Manhunt

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Title: Manhunt
Author: Ann Voss Peterson  
Publication date: 06/14/2017
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No

So, I came REALLY close to DNFing this one, folks. But I hate to DNF, especially when I get the book from NetGalley, so inexplicably, I persevered and made it through to the very end. I wish I could say things got better as I got to the end. They didn’t.

​There were a number of points early on in the story where I started to question Shanna’s intelligence. And if there’s one thing that pisses me off in romantic suspense, it’s a TSTL heroine. For example, here are my questions for Shanna:

via GIPHY

• It didn’t seem at all weird to you that your boss, the CEO of a huge corporation, asked you, a lowly accountant, out on a corporate hunting trip? I mean, it wouldn’t be so weird if you were a hunter...but you aren’t. So, why in the ever lovin’ hell would you agree to go hunting, even if you thought you were possibly up for a promotion? Surely if you deserved a promotion, it wouldn’t hinge on whether or not you could shoot Bambi.
• So, your ex-husband was an embezzler, and your boss is trying to kill you? Wow. You have crap luck, Shanna. Or perhaps you should reconsider some (or all) of your life choices? ​​
• You met with the SEC a week before your boss tries to kill you, and you’re still confused as to why he might want to kill you? Really? Hmmm...seems pretty obvious to me.
• Your first instinct when you’re about to be attacked by a big dog is to put your leg in its mouth so that it can’t bite the big strong rancher/ex-cop who has come to your rescue? Now I’m starting to understand why your boss wants you dead. I kind of want you dead, too.
• You trusted your ex-husband and he let you down, you trusted your boss and he tried to kill you, and you trusted another person (whose name I won’t disclose because it would be spoilery), and that person betrayed you. You know what the common denominator is? YOU, Shanna. It’s YOU. It’s time to consider the possibility that you’re an idiot and your judgement is crap.     

​Even if I was able to overlook Shanna’s stupidity, (which I’m not) I’d still be confronted with Jace’s behavior, which didn’t strike me as particularly realistic, either. I mean, here’s a woman you don’t know, claiming innocence while trying to steal your car, and the police tell you she’s a murderer. What’s your reaction? Why, sneak her out of town, of course! Hike up a mountain and fight off vicious guard dogs for her, obvs. Duh. (I’m side-eyeing Jace pretty hard at this point in the story)

Then to find out later that he’s an ex-cop with a prison record? That makes his actions all the more ridiculous. He should’ve avoided Shanna like I avoid doing squats and eating cauliflower. (Just to be clear: I hate everything about cauliflower and was once almost crippled for a week from doing squats, so that’ll never happen again.)
 
But outside of his completely unrealistic motivation for helping Shanna, Jace wasn’t a terrible hero. He was strong and capable and kind-hearted, which kind of makes me wish I could fix him up with a heroine from another novel, because he can definitely do better than this one.
 
So, at the end of the day, Jace earns this book 1 star, and I award the other star because while I hated the heroine, the story was technically well-written.
 
Full disclosure: We received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
Contributes on almost every front. Ugh. Just...ugh.

Other reading suggestions
I really enjoyed Hide From Evil, by Jami Alden, which featured a similar hot-guy-protects-heroine-on-the-run storyline.