Michelle Maddox

I quite enjoyed this story of two people participating in a game for their lives while falling in love. They don't know if they should trust each other but they're the only ones they can trust.

The characters appealed to me and I liked the interaction, the peril also felt real.

Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Oct08

Did you go crazy for the Matrix with Keanu Reeves? Can you believe in a post-apocalyptic world of altered existence? Do reality shows thrill you? Then maybe you should sign up to be a viewer for Michelle Maddox’s new show depicted in her book “Countdown”. This story is a thrill a minute rocket ride of action and suspense with a bit of romance thrown in.

Seven years ago Kira’s family was killed as she hid under her bed. So now she’s show more a 22 year old orphan who’s afraid of the dark. Too bad for her since she wakes up bound, in the dark, in an unknown place, with only the sound of someone else breathing. When the lights come on, she sees her companion. He’s hot, he’s hurt, he looks dangerous, and he’s also cuffed and foot. He’s also apparently crazy since he tells her they only have a few minutes for BOTH of them to get free or they’ll BOTH be dead...oh, and he’s a convicted rapist and murderer. Unwilling to believe, yet unwilling to die either, they free each other and pass ‘round one’!? Now Kira learns he’s not crazy. They are contestants in some kind of demented reality show, they both have surgical implants in their heads, they can’t be more than 90 feet apart, and the only way to get off the ‘show’ is to win or to die.

I can’t say much about Kira’s ally without giving away too much. Suffice to say that she will have plenty reasons to trust, and then not to trust. In a world that’s turned topsy-turvy and inside-out, Kira will have to rely on her intuition and the feelings she gets when she touches people to help her figure out not who the good guy is, but if there’s a good guy at all!

I’m not normally a fan of this type of action book. But this one kept my interest and kept me reading, even though occasionally it got a little ‘too’ weird or there were a few ‘too’ many convenient coincidences. But I reckon that could just be part of the twists and turns in this story. Since I’d never read anything by this author, I did a little checking and found out that Michelle Maddox is another pen name for Michelle Rowan who writes a series of comedic paranormals I sometimes enjoy. Makes sense, as I enjoyed this book in spite of myself! So if wild conspiracies, ‘the day after’s, non-stop action, and a reality show with a bit ‘too’ much reality sound good, I think you’ll enjoy “Countdown” too. show less

Kira and Rogan are stuck in a computer reality game that usually ends in the death of the participants. People with money to spare, are paying to watch the game as pairs of players hurry to complete tasks with the clock counting down. Partners in the game, Kira and Rogan, must rely on each other and cannot be separated or they will die. Kira is totally mystified about what’s happening, and while Rogan seems to have some inside information, he’s not very forthcoming. Of course when she show more learns he may be a ruthless killer, Kira doesn’t know who to trust and why she’s stuck with a murderer. The book is action packed and a real page-turner. The characters are likeable and courageous. Instead of the typical power obsessed leader, the threat comes from technology that’s out of control. The plot has some similarities to The Hunger Games with the twisted public interest in watching a game centered around murder. A quick read that should satisfy teen readers looking for action with some romance mixed in. show less

Kidnapped and forced into a life or death game with the hero-a convicted rapist and murderer, the heroine fights for her life via 6 challenges as well as dealing with the lies and truths of her mysterious partner. The hero, who invented the game to be a fun challenge was betrayed by his brother when the game began to take on a more sinister and evil nature. He was framed for murder and locked away in prison for the past 4 years. The heroine has spent her life on the streets after the murder show more of her family-, forced to survive by becoming a thief. When she unknowingly steals from the games master, she's targeted to be a contestant. Okay, so this was the stupidest 'evil' game I've ever heard of. The challenges that were portrayed to be torture and near impossible to completely consisted of, running across a balance beam to reach a tied up partner, finding the lost partner in the city sewers, killing two murders who very clearly want you murdered and killing a cyborg who shots the heroine in the leg and blowing his cover as a bad guy. I mean, come on! Survivor has harder challenges then that! On a positive side, I liked the banter between the characters and loved the hero. He's funny, charming and sarcastic despite how torturous his life has become and the fact that he started the game off being seriously wounded. He's light hearted and supportive of the heroine who just freaks out throughout the whole book. She was so frustrating. Instead of just doing the damn tasks and living, she bothers the hero with stupid questions about the game and his family. And dear god, every single chapter ended with a cut to black. I almost stabbed myself in the eye. Every single chapter.....I didn't like the romance and it was a total subplot to the book and felt very rushed. They fell in love very quickly and it was unnatural. Plus it was all adrenaline induced. The relationship has no chance of surviving after everything is said and done. show less