#Books #Review : Too Charming by Kathryn Freeman @KathrynFreeman1 - intriguing, riveting #romance #LLm

Too Charming by Kathryn Freeman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Defence barrister Scott Armstrong is way too charming. Suave good-looking, a lady-killer image and far too many notches on his bedpost, he’s definitely someone single-mum DS Megan Taylor should avoid. Not easy when Scott, smitten by the feisty woman who is the complete opposite of those he prefers his short-term relationships with, pursues her with relentless determination to win her over. Megan has been there though, charmed by just such a man. She’s adamant, for her daughter’s sake as well as her own, she won’t go through the pain of that kind of heartbreak again. Throw the fact that Scott and Megan are on opposite sides, Scott defending the villains Megan has worked hard to bring to justice, and you have a cauldron of frustrated emotion waiting to spill over.

Scott, though, is not the emotion abuser Megan is convinced he is. The author does a fabulous job of peeling away the layers, giving us glimpses of his past until we see the whole of the man whose charm is in fact the suit of armour he hides his vulnerabilities behind. I particularly loved the way Kathryn Freeman handled Scott’s backstory. How, you can’t help but wonder, can such a successful, handsome, smooth-talking man have had anything but the odd blip in his life? No spoilers, but aside from the fact that Scott is naturally, instinctively caring of Sally, Megan’s daughter, his tragic family history is what makes him so determined to make sure even the lowest criminal gets a fair trial.

There are hiccups along the way, a crime case which brings that history and all of Scott’s vulnerabilities to the fore and slowly we see these two coming to see each other’s perspective. Scott begins to understand Megan’s determination to put the bad guys away. Megan realises that Scott’s own heartbreak is what drives him. Can she open her eyes to the fact that he truly loves her though? Can she open her heart? You’ll have to read to find out. If you want an intelligent, riveting romance with a difference, this book is it.

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#Books #Review : Too Charming by Kathryn Freeman @KathrynFreeman1 - intriguing, riveting #romance #LLm

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Forever Mine by @ZannaMacKenzie #LLm #Books #GoddessLit

Sharing … Forever Mine Amber Reed Mystery Book Three by Zanna Mackenzie.  Don’t you just adore the cover?

Forever Mine - “Romantic comedy meets celebrity cozy mystery”

Book Blurb:

When celebrities need a crime solving quickly and discreetly they call in the experts – the CCIA, otherwise known as the Celebrity Crimes Investigation Agency…

Stalkers, shootings and sexy special agents.

All part of being famous, right?

Well, they are for Oscar-winning actress Amelia Kingston when she starts getting deeply disturbing and threatening notes left by a stalker – in her bedroom!

When her boyfriend Ty is shot she calls in the CCIA. The agency sends its newest recruit Amber and her sexy special agent partner Charlie undercover to Amelia’s luxury mountain chalet to track down the person terrorising her.

But circumstances force the agency to pull Charlie off the case, meaning Amber has a new crime fighting partner to try and catch the stalker with – and he’s trouble with a capital T!  He throws Amber’s life into chaos, making her question herself and her abilities as well as her relationship with Charlie.

When events in Los Angeles involving Charlie are splashed across newspapers around the globe Amber’s world comes crashing down.

But before she can even attempt to sort herself out she has to team up with her rogue co-worker and solve this case. Can the two of them manage to pull together and stop the stalker before anyone else gets shot?

Check out this new cozy mystery series with oodles of fun, romance and smart, sassy special agents from the CCIA.

For information, I read and loved the Amber Reed CCIA Mystery Book One: And The Earth Moved. You can find my review here.

Universal buy link for Forever Mine:

http://getbook.at/ForeverMine

Extract:

 “Who’d want to be famous?”

Charlie and I are hovering in the airport’s baggage reclaim area, hoping our luggage has managed to find its way to France too. 

“Before I got this job I thought being a star was all glamourous living, oodles of money in the bank and being worshipped by all your adoring fans.”

The baggage carousel emits several loud clunks closely followed by a high pitched screeching noise before slowly starting up.

 “But now,” I continue, lowering my voice, “I know being famous makes you a target for all the stalkers, murderers and crazies out there. One minute Amelia Kingston is receiving her Oscar for best actress in the blockbuster movie Forever Mine. The next she’s well, you know....”

Beside me Charlie nods and grabs his battered holdall from the baggage carousel. Then we have to wait for what seems like an eternity before my bright purple suitcase puts in an appearance too.

“Still not got the hang of this travelling light business have you?” he says hauling my own case from the conveyor belt.

“We’re staying in a luxury mountain chalet in the French Alps. Who knows what outfits I might need? I can’t pack light for this,” I retort whilst feeling a tad guilty about just how much I have crammed into my case. I had to sit on it to force the lid closed.

He shakes his head. “We’re working, Amber.”

“Yes, but we’re working undercover and the other guests will be glam celebrities wearing designer outfits so I’ll need to have some half-decent clothes with me. I can’t just turn up for dinner every night in jeans and a sweater.”

“Why not? I am,” he replies as we head for the exit, Charlie tugging my suitcase behind him.

Outside the wind is bitingly cold and almost blows me off my feet as we exit the airport terminal and head for the car hire offices. We left behind a warm spring day in the UK but here it feels more like February than May. I pull on a jacket.

See, that’s another reason why I needed to pack quite so much. The weather in the mountains is notoriously fickle. A girl needs to be prepared for sun, snow and rain where we’re going.

This is my second case as a support officer for the Celebrity Crimes Investigation Agency (otherwise known as the CCIA) and I’m still nervous about the whole catch-a-killer side of my work. OK, it’s mainly for the fully trained CCIA agents to do that side of the job whilst I provide, as my job title suggests, support on the case.

I do have a tendency to get a little bit carried away sometimes though and find myself in, shall we say, tricky circumstances. Like on my first case when I ended up in a cave on a deserted beach with a murderer who had a knife at my throat.

Anyway, technically, it’s the agents who are the guys with the special ‘clearance’ to do all sorts of things (sometimes against the law) to solve a case and get murderers put behind bars. Charlie even carries a gun. Which, to be honest, freaks me out just a little.

Author Bio:

Zanna Mackenzie lives on the Derbyshire/Leicestershire border in the UK with her husband, 4 dogs, a vegetable patch that’s home to far too many weeds and an ever expanding library of books waiting to be read.

Being a freelance writer and editor of business publications is her ‘day job’ but, at every opportunity, she can be found scribbling down notes on scenes for whatever novel she’s working on. She loves it when the characters in her novels take on minds of their own and start deviating from the original plot!

Find out more about Zanna at:

www.zannamackenzie.blogspot.co.uk

Twitter via @ZannaMacKenzie 

Facebook 

Thanks for sharing, Zanna. Loving it! Looking forward to reading!

Forever Mine by @ZannaMacKenzie #LLm #Books #GoddessLit

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Kindle Fire or $100 Amazon Gift Card #Giveaway! #BookBoost #IARTG #ASMSG

Well, it’s out there! My latest thriller, Death Sentence - title kindly suggested by a Chief Constable, no less, was recently released and it’s getting some fabulous reviews, including one from a top Amazon Reviewer via Best Selling Crime Thrillers, where the Book is June's Featured Title! Please feel free to click on the image below to see the full review, of which I am super-proud. 

To celebrate, I’m pulling out the stops and taking part in the The Kindle Review Summer Kick Off Giveaway, giving readers a chance to win a Kindle Fire 6" HD just in time for that essential summer reading! Just click on the Summer “Kick Off” Giveaway link below and enter at the #1 site for reader giveaways--The Kindle Book Review. It's easy & fun. If you love reading, it’s definitely worth entering. The giveaway runs June 8 - 15.

While I’m here, I’m 'thrilled' to announce that my previously published psychological thriller, The Edge of Sanity, has been shortlisted for the Crime, Thrillers & Mystery SpaSpa Book Award for books published in 2014.

Thank you so much to all those readers, book bloggers and reviewers, who have made my writing journey so worthwhile. Total stars!

I hope all is well in your world.

GOOD LUCK and keep safe everyone! 

Lots of Love,

Kindle Fire or $100 Amazon Gift Card #Giveaway! #BookBoost #IARTG #ASMSG

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The Rest of My Life by @sherylbrowne - #Books #New #Romance @ChocLituk #LLm

It’s here! The Rest of my Life, my contemporary romance recommended to Choc Lit by WH Smith Travel fiction buyer Matt Bates, is on pre-order now! 

Isn't that cover just dreamy?

Fancy a peek at the video?

A little browse of the blurb?

The Rest of My Life

“You can’t run away from commitment forever … “

Adam Hamilton-Shaw has more reason than most to avoid commitment. Living on a houseboat in the Severn Valley, his dream is to sail into the sunset – preferably with a woman waiting in every port. But lately, his life looks more like a road to destruction than an idyllic boat ride…

Would-be screenplay writer Sienna Meadows realises that everything about Adam spells trouble – but she can’t ignore the feeling that there is more to him than just his bad reputation. Nor can she ignore the intense physical attraction that exists between them.

And it just so happens that Adam sees Sienna as the kind of woman he could commit to. But can he change his damaging behaviour – or is the road to destruction a one-way street?

Want to know more?

The Rest of My Life is only one click away. You can reserve your copy on Amazon now!

AmazonUK

AmazonUS

~~~~~~

In other news, my latest thriller, Death Sentence - title kindly suggested by a Chief Constable, no less - is getting some fabulous reviews, including one from a top Amazon Reviewer via Best Selling Crime Thrillers, where the Book is June's Featured Title! Please feel free to click on the image below to see the full review, of which I am super-proud. 

The Edge of Sanity, my previously published psychological thriller, has also received many excellent reviews and I am now 'thrilled' to announce that the book has been shortlisted for the Crime, Thrillers & Mystery SpaSpa Book Award for books published in 2014.

A huge THANK YOU to all those readers, book bloggers and reviewers, who have made my writing journey so worthwhile.

Keep safe all!

Lots of love,

The Rest of My Life by @sherylbrowne - #Books #New #Romance @ChocLituk #LLm

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Death Sentence #Thriller - @SherylBrowne on Pre-order now! #ASMG #Bookboost #Books

It’s finally here! Already reviewed by a top Amazon Reviewer at BestSelling Thrillers and given a glowing FIVE

review, my new thriller Death Sentence is available for PRE-ORDER on Kindle now!

For info, the title of the book was suggested by a chief constable, no less, who also kind offered me advice on forensics and police procedure. 

Fancy a little peek at the video?

Want to know more?

The book is only click away. Death Sentence: an edge-of-your seat story of revenge. You can get your copy on:

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

Amazon.fr

Amazon.de

And other Amazon domains.

I hope you’re tempted. I really hope you enjoy.

Have a lovely rest of your day all!

Keep safe.

Lots of love,

Death Sentence #Thriller - @SherylBrowne on Pre-order now! #ASMG #Bookboost #Books

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#Review: Police, Lies & Alibis - @JohnDonoghue64 #ASMSG #HLP #BYNR #Bookboost

Police, Lies and Alibis: The True Story of a Front Line Officer by John Donoghue
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Police, Lies and Alibis: The True Story of a Front Line Officer When you find yourself recommending a book to the postman, it’s a pretty good bet you’ve enjoyed it. Actually, I’m considering it my public duty to recommend the last two books I’ve read, Police, Crime & 999 (you can see my review for that here) and Police, Lies & Alibis – The True Story of a Front Line Officer, to everyone I see. If PC Donoghue can spread a little happiness, then so can I. He’s gone and done it again. I’m a bit late finding this gem of an author. I possibly should have listened to the agent who recommended him. Sharply witty and observant of that unpredictable beast, human nature (or possibly totally predictable beast), the man is pure genius, delivering comedic anecdotes that have your chuckle muscles working in overdrive. Apart from the fact that I’ve melted my Lycra (leggings, I hasten to add) whilst reading in the sun, I’ve found myself literally snorting with laughter and clamping my hand over my mouth for fear of the neighbours officially labelling me bonkers. I’ve also clamped my hand over my mouth in dread reading a certain chapter (no spoilers) which, though a stark reminder about people’s propensity to ignore the danger of cars in hot weather, actually ends hilariously. All I will say, is I could empathise with the policeman’s lot. Jack Russells do refuse to let go. As with the first book I read, there are poignant moments, followed by deadpan one liners which just crease you up. There are also subtle reminders that life is too short ‘to waste time weeping’ and a sprinkling of facts that serve to educate the ignorant (me). Seriously, I think John Donoghue’s books should be prescribed on the NHS. If you are feeling down you cannot fail to be buoyed up. But please heed the health warning: these books are sidesplittingly hysterical. Absolutely recommended – as you might have gathered.

Amazon UK
Amazon US

Enjoy!

Keep safe all!

Lots of love,

View all my reviews

#Review: Police, Lies & Alibis - @JohnDonoghue64 #ASMSG #HLP #BYNR #Bookboost

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#Review: Police, Crime & 999 - @JohnDonoghue64 #LLm #HLP #Books

Police, Crime & 999 by John Donoghue
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Police, Crime & 999 I’d heard of John Donoghue before I read him. A publishing agent recommended I have a listen to his anecdotes on Radio Four. That was a while ago and I never got around to it. Recently, noting a few comments on Twitter, I ambled over to Amazon and had a ‘peek inside’ Police, Crime & 999. I knew I’d missed out and immediately purchased the book. John Donoghue has a unique, wry sense of humour that cuts right to the funny bone. I could not wait to pick this book back up when I reluctantly had to put it down for a while, and every time I did, I was literally hooting out loud – I’m talking three of four times in five minutes. Trying to read some snippets to my son, I couldn’t get the words out for laughing. The author has a way of delivering one-liners that catch you unawares and are completely hilarious. It’s an honest look at life on the front line, the first year in service as a police constable. It makes you realise that a sense of humour is a requisite part of the job and probably keeps you sane. It’s Donoghue’s recounting of events and razor sharp wit, though, that enriches the telling. There are some poignant moments – I was getting all teary at one point around sudden death – and then, wham, along came John with a line that had me in hysterics. This book is an eye-opener. The characters (police and criminals) are so real they could step off the page. It makes you realise why our ‘boys-in-blue’ might get a bit jaded on occasion. It also makes you realise they care about what they do (they must do!). It delivers, seamlessly and subtly, facts around crime and fatalities (the road traffic accidents chapter is a reminder to belt up – in every sense of the word). I would quote a few lines but that would be a massive spoiler. What I will say is if, like me, life has thrown a few too many balls at you lately and you are feeling a bit jaded, buy this book, read it. I guarantee it will provide belly laughs that will drag you out of the dumps. Thanks, John. This was just what I needed. I look forward to my next two purchases, Police, Lies and Alibis and Shakespeare My Butt, with keen anticipation.

Amazon UK
Amazon US

Enjoy all!

Keep safe.

Lots of love,

View all my reviews

#Review: Police, Crime & 999 - @JohnDonoghue64 #LLm #HLP #Books

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