Cover for The Unlikely Cowboy

The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for The Unlikely Cowboy: A Flat Top Mountain Adventurer

Because The Unlikely Cowboy 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.

Ekta Kumari

896308
The storyline revolves around a widower and NYPD sergeant, Joe D'Angelo, who hopes to start a new life in Texas after killing a drug cartel member. However, the interference from the drug cartel might ruin his chances at a new life and a new love. I liked the premise but wouldn't have read the book based on its blurb and the themes. While sampling, I did like some things about the read. The things I liked the most are the narrative and that the book has a diverse cast of characters. The story keeps you engaged with different scenarios rather than just focusing on the main character. The chapters are also supported by dates and the place of events. The pace of the narration is steady and doesn't feel hurried. I didn't find any error in the portion sampled, so I would rate the book as professionally edited. I did see an official OBC review. But I do not plan on reading the whole book as I don't think I will enjoy the themes. I wouldn't recommend anything for improvements.

First Ten review added on May 30, 2022, at 5:51 am by Ekta Kumari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Stellah Chege

2579763
Both the cover page and title suggested that this book revolves around the cowboy community. Because I don't like the subject, I wouldn't have read this book outside the First Ten program. I noticed a grammatical error (In 2010[missing comma]his mother and father passed away), and I believe the book wasn't exceptionally edited. From the sample, nothing appealed to me. The information revolving around Joe dispensed no thrill. Having read the OBC review,  I will not complete reading this book because I don't love romance books. I didn't notice anything that warrants improvement.

First Ten review added on May 30, 2022, at 4:58 am by Stellah Chege.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Rodel Barnachea

1816865
Following my going over the title’s Amazon page and official OnlineBookClub review, I decided not to purchase the book. I am not intrigued by the Mexican drug cartel’s goal of going after Joe D’Angelo and exacting revenge against him. I am also not fascinated by what the protagonist’s life would look like after he decided to leave New York and start a new life in West Texas. Reading its Amazon sample failed to change my mind. I would not acquire it because nothing in the text convinced me I would enjoy perusing the remaining pages of the novel. The first ten pages contain Chapter 1: Start of Another Day, Chapter 2: Pablo Jimenez, and a few pages of Chapter 3: The Call to Abuela. My favorite part is when Joe admitted that he does not feel comfortable being painted as a hero by other people. I did not identify any errors in the text. I believe the book is professionally edited. I have no advice to offer to the author.

First Ten review added on May 30, 2022, at 4:58 am by Rodel Barnachea.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Dzejn_Crvena

2079692
I'm not a fan of cowboy stories, so I wouldn't have sampled this book outside this program. The OBC review and the sample didn't convince me to buy or read it when I learned that it has romance in it. It's a modern western story that involves suspense action against criminals. The remaining part of the plot is about the protagonist's second chance of living a life after the loss of his family. I'm not interested in his budding romance, so I won't read further. I like where the author got his inspiration in writing the novel. He wants to record their legacy in a story. The book seems professionally edited, and I don't have suggestions for improvements.

First Ten review added on May 30, 2022, at 4:56 am by Dzejn_Crvena.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

va2016

119030
The title "The Unlikely Cowboy" and the cover that shows a person on a horse do not convey the theme of the book. There are only seven Amazon customer ratings of book, which is not a sufficient number for me to decide to sample the book. The Amazon summary states that the story is about life after a loss. As I am not generally interested in this theme, I would have skipped sampling the book if not for the First Ten program. As I sampled through the book, I found the narration describing one Officer Brush telling stories about Joseph. As I am not interested in the theme of the book, I am not going to read this book in full. I found the sample professionally edited. I didn't find any grammatical or mechanical errors in the sample. I didn't like anything specifically about the book. I don't have any recommendations for the improvement of the book. Although I found one OBC review of the book, my decision to not to read the book in full is based on my own sampling.

First Ten review added on May 30, 2022, at 4:50 am by va2016.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Manang Muyang

176802
The blurb talks about Joe, an ex-NYPD sergeant, who moves from Brooklyn to Canyon, Texas. I like that the cover shows both places, emphasizing the stark contrast. Joe, a widow, will find a love interest in Texas. The official OBC reviewer mentions that the book has a relaxed pace. I am not fond of romances and I'm more for fast-paced reads, so I don't think I would have sampled the book on my own. I like the author's notes at the beginning of the book, especially the touristy tips for those who want to visit Texas. The story was indeed slow, though. I wasn't enticed to read the rest of the book. I believe the author intended the book for his fellow seniors who won't mind the pace, so I don't see any need to change anything. I noted only one error in the bit I read: "Roger that, Seargent" at 33% of the sample misspelled "sergeant."

First Ten review added on May 30, 2022, at 4:28 am by Manang Muyang.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Shrabastee Chakraborty

614426
I have previously read this author's works. The first instalment of this series is already in my TBR. Based on the official OBC review and other published reviews, I decided to read this book. I found no errors in the first ten pages. The author described how he had modified real-life places and characters to suit his story. Then we found a scene where Sergeant Joseph interacts with his people, who praise him for his bravery. I liked the smooth pace of the story and wanted to know more about the Sergeant's previous adventures. I had no suggestions to offer. Based on my reading experience, I will read the whole book.

First Ten review added on May 30, 2022, at 3:30 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Jennifer Garcia 555

2026742
I do like the image on the cover of this book, but the title implies that the book is about a cowboy. Western books are not ones I usually enjoy, so I would not buy or read this book. After reading an official OnlineBookClub review and the sample pages, I am further convinced that this book is not one that I would enjoy. It appears that a set of quotation marks is missing at the end of a sentence in the middle of page four, but I did not see any other editing errors in the sample, so this book seems pretty well edited. I like that the story begins at a police station, but this book could be improved with more action in the beginning of the story. The sample did not hold my interest so I will not continue reading this book.

First Ten review added on May 30, 2022, at 2:04 am by Jennifer Garcia 555.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sou Hi

1445186
Without this program, I wouldn't have read this. The official review from OnlineBookClub and the cover look alright, but there are only seven ratings on Amazon. Besides, I'm not interested in the book's premise. Reading the first ten pages did not change my mind from my original guess.

I like the topic of drug cartels. However, the relationship between a police officer and a criminal organization is not a novel idea. Besides, the transition is quite jerky. I would also suggest another round of editing. I will need more of the content to see if I should read the rest of the book. For now, I won't buy it.

Error example: "Roger that, Seargent." -> Typo. It should be "Sergeant" like the other instances.

"The store owner, looked at the perp and said, 'Sergeant Joe is giving you a break; make the most of it.' -> The comma after "owner" is not needed.

First Ten review added on May 30, 2022, at 2:01 am by Sou Hi.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

evraealtana

1255476
I like neither crime thrillers nor romance novels, so I would not have chosen this book for myself based on the official OBC review. It is just a personal preference, but I prefer to have the Author's Note at the end of the book rather than the beginning. Prior to reading the book, I don't care about (for example) the Night Owl Café, so reading about where the idea for it came from is boring; once a reader has finished the book and has formed attachments to the characters and scenes, the Author's Note becomes much more interesting. I was confused as to why Brush would insist on telling stories that made Joe look like more of a hero than he was. I disliked -- and rolled my eyes at -- the story he told about the robbery, which sounded like it belonged in a low-budget Spaghetti Western, and I can't imagine any of his "audience" actually believing it. I felt sorry for Chico, although I suppose that how Pablo treated him was probably realistic for a boss to a juvenile gang member. Nothing about the sample really interested me or appealed to me, so I will not read any more of the book. I found no errors in the first ten pages.

First Ten review added on May 30, 2022, at 1:50 am by evraealtana.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Gabrielle Sigaki

1762417
The Unlikely Cowboy by James E. Doucette is a modern western novel that contains suspense, romance, crime, and drug cartels too. If I didn't sample this book, I wouldn't read it based on its Official OnlineBookClub review, its customer reviews, its genre, its blurb, its cover, and its title since I'm not interested in modern western books, romances, or stories with cowboys. After sampling it, I didn't change my mind and I won't read the entire book because of the reason I stated before. Nevertheless, the book seems professionally edited, I think there's nothing to be improved in it, and my favorite aspect was how the author was able to show the characters' backgrounds through the interpretation of their thoughts, which helps the reader to understand the motivations and problems of each one of them.

First Ten review added on May 29, 2022, at 11:23 pm by Gabrielle Sigaki.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Jorge Leon Salazar

1225511
The cover and title are eye-catching and look in keeping with the story and genre. I think many interested readers should be attracted. In general, I like stories that include action, suspense, and romance. The blurb features Joseph D'Angelo as the protagonist. He is a twenty-year NYPD sergeant who has lost his parents, his wife, and his only son. The blurb also mentions that Joe moved to a small Texas town, which he believes might be the place to heal. Most of the customer reviews are favorable. Based on these elements, I could try this book. The Author's note gives some interesting information like the relocation of The Night Owl Café to fit the plot. The first ten pages describe aspects around Joe and raise the convenience of a new environment to a fresh start given the loss of his family. The inclusion of the cartel seemed well handled since it included characters like Pablo and Hector who fit the profile of drug traffickers. Plus, the concerned grandmother seems to fit in a drug dealer plot. The mention of real personages like “El Chapo” Guzman and boxer Julio Cesar Chavez is attractive. The official OnlineBookClub review portrays Joe as a man with a chance to find happiness and fall in love again, but he has to break free from the cartel. In addition, it indicates the story is an enjoyable modern western with suspense and romance. The editing looks adequate since I did not see any detail to comment on. Overall, I did not see anything I believe could be improved. What I read glimpsed a well-constructed plot around Joe and a Mexican drug cartel. However, it did not completely capture me. I did not perceive a differentiating aspect of similar stories. In short, I think I will not read the rest of the book.

First Ten review added on May 29, 2022, at 8:46 pm by Jorge Leon Salazar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kirsi Cultrera

1629804
I genuinely liked the cover picture of this book. In addition, the blurb piqued my interest, and based on these, I would definitely have sampled this book even without the First Ten. The customer reviews and even the Official OnlineBookClub review supported my first impression, and I thought I might enjoy reading this book. Joe D’Angelo was a compelling character, and I liked the easygoing, relaxed atmosphere of this book. I also liked Joe’s kindness, and had to smile when he stated that he’d like to be called a peace officer. There seemed to be a religious aspect hidden right under the surface, which added to my interest in this modern-day western. This book seems like an easy good-mood read. Since I couldn’t think of any negative things from what I read so far, I decided to give it a go. I did not encounter any grammatical problems from the sample, and thus, I believe this book to be professionally edited.

First Ten review added on May 29, 2022, at 4:17 pm by Kirsi Cultrera.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Gabriella H

2425845
The OBC official review provided me with a sufficient idea about the book, but I was on the fence about reading it. The customer reviews made me skeptical. Having read the first ten pages, I like the writing style and think it is engaging, but I'm not interested in the subject matter of this book. Therefore, I won't be completing it. I don't like the cover and the title of the book. If I weren't a part of this program, I wouldn't have sampled this book for this reason. I saw no errors in the first ten pages, and I have no suggestions for improvements. I believe the first ten pages were professionally edited. My decision not to read this book was influenced by the OBC official review, the blurb, editorial review, and customer reviews.

First Ten review added on May 29, 2022, at 3:58 pm by Gabriella H.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kaitlyn Canedy

1401101
If The Unlikely Cowboy hadn't been the OnlineBookClub's book of the day, I would have read the sample of it anyway because I have seen this book title and author before. Even though western-themed novels are not always intriguing, I liked the description of the plot on Amazon.com. There are three written customer reviews at the time of this writing, but I did not need any customer reviews to check the sample out. Joseph is a calm character and always tries his best to just do his job, even though he has been hurt multiple times. I like this about him because no matter what happened, he always tried to be positive. I want to know what happens to Joseph, which is why I am finishing the book. There were no grammatical errors in the sample, and I can think of nothing that needs improvement. An official OnlineBookClub review exists for this title, but I did not need to read it to make a decision. If a reader enjoys a book with excitement and suspenseful character development, they may like The Unlikely Cowboy.

First Ten review added on May 29, 2022, at 2:08 pm by Kaitlyn Canedy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Michelle Menezes

2151472
I couldn't guess the content of the book based on the title and cover. The blurb sounded good, and I wanted to check the book out because it was from the suspense genre, which is one of my favourites. I avoid reading editorial and customer reviews, as I like to form my own opinions, but I did read the Official OnlineBookClub review. It had good things to say about the book, so I felt positive about the book. However, after reading the first ten pages of the book, I have decided not to continue with it. I liked the camaraderie Joe shared with his colleagues, especially Officer Eddie Brush. However, the rest of the content didn't seem interesting enough for me to keep going. In terms of improvement, I think if the story had started with an intense prologue or scene, it would have been able to hook me better. I didn't find any errors, so the book seemed professionally edited.

First Ten review added on May 29, 2022, at 1:39 pm by Michelle Menezes.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Rosemary Owolabi

2702082
Had I not actually sampled the first ten pages of this program, I would have chosen to read this book based on the cover, title, genre, blurb, customer reviews, and editorial reviews that I saw. Because every piece of feedback is important in deciding whether to buy or read a book.

The book is available with the Kindle Unlimited app. You can download it for free on Amazon using the Kindle Unlimited app. Reading the first ten pages changed my mind from the original guess. I will read the book because James E. Doucette is a fantastic story teller. The book is filled with the relevant information and descriptions of each character and events to make the book more understandable. Sergeant Joseph D'Angelo (Sarge or Sergeant Joe) was a fictional character who had been through a lot. He lost all his family members (father, mother, wife, and son) all within three years in the most painful way. He was seen as a hero at the office, though he didn't see himself as one. He saw himself more as a peacemaker than a police officer. I want to know where the story takes him. Was he able to get his happy ending? Did he still maintain his calm nature in the heat of other bad episodes that happened in his personal or professional life?

Based on what I read, the book seemed to be professionally edited. I didn't notice any typos or errors. I did notice some formatting issues. 

What I liked in the bit that I read was how the book "The Unlikely Cowboy" by James E. Doucette was intelligently written. It was straight to the point (blunt) and deliberate. It has some strong characters that are already holding the story down, like Sergeant Joseph, Sergeant Henry, Officer Eddie Brush, and Captain O'Connell. James was quick to establish each character, describing each as quickly as it would be relevant to the book. and throwing useful clues or information here and there to make one understand the characters and events better. This was so thoughtful of James. I also liked the copywriting, dedication, and author's notes (which included his e-mail address).

What could be improved? The font size and style of "A Flat Top Mountain Adventure" immediately after the book's title were too small and not bold enough. Also, the "dedication and chapter" were too small and wouldn't zoom in; they weren't clear enough or bold enough, though I liked their font style. The formatting issues also needed some adjustments. 

The book had an OnlineBookClub forum review that I saw, but this didn't affect my decision. (Please note: in one of the forums the title was written like this: "Review of the Unlokely Cowboy.") This should be adjusted.

First Ten review added on May 29, 2022, at 12:34 pm by Rosemary Owolabi.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Sarah_Khan

89585
I like the title of this book and the cover is average. After reading the Amazon blurb, I would not have sampled this book because the plot does not strike me as very original. The first few pages were well edited. I thought it was a little funny to see a guy like Hector take out time from his criminal activities to call his grandma. The customer reviews and comments were all positive. The official OBC review was also positive, but the reviewer mentioned some problems concerning the romantic aspect of this novel. The romance is probably what could have persuaded me to give this book a chance, so it was unfortunate to hear that it was not up to par. For this reason, I will not be reading the rest. I do not have any suggestions for the author.

First Ten review added on May 29, 2022, at 10:35 am by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sanju Lali

739725
I could not guess anything about this book because "The Unlikely Cowboy" indicated many things to me. I read the OBC official review of this book to know what is inside it. The OBC official review gave me the idea that this book follows Joe, a police officer trying to catch the members of a drug cartel. This idea motivated me to read the first ten pages sample of this book. After reading the first ten pages, I realized that this book was not professionally edited because I found some grammatical errors in the sample. For example, the sentence, "Joe ran up the bank steps and his officers followed." The sentence could be as follows. "Joe ran up the bank steps, and his officers followed." In this free sample, I liked Joe's outlook toward life despite losing his close family members. I learned a few Spanish words from this sample. I lost interest in reading due to the irony used in the book because I could not clearly visualize the scenes due to it. My suggestion to the author would be to go for a round of professional editing and describe the scenes with more details. Looking at all the aspects of this book, I decided not to purchase and read this book today until the author looks into my above-mentioned problems.

First Ten review added on May 29, 2022, at 9:43 am by Sanju Lali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

gen_g

697597
I think it is quite obvious that the book is a piece of adventure fiction; I am not in the market for this genre, so I would not have sampled it. Of course, due to BOTD, I have come across a positive official OBC review, but OBC reviews do not have the ability to influence my decision regarding sampling because these reviews generally do not have the depth of detail that I need before deciding to sample the book. Additionally, I have also spotted a couple of errors. For example, at 9% in the sample, there is an instance of erroneous capitalisation: "my suggested tour: (S)tart at...". The word "start" should not be capitalised because it is not the start of a sentence, nor is it a proper noun; the preceding colon does not mean that the word after should be capitalised. I suggest more editing because I expect error-free works from anyone who wants to publish. Additionally, it would also be great if the author would rework his dialogue with a professional editor because his dialogue is quite awkward, which reduces immersion. To elaborate, when Sergeant Joseph is speaking to his old partner Henry about the latter's hip, asking Henry how his hip was, Joseph suddenly tells Henry that they had some "great years together on patrol". It is awkward and could be smoothened. Working with a professional editor will help to improve the quality of writing. However, as I am not in the market for adventure/mystery fiction (with some themes of loss and subsequent recovery), I will not be buying the book today.

First Ten review added on May 29, 2022, at 8:18 am by gen_g.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Rita Nuncia

2932984
The Unlikely Cowboy by James E. Doucette is a crime thriller novel with a touch of romance and fantasy. The book is a fictional story of Joseph D’Angelo, an NYPD cop who is loved by his fellow officers and was nicknamed “Sarge”. I would not have read it without the First Ten program being the reason. This is because I don't like reading cowboy stories as I had previously believed it to be. However, after reading the review of this book and also the First Ten pages of the book, I have come to actually find the book interesting. The book is about Joe a Police officer, who mistakenly kills a member of a Mexican drug cartel. This then puts his life in danger as he becomes a target. The few pages I read piqued my interest. The storyline is captivating, therefore, I would love to buy and read the whole book. This book seems professionally edited as I did not notice any grammatical or typographical errors while reading the available sample pages of the book. I like mostly how the book began, letting us know first about the key characters before delving into the story proper. I do not see anything that needs to be improved as I did not notice any fault in the few pages I read. I read an OnlineBookClub official review and it gave me an insight into what to expect from the book.

First Ten review added on May 29, 2022, at 4:58 am by Rita Nuncia.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Vidhi Adhikari

2232380
Although the book has received numerous positive customer and OBC reviews, the cover, title or description were not able to capture my attention as I felt that it's yet another inspirational novel about someone who overcame his adversities to live to the fullest. While the sample hardly had any grammatical errors ('In the book, the gin I described was based on the D&J Cotton Gin {remove comma} owned by Jody and David Foster.'), I shall not be finishing the book as it's genre is not the one I prefer reading. I did love the honest acknowledgements by the author. However, I would suggest adding more curiosity invoking incidents in the description to enhance the book's appeal.

First Ten review added on May 29, 2022, at 4:08 am by Vidhi Adhikari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Ari Martinez

1624319
If it wasn't for the First Ten program, I wouldn't sample this book based on its title, cover, genre, blurb, or Official OnlineBookClub review because I am not interested in the topics (cartels, cowboys, etc.) presented in this book. After reading the first ten pages, I will not continue reading the book because of the same reason mentioned previously – I am not part of the target audience for this book. My favorite part of what I read was how Pablo was portrayed. I liked that he was trying to get out of that "life." The book appears professionally edited, and I don't think it needs to be improved.

First Ten review added on May 29, 2022, at 3:54 am by Ari Martinez.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Chinazo Anozie

1351397
I was interested in this book from the title, cover, genre, description, customer reviews, and the official OnlineBookClub review. Joe seems like a good cop who has gone through a lot in life, and I can’t wait to find out how the police department deals with the incident at the bank . I will buy and read this book. However, this book will benefit from another round of editing because I noticed many errors. An example from chapter one is as follows: “It looked like Sarge’s hand moved quicker than lightning; in less than a second, the perp was on the ground, screaming.[”] I’m unable to provide the exact page of the error because the format I read on Amazon doesn’t have page numbers.

First Ten review added on May 29, 2022, at 3:47 am by Chinazo Anozie.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Yvonne Monique

1919118
The book cover is attractive and indicates that this is a western novel. As I usually do not read that kind of genre, I would not pick this book up if I would see it in a bookstore. The customer reviews, blurb and OBC review give a thorough description of the story but do not convince me to read the sample. The first ten pages are well edited and written in a straightforward way. I liked how the author explained in the introduction which characters and locations are based on real ones. I am sure that people from the area will appreciate this. The main character, Joe, is introduced in an down-to-earth way, and I immediately liked him. However, as I do not like police and/or western stories, I have decided not to buy this book. I have no suggestions for improvement.

First Ten review added on May 29, 2022, at 3:46 am by Yvonne Monique.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kira Bonita Reece

2272578
Joe has had a rough life. He lost both parents, his wife and his son. After killing a member of the cartel, he decides to retire from the police force and move to Texas. However, he can't seem to escape his past as it follows him to Texas. This book has an interesting storyline. I would choose to read it based on the cover, blurb, title, customer reviews, and the official OnlineBookClub review. I liked the casual pace of the story. It doesn't seem rushed but is still enjoyable.

The sample was professionally edited and the book needs no improvements. James Doucette is one of my favorite authors. I will be reading this book because the storyline is captivating and it seems like an amazing modern western.

First Ten review added on May 29, 2022, at 2:44 am by Kira Bonita Reece.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Owuamanam Eberechukwu

2770168
Joe D’Angelo is a police sergeant in the NYPD. He has had his own fair share of life. He lost his parents in 2010, his wife in 2012 and his only child in 2013. His burden seemed bigger and his sorrow seemed endless. However, Joe found joy in everyday life with his friends and colleagues at work. In the beginning pages, Joe enters the office for the day's work. He dispatched the team and decided to ride with officer Brush to lower Manhattan as the leader. The method of narration is peculiar and chronological, and I love it. It is a beautiful overview of Joe. It makes it easier for the reader to understand the story. I hated nothing in the pages I read. The cover design and title are great. I will buy and read the book if it’s based on them. The pages I read were exceptionally well edited. I will not buy and read this book because the storyline is not appealing to me. This is my personal thoughts and was not influenced by reviews, comments, or blurbs on OBC or not. 

First Ten review added on May 29, 2022, at 1:25 am by Owuamanam Eberechukwu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Hazel Arnaiz

1897704
The cover looks neat and organized. But I will skip the book outside the program based on the title and blurb. Cowboys and romance are not my usual read. Customer reviews are positive. I appreciate the Author’s Notes. It helps in preparing the audience before reading. But I am not into stories about drug cartels. Hence, this book is not for me. I have no suggestions for improvement. Here are examples of editing issues.

Page 7. Spelling. Consider adding a hyphen.

It is, however, based on [real life] characteristics of people I admire and actual locations.

Page 8. Spelling. Consider adding a hyphen.

The character of Megan, the lady who owns the raptors (birds of prey), was inspired by the [real life] artist Tammy L. Penn, whom I’ve never met.

The insights from the official OnlineBookClub review are helpful. But I will pass.

First Ten review added on May 29, 2022, at 1:14 am by Hazel Arnaiz.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Catherine Hsu

104096
If I had not read the sample as part of the First Ten program, I would not have read the book. I do not really read Western novels, though I do like the genre of action-adventure. After reading the sample, I have not changed my mind. I would not change anything since I think this is a matter of topic preference. I thought some parts were interesting to read and actually quite emotional, such as Joe's fear of causing another person's death. Ultimately, however, I do not find myself that interested in drug-related issues and there was quite a lot of it in the book so far. It was professionally edited. The official review on OnlineBookClub did not affect my decision. I would recommend the book to lovers of Westerns, but per the review, I might not recommend it to readers who focus on romance.

First Ten review added on May 28, 2022, at 11:27 pm by Catherine Hsu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Mariana Figueira

1878669
Before reading the book's first pages, I wasn't interested in it because nothing on the cover or the title got my attention. After sampling the book, I don't want to continue reading it because the story didn't captivate me. I like that Joseph D'Angelo tries to be strong after losing his family. This book seems professionally edited, I didn't see any typos; plus, it has an official OnlineBookClub review. I didn't see anything that needed improvement. Neither the blurb, customer reviews, nor editorial reviews affect my decision not to read the book.

First Ten review added on May 28, 2022, at 9:33 pm by Mariana Figueira.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Rebecca_Rivera

224192
Although this book cover is beautiful, I would not have chosen to read it on my own. It definitely looks like a western/cowboy book, which is not in my area of interest. After reading the first ten pages, I’ve decided not to finish this book. The main character starts out as a police officer, and the setting of the police station and work of the police described in the first ten pages did not hold my interest. The book seems professionally edited. When reading the Official OnlineBookClub review, I initially thought I would read the entire book because of the mention of a charming small town setting later on. However, the beginning of the book didn’t hold my interest enough to want to continue. My favorite aspect of this book is the stunning cover. The designer did an exceptional job, from choice and continuity of the font to the beautiful blending of the western sky into the burnt orange waters beneath the city. For me, an area for improvement would be a more captivating opening to the book. However, someone who enjoys stories about police officers and cowboys might find it acceptable.

First Ten review added on May 28, 2022, at 8:37 pm by Rebecca_Rivera.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kajori Sheryl Paul

997537
'The Unlikely Cowboy' is a fictional book written by James E. Doucette. Joseph D'Angelo had a rough few years. He lost his parents, his wife, and only son in a matter of years. He still tried to carry on with his life as a police seargrnt. I like the engaging writing style. Joseph seems to be a tough guy with a soft heart. Nothing is in need of an improvement. The OBC review is detailed. I would have skipped this book based on the cover, title, genre, blurb, editorial reviews, and customer reviews as I am not in the mood to read western novels as of now. For the same reason, I have decided to skip this book.

First Ten review added on May 28, 2022, at 7:10 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Stephanie Runyon

1424579
The backdrop of the city and the title didn't appeal to me; therefore, I would not have sampled this book. I liked the personable nature of Joe; he appears to believe in second chances. The story where the gun disappears for the robbery is evidence of this line of thought; however, it is also illegal activity. I noted an error, buy beyond some minor editing, there isn't anything to change to improve the story quality. The OBC review didn't influence my decision to pass on the book. I didn't read anything online that would alter my choice. The character development failed to portray feelings; the emotions of Hector and Pablo were almost non-existent. ERROR: He glanced at his watch and as he walked by the branch president's glass-enclosed office.
I believe that after word watch, the author intended the sentence to say hand instead of and.

First Ten review added on May 28, 2022, at 6:34 pm by Stephanie Runyon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Emy Katherine

94929
In all honesty, I would have read the book based on the genre, cover, title, blurb, and customer reviews. I found no editorial reviews, but both the OBC review and the sample increased my interest in this story. After losing his family, NYPD Sergeant Joseph D'Angelo leaves his painful past behind and moves to a small town in Texas to rebuild his life. As he starts enjoying his new life, someone from his past is determined to destroy his regained inner peace and happiness. The story was told from multiple perspectives by using a fast-paced, descriptive writing style. I especially liked the inclusion of Spanish words, which made the characters more believable. There was also enough action to keep me engaged throughout the sample. All in all, I would only suggest another round of editing; I found some distracting errors. For example, there should not be a comma after "owner" in the following sentence: "The store owner, looked at the perp and said, 'Sergeant Joe is giving you a break...'" (location 115 of 347 • 31%) It should be written "he was arrested for robbing" in the following sentence: "He was arrested robbing the Roosevelt Savings Bank on Gates Avenue." (location 279 of 347 • 80%) I noticed a misplaced "and" in the following sentence: "He glanced at his watch and as he walked by the branch president’s glass-enclosed office." (location 233 of 347 • 65%) Despite the editing issues, I am looking forward to reading the rest of the story.

First Ten review added on May 28, 2022, at 6:17 pm by Emy Katherine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

markodim721

2105861
I would choose to read a sample of this book because of the title and cover. I read customer reviews, Official OnlineBookClub review, and the blurb but they did not influence my decision. I didn't find any editor reviews. The title of the book is interesting and attracts attention. The cover of the book contains clear symbolism of cowboys and fits well with the title. I will not read the book because I am not in the mood to read romantic action and modern western books at the moment. While reading the sample I did not notice any errors or typos and the book seems like it is professionally edited. Reading the sample did not change my mind from my original guess. I like the way Officer Eddie Brush is described and his tendency to tell stories because he looks very authentic. I think the Author’s Notes should be shortened so the book could be improved that way.

First Ten review added on May 28, 2022, at 5:44 pm by markodim721.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

AntonelaMaria

1285898
I am not a fan of westerns, no matter that they are modern ones. The synopsis sounds great and I am sure fans of the genre will enjoy it. There is an informative Official OnlineBookClub review of the book. After reading the sample, I haven't changed my mind. I like the cover. I liked that there was a romance aspect to the story and that the characters are based on real-life people. The only issues I noticed were spacing issues, which might have been due to my e-reader. I wouldn't change anything about the book. 

First Ten review added on May 28, 2022, at 5:28 pm by AntonelaMaria.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Soraya Bayah

2744922
I initially thought this book would go about the usual life of Joe but was intrigued with the action it presents. I am sure to read this one. Brush seems to pair well with Joe, and his stories caught my attention. I wonder if Pablo truly wants to get out of this business, but Hector surely does not want that. I felt uneasy to know that he forced two high-school students to help him in robbing a bank. I would not have picked up this book from the genre, title, or cover, as I was not that attracted to any of them. But the reviews, like OBC, showed that it was interesting. Still, the reason I will continue it is the first few pages, as I found myself flipping them fast to know what happens next. I did not find errors. Nothing could be bettered. Well written!

First Ten review added on May 28, 2022, at 5:06 pm by Soraya Bayah.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Timothy Rucinski

697172
Truth be told, when I saw that this was a Doucette novel, I was pretty sure that I would read it. I've read a few of his other books and have enjoyed them immensely. So the beautiful cover with Doucette's name on it was enough to spur my interest to give it a read. However, I experienced some reservations after reading the Official OBC Review. I wasn't that concerned with the 3 out of 4 rating or the Reviewer's issue with the underdeveloped love story. It's just that I do not enjoy books that involve drug cartels. I enjoy a crime novel now and then, but I typically avoid books that feature criminal drug activities. After reading the first ten pages, I'm pretty certain that I will not be reading this. I may change my mind at some point, but I do not like this type of genre, as much as I enjoy Doucette's writing. What I liked most was the quick way in which the author was able to create the character of Joe D'Angelo through the conversation of another police officer telling stories about him. This was a nice touch and immediately established the type of man he was. I have no recommendations for improvement other than, as stated by the Reviewer, that the book could use more thorough proofreading. For example, on page 13, in the paragraph beginning with "'The store owner pointed...'" the author refers to Joe as "sarge" with the "s" in lower case, while previously, in the paragraph beginning "'It looked like...'" "Sarge" is spelled with a capital "S." "Sarge" is spelled with a capital "S" in subsequent paragraphs. I read no other reviews or blurbs.

First Ten review added on May 28, 2022, at 4:26 pm by Timothy Rucinski.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Theresa Moffitt

857578
The title and cover art of this book pique my interest. The contrast between the cowboy and the city makes me curious about the story. I would have picked this book up based on the cover alone. The onlinebookclub.org review of the book was very positive and gave it a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. It recommended the book to people who like westerns and suspenseful novels. Since I like the kind of books referenced, the review increased my interest in the book. The first ten pages were free from error, so I believe the book was professionally edited. I also didn’t see any area that the author could improve upon. The first ten pages introduced the character of Joseph D’Angelo. He is a police sergeant in Brooklyn, New York. The story takes place in 2015. D’Angelo seems like an interesting and sympathetic character. He described his parents dying within a few months of each other. After that, his wife died. Soon after the death of his wife, his son died. He seems to have experienced a lot of loss within a short amount of time. He seems to be popular around the police station. The other officers look up to him. I enjoyed reading the first ten pages of this book. Based on the pages that I have read and the OBC review, I would like to finish reading this book. Also, since the OBC review was so detailed and informative, I didn’t need to read any additional customer reviews or blurbs.

First Ten review added on May 28, 2022, at 4:25 pm by Theresa Moffitt.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Bertha Jackson

1904023
The book's cover of a cowboy with a modern city, the title, and the genre would have made me check this book out. The blurb, customer reviews, and the OnlineBookClub review did not influence my decision to read this book. There were no editorial reviews to influence my decision. The first ten pages made me decide to read this book because it clearly shows that it is about a modern-day cowboy and the drug cartel. I want to know how Officer Joseph D'Angelo became a cowboy and was involved with the cartel. I liked the pace of the first few pages and did not want to quit reading the book. I would recommend that the author have another round of professional editing done to this book. I noticed several capitalization discrepancies and a missing comma in the first ten pages. The first error was at 2% of the sample, "In 2010[,] (insert comma) his mother and father passed away." I have downloaded the free copy of the book and will eventually read it.

First Ten review added on May 28, 2022, at 4:23 pm by Bertha Jackson.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Amy Luman

2128683
I’m not going to finish this book. If all I had done was to read the first ten pages, I probably would have because the police element appeals to me. The reviews, including the OBC one, and the blurb, let me know that this was more about life on a ranch. I believe the cover and title are appropriate, since Joe moves from the city to a western ranch. This seems to have been professionally edited, and there’s nothing I would change because I’ll bet it appeals to others just the way it is. I really like that Officer Brush is so proud of partnering with Joe.

First Ten review added on May 28, 2022, at 4:03 pm by Amy Luman.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Laura Ungureanu

620179
I'm not into cowboy stories, so I wasn't interested in this book based on its appearance, OBC review, blurb, or Amazon reviews. I only sampled it because of the First Ten program. I felt like the episode of burying his wife must've been devastating for Joseph D'Angelo, so it could've been better if this scene was longer. This could help readers empathize with the character. Because it was so short, the scene felt unimportant. I wasn't impressed with what I read. That's probably because I'm not a fan of this genre. The right audience will probably enjoy this book a lot more than I. Nonetheless, I will stop reading it. I didn't find any editing issues.

First Ten review added on May 28, 2022, at 3:34 pm by Laura Ungureanu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Total ~ 26%

The Unlikely Cowboy earned a score of 26%.

In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 26% 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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