What About Barnum?

Binary Bounty series # 1

Romance - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
286 Pages
Reviewed on 09/05/2019
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Business owner and author. I am also building a business of fun entrepreneurs to help improve our planet and our lives, the way we feel and the way we look, and to remove the toxins from our household products. Join me: josslandrypage@gmail.com

    Book Review

Reviewed by Arya Fomonyuy for Readers' Favorite

What about Barnum? by Joss Landry is the first book in the Binary Bounty series, and an exciting blend of fantasy and sci-fi, a story of love, crime, and family. And there is more! Millicent “Millie” Brewer has learned to keep her distance from men who are tall and attractive after her divorce. But when the handsome, irresistible Barnum rescues her five-year-old son from drowning, she experiences strange feelings about him. When two murders occur in their hotel, Millie knows she could be in trouble when law enforcement officers ask for her passport.

Away from her mother, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, can her mother, a reputable criminal attorney help her? In the stark darkness of the night, Barnum fetches Millie and her son and gets them away on his yacht. Now, things escalate when Barnum sweeps Millie off her feet and kisses her in what feels like a gentle, yet passionately consuming fire. As their worlds collide, and as their passions become stronger, Millie has to find out who Barnum really is, because the things that happen around him don’t make him seem human?

Joss Landry has the gift of teasing readers, of arousing the most repressed and hidden emotions in them, and then sending them on a ride that makes them look at the stars and wonder if they were not among the characters and part of the enticing story. Her characters are rock solid, well imagined, and there is no way the reader won’t feel like they are just next door. What about Barnum? has a strong and swiftly paced plot, believable and exciting characters, and a conflict that readers quickly invest in to find out how it plays out. An enjoyable read, indeed!

Sefina Hawke

What About Barnum? by Joss Landry is the first book in the Binary Bounty series. This is a book and series that would appeal most to a mixed audience of young adults and adults who enjoy science fiction, fantasy romance stories. Millicent Brewer meets Barnum when he braves a rip current in the Pacific Ocean in order to save her five-year-old son, Jonah, from drowning. However, Barnum did not get to play the hero just once; instead, he seizes the opportunity to do it again by taking the small family on his yacht for their protection when two people are murdered at their hotel. Barnum has proved himself a hero with not only his acts of rescue, but also with his gentle kindness, but who is he really?

What About Barnum? by Joss Landry was a book that grabbed my interest and held it tight from the moment when Barnum saved Jonah until the very last page. I liked the inclusion of the Jalisco drug cartel as it added an element of danger to an otherwise serene romance. I found that the danger served to make the romance more heated and realistic in nature as it provided something for Barnum and Millicent to bond over. I will not ruin the story by telling you if Barnum is human or not, but I loved the mystery of it and the question: if he was not human then what was he, and what were his motives in saving Millicent and her son? The end of the book left me excited at the prospect of a sequel and hoping that the sequel will be available soon!


Faridah Nassozi

When a handsome stranger walks out of the ocean, carrying your five-year-old son whom he just saved from death by drowning, and then said stranger immediately walks off back into the ocean, you will be left with a mixture of eternal gratitude and curiosity. Seeking said stranger out to say thank you again is probably the logical thing to do. However, for Millie, it seems to be more than gratitude that is driving her towards Barnum. But before she can solve the mystery of who Barnum really is, Millie's Mexico trip takes a sudden turn when a murder occurs at her hotel and she and her sister become persons of interest in the investigation. Fortunately, their mother is a kick-ass criminal lawyer, but they will need more than just the law to save them. Will the handsome stranger from the ocean be their savior, and what is his motive anyway?

What About Barnum? by Joss Landry is a captivating story that weaves together the romance, mystery, and sleuth genres. The characters, setting, and plot all blend together perfectly to create an engrossing tale and bring it to life as you follow the web of mystery in which the Brewer sisters find themselves entangled. The sense of mystery that greets you at the beginning of the story holds until the very end, and you will find it hard to put the book down until you find out how it all unfolds. If you are a fan of mystery and murder with a touch of romance, you will definitely enjoy reading What About Barnum? by Joss Landry.