relzreviewz.com The Last Shot by Amy Matayo

Synopsis:~

It’s the same routine every night, and country music superstar Teddy Hayes wouldn’t have it any other way.

7:00 pm: Arena doors open and fans fill the stands.
7:45 pm: Lights go out and spotlights come on.
7:46 pm: Energy from concert-goers reaches an ear-spitting crescendo.
7:47 pm: Teddy takes the stage and begins to sing.

But tonight, something is off.

It starts when a stage light malfunctions and sends sparks into the air.
It continues when his drummer stops playing and stares slack-jawed in Teddy’s direction.
It dawns on him when a fan doubles-over and a red stain spreads across her shirt.
Something isn’t just off tonight.

Someone in the crowd is shooting a gun.

And it’s up to a female bodyguard he’s never met before to save his life.

My take:~

I can’t get enough of Amy Matayo’s evocative and entertaining stories and The Last Shot is one of her very best. Matayo’s gifting lies in her inherent ability to be equal parts witty, incisive, and romantic, always peppered with profound commentary on the human condition, both overtly and within the subtext. Avoiding hard topics or the frailties of our humanity is not in her wheelhouse. Authenticity – even if some of it is confronting – is a hallmark of her writing; the very thing that makes her novels unique and eminently readable.

Contemporary in topic and prose, Teddy and Jane’s unusual and terrifying introduction to each other is gripping, enough to make your heart pound and your emotions engage unquestionably with their fears, dark humour, and attraction. The snappy dialogue and terrific characterisation is a joy. Her stories flick all my emotional buttons, never failing to make me laugh and sometimes cry. I loved Teddy and Jane’s individual journeys just as much as what they forged together, how they reacted to the terror that surrounds them, to the fall out from lives being unalterably changed, and their questions about God in their suffering. I appreciated they way Matayo addresses acute anxiety in a realistic and sensitive way. Intense and powerful, The Last Shot is compelling in every way I highly recommend it to readers who are looking for honest and forthright storytelling.

Note: The Last Shot is written for a general market audience and may not appeal to readers sensitive to minor language. With thanks to Amy Matayo for my copy, for whom I provide author support services. My opinions remain my own.

Necee’s Take:~

Intensely romantic and heartfelt issues…

I love this series and holy smokes The Last Shot was intense and so riveting I stayed up way too late reading it. From beginning until the end, I was hooked. Matayo not only wrote an incredibly beautiful romance, but dealt with some heavy social issues as well. However, her masterful storytelling wove faith and overcoming intense life tragedies in a way that left me with a lot to ponder. Her dealing with religion and hurts that have lasting impact was a refreshing read. It was a roller coaster ride of emotion from start to finish. While I would say there is definitely a faith element in her writing, there are strong innuendos and suggestive language some will not appreciate. I found it very real for the chaos and country star living side of the story. I was hooked on their love story and seeing all the characters come together in the series really added to the book. Riveting romance.

Note: I purchased my own copy of this book.

Amy Matayo is an excellent speaker, mathematician, seamstress, chef…and liar. She’s decent at writing books but not much else. Then again, the book thing makes her marginally cool and a whole lot intimidating.

Not really. Not even her kids are afraid of her.

She graduated with barely passing grades from John Brown University with a degree in Journalism. But she’s proud of that degree and all the ways she hasn’t put it to good use.

She laughs often, cries easily, feels deeply, and loves hard. She lives in Arkansas with her husband and four kids and is working on her next novel.