Review: 'And the Earth Moved' by Zanna Mackenzie (2015)

One minute you're at work making up horoscopes for the local paper, the next you're teaming up with a sexy secret agent called Charlie and trying to help solve a case for the Celebrity Crimes Investigation Agency... 
Amber’s making up the horoscopes for the local paper and wishing for some excitement in her life when she gets a phone call offering her just that. The call? Heartthrob actor Ennis McKarthy, her old uni boyfriend, begs her for a favour. His brother Joel has been found is dead - in very suspicious circumstances. Desperate to keep the story out of the newspapers and solve the mystery of his brother’s death as fast as possible, Ennis has called in the specialists in the shape of the CCIA. The Celebrity Crimes Investigation Agency has just the man for the job – their top agent Charlie Huxton. 
But Ennis, stalked by journalists and paparazzi, doesn’t trust a stranger to handle the case on his own and keep quiet about what he might discover so he pleads with Amber, wanting her to shadow Charlie throughout the investigation. Much to Amber’s surprise Charlie eventually agrees, leaving her wondering why. What’s he up to? 
Charlie and Amber delve into Joel’s death and soon have their hands full with questioning potential suspects and the victim’s irate ex-girlfriend. Then they discover they’re battling something far more dangerous than they could ever have expected…and it’s not just their growing attraction for each other. Maybe Amber’s life is about to get too exciting…
Last year I was contacted by author Zanna Mackenzie and got the chance to read and review her novel 'If You Only Knew', a romantic comedy which I ended up really enjoying (click here to read my review). So, when Zanna got into touch about another one of her books, 'And the Earth Moved', which was released at the end of 2014, I looked forward to sitting down with a new story of hers. This one also happens to be the first part of a new romance and mystery series that focuses on the CCIA, the Celebrity Crimes Investigation Agency. The description of the story definitely appealed to me, so as I started reading I was hoping for a fun and enjoyable read!
Amber Reed's life isn't that exciting. During the day she works as a horoscope writer for a local paper and in the evenings she's a bar maid in a pub. However, Amber's life is suddenly shaken up when she is contacted by her ex-boyfriend Ennis McKarthy, who is now a famous actor, after his brother Joel has been found dead. Amber immediately goes to Ennis to see what has happened: was it an accident, suicide, or perhaps murder? Amber quickly meets Charlie Huxton, an agent for the CCIA (Celebrity Crimes Investigation Agency) who has been hired by Ennis to get to the bottom of things. Yet, Ennis doesn't trust Charlie 100%, so he asks Amber to keep track of things and follow Charlie. At first, Amber isn't so sure, but as the plot thickens and as she gets to know Charlie, she simply no longer can't seem to stay away until the case has been solved.
'And the Earth Moved' is the first part of the Amber Reed CCIA series and definitely a promising start. Zanna Mackenzie's writing style flows at a good pace and is really easy to get into. I quickly warmed to the main protagonist, Amber, and leading man Charlie has a bit of a James Bond feel to him which I think numerous female readers will definitely enjoy! Both characters are well-drawn and I loved seeing the relationship between them develop as the story progressed. It was easy to connect to all of the different characters, whether it's liking them or disliking them (or doubting them; it's a mystery after all!). 
I personally really enjoyed the mix of genres, since the novel has both romantic comedy and mystery/detective elements. I really enjoyed the focus on the characters and the relationships between them, but I was also intrigued by the murder and discovering who had done it and what exactly had happened. The story also wasn't very predictable, so I just wanted to keep on reading to find out all the details. 'And the Earth Moved' is a light, captivating, entertaining read filled with both romance and mystery. Zanna Mackenzie has one again delivered a fun and thoroughly enjoyable read and I already look forward to the next part of this new book series!

Rating:8,5/10

  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.