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Emmett Love #2
Don't Poke the Bear!
The second book in the Emmett Love western adventure series.
After the former gunslinger and prostitute open a saloon in Dodge City, Kansas, Emmett kills a man in self-defense and winds up inheriting a dancing bear. But that surprise pales in comparison to the secret his witchy friend, Rose, has been keeping from him since the day they met...
After the former gunslinger and prostitute open a saloon in Dodge City, Kansas, Emmett kills a man in self-defense and winds up inheriting a dancing bear. But that surprise pales in comparison to the secret his witchy friend, Rose, has been keeping from him since the day they met...
229 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 8, 2011
229 people are currently reading
174 people want to read
About the author
John Locke
55 books390 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information. This is the novelist (2x spaces), not the philosopher (1x space).
New York Times best-selling author John Locke is the international best-selling author of sixteen books in four different genres. He is the 8th author in history to have sold one million eBooks on Kindle. Locke has had four books in the top ten at the same time, including #1 and #2. His Donovan Creed thriller series has sold more than 1,700,000 copies since January, 2011, and foreign rights have been acquired by six major publishers for Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Hungarian, and Lithuanian translations. (Amazon's brief biography)
NY TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR!
8th MEMBER of the KINDLE MILLION SALES CLUB!
First self-published author to hit #1 on Amazon/Kindle!
First self-published author to hit Kindle Million Sales Club!
John sold 1,100,000 eBooks in 5 months by word of mouth!
John wrote and published 6 best-selling books in 3 separate genres in 6 months, part-time!
John has had 4 of the top 10 eBooks on Amazon/Kindle at the same time, including #1 and #2! He’s also had 6 of the top 20, and 8 of the top 43 at the same time!
Every eBook John Locke has written and published has become a best-seller.
New York Times best-selling author John Locke is the international best-selling author of sixteen books in four different genres. He is the 8th author in history to have sold one million eBooks on Kindle. Locke has had four books in the top ten at the same time, including #1 and #2. His Donovan Creed thriller series has sold more than 1,700,000 copies since January, 2011, and foreign rights have been acquired by six major publishers for Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Hungarian, and Lithuanian translations. (Amazon's brief biography)
NY TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR!
8th MEMBER of the KINDLE MILLION SALES CLUB!
First self-published author to hit #1 on Amazon/Kindle!
First self-published author to hit Kindle Million Sales Club!
John sold 1,100,000 eBooks in 5 months by word of mouth!
John wrote and published 6 best-selling books in 3 separate genres in 6 months, part-time!
John has had 4 of the top 10 eBooks on Amazon/Kindle at the same time, including #1 and #2! He’s also had 6 of the top 20, and 8 of the top 43 at the same time!
Every eBook John Locke has written and published has become a best-seller.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
June 4, 2013
Series Review:
I'd never heard of John Locke until I received my Kindle in the mail. Locke made his fame and fortune self-publishing his books in the Kindle world. For the Kindle, his books are ridiculously inexpensive (around $0.99 to $1.99). I was surprised at what I read and hooked from the start. Unlike my other series books, however, there is a difference in the books in terms of ratings...so I have not given them the standard 4 or 5 star ratings across the entire series.
The Emmett Love series is best described as a fun collection of Western novels and subsequent cliches packaged with a hilarious defiency of respect towards all that politically correct readers hold dear. Emmett Love is a former gunslinger turned sherrif of Dodge City and with his rollickin' cast of characters that include: gunslingers, a deformed scout, a witch, a dancin' bear, a wagon full of prostitutes, and of course, Gentry the love of his life - his good-hearted adventures in the West lay the foundations for one of Locke's formidable characters in an entirely different series set in current times. What readers probably won't realize unless they also read Locke's Donovan Creed series is that the Emmett Love series is actually the story of Donovan's ancestors.
The books (like all of Locke's books) are pulp: short but pack a powerful punch, a mixture of excellent humor (left me laughing at the insanity of what I was reading) and the prepostorous adventures of a Sheriff who's got about 20 women pining after him, but reserves his love for Gentry. Zany enough, don't be surprised to run into Custer, Lincoln, and a whole lot of other historical characters who were to one degree or another inspired upon meeting Emmett Love.
This series is review is the same for all the Emmett Love books, so if you've read this, you've read 'em all.
I'd never heard of John Locke until I received my Kindle in the mail. Locke made his fame and fortune self-publishing his books in the Kindle world. For the Kindle, his books are ridiculously inexpensive (around $0.99 to $1.99). I was surprised at what I read and hooked from the start. Unlike my other series books, however, there is a difference in the books in terms of ratings...so I have not given them the standard 4 or 5 star ratings across the entire series.
The Emmett Love series is best described as a fun collection of Western novels and subsequent cliches packaged with a hilarious defiency of respect towards all that politically correct readers hold dear. Emmett Love is a former gunslinger turned sherrif of Dodge City and with his rollickin' cast of characters that include: gunslingers, a deformed scout, a witch, a dancin' bear, a wagon full of prostitutes, and of course, Gentry the love of his life - his good-hearted adventures in the West lay the foundations for one of Locke's formidable characters in an entirely different series set in current times. What readers probably won't realize unless they also read Locke's Donovan Creed series is that the Emmett Love series is actually the story of Donovan's ancestors.
The books (like all of Locke's books) are pulp: short but pack a powerful punch, a mixture of excellent humor (left me laughing at the insanity of what I was reading) and the prepostorous adventures of a Sheriff who's got about 20 women pining after him, but reserves his love for Gentry. Zany enough, don't be surprised to run into Custer, Lincoln, and a whole lot of other historical characters who were to one degree or another inspired upon meeting Emmett Love.
This series is review is the same for all the Emmett Love books, so if you've read this, you've read 'em all.
December 6, 2014
First off this book takes place during the civil war. Why is the girl on the cover wearing a mini skirt and cheerleader boots. Bizarre.
You should read Follow the Stone first. This is the second in the series and since it ends with a cliffhanger you'll feel you missed something by starting in the middle. I hate cliffhangers but these books are an easy read and not expensive so buying the next one is not a big deal. By the way the next one is great and finishes the story.
I won't recap the story. It's been done several times. But I will say these are quirky characters that exist in a wild west that come complete with magic and romance along with violence and crudity. Total junk food for the mind. You'll love it or hate it. I love it.
You should read Follow the Stone first. This is the second in the series and since it ends with a cliffhanger you'll feel you missed something by starting in the middle. I hate cliffhangers but these books are an easy read and not expensive so buying the next one is not a big deal. By the way the next one is great and finishes the story.
I won't recap the story. It's been done several times. But I will say these are quirky characters that exist in a wild west that come complete with magic and romance along with violence and crudity. Total junk food for the mind. You'll love it or hate it. I love it.
July 5, 2017
I really enjoy this series, it's a great mix of silly, violent and just-this-side of crude. Except this book throws you a right hook at the end that really knocks you and makes you enjoy the characters even more. Looking forward to the next!
March 28, 2019
Great western book
Not a bad plot, plenty of suspense and action. Never a dull moment with this author. Look forward to more by this author.
Not a bad plot, plenty of suspense and action. Never a dull moment with this author. Look forward to more by this author.
October 4, 2019
This whole series is superb. The humor, the character traits, the interactions, gotta love every word.
It's been a while since I read these. I'm going to have to go do it again.
It's been a while since I read these. I'm going to have to go do it again.
January 31, 2020
Not as funny as the first Emmett Love book but still a pretty good read with interesting characters.
August 6, 2020
Cute story but Rose and all of her psychic stuff was annoying and way too far fetched.
April 25, 2022
Great yarn!
August 11, 2023
Good story
But, it doesn't end! Very unsatisfactory ending! I liked the rest of the book, and the bear was a great addition, but can't get past the ending!
But, it doesn't end! Very unsatisfactory ending! I liked the rest of the book, and the bear was a great addition, but can't get past the ending!
January 30, 2012
picks up shortly after Follow the Stone, and sends Emmett and his gal into a fun and sad little tale. Perhaps not sad, but the cliffhanger ending will give you a short frown until you pick up Emmett & Gentry, which will......that's for another review :)
Many of the old friends are back, add in a few new ones, and a Dancin' Bear, and you have a rip roarin' good saloon tale for sure. Even a Wing Ding and a Ding Dong.
And, you start to learn a few hints that there might be something in here that creates a tie-in to Donovan Creed. And the final page threw me for a loop, as I'd read Now and Then quite a while ago, and never put 2 and 2 together in regards to Rose. Now I'm gonna have to go reread Now and Then and I suspect it'll make more sense now :)
Many of the old friends are back, add in a few new ones, and a Dancin' Bear, and you have a rip roarin' good saloon tale for sure. Even a Wing Ding and a Ding Dong.
And, you start to learn a few hints that there might be something in here that creates a tie-in to Donovan Creed. And the final page threw me for a loop, as I'd read Now and Then quite a while ago, and never put 2 and 2 together in regards to Rose. Now I'm gonna have to go reread Now and Then and I suspect it'll make more sense now :)
May 14, 2013
I have now read all of John Locke's novels except Maybe. I don't usually like westerns but of all of this author's books, I like the westerns best and Don't Poke The Bear was my favorite of these. It had me laughing and crying and every other emotion there is and I love that in a book. I love the characters in the westerns. Some of the characters in the other books, I didn't like but I liked the books, go figure.
John Locke writes different than anyone I've read. He is one-of-a-kind. I am glad he is self-published because I think a publisher would try to tone him down and it would ruin everything. Keep up the good work, John.
John Locke writes different than anyone I've read. He is one-of-a-kind. I am glad he is self-published because I think a publisher would try to tone him down and it would ruin everything. Keep up the good work, John.
June 2, 2011
I started reading John Locke's Donovan Creed series just to see what one gets for 99c on Kindle, thinking to put my own novel, THE SORCERER'S CONFESSION out as an EBook. After I read all the Donovan Creed series, I moved on to Emmett Love and "Don't Poke the Bear!"
Locke's writing is excellent, his character, Donovan Creed, is a loveable villain, and Emmett Love is funny and real. With John Locke, you get a fast paced, delightful read every time.
As a writer, I'm impressed! As a reader, I can't wait for more Donovan Creed and Emmett Love stories.
March 11, 2012
While an interesting follow-up to Follow the Stones, Don't Poke the Bear is interesting but suffers from "it's all middle" syndrome.
The book offers up some logical follow-ups from Follow the Stone that comprise the main body of the plot, and succeeds in setting up things for the next book (Emmett & Gentry), but the plot doesn't really do much but noodle around some transitionary ideas.
That's not to say it's a bad read; just that the story doesn't seem to go anywhere. It's middle. It's not bad middle at all; but it's middle just the same.
The book offers up some logical follow-ups from Follow the Stone that comprise the main body of the plot, and succeeds in setting up things for the next book (Emmett & Gentry), but the plot doesn't really do much but noodle around some transitionary ideas.
That's not to say it's a bad read; just that the story doesn't seem to go anywhere. It's middle. It's not bad middle at all; but it's middle just the same.
March 9, 2015
This book is John Locke's best yet...and that's saying a lot.
What more can be said? A thrill a minute...a million one liners...witty dialogue...I've said it all before.
LAUGH OUT LOUD funny...the funniest line being the Ding Dong name conversation.
I finally broke and gave 5 stars. I couldn't do it before as I've been reading so many classics that are...well...CLASSICS.
But this twist. I HAD to.
What more can be said? A thrill a minute...a million one liners...witty dialogue...I've said it all before.
LAUGH OUT LOUD funny...the funniest line being the Ding Dong name conversation.
I finally broke and gave 5 stars. I couldn't do it before as I've been reading so many classics that are...well...CLASSICS.
But this twist. I HAD to.
August 4, 2013
I have come to love this series. You can't find good westerns except for a few authors like John Horst and now John Locke. This series isn't a serious take on westerns, but it has the right amount of history along with all the shenannigans that the characters get into. Especially Emmitt Love. I like this series so much that I am now buying the rest of the Emmitt stories. I will also have to check out this Donovan Creed, since he seems to be a descendant of Emmitt Love.
January 12, 2017
Spoof on the series Gunsmoke
Comedies are hard to come by and this one is very well done. Takes place at the same period time as Gunsmoke and as you read you will be able to identify the characters. Well-developed characterization and well-written story line. Good older teens due to violence. Even though it takes place mostly in a saloon/bordello the sex is kept off coloured remarks.
Comedies are hard to come by and this one is very well done. Takes place at the same period time as Gunsmoke and as you read you will be able to identify the characters. Well-developed characterization and well-written story line. Good older teens due to violence. Even though it takes place mostly in a saloon/bordello the sex is kept off coloured remarks.
February 6, 2015
OMG! this is such a funny book.
I think people at the gym thought I was nuts because I was laughing out loud as I was reading it. Well they already thought I was nuts before, but now it has been affirmed.
This is the 2nd book in the series & it is funnier then the first.
I would suggest reading the whole series.
Well I am off to read Emmett & Gentry book 3 in the series.
I think people at the gym thought I was nuts because I was laughing out loud as I was reading it. Well they already thought I was nuts before, but now it has been affirmed.
This is the 2nd book in the series & it is funnier then the first.
I would suggest reading the whole series.
Well I am off to read Emmett & Gentry book 3 in the series.
September 4, 2013
I love the Emmett Love series by John Locke. These books are great fun. You will laugh, cry, and think what the heck?! I just finished this book and have already downloaded the third in this series. I recommend the whole series. They are charming reads.
November 14, 2016
Little bit of a mish-mash on plot. Make no mistake, I enjoy John Locke and this is written in his usual entertaining style, but this book is not up to his usual standard. Not to be read as a stand-alone.
September 13, 2011
This is great story, but one of Locke,s. Writing mechanisms is to add a fair amount of sex.
September 16, 2011
Another well done, fun, easy read. I read Locke when I need a distraction and he delivers. I do have to agree some others that I don't like the stunted ending.
December 21, 2011
I finished this last night and the way he ended the novel is shameless... but hilarious. What a cliffhanger. If you can tolerate Larry McMurtry's shenanigans as a writer, you'll enjoy these.
January 7, 2012
This is a fun addicting series. Western with a slight twist. Page turning good reading and great characters. As a plus, the author is a really nice guy.
May 25, 2012
Fun book - read this on the train to/from Durham to Charlotte. Easy read. A random pick recommended by Kindle. Borrow this - don't buy it.
June 11, 2012
Another good tale from John Locke, good development of the characters but does get a bit confusing towards the end with lots of loose ends that we can only hope get sorted in the next installment.
July 29, 2012
Liked the story but found the ending abrupt; initially thought my reader had somehow dropped a few chapters.
September 6, 2012
Easy reading and funny, too.
September 8, 2012
How can you resist a title like this? Enjoyable read.
June 24, 2013
Jim gave this one 4.5 stars. Robbie read it on 6-23-13 and also gave it 4.5 stars. We love these westerns; there is so much humor in them and they read so fast!
July 11, 2013
Typical John Locke: A quick read, entertaining, lighthearted. exactly as advertised.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews