5 BRILLIANTLY SHINY, SPARKLY STARS for Shimmy Bang Sparkle!!!

First of all, I have to say I've been anticipating this book for what seems like FOREVER!!! Ms. Rendell is an author whom I have loved since I read her debut novel Professed and I can tell you that Shimmy Bang Sparkle is one of her BEST BOOKS YET!!! I loved everything about it...the witty banter and the friendship (who are more like sisters) between Stella, Ruth and Roxie, the steamy wet-dream inducing chemistry between Stella and Nick and the INCREDIBLE storyline that kept me glued to my kindle (TWICE) while reading!

Like all good romance novels, this one has a completely satisfying HEA with so many twists and turns, so many hilariously funny moments that had me wiping tears from my cheeks, suspense up the ying-yang and some heartbreaking moments, as well! It quite simply is a STUNNING example of what a romance novel CAN be! I can't recommend this book HIGHLY enough!!!

The simple drop of a phone. That little mishap sets off a meeting that ends up being life changing. Neither Stella or Nick are prepared for the whirlwind that follows. Will everything go wrong? Or will they Sparkle like the North Star?

WOW!!! I went into this book blind as I’d purposely not read the blurb. Being a HUGE Nicola Rendell fan, I knew that regardless of how the story went I would love it, and I was sooooo right!!!

When Nick spots Stella through the Jewellery shop window, he’s completely overwhelmed with her beauty. Although she’s trying on an engagement ring, when he sees her drop her phone he does the chivalrous thing and goes in to hand it back to her. He never expects to spot her doing something she shouldn’t. But when he does, he just knows, that she was meant to be his.

Stella is good at playing the character to get the outcome she needs, and when she sees Nick, she doesn’t falter. Little does she know she’ll be seeing a whole lot more of him!

This book had everything I love and then some. With such a different twist to a typical contemporary romance story, I was hooked and intrigued instantly. I had no idea what direction the story was going to take, and that Just made it that much more enjoyable to read. When I did work out what was going to happen, I literally couldn’t wait to see how it planned out!!!

The supporting characters Ruth and Roxie also play a very important role, and the 3 of them, otherwise known as the Shimmy Shimmy Bangs are AMAZING!!!

The way Nicola wrote these characters is just brilliant. It’s so refreshing to have a lead couple who are just so honest, open and raw with each other right from the start. There’s no games being played, no secrets and lies between them, and that just made the story so much more endearing! Their connection is so powerful, that its impossible not to feel t deep down in your bones. I was truly rooting for them to get their Happy Ever After, and the ending was pure perfection.

This has to be my favourite book of hers so far, and is definitely one of my favourites this year! Definitely 10🌟worthy, I highly recommend this book❤️

So we meet Nick who is recently out of jail for being a thief and we get a description of being a sexy tatted up biker. He sees Stella in a jewelry store and is instantly smitten he knows he shouldn't even be near there but couldn't help himself when he sees his opportunity to introduce himself and ends up with the shock of his life. Stella is a modern day robin hood, and while yes what she is doing is wrong her reasons behind them are explained, she has a good heart. Get to meet this two loyal characters and enjoy the ride.

4.5+ stars! Love, love, love! I’ve been a fan of Nicola Rendell since the very first book and she has never disappointed! This book has it all. Explosive chemistry, so sexy and romantic at the same time, and so much emotion and laughter. I was so impressed with the story. Such a unique story and I found myself really rooting for Nick and Stella. Shimmy Bang Sparkle took over the top spot from Confessed for my fave NR book. Highly recommend this book!

*ARC provided by the author*

I went into this book completely blind and I absolutely loved it. It was intriguing and captured my interest from the first chapter.

Nick and Stella had amazing chemistry from the start. I loved that their thing in common happened to be stealing jewels. Nick's desire to protect and give up everything for the one he loves was beautiful.

I thought the story was original and creative and I 100% loved the ending. Shimmy Bang Sparkle was well written and a definite must read.

I was extremely excited to start reading Nicola's newest and upcoming book, Shimmy Bang Sparkle. Nick swept me off my feet from the get go. He was so in tuned with Stella before he even got to meet her. And I was laughing hard when he made his "exceptional" first meeting with Stella in that high class jewelry store.

As the story progressed, I noticed the names of the streets were familiar. I kept telling my husband that our city has the same street names. And then I turn the page and find out the story is based in our home town. That made this story so much more for me. The author's familiarity with the city made me feel connected to the characters more.

Now enough about my city lol. Let's talk more about the book. Stella surprised me on every turn. She has some kick a** girlfriends and what the operation they have going on, I did not expect it. Did I believe Nick and Stella were soul mates? Not at first. But after a night of watching a movie, their behind the door scenes were captivating! The chemistry was like no other. I was envious of these two. Nicola will have you laughing until your sides start to hurt. The story line is perfect with the right amount of drama and suspense. The sexy scenes...well if you read any of Nicola's other books you will know she adds so much more. You ask yourself why didn't I think of trying that! A great read from a great author!

This book had everything. Everything.

The first book I read by Nicola Rendell was Hail Mary. It was fun. The heroine was sassy. The guy was an alpha who could take a joke (but not a punch). It was a fabulous sports romance.

This book. It's about shiny things. It's about a heist. It's about two people who shouldn't be involved falling in love. It's about getting out of jail with a silver tongue and the right words.

I loved it.

When I started to read this I've got to say while I got the bad boy vibe I just couldn't connect with the main characters. But as the story progressed I found myself falling and falling hard for them both.

Nick was a great man who only wanted Stella to be happy even if it meant breaking a few laws in the process.
I adored Stella and her character. The whole girl next door vibe which transformed into a total badass when needed.

Such a fun and lovely story. I could just picture me sitting on that RV roof starring at the stars with them.

***Review copy requested and reviewed od behalf of OMGReads Blog***

Two jewel thieves road trip across the desert to pull the biggest con of their career in this modern-day Wild West heist.

Nick Norton should know better; fresh out of prison this former mechanic turned bartender (with a bit of a gambling problem) should be keeping his head down and his parole officer happy, so of course the first girl to catch his attention, Stella Peretti, is a member of an infamous band of female master jewel thieves.

I think this might be my first romance with blue-collar protagonists. These aren't Ocean's-level glitzy thieves. They are a little rough and tumble, each of them scraping by the best they can. Stella and her crew are robin hood thieves with big dreams and empty pockets. They steal for the greater good and don't take much for themselves, which is why they are ready to pull their biggest con yet and walk away from the life. Until an accident leaves Stella running the job solo, with nowhere else to turn she recruits Nick back into the game for ONE LAST JOB.

I like that this book had grown-a** characters (heroine is 34, hero is 40), and Rendall provides just the right amount of motivation to make you want to root for the thieves even if the execution is plot dumped.

The score in this novel is a balding, over the top "Rich-kids-of -Instagram" Sheikh-bro, which I could see as being problematic but I also felt like this was some sly jab on the popularity of rich Sheikhs that populate Romanceladia

The way this book ends was totally unexpected and I think Rendell set up the perfect amount of conflict. Fans of anti-heroes with hearts of gold and punchy dialogue will enjoy this show-stealing novel.

This book was published by Amazon's romance imprint and I'm not sure what they were going for with the cover. It's very generic and doesn't embrace the fun, rough and tumble West Coast vibes this book is putting down.



Nicola Rendell, welcome to my auto-buy list!

5 sparkly stars! I absolutely loved this book! From the very beginning, the initial attraction and chemistry had me swept away. Their banter, their play-acting, their escapades, all of this had me completely absorbed in their tale and keeping my fingers crossed for the ending I wanted. I loved that Stella was a take charge, "I can do this" kind of girl. She was badass, yet sweet and refreshing. Nick was also a pretty tough guy who fell head over heels for this intriguing beauty. The sex scenes were scorchingly hot. (Whew. You're gonna need a fan!) Through their journey, there were a few bumps, but the kind that I like -- not couple related angst, but outside forces pulling them apart. There is a bit of suspense to keep you on your toes. The ending that I got was so much better than I had envisioned. Definitely recommend!!

I hadn't a clue who this author was or what to expect with this title but was I ever pleasantly surprised!

Do I ever love romantic caper novels and this is the QUEEN of all romantic capers. Nick has just gotten out of jail for theft when he spies the delicious Stella pull a switcheroo of a diamond in a jewelry store. Fascinated, he follows her and strikes up a conversation, not sure whether to reveal what he saw.

Turns out Stella is part of the notorious Shimmy Shimmy Bangs, a well known master jewel theft ring. All is not what is appears to be though and Nick wants in. Stella doesn't want him to know anything. By a twist of fate, she has to include him in what will be her biggest and most important score ever.

I adored this book so much and I would love to read a prequel or sequel if the author decides to write one. Kudos!

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book (given by Netgalley)...

3.5 stars

I would definitely categorize this book as insta, insta-lust followed quickly by insta-love. The characters were very likable and Nick was downright swoon-worthy, then of course there were the naughty moments between Stella and Nick. First I must point out like 90% of this book takes place in less than a week. I did love the flow and characters but at times I did start skipping pages when the story got a little repetitive and somewhat unrelatable. Stella to me was a very fun character but a little immature especially when she thought she could continue the project on her own without having the necessary skills and without fully thinking of all possible outcomes. Nick was her savior even if she did say she didn’t need help about a million times ;)

All in all it was an enjoyable read but I would have loved to know more about Stella’a dad, Ruth, and Roxie. Also I loved, loved, loved Priscilla she was too darn adorable.

In the past, this author's books have been a little hit or miss for me. I find she tends to get a bit longwinded at times and because of that, her books can drag along in places. That said, the whole "jewel thief" premise of this one intrigued me enough that I decided to give her another chance. Luckily, this one didn't suffer from too much needless rambling. Yes it did start to drag a bit near the end, and I think the author could have cut a few pages here and there to move the story along at a slightly better pace, but overall it was certainly one of the better books I have read by Miz Rendell.

So deets...this was simply a lovely and humorous read. There was zero drama. Zero angst. It had an interesting plot. It had some great secondary characters. Both the main characters were very likable. It had some spice (the first sex scene was Oh là là hot!). A cute dog. And a sweet ending.

My only complaint is the romance was maybe a bit...lackluster? For lack of a better word. Basically, the hero sees the heroine; they flirt, he follows her home and instant relationship. No issues. No fights. Nothing. There were certainly times when the plot lent itself perfectly for there to be a bit of angst injected. Both relationship wise and background wise. But nothing really ever came about. I felt that the author missed a bit of an opportunity in that regard. Still, all in all, this was an enjoyable read and will be perfect for those that like their reads sweet and drama free.

This is the first time I've read this author. After reading the previous reviews, it's very apparent that I somehow missed something because...well...I guess this just wasn't my cup of tea.

Nick notices a beautiful woman in a jewelry store looking at a 2 carat engagement ring. The way she moves, smiles, laughs, immediately pulls him in. But it shouldn't. I mean, she's not only looking at an engagement ring, she's in a jewelry store. Why is the store a big issue? Because he just got out after serving time for a jewelry heist gone bad. But he just can't seem to look away. And now that her phone has slipped "unnoticed" under the counter, he's determined to return it to her.

Stella's playing it cool. Well, let's face it, she's pretty cool. And gorgeous, but let's focus. While she's in the middle of a heist, Nick walks in, looking all cute and yummy. But she's there to do a job. So she leaves him behind, finishes what she started and goes about her business. Until he shows up at her neighbors house with her phone, asking her to dinner. She should have said no, but she couldn't help herself. It's just dinner, right?

Let me mentioning that the writing was really good. The humor and dialogue, even the cute little dog worked for me. I had a really hard time getting in to the whole love at first sight PLUS the heist thing. I understand "good intentions" and all, but the whole stealing thing and falling for each other so hard, so fast, just put me off a bit. I want to reiterate that the writing and dialogue were good. I guess this type of story just isn't for me. At least I learned a lesson.

Reviewed by Chris

He definitely wanted to walk the straight and narrow path after being incarcerated. That all changed when he met Stella. Just simply watching her was something he could have done for hours. A chance meeting lead to so much more. The connection was there and they had so many things in common. It felt like he had known her for years and she looked right on his arm. Can he stay away from the crimes he was convicted for or will he help her and walk into a life that should be left in the past? The depth of the characters will pull you in and how it is likely you will find the one who completes you in a situation you never could have possibly imagined.

5 SPARKLY DIAMOND STARS!! This book is a beautiful sparkling diamond in my books for 2018. The story is perfection with the refreshing storyline, fantastic characters, heists and jewel thieves. I absolutely loved this book, I could not put it down. Nick and Stella's story is one you will remember forever. These two have wonderful chemistry and are perfect together with all the feels. Please purchase this book you definitely need to read it.

Note:- Being stuck in a window may save your life. Thoroughly enjoyed this one. Has a Bonnie and Clyde feeling, instant attraction, plenty of smut and a good dose of humour. I like how this one feels both real and surreal. Nick and Stella were perfect together, the leader of a modern day Robin hood gang and an ex-con. Would’ve liked to see more of Ruth and Roxie’s circumstances. That poor bodyguard.

Shimmy Bang Sparkle had all of the things we love from a Nicola Rendell book. It was sexy, funny, addicting with a great storyline. Nick and Stella had great vanter and chemistry and I could not get enough!

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review!

I loved this book. The intensity between Nick and Stella was instantaneous and it only grew as the story progressed. I don't often find insta-love believable, but I felt it between these two characters throughout the entire story. From the way they met, to discovering things about each other, to their happily ever after, I could not get enough of them together. This was my first by Nicola Rendell and it won't be my last.

Shimmy Bang Sparkle was somewhat different kind of read than we all are probably used to. It was funny and interesting although I couldn't get into it in the beginning. With the time and deeper into the story I kind of got there and started to love the lead characters. Nick and Stella got this hotness around them, they don't even know they radiate it. The attraction is feelable through the pages. Together they work on plan to get Northern Star. They got the plan now it just needs to work....

The story could be described as a modern Robin Hood story with interesting ending, but don't worry good thing takes its time.
I have to say I laughed quite a lot and truly loved this book.