something the reader can never forget for a moment since Ms. Sawyer uses the local term for the area - "SoBe" - on almost every page. It is unnecessary, ultimately annoying, and it is attention to those kinds details at the expense of characterization that sink Every Waking Moment for me.

The plot. How to describe the plot? There is a family-owned company that the family members want to sell, but can't because they're having security issues they need to solve first. The matriarch of the family is dying of cancer and desperately wants to locate the daughter she gave up for adoption before she dies. The daughter she didn't give up, Taylor, is the heroine, and she's reeling from a series of "personal misfortunes" (as described on the back of the book), including the years-ago disappearance of her lover, who is referred to as Paul Ashford and Paul Ashton at various times in the novel. There's an uncle who married a really smart ex-stripper as a trophy wife then fell in love with her and is too afraid to tell her that they need to cut back on spending because they're up to their eyes in debt and won't recoup it until they can sell the company. Then there's Taylor's brother, who was married to Taylor's best friend until he decided he was gay and took up with a drug-addicted player who wants in on the family company. Oh, then there's the de facto hero, who is a security guy who happens to know who Taylor is because he once met the long-lost Paul many years ago in Colombia and he never forgot her face. And then there's best friend Lisa who is so close to Taylor that she disappeared for a year, came back to SoBe and never told her best friend until she'd been back for a month. Oh, but she was grieving from being dumped by Taylor's brother, so it's all OK, right? She's going to open a wildly successful sexy lingerie and sex toy shop because, hey, why not?! This is SoBe, after all.

Ay yi yi. What a mess. It's a shame too, because some of the characters show promise. Shane, the de facto hero, is actually a good one, and he deserves better than dishwater dull Taylor. Brianna the ex-stripper and Uncle Doyle have the most interesting relationship, and Brianna is actually a very interesting character. She has layers, and shows them to the reader without the reader having to be told about them.

That's the biggest problem with this book, actually. It's a classic example of the author telling the reader everything without showing them anything in particular. We get pages and pages of exposition, way too much foreshadowing, too much ANGST in general....

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: dysfunctional
Review: Although I managed to finish the book, I found the cast of characters for the most part unlikable. Taylor, the heroine, spent most of the time in self doubt. The hero, Shane Donovan, although not well developed, deserved better. Taylor's family took the fun out of dysfunctional.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Hard to get through!
Review: I am such a fan of Meryl Sawyer's so I was disappointed to have such a hard time getting through Every Waking Moment. Even the main characters didn't interest me. Look for her older books, i.e. Hide Away.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Better Choices
Review: I recently picked up a copy of this book and there are better choices for romantic suspense. For the large part, the characters were downright annoying, they all deserved to remain alone. Though at times, the characters' revelations or actions had me laughing out loud because they were so stereotypical.

The story has merit, but for me the hodgepodge of characters and the predictibility of the villan's identity all detracted from the story's goal of being suspenseful.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Not Her Best
Review: I think the only enjoyment I got out of reading this book was that it took place in South Florida.

The characters were pretty flat and there wasn't much to like about them. But the biggest disappointment was that unlike Ms. Sawyer's other books, the identity of the murderer was easily figured out despite the lame attempts at trying to make you suspect others. A definite disappointment from an author I usually enjoy a lot.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Maybe there are TWO Meryl Sawyers?
Review: I've enjoyed several of this author's books, enough so that this one made me wonder if it was written by an imposter. I finished it only because I was away from home and had nothing else to read.

None of the characters were believable, or even likeable, and the plot, while marginally possible, was without suspense.

I'd recommend giving this one a pass. Don't give up on Sawyer, though. Some of her other books are work the time and money: Thunder Island, Trust No one, Half Moon Bay, etc.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: BOOK YOU CAN'T PUT DOWN
Review: Meryl Sawyer keeps getting better and better. I read this book in two days. All the characters of the book entertain and the suspense is maintained until the end. As usual, there is a dog in the story, which always makes Ms. Sawyer's book so heartwarming. You will thoroughly enjoy this book.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Suspense
Review: This book really had me turning the pages. I've read several of her books and I think she's among the best suspense writers out there. I've never been to South Beach, but I found the area fascinating. I was surprised when the killer was revealed. I didn't see it coming.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Suspense
Review: This book really had me turning the pages. I've read several of her books and I think she's among the best suspense writers out there. I've never been to South Beach, but I found the area fascinating. I was surprised when the killer was revealed. I didn't see it coming.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Not Her Best
Review: This was a very mediocre story with characters and plot that were totally unbelievable. Taylor did very little to make her appealing to anyone, let alone her new neighbor, Shane Donovan, 'the hunk'. At one point in the book, even Shane commented that Taylor hardly ever smiles. Is that supposed to make someone like you? There are other ridiculous circumstances in the book but to discuss these would divulge plot and I will not do that. There might be people who will enjoy this book. I am not one of them.


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