He knows what you want…

Born into privilege, wounded by war, and skilled in the art of manipulation, Warren Baker works like a spider. He weaves plans and plots, drawing people into his web until they accomplish his goals without ever knowing he was involved.

In some cases, his influence is as delicate as a woman's smile. In others, he is a blunt instrument ruthlessly pursuing his goals. All the stories reveal insights into this complicated man and his mysterious quest for power.

Smooth Operator is ultimately about our desires, and how they define us. From ambition to passion, from bloodlust to vengeance, our motivations do more than shape what we are willing to do; they reveal who we are as people.

When you are faced with a critical life choice, what you are capable of?

★★★★Smooth Operator The Life and Crimes of Warren Baker by Gamal Hennessy[ai:Gamal Hennessy|3449923|Gamal Hennessy|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1341614309p2/3449923.jpg]

I was given this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Warren Baker is spec ops. He is employed by RSVP, but due to an injury that has left him permanently disabled, he is a paper pusher. He is a liability, more than an asset. But once you live a life like that, you can't go back to the mundane life of a normal person. And he can not sit behind the desk. He likes to think of himself as an asset manager. I know he is the cocky, arrogant asshole, I should hate, but I'm don't. I might be crushing on him. He's the kind of bad boy, I would defiantly like to play games with.

Getting what you want, from who you want is as simple as M.I.C.E. Everyone is driven by something, you just have to figure it out, and exploit the hell out of it. Money is a great motivator for the materialist types. Ideology is great for the person with strong beliefs. Coercion, works well, blackmail can't be ignored. And finally Excitement, for the thrill seekers.

This story follows Baker and some of the ops he's worked.

Rose Mendoza, is in charge of profits/looses for the company. And she is going for Baker's head. Just goes to show book smarts, isn't the same as common sense and street smarts. Maybe taking her salary, would keep profits up.

I like Trent. He's the adrenaline junkie. Bonus points for throwing PK into the book. What a great entrance and extraction plan. Knowing he can label his ops SNAFU, just adds to my appeal. He can call me Summer or Rain, anytime he wants.

Rita Marlen is a piece of work. Whatever you do don't cross her. I really don't know if I love her or hate her. Towards the end I was warming up to her, but she is so shady, even amongst this group.

Hamilton Chu, love him. He's out spoken, slightly defiant, and a smart ass. But he is a gamer. Shaking my head, I swear they are everywhere, just to raise my blood pressure. I guess at least his game of choice is football. He could be my personal shopper and football buddy. What more could a girl want? With his op being FUBAR, from the get go, you know it has to be good.

Chris Carpenter is a habitual user. He has a way of buttering you up, to get whatever he wants. Never take anything he says at face value, there is always a hidden agenda. He'll do anything to keep his secrets quiet. I'm not feeling Chris. I was really hoping Nikki would punch him in the face, for all his wine and dine bullshit.

I really liked this story. It was fast paced and full of action. And it left me wanting more.

But there were some things that drove me crazy.

*Time jumping- I know it makes for an interesting story. However, there are so many characters, plots, and story lines going on in here, it was overwhelming at times. Eventually I gave up on the whole date and time thing. I think the only way I would have followed it in proper order, since there was overlapping in story lines, would be to make a graph and plot it out. I do think the format is good, telling each persons story, by itself. I think if it would have played out in order it would have turned into a jumbled ball of mess.

*Most of the stories feel unfinished to me. Book 2 is set to come out in Feb 2014, but that is a lot to keep track of for that long. I am left with so many questions.

*Last one, and I'm probably the only person who would wonder about it or need to know it
-What does RSVP stand for? This is driving me insane, lol. Guess I'll just have to make it up. Really Special, Very Private, or maybe Real Serious Violent People. I know it's Really Soft Velvet Pants, wouldn't want someone knowing it is private investigations.

So I have an active imagination, nothing new.

Thanks to the author, I enjoyed the ops and can't wait for more. ( )

★★★★Smooth Operator The Life and Crimes of Warren Baker by Gamal Hennessy

I was given this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Warren Baker is spec ops. He is employed by RSVP, but due to an injury that has left him permanently disabled, he is a paper pusher. He is a liability, more than an asset. But once you live a life like that, you can't go back to the mundane life of a normal person. And he can not sit behind the desk. He likes to think of himself as an asset manager. I know he is the cocky, arrogant jerk, I should hate, but I'm don't. I might be crushing on him. He's the kind of bad boy, I would defiantly like to play games with.

Getting what you want, from who you want is as simple as M.I.C.E. Everyone is driven by something, you just have to figure it out, and exploit the hell out of it. Money is a great motivator for the materialist types. Ideology is great for the person with strong beliefs. Coercion, works well, blackmail can't be ignored. And finally Excitement, for the thrill seekers.

This story follows Baker and some of the ops he's worked.

Rose Mendoza, is in charge of profits/looses for the company. And she is going for Baker's head. Just goes to show book smarts, isn't the same as common sense and street smarts. Maybe taking her salary, would keep profits up.

I like Trent. He's the adrenaline junkie. Bonus points for throwing PK into the book. What a great entrance and extraction plan. Knowing he can label his ops SNAFU, just adds to my appeal. He can call me Summer or Rain, anytime he wants.

Rita Marlen is a piece of work. Whatever you do don't cross her. I really don't know if I love her or hate her. Towards the end I was warming up to her, but she is so shady, even amongst this group.

Hamilton Chu, love him. He's out spoken, slightly defiant, and a smart mouth. But he is a gamer. Shaking my head, I swear they are everywhere, just to raise my blood pressure. I guess at least his game of choice is football. He could be my personal shopper and football buddy. What more could a girl want? With his op being FUBAR, from the get go, you know it has to be good.

Chris Carpenter is a habitual user. He has a way of buttering you up, to get whatever he wants. Never take anything he says at face value, there is always a hidden agenda. He'll do anything to keep his secrets quiet. I'm not feeling Chris. I was really hoping Nikki would punch him in the face, for all his wine and dine nonsense.

I really liked this story. It was fast paced and full of action. And it left me wanting more.

But there were some things that drove me crazy.

*Time jumping- I know it makes for an interesting story. However, there are so many characters, plots, and story lines going on in here, it was overwhelming at times. Eventually I gave up on the whole date and time thing. I think the only way I would have followed it in proper order, since there was overlapping in story lines, would be to make a graph and plot it out. I do think the format is good, telling each persons story, by itself. I think if it would have played out in order it would have turned into a jumbled ball of mess.

*Most of the stories feel unfinished to me. Book 2 is set to come out in Feb 2014, but that is a lot to keep track of for that long. I am left with so many questions.

*Last one, and I'm probably the only person who would wonder about it or need to know it
-What does RSVP stand for? This is driving me insane, lol. Guess I'll just have to make it up. Really Special, Very Private, or maybe Real Serious Violent People. I know it's Really Soft Velvet Pants, wouldn't want someone knowing it is private investigations.

So I have an active imagination, nothing new.

Thanks to the author, I enjoyed the ops and can't wait for more. ( )