A Cunning Heist by Astrid Arditi (Spotlight, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

A Cunning Heist

by Astrid Arditi

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GENRE:   Romantic Suspense

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BLURB:

Sloane Harper has sworn off men—for her sanity, and her safety. But with or without men, trouble always seems to find Sloane.

When her ex’s ex-mistress comes knocking for help, Sloane does what she does best : she helps way more than she should. As she investigates London’s art scene, Sloane runs into a very handsome but very shady artist, a quirky bunch of thieves, and a cunning old flame. 
Perhaps Sloane should have sworn off playing private detective instead of men.

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EXCERPT

A whooshing sound woke me up with a jolt—like a hairdryer but much louder. I pulled my head up and found myself staring at a greyish toilet lid. Yuck!!

I slammed my hands against it to push myself upright and glanced at my surroundings. No sign of the embroidered towel or cherry soap I kept in my guest bathroom. This was not my home. This wasn’t even a home I realized as I spied feet under the door.

This was Aqua’s bathroom stalls, I whimpered, thinking of all the STDs contained by my toilet-lid pillow.

I glanced at my watch and wept a little bit. 7.30 AM. I had spent the night here.

My head spun so wildly I had to sit again on the suspicious toilets to avoid fainting. Sanitary scruples were a moot point at this stage.

I tried to piece out my night but drew a blank. A big, black hole stood where memories should have been. One minute I was drinking Kamikaze shots and the next, well, I was here, drooling on a toilet seat. And to think I’d believed my life couldn’t get any worse!

Flight instincts kicked in. I spied my handbag on the floor and snatched it—phone, keys, wallet, I inventoried swiftly. I was good to go. I swung the bag on my shoulder only to realize I was missing one or rather two crucial pieces of equipment.

No dress and no bra. I was down to my panties, tights and heels. What the—

Amazon link for A Cunning Heist

Amazon link for A Cunning Plan

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

If Astrid Arditi could have one magical power, it would be to create time—to write, to enjoy her children, to unpack (she’s moved five times in four years), to sleep in, to learn how to cook, and to hit the gym. Or at least, to locate the one nearest her.

While waiting for her magic powers to manifest, she reads, eats way too many cakes, daydream, and thanks her lucky stars for her whirlwind, wonderful life.

Born and raised in Paris, Arditi recently moved to Brooklyn where she lives with her husband and two young children. A Cunning Heist is the second novel in the Sloane Harper series.

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My review:

4 out of 5 stars

A Cunning Heist by Astrid Arditi is part of the eponymous ‘Sloane Harper’ series featuring the wacky adventures the recent divorcee gets herself into. A request from frenemy Kate leads Sloane on a self-imposed quest to find an artist of questionable reputation and connections. Still dealing with her conflicting feelings about the long-absent Ethan, Sloane fearlessly pursues her target…no matter what danger she stumbles into, so it’s a good thing she has allies to help her out—whether she wants them around or not!

This contemporary mystery combines humor and amateur sleuthing in an entertaining and sometimes laugh-out-loud tale. The predicaments Sloane gets into are so outrageous I couldn’t help shaking my head and giving thanks that I was not responsible for trying to keep her out of trouble, lol. There are some hilarious scenes that feature Sloane’s ability to use whatever materials are at hand to get herself out of the sticky situations she manages to get into. I am not crazy about her dependency and definitely hope she finds a way to get out from under the tyranny of her ex, not to mention develop a backbone with respect to her best friend/housekeeper, who is a bit erratic in her assistance. I found some of the events a little too far out there for credulity, especially with respect to the machinations involving the conferral of immunity and the sting operation, but Sloane is still an engaging character and fun to watch.

This book is part of a series yet can be read as a stand-alone story. I think those who enjoy tongue-in-cheek stories with a snarky heroine who has a stubborn streak a mile wide but is vulnerable and loyal, this is the tale for you.

A copy of this title was provided to me for review