Not just any ordinary detective but ...

Blurb:

Phones, light typing ... and murder.

Think breaking into show business is hard?  Try landing a temp job without office skills.  That's the challenge facing aspiring actress Isobel Spice when she arrives in New York City, fresh out of college and deficient in PowerPoint.  After being rejected by seven temp agencies for her lack of experience, Isobel sweet-talks recruiter James Cooke into letting her cover a last-minute vacancy at a ban,  New to his own job, and recently sober, James takes a chance on Isobel, despite his suspicion that she's a trouble-magnet.  His misgivings are borne out by lunchtime, when she stumbles across a dead secretary in a bathroom stall.  With her finger prints on the murder weapon, Isobel sets out to prove her innocence by investigating the crime herself.  While learning to juggle phone lines and auditions, she discovers an untapped talent for detective work - a qualification few other office temps, let alone actresses, can claim.

Review:

To enjoy this book one does have to suspend belief to a certain degree.  But it is rather an interesting setting for this new series of crime dramas - if only all temp jobs were this interesting!

The prose is witty, charming and stylistic, as is Isobel Spice, an aspiring musical actress who is earning a crust while waiting for those all-important auditions hoping that one would lead to her ideal job.  The auditions add an interesting dimension to this whole reading experience.

I enjoyed the interplay between Isobel and James Cook, her temp agent.  Their exchanges are engaging and cleaver.  The characters are given great depth (even in this first book) and are interesting.  Isobel is innocent, likeable and vivacious; she is a recent New York plant.  In contrast, James is more cynical, and has more than a few demons; he is also harbouring a few feelings for his new temp.  When James eventually reveals his demons to Isobel, she accepts them without so much as an eyelid bat; in fact she even defends him in a certain situation.  (It is refreshing to find one of the key characters dealing with a real life problem an how this affects their life and other’s perceptions of them.)

The characters are engaging and it is nice to see that they are not perfect.  Isobel’s propensity to put her mouth into action before she puts her brain in to gear gets her into plenty of hot water but it is quite refreshing.  Even the secondary characters are given the same treatment as the main characters.  All of whom are imaginative and colourful and each has their own detailed background.  Too often authors do not spend enough time with the supporting cast of characters but here the author has paid attention to detail in every way.

I will not go into the story line itself but just rest assured that not everything is plain sailing and there are some cringe worthy and laugh out loud moments during the duration of this novel.  There were plenty of plot twists which were confounding and quirky (like our main character.

Unlike many crime mystery books which have become very formulaic, this series sees the author bring an exciting fresh take to the genre like a breath of fresh air and is very much welcomed by this reader.  I will certainly be looking for more books not only in this series but also by this author.  Not lease because I want to see how the relationship between Isobel and James pan out and whether Isobel eventually gets her dream job.

If you want to read a new, engaging, entertaining and highly delightful novel then you NEED to read this one.

Full Disclosure: I received a free copy from Netgalley for an honest review.

I rated this 4 stars on Netgalley and 'I liked it' on Goodreads (3 stars) and Amazon (4 stars).

Honestly, would one night be enough?

Blurb:

The Billionaire Boys Club is a secret society of six incredibly wealthy men who have vowed success in business - at any cost.  But success when it comes to love is a different matter.

Kylie may be a make-up artist to the stars, but she knows that it feels like to be overshadowed. Especially by her famous boss, the pop singer Daphne. That's why she's stunned - and delighted - when one night at a party, she attracts the attention of a gorgeous stranger.  But when Daphne decided she wants the handsome billionaire herself, Cade Archer is suddenly off-limits for Kylie ...

Cade has known Daphne for years, and always wondered if she might be the right woman for him - even though she never gave him the time of day.  But one sizzling night with Kylie has changed everything.  So why is she suddenly avoiding him?  Fortunately Cade is determined to get what he wants, and hell do anything to show Kylie she can get everything she wants to.

Review:

This is my first experience of reading this author and although this is book six in a series it can be read as a stand-alone novel (which is what this reader did).

It is nice to see that instead of a slim, powerful, wealthy, beautiful woman the subject of the male’s affection (in this case his name is Cade Archer) is none of these but a rather buxom, curvaceous, insecure female is the subject of this alpha male’s desires.  But do we constantly need to hear her commenting on the fact that she is overweight.  Honestly if she is that worried about it she should do something about it!  Honestly this sort of repetition is just padding and shows lack of creative writing.

Another fine detail is that although she is overshadowed in part by a female celebrity this does not detract the male from his infatuation.

In contrast to the wealthy male (he always has to be, for some reason), Kylie has much more to lose in this relationship.  Her previous relationship ended extremely badly for her and because she is cautious with regards to Cade’s advances and his previous history with the secondary female figure; he seems more determined to pursue her.  I could identify with her fears in engaging in this relationship but still found it hard to identify with the people in this novel.

As is inevitable in such novels there is insta-attraction, sizzling sex and the inevitable Happy Ever After ending!

It was lovely to see a novel that dealt with personality over looks but this reader felt that overall this novel was rather lacklustre.  Perhaps this is because I had not read any of the previous novels and had nothing invested in these characters.  So although this novel can be read as a stand-alone book I would suggest that you start and the beginning and work your way through the series to this one.  Then I am sure your experience of this book would be more rewarding than mine.

Full Disclosure: I received a free copy from Netgalley for an honest review.

I rated this 3 stars on Netgalley and 'It was OK' on Goodreads (2 stars) and Amazon (3 stars).

Some things are better off staying lost

To be published on 3 November 2015.

Blurb:

In 930 CE, a revered group of scholars pen the first sanctioned Bible, planting the seed from which other major religions will grow.  But in 1953, half the manuscript goes missing while being transported from Syria.  Around the dame time, in the foothills of the Dead Sea, an ancient scroll is discovered - and promptly stolen.  Six decades later, both parchments stand at the heart of a geopolitical battle between foreign governments and radical extremists, threatening the lives of millions.  With the American homeland under siege, the president turns to a team of uniquely trained covert operatives including FBI profiler Karen Vail, Special Forces veteran Hector DeSantos, and FBI terrorism expert Aaron Uziel.  Their mission:  Find the stolen documents and capture - or kill - those responsible for unleashing a coordinated and unprecedented attack on US soil.  Set in DC, New York, Paris, England, and Israel, The Lost Codex has been called "a masterwork of international suspense" and "an outstanding novel" y Douglas Preston

Review:

I love books that are based on fact and yet make a fictional book based on that fact and this is one of the many reasons I love authors like Steve Berry and Andy McDermott; and now this author.

As other books have reawakened my interest in the Templars for example, this book is re-awakening my interest in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Israeli/Palestinian war.

Karen Vail is a psychologist with the BAU (another plus as far as this reader is concerned) although in this book she took a lesser role behind Aaron Uziel and Hector DeSantos.  The characters are well rounded and the camaraderie between all three is rather refreshing and well written.  What one lacks one of the others has in spades and makes for a good group dynamic.  When they are undertaking a mission off the books they need to rely on their previous experiences, their friendships and contacts but most of all they need to rely on their training and wits.

The book started out reasonably well but then stalled.  This was because of the complex nature of the plot, a few things needed to be explained before the plot took off which did slow the start down.  However, once that was under our belts the pace sped up, too you through the wringer and did not let up until the last sentence.  Yet everything was not plain sailing for the team as they faced some operational problems.  There were just enough red herrings to keep up the suspense and the reader interested.

For action junkies there is loads of it; as we race around the world following the protagonists and the heroes as they try to save the day.  The descriptions of all these countries were so real one felt as though you were actually there (the descriptions of Jerusalem brought back memories of a school trip 33 years ago!)

I have not read any of the previous novels in this series and although references were made to previous operations they were not over done nor did they detract from this story.  However, what did annoy this reader were the constant references to a London operation which did my head in. 

This is my first novel by this author but it certainly will not be the last.  If you want a book that is well researched and explains some of the tensions in the Middle East (and living in Egypt I can certainly say that he has the Arab mind set down pat).  It also deals with the motivations behind Islamic extremists.  Even if these things are not your normal bag but you love fact based fiction you cannot go far wrong with this novel

Full Disclosure: I received a free copy from Netgalley for an honest review.

I rated this 5 stars on Netgalley and 'I loved it' on Amazon (5 stars) and Goodreads (4 stars).

How many guilty pleasures do you have? One hundred or A million

Blurb:

For fans of Fifty Shades of Grey and Bared to You comes a tempting new novel of secrets, lies, and redeeming passion.

Two million dollars secured Noah Crawford the most enticing woman he has ever known.  Initiating Delaine Talbot into a sensuous world of pleasure took them both to the bring - again and again.  But when Noah discovers why the beautiful innocent sold her body to the highest bidder, he's faced with the hardest thing he ever had to so: Set her free.

Lanie can't believe Noah would let her go.  Doesn't he know they share a bond deeper than sex - a connection too powerful to sever?  Not even a treacherous enemy out to destroy Noah or the dark secret haunting the multimillionaire can keep them apart.  But first Lanie has to show him that he belongs to her, even if it means risking everything for a love that can never be bought or sold,

A Million Guilty Pleasures is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

Review:

This was my first experience of a novel by this author and to be honest it will definitely be my last.

The story was not strong and the use of language was juvenile to say the least with constant repetition of female derogative terms.  This novel was weird and not at all sexy.  The female character was annoying beyond words and it was a struggle to finish this book

Perhaps a factor to the reader’s lack of fulfilment in this novel is that she did not read the first novel in the series first.  Therefore where the story continued on from the first novel this reader came into the story part way through.

Don’t get me wrong I am not a prude but I did fine the use of language very derogative towards the female character.  Surely in this day and age we should be viewing the sexes in a similar light. If the male is a weak character portray him as such, likewise a female character, but please be sparing in your use of language.  There is no need for base derogating language for either character.  It shows lack of imagination on the part of the author.  As readers we should be demanding more from our authors (if that is what you want to call them)!

This reader felt that this book and author got close, but unfortunately they were not given the proverbial cigar.

Full Disclosure: I received a free copy from Netgalley for an honest review.

I rated this 2 stars on Netgalley and 'it was OK' on Amazon (3 stars) and Goodreads (2 stars)

Miney Eh Mo!

Blurb:

Two people are abducted, imprisoned, and left with a gun.  As hunger and thirst set in, only one walks away alive.

It's a game more twisted than any Detective Helen Grace has ever seen.  If she hadn't spoken with the shattered survivors herself, she almost wouldn't believe them.

Helen is familiar with the dark sides of human nature, including her own, but this case - with its seemingly random victims - has her baffled.  But as more people go missing, nothing will be more terrifying than when it all starts making sense.

Review:

I’ve said it before and I think it bears repeating I just love English crime drama especially of the psychological variety.  Luckily this one is set in fairly close proximity to where I used to live in the UK (West Sussex).  But why, oh why, do the protagonists/heroes of such novels have to be troubled with deep dark secrets?  Not everyone is that way but then I suppose they would not be an interesting back story to reveal over a series of books!

It was not until I had started reading other reviews of this book that the ‘saw’esque nature of this book became clear – and I stupid or what?!  I for one have no problem with dark book sick stuff, the darker and the sicker the more I love it!  I think I should have been a doctor (I am also addicted to medical dramas on the TV along with zombies and vampires – so a medical/vampire or medical/zombie drama would be right up my street!).

For a change this is a British police procedural novel with a dynamic team.  However, the author neglects to introduce us to them in any great deal (which is a great shame).  I would have loved to now more of Charlie’s back story.  It is nice to see a team backing their boss even if that person is not the most loved character ever.

However, the police are not the only people with grim pasts and tortured personas; the victims are fairly unlikeable too!  Perhaps this is why I am drawn to this series of novels.

As is needed in such novels and in deed in the working life of most women in the UK Helen Grace was a strong steely woman who has battled many demons and preconceptions to get where she is today.

I personally thought that this book was fairly slow to get to the boil but once there, there were many twists and turns that kept the story meandering along until the end.  I would say that there were a few too many points of view that could and probably will confuse some less attentive readers.  Shamefully, on occasion the author does tend to repeat himself (let us hope that this is because it is his (the author’s) first novel and not for the lack of something to say).  Likewise, sometimes the story jumps all over the place and it is not always clear where the story wants to go and again it is this reader’s hope that this is just ironing out the authors narrative technique.

The short chapters caught this reader’s attention and kept her reading until the very end.  Although the story did stall slightly in the middle and the end felt rushed.  The grisly murders and the characters kept this reader reading, not least to find out whom the murder was, which was a great reveal.

Unfortunately, there are some inconsistencies which could have been eradicated with a better editor.  Let’s hope that little things like this are not repeated in the future.  Another thing that annoyed the hell out of this reader was that even though this was a British writer writing a story set in England he used American spellings.  Surely he should have been allowed to stay true to his roots and use ‘proper’ English instead of the cheap American imitation.

All that said this novel will get you hooked in this series (which is definitely the point) and will leave the reader wanting to know more about DI Helen Grace and her team.

Full Disclosure: I received a free copy from Netgalley for an honest review.

I rated this 'I liked it' on Amazon (4 stars) and 'I really liked it' Goodreads (4 stars).

There is nothing more toxic for animals than chocolate

Blurb:

Genre:  Vampires & Shapeshifters

Series: Truckee Wolves

There are three things that Dr Briony Theale loves.  Her job as a veterinarian, a good bar of rich, dark chocolate, and Rico, the ranger in charge of the Wildlife Rescue center.  When a casual dinner with Rico turns surprisingly intimate, Briony realises that she must just have a chance with him after all, if only she could lose a few pounds.  It's the ultimate sacrifice, but Briony goes cold turkey, and swears off chocolate forever.

Rico Montgomery fell hard for Briony the first time he set eyes on the curvy little doctor.  Her rich brown hair and cocoa skin trigger cravings he can barely control, and her fragrance is like the sweetest, richest chocolate he's ever scented in his life.  That's the bad thing for Rico, because to a werewolf like him, chocolate is literally a toxin.  After his pack warns him off the very human doctor, Rico finds himself even more drawn to Briony.

Rico can't live with it, and Briony can't live without it.  And when a certain wandering wolf finds a bag of chocolate in the trash near Briony's clinic, these two will find out just how toxic love can be.

Review:

An ex special ops person is called upon to become a mother to two special children.  This story deals with one of those children – Briony.  A chocolate addicted vet, who is super curvaceous, sexy and delicious smelling (it is rather refreshing to have a voluptuous woman as the object of the male’s attraction), she is able to calm animals with her touch and spirit.

Her love element is Rico, a rancher with a difference.  He loves her in secret especially her chocolate smell.  Most nights he checks on her as she leaves her veterinary practice and therein lies the main point of the story.

Briony has a special skill which eventually means they join the fray.

I did find the way Briony dealt with the rather large reveal too far-fetched even for this paranormal romance.  And even when her adopted mother was let into the secret her reaction was just too accepting.

At the end of the novel, there are just too many unanswered questions remaining.  But then that is the hook to get the reader wanting to know more and investing in the second instalment.

All that said the story is the first in the series and the way the characters are written does draw the reader in.  Even if it is somewhat unbelievable, there was a nice mix of humour, romance and some suspense.  If paranormal, slightly DBSM stories are your thing then you cannot go far wrong with this novel.

Full Disclosure: I received a free copy from Netgalley for an honest review.

Rated as 4 stars on Netgalley and 'It was OK' on Amazon (3 stars) and Goodreads (2 stars).

In the words of Sir Cliff Richard, "Got myself a cryin', talkin' / Sleepin', walkin', livin' doll"

Blurb:

Information specialist Vanessa 'Michael' Munroe has a global reputation for getting things done, often dangerous and violent things.

But her reputation has brought her dangerous enemies.

On a busy Dallas street, Munroe is kidnapped by an unseen opponent and thrust into an underground world where women and girls are merchandise and a shadowy figure known as The Doll Maker controls her every move.

Now everything pivots on one simple choice:  Munroe must use her unique set of skills to deliver a high-profile young woman into the same nightmare that she once endured, or condemn to torture and certain death the one person she loves above all else.

Review:

I am obviously reading this series backwards.  I started with book 4 and am now reading book 3.  And as with the previous novel, this feels like I have come in part way through the story.  I am sure that if I had read the previous two novels I would have got so much more from this novel.  (Without giving too much away, it would be nice if the author could give a précis of the characters and what has happened for new readers starting with this novel.)

As in book 4 Munroe is involved in a scenario that was unwanted but agrees to protect those she loves most.  In this novel the object of Munroe’s focus is an upcoming starlet with equally famous parents.  She required Munroe’s protection.  She initially comes over as a spoilt brat, and not someone that I would be interested in protecting not matter what the cost; even though the hostage is also rooting for her own life.

As a first time reader this author has created a wonder woman.  Is there nothing that Michael cannot do?  She can understand language just by listening to them (which we are constantly reminded of) and can get out of the tightest spot imaginable.  This reader is also at a loss as to what the ending was all about!

Even though this is the third book in the series all the characters and especially Michael still seemed to be rather one dimensional.  They had not redeemable characteristics with which the reader could identify with or latch on to.  And in no way do these characters make me want to follow their stories forward to their conclusion.

This novel was well written but rather wordy and although the plot was well researched the ‘hero’ left me cold.  Indeed the plot was rather too complex for the ‘normal’ reader.  The chapters are too long and the dialogues were unrealistic.

There is just too much going on and too many lesser characters for this reader to care about.  Indeed, I am not sure I would like ‘Michael’; and we do not really know any more about her at the end of the story than we did at the beginning of the story.

Although I read this as a stand-alone novel I would suggest that you start this series at book 1 so that you know the entire back story which seems integral to the forward plot.

Full Disclosure: I received a free copy from Netgalley for an honest review.

I rated this 3 stars on Netgalley and 'It was OK' on Goodreads (2 stars) and Amazon (3 stars).