Review: 'Precious' by Zanna Mackenzie (2014)

Who would want to murder former pop star Flynn Garrison? 
That’s exactly what Amber Reed, the Celebrity Crimes Investigation Agency’s newest recruit, needs to find out. 
She’s desperate to get to grips with her first assignment and prove she’s up to the job but there’s a lot at stake… and it’s not only her new career that’s on the line. 
Is mixing business and pleasure ever a good idea? Will her relationship with fellow CCIA agent Charlie survive the challenge of the two of them working together? 
And then there’s agent extraordinaire Martha, a man-eating six foot blonde goddess, also assigned to this murder investigation, who clearly has designs on Charlie. 
Trying to uncover who killed Flynn and why whisks Amber from glamorous red carpet film premiere, to learning Scottish dancing at a Highland party in a grand country house - and the distinct possibility of becoming the murderer’s next victim. 
Can Amber solve the case and still keep her relationship with Charlie on track?
Today I've got a review for a book that's both written by a lovely author and part of a thoroughly enjoyable book series to share with all of you! 'Precious' is the second part of author Zanna Mackenzie's romantic comedy/murder mystery 'Amber Reed CCIA Mystery' series, and the sequel to 'And the Earth Moved', which I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing last year (click here to read my review). I really liked the beginning of the series and was excited to start reading 'Precious', which was first released in December 2014, and once again be back with the same main characters, Amber and Charlie!
Amber Reed is really excited about her new job working for the CCIA, the Celebrity Crimes Investigation Agency. After her intensive training, she's ready to go into the field and is asked to help out and investigate the death of former pop star and teen idol Flynn Garrison. The case not only brings her to the shores of Scotland, but also requires her to work together with fellow CCIA agents Charlie, who also happens to be her boyfriend, and the beautiful and flirty Martha. Amber knows there's a lot on the line; she needs to do well on this case in order to secure her job. But is mixing business with pleasure a good idea or will it only cause trouble for both Amber and Charlie and their relationship?
Another entertaining and fast-paced read by Zanna Mackenzie, and one that has certainly made me want to keep an eye on any other parts of the 'Amber Reed CCIA Mystery' series that might be coming our way in the future! 'Precious' is the second part of this book series and while it can definitely be read as a stand-alone, I personally preferred already knowing the characters' backgrounds and how Amber got to work for the CCIA. Amber is a heroine that's really easy to like; she's determined to prove herself as a new agent, but at the same time she's quite insecure and worries about a lot of things, which made me relate to her quite easily. Charlie is a handsome male lead and I really liked that the character of Martha was added to the mix, stirring things up a bit between Charlie and Amber.
I loved that the storyline included both the murder mystery, which was intriguing and had me guessing until the very end, but also some personal elements, such as Charlie and Amber's relationship and the secret Martha seems to be hiding from them. I've seen other reviews in which the book is described as a 'cosy mystery' and I have to agree with that description. I loved the combination of romance, chick lit, and murder mystery, especially combined with Zanna Mackenzie's comfortable and well-paced writing style. Overall, 'Precious' is a thoroughly entertaining and intriguing chick lit read with a good dose of murder mystery at its core; a great second part of the 'Amber Reed CCIA Mystery' series and I'm already keeping my fingers crossed for a third book!

Rating:9/10

  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.

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.