Rock my World by Julie Shackman
Release Date: 16th June 2014
Publisher: Not So Noble Books
Buy: Kindle
Ruby Cameron is an ambitious reporter for a local paper where she is fed scraps of news, and lives with a man whose “idea of living dangerously is to leave the heating on when we pop out to the shops”. But after catching her squeaky clean boyfriend in flagrante delicto she ups sticks and moves into her own small home, only to discover the ghostly presence of a cheeky rock star who becomes her confidant as the dynamics of her small town, and her feelings about her dashing new boss, begin to throw up more questions than she can answer. Will Ruby discover who she really is, and perhaps more importantly, who she wants to be?
Rock my World sounded like no novel I had ever read before, being a romance with a paranormal twist. I was intrigued to see how the novel would play out and I am pleased to say I hugely enjoyed it.
In Rock my World we meet Ruby who is tired and frustrated with her job as a reporter for a local newspaper. However things come to a head in her life when she discovers her boyfriend has been cheating on her and she moves out and makes a fresh start in a newly built house. However, Ruby’s new dwellings are built on the plot that once housed the Imperial Theatre – a notorious concert venue where Stevie Vee, lead singer of the then up and coming band, Legend was crushed to his death on stage after a being hit by a falling lighting rig in the 80s.
As soon as Ruby moves in she is shocked to find that the ghost of Stevie is currently residing in her new home, unable to rest in peace after dying under suspicious circumstances. The reporter in Ruby can’t help but do some digging to try and discover what really happened to Stevie all those years ago…and in doing so Ruby ends up uncovering one or two secrets about herself. Whilst contending with all this Ruby is concerned that she seems to be developing feelings for her new boss, Matt, which is rather inconvenient seeing as he is a notorious womaniser who just fell into a job that she had her sights set on herself…
I found Rock my World to be a fast paced, hugely enjoyable read. It was humorous and has quite a quirky storyline. I found myself completely immersed in the characters worlds and I thought that Ruby was a brilliant lead character. She’s down to earth, witty and slightly different from the norm and I really liked her steely determination. The will-they-won’t-they storyline with Matt was really entertaining and I loved how they kept getting their wires crossed.
Another thing I liked about this novel was the setting. You can share Ruby’s frustration at being given the lesser exciting stories to cover and there are some brilliant characters working at the local newspaper. I could particularly envisage one of Ruby’s bosses, Felix, who is likened to Basil Fawlty. There are a few surprises and plot twists and turns along the way which will definitely keep you gripped – but ultimately I found that it was because I genuinely cared about what happened to Ruby, Stevie and a good majority of the characters that kept me hooked (and with one of the lesser pleasant characters wanting to make sure he got what was coming to him!)
If you’re looking for something a bit different but with all the elements of a good chick lit novel then give this a try. It’s romantic, funny and heart warming (and not at all scary – that’s my kind of ghost story!) Julie Shackman has written a fantastic story with Rock my World and I’m looking forward to reading more of her work…
I’m a writer of contemporary romance and harbour an obsession of books; pretty stationery and handbags. “Rock My World” is my first novel. I also write captions and verses for greetings card companies and am an avid reader. I’m married with two gorgeous sons and live in Scotland.
Follow Julie on Twitter @G13Julie
*I was kindly gifted this book in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Julie and Not So Noble Books.
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