Love Affair With An e-Reader: REVIEW, GIVEAWAY & EXCERPT TOUR: "The Accidental Assassin" by Nichole Chase

We are absolutely thrilled to bring you the Review & Excerpt Tour for Nichole Chase's THE ACCIDENTAL ASSASSIN! THE ACCIDENTAL ASSASSIN is a New Adult contemporary romantic suspense that will knock your socks off! THE ACCIDENTAL ASSASSIN is on sale for $.99 during the tour only so grab your copy today! Don't forget to enter the Giveaway at the bottom of the post!

Accidental Assassin

by Nichole Chase

About the Book:
Ava McKenzie is a creature of habit. Life is passing her by and she has nothing to show for it. She’s had the same job since she started college, she orders the same dish every time she goes to her favorite restaurant, and only reads books from authors she knows. There is nothing new or surprising in her life… until her best friend marries a man from London. When her newlywed friend asks her to house-sit while she honeymoons, Ava jumps at the chance. She thinks this could be the very thing she needs to shake up her life. Ava throws herself head first into her new lifestyle; she wants to try everything, go everywhere, and never get stuck in a rut again. Of course, offing a man in a car garage hadn’t been one of the things on her list to try. Owen Walker spends every day in a new place with a new case. As one of the most renowned assassins in the world, he has his choice of marks—and he’s never failed in a mission. When a new hit takes him back to his hometown, he looks forward to spending time somewhere familiar. What he isn’t expecting is to help an attractive, confused American woman find out how she’s ended up on a hit man’s list. As Ava and Owen dodge bullets, will they be able to escape their undeniable attraction to each other? Or will all of that chemistry blow up in a shower of hot and dangerous sparks?

Book Buy Links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks

I got a little nostalgic reading this book. The story reminded me of one of my favorite 1980’s shows, Scarecrow and Mrs. King. Scarecrow, aka Lee Stetson, (played by Bruce Boxleitner) is a dashing covert operator who meets Mrs. Amanda King (played by Kate Jackson). She is an ordinary suburban housewife who gets reluctantly gets involved with espionage games when she meets Scarecrow. Week after week, they get involved in solving crimes with his skills and her wit. Like the television series, this narrative is whip smart and great fun.

Ms. Chase unerringly strikes the right balance between heart and humor. I found myself smiling and laughing at the clever dialogue and totally engaged in the adventure. There is also something a little old fashioned in the story. It’s the way the hero and heroine interact – with witty dialogue; it is the way their eyes meet across the room; it is the way that their relationship is restrained and allowed to develop instead of being overwhelmed by insta-love.

The characters are highly likable. Ava transforms from what she calls a twenty-three year old “living like a cat woman. Minus the cat,” to a ready-for-action agent taking down a crime ring. Owen is an assassin, not only with a heart of gold, but a strong sense of proper decorum. In my mind, I envision him as a dashing James Bond-like character including the accent. I smirked at his objections to Ava’s “potty mouth”, while at the same time arguing, “I manage to kill people while maintaining a sense of propriety.”

And let’s not forget the bra-ripping, mad race-to-get-naked scene. (We didn’t get a whole lot of this on Scarecrow and Mrs. King because it was broadcast during primetime family viewing hour.) It is intense, consuming, and sweet: “I had been drowning in her blue eyes, in the way she moved, in the way she thought, from the moment I’d first laid eyes on her. Now I’d drown in the way she made me feel.” Sigh, so beautiful.

IN A NUTSHELL:
Nichole Chase is a new author to me and having experienced this charming read, I’m certain to be back for more.

Killer with gun close up over grunge background with copyspace.

He reached over and unbuckled the seat belt I hadn’t realized I had put on. Sliding his arm behind my back, he shifted over the center console and moved closer to me. Carefully I used my feet to push up so he could slide underneath me. His body pushed against mine and I could feel every manly inch of him pressed behind me, down to the muscles his button up shirt concealed. As his hands slid around my waist to help steady me, his thumbs pressed against my back and rubbed soft circles, as if he was trying to comfort me—but instead it was accomplishing the exact opposite. I let the weight off of my feet, easing down on to his lap so I could move to the other seat.

“I’m ready.” His voice was husky in my ear and for a second I thought about telling him I was more than ready myself. Thankfully I was able to keep my senses and remember that there was someone intent on killing me in a car not far behind us.

With extreme caution I tried to lift my left leg so that I could step over the console, but my skirt was too tight. Understanding the problem, his hands slid moved down my hips and over my skirt so he could slip it up my thighs. Goosebumps erupted along my skin as his knuckles brushed along my legs. Once the material was high enough that I could lift my leg, I slid into the other seat and let him take control of the steering wheel.

“Buckle up.” He smiled at me as he took the car off cruise control and hit the gas pedal.

Nichole Chase is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Suddenly Royal, Flukes, The Dark Betrayal Trilogy, and several short stories. She is also the instructor of Say What? a dialogue class at the Romance Academy. Nichole lives in Georgia with her husband, energetic daughter, superhero dog, Sulcata tortoise, and two cats. When not writing, you may find her reading, painting, crafting, or chasing her daughter around the house while making monster noises.