Cover for The Attuned

The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for The Attuned

Because The Attuned was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.

Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.

IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.

This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.

Alice Heritage

173569
I wouldn't have sampled this without the program as it's clearly a thriller and I don't normally prefer to read those. I also saw from the first ten pages that it is a sequel; I won't buy the book now as I would probably start with "The Attuned", which comes before it. The book seems professionally edited as I saw no errors. I liked the desert setting and the way the characters started coming to life in the opening pages. For example, the pilot with the scarred face and permanent frown is an intriguing character. When the narrator is spat on by a camel, he notices that this man seems to scowl less and wonders if that was his version of a laugh - I liked the humour in that reflection. This was an action-packed opening as befits a thriller and I don't think anything particularly needs to be improved. I didn't see an OnlineBookClub review of this one, which didn't affect my decision.

First Ten review added on January 25, 2019, at 4:55 am by Alice Heritage.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

va2016

119030
The title and the cover are not indicative of the theme of the book. There are 5 customer reviews in Amazon. The Amazon summary is quite descriptive, but war stories are not my genre so I would have skipped sampling the book if not for the First Ten program. As I sampled through the book, I found the narration full of war violence, which I could not tolerate reading. So, I am not going to read this book in full. I found the book professionally edited. There are no grammatical or mechanical errors. There is nothing that I liked about the nook specifically, nor I have any suggestions for improvement. My decision to not to read the book in full is based on my own sampling, and not based on OBC reviews.

First Ten review added on January 25, 2019, at 4:50 am by va2016.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Vickie Noel

249577
I wouldn't have attempted to read this book on my own; neither the title nor the cover called my eyes to it. I'm still pretty passive about the book even after reading the sample. I found myself unable to quickly grasp the story from the first few pages because it was completely obscured. Although the descriptions are rich, and the author's tone of voice is inviting, the presence of "too much talk, not enough action" got me tired. I didn't know much except that Carla and the protagonist had probably been attacked at some point, escaping with difficulty but escaping nonetheless. I'd hoped to get a glimpse as to the incident, but it wasn't forthcoming. Still, I liked the phrase "seduced my hunger" which I'd discovered while reading. The only error I saw was in the sentence, "We both chuckled, but throughout breakfast that song by the other great Paul..." There should be a comma after "breakfast." The OBC review had highly praised the book, but I'd also been unable to find an actual plot in the review same as it is with the sample. I wouldn't be reading further.

First Ten review added on January 25, 2019, at 4:42 am by Vickie Noel.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

briellejee

309975
Based on the cover and title, I think I wouldn't have sampled the book; they are not appealing to me. However, I think the author or the publishing house wanted to be unique compared to other spy books. As for the first few pages, it started off really interesting when the character mentioned the ringing in his ears. I can see that the plot is starting off slow. Carla, the other agent, and Detective Kemal, and the main character journeyed through the desert, and as they do, the author leaves bits of pieces about the mission before and also a bit of suspense here and there. What really was surprising though is that the author never mentioned that narrator's name. I didn't notice it until I have to write here in the First Ten program. I have to really go back from the first page to see if I just missed it, but I didn't. Reviews stated this and I truly cannot believe that the main character would go unnamed. It is a surprising, intriguing element for a book. I want to know how this unnamed character would affect the whole experience in reading the book. And for that reason, I will be reading the book. However, since this is a sequel, I will not buy this today until I get my hands on the first book. Though it is a stand-alone, it is still important to read the first one for me. I found no noticeable errors and the reviews, though not official, are really enlightening and persuasive that this is good enough to sample, that I had to go beyond the cover and title.

First Ten review added on January 25, 2019, at 3:45 am by briellejee.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Annelore Trujillo

97769
I would not have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover, and title. The review that I read mentioned that this is the second book in a series, and I've never read the first one. I don't usually start mid-series. After reading the first ten pages, I won't be finishing this book. I feel like I already missed a lot by not reading the first book. I don't know who the characters are. For example, the narrator's name didn't seem to be mentioned within the first ten pages. Al was also referred to in a couple different ways, and there seemed to be a joke about it between Al and the narrator. This joke was pretty lost on me since I didn't read the first book. There also seemed to be a big event from the first book that is important and explains the narrator's bullet wound and ringing ears. I did like the style of writing. I might take a look back at the first book, but I won't be finishing this book at this time. The book did seem to be professionally edited.

First Ten review added on January 25, 2019, at 12:36 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Mercelle

204747
Judging by the cover, I wasn't going to read this book, but the OBC review urged me on when it mentioned that the author narrates the story of an American agent who is trying to get out of the Middle East. When I read the first ten pages, I liked that Al reassured the narrator that the ringing in his ear would go away with time. Since I noticed no errors, I'll conclude that the text underwent professional editing, but I won't read the rest of the book because it doesn't appeal to me. As it is, there's nothing I would change about the bit I read.

First Ten review added on January 25, 2019, at 12:24 am by Mercelle.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sicily Joy

783035
I like the cover as the landscape image is very appealing. I would have sampled the book based on the description and official review because I like thrillers. After sampling the book, I decided to buy and read it eventually. I really liked that it was based in part by real-life stories. It added to the suspense that the preface described Haley's real-life friend who had disappeared during a mission. I also liked how detailed Haley is about the setting and culture. For example, I like how the opening chapter started with the experience of a Persian breakfast. There was nothing I didn't like or felt needed improvement. I found no errors and it seemed professionally edited.

First Ten review added on January 24, 2019, at 11:56 pm by Sicily Joy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

AA1495

104697
Had I not sampled the book, I would not have read it. I usually read pure romance books. However, the black and white color combination of the cover caught my attention. Having read the sample, I loved the introductory pages. It gave me a good background to the book. Further, I found the book easy to read due to the simple vocabulary and sentence structures used. However, at times, especially in the first chapter, I thought that certain descriptions of events were excessive and unnecessary. Overall, the book seems professionally edited and I did not come across any major grammatical errors. Since I do not read the genre usually, I will not be reading the book further.

First Ten review added on January 24, 2019, at 11:03 pm by AA1495.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Heidi M Simone

76506
Without this program, I would not have sampled this book. The cover seems almost a bit stiff, the title isn't appealing, the blurb isn't one that I find myself interested in, and the genre isn't to my taste. Though there are positive customer and OBC ratings, these do not affect my opinion of the book. While reading, I did not see any glaring errors. Opening with gunshots, hand grenades, and the protagonist getting shot definitely is one way to open a book with a bang. I found the statement about the camels needing to be continually redirected otherwise they would run aimlessly funny; they remind of dogs. Due to the camels being anxious and of their sacrifices, the people's lives were probably saved. The fact that the narrator acknowledges this shows respect to the animals, which I really like. On the other hand, I do not enjoy reading books that include much about fighting and have a terrorist storyline. Due to the genre and the adventure aspect of this book, I do not plan on buying and reading the book.

First Ten review added on January 24, 2019, at 8:33 pm by Heidi M Simone.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

KRay93

554551
Although both the illustration and the choice of colors of the cover look appropriate for the theme proposed for the blurb, the final montage could have used a more professional touch. The first ten pages start shortly after the end of the previous book (or at least that's what I infer), with the protagonist wounded by a bullet and his female companion assisting him. Then, they both travel through a desert region along with a Turkish detective who helps them reach an airstrip. The prose is fluid and appropriate for a genre book, while the editing work looks acceptable. The lack of an official review does not affect my decision not to continue reading this book since first I would have to check the first installment of the saga before even considering this one.

First Ten review added on January 24, 2019, at 8:22 pm by KRay93.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

ritah

236447
Based on the cover and genre, I would have sampled the book because I often enjoy books in the C/T/M/H category. I read the volunteer reviews and was surprised to find that the narrative is based on a true story. I liked that right from the start, the story captured my attention; there was so much mystery that left me curious about what had happened to the injured first-person narrator and Carla...that they would be accompanied by Detective Kemal and guards. I did not find any errors in the pages I sampled. The storyline intrigued me, and I'm curious about the narrator's special ability as mentioned in one review, which is why I'll continue reading the rest of the book.

First Ten review added on January 24, 2019, at 2:40 pm by ritah.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Kourtney Bradley

81668
I'm not a reader who is normally drawn to non-fiction, but I did feel like the first ten pages of this book intrigued me more than I had expected. I also really don't like to be a reader who starts in the middle of a series, and since there is a prequel to this one, I feel like I would want to read it first in order to have a clear picture of the entire story. I did find several volunteer reviews for this book listed with OBC, all giving the book high praise and great reviews. I'm not someone who is usually interested in books about wars, fighting, or terrorists, but I did feel like I was interested in what happened to cause the injury and the ringing ears. I found no editing errors while reading, but I usually like books to be formatted in more so of chapter formats than just sub-headings, which is what I felt like this one contained. I liked the relationship between the main character and the one he calls Carla, the FBI agent. In the review I found, it mentions that he might be in love with her, so I am interested to see how their story will play out. Although there were parts of this that did interest me, I am going to pass on reading for now due to having too many books on my TBR list and not nearly enough time currently. I do plan to save it for later to be something I might consider.

First Ten review added on January 24, 2019, at 9:07 am by Kourtney Bradley.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kristy Khem

533451
As a general rule, I don’t pick books with a black and white cover design (like this one) because they are usually boring. The blurb, reviews, and title did not appeal to me because I realized the story was set in the war-torn Middle East. I don’t like stories set during wars. However, the sample was interesting. I liked that the story started in the middle of an adventure. The main character woke up in a tent in the desert and he was injured by a bullet wound. I also liked that elements of Middle Eastern culture were present in the story. Turkish food such as black olives, black tea, and Turkish bread was mentioned as well as Persian clothes like thobes and kufi skull caps. I also liked the interaction between Carla and the main character, especially when he woke up with his ears ringing and she admitted that she had put in earplugs before the grenades had sounded. From the sample, I can tell that elements of war are a major part of the book. This was the only thing I disliked. Since this doesn’t appeal to me, I would not buy and read the whole book even though the storyline seemed interesting.

First Ten review added on January 24, 2019, at 8:45 am by Kristy Khem.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Cristina Chifane

418146
I wouldn't have read this book without the first ten program because it is book 2 of a trilogy. However, I do like the black and white cover and I'm intrigued by the title. Although there are only 5 customer reviews, they all praise the author and give the book 5 stars. The sample was easy to read and had no editing errors. The pace of the story is alert whereas the dialogues and descriptions are well written. I found myself wondering if the protagonists will manage to get rid of the people following them through the Iranian desert. I'm also curious to know more about the main character's special abilities and what will happen to Carla Bright once he reaches Canada. Even if the idea of a university in Turkmenistan for people like the protagonist seems far-fatched, the author knew how to describe it to make things believable. Since the OBC reviewer enjoyed the book too, I'd definitely like to read it, but I thinks I'll start with the first book in the series.

First Ten review added on January 24, 2019, at 3:27 am by Cristina Chifane.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Chelsy Scherba

75151
I wasn’t expecting to like this book. One, it’s a sequel and I haven’t read the first. Two, I generally dislike books that feature heavily on Middle Eastern wars. However, the writing style engaged me immediately and I found myself interested in the different characters. Also, I liked that the descriptions of camels and Persians was less dark and grungy thus far. It sort of reminded me of the beauty of Lawrence of Arabia in some ways. I was a little lost with the forward. I wasn’t sure if a character in the book was talking or the actual author. At any rate, the idea of getting the story from a friend who disappeared was intriguing. I’m also not sure what the male character’s name is yet, I only know of Al, the Turkish soldier, and Carla. The book seems well edited with no errors. The review made me want to try the book because it said it had a lot of action scenes. I will continue reading the copy I won in the giveaway.

First Ten review added on January 24, 2019, at 1:23 am by Chelsy Scherba.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

CrescentMoon

56447
After reading the blurb, I don't think I would pick this book up at first because it looks like it's a sequel to a first book and this book picks up right where the last one left off, so I feel like I wouldn't know what is going on. However, I am intrigued because it sounds like a book filled with crime, espionage, and great escapes and I like the genre. After reading the first ten pages, I didn't see any spelling or grammar errors. I thought the beginning was a good hook and can easily tell it is a continuation from the previous story as the main character is waking up with his partner Carla needing to change his bandage and clean his wounds. There is good descriptive imagery and I can easily picture the food the characters are eating and their location in a hot desert sun. However, I won't finish the rest because I don't know what is going on from not having read the first book.

First Ten review added on January 24, 2019, at 12:09 am by CrescentMoon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sonya Nicolaidis

1005818
All the reviews I had read of this book praise it highly as the long awaited sequel to The Attunement by the same author. Reviewers speak of a work of suspense and adventure, filled with twists and turns that the keep the reader on the edge of their seat. This was definitely the impression I got from reading the sample of this book. From first appearances of the front cover, one might never guess that this is an exciting thriller - the cover looks quite bland with the illustration giving little away as to the subjects within. It is a very enigmatic and promising title though, so I may have picked this up for a closer look anyway. The first ten pages flowed smoothly and I did enjoy the easy, conversational way of writing that is used. The author seems to be an expert at pacing the story, and already I found myself in a state of tension as the two main characters and their guide flee from their pursuers across the desert. I liked the way the story starts in a single line and then it splits into two early on in the novel, heightening the reader’s interest. Also intriguing are the ‘special powers’ spoken of, which definitely made me curious. Most importantly, I didn’t notice any errors in the first ten, pointing to excellent editing. There is nothing I didn’t enjoy about the story and I couldn’t suggest anything to improve it, except perhaps a more appealing cover illustration. I believe this is an excellent book, showing a lot of promise. However, I doubt I will go ahead and read the whole thing as spy/espionage/international thrillers are not normally the types of books I prefer. It will appeal to fans of this genre, and I’m certain it will prove to be a worthy read.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2019, at 11:58 pm by Sonya Nicolaidis.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Fu Zaila

878840
The cover didn't really appeal to me. The writing was clearly professionally edited. The preface was confusing since most of the book seems to be continuous of it's prequel. The first chapter wasn't much better. Carla and Al were fairly nice characters. Although I'm still not clear why a group of three people straddling through a desert would pose any threat to guards and armed men. I won't be reading this book further. The story didn't seem like it would get any better, especially without having read the prequel.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2019, at 11:28 pm by Fu Zaila.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

ladycraic

356160
I would not have chosen to sample The Attuned apart from First Ten due to my lack of interest in both the cover and title of this book. The blurb was not very clarifying, which was off-putting to a reader like me who had little initial interest in reading. Fortunately, the book started off on an interesting note, what with the main character having survived some sort of attack. Though I appreciated an introduction that got straight to the point, I found that nothing in particular about the first ten pages left me wanting to read more. While the author's descriptions, whether the object of his writing was scenery or a camel drinking water, were very vivid, the urge to read was not there. I guess I just wanted to know more about the plot and what to expect. The OBC review I read gave me so much clarity. Not only that, but it painted this book in such a way that made me disregard my previous experience and add this book to my shelf! I plan on reading the rest - I love a good fast-paced, thrilling book with lots of adventure, and lots of diversity. This book seemed professionally edited and I didn't notice any grammatical errors.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2019, at 10:12 pm by ladycraic.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

CataclysmicKnight

67089
The cover photo of this one threw me off from the genre, and honestly at quick glance I thought this was a nonfiction spiritual/motivational novel. I probably wouldn't have looked into it if it wasn't the book of the day.

I like the writing in the book so far; there's a bit of humor, it moves rather quickly, and it definitely promises to be action packed. I haven't seen any errors at all, and the editing seems great. However, the book picks up right after some action, and with this being a sequel, I'm guessing the first book ends right before this one begins. That'd be the only negative here: I want to read the first book before this one since they're so closely linked.

I'm definitely more interested in this series now than I was when I went into the sample, so that was certainly successful! The camel spitting on the main character after their long ride was especially funny, and I had no idea riding camels was so difficult!

First Ten review added on January 23, 2019, at 9:54 pm by CataclysmicKnight.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kendra M Parker

654688
I don’t know much about this one, but the forward was interesting, declaring it to be a sequel to another book and based on true events from a friend in secretive service somewhere. I found these pages to be well edited, but I was quickly lost in the story. It’s clear that I should have read the first book to really be able to understand what’s happening here. I could see that there was a bomb explosion and the narrator had received a wound that his partner Carla patched up. Still, it’s confusing to have them talking to Al and not even really knowing who he is as he leads them away. I don’t think I’ll read this one unless I somehow get a hold of the first book.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2019, at 9:24 pm by Kendra M Parker.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

LV2R

708077
I wasn’t sure about reading the book just from the cover and title. The Amazon Blurb mentioned gunfire, hand grenades, a violent escape, and a missed rendezvous, which made the book sound like it would have a lot of action. I wanted to read the sample for more information. The book began with someone who had been shot in the arm, in Turkey’s desert, with Special Agent Carla Bright and two men who had saved them. I best liked how the first ten pages gave some clues to what had happened, but not enough at the same time to make me want to keep reading to find out the answers. For instance, who is the one who got shot? What were they doing in Turkey? Why were they the most hated and wanted people in several terrorist networks? The book seems to have been edited well, as I did not notice any errors. The OBC review mentioned that the hero escaped a suicidal mission by using his special powers. What were they? The review also included that the author used descriptive writing of nature and that the book was full of excitement, adventure, overcoming obstacles, some romance and humor. So, of course, I want to read this book to find out the answers to all my questions and to enjoy reading a well-written story.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2019, at 8:22 pm by LV2R.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

MsTri

255145
The cover and the title both attracted me to this book, but the Amazon synopsis and OBC review (the only one I read) made me lose interest. Not only do I NEVER read books out of order, but I'm just not interested in this "life-changing journey." Still, I was glad to see that the sample seemed to indicate that the whole book is professionally edited. Also, I did like the description of the Southern landscapes, and I have no suggestions for changes because the book seems to be written well for what it is.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2019, at 8:04 pm by MsTri.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

micoleon13

97247
Although this is a very monochromatic cover page, I was still curious as to what the story was about. The OnlineBookClub review was complementary and outlined a story of intrigue and mystery. However, the mention about not all the storylines being in sync, as a way to increase the mystery, made me a bit wary about reading it. This would not be a book that I would then want to read. The pages which I read were well written and edited and I was surprised by being drawn into the story, following the two main characters in their run through the desert with Detective Kemal (Al). However, it felt like I was starting the story in the middle and that I was missing vital information such as why were they running, who were they escaping and what had injured the main character? As I'm not sure if this was due to the fact that it is the second book in the series, or because of the storylines being out of sync, it felt quite Confusing. Due to this I will not be continuing to read this book. I have no ideas for improvement.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2019, at 7:38 pm by micoleon13.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Yoli García

139064
I do not like the cover, so I would not have sampled this book without this program. The OBC review did not convince me to read it. The storyline of agents on missions in the Middle East did not grab my attention. The book appears to be professionally edited. I really liked the description of the traditional Turkish breakfast of olives, bread, and black tea. The accuracy of these details means the author did an excellent research for the book. However, I will not read the book because it is a sequel, and I have not read the previous book.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2019, at 4:51 pm by Yoli García.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

sarahmarlowe

812327
I would not have picked this book up based on its cover. It is nondescript, and I was unable to guess the genre of the book. The sample itself was well-written and well-edited. I liked that the author included a lot of the characters' thoughts. That helped me understand more about them. I loved the way the main character sized up the men at the "university," labeling them by country of origin and even one as "privileged." I think I will try this one. I am interested to find out about the skills the university is after. I have read an OBC review of this book, and it gave 4 stars.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2019, at 3:05 pm by sarahmarlowe.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Laura Ungureanu

620179
"The Attuned" is the sequel to The Attunement. The main character barely survives from a suicidal mission. He is in love with FBI special agent Carla. Their guide is a Turkish Detective named Kemal(shortened Al). I find it interesting that they are in the Middle East and they travel by camels. I am curious of the reason the guards fear the main character and of those "special powers" he has. It is frustrating to not know his name. I don't usually read C/T/M/H books, so I won't continue reading this book. The cover made me want to check this book out. It seems professionally edited.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2019, at 2:25 pm by Laura Ungureanu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Scerakor

45879
From the cover, blurb, and review of this book, I wouldn’t have read it. I haven't read the first in the series, so I would prefer to read that one before attacking the sequel. After reading the first ten pages I didn’t change my mind and therefore will not be buying and reading the rest of this book. I loved the tension that was created early on in the book. The sample screamed about action to come later on. Especially when they looked back to notice that they were already being followed. As well, I appreciated the imagery the author presents. From the desert oasis to the panorama of sand dunes, Haley can definitely paint a landscape. Despite the above, I decided that I really need to read the prequel before this one to do it justice, and for that reason alone, will not be buying this one just yet. I didn’t see anything specific that I would have wanted to change within the sample that I read, but it did seem well written and edited. The official review did not affect my decision at all.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2019, at 2:09 pm by Scerakor.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

lesler

463405
Looking at the cover, this book does not interest me at all. Reading the sample, I was intrigued, but not enough to keep reading. This book seems to be professionally edited, with no grammatical errors or typos that I noticed. I liked the starting of the book where the two agents just escaped a car explosion, and are struggling to make their way on to their mission. I have so many questions, and I want to read this book further to figure out what is going on. I do not like how this book is a sequel-I'm not in the right place to pick up another book before this one to be fully engaged. This story looks great, but not something I'm interested in at this time, and I will not be reading this book.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2019, at 12:49 pm by lesler.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sarah_Khan

89585
At first glance, I would not have picked up this book because it is a sequel and I have not read the first book and the amazon blurb is vague. The first ten pages seem professionally edited. The author did a good job of painting a picture. It was very easy to imagine the main character's pain when the nurse treats him. Unfortunately, the overall plot is not that interesting to me. Therefore I do not intend to read the rest. I did not read any OBC review.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2019, at 12:23 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

HRichards

741384
I normally wouldn't have picked up this book as the genre doesn't really appeal to me. Having read the sample I won't be continuing on with the book since I wasn't really interested in the plot. The sample deals with the narrator waking up from a bullet wound. He is in the desert with several other agents and they ride camels across the desert to escape whoever attacked them. Those who like action should like this book as it is very action packed. I have never really been that interested in this genre. The grammar was pretty good and I didn't notice any errors. I haven't read any other reviews of this book.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2019, at 11:36 am by HRichards.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Mai Tran

1025684
The synopsis on Amazon looked interesting, but I had to look up the official reviews and comments to understand what the book was about. It seemed that the book is a sequence to a thriller revolving around two special agents in the Middle East. The setting sounded interesting, but I wasn’t excited to read this since I didn’t read the first book. However, I soon changed my mind because the book seemed extremely well-written and professionally edited. This may sound like a small thing, but I seriously love the reference to Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al.” I’ll definitely buy both books because I want to see how the main characters manage to escape from their suicidal mission.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2019, at 11:12 am by Mai Tran.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

cpru68

517613
The main character awakens with a bleeding wound as his fellow undercover agent Carla helps attend to it. Not much information is given other than the fact that they are both under the protection of Al, a detective who is trying to get them to safety by way of a long camel ride, an expensive flight in a small aircraft by a greedy pilot who demands all their money and a harrowing car ride through remote and dangerous terrain. And, then, they are instructed to split up.

I liked how the author was able to keep up the fast pace of the action right from the start. I am sure those who have read the first book were thrilled to have the story pick right back up. I have not read the first one, so I was a little lost on the storyline and what was happening. The review helped to clear up the confusion, and I was aware that this is a sequel, so I probably was not going to understand fully what was happening. The dialogue gave me no indication of the main character’s name so even in that, I felt like I had come into a story short handed after not being exposed to the first book. For that reason, I will not be buying and finishing this one. While it is well written, I felt like I was missing pieces from the first one.

I found no errors in punctuation, spelling or grammar. The author has done a great job with the writing of this. Because I read mainly non-fiction I probably wouldn’t have found this one on my own, so I am grateful for the opportunity to have read the sample pages, and will send it out on my social media.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2019, at 10:54 am by cpru68.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

desantismt_17

604219
This book’s title made me curious. The description didn’t hook me. This sounded like an international/political/military-type thriller, which isn’t my kind of book. Before sampling, I wasn’t interested in reading. After sampling, I’ll pass. The book appears professionally edited. I noticed no errors. The story starts with a great hook—someone in agonizing pain. The hook continues right into an on-the-run situation, which didn’t quite work for me. As I read a bit farther and realized the characters were, literally, in the middle of a journey to somewhere, I felt a bit lost. I wasn’t sure where they were coming or going to. It felt like the story had picked up somewhere in the middle. The descriptions are well-done. I particularly liked the traditional Turkish breakfast with the pouring of olive brine and dunking of bread in tea. I’ve never had a traditional Turkish breakfast, but now, minus the taste, I feel I could discuss one in casual conversation. Other than the feeling that I was dropped into the middle of the story, I have no issues. Other readers may feel differently about this, so I will not recommend any improvements for the book. The OnlineBookClub.org review I saw was poorly written and seemed more like a continual line of praise, rather than a review. Thus, it didn’t do much for my decision either way.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2019, at 10:10 am by desantismt_17.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Camille Turner

553069
I wouldn't have sampled this book for two reasons, the first being that it's clear from the writing on the cover that it's a sequel, so I wouldn't have started the series with the second book but would've sampled the first one instead. The second reason is that the Amazon blurb makes it sound like military fiction, which I'm not interested in. After reading the first ten pages, I believe the book was professionally edited because I didn't see any grammatical errors. My impression has stayed the same as the book definitely has military themes, as evidenced by the mention of terrorist groups, military activity, and special agents. Since that theme just doesn't interest me personally, I won't be buying the book today. However, I wouldn't improve anything because I think the story will appeal to lovers of military fiction. I liked the way in which the author used sensory details to paint a vivid picture of the setting and the characters' actions, such as when he talks about the Turkish breakfast and the camels avoiding the patches of grass. These details brought the scenes to life and made the story more believable for me.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2019, at 8:59 am by Camille Turner.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

gali

50066
I wouldn't have picked the book on my own since this is the second in the series and I haven't read the first part. I didn't change my mind after sampling the book. As I didn't read the first book, I found the beginning a bit confusing. Recapping the first book would have improved it, especially as this book picked up where the first book ended. The blurb was far too vague and didn't give a good sense of the content. Luckily, the official review was more enlightening. The book revolves around the adventures of two special agents in the Middle East. I like that the suspense starts right away, when the protagonist wakes up in the desert with ringing ears after his unnamed ordeal, then he and his partner have to run for their life as terrorists are after them. I like the writing and didn't notice any glaring errors. However, as I have not read the first book, I won't buy the book. The official review didn't sway my decision either way.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2019, at 7:29 am by gali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Total ~ 22%

The Attuned earned a score of 22%.

In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 22% plan to read the whole book.

IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.

Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.

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