Review & Guest Post: 'Hero or Zero' by Julie Shackman (2014)

A light-hearted, funny romance novel you will adore.

When single mum Chloe Jones wins a magazine competition to have TV heartthrob Ethan Blake live with her for a month, she thinks her dreams have come true. And the presence of the handsome star in her home and small Scottish town certainly causes a stir. But when Chloe begins to see his true colours, will she find the courage to face him, and admit where her heart truly lies?

In September 2014, author Julie Shackman’s second novel ‘Hero or Zero’ was released by Not So Noble Books. Last year, I got the chance to read and review Julie’s debut novel ‘Rock My World’ which was a light-hearted, quirky fun romantic comedy which I really enjoyed (click here to read my review!). So when Julie contacted me about possibly giving her second book a chance as well, I was really excited. ‘Hero or Zero’ promised to be another fun romantic comedy and I looked forward to sitting down with it. I’m also really excited to have a special guest post from Julie herself to share with all of you today, so be sure to scroll down to check it out!

Twenty-something Chloe Jones is a single mum and the most important thing in her life is her young son Danny. However, when she’s not busy taking care of him, she allows herself to dream away every now and again and usually handsome actor Ethan Blake makes an appearance in those dreams. Chloe knows it’s just a silly crush on a TV heartthrob, but she would love to meet Ethan someday and see whether he’s as perfect as she images him to be in her head. When she enters a magazine competition to win a chance of having Ethan Blake himself come and live with you for a month, Chloe never expects to actually win. But that is exactly what happens: Ethan Blake is on his way to her apartment and will stay with her for a whole month. Chloe can’t believe her luck, but will Ethan be able to live up to the image she has created of him or will he turn out to be someone else completely?

The main storyline of ‘Hero or Zero’ is something I think most of us will have dreamed about sometime in our lives: meeting your favourite celebrity and him/her becoming your best friend or perhaps even falling for you. This is exactly what happens to main character Chloe, who ends up winning a competition and having her favourite actor Ethan Blake as her new roommate for a whole month. The storyline was really entertaining and I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen when Chloe would finally meet Ethan and whether they’d fall for one another or not. Chloe is a wonderful heroine; she’s down-to-earth, warm, and really easy to relate to and her thoughts had me laughing out loud multiple times while reading the novel. I also really liked the other characters, such as Chloe’s son Danny, her best friend, and Ethan’s agent Sean. 

The story is told from multiple perspectives and the reader gets to see things from different points of view. There are also a few flashbacks, explaining little things that happened in the past, which was great because it provides the reader with a chance to see where the characters come from and why they are who they are and do what they do. It personally took me a bit of time to really get into the novel, but as soon as I was immersed in the story I thought it was a really enjoyable read and I couldn’t wait to see how everything would end for Chloe. Overall, ‘Hero or Zero’ is another fun and enjoyable romantic comedy by Julie Shackman and I look forward to hopefully picking up her next read sometime soon!
Rating:8/10

  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.

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Guest post by Julie Shackman!

My Famous Heroes – And Why!
If you could meet anyone, who would it be and why?
That was basically where my idea for my new romcom “Hero or Zero” came from.
For me, Stevie Nicks is one of the most talented singer/songwriters around and I’ve loved her music since I was thirteen years old. The way she creates beautiful imagery with her lyrics is just amazing and her voice is haunting. There are authors I admire too. Writers like Jenny Colgan, Sophie Kinsella and Wendy Holden never fail to enthral me with their talent and ability to draw me into their worlds. I could sit for hours, pouring over their wonderful stories and characters.
And then of course there is the eye candy aspect to it all….er I mean I also do admire them for their fantastic acting abilities. That goes without saying! But you can’t deny that the likes of Richard Armitage, Bradley Cooper and Michael Fassbender are not only pleasing to look at – the three of them also make very captivating leading men!
But should you ever meet your Hero? Whether it’s an artist, an actor or a musician – would you be disappointed? What are the chances they would live up to your ideals and expectations?
This is precisely the dilemma my protagonist Chloe Jones faces when she meets her favourite actor, the handsome TV star Ethan Blake.
For now, I can imagine what meeting Stevie Nicks etc would be like. For Chloe, meeting her “Hero” becomes a reality – with very interesting consequences!

Exciting new release: 'Hero or Zero' by Julie Shackman

Earlier this year I revieuwed Julie Shackman's novel 'Rock My World'! It was a light-hearted, quirky and fun read which I really enjoyed (click here to read my review), and I looked forward to reading more of Julie's work. Luckily, Julie's second novel 'Hero or Zero' was released on the 27th of September by Not So Noble Books and I can't wait to read it!

A light-hearted, funny romance novel you will adore.   When single mum Chloe Jones wins a magazine competition to have TV heartthrob Ethan Blake live with her for a month, she thinks her dreams have come true. And the presence of the handsome star in her home and small Scottish town certainly causes a stir. But when Chloe begins to see his true colours, will she find the courage to face him, and admit where her heart truly lies? 
Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / @G13Julie / Facebook / Blog   I'm really excited to welcome Julie to the blog today with a special guest post in which we are introduced to the leading lady in her new novel 'Hero or Zero', Chloe Jones!
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to meet your favourite actor/singer/writer (?!)
Well, come and find out what happened when I did!
Hi – I’m Chloe Jones, a single parent to my gorgeous son Danny. I work part-time as a Civil Servant and I suppose all in all, my life is pretty mundane….that is until I win a magazine competition and the prize is my favourite actor, the impossibly handsome TV star Ethan Blake, coming to stay with me for four weeks.
I’ve lusted after this wonderful man for four years. I think I’ve seen everything he’s ever been in.  He’s my Hero and I can’t wait to meet him.
Compared to the guys I’ve known – well, they just pale into insignificance next to Ethan.
I mean, I know I don’t know him but from what I do know – well, he seems to be the perfect gentleman!
I mean, what could possibly go wrong….?!

Thanks so much, Julie! :)

Review & Interview: 'Rock My World' by Julie Shackman (2014)

Ruby Cameron is an ambitious reporter for a local paper where she is fed scraps of news, and lives with a man whose “idea of living dangerously is to leave the heating on when we pop out to the shops”. But after catching her squeaky clean boyfriend in flagrante delicto she ups sticks and moves into her own small home, only to discover the ghostly presence of a cheeky rock star who becomes her confidant as the dynamics of her small town, and her feelings about her dashing new boss, begin to throw up more questions than she can answer. Will Ruby discover who she really is, and perhaps more importantly, who she wants to be?
Not too long ago I was contacted by author Julie Shackman with the question of whether I wanted to review her novel ‘Rock My World.’ I hadn’t heard of the novel before, but I straight away thought the blurb sounded interesting and quite original. As the by-line on the cover already suggests, the book is a romance with a touch of ghostly/the supernatural, and this was a combination I was curious to check out. The lovely Julie also found the time to do an author interview for this blog, so be sure to scroll down to read more about the novel, her inspiration and her future plans as an author!
Twenty-something Ruby Cameron works as a reporter for a local newspaper and lives together with her boyfriend Luke. However, when she catches Luke with another girl, she immediately decides she’s done with him and moves into her own new place. It doesn’t take long for Ruby to discover that she’s not alone in the house; the ghost of former rock star Stevie wants her to help him discover what exactly caused his death. Next to dealing with a ghost flying around her new home, Ruby is also worrying about her mother’s new boyfriend whom she doesn’t trust completely and trying to get over her break-up with Luke. Things are made even more complicated when handsome Matt Jardine arrives on the scene and gets the job Ruby wanted. Ruby finds herself trying to deal with all these different things, while also trying to figure out who she really is and what she actually wants in life.   I really thoroughly enjoyed this novel, what a fun and entertaining read! Ruby is a great main character; she’s determined, ambitious and I think many readers will be able to relate to her one way or another. I felt for her when she caught her boyfriend cheating on her, some handsome guy coming in and taking the job she really wanted... And on top of that, she finds the ghost of a deceased rock star in her house! While I think sometimes supernatural storylines can be a bit over the top, this was definitely not the case here. Stevie’s story really contributed to the plot of the novel and the way the story consisted of both scenes in the present time and flashbacks to the past provides the reader with more information about the characters and their lives.
In my opinion, the novel has everything a great chick lit/romantic comedy novel should have: a great heroine, an enjoyable and fascinating storyline, an attractive male (I definitely developed a bit of a crush on Matt!), and a specific original aspect that makes the book different from others. In this case it’s the supernatural/ghostly element, something which I enjoyed a lot more than I originally thought I would. ‘Rock My World’ is a light-hearted, quirky, fun read that kept me captivated from the first until the very last page, and I’m already excited to see what else Julie Shackman has in store for us!
Rating:

   8,5/10   For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads    Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.  

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Author Interview with Julie Shackman

Can you tell us something about your novel, ‘Rock My World’?

Ruby Cameron is an ambitious reporter for a local paper where she is fed scraps of news, and lives with a man whose “idea of living dangerously is to leave the heating on when we pop out to the shops”. But after catching her squeaky clean boyfriend in flagrante delicto she ups sticks and moves into her own small home, only to discover the ghostly presence of a cheeky rock star who becomes her confidant as the dynamics of her small town, and her feelings about her dashing new boss, begin to throw up more questions than she can answer. Will Ruby discover who she really is, and perhaps more importantly, who she wants to be? 

Where did you find the inspiration for ‘Rock My World’?

I love music, especially rock and the ideas just came from that. I always have to have music playing in the background when I'm writing. Listening to lyrics seems to help alot too.

Why did you decide to add a ‘ghostly’ touch to the novel? Is it something you have always been interested in?

I'm honestly not sure where the ghostly element came from. It just popped into my mind when I was drafting the characters and plot ideas.

What about the protagonist of the novel, Ruby. Can you tell us a bit more about her and how she became your main character?

Ruby is passionate, creative but tends to put her foot in it without meaning to! She has also not had a lot of luck with relationships and is starting to think that love might not be for her. I wanted to create a protagonist who people felt they could relate and warm to.  She's a very caring person, but there's a real element of ambition in her too.

There’s a great mix of support characters in the novel. Which character did you most enjoy writing about and why?

Thank you! Ooh that's a difficult one! I think it would have to be Ruby but I did also enjoy  writing about Peter de Marlow - who is about as opposite from Ruby as you can get! His ruthlessness was good fun to create.

Can you perhaps tell us something about your future plans as an author? Are you already working on a next novel?

I've actually just finished writing my second novel  (another rom-com) and am polishing that at the moment. I've also started pulling ideas and research together for my third (also a rom-com) which features a well-known character from history.

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

Don't Give Up! I know it's easy to say but it is true. Read lots of books, write lots and just try and hone your style. If you are determined enough, it will happen.

What is the last book you read that you’d like to recommend to others?

"Gifted &Talented" by one of my favourite authors Wendy Holden. It is beautifully written and has a great cast of varied characters.

Which book could you not live without?

It would have to be my notebook! I carry it everywhere and use it every day, for jotting down all sorts.

And last but not least, if you had to describe ‘Rock My World’ in just three words, which words would you pick?

Emotional, funny and sexy!

Thanks so much, Julie! :)