Amazon.com: Customer reviews: State of Affairs: A First Family Novel (First Family Series Book 1)

Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2021

I adore Nick and Sam, but this is just....I skipped the last book in this series because the books started feeling redundant. This book was the same way. A quarter of the book was spent explaining scenes to “catch readers up” and it was distracting. I like hearing Nick and Sams story, but the fact that we are on book (insert #) and we are only just about 2 years in is disappointing. This story took place in the matter of one week, the progression was so slow it just felt incomplete. I respect Ms. Force’s ability to write her books and characters the way she sees fit, but this is definitely my last book in this series and unfortunately I will be requesting a refund.

22 people found this helpful

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Anne

Not up to MF standards

Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2021

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I was so disappointed in Fatal Fraud and in State of Affairs that I decided to re-read all books in the Fatal series 1-16 consecutively. This took a little over a week, but it reinforced and further disappointed me with the series. I agree with 95% of the precious reviews that gave 1 and 2 ratings and will try not to repeat the remarks. Just know that I fully agree with them. Up to this point (book 15) I have given mostly 5 and a few 4 ratings. To expand on my displeasure with Sam I found her to be arrogant and self serving. She gives lip service to supporting Nick 1000 percent, but in the same conversation she states that giving up her job is non-negotiable. She is rude to the Secret Service and delights in defying them at every opportunity. Her language at home and at work is crude and offensive and she uses it in front of her children. She regrets that she can't spend time with the children, but usually makes it home at night just as they are going to bed. Nick is more of a hands on parent than Sam. He tries to let her have everything she wants to make her happy regardless of the cost to him. Sam is commander if the homicide division. As such, she must take the lead on every part of the investigation, even if she is called in the middle of the night. I agree that it is important to get justice for the victim, but a good leader knows how to delegate responsibility to her "highly trained" staff.
After re-reading all 16 books (I thought that the murder story in 16 was not up to par) I realized that the series had been written over a period of 10 years and covered a little over two years in the lives of the characters. State of Affairs covered two weeks and we has to wait 10 MONTHS for the next book. It, as well as book 16 both ended with cliff hangers. That turns me off for any author. You owe your many readers a much shorter time between books. A spin off cannot be justified during this time.
State if Affairs was weak on the murder story, long on retelling events that happened in previous books,
and simply a boring read. I'm not sure I will read any more of the "Affairs" books. The stories need more of Nick and the children and a First Lady that acts like a LADY.

To the Editors: All right is always two words. Learn when to use the present, past, and past participle
forms if lie and lay. (Lie, Lay, Lain) ( Lay, Laid, Laid) Lie in the present tense means to recline. Lay in the past tense means he reclined there in the past. EX. I told the dog to lie down. He lay there until I told him to get up. Lay in the present tense takes an object. I told him to lay the book on the table, He laid the book on the table. The past participle of both words taking a helping word - have ,had, has. I won't get into proper pronoun usage, these errors are found in most books that I read and they are similar to fingernails on a chalkboard.

17 people found this helpful

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Average read, not a five star book, much to my disappointment

Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2021

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I have read all of Marie Force's books/series. I was very disappointed that this book was so so sappy and mushy. Certainly not a thrilling page turner: The suspense generally found in a 5 star book was just not there which is why I gave the book an average rating.. And some of the things that Sam does were just plain too super hero/boring/and not extraordinary at all. I was a bit worried this would happen -- everyone runs out of ideas eventually, and I was hoping a change of scenery -- as in living in the white house - would open up a lot of opportunities for Nick, Sam, and the kids. But alas, that was not to be. Parts of the book were just plain "standard" and boring- and the small plots were so expected and mundane. Since I love these series, I'm willing to try the next book - as I know Marie reads all of the reviews and will take this (and other reviews) and try and figure out how to make the next book exciting/dangerous/a page turner... and fun -- rather than some boring story that revolves around making Sam a whining super hero where every other page is either about how everyone loves everyone, how hard it is to be waited on hand and foot, and how Sam can really survive as First Lady while actually fighting crime. Even when she sneaks off, Sam doesn't encounter any "bad" consequences - nor does she really portray a truly hard working cop in a violent world where the President and First Family would actually be put in danger - where even the most normal cop would be in danger. Sadly lacking in imagination, repetitive and just too much gooey exchange of lovey, "dovy" emotions over and over again.
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12 people found this helpful

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A. B. Stoner

Fantastic transition from Fatal to First Family.

Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2021

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I have been waiting for this book since I closed Fatal Fraud for the first time, repeatedly echoing Sam’s first thoughts after learning she was First Lady. I even scheduled a vacation day so I could complete the book as fast as possible without needing to slog through a workday with no sleep - something I’ve never done in decades of reading (including multiple series).

It was worth the wait, and the vacation day. As Marie noted in the author’s note in Fatal Fraud, there was more of the White House side of things than with the Fatal series. That’s not surprising given the new series is The First Family. There’s still enough Fatal there to satisfy, while providing a great series set up for much more to come, both at El Casa Blanca and the MPD. I hope in future episodes we get a little more Freddie and Gonzo, cause they really lost face time in this one. That was my sole disappointment, and the rest of it was awesome enough to make up for it.

Already looking forward to December 21 and book 2.

9 people found this helpful

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Jill Dion

A "new" beginning with the love and fun we can count on... oh and kissing too

Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2021

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Being that I am not a patient person I never read the first chapter at the end of the last book until Sunday pm. I knew from the facebook group what happened but did not want to have to wait for months for the conclusion of that night. This is book one in a new series but do not let that fool you. Please before you read this read the 16+2 books in the Fatal series first.

Nick has been given a "promotion". The one he just last week said he did not want. What the public did not know is why he did not want it. He did not want to spend so much time away from his wife, son and littles and extra son to try and get this "promotion". He also knew it might just be too much for his wife. However he now has the most important job and all the fun that goes with it.

Together Nick and Sam need to come up with a plan that works for all and of course with the love and support of their family and friends they can find a way.

I just love how Scotty is the voice of reason and figures out a way to bring Sam's dad to the their new house. And all the little tidbits of information Nick is always throwing out there.

Here's to a new long series to come.

5 people found this helpful

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Maggie B

Fantastic first but not really first book in series!

Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2021

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This book was so good!!!! The Fatal series is one of my all time favorite series ever, and Sam and Nick are probably my favorite book couple. This book continues the Fatal series really well while also launching the family into a whole new series and place to live.

Nick has unexpectedly become the president of the United States. Everyone’s main question is what will happen to Sam and her job? This book covers this question for the first week of Nick’s presidency, and it also addresses a lot of White House things I’d never thought of before. You get an in depth look at all of the many many many people who work in the White House, how some of the transitional stuff works between presidents, and a little bit of White House history as well!

It was so great to catch up with Nick and Sam and Scotty and all the rest, and this was the first book in what I’m sure will be a spectacular series. This book does kind of end on a cliffhanger, but it’s nowhere near as bad as the ending of Fatal Fraud.

5 people found this helpful

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Peri Cline

A new storyline

Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2021

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If you are expecting another Fatal Series book, this is not one, sort of. There are most of our favorite characters, and a couple of our least favorite. The death of David Nelson is shocking, and is very well portrayed in this first book of a new series. The life changing actions of all the characters is very believable and the slow transition of the characters from shock to acceptance to excitement pulls the reader along on Nick and Sams newest adventure. Biggest disappointment was that Sam did not have an extremely absorbing homicide mystery to solve. Instead Sam had several small mysteries to solve bringing resolution to several victims of crimes old and new. And Stahl is still a scam bag who is not missed at MPD. The descriptions of the White House and the history described of both the public and private rooms was fascinating, I will be looking forward to Sam and Nick settling into their new home and hope that Sam has more involved homicides to solve.

4 people found this helpful

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Lisa D. Gibbs

Nick and Sam move to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave and what a ride it is

Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2021

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I wasn't sure where this new series was going because I loved it when it was the Fatal series but now that Nick is President, well I wasn't sure if it would have the same feel as the old series did. I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, things have changed a bit. Yes, things had to change now that the Cappuano's are the first family. But overall the feel of the series, the love, the passion, the page-turning suspense are all still intact. They are all still feeling their way around but they are still the same Sam and Nick just with tons more responsibility.

Sam misses her dad now more than ever and he will live on in their hearts but also in a new addition to the family, it's a perfect tribute to him. Sam and Nick will be surrounded by the characters we know and love. The addition of Sam's security is fun. I wonder if Nick gave them pointers on how to handle her. I foresee more cold cases in Sam's future and she looks for strings that have been overlooked in past cases. It will be interesting to see what trouble Nick's mother will stir up as well as how the new V.P. will play into the series going forward. I loved this new chapter in the lives of the Cappuano's. Well done Ms. Force.

2 people found this helpful

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⭐Epic start to this new chapter for our fave couple!!!

Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2021

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WARNING: if you haven't yet read any of the books in the authors FATAL SERIES I *strongly* suggest doing so. It will give you much needed background story, character development, and make this read that much richer!

FYI this book picks up where the last left off. Book one in this new chapter of Sam and Nick being the First Family doesn't disappoint!! Filled with mystery, snark (thanks Sam 😉), love and sacrifice. It was so much fun catching up with these characters that truly feel like friends at this point. Enjoy the ride as Sam and Nick go to the White House.... Things will never be the same again. There were a few issues at Sam's cop shop that she delves into in a way that only she can. Gotta admit I adored seeing all the smack done in jest that her friends, family and co-workers gave her *chuckle*. One thing never changed, and that's the enduring love between our two main characters. Bring it on world 💗. Prepare now for a doozy of an ending that will leave you desperate for the followup ASAP 💗. Thanks to our beloved author for consistently bringing us rich, thought provoking, exciting , character driven stories!

2 people found this helpful

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diana jaycox (my friends call me DJ)

Really, a cliffhanger?! I HATE cliffhangers

Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2022

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Marie Force's State of Affairs showcases Ms. Force's talent as a writer. I am fascinated with all things presidential, so a romance about a reluctant President and his wife who is a cop, intrigue me. I picked up the book after reading the profile and was hooked from page one. I love all the characters! They are so well-developed they seem to be real!

Yet, I kept getting the feeling I had entered the book at the middle. I kept going back to the preview and title to see if there was a previous book I had missed. But no, State of Affairs, is listed as book one in the First Family series. Marie Force continued to refer to incidents in her characters past and while I appreciated she caught me up on those events, she wrote as though I the reader should remember the incident,like I read it before somewhere. I admit to going back and re-reading chapters, thinking I had missed something, since I was reading late at night. Maybe I was tired or maybe I was having memory problems? I had hit that "magic" age, after all! It was then that I went back and read the reviews on Amazon. Thank you long time Marie Force readers for the realization that First Family is a spin-off series from another Marie Force series ! Thank the heavens I am not losing my mind. However, a hint in the preview that the reader might want to read the previous series before reading State of Affairs would have been appreciated. Though unlike other reviewers, I was grateful for the frequent recaps to events in previous books. Without those re-caps, I would have been totally lost.

Back on track, finally understanding about the previous series, I got totally into State of Affairs again! The suspense in this story was intense! The romance was sweet and steamy at the same time, a perfect balance just hot enough to be intriguing but not so explicit it was like reading porn! And just when I was really into this story- BAM! It ends! Really! A cliffhanger! I HATE cliffhangers! With a full to be read shelf ,it may be months before I can pick up the next book in the series. This is especially true with this novel as I want to read the previous series. By the time I get back to First Family, I will need to re-read State of Affairs. After all, magic age, old memory not quite like it used to be. So given all that, I can't give this novel as good a rating as Marie Force probably deserves. So sorry as the story had real possibilities.

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5 star		83%
4 star		11%
3 star		4%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

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