Spotless ~ BRC
Today I am reviewing and am reviewed! Time for another round of Book Review Club, and this month, I am reviewing SPOTLESS by Camilla Monk, and our host, Barrie Summy, is reviewing my August 24th release, JUST SAY YES, so be sure to click over to see what she thought. (I know I will be!)
From Amazon:
Island Chaptal—nerdy IT engineer by day, romance novel junkie by night—just walked into her messy New York apartment to find Mr. Right waiting for her. No, wait…Mr. Clean.
A gentleman professional killer with a bad case of OCD and zero tolerance for unsorted laundry, March isn’t there to kill her…yet. He wants the diamond her late mother stole for a sinister criminal organization. Island agrees to help him find it, facing the kind of adversaries who dismember first and ask questions later. Good thing she’s got March to show her the ropes. And the guns. And the knives.
The buttoned-up Island is soon having a blast racing from Paris to Tokyo following the clues in her mother’s will, and for the first time, she’s ready to get close to someone. But falling for a hit man may be the very definition of loving dangerously.
Basically, this book has all the thrilling action sequences of a Bond film, all the humor of a caper novel, and plenty of tension-filled romantic scenes. Which is ironic because this book is also a parody of romance novels. In fact, each chapter begins with a completely over-the-top snippet from an imaginary (I hope they’re imaginary!) romance novel.
Chapter Two:
“‘Shouldn’t she feel guilty that she was allowing this werewolf to force himself on her? But he was so perfect and well-muscled! Cindee’s body reacted instantly.’ – Gilda Sapphire, Scorching Passion of the Billionaire Werewolf”
(Let me assure you: not all romances are quite so silly and cliched as these snippets. I may write romance, but I admit, some of the tropes are a little ridiculous and the reactions of some heroines are even more so.) So I loved the snippets! All in all, SPOTLESS is smart, and funny, and totally entertaining. Island’s romantic soul is the perfect counterpoint to March’s tortured one, and just when you think, maybe, things are getting a little too intense, Monk offers up the perfect catharsis in the form of a hilarious comment or situation.
It was pure escapism and I loved it! The sequel to this romp, BEATING RUBY, is out in January, and I. CANNOT. WAIT.
Side note: This book (which I purchased) is published by Montlake Publishing, an Amazon imprint. Over the summer, I read several books from Thomas and Mercer, another Amazon imprint, that I quite enjoyed. I recommend both The Detective Lavender Mysteries and the Very English Mysteries.
In other news, there is an Amazon giveaway for a print copy of JUST SAY YES going on right now, if you’re interested. 
And don’t forget to click through to read some amazing reviews posted this month!
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@Barrie Summy
09/09/2015 at 5:56 am
Wouldn’t you just love to sit around with friends and come up with the snippets?! Thanks for reviewing. This looks like a very fun book!
09/09/2015 at 3:55 pm
I *would* love that, Barrie! Sounds like a fun pastime for a girls’ weekend. 😉
09/09/2015 at 11:54 am
Sounds charming.
09/09/2015 at 3:55 pm
It really was, Patti!
09/09/2015 at 1:27 pm
Sounds entertaining. A good beach read for people who still have nice weather.
09/09/2015 at 3:56 pm
What are you saying, Stacy? That you have fall weather?? I’m definitely envious. It is still mid-90s here. Gah!
09/09/2015 at 6:09 pm
This sounds like a hoot! Added to my wish list.
Congratulations on your new release and Barrie’s wonderful review.
09/09/2015 at 7:06 pm
Thank you, Linda! Barrie is awesome! 😉
I hope you enjoy Spotless!
09/09/2015 at 9:46 pm
Great review! This sounds like fun… And thanks for mentioning the contest for your book. I didn’t win, but I did order the Kindle version. Looking forward to reading it when I’m feeling blue!
09/10/2015 at 7:04 pm
Aw, thanks Rob! I hope it pulls you out of the doldrums, whenever you get around to reading.
09/10/2015 at 6:50 pm
Sounds like a fun satire and more. I can understand your ambivalence now that I’m reworking my YA WIP to emphasize the romance plot. Just because some romances are over the top and full of cliche does not mean that all are that way. Congrats on your latest!
09/10/2015 at 7:05 pm
Thank you, Sarah! Best of luck with your WIP–you know I love a romance plot!