Book Review - Heart Note by Cassandra O'Leary

Amazon UK

Title: Heart Note

Author: Cassandra O'Leary

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Author supplied review copy

Publisher: Self Published

Publication Date: 6th November 2017

Rating: 4 Stars

Love is like a fine perfume. The top note draws you in, an instant attraction, but the Heart Note is the true essence. Like true love – a great perfume should be a woman’s perfect match.

At least, that’s what perfume counter manager, Lily Lucas, tells her customers in one of Australia’s largest department stores. 

It’s almost Christmas, the store is bedecked with baubles and Lily has about eleventy billion gifts to wrap and sell. She and her team of spritzer chicks are glamorous, professional and hoping they don’t have to wear the hideous red onesies and reindeer antlers the store manager has in mind.

The high point of Lily’s work life is Christos Cyriakos, ex-cop, security guard, possible Greek god. He's a mystery box she’d love to unwrap. But can she trust him?

All Lily wants for Christmas is to kiss Christos (and more), catch a band of thieves running amok in the store, and live happily ever after. Is that too much to wish for?

A good fun and festive novella set around the perfume counter of a department store in Melbourne.  It was light hearted and just really enjoyable. 

The opening scene had me laughing and those weren't the only ones, there are some crazy outfits for the spritzer chicks,  some great descriptions of various aspects of perfume including the scenes and notes that make it up, and a gorgeous security man. 

There is chemistry galore coming from Lily and Christos and I really enjoyed meeting both of these characters in addition to some of the others that work in the store. 

If you are wanting a quick slightly different festive rom com, then Heart Note is certainly worth a read. I really enjoyed it, and  already curious to see what will happen in other books of this series. 

Thank you so much to Cassandra O'Leary for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Girl on a Plane by Cassandra O'Leary

Amazon UK

Title: Girl on a Plane

Author: Cassandra O'Leary

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Avon

Publication Date: 18th July 2016 

Rating: 4 Stars

CLIMB ON BOARD . . .

When feisty Irish flight attendant Sinead Kennealy locks eyes with sexy Australian CEO Gabriel Anderson in First Class, sparks fly. But as they jet across the globe from Melbourne to London, it’s clear that they’re in for a turbulent journey . . .

Stressed-out Gabriel doesn’t do relationships. And Sinead isn’t about to be fooled by another bad boy after escaping her stalker ex. Then a storm hits, causing the plane to land unexpectedly, and Sinead and Gabriel are thrown together in Singapore.

The pressure rises as Sinead’s unhappy past threatens to catch up with her. But might Gabriel be the one to heal her heartbreak? If he could open up about his troubling secrets, maybe a relationship could actually get off the ground. Fasten your seatbelts – this WON’T be a smooth ride . . .

Girl on a Plane is sassy, sexy and scintillating. The first thing I do need to say is do not read the first couple of chapters while flying if you are a nervous flier, the rest of the book is safe to read while in the air, but I would say be on solid ground. That isn't to say the start isn't good, far from it, in fact its incredibly gripping and had my adrenalin pumping. 

It isn't often that I read about a tropical storm in a book, and the detour to Singapore is what sets this story alight, as sexy businessman Gabriel and flight attendant Sinead end up booking the same hotel room, in which to see out the storm. 

This is a real jet setting book with action in Melbourne, London, Singapore, Paris and even Thailand, and although the locations aren't the key attraction of the story, they do really add to it regardless. 

There is an instant chemistry between Sinead and Gabriel that is simmering, even if Sinead tries to deny it at first. After about the first third of the book I was convinced this was just your regular romance but yet as it continued and they try to see if other in a more real life situation, it is clear just how much depth there really is to the story. 

Gabriel's mum has health problems and Gabriel is very worried about her, whereas Sinead has a psycho ex, a non relationship with her mum, and her sister is occasionally in her life. When various sections come to a head you could really feel the tension and drama as the action unfurled, leaving me not wanting to put the book down for even a second. 

Girl on a Plane is Cassandra O'Leary's debut novel, and is a great story to read, with its mix of sex, romance and the more serious side of things, and it's always refreshing to find a new Australian author to read, given the majority of the books that I read are American or British. 

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for this review copy. This was my honest opinion.