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 barmaid 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? Charlie Huxton, an agent for the CCIA (Celebrity Crimes Investigation Agency) has been hired by Ennis to get to the bottom of things. But Ennis doesn't fully trust him, so he asks Amber to keep track of things and follow Charlie. And the Earth Moved is the first part of the Amber Reed CCIA series and is definitely a promising start. Zanna Mackenzie's writing style flows at a good pace and is really easy to get into. Amber is easy to warm to and leading man Charlie has a bit of a James Bond feel to him. Both characters are well-drawn and I loved seeing the relationship between them develop as the story progressed. The novel is a mix of genres, including 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. (JoH)
Faith has sworn off men since her last relationship ended badly and she focuses totally on running her coffee shop. Then one day, in walks Zane and all her convictions fly out the window. Everything is going well until his business partner arrives - horror of horrors, it is Faith's ex, Matt, who she has tried so hard to forget. I could totally relate to Faith's distrust where men were concerned, and Zane's erratic behavior did not make anything easier. Added to all this stress, with Matt being back in town and being the confusing mess that he was, she did quite well keeping her head screwed on the right way. Everyone seemed to have a secret and did not even realise that they were their own worst enemy. Everything could have been so much simpler! This story kept me guessing to the end. (KARM)
