Customer Reviews

Hot Shot (Stp - Mira)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

HOT SHOT is a fast and entertaining read, if you liked Stephanie Plum you'll love Frankie Daniels. She gets into more trouble than the law allows. She had an affair with a married man (her ex-lover told her he was separated from his wife and getting a divorce). Frankie is oust to a very small and quaint town in North Carolina. When she arrives in town not only does she find her house is burnt to the ground but one of the best looking men she has ever seen is helping her out of a mud pile, only to find out that he is her boss.
She takes on the town bully and wins, and this is just the first day.
Frankie fights her attraction for her new boss (Matt), she fell for that once before.
Between all the crime to solve and the bond she is forming for the town, Matt hopes that he is part of the picture, also.
Charlotte Hughes has written a wonderful entertaining book. I look forward to reading more books by her in the near future.

HOT SHOT is an incredibly entertaining mix of suspense, romance, and humor. Think lethal weapon meets Andy of Mayberry.

Tough talking, street wise, hard-as-nails Atlanta police detective Frankie Daniels has an affair with her new partner (he says he's divorced) only to find out he lied. What's worse is that he is the police commisoners son-in-law. She is 'transferred' to Purdeyville, North Carolina, Unfortunately, she arrives to find the smoldering ruins of her new rented house, and a bristly encounter with her new boss. In this sleepy town, this tough heroine learns from her boss, Marshall Matt Webber, some of the homespun values of a small southern town.

There are a gaggle of giggles as this tough Atlanta cop has to deal with shoplifting, barking dachshunds, a randy bull, and other small town 'crimes.' But Matt is glad to have her talents as well, because murder and mayhem seem to have risen to the occasion. Having already dealt with the results of affairs in the workplace, Frankie fights her attraction to the warm and sensual marshall. But she also finds it increasingly difficult to maintain her distance, from him and from the town. More important, Frankie and Matt have to put aside their egos to solve murders while keeping her mother and the bull on a short leash.

Charlotte Hughes has a wonderful vehicle in HOT SHOT for her humor: a tough city heroine, in a small town, solving crime and romance. It grabs you and won't let you stop reading. The use of fun humorous scenes as breaks in the suspensful tension is masterful. The romantic tension between Matt and Frankie is also compelling. A real keeper!

HOT SHOT is a fun and entertaining read, that made the USA Today list the first week it was out. The heroine is memorable -- you will either love or hate her -- but there is no in between. I loved her, but then I like strong women and real world people.

Frankie Daniels is a tough-talking, hard-as-nails Atlanta police detective. She is thrown for a loop when her affair (she thought he was divorced) with the police commissioner's son-in-law, is revealed.

Frankie is 'transferred' to Purdeyville, a Mayberry-like town with a good looking sheriff sweeter than Andy Griffith. She arrives to find the smoldering ruins of her new rented house, and a bristly encounter with her new boss Marshall Matt Webber.

This tough and streetwise lady softens throughout the book as she adopts some of the values of the small southern town. There is a ton of fun as this mouthy Atlanta cop has to deal with barking dachshunds, a loose bull, the price of Alma Grimes' Pecan Pie, and similar routine police work.

But murder and mayhem (and bad luck) seem to follow her, and she and Matt have a plateful of crimes to solve. Frankie fights her attraction to the warm and sensitive Marshall, not wanting to make the same mistake twice. The ensuing mystery was exciting and had a suprise ending.

Charlotte Hughes has a wonderful voice, and she is rumored to be "breaking out". Certainly her latest novel, combined with her recent impressive work for MIRA abd with janet Evanovich, would indicate a load of talent. The romantic tension between Matt and Frankie is an interesting turn, since Matt is a wonderful male lead and Frankie almost doesn't deserve him. But he finds the softness under her bitter facade, and he thinks she is a keeper.

I can't say enough about the robust fun, and the quirky hard sweetness of this book. The fast pace and compelling plot is a bonus and it would have been a favorite without the mystery. I loved the supporting cast as well, and wished the book would never end.

Detective Frances `Frankie' Daniels is REALLY having one of those lives. She's been called on the carpet for fraternizing with the police commissioner's son-in-law (hey, he told her he was getting a divorce!), and given no option other than to accept a job on small town police force in Purdyville, South Carolina. To a big city girl like Frankie, this is the backwoods of nowhere. But with the choices she's given-none-she packs her things, and heads to Nowhere, U. S. A. Frankie arrives in Purdeyville, only to see the small house she had rented reduced to ash. Could this get any worse?

Sheriff Matt Webber is stunned when the pretty little woman jumps out of her car and starts ranting and raving, and demanding answers. Deciding to play the good `ole boy to the hilt, he lets her go on and on. Only when she starts going on about her new job on the Hicksville police force, Matt's co-hort, the Fire Marshall, feels he has to give her a heads up. Frankie has just insulted her new boss. Matt's curious about what brought the pretty little detective to such a small town, but she's not forth coming with answers. Deciding that he'll give her the benefit of the doubt, he helps her find a place to stay, and tells her he'll definitely give her a chance on his force.

Wow! The sparks start to fly from the instant Matt and Frankie meet, and don't let up for one second. Frankie continually finds herself in situations where she has to be the `tough' broad, but we also get to see the inner turmoil she has going on. Matt senses the soft heart that Frankie has, and doesn't let her smoking, cussing, and just acting the tough broad turn him off. He's drawn to Frankie in a way he's never been drawn to another.
We see their relationship develop at the perfect pace, and feel all the emotions with them.

Miss Hughes has penned not only an incredible romance, but a hilarious one as well! I couldn't wait to turn the pages to see what Frankie would get up to next, and the secondary characters are a definite enhancement to the story line, adding to both the humor and the romance. I thought to myself how will she make us like this heroine? I not only found myself rooting for Frankie, but loving her for the strength she has built through out her life.

This story is a must for not only contemporary fans, but suspense fans as well! This was an all nighter-you won't be able to put this down, and will definitely find a place for it on your keeper shelf.

Tough talking, chain smoking Atlanta detective Frankie Daniels falls from grace when her affair with the police commissioner's son-in-law, a married man with three children, becomes public knowledge. A tape of their sexual exploits ends her time on the Atlanta force, but the Captain pulls some strings and secures a new job opportunity for her in Purdyville, North Carolina. Unfortunately, she arrives to find the smoldering remains of her rent house, a mud bath, and a bristly encounter with her new boss.

The vulnerabilities created by witnessing the worse of mankind's depravity on Atlanta's streets combines with the lies her former lover told, leave Frankie rather hard edged-except when she yields to her emotions by crying in the shower. She has stopped seeing the people involved by crimes, thinking in terms of case numbers instead. She even wonders if she has lost her femininity. Meeting Police Chief Matt Weber forces her to reevaluate herself, her past and her future.

Having already dealt with the results of "fraternization", Frankie fights her attraction to the sinfully sensual chief. But as small town crime increases, Frankie finds it increasingly difficult to maintain her distance. Matt's clear regarding his feelings, but Frankie backs off when she becomes the object of small town gossip. But taking down the town bully and finds her hotel room vandalized demonstrates that Frankie has thrust herself in the middle of small town drama and the ... danger it can present.

Irreverently humorous moments lend a marvelous touch of levity to the wonderful romantic suspense HOT SHOT. Frankie thinks she is a hot shot when she arrives in Purdyville with ten years of street smarts. As she finds out how out of touch she is with humanity, however, she learns to balance street smarts with genuine concern. Yet author charlotte Hughes respects the strength that allows a detective to walk the Atlanta streets for ten years by not compromising the qualities that make Frankie unique - from her chain smoking to her ability to floor an unruly man twice her size in a parking lot. In addition, Matt's steadfast determination to win her heart, defend her reputation, and still respect Frankie as a person likewise will win reader's hearts. Further, Hughs masterfully captures the flavor of small town living that makes it unique, especially illustrated when Frankie brings a store-bought cake in a plastic container to a potluck. A tale of redemption, love and healing, HOT SHOT comes very highly recommended.

I have to disagree with the majority of reviewers of this particular book: I found "Hot Shot" labored, difficult to get through, and choppy.

Frankie is a very well-drawn character, and her relationship with Matt is a sweet one. But sometimes the characterization seemed abrupt, and I found some of the twists of her relationship with Matt a bit unbelievable.

In addition, there didn't seem to be a real arc to the plotline of the story. A villain is presented, but we see little of his villainy until the end. A lot of the plot details seemed abrupt, and the writing seemed choppy. The book didn't flow well for me.

All in all, I'd call this book an enjoyable but inconsistent read.

Frankie Daniels thought her life couldn't get any worse. Then she finds herself transferred from her high profile job in Atlanta to a police department in the middle of nowhere - Purdyville, South Carolina. Soon she discovers that her bad luck is about to get worse when she insults the police chief the moment she meets him, finds her rental house burnt to the ground and ends up in a bar fight with the town's biggest troublemaker.

Just when Frankie is ready to hand in her resignation and leave Purdyville, things begin to turn around. In spite of her hotshot attitude and their bad start, the police chief, Matt Webber, takes a liking to her.

Frankie also finds herself making new friends and becoming interested in the people of Purdyville, despite her best efforts not to. Soon she realizes that they are helping her as much as she is helping them, and slowly she begins to let go of her anger.

Still, Frankie has to wrestle with her inner demons. Can she live up to the honorable reputation of her father and her namesake, who died in the line of duty? And can she move beyond her past failures to succeed in the future?

As the crime rate in Purdyville skyrockets, Frankie continues to become more a part of the community she serves. And suddenly, despite her resistance, she finds herself becoming a bigger part of Matt's life as well.

"Hot Shot" is an entertaining, fast-paced novel that provides the reader with a glimpse of small town life through the eyes of two energetic, likeable main characters, Frankie and Matt. Frankie Daniels is an incredibly realistic character whose witty comments will keep the reader entertained and wishing for more.

I read this book because I am a huge fan of Janet Evanovich. When I heard Ms. Evanovich admired this author enough to ask her to rewrite her old short-contemporary romance, Full House, from the late 80s (which original book I own, along with every book Ms. Evanovich ever wrote), I though, well, that's a huge recommendation. And, when I first sat down to read this book, I admit, I was delighted that the book had some laugh-out-loud funny moments at the very beginning. However, the problem is, very rapidly, all the humor went away never to return. After thinking it over afterwards, I've concluded the major reason this is so is that the author has a very flat, unlively voice. And, secondly, the heroine is very unsympathetic, because throughout the book she is constantly in a foul mood, and, as a result, pretty much all the time unjustifiably harsh to the hero. And she isn't hard on him in the way common in romantic comedies where the two carry on a kind of fake animosity expressed in funny repartee. Nope, she simply comes off as an ill-tempered shrew who rags on the hero because she's mean.

Another aspect of the book that I found really irritating is the way everyone in town treats the villain, Willie Jack, constantly sneering at him in a way that is absolutely guaranteed to make any sociopath go off his nut and commit acts of violence--like the rest of the human race, they tend to loathe being "dissed" (treated with disrespect). This sneering behavior might have been understandable in the general populace of this small town, who aren't law-enforcement professionals, just ordinary people--if we ignore, that is, the fact that their crudely cruel behavior violates Hughes's initial and ongoing premise that the heroine is transferring from the big, bad city of Atlanta to a pleasant, little southern town full of lovely, nice people, such that she can finally leave off her rough exterior and feel safe and at home. But as for the heroine and the hero and their constant sneering at WJ, both are experienced cops who very well ought to have known (if the author cared to make them have any realistic relationship to the state of modern police work among all but "renegade" cops) that sneering at psychopaths is an insane attitude in any cop these days who has had a modicum of training in how to prevent violence. Cops today are required to *never* sneer at anyone, and speak to all people, at all times, with respect. Which only makes sense, because even if they wear a bullet-proof vest at all times, there's no telling when, if you "diss" them, some psycho will pull out a gun and shoot you between the eyes. Beyond all that, though, I think the ultimate reason that everyone universally sneering at WJ hurts Ms. Hughes's plot is that it leads readers to actually feel sorry for the poor slob instead of seeing him as all-bad (as the author obviously hopes we will see this very one-dimensional villain) and therefore become unable to celebrate the event where he "gets his" in the end, an important fulfillment for the audience of all novels and movies with villains.

To sum up, then, my main complaints with this romantic comedy are that it isn't very romantic--I felt sorry for the hero, who seems like a nice guy, for tangling up with a barracuda like the heroine. And aside from the very beginning, it isn't funny. The light mood that is an essential part of romantic comedy is also jarringly violated by the author dumping murder and mayhem into the plot. By doing this, Ms. Hughes's story loses out on two counts: the harsh issues she covers get trivialized, and the light tone she is supposedly shooting for gets stomped into the ground.

P.S. After reading this book, it is not hard to figure out why the rewrite of Evanovich's Full House by Ms. Hughes has, sadly, turned a formerly lively, funny, sexy book into a flat, un-funny, un-sexy, drab book that over 70 readers so far (including me) have given 1 star to. She makes the exact (I mean it--*exact*) same glaring mistakes in that book she makes in this one (see my sum-up paragraph above).

Atlanta police detective Francis "Frankie" Daniels throws her hard earned career away when she is caught in bed with her married partner Jim Connors. The incident would have gone away except the father of three happens to be the son-in-law of the police commissioner. Knowing she made a mistake though she was vulnerable when she performed the act, Frankie agrees to go into exile accepting a job on the Purdyville, South Carolina police force.

Her arrival in the small town starts off bad when her rental is burned to the ground by arson. It goes worse when she mouths off not knowing that the listener is her new boss, Police Chief Matt Webber. It finally culminates in her beating up Willie Jack Pitts, a womanizer who tries to paw her. As Matt and Frankie fall in love, they investigate the murder of Willie Jack even as she rejects the courtship of the Chief since she believes he is a womanizer just like Jim is.

HOT SHOT is an exciting police procedural romance that never slows down especially when Frankie takes the small town by storm. The story line is fast-paced with an engaging investigation. Matt is a strong lead protagonist and the support cast provides a feel for small town Southern living. Though readers will admire Frankie's courage and dedication, they will insist that Charlotte Hughes place her on decaf if she ever returns to Purdyville in future novels.

Harriet Klausner

I was looking for a fun, quick read. This book definitely met my needs. It can be predictable, but still fun and full of romance and mystery. The best combination in my book!

Frankie Daniels is a hard core detective in Atlanta and used to seeing gruesome crimes. Her MO is to not get involved and be the best at her job...trying to follow in her slain father's footsteps. After an error in judgement that cost her her job, she is moved to a small town. Once there, she encounters the menacing town bully, the Chief of Police (her boss), and many more characters of Purdyville. The story goes from there with love stories, a cast of wonderful characters, and mysteries to be solved.

If you're looking for a well written book that leads you to a good time...this is one you should read.