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ISLAND CHAPTAL AND THE ANCIENT ALIENS’ TREASURE (SPOTLESS #5) BY CAMILLA MONK

June 6, 2020

 

About the Book:

 

Okay, so it starts kind of like Hart to Hart.

He’s March November, a self-made millionaire and former legendary hitman, who now runs Struthio Security, a wholly legitimate business catering to high-end clients in serious trouble—think being in the cross-hairs of a Nigerian warlord.
He works with Island Chaptal, his girlfriend and partner. She used to be a computer engineer, but a lot of stuff happened, so now she’s his CTO and hacks poorly-protected devices and fiber optic cables for him, which kind of sounds like she slept her way to the top, but no, actually.

Together, Island Chaptal and Mr. November fight crime. Mostly. This time though, they’re rescuing Joy—Island’s BFF—who ended up in a Cancún jail after nearly killing her boyfriend’s side chica with a three-feet tall birthday cake. Ancient aliens somehow get involved in this mess, and also a guy name Angel Somoza, who hates sloths. There’s gunfights, frenetic capering from Cancún to Cairo, passionate sex, Roomba cats, and a lot of questionable science thrown in.

It’s the final chapter of the Spotless series, and just another Monday for March and Island.

 

MY REVIEW:

 

I can’t imagine any other book where each chapter opens with an excerpt from an imaginary romance novel! Camilla Monk not only names each charming chapter of this unique romantic suspense story, but she adds in a fictional snippet like so:

“Rica ran to the airport, tears streaming down the perfect oval of her face. Ricardo had betrayed her, shattered their love like a piñata.” —Kerry-Lee Storm, The Cost of Rica #5: Blaze of the Phoenix

I mean, come on! How adorable is that? I also cannot imagine a more unique couple than nerdy Island Chaptal and the mysterious, handsome, obsessive-compulsive March. I also cannot even begin to summarize the plot of this conclusion to the ‘Spotless’ series other than to say there are global locales, zany action scenes and yes, even surprising sketches throughout that are utterly captivating.

This is one of the those series that even when I am reading, I hear the voice of Amy McFadden, the absolutely stellar narrator of the ‘Spotless’ audio books. She literally IS Island to me so if you are at all inclined to do so, pick up the audio versions of these books, they are outstanding!

There is a lot of grief in the world right now so if you are looking for a witty, smart and very romantic series, I highly recommend ‘Spotless’. I am going to even say that you might be able to read this last book as a standalone BUT there would be major spoilers for you. I know there are zillions of choices of books to read out there but this is a completely unique and different series that really stands out from a very crowded field.

And March. Well, let me just say he is tender and tough and quirky and sexy. And a perfect match for our girl Island.

“Happy birthday, biscuit,” he murmurs with that faint British accent he inherited from his father. A better aphrodisiac than Nutella, in my humble opinion.

I don’t know how the author came up with these fabulous lead characters who remain realistic even while still chasing international criminals around the globe. If you have been looking for something different to read, pick up this series. Camilla Monk is a true original and the slow-burn romance is sure to satisfy even the most jaded reader.

“None of them prepared me for March, for a happy ending of my own, and the simple certainty that I’m not alone: somewhere on earth, there was a soulmate for me, a man who reads Wikipedia a lot too and doesn’t need big words to connect with me.”

BUY THE SERIES:

 

Categories : 4 Stars, Reviews, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Suspense Tagged : Camilla Monk, Island Chaptal and The Ancient Aliens' Treasure, Spotless

SPOTLESS (SPOTLESS SERIES #1) by CAMILLA MONK

January 13, 2019

 

About the Book:

 

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.…

Spotless marks the beginning of Island and March’s ongoing adventures.

4.5 Stars!!

Fantastic and refreshing and SO creative! The narrator Amy McFadden was fabulous. I have a new obsession and her name is Camilla Monk.

“Here’s one secret no one will tell you about getting laid after a date. DON’T TALK. Most girls blame either their looks or excessive timidity for their virginity. This is only true to an extent. These girls are also horribly annoying.”
—Aurelia Nichols & Jillie Bean, 101 Tips to Lose Your Virginity after 25”

Yes, the author begins each chapter with a parody of a romance novel because our adorable heroine Island is a romance junkie. I literally laughed out loud at the beginning of each chapter! What a creative twist! Now on to the plot.

March is a suave, handsome professional who breaks into Island’s apartment searching for a rare diamond that her mother stole many years ago. Oh, and March has OCD. I was hooked! March literally organizes Island’s messy apartment while holding her prisoner, much to her obvious dismay. And confusion.

“My knees buckled when I opened my underwear drawer–neatly folded and sorted by fricking color. March. I made damn sure I messed my stuff back into complete chaos while I fished for a bra and a pair of panties. This was a question of honor.”

I read and listen to a lot of books and ‘Spotless’ is an absolute delight. I already started listening to ‘Beating Ruby’ which is saying a LOT seeing as a I have a fairly short attention span for book series.

‘Spotless’ is one of those rare books that is smart, funny, sarcastic AND romantic. Yes, it is a story of a hitman and a virgin (the author’s own words!) but it is also a fast-paced romantic suspense story with nuanced characters, exotic locales and very flawed main characters.

“I’m sorry for being a little tense, Island. I suppose I’m not used to having guests in the front seat. My clients usually ride in the trunk, you know.”

March is exceedingly well-mannered and it is isn’t long before Island falls in love with this quirky professional hitman with his own code of honor. The story literally takes place all over the globe following clues left behind of Island’s mother. March obviously has a tender side but he is a dangerous man and doesn’t allow Island to grow too close to him. And she is still trying to figure out how to lose her V-card.

“I had sometimes met guys who looked like they worked out a lot; however, overly conservative social boundaries had restrained me from tearing their shirts open in public to check the goods.”

I feel like I have stumbled onto a treasure chest with the Spotless series. Why is Camilla Monk not a household word?? AND WHY HASN’T THIS SERIES BEEN MADE INTO A MOVIE YET? Or at least a mini-series. The characters are all unique, quirky and self-deprecating. While the reader is required to suspend disbelief in some parts, overall this is an addictive story with a top-notch narrator. Who, by the way, must speak several different languages throughout the book.

I highly recommend this fun book for both the unique cast of characters and yes, even for the chapter headings. Each one is a gem. I am looking forward to bingeing on this entire series!

 

THE SPOTLESS SERIES:

Categories : 4.5 Stars, Action Romance, Audiobook, Contemporary Romance, Humor, Reviews, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Suspense Tagged : Camilla Monk, Spotless, Spotless Series

Book Blitz + Giveaway: BUTTERFLY IN AMBER (SPOTLESS #4) by CAMILLA MONK

May 10, 2017



Butterfly in Amber
Camilla Monk
(Spotless #4)
Publication date: May 12th 2017
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Romance

He’s waiting for you…

Under a blanket of snow, surrounded by dark woods and a frozen sea, lies an ogre’s castle. There lives a little princess, trapped in the maze of her own mind.
On a battlefield where the past meets the present stand a fairy godmother and a pirate, an old ice cream man and a knight in shining clean armor…
The clock is ticking fast, and to pierce the ogre’s secrets and defeat him, Island Chaptal will have to fight to remember…and stay alive.

Can the Lions and the Roomba cats be stopped before it’s too late?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

—

EXCERPT:

I didn’t mean to, but I just dropped my glass again. It still happens—less than it used to. From time to time, my hands will shake uncontrollably, and whatever I’m holding will go crash, splatter, scatter on the floor, for Stiles to pick and clean up, as always.

“I’m sorry,” I say, without looking at him.

As he carefully mops the purple mess of broken glass and grape juice on the tiling, he smiles that sweet, empty smile he always gives me. Faded, like his baby blue eyes. “It’s all right; we’re good. That marble has seen worse.”

I mumble another apology, gazing past him and through the bay window, at the ghostly silhouettes of the snow-covered pines surrounding the castle. You can’t see the Baltic Sea, but it’s there, beyond the trees, encircling the island. My father sent me here to rest because he says it’s quiet; it’ll help me find myself again. “An island for Island,” he said, and it made him chuckle. When I’m depressed though, which is more often than I like to admit, I just think my world has shrunk to a mile-long rock.

“Island, are you still with me?”

I look up at Stiles and nod automatically, but in truth, for a second I didn’t recognize him. I mean, I did, but it’s his voice or, rather, his accent. He told me once he was born in a place called Denton, in Georgia, where time trickled slowly and people squeezed their pennies so hard the eagle screamed. He said he spent sixteen years there, hunting quail, skipping church, and waiting for something to happen—according to him, the rest of the town is probably still waiting. All he kept from his hometown is a soft drawl that will occasionally weigh on his vowels. There’s nothing wrong with that, but every time he opens his mouth, it’s like my brain is expecting something more, someone else, until the feeling is gone, and I remember that it’s just Stiles.

I don’t know; it’s just one of the many things that are wrong with me. I guess I’m still pretty messed up since my accident. I feel slow, confused most of the time. Everybody tells me it’s normal, that eight months is not much to recover from the kind of trauma I went through, that maybe it’ll take years. I hope not. I turned twenty-six in September, and I’d rather not stay a convalescent child for the rest of my life.

Once he’s done wiping the last pinkish smear, Stiles wastes no time crossing the kitchen and opening the fridge to grab the bottle of juice again. He reminds me of a big robot: The man is cut like a Terminator, and he never gives up, never gets distracted. I drop the glass where he put my meds? He’ll fetch another one. I never tried, but I’m pretty sure that if I dropped it ten times, he’d fix it all over again ten times too. Always the same gray dress pants, white shirt, and black tie every day, always the same blond crew cut I suspect never grows. I could complain he also looks forty every day, but that’d be unfair: it’s not like I’ve known him for so long.

My heart skips a beat at the distressing thought. I have. I’ve known him almost all my life, since the day my father hired him to take care of me. Bodyguard, nanny, nurse . . . friend, maybe?

How could I know? I don’t remember any of that.


Author Bio:

Camilla Monk is a French native who grew up in a Franco-American family. After finishing her studies, she taught English and French in Tokyo before returning to France to work in advertising. Today, she builds rickety websites for financial companies and lives in Montreal, where she keeps a close watch on the squirrels and complains on a daily basis about the egregious number of Tim Hortons.
Her writing credits include the English resumes and cover letters of a great many French friends, and some essays as well. She’s also the critically acclaimed author of a few passive-aggressive notes pasted in her building’s elevator.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter


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Categories : Adult, Mystery, Release Blitz, Romance Tagged : Butterfly in Amber, Camilla Monk

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