Review & Excerpt Tour! THE ACCIDENTAL ASSASSIN by Nichole Chase (with a giveaway!)

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!

About THE ACCIDENTAL ASSASSIN:

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?

Killer with gun close up over grunge background with copyspace.

Excerpt:

“You might as well take the socks.” Owen’s voice cut through the quiet room.

I looked at him and frowned.

“It just seems so… disrespectful.” I shivered. “And gross. What if he had toenail fungus?”

“You had sex in his bed.” Owen pulled his hands from his pockets and moved toward me. His whole body language shifted as he moved gracefully in my direction. “I don’t think wearing the old man’s socks would be any more disrespectful.”

“You have a valid point.” I ignored the heat that was suffusing my cheeks and igniting in much lower places.

“I really enjoy the way your cheeks turn pink when I mention sex.” He dragged out that last word and moved so close that I had to look up to meet his gaze. “Like just now. Just the word makes you blush.”

“You’re making fun of me.” I tried to control my breathing, but my lungs refused to behave.

“No. No, I’m not.” He cupped the back of my head, forcing me to look up even higher. “I like the way you blush when I say sex because I know you’re thinking about having sex with me. Isn’t that right, love?”

I wanted to be coy, to rattle off some sort of sophisticated answer, but my mouth betrayed my brain.

“Yes.” I licked my lips.

“And if I said I wanted you right now, here, against this dresser, moaning my name, what would you say?” He backed me against the wooden furniture so that my rear was pressed against the top ledge.

“I would say that there are people downstairs who would hear us.” My body was screaming something else entirely, though. I bit my lip and managed to not squeak when he lifted me so I was sitting on the dresser.

“Do you find it hard to be quiet with me?” He leaned down and nuzzled my neck.

“Hm.” I tilted my head back so he had better access to my neck.

“What if I do this?” He dragged his teeth across the skin at the base of my neck.

The moan that fell from my lips couldn’t be helped. Having his mouth and teeth against my skin was an aphrodisiac that set my body on fire.

“That’s it.” He ran his lips back up my neck and nip my earlobe between his teeth and tugged. “That sound. I love when you make that sound for me.”

I ran my hands up his arms and fisted them in his hair, tugging gently so that he pulled back and met my gaze. His eyes were swirling with desire, half lidded, and looking at me as if I was the most delicious thing in the world.

“I love making those sounds for you.”

Review:

This was so much fun to read! I feel almost guilty saying a book about assassins is cute, but gosh darn it, it was.

Owen’s an assassin with a conscience–he won’t take a job unless he’s sure the target is a real scumbag, and he investigates them himself, not trusting his handler’s word (which turns out to be a good thing, for several reasons) and even though he struggles with thinking he’s not good enough for Ava, they’re just so darn cute together. It probably didn’t hurt that the dynamic between the two (clueless in the ways of international intrigue “normal” person getting accidentally sucked into the world of a hot, capable guy who sometimes has to kill people in his line of work) reminded me so much of my first love, Scarecrow and Mrs. King.

Yep, probably not a coincidence there at all.

Ms. Chase’s writing kept the story moving along at a good pace, and I found myself highlighting quite a few bits of dialogue, both internal and out loud, that made me smile and/or snort out loud. The self-depreciating humor that both Ava and Owen displayed just tickled me. Like:

“Heads up. You said you were better with a rifle.”

“I said I had shot them, not that I was good with them.” I caught it and checked the slide before slipping the sling over my shoulder. I wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t a marksman either. I’d also never shot at a living person while running for my life. Too bad I hadn’t thought to practice that type of stuff instead of just shooting empty cans.

And:

“Widen your stance.” Owen moved behind me and adjusted my shoulders. “This will give you the best accuracy.”

“I look like an idiot.” I was standing with my feet shoulder width apart and both arms out in front of me.

“That’s because you think you should look like they do in the movies.” Owen leaned closer to me as he reached around to adjust my arms. “Strong arms. You don’t want the gun to come back and hit you in the face.”

“So this is how you stand when you shoot?” I tried to not focus on the way his body wrapped around mine.

“Of course not.” He stepped back and I turned to look at him. “I can’t look stupid while I”m out killing people.”

And:

I was relieved to hear her cursing. It meant she wasn’t going into shock. At least I thought it meant she wasn’t going into shock. I didn’t exactly have a lot of medical training myself. I just stepped over bodies on my way out.

See what I mean?

Overall this was a fun and quirky read, and I’m looking forward to seeing what Ms. Chase will do with this series.

Rating: 4 stars / B+

I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

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About Nichole Chase:

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.