Customer Reviews

Taking Shots (Assassins)

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I really enjoyed the story line and couldn't wait to see how the relationship played out. At times, I had tears in my eyes at the emotional scenes between Elli and Shea. Who could have thought a man could be so sensitive! The only reason that I couldn't give this book the maximum stars was because of the non-editing! There were so many grammar errors that at times made me stop to think what the author was trying to say. Believe me, it was bad!

I agree with other readers who've given reviews of this book. The story is great! Shae and Elli are wonderful characters and the dialogue and storyline unfold beautifully. However, the editing is HORRIBLE. Some of the editing mistakes are funny - (like how every "orgasm" is spelled "organism", and "haunches" is always spelled "hunches") but there are some wonderfully poignant and touching scenes that are less effective because of all the spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.

Please, please, please, don't stop writing Ms. Aleo! Your stories are wonderful! In particular, we would love to have more Assassins stories. But please, please, please, get a different editor!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story because the characters were well developed and I was able to relate to the h/h throughout the book. However, as has been stated in previous reviews, there was absolutely NO EDITING in the book. I purchased the book because I saw a post from the author that stated the book had been re-edited due to reader feedback and figured that $2.99 was a reasonable price to pay to give a new author a chance. If what I purchased was the edited version, I cannot imagine how bad it was before.

The author (and alleged editor, if he or she really exists) had serious issues with tenses and proper word usage throughout the book. For example, the author uses `in less' instead of `unless' multiple times, does not know the difference between `to' and `too', `than' and `then', `your' and `you're', `their' and `there', and apparently refuses to use plurals where necessary for proper sentence structure. Also, the number of run-on sentences wherein the author has no clue where to use a comma or a semicolon makes some passages difficult to understand. These types of consistent errors are more than annoying; they completely detract from the story. It is almost as if the author wrote a first draft of the book and published it without even glancing through it a second time to try to catch any errors. Surely the author knows someone with a few spare hours and a working knowledge of the English language that could have redlined the draft for her.

I gave this book 3 stars becuase the story itself was very enjoyable (once I was able to mentally edit each passage as I read). If I were to rate the grammar and punctuation, the book would have received 0 stars. I truly hope that this author continues to write because her story was well thought out and wonderfully detailed but she is in dire need of assistance in the grammar department.

I LOVED this book! For 2.99, I thought it would be just ok or a shorter novel, but it was a really great full-length story. It was so hard to put down - I kept finding reasons to sneak in a chapter. I think it would make a great movie, too. The story line was good with lots of ups and down. All the characters were likeable. I think this is the only romance I have ever read where the male lead actually cried. I kept rooting for Shea - he really stuck in there.

I agree with the other reviewers, the editing (or lack there of) was distracting. In fact, it probably wasn't edited at all. It took me awhile to figure out how the dialogue flowed. Once I got that, I could work past the grammar and spelling issues and just enjoy the story.

I love hockey (Sharks fan through and through). And I especially love hockey romance novels! This story was great but very, VERY hard to follow due to poor grammar and spelling. I read everyday and usually just skip over errors naturally. That didn't happen with this book. It was a difficult read due to all the errors. I'm not sure if it's the author or the Kindle digital version but it definately needs to be cleaned up. However, the story itself was adorable and I absolutely LOVED all the characters. I would love to read this book again if a new version can get loaded to Amazon that has been reviewed and updated by an editor. I think I would have given it 5 stars if the errors were minimal and/or minor and my mind was able to skip and forget about them. Since that didn't happen and I found my self - often - re-reading a sentence or two every few paragraphs to try to make sense of the mixed-up grammar (there is a HUGE difference in the meaning of "to" and "too") I can only give this book 3 stars.

While photographing the Assassins Hockey Team for their publicity shoot, Elli Fisher finally meets Shea Adler face to face, since she has been his biggest fan from afar for years. He is struck by her beauty and tells her so, but Elli being insecure about her newly, filled out figure, she doesn't think anything of it.

Until Shea has his sister, and party planner, Grace, hire Elli to take pictures at his Team Party, and from then on the two are inseparable. Well, except for her insecurities, which always seems to be between them and prevents her from moving forward with the physical parts of their relationship. As you keep reading, you learn why Elli is so hung up on her physical appearance.

Shea Adler, is your classic Hockey hottie, but her grows to care for Elli, but he can never do enough to prove that he wants to be with her and ONLY her. He is being punished for her past and he tells her the same. I won't give away the ending, but these two have MANY issues to overcome before they will make it.

I will say I LIKED this book. I won't say I LOVED IT, because anyone who reads this blog knows that I don't throw that word around a lot. I have two occasions when that word is used, either I have sat up all night long until the book is finished because I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN, or I have bawled my eyes out so bad that I have to stop reading because I can't see the words through the tears.

It's not that I found Elli annoying, or whiney....I just thought she needed to get over it....In the nicest way possible. I felt like Harper, her best friend, trying to tell her she was beautiful and to believe that this wonderful guy ACTUALLY DID like her, or was even falling in LOVE with her. I understood where Elli was coming from, but I wanted to smack her in the head so she would stop being so stupid when it came to Shea. He loved her, and he was trying to prove it with all he had, but she was just so stuck in the past.

Aside from wanting to smack her, I really liked Elli. She is just the kind of girl that I would have been friends with. She was a hard worker and she loved what she did, without using her families money to get by. She liked a good beer after a long day and she loved sports. How can you not want to be friends with her.

Shea Adler was adorable and frustrated and falling for a girl who he couldn't fully have until she would believe his words of adoration, and that can be difficult, but Shea handled it like a TRUE HERO, and he just kept reassuring her about how he felt, and for that, he gets a GOLD STAR for GREAT HERO from me.

I have to say that I really enjoyed the secondary romance between Harper and Jakob, another assassins player and Shea's best friend. I think I actually would have like to see a bit more of their relationship.

All in all, I really LIKED Taking Shots. I will DEFINITELY be reading the next book in the series, Trying to Score, which is coming this spring. And I will be keeping my eye out for more book by Toni Aleo, she is one to watch!!

In this standout debut novel from Toni Aleo, we see how insecurities from the past can effect our future. Elli Fisher has been hurt, emotionally and physically, by former loves and her family. After overcoming a medical issues, she stood on her own for so long that she doesn't quite know how to trust others and believe that their intentions are honest... which is where Shea Adler comes in. He is smitten from the beginning but has a difficult time getting past Elli's insecurities. He uses all the tools a his disposal to win her- his wit & charm, his sister, and her friend.

Elli is a real woman... she's not blond and a size four! I can actually put myself in her shoes because she is real. She's had major issues that she tries to keep hidden but, like the rest of us, her problems surface more often than she would like.

Shea... what can I say about Shea. He is what we all hope (and dream) a professional athlete can be. He's hot and sexy. He's charming and sensitive. He's shy and humble. He's confident and knows what he wants, he wants Elli.

This was an awesome read. The pacing was nice and even. You felt anxious for Elli & Shea to get where you wanted them to go but it wasn't rushed. I've read some books where the h/h fall in love and are engaged within a week. Like that's realistic. "Taking Shots" has the feel of a real life romance with all it's ups and downs. Shea and Elli also show real emotions. They laugh. They cry. Most importantly, they have fun together (like at the Dance-Off at Shea's condo... you'll know when you get there). There is also a great side story between the best friends.
It is a slightly longer book, which I enjoy, as a can finish a Harlequin size novel in less than a day sometimes. This took me two.

All in all, an awesome book. One of my favorite. Cannot wait for "Trying to Score" to release in April 2012.

I own this book.
I would recommend for Adult.
5/5 Stars- GoodReads: It was amazing!

I have to say that I loved reading this book! I could not put it down. The characters were wonderful and at moments I found myself laughing out loud,(especially when Shea meets Elli's friends for the first time). The only thing that prevented me from giving it a 5 star rating was the grammar errors. I would recommend this book.

I enjoyed everything about this story. I am a big romance reader and an even bigger fan of hockey so reading a story where they both come together was a match made in heaven for me! The story was sweet. I like stories where the characters are believeable and Shea and Elli are very realistic. I love how Shea seems to not be your run of the mill athlete who only dates models, etc. and Elli is an every day type of woman. I cheered for this couple the whole way through the book! I did notice the spelling/editing errors, but I gave this five stars regardless. The story was excellent and that is what matters. I am looking forward to future Assassins stories!

I loved the story tremendously, beautiful characters, interesting story line, however, the editing was so terrible, endless mistakes (grammar and spelling) practically ruined the book. I believe it would be fair to the readers and to the author of the book if a publisher would proofread it properly.