Shimmy Bang Sparkle
by Nicola Rendell
Release Date: August 21st
Genre: Contemporary Romance
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BLURB
To catch a thief…or fall for one?
All Nick Norton wants is to stay on the straight and narrow…and never get caught stealing again. Then he lays eyes on her: Stella Peretti—100 percent sexy and absolutely irresistible. Especially when he sees her smooth moves lifting a two-karat diamond. Nick realizes he’s found the sparkling woman of his dreams—one so perfect for him it’s almost criminal.
The Shimmy Shimmy Bangs are master jewel thieves who are planning the heist of the century. And Shimmy leader, Stella, isn’t about to let anyone—even if he is a hunky, tatted-up studmuffin—get in her way. But when two of her girls are put out of commission, Stella realizes that Nick isn’t just a red-hot distraction. He might be the answer to her pilfering prayers.
Now, Nick and Stella are putting everything on the line for one last job. But when two thieves have this much chemistry, it’s only a matter of time before somebody’s heart gets stolen.
REVIEW:
4.5 stars
*****
Big Giant Puffy Heart Eyes for Shimmy Bang Sparkle! Favorite Book of the Year.
Shimmy Bang Sparkle is NIck and Stella’s story. Nick is a reformed thief. His last jewel heist led to jail time. He is a good guy that got caught up in some bad stuff. Now, he is fresh out and determined to stay on the straight and narrow. But then, light shines down from the heavens and he meets Stella. She is standing in a jewelry store and he sees her through the window from the sidewalk outside. She is beautiful and full of life, and he is drawn to her. He sees her drop her cell phone under a shelf, but not notice she dropped it, so he goes into the store to pick it up for her. They have instant chemistry from the moment they meet, but as they are talking and flirting in the jewelry store, Nick is shocked to to spy Stella steal a diamond ring. You see, Stella is the leader of a notorious girl group of jewel thieves, the Shimmy Shimmy Bangs. Stella and her two best friends are robin-hood-like, in that they steal jewels, fence them, and use the money for good. Nick and Stella are match made in Heaven. They are drawn to each other, quickly begin spending time together and falling for each other. Meanwhile, Stella and her friends are planning one final heist-to-end-all-heists to set themselves up for life. But when an accident lands her friends out of commission, Stella asks Nick to help her finish the job. Can they pull it off and walk off into the sunset together?
Excuse me while I gush. I loved this book. I loved Nick. I loved Stella. I loved the way they loved each other. I loved everything they went through together for each others’ happiness.
I loved the swoony and hunky, tattooed Nick. He was so hot, so take control, but also a genuinely nice guy. He was awed by Stella. It was adorable the way he saw her for the gem she was, right away. He was content to let her lead the show. He was dominant, but sweet. The perfect hero. I also loved his POV. I don’t always love male POV in books, but his was one of the best I’ve ever read. I loved Stella too. She was absolutely adorable. She was sassy, smart, funny, strong, independent and a good person and friend.
These two were simply perfect for each other. No one else would have been able to understand each other they way they were. It was fate that brought them together at just the right time. Nick and Stella were sweet, romantic, funny and sexy together. Swoonworthy chemistry and connection. They were a truly epic couple. Both of them knew soon after they met that they were meant to be together. There was no pushing away or unnecessary angst. All of the drama is centered around the heist.. Even though we know that there is a chance they could get caught stealing the big diamond, it is not harped on or dwelled on. We just get to enjoy their journey. A road trip, a cute dog, and falling in love along the way.
Even though the book has some elements that could have made it feel darker, like Nick’s being recent ex-con, it has a happy, hopeful feeling. It made you root for Nick and Stella to pull off their heist and live happily ever after. I loved the overall atmosphere and feelings the book invoked. I loved the idea of the girl group of jewel thieves. The Shimmy Shimmy Bangs were awesome, smart and kickass. The story was fun, original and interesting. I could see it being a movie one day. But it is really the chemistry and love between the characters that creates magic. The tangible, awesome connection is what makes the book so good.
Everytime I review a NIcola Rendell book I say this. I just love the way she writes. Her characters are awesome, with lots of depth and layers to them. Strong, sometimes sassy, often sweet women. Protective, kind men who adore their women. They are people you want to know and be friends with, in fact they feel like your best friend by the end of the book. Also, the chemistry and connection between her heroes and heroines is so great and very rare to read. You can feel their love so strongly. There is always humor, sexiness, and low relationship angst. I always end one of the her books with a big happy sigh and those warm feelings linger on for days afterwards as I think of the characters. I can’t say enough how much I love her books and I wish she’d write faster.
Shimmy Bang Sparkle is just so everything. So fun, so sexy, so sweet. It was so good I read I have read it twice already because I loved it so much. This book is definitely my favorite this year. I can’t wait to see what Ms. Rendell comes up with next!
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EXCERPT
“Niiiiiiick!” came her voice, more of a growl that an actual word. “Get me out of here. My legs are going numb!”
To the bathroom I went, where I was met not only with Stella’s pinch-worthy ass in the window, but also an explosion of towels and makeup, shampoos and lotions, on every flat surface, and all over the floor. Dozens of makeup brushes poked out of an old coffee can by the sink, which was encrusted with jewels like Stella’s phone.
Stella had managed to tangle her legs up with toilet paper like the back end of a sloppily wrapped mummy, so I pulled that off her first. She’d also gotten her belt loop hooked over the lock on the window, so I unhooked that too.
But I didn’t pull her out quite yet, because her ass was just too hot to ignore. She was still in the same jeans she’d been wearing last night, and I took the chance to run my hand up the back of one thigh. I leaned down, and gave her a kiss on the small of her back. Her body went limp in the window, and she let out a moan. Once I’d had my fix, I hooked my arm underneath her hips and gave her a tug. I absolutely loved the way her skin felt next to mine, especially like this, when she was way too out of her element to feel self-conscious. The muscles of her stomach weren’t flexed, and I felt the soft curves and lines like she hadn’t let me feel them before. The narrow strip of skin where her T-shirt had ridden up made all those cliché terms make sense.
Soft as silk.
Sweet as cream.
Fucking heaven.
About the Author
Bestselling author Nicola Rendell loves writing naughty romantic comedies. After receiving a handful of degrees from a handful of places, she now works as a professor in New England. Nicola’s work has been featured in USA Today’s Happy Ever After and the Huffington Post. She loves to cook, sew, and play the piano. Her hobbies might make her sound like an old lady, but she’s totally okay with that. She is represented by Emily Sylvan Kim at the Prospect Agency.
Connect with Nicola
Originally from Savannah, Georgia, USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez now lives in South Carolina with her four young children.
Never one to take herself too seriously, she enjoys cheap wine, mystery leggings, and baked feta. It should be known, however, that she hates pizza and ice cream, almost as much as writing her bio in the third person.
She passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a super-sized tumbler of wine by her side.
