Hawaii Five Uh-Oh by Z.A. Maxfield

Sarcastic cop Theo Hsu returns home to Hawai‘i after realizing he wants more from his life, and also, less. He hopes to reconnect with his past and make amends with his mother, who remarried a cool, distant man, leaving Theo unsure where he stands.

It doesn’t take him long to figure out where he wants to stand, though: right next to his childhood best friend, tattooed detective Koa Palapiti. Theo would like to upgrade their relationship, but Koa is putting out some seriously mixed signals. It’s a mystery Theo can’t let go, but just as they start to connect, kidnapping, murder, and a deadly game with international stakes get in the way. Koa wants to keep Theo out of it, and if it comes to a choice between him and Koa’s partner, Freddie Ortiz, Theo doesn’t like his chances.

But even if Koa wants to push him out of the investigation, and his life, Theo still has a few tricks up his sleeve. It’ll take all his special gifts, ingenuity, risk-taking, family ties—and even some kinky undercover work—to save the day… and the man he never should’ve let get away.

Book 2
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Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆
Theo and Koa were inseparable as children – until Theo’s parents divorced and he left Hawaii to live with his father. When Theo returns to Hawaii as an adult, the only thing that hasn’t changed is his attraction to Koa.

I’m not quite sure what to make of this story. Part police procedural, part family drama, part romance, the book attempts to be quite a few things. Unfortunately, there is probably too much going on in this story. I feel like most of the storylines are left unfinished and at times, the author sacrifices character and relationship development for a somewhat breathless ‘and then, and then, and then,’ sequence of events.

Theo’s pretty mixed up in his head when he returns to Hawaii. His relationship with his family is strained and he doesn’t seem to have a strong sense of identity or purpose. There are glimpses of relationship building with his mom and step family, but I didn’t feel there was enough to help me understand Theo. Koa is always viewed through Theo’s eyes and he remains an emotionally abusive enigma until the end of the story. I kept waiting for a reason for his hot/cold behaviour but it just didn’t happen. There isn’t really any romance between Theo and Koa – their connection builds from unrealistic sex scenes in the middle of an undercover investigation. There’s some heat in the connection but not much believable relationship building.

The police investigation is possibly the most successful storyline, but it takes off almost as an afterthought in the second half of the book. I enjoyed some exciting scenes and a few funny moments, but I found the whole subplot confusing and I struggled to digest the huge chunks of information and lengthy list of characters thrown at me within a few short chapters.

I feel like this book should have worked better than it did. All the pieces of this story have potential, but it just doesn’t come together as a cohesive whole.

Also Available in the Plummet to Soar Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Dreamspinner Press

For reviews & more info, check out our Plummet to Soar post.

Z.A. MAXFIELD started writing in 2007 on a dare from her children and never looked back. Pathologically disorganized and perennially optimistic, she writes as much as she can, reads as much as she dares, and enjoys her time with family and friends. Three things reverberate throughout all her stories—unconditional love, redemption, and the belief that miracles happen when we least expect them.

If anyone asks her how a wife and mother of four can find time for a writing career, she’ll answer, “It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you give up housework.”

Z.A. Maxfield loves to hear from readers. You have advance permission to drop her a line.

Connect with Z.A.

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Hawaii Five Uh-Oh (Plummet to Soar #2) by Z.A. Maxfield to read and review.

Plummet to Soar by Z.A. Maxfield

Feckless, luckless, and charming, Mackenzie Detweiler is the author of a self-help book one reviewer calls “the most misbegotten motivational tool since Mein Kampf.” He’s maneuvered himself into a career as a life coach, but more often than not, his advice is bad. Really bad.

It’s even getting people hurt… and Mackenzie sued.

It falls to Mackenzie’s long-suffering editor, JD Chambers, to deliver the bad news. He chooses to do so face-to-face—to see if the spark he senses between them is real when they’re together in the flesh. Unfortunately, a snowstorm, a case of nerves, a case of mistaken identity, and finally a murder gets in the way of a potential enemies-to-lovers romance.

There are many, many people who have good reason to want Mackenzie dead. JD must find out which one is acting on it before it’s too late for both of them.

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
This book completely took me by surprise. The cover and blurb suggest something light, fluffy, and new adult. The actual story is more Agatha Christie country house murder mystery meets The Shining and it is told with a perverse and very self-aware sense of humour that I loved.

Mackenzie is a wonderfully flawed leading man. His philosophies and the whole self-help movement built around his book are wickedly and accurately observed. He is clueless and useless but always well-meaning and charismatic. The rest of the characters in this book are equally well observed – from Mackenzie’s long-suffering editor to his obsequious fans.

The murder mystery is actually scary. And like all the best horror stories, it is fully aware of its clichés. It is alternately funny and horrifying and I really enjoyed the ride.

The part of the story that works least well for me is the romance between JD and Mackenzie. But I’m still not sure how much of their relationship is recounted earnestly and how much is delightfully tongue in cheek. These two make a great pairing but I’m not sure we get much actual romance.

Z.A. MAXFIELD started writing in 2007 on a dare from her children and never looked back. Pathologically disorganized and perennially optimistic, she writes as much as she can, reads as much as she dares, and enjoys her time with family and friends. Three things reverberate throughout all her stories—unconditional love, redemption, and the belief that miracles happen when we least expect them.

If anyone asks her how a wife and mother of four can find time for a writing career, she’ll answer, “It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you give up housework.”

Z.A. Maxfield loves to hear from readers. You have advance permission to drop her a line.

Connect with Z.A.

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Plummet to Soar (Plummet to Soar #1) by Z.A. Maxfield to read and review.