Enemies of the State (The Executive Office #1) in Q&A with Josh Lanyon

Mar 06, 2016 Buda rated it it was ok · review of another edition

If Tom Clancy knew people were invoking his name in relation to this book, he would be either spinning in his grave or laughing his ass off, I can't figure out which. If you're looking to Bauer's effort as a substitute for Clancy, let me just assure you, you need to keep looking. Enemies of the State is high on potential and low on execution.

If you've followed my reviews, you know I'm rabid about poor grammar and sentence structure. Enemies is rife with both. Adjectives are repeated in the same If Tom Clancy knew people were invoking his name in relation to this book, he would be either spinning in his grave or laughing his ass off, I can't figure out which. If you're looking to Bauer's effort as a substitute for Clancy, let me just assure you, you need to keep looking. Enemies of the State is high on potential and low on execution.

If you've followed my reviews, you know I'm rabid about poor grammar and sentence structure. Enemies is rife with both. Adjectives are repeated in the same paragraph, often in back-to-back sentences. For example: "Smug superiority leached from [the bad guy]. He stood in a cascade of smugness, a rush of vindictive pride...."Also, "[Dude 1] slammed his fist into [Dude 2]'s face, punching him back to the ground. [Dude 2] fell to his knees, blood weeping from his nose. Broken, by the crunch of bones and watering of his eyes." Dude 2 must be an alien, because last I knew, humans didn't have bones in their noses. And really? The blood was weeping from his nose? I suppose I should be grateful his dick didn't weep, though I admit to skimming the extraordinarily boring anal sex scene at the end of the book, so I may have just missed it.

Then there was this: "An empty box of donuts, demolished by the team, lay on the floorboards." So is someone just shit at cleaning out his SUV or were the guys on the team pissed that they'd flown half way around the world to be greeted by an empty box of donuts? Or...could the writer not simply say they'd eaten the goddamn things and then thrown the empty box on the floor?

This type of thing is littered along the floorboards of the book, if you will, from beginning to end. But what really irritated the hell out of me through the first 60% was that the important scenes, the slow build of the relationship between Jack and Ethan was mostly presented in memories or we're just TOLD it happened. Therefore, I was hard-pressed to build any sort of interest in them as a couple.

The bomb angle really bothered me. It didn't make sense. If you read it, you'll understand my reservations. (view spoiler)

Lastly, every single chapter begins with what is supposedly a newspaper story. Except that they're all so horrifically written that no newspaper would publish them. They're so awful they pulled me out of the story every time. It became a game to see if the next one would be worse than the last.

I love political thrillers. Unfortunately I love well-edited books better. This one if half-baked at best. My advice? Take your $7 and buy an actual Tom Clancy novel. Just beware of the ghost-written ones.

Need one last example of tortured English? It's spoiler-worthy because it gives away details of the plot, so read at your own risk.
(view spoiler)
...more

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Feb 26, 2017 Ari rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mm-romance, feelings-are-all-over-me, book-keeps-me-awake, hot-level-sepuluh

4,5*
This book came to my attention when my hard-to-please friend Didi gave it 5* :))

And yes, I enjoyed the writing, enjoyed the panty-wet sexy scenes, rooting for some of character, the story kept me on the edge, its ust nearly killing me, but I didn't enjoy the politics, really... sorry... hence 4,5* (^,,^)
...more

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Oct 16, 2017 Bibliophile rated it really liked it

Shelves: m-m

**This review is for the series as a whole with a brief blurb at the end that's specific to this book.**

Tal Bauer is one of the best m/m action/suspense writers out there. His career in law enforcement and international humanitarian aid almost always adds an extra layer of authenticity to his characters and plots that somehow makes them pop and crackle on the page. His stories feel gritty and real--I often feel like he's giving me an insider's look into what life in the White House or as a feder ...more

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Feb 23, 2016 Ayesh rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: most-fav, favorite-cop

Well, what can I say!! This book has everything. Romance, action, thriller - everything. Absolutely loved every moment and great chemistry between the MCs.

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May 15, 2016 Anna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m, awesome-couples, everyone-should-read-it, there-goes-his-virginity, i-own-mobi, mm-seriously-adorable, mm-cops-fbi-pis-bodyguards, 4-and-a-half-stars, favourite-couples, fluffy-sappy

4.5 stars rounded up because I really really liked it. It was so refreshing, and so so good! Slowburns make me so damn happyyyy :)

Review to come.

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May 11, 2017 Dana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: m-m

Everyone has been talking about this series and finally, I read the first book. It was probably my best read this year. The slow burn romance is fantastic, but the political intrigue and action is amazing. The book could easily be a blockbuster movie or tv show. If you haven't checked out this series yet, let me add my voice to the many by saying it is a must read!! ...more

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Mar 13, 2017 Rie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

For the first 30% of the book, I was bored. But then, It got interesting. Some of the plot reminded me of Scandal tv series, and also Hydra in Marvel Agents of Shield tv series, but that didn't bother me. Yahh, walo Ethan juga ga kayak Secret Service Agent sih kelakuannya, tapi yahh namanya juga cowo lagi jatuh cinta, jadi whiny manja gimana gitu kan :))) Over all, I enjoyed the book that I could finish it in 2 days (that's record for me since nowadays I finish one book in a week or more lol) ...more

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Mar 21, 2016 Lasha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: coming-out, military, first-time, five-stars, hurt-comfort, friends-to-lovers, reunited-lovers, dan-brown-drana

4.5 stars

I hand-waved a lot of the political thriller stuff, just like I did with the Gerard Butler movie, "Olympus Has Fallen" because it was ridiculous. (So speaks someone who worked with the Secret Service while I was in the military). Just like that movie, this book was non-realistic crack, but still fun (hello Gerard Butler), even if I rolled my eyes at some of the plot holes!

Now, the first half of the book dragged, but it picked up by the end. Best feature? The main characters are both ov ...more

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Nov 11, 2017 Lisa rated it it was amazing

I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this book. I will probably pick it up in paperback, something I rarely do with my kindle books. Why do I like it?? I’m not sure I can even say why and do it justice, but I’ll give it a shot.

I started the book on Friday night and finished it Saturday evening. I literally could not put it down and then started book two then 3. The mystery was intriguing. The story moved rapidly leaving you wanting to know what was coming next. Jack and Ethan were gre ...more

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Dec 02, 2018 Jordan Lombard rated it really liked it

Shelves: a-own-ebook, g-romance-m-m, g-suspense, g-crime, bom-jl-group, y-2018read

Jack never even considers that he might be bisexual. Or biromantic and greysexual. I’ve never considered GFY a real trope before. Most of those characters seem bi to me. But here, not so much, which did make things feel a little weird towards the end, for me.

So I also had some issues with this that could have been easily researched, for a better book, such as secret service jogging with the President really is a thing that happens. When the President wants to do something like jogging or horseb ...more

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Feb 25, 2017 Lisa ~ Books Are My Drugs ~ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: content-erotic, m-m, genre-romance, genre-contemporary, purchased-ebook, genre-suspense, trope-gfy, part-of-series, content-angsty, 200-499-pages

I really liked this story. It was completely engaging with political intrigue, suspense, danger, & some romance. I genuinely liked both MCs, thought they were both decent humans. I liked the way the romance developed between them. I thought the mystery behind the general's accomplice was well-played and not too obvious even though I was able to guess who he was.

I'm looking forward to continuing with the series. ...more

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Feb 16, 2016 Bex marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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Apr 28, 2017 Venecia rated it really liked it

Shelves: y-politician, reads-4-25-stars, y-multi-locations, y-secret-service-agent, romance, mm-romance, contemporary, adventure, y-politics, thriller

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