Tuesday 30 July 2013

GoodRead - The Cuckoo's Calling

I think we can all admit that we were all shocked/delighted/flailing out when we read the news that JK Rowling had released a book earlier in the year under the pen-name of Robert Galbraith and read the news in the coming days of how the truth came out (the dangers of Twitter and telling your wife's best friend something that is better kept to yourself!). My other half found out five minutes before I did that Sunday morning and, in a haze of "I KNEW SHE WOULD WRITE UNDER A PEN NAME! I KNEW IT!!!" (well played, JK) and ordering it on Amazon, it was only then that I read the sysnopis and went "You know, this actually sounds like something I would actually read while in my crime reading blitz". 

The Cuckoo's Calling is the first book in the series that follows private investigator Cormoran Strike and his new-temp, Robin Ellacott. Several months earlier, one snowy night, troubled model Lula Landry fell to her death from her Mayfair balcony. The Police (and Media) assume that she committed suicide. However, months later, her brother still has doubts and goes to Strike, begging for his help. 

And Strike agrees. Not just because he needs the money now more than ever, but Lula Landry was the sister of one of his old friends, Charlie, who fell to his death when they were children. But as the former war veteran slowly investigate Lula's life and the world she lived in, he can't help noticing how similar - physically and psychologically - Lula was to him. And as he digs deeper and deeper, things get dark and, before long, Strike has to wonder: did Lula really jump that night, or did something sinister and evil happen to her? 

Now, I finished reading this late on Monday, writing this now on a Tuesday and, once I figured out when am posting, you guys are probably reading this on Wednesday so, for me, this is a fast turn around. So, does it deserve the sudden JK hype? Does this book deserve the high praise from crime authors such as Val McDermid, Mark Billingham and Peter James? 

Now, I am very torn over how I feel on this book. Ask me in a week or two's time, I bet my feelings will change to be more one side than the other. But, at this very moment in time, I am in the middle. 

As you guys know, I am a fan of reading crime novels. I still think Kimberley Derting's The Body Finder series tackles crime in YA brilliantly and I am a fan of Kathy Reichs and Tess Gerristen (I have also read Agatha Christie along with the lovely Stevie from SableCaught under the Twitter hashtag #MurderTheyRead some time back in June [was it June? Can't remember]) so reading a crime novel wasn't new terriorty for me, but reading this made me realise that I haven't read enough books in the crime genre than I first thought...

So, let's talk about what I liked about this book. I liked the mystery and I liked reading how Strike was investigating Lula's death, thinking "Ok, this has to be a murder. But... but am I sure that it is? Am I 100% certain that it was a murder or do I hope it was murder?", and because of I enjoyed the mystery, I didn't see the ending coming and that is a good sign of a good crime novel. You don't see it coming! 

I also really liked Strike's and Robin's relationship. At first, Strike didn't want this temp and was determined to be rid of her by the end of the week, but Robin shows herself to be quiet valuable to Strike's investigation. And Robin likes working for Strike who, we see, is wounded by war and by love. I enjoy how these two character, in a way, compliment each other. 

Now... let's talk about the two things that bother me about this book. Yes I have two, don't hurt me. The first was information. I know this is weird, seeing at this is a crime novel as information is valuable, but there was SO MUCH. We had information about the case, about the people who Strike questioned, about Strike's private life and, at times, I felt a little overwelled by it all. I just wanted the information that I needed to figure out what happened and whodunnit. I want information about Strike's and Robin's personal lives - don't get me wrong, I love reading that - but I wish that, at times, it was more subtle. 

The thing that bothered me the most was pacing. I like my books pacey, where they are twists and turns and gasps. I like things a little fast paced. But with the Cuckoo's Calling, it moved very slowly. At times, not a lot happened. Strike interviewed people, one by one, and it took time. This felt similar to Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express (the book I co-read with Stevie). Part two of Murder on the Orient Express was just Poirot interviewing the suspects and Cuckoo's Calling had that same feel to it. It took its time and, at times, I struggled with it because the book took its time. My other half even said that he saw me struggle with times...

The pacing reminds me of my failed attempts to read Ruth Rendell and PD James. Both authors take their time to explain the case and the characters. So, if you're a fan of either of these authors, you might like Cuckoo's Calling. But if you want something a bit more pacey, you might want to try a few chapters before you buy your copy or borrow a copy from a friend or from your local library. 

As for me? Well, I do want the sequel, but I might not be rushing to buy it on the book's release day and, when I do buy it, I want to read it at a leisurely pace. 

Monday 29 July 2013

SMILE - Peasant!



I'm sorry! I saw this and knew I had to share with you. Follow me on Pinterest if you want more of the silly!

Friday 26 July 2013

Cover Reveal of SECRET

Oh, hello! Today is the day where Brigid Kemmerer can reveal the cover for the fourth book in the Elemental series. And I am one of the few who is very honored to show you the new cover. And as someone who is getting into the series, the reveal is quite exciting for me. So, here is the cover and a summary for Secret. TA-DAH!


Nowhere is safe. Not even home…

Nick Merrick is stretched to the breaking point.

Keep his grades sky-high or he’ll never escape his hometown.

Keep his brother’s business going or the Merricks will be out on the street.

Keep the secret of where he’s going in the evenings from his own twin—or he’ll lose his family.

Keep his mind off the hot, self-assured dancer who’s supposed to be his “girlfriend’s” partner.

Of course there’s also the homicidal freak Quinn has taken to hanging around, and the Elemental Guide counting the hours until he can try again to kill the Merrick brothers. There’s a storm coming. From all sides. And then some.


Nick Merrick, can you keep it together?

So... what do you guys this? I am VERY intriguied over the cover as it is so different from the others in the series (this includes the Novellas). For a start, we have Quinn on the cover and no signs of the Merrick brothers or Hunter. The background is different from the others (we have an actual scene, rather than smokey mist). And, unlike the other covers, the title isn't written in white but in yellow. Are these clues? 

Let the fandom rip the cover apart for clues and over the fact Brigid has revealed that Secret is her most steamiest book to date. BRING IT ON!!! 

This book will be released in January next year. For more information, please go to Brigid's website at http://www.brigidkemmerer.com/

But what is your reactions to the cover? Do you like it? Do you hate it? And will you demand that I get my rear in gear and read Storm and Spark

Thursday 25 July 2013

#re3 - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

HELLO! And welcome to my first EVER re3 blogpost. And today, I will be attack that beast of a book aka Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling. While this isn't a review (why review a book I have reread and loved?), I am going to talk about things in the book that I like, dislike, made me want to throw the book across the room and made me want to wail a heart-wrenching scream.

So, let's start with some questions you probably want to know.

WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO REREAD HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX?
My other half. This, out of the series, is his favourite. And this is one of my least favourite. At the time my other half suggested this, I was wondering if I should reread all seven Harry Potter books in one year and he just said I should just read this. So... a year and a half later, I actually got round to doing it!

WHAT WAS YOUR HONEST OPINION WHEN YOU FIRST READ THIS BOOK?
When I first read this back in 2003, I... well... I honestly didn't like this. "NOTHING HAPPENED!" I cried to friends and family once I read it. "AND... AND... AND...!" [insert the wails of frustration and "She can't have KILLED that character off!" here]

WHAT IS YOUR HONEST OPINION NOW THAT YOU HAVE REREAD THIS BOOK?
I am shocked to say that, yes, it has. I do love the series! I want to make that clear, but this book wasn't one of my fave. But now, as I read this more as a political thriller rather than a action-packed wizard duel, I really enjoyed this. There was subtle things that I missed at the age of 18 (that's right, HUSH you mouth!), like the tension between the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts, teachers vs students, the truth vs lies... It was much more a grown-up novel in the series compared to the previous four.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO SAY?
I DISLIKE THE GRAWP SUBPLOT! I DISLIKE it so much! And with the way Hagrid "helps" Grawp, while I didn't noticed the first time round, I read it now and it suddenly made me feel... uncomfortable. And I forgot about "WEASLEY IS OUR KING" (and that made me what to skip pages when I remembered it!) And I now realise how much I HATE Umbridge (I think ALL Harry Potter fans HATE her), and there are now several chapters I love/hate because of the emotional impact they give...

BECAUSE OF THIS BOOK, WILL YOU REREAD ANY OTHER BOOK WITHIN THE SERIES?
Yes. As I said in my previous re3 post, I am planning to reread the third book in the series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. But I have been wondering about reread Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire...

Tuesday 23 July 2013

re3

Why, hello dear readers!

Today, I am going to tell you about a new thing I am going to do on the blog and, hopefully, this one will stick (unlike the fail that was my Adaptation idea [which, come on, nearly every YA book we love has been picked up for a TV show/movie so that was dead in the water before it even begun]).

Today, I welcome you to: re3!


Ok, let me bore you with how re3 was created before I explain what it means. A year and a half ago, I was chatting to my other half, saying I wanted to reread a Harry Potter novel. He asked if I would read Order of the Phoenix as that's his fave book in the series (I know. NO ONE LIKES BOOK 5!). I agreed, after a lot of "Are you Sirius?" gags thrown at him. But once I agreed, I looked forward to it. I got excited. I can plan to start reading it on JK Rowling & Harry's birthdays. I can see if I can read all 7 Potter books. Or maybe read a few and write blogs posts on the fandom's theory of mirroring (which I might tackle one day).

A year and a half past and... you guessed it. I hadn't read it. My To Read pile never allowed me time to slip this beast of a book (766 pages, BTW) in. And the more I thought about it, the more I realised this, as a book blogger, I have never had the time to reread books that I love or would want to reread as... well... my To Read pile would get angry and would scare me (and probably react like this):


So the more I thought about, the more I realised that I wanted to reread books I love, but I wanted to share these books with you guys. So, after a quick thing, this is what I have come up with.

re3 stands for: reREAD, reFRESH, reLOVE.

And it won't be a typical review. re3 won't happen every week/month. It will happen every now and then. No pressure. Also, there will be questions I have to answer (which will be on the re3 page - tabs is at the top). And I can be quite spoilery about it so... That makes writing them easier for me.

But what, I hear you cry, will be my re3 reads? Honestly, I have no idea. I have a few in my head that I want to reread (and that list is quite long and some books are still unplanned but I know the series they belong into [Twilight Saga, The Old Kingdom/Abhorsen, His Dark Materials, etc), but the two I am positive I am going to reread are Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, both by JK Rowling.


The others will depend on my mood, but I do have a list for and, hopefully, I can get you guys involved with my Facebook page & maybe on my Twitter with polls and hashtags on what I should read next so keep your eyes peeled there.

And that's it. I just wanted to write this so you know what's going and hopefully, you guys will to your bookshelves and pick up THAT book you've been wanting to reread for AGES.

Monday 22 July 2013

All Our Yesterdays Trailer!

Book blogger, make-up fiend and all round wonderful human being Casey from Dark Readers was asked by Bloomsbury (the UK publisher) to make a book trailer for the upcoming release All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill.

And here it is!



DOESN'T IT LOOK COOL?! I know Casey has been banging on about reading this book but this looks awesome! Can't wait to get my hands on a copy!

Movie News!

Because of Comic-Con, books-turned-into-movies have filled Twitter. So, here I am, trying to pick some things I think you guys NEED to know.

First, Divergent. While we have no news on the movie as of yet, author Veronica Roth has revealed that Allegiant will be told from Tris's and Four's points of view. The fandom exploded over this reaction! And with 4 eNovellas bring released over the next few months told from Four's point of view, looks like the fandom will get its dose of its sexy hunk.

Next, Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters. The movie has wrapped recently and the logo has been revealed as thus:


Simple, yet looks good. Maybe... this is a sign that we might get an annoucement of Frostbite being turned into a movie soon (too soon! But I know you fans want this movie to be a success!)

Maze Runner. I am bit late to the party on this one, I'm afraid. And I hope to try and read the book before the movie comes out. But, as I'm not sure what's right and not on this, here is the movie's logo.


TRAILERS! Well... two to be exact. The first is Ender's Game, a movie which seems to have split audience's because of the author's views of gay marriage (though I believe he had very little/no input into making the movie to my knowledge). I'm not entirely if I would feel morally comfortable watching the movie because of this (maybe I'll rent the DVD), but I know some of you guys are fans of the series so, here is the movie trailer! 


AND CATCHING FIRE! The fandom seems to have exploded over this and taking apart the trailer for clues of where these scenes are taken from... Yes, we have a trailer and yes, WE SEE FINNICK!!!


And oh, before I go, to all you Avengers fans, it has been revealed that Maria Hill (aka Cobie Smulder) is featured in the first episode of Agents of SHIELD (No news on which UK TV channel will be airing this) but with her commitments to the final series of How I Met Your Mother, she will appear very rarely. But if ABC renew the show for a second season, you never know... And, Joss Wheldon has revealed the title for the second Avengers movie, and it is:



SMILE - This Is Who I Am


Wise words, indeed. 


Thursday 18 July 2013

GoodRead - Burn Bright

I am blaming Braiden from Book Probe for talking me into buying this series. I bought the first (I paid for it) only to discover a few days into read this that the whole trilogy is now being sold on Amazon.co.uk for free! FREE! (At time of review's release, the eBooks are now no longer free. Sorry. Must have been a special...) So insert my sigh here and we shall get on with the review.

The island of Ixion is an escape for runaways. A place of ever night. A place where music, lust and parties rule. A place where there are no rules, and the few the Ripers (the Guardians of the Island) give are simple enough. Party hard but rest when you must. Go to confession every now and then. And don't stray from the well-lit paths, or the Night Creatures will claim you.

Retra only comes to Ixion for one reason. Her brother, Joel, ran away there two years ago and now she going to get him back. But once she gets to the island, she finds herself being slowly pulled into the intoxicating world. But she has questions. What happened to Joel? Who are the Ripers? What are the Night Creatures in the shadows that she alone seems to see? What happens to those who become too old to stay on Ixion? And can Retra remain true to who she is?

It doesn't take long for Retra to realise: when you live in a world of darkness, you also live with the creatures of the dark...

Before I go anyway, the cover. Can we please talk about the cover? Isn't it freaky? But in a good way freaky? It gives the vibe of goth-punk which fits the book so well.

Now, the story. I found it very addictive. I started reading this late Thursday night and I finished this on a Sunday. I was busy on the Friday and Saturday (one family related and the other is kinda secret for the time being...) but if I didn't have these, I would have finished this book late Friday night/Saturday morning and I think I would have dived straight into the second book of the trilogy, Angel Arias. I found the world of Ixion intoxicating and fascinating. This story had a gothic punk edge to it and the idea of this world being so dark and because of this, pleasure and danger seem to go oddly hand in hand.

Retra is an interesting character. When we first met her, she is quite timid and isn't the type of person that would go to Ixion. She doesn't want to wear clothes that revealing nor is she the type of person would be into easy sex and take drugs that seem to ready available to the other characters. But she isn't completely helpless. This is the same with two friends she makes very quickly: Suki and Rollo. Both characters weren't typical YA characters either. Both wanted to party but both characters have layers. Suki is a fighter and, in my mind, win a fight against my man and yet we see moments of tenderness from her towards Retra and Rollo. Rollo is like a character you would see out of the TV show Skins (the UK version, not the US version). He wants to party and will happily take his clothes off in clubs but he's smart and has information about Retra's old home of Grave and her new of Ixion that makes you wonder how far apart they are (though there are times you think "Isn't him knowing that a bit... well... easy?")

The love interests. Ok, I wanna throw this out there. I didn't see or feel anything for the love interests of the human Markes and the Riper leader, Lenoir. I saw nothing with Markes and her. To me, it feels like a crush you would get as a teen. If this is the case, I will be interested to see how this develops or not develop. In Lenoir's case, I'm not sure how to feel about him and Retra. I can't help wondering if there is an attraction between the two of them or if it's because of the bond that they have by the end of the book. I do hope the rest of the trilogy clears it up for me...

There are flaws and problems which I think you guys will guess. I know some of you will hate the idea of sex and drugs being readily available (if this is the case, you might want to avoid this book), but the main problem I had and I think most readers will have with this book is confusion. If you are not on the ball while reading this, you will get confused very quickly. You will get confused over names of clubs, names of churches (if you want to call them that) and names of characters (some of which changed their names halfway through the book to their Ixion names). If you are not with it, you will get confused. I had my reading crime head on so I kept most of it straight in my head (though there are times I did have to go "Wait! Hang on...")

But I really enjoyed this. I got sucked into this dark, kinda messed-up world and I do plan to read the rest of the trilogy by the end of the year!


Monday 15 July 2013

Thursday 11 July 2013

DOUBLE COVER REVEAL!!!

My lovely friends at Stranger Chemistry have a cover reveal for you. Well... two, actually. That's right, TWO! One is a sequel of a book most of you guy have read (and that's still in my To Read pile) and the other is a book I am very excited over. 

So, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the covers of Student Bodies by Sean Cummings and When The World Was Flat (And We Were In Love) by Ingrid Jonach!


Student Bodies's cover was designed by Paul Young and When The World Was Flat... was designed by ARGH! Oxford. 

What to know more about the stories? Well, here you go...

Student Bodies
Whoever said being a teenage witch would be easy?
For fifteen-year-old Julie Richardson and the city’s resident protector from supernatural evil, the Left Hand Path doesn’t give a damn if you’ve found true love for the first time in your life.
There’s someone lurking the halls of Crescent Ridge High School with enough malice to unleash an epidemic of Soul Worms – supernatural larvae that feed on the very fabric of a victim’s humanity. After witnessing the death of one of the most popular kids at school, Julie and über genius boyfriend Marcus find themselves in a race against time to find out who is behind the attacks.
All the evidence points to a horrifying plot at the City Weir during the Winter Solstice; the place where icy waters of the Bow River and a thunderous spillway will mean the deaths of more than a hundred of Julie’s classmates.
If she has any hope of saving their lives, she’ll need a little help from a coven of white witches and an Aboriginal mage whose snarky attitude is matched only by her magical prowess.
When the World Was Flat (and we were in love)
Looking back, I wonder if I had an inkling that my life was about to go from ordinary to extraordinary.
When sixteen-year-old Lillie Hart meets the gorgeous and mysterious Tom Windsor-Smith for the first time, it’s like fireworks — for her, anyway. Tom looks as if he would be more interested in watching paint dry; as if he is bored by her and by her small Nebraskan town in general.
But as Lillie begins to break down the walls of his seemingly impenetrable exterior, she starts to suspect that he holds the answers to her reoccurring nightmares and to the impossible memories which keep bubbling to the surface of her mind — memories of the two of them, together and in love.
When she at last learns the truth about their connection, Lillie discovers that Tom has been hiding an earth-shattering secret; a secret that is bigger — and much more terrifying and beautiful — than the both of them. She also discovers that once you finally understand that the world is round, there is no way to make it flat again.
An epic and deeply original sci-fi romance, taking inspiration from Albert Einstein’s theories and the world-bending wonder of true love itself.
What are you guys reactions? You like? You love? You hate? Leave a comment and let me know! 

GoodRead - Bones of the Lost

I can imagine a few of you seeing this review and going "Isn't this out in late August?", I have my reasons for doing this, the latest Kathy Reichs, now. First, I have a useless memory and want to review this as soon as I can. Second, this is out in August but when I researched it, the dates kept changed so am posting this now. And third, even though I got this from NetGalley from the US publisher (thank you both!), I much prefer the UK cover and, as I am a UK blogger, the UK cover is what I am using.

So, in Temperance Brennan's 16th novel, Temperance is asked to investigate a body of a teenage girl found on an empty road. Simple, you think? Nope. Never in a crime novel is anything simple. Inside the girl's handbag is an ID card of a man who died in a fire five months earlier. How did she get his ID? Did she know him? Is she, what some detective think, a teen prostitute? Or is there something more sinister going on?

As Tempe gets pulled into this case and two others, her personal life is falling apart. Ryan (Tempe's on-off boyfriend) is ignoring her phone calls and texts. Katy (Tempe's daughter), grieving for her boyfriend who died suddenly in Afghanistan, has impulsively joined the Army. And Pete (Tempe's ex) wants Tempe to sign their divorce papers so he can marry his midlife crisis.

Can Tempe hold it all together to figure out how and why her Jane Doe has died...?

As you guys know, I love reading crime. And Kathy Reichs is one of my fave crime writers (even though this will be fifth book I have actually read [but I have audiobooked 4 others so, technically, I have read 9 of her works]) so I knew what I was getting myself into when I started reading this. And it was exactly that. It was fast pace and it kept me guessing. Even when I finished the book and everything was explained, I had to sit down and go "Wait. Let see if I can get this straight in my own head..."

Tempe's snarky humour was there and thank goodness it was as, when the book did slow (not often), the humour carried the story on.

What I liked the most about this story was it wasn't just a crime story of Tempe solving a murder and, because of this, putting her life in danger again (I think she might have a Hero Complex). This felt personal. We saw Tempe being a mother and freaking out that Katy had joined the army. Tempe trying to figure out what relationship with Pete should be. And Tempe trying to go "Why does Ryan not contacting me bother me so?". It has a feel of Bones to Ashes (my first Kathy Reichs novel). Both of these feel personal to Tempe.

Now... I know I enjoyed this and I know some fans of Tempe will enjoy this, but I know that some of you won't like this. And it comes down to two things. The first is the cases itself. There are times I am sure some readers will read this and go "Ok, now we're entering the realms of the ridiculous" (if you have read the story in full, then you understand what I mean).

The second is the lack of technical jargon. In the beginning of the book series, there seems to be heavily-laced with technical information about Tempe's work. Whereas now, it seems much thinner. Some readers will not like the fact that the series is becoming more human aspect driven rather than technically driven.

But I enjoyed reading this. I forget how much I enjoy reading Kathy and that I should read more of her (or maybe return to the TV show, Bones, though I began to get very angry over the whole "Will they, won't they?" of Brennan and Agent Booth [how many seasons/series has that storyline been stretched out for?!]). But I should try and read another of Kathy's novel soon. Maybe Fatal Voyage or Grave Secrets... Or there is a short eNovella coming out soon (or is it today? Will research and let you guys know)?

Monday 8 July 2013

SMILE - Me Before I Have My First Cup Of Tea


And you think I'm kidding...

My thanks to Tumblr. Mainly this one (it's mine/was mine depending if I still have it open or not...)

Friday 5 July 2013

GoodRead - The Sparrow

In September, The Returned by Jason Mott is being published. And, to get us readers excited, his publisher is releasing 3 eNovella prequels. The first ePrequel (The First) was published last month (not read my review? Here's the link) and the third and final ePrequel (The Choice) will be published next month in August. The second was released earlier this week. So, this is me trying to review the second ePrequel, The Sparrow

As a couple drive home, there come across one of The Returned - people who have died and, yet, have come back to life. This Returned is a girl of ten. The couple take the girl home. As the girl remembers her life in war-torn Africa in 1994, the couple's marriage begins to crumble apart...

Out of the two ePrequels, I prefer The Sparrow more than The First. While both were fast reads and both had the first chapter of The Returned in it, there was something about this story that I related to. Maybe it was the couple - Matt and Heather - and how each of them saw the Returned child. Or maybe it was the Returned child - Tatiana - and how she remembered her life in 1994. Or maybe it was how Jason wrote the two stories to complement each other. But, for a reason I'm not sure I understand, I prefer and related to this story more than The First

But, yes, this is a short story that most of you guys will read within half an hour so there wasn't much dialogue or emotional impact. But I now am beginning to see Jason is laying down the foundations to the world he is going to write about in The Returned. My other fear with this is I hope that if you haven't read the ePrequels, you can read The Returned without needing this information or feeling like you're lacking something. 

Wich brings me to my next thought: will I download the third and final question: will I read the third and final ePrequel, The Choice. Maybe... I have been approved to read The Returned from the UK publisher (thank you Mira!) so I might read this before I read The Choice. Or I might just skip it completely... we shall see... 

Wednesday 3 July 2013

GoodRead - Pros & Cons

This came as a surprise read for me. Randomly, on Twitter, I saw some people tweeting about "The Heist" and I went "What's this heist you guys are all about?". Was quickly brought up to speed. The Heist is the first book in a new series co-authored by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg. Janet is the writer of the Stephanie Plum series and Lee is a scriptwriter, TV producer and is an author of several books based of TV shows such as Monk. And this book is about the FBI and con artists. CON ARTISTS! I love cons! And this book seems fluffy and fun (and I am loving fun and fluffy reads at the moment). And the lovely Caitlin sent me a copy of this so THANK YOU! I shall be, hopefully, reviewing this in the coming weeks with some other exciting reads that I can NOT wait to read!

So, while I read the press release, I discovered that there was an eNovella prequel. And, as a taster to see if I was going to gel with the series, I decided to buy this and have a quick read.

Set two years before The Heist (aka the first book in the O'Hare and Fox series), FBI special agent Kate O'Hare has made it her mission to hunt down and bring down international con artist, Nicholas Fox. When she discovers that Nicholas is posing as a wedding planner for "King of Hostile Takeover", Kate knows she's 85% that's Merrill Stubing is actually Nicholas Fox..

Expect, she's only 85% sure. She needs now to convince her boss, Chicago penthouse security and, up to a point, herself. And if she can get into the building, how will she caught Nicholas without disrupting the wedding. And what will happen when the two come face to face?

I really liked this story. It was fun and fluffy. A good summer read. This is a good teaser for people who are unsure if they're going to like The Heist. But I enjoyed this as I read this in one day so reading The Heist is gonna be interesting for me. And, already, I have ideas on whether or not Kate O'Hare and Nicholas Fox will get together/get it on (all I see in my head is Richard Castle and Kate Beckett [aka Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic] from the TV show Castle in my head...). But this series, I sense, is going to be a lot of fun for me to read...