Review: 'The Dimple of Doom' by Lucy Woodhull (2013)

Failed actress Samantha Lytton is getting along just fine in her lonely little life when a charming criminal called Sam or Nate or maybe even Richmond kisses her, square dances most provocatively, opens his not-so-wicked heart, and gets her in trouble with not one, but two international art theft rings as well as the LAPD. She's either gonna end up in jail or famous. Maybe both. Along the way, she fights for her life, falls for this funny, sexy disaster of a man...and learns that finding happily ever after with yourself is the first step to real contentment. A cute dimple is just the second.
One of the things I love most about being a book blogger is the chance to read and review books I probably would not have heard of or picked up otherwise. I love discovering new reads and giving books a chance; you never know what you might find! Last year I was contacted by Lucy Woodhull, who asked me to review her novel 'The Dimple of Doom', a romance read which was released in 2013 by Total E-bound Publishing. The book is the first part of a series and I looked forward to checking it out!
Twenty-something Samantha Lytton works as a secretary for Steak on a Stick. Her dream is to become an actress, but there are lots of women in LA with her who share the same dream, so that's something she's still working on. One highlight in her life is her crush on one of her colleagues, a hunky accountant named Sam. At the company Christmas party, things finally heat up between the two of them and Samantha couldn't be happier. Until things start to take a different turn after she shows Sam her boss' secret vault filled with expensive art works and he reveals he is an FBI agent who is trying to track down a big art theft ring. This is just the start of a crazy and wild couple of days for Samantha in which she encounters all kinds of things, from being shot at, to square dancing, to really falling for someone whose real name she doesn't even know...
This book is the first part of the Samantha Lytton series and a read that can be described as romance with a good dose of action and laughter. Samantha is quite a fun heroine; she's a bit crazy (in a laugh-out-loud way) and as the story progressed I warmed to her more and more. Every romance read needs a handsome male character and Sam fits this role really well, especially thanks to the mystery that surrounds him. The snappy dialogues between Samantha and Sam were fun to read and the chemistry between them is definitely there, which especially comes forward in the steamy scenes in the novel. 
The plotline is quite entertaining, which is why I personally would have liked it if more attention had been paid to the art theft ring action aspect of the story. I also would have liked more background information on the characters to, for example, see why Samantha makes certain decisions and is the way she is. I've read numerous other reviews and many people really enjoyed the humour in this book. It's a specific, tongue-in-cheek kind of humour, which wasn't really for me, but I am sure many people will laugh out loud at many of the scenes in this book. Overall, 'The Dimple of Doom' is quite an enjoyable and promising read; it wasn't entirely my cup of tea, but I am curious to see what will happen to Samantha next and what author Lucy Woodhull has in store for us!

Rating:6,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.