Abandoned is the fifth in the Max Revere series by Allison Brennan. While I have not read the first four, I was easily able to understand due to just enough of a backstory told throughout the book. However, I ordered the first four through amazon because if they ar as good as this one, I will be delighted. I cannot wait to read them in order. I was able to read Abandoned in one setting as it was a very easy read and very gripping. Max is an investigative reporter and is now on a cold but very personal case. Looking for her mother who is presumed dead. Max was very young when she was placed with her grandmother because her mother was going off with her boyfriend. She was never seen again after. This certainly fits into my favorite genre of books and it hit the mark right on. I will add reviews on her other books at expressiongal@wordpress.com.

Thanks to netgalley as well the author/publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.


5 ⭐️ out of 5

Thank you to Minotaur Books for a copy of Abandoned for an honest review. Abandoned is the 5th book in the Max Revere series though it can be read as a stand-alone. This was the first book in the series that I have read but it will not be my last! I enjoyed the character. She is strong and smart though a little unfocused on other people and their feelings. She is a cold case investigative reporter but this time she is looking into a personal issue, the disappearance of her mother 16 years ago. Some of the first quarter of the book was a bit repetitive because Max had to explain her interest in old police files, why she thinks her mother was there, her mother’s connections, etc repeatedly to many people while starting her investigations. It was necessary to establish her case to many since it was so old but for the reader, it was a bit repetitive. I got more into the book once everybody learned of the case and more and more details came into view and it got more complicated. I really like how it was done and can’t wait to get into more of Max Revere’s cases and get to know her character a little better! Abandoned will be available on August 14, 2018.

Investigative TV reporter Maxine Revere is taking a month off to dig into her mother, Martha’s disappearance sixteen years earlier. With a successful TV show, “Maximum Exposure” under her belt, Max plans to use the skills she’s developed solving cold cases to determine what happened to her mother after she dropped nine-year-old Max off with her grandmother Eleanor, never to return.

Martha kept in touch through infrequent postcards for six years. Then Martha stopped getting her trust fund checks at the beginning of each month and Eleanor filed a missing person’s report that went nowhere.

There are lots of layers to this story. Martha is involved with Jimmy Truman, a fun-loving con man. Living off her money and friends, they travel all over having fun, resorting to scams when Martha’s allowance ran out. The twosome gets involved with art thief Phillip Colter and a few masterpieces go missing from Colter’s stash.

A private investigator Max hires finds that a car, owned by Martha under her aunt’s name, was found abandoned in Cape Haven, Virginia, Jimmy Truman’s home town.
Max rents a house in Cape Haven so that she can pursue leads and explore wherever her questions take her. Jimmy’s brother Gabriel still lives in Cape Haven with his daughter Eve and is a well-respected Navy veteran who wants Max to leave him alone. FBI Agent Ryan Maguire turns up pursuing information about Jimmy who sold an expensive painting to a Russian a few years earlier and is now sought for questioning about that transaction. And Phillip Colter owns a house in Cape Haven through his company Boreal.

Allison Brennan organized this story to move back and forth between Martha and Jimmy’s story and Max’s investigation. The suspense Ms. Brennan creates with her words is powerful, leaving the reader hooked, turning just a few more pages, then a few more pages, and a few more pages, until the end is finally reached, in only one sitting.

This is the fifth book in the Max Revere series. But it doesn’t matter if this is your first Max Revere book. Abandoned stands alone very nicely. In fact, it may serve as a strong invite to read the first four books.

I don’t think I have read any of the Max Revere books until now, and I think I will now have to go back and read the others! I was provided an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in return for a honest review. This was a great story and can be read as a stand-alone ev3n if you haven’t read the other Max Revere books, even though it will make you want to! The story was fast-paced, with likeable, believable characters. There wasn’t much bad language, and though there was mention of sex, the reader isn’t given all the details, which I appreciated. I would recommend this to anyone who likes suspense with a strong female lead, and some romance that doesn’t rule the story.

Max Revere rides again ! I wasn't sure at first that I liked this new character of Allison Brennan's but I have to say I love her now ! This by far is the best book in the series to date, in my opinion ! We get to see a little bit more of the human side of Maxine and go back in her past to see what made her the person she turned out to be. Strong, righteous, caring, brave, yet flawed. I love the new characters that are introduced into this book and look forward to see how they change the shape of Max's world and see what's in store for her, and them ! I am a HUGE fan of Allison Brennan and I thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Abandoned by Allison Brennan
Minotaur Books
14 August 2018
Max Revere series
Patreon date: immediate
Press date: 1 Aug 18 (http://www.ironinkpress.com/reviews/abandoned)

Settings / Time Periods: Present day United States, mostly.

Point of View: 3rd person

Main character: Maxine Revere, a hard-hitting cold-case reporter whose latest case is personal.

Is there a particular issue this book deals with? There’s not an obvious single issue, but family, trust, and secrets are the repeating elements.

What genres could this book be categorized in? Mystery for the most part. There’s a bit of adventure, and a small personal attraction bit as well.

Is there violence in this book? Yes. There’s a couple of deaths, some more natural than others. There’s at least one murder on-page, but not portrayed graphically. There is at least one fight with bodily injury on-page.

Is there romance in this book? There is no significant romance on-page. There is sexual attraction described in the narrative, and a hetero relationship that has a sexual component.

How to the characters view sexuality? Sex is referred to as a normal, natural part of life. There is not much on-page sexuality, and all references are to hetero activity.

Did you enjoy reading it? Yes. I have enjoyed Max Revere books in the past, and this one was also fun, although I don’t think it’s as tight as some of the others.

How does it rate on the tests?
Bechdel? Yes.
Mako Mori? Yes.
Ellen Willis? Sort of. Mostly.
Tauriel? With flying colors.
Racial Bechdel? No.
Deggans? Uncertain, but not likely.
Vito Russo? Not applicable.
Fridge? Not applicable.

Plot: Max Revere is a wealthy reporter with several top-selling books and a cable crime show. But she’s avoided her most personal cold case – the disappearance of her mother. Until now. Now, she’s got new leads, time off, really good resources, and an FBI agent willing to help with more than the case. She just might find a lot more than she thinks she’s looking for.

Comments: This is a really good Max Revere book that brings together bits from several of her previous books. The story is captivating, and it’s easy to become involved in the character’s lives. I don’t think it’s as tight as many other Allison Brennan thrillers, in that some foreshadowing is much more obvious than usual, and at least one element was easy to see earlier than I think it was intended to be. Overall, though, it was a great read and I’m looking forward to seeing where Max goes next.

So first off I would recommend reading at least the book before this one to get an idea of some of the background of Max's life. That being said you don't have to understand this book as a lot is explained in this book. This book is finally a personal book to Max. She is finally going to know what happened to her mother 16 years ago. During this book Max stirs up a lot but I think she also finds peace with the past in this book. She also finds the perfect man for her in this book. Now I'm not saying he's perfect just that he is perfect for her. I really enjoyed this book as it did go back into the past so you could see what was happening during a certain time frame. Allison could end the series with this book as it does have a satisfying ending but it would be more fun to have more books with Max solving cold cases, either way it was a great book.

*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*

When I started to read Abandoned I had know idea it was part of a series. This book is a stand alone novel even though it is part of a series.

Allison Brennan is able to bring readers into a world of wealth, mystery and death with just a flick of her pen. From the second Max steps food in the small town she realizes there is more to her mother than just a teen looking for a way out.

Abandoned has lots and I mean lots of characters that will be hard to keep up with sometimes. I wish I had a characters list to keep track of everyone. The author uses the terms "I like to have fun." Almost to the point of eye roll. The only disappointment was the end of the story. It just ended even though the build up last several pages the end just ended.

That being said Abandoned is full of twist and turns readers will not be able to get enough of. As the darker the story turns the more the readers will need to find out the truth too.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of Allison Brennan Abandoned.

Can you find the answers that you need? Max needs to find out what happened to her mother Martha, she needs answers to why she never came back for her? Max was a young girl when her mother left her with her grandparents it took Max a long time to realize that she wasn't coming back and now she needs closure. She has tracked Martha's last known sighting to a small town Cape Haven but why here? She knows that Martha's last boyfriend Jimmy came from here but she could never see her mother settling down her Martha loved the high life. Max starts digging and she finds even more information about Martha and she can't believe that she was an art thief why would she steal she was getting a big allowance every month from her trust fund, only Jimmy would have done this. She has found Jimmy's brother and he isn't too happy to see her. Gabriel needs her gone he can't allow her to cause trouble but she isn't going to budge that easily.
FBI agent Ryan Maguire has been looking for proof of Jimmy's involvement in some art thefts but he hasn't been able to find out any new leads and he hopes that Max can help he just didn't see himself falling for her. They make a good team and once they start looing into Martha's life together they start finding new clues and it seems that Martha did die here but who killed her? Did she cross the wrong person for the last time and pay for Jimmy's sins as well? Can they find out the whole truth before it is too late for justice? And what will Max do once she finds out that Martha had a secret that needed to stay hidden and that one person has kept that secret safe all this time? A good read loved hearing Martha's side of the story, yes she wasn't the best mother but she did love Max in her own way. And that she did the right thing by leaving Max behind to become a strong woman that fights for others. I hope that we get to see more of Ryan in the next book as he is good for Max. I was lucky enough to receive a copy via Netgalley & the publishing house in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley for this advanced copy. This is part of a series but is able to be read even if no other books have been read.

Max is looking for answers to what happened to her mother sixteen years ago. In the effrnof determining this, she stumbles across more questions and obstacles than she initially thought. By searching for answers she runs into mire leess than favorable people than she imagined.

While slightly long, this book moved along and kept you wondering what the next twist would be.

When she was 9 Max Revere was left with her maternal Grandparents with a promise from her Mother that she would return. Max’s Mother, Martha, was a con artist who didn’t want to be tied down by a child. Now Max Revere is a successful book author with a true crime TV show. She has decided she needs to find out what really happened to her Mother. Sixteen years ago Martha abruptly dropped out of sight, stopped collecting her monthly allowance from a trust fund and the periodic postcards Max received stopped. Max is determined she won’t quit til she has an answer. Max is in for some unforeseen surprises.

This book caught my interest from the beginning. There was a great mystery with lots of twists. It is part of a series but could stand alone. I have one gripe. At the end it seemed to me the resolution to a dangerous situation was pretty abrupt. I think the author should have fleshed it out more. Up until this scene I was a 4* rating. Knocking it down to 3 1/2 stars. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Max is a reporter that has her own TV show investigating cold cases. She now delves into her own past to see if she can solve her own mother's mysterious past. Martha left Max with her grandparents when she was 9 years old, sending periodic postcards to her daughter. One day they stopped coming - and even though Martha was declared legally dead, Max needs the truth once and for all.
This was a great book that kept me turning page after page! I felt emotionally connected to Max and wanted to be right there beside her to uncover the truth.
Thank you to Allison Brennan, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this wonderful book!

Maxine Revere has her biggest cold case to solve yet - her own family's. Left with her grandparents, by her mother Martha, at the age of 9 she never sees her mother again. Birthday cards came for 7 years then then nothing for 16 years. Thanks to working with Sean Rogan and Lucy Kincaid she has a clue, her mother's car was found sixteen years before in a town on Chesapeake Bay and she is off to find the answers. When answers aren't quickly forthcoming Max dives in like she always does, stirring things up to find the answers she wants. The town has it's secrets but she will find the truth, family means something and she wants answers. This is a non-stop read, one of the best Brennan series books yet. If you love Allison Brennan you will not be disappointed when you open this book and start to read.

Short Take: Wake me when something happens.

(*Note: I received a free copy of this book for review purposes.*)

Can we please retire the word “unputdownable?” Please? I mean, it was cute enough the first fifty or so times I heard it, but now it’s a word that gets slapped on far too many books that I’m more than happy to put down. It’s right up there with “The Next Gone Girl!” in terms of false advertising.

Take, for example, Abandoned. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that this is the fifth book in a series, and I hadn’t read the first four, but other reviews said that it would be cool as a standalone, so I figured, why not? Then again, the description of this book also called it “unputdownable”, so there’s that.

Anyway.

Abandoned is the story of one woman’s quest to do research. Maxine Revere’s mother Martha walked out of her life when Max was nine, sent a few postcards, and completely disappeared when Max was sixteen. Now that Max is an adult with a hit cable show where she investigates cold cases, she’s decided to use her expertise and resources to solve the mystery in her own life - what happened to Martha Revere?

In the course of the investigation, Maxine will talk to a lot of people. She’ll ask questions, and look at old photos, newspaper articles, and tax records. It’s just about as exciting as it sounds.

Max will be fairly rude to everyone she meets, because she’s a tough independent woman who don’t need no man, but it’s cool, everyone around her will be charmed by this. It’s just as nonsensical as it sounds.

We’re also treated to bits of Martha’s life and correspondences, most of which consist of some version of “I like fun. Why don’t you like fun?” It’s just as grating as it sounds.

Eventually, of course, Deep Dark Secrets are revealed, and there’s a climactic fight scene that lasts about three sentences. One hit, one drop, and the bad guy’s accomplices all surrender peacefully, after which, we get a happily ever after ending (presumably until the next book). It’s just as cheesy as it sounds.

So if you’ve read the other books, and are a fan of the series, go for it, I guess? But if you’re looking for something exciting and FUN (you’ll be sick of that word too by the end), look elsewhere.

The Nerd’s Rating: TWO HAPPY NEURONS (and a nice big salad.)

I couldn't put this book down once I started reading it. Max, an investigative reporter who specializes in solving cold cases, is determined to solve the mystery of her mother's disappearance. Left at her grandparents house at age 10 by her flighty irresponsible mother, Max is now an adult and has the tools to find out what happened. As her investigation progresses, Max angers a dangerous person and her safety is threatened. A fascinating cast of characters round out this story including a sexy FBI agent, a teenager, a con artist, and a man who wants it to all go away. Outstanding mystery with a touch of romance.

Excellent book! I enjoyed finally learning what happened to Maxine’s mom. Now I’m really looking forward to her next chapter and seeing how what she learned and the people she met affect her.

Not the typical cold case book that has made the series popular. This time, Max’s history is explored as she finally gets a lead on what happened to her mother 16 years before. As Max learns more, she gets a surprise that will change her life going forward., in addition to a new love interest. Nice to have questions answered in the middle of this absorbing book.

*i recieved an e arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I normally love Allison Brennan’s stories and immediately get hooked. This one however, I had a hard time connecting with. I felt it focused a lot on the past which I understand why, but something was keeping me from falling in love with the story.

Abandoned
Allison Brennan
I received this copy from NetGalley for an honest Review:
What happens when we are abandoned by the one person who is supposed to keep us safe? This issue and many others regarding abandonment are explored in this novel. Add in a mystery, some art thieves, likable characters and some not so likable and you have a really good story.

I really liked Max, and cheered her on as she tried to find out what happened to her mother after she was abandoned when she was almost 10 years old. Max made a really good life for herself, she is successful yet she can't seem to let go of the mother who let her go.

We get a chance to follow her as she traces her mom's life after she was left; we meet some terrific characters along the way and get to examine the difference in families, ie. one-parent families, large families, families that aren't always the norm.

We also get to hear from Max's mother and I really enjoyed watching her story unfold. Although some of it is predictable, it was still great to see it all played out.
All in all a terrific read!

#NetGalley #Abandoned

This book ripped my heart out and shredded it. It gave me a massive book hangover. There are definite plot twists. Allison Brennan was able to illicit a lot of emotion from me. I was sad, angry and devistated all at one time. It takes a great author to wring such feeling from their readers. I received an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review by NetGalley.