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Commodity
A woman hunted by human traffickers. A hot and dangerous bodyguard. Utter destruction. The end of civilization. The beginning of a new form of currency. Women are now the highest COMMODITY.
349 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 18, 2015
83 people are currently reading
831 people want to read
About the author
Shay Savage
44 books3,788 followersShay Savage is an independent author from Cincinnati, Ohio, where she lives with her family and a variety of household pets. She is an accomplished public speaker and holds the rank of Distinguished Toastmaster from Toastmasters International. Her hobbies include off-roading in her big, yellow Jeep, science fiction in all forms, and soccer. Savage holds a degree in psychology, and she brings a lot of that knowledge into the characters within her stories.
From the author: “It’s my job to make you FEEL. That doesn’t always mean you’ll feel good, but I want my readers to be connected enough to my characters to care.”
Savage’s books many books span a wide variety of topics and sub-genres with deeply flawed characters. From cavemen to addicts to hitmen, you’ll find yourself falling for these seemingly irredeemable characters!
From the author: “It’s my job to make you FEEL. That doesn’t always mean you’ll feel good, but I want my readers to be connected enough to my characters to care.”
Savage’s books many books span a wide variety of topics and sub-genres with deeply flawed characters. From cavemen to addicts to hitmen, you’ll find yourself falling for these seemingly irredeemable characters!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews
May 22, 2021
There’s an Author’s Note at the back of the book that says “Commodity wasn’t planned.” Yeah and you can actually feel it.
The story feels empty and dragged out. Especially in part 2 where it turns into an action movie all of a sudden. For some reason. *shrug*
The story feels empty and dragged out. Especially in part 2 where it turns into an action movie all of a sudden. For some reason. *shrug*
October 22, 2015
4~ 4.25 Stars
”I was her bodyguard.”
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A highly publicized whistle blower, Hannah Savinski is on her way to Washington, DC to give her testimony in a huge human trafficking scandal. On her flights she meets her new bodyguard, Falk Eckhart. Falk’s job is to deliver Hannah to DC in the eye of all the death threats she has received. During their layover in Atlanta, the earth is attacked and most of the woman and children have been extracted. What remains is a apocalyptic predominately male population in which woman are a high commodity.
”I thought I’d already had the worst thing possible happen to me,” I say. “I was wrong though. This is worse.”
Falk remains Hannah’s bodyguard and they do fall in love as these two struggle to survive.
”I bet you wish you never took this job.”
“On the contrary,” Falk says, “this job has probably saved me.”
The story is told in two parts. Part one being Hannah’s POV and part two being Falk’s POV. There were some inconsistencies and what I felt were misses in the story line but…creative license and all. Overall, this was an action packed love story with a kick ass hero!
”I was her bodyguard.”
[image error]
A highly publicized whistle blower, Hannah Savinski is on her way to Washington, DC to give her testimony in a huge human trafficking scandal. On her flights she meets her new bodyguard, Falk Eckhart. Falk’s job is to deliver Hannah to DC in the eye of all the death threats she has received. During their layover in Atlanta, the earth is attacked and most of the woman and children have been extracted. What remains is a apocalyptic predominately male population in which woman are a high commodity.
”I thought I’d already had the worst thing possible happen to me,” I say. “I was wrong though. This is worse.”
Falk remains Hannah’s bodyguard and they do fall in love as these two struggle to survive.
”I bet you wish you never took this job.”
“On the contrary,” Falk says, “this job has probably saved me.”
The story is told in two parts. Part one being Hannah’s POV and part two being Falk’s POV. There were some inconsistencies and what I felt were misses in the story line but…creative license and all. Overall, this was an action packed love story with a kick ass hero!
October 15, 2015
You want different? I’ll give you different.
November 21, 2015
When I started Commodity I had some concerns over whether or not this would be my sort of romance. I should have known that I was going to love it. From the moment I picked it up, I could not put it down.
Falk has a job to do. Get Hannah to DC to testify, and get her there alive. After uncovering links to a powerful man and sex trafficking, Hannah went from whistle blower to victim. Only to survive long enough to be thrust into a new horrific experience.
No one knew what it was, no one knew where the women and children had gone. Falk only knew that he still had a job to do, get Hannah to safety – neither of them knew that when they surfaced the world as they knew it would be gone.
As Falk and Hannah make their way through the destroyed town seeking supplies and shelter a bond starts to form. As they discover other survivors, a camp is made and they attempt to adjust as they sort out what to do. But with nearly all the women missing, one thing is becoming very clear. Hannah is at risk. And Falk is not going to allow her to go unclaimed one second longer.
Commodity blurs the lines between fantasy and romance, but make no mistake that romance is the star of this story. Although we are faced with a situation of complete devastation, the story does not stray too far into the fray. With the lack of females and a new lawless society the survivors herd themselves into packs, some that are just trying to survive and others who are trying to take advantage of the lack of any authority. Falk’s job is to keep Hannah safe, even when it seems all hope is lost.
There are a few things I love about Shay’s writing. One is the way she delivers the male POV in her stories. Not many authors can get that ‘voice’ particularly right, her men are not sugary sweet. The can be abrasive and inflexible – but it is in the moments they show affection for the heroine that we love them. Her men are all alpha – all the time.
One other thing is the non-typical romances we get. I am sure she could write the hell out of a college virgin falling for the campus bad-boy, and I honestly would love to see her do that. But it is about the rough edges of romance with Shay. It’s the alcoholic asshole that is on a deserted island, the sniper turned hit man that can’t walk away from the thrill of the kill or the fighter who struggles to stay sober. It’s not pretty. There is no soft romance to be tied up with a pretty pink bow – It’s sharp and it’s brutal at times. And I love it. Then there is the humor. Because if you really think about it, you get a great alpha hero that is all sorts of a prick at times and you know those types of guys can say some of the funniest things. And Shay gives them their lines – we get an intense story filled with action, a love story that is smoking hot and then we get laughs at just the right time. Laughs that make you apologize to your dog because you just bathed them in soda because you were not expecting her to write THAT LINE!
It’s tough to say if Commodity is my favorite of her books to date because Surviving Raine was epic. But there was just something about this story that I can’t seem to move on from. I can’t yet say if this bumps SR from that spot, but it is pretty damn close.
If you’re a strictly romance reader who rarely strays from the genre, I say give this book a try. The focus is the romance and the rest is just the surroundings, the set up for why they are where they are – doing what they are doing. Nothing overshadows the story of Falk and Hannah and their journey of hope in a new world. For those that are up for anything – one-click this!
August 17, 2023
Upon reading the blurb for the story, it sounded like everything I love to read in a book!
Post apocalyptic
Alien invasion
Ex military bodyguard
Strong h
Survival romance
It is divided into two separate parts. Part one was done well, the MC meet, the beginning of the apocalypse, basic survival, sexy times etc.
Part two was painful, and felt unnecessarily like trauma-porn. The hero went from being such a sensitive and beautiful man, to someone who makes poor decisions, and it comes off as emotionally immature. It was a bizarre flip. And don’t get me started on the heroine…
Spoilers below:
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🛑
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I found it absolutely abhorrent that they were so many men in this world that were willing to rape women. Human traffickers set up a type of “a stable” and men would come from all over the area with canned goods and other items to exchange for a few minutes with a woman.
The heroine was gang raped (off page) right at the beginning of the story. In fact, our hero is one of the bodyguards sent to protect her on her way to testify against those men in Washington DC. So I was shocked that at the end of part one, she is once again being gang raped by multiple men. (Who are connected to the original rapists)
The hero and heroine are separated for over seven months after this. He was wounded, and he’s been searching for her everywhere. Meanwhile, she has been with multiple men every day against her will.
After the initial alien attack, the hero tries valiantly to train the heroine on how to protect herself. Teaches her how to shoot a gun, and basic survival skills. She is an absolute idiot, and fails to take anything he says seriously. He points out people are lying and shifty, she tells him he’s paranoid. He reminds her not to go anywhere alone, so she ignores him and goes places alone.
I adore so many stories written by this author. This book has so much potential, but the final product was barely palpable. It ends with what I’d consider a HEA, so that’s positive.
“We were in need of vast labor forces,” it says. “It was determined that the females and offspring of your species best fit those needs.
Post apocalyptic
Alien invasion
Ex military bodyguard
Strong h
Survival romance
It is divided into two separate parts. Part one was done well, the MC meet, the beginning of the apocalypse, basic survival, sexy times etc.
Part two was painful, and felt unnecessarily like trauma-porn. The hero went from being such a sensitive and beautiful man, to someone who makes poor decisions, and it comes off as emotionally immature. It was a bizarre flip. And don’t get me started on the heroine…
Spoilers below:
🛑
🛑
🛑
I found it absolutely abhorrent that they were so many men in this world that were willing to rape women. Human traffickers set up a type of “a stable” and men would come from all over the area with canned goods and other items to exchange for a few minutes with a woman.
The heroine was gang raped (off page) right at the beginning of the story. In fact, our hero is one of the bodyguards sent to protect her on her way to testify against those men in Washington DC. So I was shocked that at the end of part one, she is once again being gang raped by multiple men. (Who are connected to the original rapists)
The hero and heroine are separated for over seven months after this. He was wounded, and he’s been searching for her everywhere. Meanwhile, she has been with multiple men every day against her will.
After the initial alien attack, the hero tries valiantly to train the heroine on how to protect herself. Teaches her how to shoot a gun, and basic survival skills. She is an absolute idiot, and fails to take anything he says seriously. He points out people are lying and shifty, she tells him he’s paranoid. He reminds her not to go anywhere alone, so she ignores him and goes places alone.
I adore so many stories written by this author. This book has so much potential, but the final product was barely palpable. It ends with what I’d consider a HEA, so that’s positive.
“We were in need of vast labor forces,” it says. “It was determined that the females and offspring of your species best fit those needs.
October 22, 2015
Writing this review was difficult for me. It's Shay Savage after all, my queen of suspense. But I pride myself on being honest when reviewing so here goes nothing...
I was very curious about this adult dystopian story. Premise of this novel is great (the world where few remaining women are most prized commodity sounds unique) so I had high hopes for this novel. However, it didn't work for me and I had to roll my eyes quite often at what was happening. Guess I have been spoiled by YA fantasy/dystopia novels lately and this one fades in comparison.
If you are reader of romance and want something different with unique setting, go for it. But if you are avid reader of dystopian genre and require rich world-building, you probably won't be impressed.
Trigger warning:
I was very curious about this adult dystopian story. Premise of this novel is great (the world where few remaining women are most prized commodity sounds unique) so I had high hopes for this novel. However, it didn't work for me and I had to roll my eyes quite often at what was happening. Guess I have been spoiled by YA fantasy/dystopia novels lately and this one fades in comparison.
If you are reader of romance and want something different with unique setting, go for it. But if you are avid reader of dystopian genre and require rich world-building, you probably won't be impressed.
Trigger warning:
November 23, 2015
SPOILERS
I really didn't think this was that great at all. I was interested because I have been in the mood for Dystopia and I always like it when there's a little bit of romance thrown in, but in this case, the Dystopia served as nothing more than window dressing around a romance that felt weird and fake. There is very little at all to do with surviving in a post-apocalyptic world, as far as day to day surviving anyway, unless of course you consider trying to avoid being raped as day to day survival. There was plenty of that.
There was so much to this story that was hokey. Too much of the plot relied on coincidences and stupid decisions made by the main characters. It's like there was a big, red flag when something major or bad was going to happen because one of the two main characters would do something or make a decision that was completely stupid or very unlikely.
Hannah the main character was working for a large corporation when she investigates an accounting discrepancy that leads her to a child porn/human trafficking ring and one of the past victims just happened to be her sister who disappeared at age 14 when Hannah was 9.
Hannah ends up being dragged into a van and gang-raped by the head of this company and his goons, one of those multi-million or billion dollar companies with a very public figurehead. This is done as revenge for her whistle-blowing. This is very unlikely in my opinion. Wouldn't he just have her killed? Would a public figure like that really participate?
Hannah, surrounded by a group of bodyguards, is on her way to D.C. to testify when the world comes to an abrupt halt. All women and children and domestic animals disappear except for those who manage to make it underground. All the men are left dead in the streets, again except for those who manage to make it underground. (Some kind of alien attack or so most are thinking)
Very little of the population is left and the majority is male - this is because men are more likely than women to have been in a place that was underground or near to underground. This is actually stated in the book. I don't even know what that means. How is it that much more likely that a man would be in a basement than a woman?
Hannah, who is from Chicago and was attacked in Chicago is with her bodyguards changing planes in Atlanta when the world ends. Hannah's bodyguard whisks her to safety and then they make their way to the apartment he just coincidentally happens to have in Atlanta. And said apartment is stocked with guns, ammo and survival gear. How lucky. And how very convenient.
When they finally run into another very small group of survivors, her bodyguard does not trust them at all. So he promptly decides they should stick together and all go live at his apartment complex. How does this make sense? There must have been a 50% off sale at bodyguards-r-us.
He's right. They are bad. They are the nameless faceless rapists from Hannah's recent past. They just happened to survive the invasion. They just happened to find Hannah. Hannah just happened to overhear who they are and the extent of their plans for her.
Hannah and bodyguard must go on the run. Too bad they can't do anything about all the survival equipment and weaponry that must be left behind at the apartment. How very helpful and useful it will all be for future sex traffickers of America Inc., when they get around to re-building their business.
Did I say 50% off? All bodyguards are 75% off.
How convenient to find a VA hospital still standing a few days walk outside the apartment complex. Hannah's tired she doesn't want to go in. She'll just wait outside. It should be just fine. Rapist goons won't find you. Seriously. The award for bodyguard of the year goes to....
On and on it goes with the coincidences and the stupid decisions. It almost felt like the author couldn't be bothered to even try to come up with a plausible scenario that could result in most of the terrible things that happened to Hannah.
And the rapes. Seriously, this book is big on rape. I really hate it when rape is included in a story but there is almost none of the associated emotional fall-out that goes with it. Other than an intense dislike of being touched (except when she's having hot sex with her bodyguard) the emotional and psychological impact of being brutally raped multiple times over a period of 7 months not including the first one are simply non-existent in Hannah.
If there was one redeeming quality - at least Hannah does not fall in love with any of her rapists.
That's the only one I can think of. I really cannot recommend this book.
I really didn't think this was that great at all. I was interested because I have been in the mood for Dystopia and I always like it when there's a little bit of romance thrown in, but in this case, the Dystopia served as nothing more than window dressing around a romance that felt weird and fake. There is very little at all to do with surviving in a post-apocalyptic world, as far as day to day surviving anyway, unless of course you consider trying to avoid being raped as day to day survival. There was plenty of that.
There was so much to this story that was hokey. Too much of the plot relied on coincidences and stupid decisions made by the main characters. It's like there was a big, red flag when something major or bad was going to happen because one of the two main characters would do something or make a decision that was completely stupid or very unlikely.
Hannah the main character was working for a large corporation when she investigates an accounting discrepancy that leads her to a child porn/human trafficking ring and one of the past victims just happened to be her sister who disappeared at age 14 when Hannah was 9.
Hannah ends up being dragged into a van and gang-raped by the head of this company and his goons, one of those multi-million or billion dollar companies with a very public figurehead. This is done as revenge for her whistle-blowing. This is very unlikely in my opinion. Wouldn't he just have her killed? Would a public figure like that really participate?
Hannah, surrounded by a group of bodyguards, is on her way to D.C. to testify when the world comes to an abrupt halt. All women and children and domestic animals disappear except for those who manage to make it underground. All the men are left dead in the streets, again except for those who manage to make it underground. (Some kind of alien attack or so most are thinking)
Very little of the population is left and the majority is male - this is because men are more likely than women to have been in a place that was underground or near to underground. This is actually stated in the book. I don't even know what that means. How is it that much more likely that a man would be in a basement than a woman?
Hannah, who is from Chicago and was attacked in Chicago is with her bodyguards changing planes in Atlanta when the world ends. Hannah's bodyguard whisks her to safety and then they make their way to the apartment he just coincidentally happens to have in Atlanta. And said apartment is stocked with guns, ammo and survival gear. How lucky. And how very convenient.
When they finally run into another very small group of survivors, her bodyguard does not trust them at all. So he promptly decides they should stick together and all go live at his apartment complex. How does this make sense? There must have been a 50% off sale at bodyguards-r-us.
He's right. They are bad. They are the nameless faceless rapists from Hannah's recent past. They just happened to survive the invasion. They just happened to find Hannah. Hannah just happened to overhear who they are and the extent of their plans for her.
Hannah and bodyguard must go on the run. Too bad they can't do anything about all the survival equipment and weaponry that must be left behind at the apartment. How very helpful and useful it will all be for future sex traffickers of America Inc., when they get around to re-building their business.
Did I say 50% off? All bodyguards are 75% off.
How convenient to find a VA hospital still standing a few days walk outside the apartment complex. Hannah's tired she doesn't want to go in. She'll just wait outside. It should be just fine. Rapist goons won't find you. Seriously. The award for bodyguard of the year goes to....
On and on it goes with the coincidences and the stupid decisions. It almost felt like the author couldn't be bothered to even try to come up with a plausible scenario that could result in most of the terrible things that happened to Hannah.
And the rapes. Seriously, this book is big on rape. I really hate it when rape is included in a story but there is almost none of the associated emotional fall-out that goes with it. Other than an intense dislike of being touched (except when she's having hot sex with her bodyguard) the emotional and psychological impact of being brutally raped multiple times over a period of 7 months not including the first one are simply non-existent in Hannah.
If there was one redeeming quality - at least Hannah does not fall in love with any of her rapists.
That's the only one I can think of. I really cannot recommend this book.
January 16, 2016
4.5 STARS
Genre: Sci-fi/dystopian romance, dark & action elements
Cover: 8/10
Writing: 8/10
Heroine: 8/10
Hero: 9/10
Humour: 2/10
Hotness: 4/10
Romance: 7/10
Extra book Details: Heroine & Hero POV; 1st person. Stand alone.
Commodity is sci-fi/dystopian romance with a setting that is along the lines of The Hunger Games & Independence Day. It's jam packed with action, there's never a dull moment.
I loved this book! It's unique, gritty, romantic. There's some very dark parts; death, rape, slavery.. They really added to the impact of this newly dystopian world.
Despite my rating, there is some discrepancies. Some things felt overly coincidental or a bit off;
Even through those faults, I still loved it. You're going to have to suspend some disbelief for this one.
Savage wrote awesome hero, as always, she spoiled us with action, gave us a bit of humour and sexiness, and topped it off with something different. 4.5 STARS for a book that kept me hooked and made me feel.
August 27, 2016
1.5-star
I have to say — the dystopian setting is laughable.
Hannah’s POV in Part I just sounds ridiculous throughout. Then in Part II, Falk’s POV is well-written and he does remind me a bit of the book heroes in Surviving Raine and Evan Arden trilogy by the author.
Commodity is filled with one-dimensional characters, extremely unpleasant, horrible events that make me cringe. Neither love story nor drama is convincing.
I have to say — the dystopian setting is laughable.
Hannah’s POV in Part I just sounds ridiculous throughout. Then in Part II, Falk’s POV is well-written and he does remind me a bit of the book heroes in Surviving Raine and Evan Arden trilogy by the author.
Commodity is filled with one-dimensional characters, extremely unpleasant, horrible events that make me cringe. Neither love story nor drama is convincing.
November 25, 2015
The only reason I finished this book was that I was traveling and there was nothing better on my Kindle. I deserve a medal for reading (skimming) it till the end. I have seen other reviewers comment about the laughable dystopian world-building but that might be the least of this book's problems.
The main characters are both seriously annoying. Hannah, for being whiny and difficult to the bodyguard who is just trying to save her miserable life. Falk, for putting up with her nonsense and being stupid enough to fall in love with her. I know that in his shoes, I would have washed my hands off of her the first chance I got. I would have cut her loose and gone on my merry way.
Both of them together just did not work for me. I had no clue why he continued with his job as a bodyguard after the end of the world. I would understand two survivors working together to keep surviving in a suddenly different and hostile world, but that is not what happened. He was always like, "you Hannah are my only priority, blah blah blah." It made no sense to me. She was a clear liability.
Also, their reactions to the situations they found themselves in were totally off. Falk had a family (and friends, I assume) but not once did he ever think to check on them. I mean, if the world ended the first thing I'll reach for is my family. Not some random girl I met twelve hours ago. But no, it was all Hannah all the time, dragging her sorry ass from place to place. I just could not understand his devotion to her.
With the addition of Hannah being a rape survivor with all the added issues (an aversion to touch and a distrust of men), the book became almost unbearable for me. And I won't mention the half baked secondary characters. Then again, maybe I will. There was the redhead Christine and her husband, constantly making (stupid) jokes about cooking rabbit and .
I can rant all day long about this book. I cannot belive this author churned out this garbage. This book so frustrated me, that I will not be reading any other books by this author. Longest journey ever.
The main characters are both seriously annoying. Hannah, for being whiny and difficult to the bodyguard who is just trying to save her miserable life. Falk, for putting up with her nonsense and being stupid enough to fall in love with her. I know that in his shoes, I would have washed my hands off of her the first chance I got. I would have cut her loose and gone on my merry way.
Both of them together just did not work for me. I had no clue why he continued with his job as a bodyguard after the end of the world. I would understand two survivors working together to keep surviving in a suddenly different and hostile world, but that is not what happened. He was always like, "you Hannah are my only priority, blah blah blah." It made no sense to me. She was a clear liability.
Also, their reactions to the situations they found themselves in were totally off. Falk had a family (and friends, I assume) but not once did he ever think to check on them. I mean, if the world ended the first thing I'll reach for is my family. Not some random girl I met twelve hours ago. But no, it was all Hannah all the time, dragging her sorry ass from place to place. I just could not understand his devotion to her.
With the addition of Hannah being a rape survivor with all the added issues (an aversion to touch and a distrust of men), the book became almost unbearable for me. And I won't mention the half baked secondary characters. Then again, maybe I will. There was the redhead Christine and her husband, constantly making (stupid) jokes about cooking rabbit and .
I can rant all day long about this book. I cannot belive this author churned out this garbage. This book so frustrated me, that I will not be reading any other books by this author. Longest journey ever.
February 26, 2016
this is where i should just accept that the author bores me and doesn't do anything for me anymore. no point in me looking into any more of her works. don't know how she went from being my one favourite author to... this. oh well. i wish shay savage all the best with her writing and goals.
February 2, 2016
FREE ON KU --> http://amzn.to/1W4CcoU
I don't know about you guys, but sometimes I get tired of reading the same old, same old. In the contemporary romance genre the storylines can sometimes feel similar, start to run together, and just become stale. That is why I am so happy Shay Savage decided to shake things up a bit with Commodity . It is so different from what I normally read, especially the setting.
It's the end of the world basically. Everyone has either disappeared or died, and only a very few humans remain. The storyline is one of the most intense I have read in a long time. I literally bit a sore on the inside of my lip because I was so on edge. My fists were clenched and my heart was racing with anticipation for what awaited the characters around every corner.
Although this book has a unique setting and plot, the main focus is the characters. I liked how the extreme circumstances brought Falk and Hannah together and forced them to become close faster than under normal circumstances. The plot drives them to trust and rely on each other under the harsh new world in which they now live. Their connection felt believable because they had natural chemistry they were drawn to. The author did a good job of letting readers really get to know the them. Hannah broke my heart. She had been through so much, however, she was resilient and kept on fighting. Falk was a badass alpha who would do anything for Hannah and to keep his promises.
The ending totally blew me away. There was a plot twist that I was not expecting at all, which made Commodity all the more fun to read. If you are looking for action, a unique setting, and connectable characters then this is definitely a book to pick up.
I don't know about you guys, but sometimes I get tired of reading the same old, same old. In the contemporary romance genre the storylines can sometimes feel similar, start to run together, and just become stale. That is why I am so happy Shay Savage decided to shake things up a bit with Commodity . It is so different from what I normally read, especially the setting.
It's the end of the world basically. Everyone has either disappeared or died, and only a very few humans remain. The storyline is one of the most intense I have read in a long time. I literally bit a sore on the inside of my lip because I was so on edge. My fists were clenched and my heart was racing with anticipation for what awaited the characters around every corner.
Although this book has a unique setting and plot, the main focus is the characters. I liked how the extreme circumstances brought Falk and Hannah together and forced them to become close faster than under normal circumstances. The plot drives them to trust and rely on each other under the harsh new world in which they now live. Their connection felt believable because they had natural chemistry they were drawn to. The author did a good job of letting readers really get to know the them. Hannah broke my heart. She had been through so much, however, she was resilient and kept on fighting. Falk was a badass alpha who would do anything for Hannah and to keep his promises.
The ending totally blew me away. There was a plot twist that I was not expecting at all, which made Commodity all the more fun to read. If you are looking for action, a unique setting, and connectable characters then this is definitely a book to pick up.
October 27, 2015
I've read most of Shay Savage's books. I'm a huge fan. I love the male leads that she writes. They are all unapologetically bada$$. In fact, I'm not sure I can name another female author that does the male POV as well as Shay does.
Guess what Commodity has? Yup, you guessed it. A badass male lead. In fact, almost half of the book is in his POV. I feel like I got my Savage fix. ;-)
Now to the plot. Where to start? OK...the first and most important thing I need to say is THIS BOOK NEEDS A TRIGGER WARNING. It deals with multiple rape scenes. Please be careful if you are considering reading this book. Know your triggers and take care of yourself first and always. The first half of the book dealt with the victim's PTSD, but the second half got pretty unrealistic about the aftermath. In fact, the second half of the book became pretty unrealistic in many respects. It is science fiction, so reality is not part of the story line, however, even science fiction needs a measure of plausibility. I'd say it came close. The plot needed twice the length to be fully developed. Some scenes were detailed purely for the shock value. In the second half of the book, the characters became more than unrealistic, they became implausible.
In spite of some of the drawbacks in the plot and character development in the second half of the book, I would have still given this book four stars because I could still hear Shay's voice. And I love Shay's voice. But, as I do with every book I read, if it needed additional copyediting I subtract a star.
So there you have it. My three big stars for Commodity.
Guess what Commodity has? Yup, you guessed it. A badass male lead. In fact, almost half of the book is in his POV. I feel like I got my Savage fix. ;-)
Now to the plot. Where to start? OK...the first and most important thing I need to say is THIS BOOK NEEDS A TRIGGER WARNING. It deals with multiple rape scenes. Please be careful if you are considering reading this book. Know your triggers and take care of yourself first and always. The first half of the book dealt with the victim's PTSD, but the second half got pretty unrealistic about the aftermath. In fact, the second half of the book became pretty unrealistic in many respects. It is science fiction, so reality is not part of the story line, however, even science fiction needs a measure of plausibility. I'd say it came close. The plot needed twice the length to be fully developed. Some scenes were detailed purely for the shock value. In the second half of the book, the characters became more than unrealistic, they became implausible.
In spite of some of the drawbacks in the plot and character development in the second half of the book, I would have still given this book four stars because I could still hear Shay's voice. And I love Shay's voice. But, as I do with every book I read, if it needed additional copyediting I subtract a star.
So there you have it. My three big stars for Commodity.
November 18, 2015
OK. Don't shoot me, but this is my first Shay Savage book and it will NOT be my last.
I was intrigued from the first page. The characters were real and easy to understand. The motivation was survival and who can't relate to that?
The horror that occurred and continues made my heart ache.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys suspense as well as romance. 5 stars!!! And not my last Shay Savage book!
I was intrigued from the first page. The characters were real and easy to understand. The motivation was survival and who can't relate to that?
The horror that occurred and continues made my heart ache.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys suspense as well as romance. 5 stars!!! And not my last Shay Savage book!
February 10, 2019
Liked it!
Overall rating: 3 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Story: 4 stars
Flow of the story: 4 stars
Character development: 3 stars
Hero: 4 stars
Heroine: 3 stars
Secondary characters: 4 stars
Tone/mood of the book: 4 stars
Emotion evoking: 3 stars
Originality: 5 stars
Enjoyment: 3 stars
Overall rating: 3 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Story: 4 stars
Flow of the story: 4 stars
Character development: 3 stars
Hero: 4 stars
Heroine: 3 stars
Secondary characters: 4 stars
Tone/mood of the book: 4 stars
Emotion evoking: 3 stars
Originality: 5 stars
Enjoyment: 3 stars
June 23, 2024
Unfortunately, this wasn't for me, I have read one prior book by this author which I five-starred so I was expecting to be all over this one. It had so much potential and I usually adore anything post-apocalyptic, add in the alien angle and I thought I was on to a sure winner. I thought the first half was miles better than the second and to be honest, I think it kind of started to lose its way.
The first half of this is told from the heroine's POV and the second from the hero's. Our heroine is Hannah Savinski and after uncovering a conspiracy of girls being trafficked she's attacked and raped. She managed to escape and this story begins when she's traveling to give evidence against these powerful individuals.
Falk Eckhart is the lead bodyguard assigned to her protection, his job was to escort her safely to DC to testify, he's also the only thing standing between her and any others who would now use her for their own ends, everything has gone to shit and she's become a hot commodity being one of only a few females left behind by the aliens. Then there's her past which is swiftly catching up on her. Now stranded and with no idea what has occurred and with limited skills Hannah must rely on Falk for her very survival.
So my first problem was Hannah herself I didn't particularly like her as a character finding her whiney, immature and she had not a lick of common sense. I could have ignored that but the stuff that occurred here was so outlandish it erred on the edge of ridiculous. Furthermore, I refuse to believe practically every single man here lost their morals and turned into a potential rapist, granted there were a few good uns but you could count them on one hand.
The second half was where this really lost me and Falk seemed a different man than in part one, it's like he had a personality transplant. Then there's the fact Hannah spent seven months separated from him experiencing horrendous torment, add in the random alien encounter which was just bizarre. I don't know, this was just a strange one with some very unlikable characters and a lack of believable chemistry between the two main characters. I'd still read this author again but this one was a bit of a fail for me.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
October 16, 2015
Received an ARC from the author for an honest review.
This is a spoiler free review.
This is the first time I've read a book like this. Leave it to Shay to write such an amazing book that left me on the edge of my seat wanting to read more.
It all starts when Hannah finds something on a computer at work that she's not suppose to see. She is then taken by some men who want her dead. When she escapes and agrees to testify against them, she meets Falk, her bodyguard who is ex military and sent to protect her. When she steps off a plane in Atlanta, terrible things happen. The city has been bombed and wiped out. Her and Falk are on their own trying to find other civilians, food, water and shelter. All of the women and children are gone. There are many dead men left on the streets. See what happens when they find other civilians. Are they trustworthy or not? Do you sleep with one eye open? These two are literally fighting to survive.
You seriously need to one click this book. You won't be disappointed at all. And plus, Falk is really hot.
This is a spoiler free review.
This is the first time I've read a book like this. Leave it to Shay to write such an amazing book that left me on the edge of my seat wanting to read more.
It all starts when Hannah finds something on a computer at work that she's not suppose to see. She is then taken by some men who want her dead. When she escapes and agrees to testify against them, she meets Falk, her bodyguard who is ex military and sent to protect her. When she steps off a plane in Atlanta, terrible things happen. The city has been bombed and wiped out. Her and Falk are on their own trying to find other civilians, food, water and shelter. All of the women and children are gone. There are many dead men left on the streets. See what happens when they find other civilians. Are they trustworthy or not? Do you sleep with one eye open? These two are literally fighting to survive.
You seriously need to one click this book. You won't be disappointed at all. And plus, Falk is really hot.
July 27, 2017
6 “GIVE ME MY WOOBIE!” STARS!
I believe this gif described me very well.
Another winner. Another champion. Standing ovation. That's what.
My god. This woman just outdid it this time. I still haven't calmed down from Surviving Raine series and then this. I wasn't expecting ANY. OF. THAT. FUCK. YES.
This might not be everyone's cuppa tea. Hell, most of the people would tend to avoid this kind of book in general. But if you're up for the challenge, well buddy, welcome in.
If you are interested in The Last of Us, The Walking Dead or Assassin's Creed (yeah, might just throw this one for extra credit) then you're all set bud! I get all these scenarios and actions in my little head and how it hit close to home.
It is set in post apocalyptic and the women, children and pets are nowhere to be seen. Men who stayed on the ground are dead. Except, those who seeked shelter underground and a few lucky women.
There are triggers all over this book and if you are not up to it, stay clear from this book. Mention of rape, gang-rape, dub-con, non-con you named it.
I enjoyed my time. Honestly! That was intense and I was sweating the whole time when we reached Part two. I swear I haven’t laughed this hard after the book 44 Chapters about 4 Men.
To sum it all up ;
"You'll never fully understand the power of the woobie," he says with a shake of his head, "but you have a better idea now."
I believe this gif described me very well.
Another winner. Another champion. Standing ovation. That's what.
My god. This woman just outdid it this time. I still haven't calmed down from Surviving Raine series and then this. I wasn't expecting ANY. OF. THAT. FUCK. YES.
This might not be everyone's cuppa tea. Hell, most of the people would tend to avoid this kind of book in general. But if you're up for the challenge, well buddy, welcome in.
If you are interested in The Last of Us, The Walking Dead or Assassin's Creed (yeah, might just throw this one for extra credit) then you're all set bud! I get all these scenarios and actions in my little head and how it hit close to home.
It is set in post apocalyptic and the women, children and pets are nowhere to be seen. Men who stayed on the ground are dead. Except, those who seeked shelter underground and a few lucky women.
There are triggers all over this book and if you are not up to it, stay clear from this book. Mention of rape, gang-rape, dub-con, non-con you named it.
I enjoyed my time. Honestly! That was intense and I was sweating the whole time when we reached Part two. I swear I haven’t laughed this hard after the book 44 Chapters about 4 Men.
To sum it all up ;
"Yeah, it's my woobie."
"Don't make fun of the woobie." Her tone is serious, but it makes me smile.
"Yeah, you better not." I chuckle
November 16, 2015
DNF - 58%
I can't finish reading this book. Huge trigger warning! There are too many disgusting rape scenes. And they are very graphic.
At first, I thought this book very foolish. Commodity is made up of two parts, consisting of two POVs, Hannah's and Falk's. She is going to testify against some crime lord and he is her bodyguard. But the end of the world arrives. Aliens invade us, killing all the men, but abducting the women, the children and most of the animals/birds. Surprise, surprise that the few surviving men treat the remaining women as commodity and breeders alone.
The first part is fairly digestible. Hannah is left with anxiety after being raped. In spite of her situation, most of the times I feel like she's inviting trouble. She's painted as this silly, young woman who needs a man to protect her, but is not wise enough to do as she's told.
As the second part of the book approaches, all hell breaks loose and the rapes begin. I just can't stomach that. Maybe men would regress to such a state where they're no longer capable of empathy. I don't know. What I do know is that this book is disturbing. And it doesn't feel like art for art's sake. It feels cheap and dirty. And I don't recommend it.
Now I'm going for that extra sugarcoated, light romance to wash the dirt away.
I can't finish reading this book. Huge trigger warning! There are too many disgusting rape scenes. And they are very graphic.
At first, I thought this book very foolish. Commodity is made up of two parts, consisting of two POVs, Hannah's and Falk's. She is going to testify against some crime lord and he is her bodyguard. But the end of the world arrives. Aliens invade us, killing all the men, but abducting the women, the children and most of the animals/birds. Surprise, surprise that the few surviving men treat the remaining women as commodity and breeders alone.
The first part is fairly digestible. Hannah is left with anxiety after being raped. In spite of her situation, most of the times I feel like she's inviting trouble. She's painted as this silly, young woman who needs a man to protect her, but is not wise enough to do as she's told.
As the second part of the book approaches, all hell breaks loose and the rapes begin. I just can't stomach that. Maybe men would regress to such a state where they're no longer capable of empathy. I don't know. What I do know is that this book is disturbing. And it doesn't feel like art for art's sake. It feels cheap and dirty. And I don't recommend it.
Now I'm going for that extra sugarcoated, light romance to wash the dirt away.
October 19, 2015
5 Falking Stars.
Falk me.
Review to come!
Falk me.
Review to come!
December 26, 2015
Seriously?!? I put up with that annoying heroine to get to the 60% mark and....!?!?!?!? Really?
October 30, 2015
Very disappointing. I have to say that I loved "Surviving Raine" I was just blown away with all the details and research that went into writhing that book, maybe that was my problem with this book, I was used to reading a story about a guy catching fish with his bare hands to survive, to these guys going to the closest abandon Publix and bringing back all the camping equipment,food, batteries etc. in a buggy.
November 3, 2015
I almost bypassed this book because it's generally not a genre I read. I decided to give it a go because I really liked some of the author's other work. I'm really glad I did. I didn't want to put it down. I was intrigued by the prologue and completely sucked in by the middle of the first chapter.
April 25, 2018
Favourite quote:
In a world where everything was accessible with a few clicks on a smartphone, I had nothing. In a world of chaos where we have to fight for our very existence, I have everything.
That is all.
In a world where everything was accessible with a few clicks on a smartphone, I had nothing. In a world of chaos where we have to fight for our very existence, I have everything.
That is all.
October 26, 2015
3.5 stars
October 27, 2015
TWO STARS (not really, but I like Shay Savage and I can't give her less)
Commodity is a book that captured my attention immediately because it deals with two of my favorite genres: dystopia and romance. An added bonus was the fact it was written by Shay Savage, an author, whose work I enjoy dearly.
Now, what I expected and what I got were two very, very different things.
Upon seeing the words "This is not your typical story" I was sold. However, I feel like this is false advertising, because this is a typical romance story if there was ever one.
For once, the first part of the book made absolutely no sense to the story whatsoever. Matter in fact, the alien invasion made no sense. I feel like the book would have been much better had it started with the second part. The destruction had already happened and people were coping with it. The problems I had with the first part of the book were that Hannah's entire background story was completely ridiculous and was in no way helping the story development. Had it not been written, it would not have made any difference. I guess the idea behind it was to prove that her life sucked before that, but I gather nothing new from that revelation.
Now, Falk (I'm not even going to talk about that name) is so goddamned typical, it pissed me off. Take a collection of every alpha male you've ever read - you've got him. I felt like I've read this story multiple times before, just because of his character.
Another thing that drove me insane was how pliant and damsel in distress Hannah was. When you have a loaded gun and six men come for you, you fucking shoot! Whether or not you score, it doesn't matter. Try to save yourself. I can't even with that part of the book...
Another thing that made no sense was Falk's desire to look for her. Bruh, it's a post-apocalyptic world and you've tapped her four times total and been in her presence all for several weeks. Nobody in their right mind will look for their fling so hard. Had they been married like Christine and Chuck, I would have been more okay with it, but they weren't even together officially a week. Book or no book, that just doesn't sit well with me.
The book was just all over the place. Even writing-wise. No complexity behind the speech, no real thought behind whatever is happening..I know the genre I'm reading, I don't expect "Dorian Grey" but come on! I've read Evan Arden! I know what Shay can do. I'm just disappointed.
I wouldn't really recommend.
Sorry, Shay. Love you to bits, I just didn't fall for your book.
Commodity is a book that captured my attention immediately because it deals with two of my favorite genres: dystopia and romance. An added bonus was the fact it was written by Shay Savage, an author, whose work I enjoy dearly.
Now, what I expected and what I got were two very, very different things.
Upon seeing the words "This is not your typical story" I was sold. However, I feel like this is false advertising, because this is a typical romance story if there was ever one.
For once, the first part of the book made absolutely no sense to the story whatsoever. Matter in fact, the alien invasion made no sense. I feel like the book would have been much better had it started with the second part. The destruction had already happened and people were coping with it. The problems I had with the first part of the book were that Hannah's entire background story was completely ridiculous and was in no way helping the story development. Had it not been written, it would not have made any difference. I guess the idea behind it was to prove that her life sucked before that, but I gather nothing new from that revelation.
Now, Falk (I'm not even going to talk about that name) is so goddamned typical, it pissed me off. Take a collection of every alpha male you've ever read - you've got him. I felt like I've read this story multiple times before, just because of his character.
Another thing that drove me insane was how pliant and damsel in distress Hannah was. When you have a loaded gun and six men come for you, you fucking shoot! Whether or not you score, it doesn't matter. Try to save yourself. I can't even with that part of the book...
Another thing that made no sense was Falk's desire to look for her. Bruh, it's a post-apocalyptic world and you've tapped her four times total and been in her presence all for several weeks. Nobody in their right mind will look for their fling so hard. Had they been married like Christine and Chuck, I would have been more okay with it, but they weren't even together officially a week. Book or no book, that just doesn't sit well with me.
The book was just all over the place. Even writing-wise. No complexity behind the speech, no real thought behind whatever is happening..I know the genre I'm reading, I don't expect "Dorian Grey" but come on! I've read Evan Arden! I know what Shay can do. I'm just disappointed.
I wouldn't really recommend.
Sorry, Shay. Love you to bits, I just didn't fall for your book.
October 25, 2015
*2.5 stars*
Commodity started out promising enough. Hannah is on her way to D.C. to testify against a human trafficker. Falk meets her at the Atlanta airport with his team of bodyguards to escort her safely.
All hell breaks loose. Explosions. Men are dead. Women and children have vanished.
Falk is still under the impression he has to see Hannah safely to the Capitol. I think the mission is what kept Falk going under these new conditions. I thought Savage painted a decent picture of what the early stages of the after effects of a major catastrophe would look like. The split povs with the time jump was a nice touch. And I liked the Ehd reference. That made me squee a little.
But I thought it was way too much of a coincidence the circumstances involving Brett and Caeser. What are the odds? I love dystopian novels but I wasn't expecting this kind of cause for the end of the world. And to be honest - I thought it was kind of lame. The story was okay enough but this made it cheesy. Not my cup of tea.
Commodity started out promising enough. Hannah is on her way to D.C. to testify against a human trafficker. Falk meets her at the Atlanta airport with his team of bodyguards to escort her safely.
All hell breaks loose. Explosions. Men are dead. Women and children have vanished.
Falk is still under the impression he has to see Hannah safely to the Capitol. I think the mission is what kept Falk going under these new conditions. I thought Savage painted a decent picture of what the early stages of the after effects of a major catastrophe would look like. The split povs with the time jump was a nice touch. And I liked the Ehd reference. That made me squee a little.
But I thought it was way too much of a coincidence the circumstances involving Brett and Caeser. What are the odds? I love dystopian novels but I wasn't expecting this kind of cause for the end of the world. And to be honest - I thought it was kind of lame. The story was okay enough but this made it cheesy. Not my cup of tea.
October 23, 2015
I am always fascinated by dystopian-themed books. In fact, I've read quite a LOT of them. Maybe that's why this book had turned out to be unconvincing for me. Surely this is not the author's forte. It was so promising at first but there's just too many things happening that resulted with having no connection between the main characters. Some fvcked up things had happened as well that couldn't just be wrapped up in one book. Some questions and irritating situations/behaviors that couldn't just be ignored.
Disappointed. I've been in a book funk for a long time and this is what I would get. *sigh* Anyway, kudos to the author for taking such a risk. This doesn't deter me from reading her future books though. I just hope she'll take more time writing them. Please don't rush...
Disappointed. I've been in a book funk for a long time and this is what I would get. *sigh* Anyway, kudos to the author for taking such a risk. This doesn't deter me from reading her future books though. I just hope she'll take more time writing them. Please don't rush...
October 30, 2015
Beyond apocalyptic brilliance!
As a HUGE Walking Dead fan, for me this was a real treat!
It felt real ugh...I loved it!
I'm completely in awe of every book that Shay writes, in this one she even manages to give us a terrific HEA in the midst of a destroyed world!
AMAZING!
As a HUGE Walking Dead fan, for me this was a real treat!
It felt real ugh...I loved it!
I'm completely in awe of every book that Shay writes, in this one she even manages to give us a terrific HEA in the midst of a destroyed world!
AMAZING!
October 23, 2016
I had a freebie copy of this one and read skimmed it along with book 4 of the Unexpected Circumstances series. The sellout by the author in the last book of the Evan Arden series, the bad writing and knife-stab by the author in book 4 & 5 (of 7) in the Unexpected Circumstances series, and the swiss cheese plot holes in this one - have solidified Savage as an auto-avoid author for me.
There are a few books I like by this author. However, I find that I don't like a majority of her work. Not sure what she is trying to explore as an author, but I am not taking another journey with her - no matter how short.
This story did not even come close to the blurb. The world building is bad as well as the character development. IMHO, in the last 2 books I've read by this author, the characters are just cardboard cutouts - no depth. The book is boring and full of plot holes. 1 star and on my auto-avoid list.
There are a few books I like by this author. However, I find that I don't like a majority of her work. Not sure what she is trying to explore as an author, but I am not taking another journey with her - no matter how short.
This story did not even come close to the blurb. The world building is bad as well as the character development. IMHO, in the last 2 books I've read by this author, the characters are just cardboard cutouts - no depth. The book is boring and full of plot holes. 1 star and on my auto-avoid list.
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