The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for A Woman's Prerogative
Because A Woman's Prerogative 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.
va2016
The cover and the title are indicative of the theme of the book. There are only 3 Amazon customer reviews. As the Amazon summary is interesting, and as I like the plot, I would have sampled the book even if not for the First Ten program. As I sampled through the book, I found the narration describing the character Alex's visit to Sadler corporation. As I read through the chapter, I found the story-telling really interesting. Since I like the plot and the story-telling, I am going to read this book in full. I found the book professionally edited. I didn't find any grammatical or mechanical errors. What I liked most about the book is its plot. I could not find anything that can be improved with the book. Although I found one OBC review on the book, my decision to read the book in full is based on my own sampling.
First Ten review added on April 22, 2019, at 4:44 am by va2016.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Vickie Noel
The cover page may not really have stimulated me into reading this book outside the program. The title is somewhat intriguing though, but I can't be too sure. While reading the sample, I was getting tired of the narration until I got to the discussion between Reinhold and Alex. I understood how Alex felt as a man earning far less than Greta, the woman he loved, and how her father didn't think he was worthy of his daughter. Most importantly, I was captivated by Greta's story and would love to see how her history shaped her into her current elevated state. I spotted no errors while reading, so the book is clearly well edited. The OBC review I read made me a bit passive about the book, but I'm really interested in Greta's story, so I'll be reading further.
First Ten review added on April 22, 2019, at 4:35 am by Vickie Noel.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Mercelle
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 heiress who strives to carve her path in the mining world. When I read the first ten pages, I liked that Alex was determined to create his own wealth since Greta's father thought little of him. The text needs a round of editing to eliminate the uppercase on the first line of the first chapter. That is the only thing I would change about the bit I read. I will, however, not read the rest of the book because it doesn't appeal to me.
First Ten review added on April 22, 2019, at 4:32 am by Mercelle.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Ekta Kumari
I wouldn't have read this because after reading the official review, the plotline didn't interest me. However, I do think this read can be fascinating for historical fiction fans or for those who find books about mineral mining interesting. I liked that the author has provided historical details at the beginning of this book, introducing the readers with characters' background. There were also no errors, so it looks like the book is well edited. As I do not find reading about mining interesting and the sample too didn't intrigue me, I'll not read the rest of this book.
First Ten review added on April 22, 2019, at 4:20 am by Ekta Kumari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Annelore Trujillo
I would not have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover and title. After reading the first ten pages, I won’t be finishing this book. The content didn’t interest me. It started with a history of how the families of the main characters came to America and gained prominence. This type of history tends not to capture my attention. I also wasn’t interested as Alex asked to buy the land because he was interested in getting involved in mining it. The book also didn’t seem to be professionally edited. For example, “elected treasure” should be “elected treasurer”. I liked the way the book is broken up into parts.
First Ten review added on April 22, 2019, at 1:22 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jaime Lync
A Woman's Prerogative by Steven C. Brandt has an intriguing name that would have persuaded me to sample the book without being prompted by the first ten program. From what I read, the book seems to have been professionally edited since there were no grammatical errors. The story started with a little family background on both protagonists, Greta Sadler and Alex Mackenzie. It seems like the story will focus on their search for gold on a piece of land owned by Greta's father. The premise of the story is interesting, but I believe that the way the characters are developed could be improved. We are told so much about characters that could have been revealed in such a way that the character would seem even more relatable. I was not motivated to read this or recommend it to anyone because this seems like a character-driven book and the characters could have been a lot more relatable.
First Ten review added on April 22, 2019, at 12:54 am by Jaime Lync.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sarah_Khan
I would not have picked up this book because the Amazon blurb was too long and confusing, but I do like the cover and title. The beginning of the book was well-edited. I liked the history of the names before the actual book begins. Alex and Greta's relationship seems sweet. The fact that Greta's dad does not like Alex made Alex more endearing. Unfortunately, the overall plot does not interest me enough to keep on reading. I did not read any OBC review.
First Ten review added on April 21, 2019, at 11:34 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
CataclysmicKnight
I was fairly curious what this book was about from the cover, so I could see looking into it more even if it wasn’t the book of the day.
So far I wasn’t a big fan of the intro, but the first chapter was pretty good. The intro was very short and filled in the family history of the two main characters a bit, and then chapter one led into the real story: a man who feels self-conscious about being with a much richer woman, especially since his boss is her father. He decides he wants to buy some of his boss’s land to mine it, but his boss is a very demanding man.
I didn’t see any errors, and the writing has been very smooth. I wouldn’t have bought the book, but I’m curious about giving it more of a chance since it was free.
First Ten review added on April 21, 2019, at 10:29 pm by CataclysmicKnight.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Chelsy Scherba
The writing appears to be written in the past tense, but abruptly switches to present tense for two sentences. “...is an engraved...shotgun. According to Greta, it is loaded.” I found that a bit distracting. I do like the cover image and the title is interesting. As far as the actual story, the history part of it intrigues me. It was written so convincingly, I’m not sure if the story about the Mackenzies and the Reinholds is real or not. The illustration threw me off too. From a distance, it looked like the photo of a real place. So, this book is definitely unique. I like that Alex is attempting to find an old gold mine and that Greta’s father thinks he just wants his daughter’s money. The story sounded a tad complex in the review. Overall, the writing looks like a little more editing would help polish it. I’ll probably pass on this book as it is now.
First Ten review added on April 21, 2019, at 9:15 pm by Chelsy Scherba.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
unamilagra
Before reading this book, I probably would not have picked it up because the cover art and title made me mistake it for a nonfiction how-to guide of some sort. After reading the first ten pages, I was not impressed with either the story or the writing style. I do like when historical elements are incorporated into stories, but aside from that there really wasn't anything that grabbed me. The writing was very abrupt and didn't flow smoothly to me. As far as errors, on the first page of the prologue, I believe "He was elected treasure..." should be "treasurer." Also, typically sentences beginning with dependent clauses need commas after the clause. This is something that is consistently skipped throughout the prologue. While this practice may be considered a writing style, I found it distracting. I also noticed some tense mixing issues. I do not plan to finish this book.
First Ten review added on April 21, 2019, at 6:13 pm by unamilagra.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
ritah
Based on the title and genre, I would have sampled the book because it captured my attention. I read the official review and sampled A woman's prerogative. I didn't like Greta's lack of support for any of Alex's ambition including that of discovering a gold mine (knowing that her father looked down on Alex because he thinks that Alex is after her inheritance). I didn't find any errors in the pages I read. I enjoyed reading the first chapter and I'm interested in reading more, which is why I will be reading the rest of the book.
First Ten review added on April 21, 2019, at 4:53 pm by ritah.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Alice Heritage
This isn't a book I'd have sampled without this programme as I am not reading much "realistic" fiction at the moment. I also probably won't read the rest of it because I am not particularly interested in finding out more about the mine. The book appears professionally edited; I did find the error "treasure of Eureka county", which I imagine should read "treasurer" as it referred to a person. I liked some of the descriptions, for example of the marble steps and "twin, oversized brass doors", as well as the reference to Greta's hair smelling like a boulder after a shower. I think the dialogue could be improved as it didn't sound very natural. For example, "Reinhold doesn't consider an academic like me to be even a candidate" doesn't sound like something I can imagine someone saying. Plus the information is already known to the reader and Greta. I saw an OnlineBookClub review, which didn't affect my decision.
First Ten review added on April 21, 2019, at 3:16 pm by Alice Heritage.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Cristina Chifane
The cover was too schematic for my taste, but I was drawn to the title. Solely based on the title and cover, I wouldn't have sampled this book. However, the Amazon blurb and the editorial reviews managed to raise my interest with the twists and turns of Greta and Alex's story. I noticed a wrong form of a noun ("treasure" instead of "treasurer" - loc. 86 of 4316) and some extra inverted commas ("Reinhold doesn't consider [...]" - loc. 178 of 4316). I liked that the author included a prologue with brief references to the historical roots of the two protagonists. The first chapter flowed naturally. I was curious to find out whether Alex would convince Reinhold to give him the land. Greta has also to take some decisions of her own concerning the prospect of becoming the first woman president in her family's company. Because of the exciting plot and the OBC reviewer's favorable recommendations, I'll be adding this novel to my reading list.
First Ten review added on April 21, 2019, at 1:55 pm by Cristina Chifane.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Emy Katherine
Although I liked the cover, I found the blurb too long. I would suggest that the author shorten it. As I am not a huge fan of historical fiction novels, I would not have chosen to read "A Woman's Prerogative" by Steven C. Brandt without The First Ten program. After reading the first ten pages, I did not change my mind as I did not feel invested in the story. The story follows a geologist, Alex, and a seasoned gold prospector, Frank, who are looking for an old gold mine known as Lost Pants Gold Mine. What I liked most was the descriptive writing style; also, Alex seemed to be an intriguing character. Considering the positive OBC review and the great Amazon ratings, it is a thrilling adventure novel for those interested in gold mining. Moreover, the book seems like it was professionally edited. I only found a misplaced quotation mark before the pronoun "I" in the sentence: "Alex, please listen to me.“I do have to prove myself ..." (location 188 of 4316 - 4%).
First Ten review added on April 21, 2019, at 1:31 pm by Emy Katherine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
micoleon13
While this is a nice enough looking cover page, it just didn't really get my attention as it looks like the story will be business based. This is not a book that I would choose. The OnlineBookClub review was complementary and outlined a story that was based more on romance than I was expecting. Although, I was interested in finding out more about the storyline the comment at the end of the review about Greta's character lacking depth and warmth put me off, especially as the title is "The women's prerogative". The pages which I read were well written and edited and I liked that the prologue gave both family histories to set the scene, but kept it suitably brief in order to get straight to the main story. However, the story just didn't pull me in enough to want to continue reading it. I have no ideas for improvement.
First Ten review added on April 21, 2019, at 8:48 am by micoleon13.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Gravy
This is outside my personal reading preferences, so I would not have sampled it without this program, and the sample did not change my mind.
I noticed this error in the prologue: "He was elected treasure of Eureka County in 1880..." I'm assuming that 'treasure' should be 'treasurer."
Also, I wouldn't call it an error, but Greta's long-winded speech needs to be broken up. Not only is it one gigantic info dump, it's delivered with a distinct lack of personality. Greta could very easily fidget or pace, she could avert her eyes. She could stumble over her words. Literally *anything* to really make her seem more human and less like a computer program reading off words. There was just no feeling to it.
As this isn't my cup of tea, I won't be reaidng it. However, even if it appealed to me, the issues I found would have turned me off of it, anyway.
There was a review for this book, but my opinion would be the same without one.
First Ten review added on April 21, 2019, at 7:35 am by Gravy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Lorraine De Vos
I would have chosen to sample this book, because the title captured my attention (being a woman myself). The sample pages revealed a love story between two very ambitious and careers driven individuals. Greta reveals quite a few secrets early on and according to the official OnlineBookClub review there are plenty more suspenseful moments to come. The book does appear to be professionally edited; I didn’t notice any errors. The first ten pages were somewhat interesting, but I have to say that the official OnlineBookClub review was the catalyst for me. I liked most that the book contains action and drama, but for a change it is not gory. So far there is nothing I dislike about this book. I look forward to reading the book to completion.
First Ten review added on April 21, 2019, at 4:09 am by Lorraine De Vos.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Nisha Ward
I read the review before I saw the cover and I was wary but willing to try. Flat characterisation in the main cast is a turn off for me, but I'm glad I sampled it. This isn't a romance but the interaction between Greta and Alex is so clearly full of love that it was instantly my favourite part of the book. Furthermore, it's well edited so I'm in this for the long haul. I can't wait to finish it.
First Ten review added on April 21, 2019, at 12:08 am by Nisha Ward.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Juliana_Isabella
Although I was initially turned off by the comic book-style cover, the reviewer's praise of the author's well-developed male lead encouraged me to try this book. The beginning history of both families seems dull and out of place in a romance novel, but I enjoyed the story once the chapters began. While the last sentence in the first paragraph is grammatically incorrect ("A simple plate on the left door read: "President," and the right door was open" should be "A simple plate on the left door read "President", and the right door was open"), I didn't find the grammatical errors to be so overwhelming that they drew me away from the plot. Because of this and the reviewer's enthusiasm for the characters, I plan to finish the book.
First Ten review added on April 21, 2019, at 12:05 am by Juliana_Isabella.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
srividyag1
When I saw the title and the cover, I didn't find the book very interesting. Then I read the blurb and the official review, and I was intrigued. I read the preface, the first two chapters and the initial paragraphs of the third chapter. The preface outlines the history of the Sandlers, owners of gold mines in Nevada, and Mackenzies, settlers from Scotland. The first chapter shows us Alex Mackenzie, fiancee of Greta Sandler (the protagonist) approach Reinhold Sandler (Greta's father) to buy a piece of land for him. Alex seems insecure since he is only a Geology professor whereas Greta is the future president of the Sandler mines. Reinhold gives him a choice in return for the land - leave Greta forever or produce twenty thousand dollars within two days. The second chapter shows Greta and Alex having a private moment, where Greta shares some deep and dark secrets to Alex from her past. I am not sure if this has any effect on the story later. The third chapter shows us a thoughtful Alex preparing himself for a lecture. He has many thoughts in his head, mainly about how to arrange twenty thousand dollars.
I liked the complexity of the characters. From the official review, I understand that the story is also quite complex. I am curious to know about the piece of land which Alex thinks has precious gold. I am also interested to know about the future of Greta and Alex and their relationship. I also liked the fact that the chapters are short and concise. From what I read, the book seemed professionally edited. I am hooked and I will definitely read the rest of the book. This is because I am a big fan of complicated storylines and dark characters with depth and internal conflicts.
First Ten review added on April 20, 2019, at 11:05 pm by srividyag1.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Scerakor
From the cover, blurb, and review of this book, I wouldn’t have read it. I'm not really a romance fan and therefore I wouldn't be looking for books like this. 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 liked how there was a bit more action promised in this book than I expected, especially hearing about Reinhold's attack on the bank robbers and their getaway car. That being said, there is nothing in either the review or the sample that would make me read a genre that I don't like. 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 April 20, 2019, at 11:02 pm by Scerakor.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
LV2R
I wasn’t particularly drawn to read the book because of the book’s cover and title. The Amazon Blurb had a long summary of the book and described Greta, Alex, Reinhold, Quid, and Frank, all the main characters of the search for the Lost Pants Gold Mine. The blackmail, earthquakes, bandits, and bankruptcy, all make the book sound enticing to read. The sample gave some history of the two families, (Sadler and MacKenzie) and then moved to the present time introducing Alex MacKenzie, who met Greta Sadler. I best liked that though Greta has a lot of money, Alex wanted to not rely on Greta, but went straight to her father Reinhold Sadler to request to buy the land that he wanted to look for “minerals of value.” I think this showed strength and wisdom in Alex’s character and the fact that he didn’t say the Lost Pants Gold Mine and that he was willing to directly ask the owner (Greta’s father) to buy the land. The book seemed to be edited well, as I did not notice any errors. The OBC review piqued my interest, even more, when the story was described as a “romantic adventure.” Alex and Greta will face family secrets, a kidnapping, an earthquake, betrayal, and blackmail as they hunt for the gold mine. These things make me want to read the book. I want to find out if they will find the gold mine and if Alex and Greta’s relationship will weather the storm or not.
First Ten review added on April 20, 2019, at 9:21 pm by LV2R.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
CinWin
"A Woman's Prerogative" by Steven Brandt begins with the immigration in 1849 of the Sadler family. They were from Russia and decided to try their luck at the California Gold Rush. The MacKenzie family came from Scotland in the 1700s. The Sadlers and the MacKenzies are the relatives of Greta and Alex, our protagonists. The next chapter begins in the year 2009. Alex MacKenzie, a geologist, is at the Sadler Corporate Building getting ready to talk to his lover's father, the owner of the corporation. I thoroughly enjoyed Steven Brandt's writing style in the first ten pages. The novel is character driven, and he has a skillful use of imagery. I found no areas needing improvement. There are no typos, and there is an onlinebookclub review. I liked the cover. It showed a powerful woman in charge of a boardroom meeting.
First Ten review added on April 20, 2019, at 5:52 pm by CinWin.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Sonya Nicolaidis
I can say I was neither interested nor disinterested by the cover; in fact, it is likely I would have passed this book up entirely if I had seen it on a bookshelf. Also, the title doesn’t give much away about the story, only that its main character is a woman. The OBC reviewer had positive things to say about this book, with the exception of the character of Greta. This surprised me somewhat, because from the sample, Greta seems to be a good person. I read the sample carefully, as there is a lot of background given in the first few pages which I felt would be important to the story later on. There is nothing I can say I did I not like about the sample. The writing is clear and flows well, and the story starts to develop early on with the proposed acquisition of the land for mining, and the relationship between Greta and Alex. It was an intriguing and captivating introduction to the story and I liked what I read. I particularly liked the short but informative background to the two families given at the start of the book. It sets the scene nicely for what follows. This is the sort of book that interests me and I would definitely like to read it. If there was something I would change, it might be the cover illustration: it looks like some type of computer generated ‘clip art’ and doesn’t do justice to the complexity of this story.
First Ten review added on April 20, 2019, at 5:51 pm by Sonya Nicolaidis.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Jsovermyer
The cover picture is interesting, but not enough to cause me to give the book a second look. The story of Angelika's death in the avalanche is tragic. But then Greta tells of the deaths of her brother,Fritz, her first husband, and her baby. It was too much information too quickly. It was tragic death overload. The official review rated this book highly but said that the main character, Greta, wasn't well-developed or likeable. I like romance, but I must have believable and sympathetic characters. It sounds like Greta is neither. I didn't see any grammatical or spelling errors and believe that this book has been professionally edited. I didn't like the story so far, in the pages that I read, so I will not be finishing it.
First Ten review added on April 20, 2019, at 5:07 pm by Jsovermyer.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
HRichards
I normally wouldn't have picked this book up as the genre of a business thriller didn't really seem interesting to me. Having read the sample I won't be continuing with the book as it wasn't really type of book to like. The sample deals with Alex Mackenzie, who is trying to buy land that he thinks has a gold mine hidden on it. Alex's wife thinks the idea is a waste of time. The writing is pretty good, but I noticed a grammar error in the line "nearby Eureka where he and his wife" that needs a comma before "where". Those who like treasure hunting and business thrillers might like this book. I wasn't really interested. I have not read any other reviews for this book.
First Ten review added on April 20, 2019, at 4:11 pm by HRichards.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kajori Sheryl Paul
'A Woman's Prerogative' is a book written by Steven C. Brandt. The title, cover, OBC review, and Amazon review did a good job at convincing me to give this book a try.
The first ten pages leads me to believe that it revolves around Greta Sandler and Alex Mackenzie. They love each other. Alex is a hi-tech geologist, and Greta is the heir to the prestigious Reinhold Sandler. Alex has decided to invest in the Lost Pants Gold Mine located in a land owned by Reinhold to prove his worth to Greta's father. Greta also reveals her life secrets to Alex. I like the premise. In the Prologue, Reinhold Sandler is said to be the ninth governor of Nevada. In Chapter 1, he is said to be the eleventh governor of Nevada. I do not find this book professionally edited. I will give this book a try as I like reading books of this genre.
First Ten review added on April 20, 2019, at 3:59 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
AA1495
Had I not sampled the book, I would not have read it. I usually read pure romance books that are light reads. However, the cover (with the image of a woman making an important presentation) caught my attention. Having read the sample, I liked how the author began with positive reviews of the book. It gave me a good impression of the book even before reading the actual content. Further, I thought that the author introduced Alex's character well. I could understand his thoughts and feelings. However, I would have liked an introduction to the author to be able to connect with the writing better. I found no major grammatical errors in the sample. Since I do not read the genre usually, I will not be reading the rest of the book.
First Ten review added on April 20, 2019, at 2:19 pm by AA1495.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Mbrooks2518
Overall, I liked the first ten pages of this book, and I would definitely finish reading it. I like stories with treasure hunts, so my interest was caught when I read the book's summary on Amazon and when I read the official review, which gave the book 4 stars. By the time I was finished with the first ten pages, I was hooked and wanted to keep reading. I like the character of Alex and wanted to keep reading and find out more about his plans and his relationship with Greta.
Unfortunately, this book needs more editing. On page 2, in the prologue, it says the first Reinhold was the ninth Governor of Nevada and that the second Reinhold is his great-great grandson. On page 6, in chapter one, it says the first Reinhold was the eleventh Governor of Nevada and is the great-grandfather of the second Reinhold. I also noticed an inconsistent use of commas after short introductory phrases.
First Ten review added on April 20, 2019, at 1:56 pm by Mbrooks2518.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Laura Ungureanu
The first impression I made of this book is that it stands for women's rights. After reading the review, I was not so sure that I wanted to read a story about gold digging in Nevada. However, the sample convinced me enough to continue reading the book. The writing was simple and fun, helping me make a clear picture of what was going on. I enjoyed the fact that the book started with a little family history about the Sadler and the Mackenzie families. Alex made me feel his fear while entering the Sadler Corporation to talk to Greta's father about the mine. I was convinced that Reinhold Sadler is a man to be feared after I read about how he stopped a robbery with his gun. I didn't notice any errors.
First Ten review added on April 20, 2019, at 12:53 pm by Laura Ungureanu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
lisalynn
I was drawn to the title of this book. "A Woman's Prerogative" promises something more than seeing women as second-class citizens, as is prevalent in much historical fiction. But the first ten pages don't deliver anything of the sort. It starts with a prologue, which would be better suited as an afterword. The information is dry, and without a connection to the characters established by reading the book, it's hard to care about or absorb these facts. Chapter One then dives into Alex's POV, the male lead. If this book is about a woman's prerogative, I'd like to meet this woman sooner. The old man, Reinhold, tests Alex's love for his daughter, Greta, by offering twenty acres of property for free—if Alex leaves Greta. It's a classic ultimatum, but it's immediately diluted by Reinhold offering the alternative of accepting cold hard cash at the going rate for such a purchase. This deflates the tension in a heartbeat. There are tense shifts and POV shifts in these pages. I know there's a lot of confusion about en and em dashes, such as in this sentence. "I am willing to pay a thousand dollars an acre — — twenty thousand dollars." A single em dash would suffice. These disappointments about the presumed focus of the book mean I won't be reading it. I did see the OnlineBookClub review, but this still isn't a book for me.
First Ten review added on April 20, 2019, at 12:39 pm by lisalynn.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
gen_g
I have not come across reviews of this book. It is also professionally edited, except for an unclear phrase in the third paragraph of the first page - I'm not too sure what a "Sadler lifer" is. The premise is fascinating, and it offers a view into the historic gold and silver rushes in America. I like that the story is based in historical fact, making it informative. However, I would like to suggest that the writing style be more personal - as it is, being told in the third person (for the first ten pages) causes me to become less immersed in the story because it seems as if I am looking at a story play out on a screen, unable to relate to the characters. Personally, I do also think that there is a slight tendency to tell instead of show as well, which also breaks immersion - I am always told that Greta/Alex loves the other, instead of being shown the depth of their feelings via other indirect methods (for e.g. describing emotions/little actions). I will not be reading the rest of the book, as the writing style does not suit me.
First Ten review added on April 20, 2019, at 12:35 pm by gen_g.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Delaney35
Without this program, I would consider reading this book. The official reviewer had a lot of positive things to say and the main premise sounds like it could be good. The initial paragraphs were nothing more than an info dump. It was a major put-off for me. Though it seemed to be professionally edited, I was not a fan of the beginning. Additionally, I wasn't interested in what was going on. I just didn't connect with the plot. I don't want to finishing reading this one. It's a genre I will read, however this book does not have an engaging beginning. For me, that's a deal breaker. When book dump a lot of facts with no context I don't want to read them, and that's exactly what this book did.
First Ten review added on April 20, 2019, at 11:08 am by Delaney35.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
cpru68
Readers are introduced to the history of the McKenzie and Sadler family and how these two genealogies collide when Alex and Greta become a couple. Greta comes from money, and her father Reinhold owns the Sadler Corporation. Alex, in academia, wishes to acquire a piece of land to mine it for gold. He approaches Reinhold asking for assistance in this. Reinhold’s offer to Alex is that he can have the land if he leaves Greta. Or, the price tag is $20,000 which Alex does not have.
I liked the tension that was set at the beginning between Greta’s dad and Alex. While Alex isn’t a couch potato, Reinhold views him this way because he isn’t wealthy and running a corporation. I think this opening sets the stage for a nice bit of conflict between the two men.
I won’t be finishing this book as I am not a huge fan of romance. The review was great, and it helped me understand a little bit more what the book entails, and I found myself not wanting to read any further after the sample pages and going over the review. The storyline didn’t capture my attention, and I generally read non-fiction, so I’m passing on this one.
I did see a slight error in location 192:“Alex, please listen to me.“ I do have to...
The quotation marks after the word ‘me’ are not necessary. Greta is still speaking for awhile, so they need to be removed. Other than this, I did not see any other mistakes, and the reviewer gave this a 4/4 but then said she found “several” mistakes. I’m not sure what to make of that. However, I only found this one, but I would suggest removing the quotes. Based on my reading of the sample pages, my best guess is that this has been edited as I only found the one error.
While I may not be finishing this, I appreciate the opportunity to have read the sample pages, and I probably wouldn’t have found this one without the online book club. I will send it out on my social media for others to look into.
First Ten review added on April 20, 2019, at 10:33 am by cpru68.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
sarahmarlowe randomeducator
I would not have picked this book up based on the cover. It looks like a self-help business book. The sample was enjoyable, though. I like that the author included the family backgrounds of the Sandlers and the Mackenzies, as that set up the tone for the current conflict. And, although the meeting between Reinhold and Alex could be considered a little predictable, I love the background of the land and the gold mine. That is certainly unique! I found a couple of editing mistakes, like this sentence needing a comma before the conjunction "and": "This was Alex’s first time in the Sadler headquarters and he paused on the upper landing to clear his mind." (Loc 109) I have not read an OBC review of this book, and I will not be reading it. The plot doesn't seem like one that would keep my attention.
First Ten review added on April 20, 2019, at 9:04 am by sarahmarlowe randomeducator.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Renu G
This is the third historical fiction novel related to gold mining and romance that has been posted by BOTD during the last one month. When I read the description, etc.,on amazon, I wondered how it is different from the rest. I didn't feel interested. After reading the first ten pages, I didn't change my mind. The book is well formatted, attractive, and I did not find any typos. It must have been professionally edited. There's nothing that I liked or disliked about it. OBC has a thorough review for it, but I have no plans to read it.
First Ten review added on April 20, 2019, at 9:00 am by Renu G.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Theresa Moffitt
I like the title and cover of this book. It looks interesting and I would have picked this book up based on the title alone. I haven’t read a review of this book yet. I like the author’s writing style. The book begins with a prologue providing the family history of the two main characters. From the first ten pages, this is a romance novel with an interesting twist. One of the main characters is a geologist looking for valuable minerals. I believe this book was professionally edited because I didn’t see any errors. Based on the first ten pages I would like to finish this book. The characters and story are interesting. I also like the author’s writing style
First Ten review added on April 20, 2019, at 8:40 am by Theresa Moffitt.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
gali
I wouldn't have sampled the book on my own, as it isn't the type of book I enjoy reading. The book revolves around the romantic adventures of Greta Sadler, a wealthy woman, and Alex Mackenzie, a poor geologist, during the gold rushes of 1840s-1860s. I didn't change my mind after sampling the book. The cover and the blurb didn't appeal to me, and, unfortunately, neither did the sample. It started with a dry historical account of the family histories, and then moved to Alex asking to buy some land from his wealthy father in law. It didn't attract my attention at all. I found a couple of missing and misplaced commas. Ex: "Six worn, marble steps… (No need for a comma); "This was Alex's first time…..and he paused…" (Lacks a comma before and). While I liked the mix of romance and history in the tale, the sample didn't excite me. I won't read the book, as it didn't engage me. The official review didn't sway my decision either way.
First Ten review added on April 20, 2019, at 8:39 am by gali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Total ~ 42%
A Woman's Prerogative earned a score of 42%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 42% 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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