Cover Image: Critical Damage

Critical Damage

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Member Reviews

I received a copy of this book for free from the author for review purposes, all opinions expressed below are my own.

I read and reviewed the first Mark Mallen book, Untold Damage last year as part of a TLC Book Tour. So I was really excited to be contacted by Mr. Lewis himself about reading and reviewing the second Mallen book. I was definitely on board!

I took a gander through my review from Untold Damage, just to try to refresh my memory a little bit before I sat down to write this review out. I can tell you that I loved this book just as much as I loved the first one!

In this particular installment, the prediction I had in last year’s review came true, Gato most definitely asked Mallen for a big favor. His sister had gone missing and he came to Mallen for help. In the end, though, they both had to help each other to get out of the mess they found themselves in.

I still really like Mark Mallen. There’s just something about his character. And I’m pleased to say that (so far) he’s staying clean! I want him to stay clean so badly. If not for him, then most definitely for his daughter, Anna. I think I warmed up to Gato more in this installment than I did in the previous book. Yes, he did end up asking for a big favor from Mallen that definitely got them involved in more than they could have ever imagined, but his intent was pure … he just wanted to find his sister. I think Mallen and Gato would definitely be the kind of guys you would want as friends, they will do anything to help their friends out.

The action in this book was non-stop from just about page 1. I read the first 80 pages in one setting and was bummed that I had to put it aside for other obligations. I kept trying to figure out how on earth Mallen and Gato could get themselves in such trouble in such a short period of time! The writing was very good, but the language is not for the faint of heart (if that bothers you in a book). If you like gritty, non-stop action, with a flawed main character that you want to succeed more than anything, then this book is most definitely for you!

I really can’t say enough about this book. I loved it. Really loved it. And I love Mark Mallen’s character. And after perusing Mr. Lewis’s blog, I discovered that there will be a 3rd Mallen book! Yay!

Overall, a book that I highly recommend. If you haven’t met Mark Mallen yet, do yourself a favor and read Untold Damage. [You could read this book first, but I think you need to have the background information the first book has to really understand who Mark Mallen is.] If you have met Mallen, then don’t hesitate to pick this one up – I really, really, really liked it … and dare I say … I think this book is even better than the first!

On a side note, I want to include a link to Mr. Lewis’s blog post that shows a little more detail into his personal writing process. I have always wondered how authors can possibly sit down and put it all on paper. I definitely have a great respect for authors in what they do. But this particular blog post, found here, definitely shows his process, which I personally found to be really neat.

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