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Lust. Mechanics. Mini Cooper. (Time-Frame Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 29 ratings

Adventure-romance author, Lesley Meryn, has lived her own share of adventures. But the one thing she has never experienced is the "coupe de foudre", the Lightning-Bolt of Love. Connected by years of friendship to the sexy action-movie star, Jason Hambrey, Jax, the two really are "just friends" but the paparazzi are merciless, making their lives and their friendship almost impossible to sustain.

When Lesley's Aunt dies, leaving her a piece of property in North Yorkshire, Lesley is mystified. Her aunt kept it a secret. Lesley travels to London and learns her that her aunt leased the property twenty-five years before to an 'Historical Research Society'. The lease on the property is up for renewal. Before she makes her decision; Lesley travels to the farm to investigate.

Nothing could prepare her for what she finds at the farm. Miles Sherwood is dark, devious, and desperate. He's the very last person one would consider the head of a stuffy British 'Historical Society'.

Lesley finds him insufferable, yet irresistibly attractive. The two unknowingly share a deep connection. Whether they like it or not...it's Lightning-Time!

Editorial Reviews

Review

5 STARS!!... a thrilling romance theme yet gives so much more than that; suspense, intrigue, thrills, drama and sci-fi. Elle Brookes brought this captivating story to life with a flawless and very fitting writing style and characters that a reader could easily connect with and understand their emotions throughout the novel. I especially loved how Elle Brookes portrayed Lesley's character and the character development through flashbacks to her earlier life, which helped me understand her even better. I had an absolute reading thrill with this page-turner. ---Readers' Favorite

About the Author

Elle Brookes began writing at an early age, short stories of imaginary people living in faraway places. She decided to follow the structure of a "Classic Education" of Gentlemen and some Ladies of an earlier age. She studied fencing, archery, horse-riding, Latin, and made the 'Grand Tour' of Europe. Later in life, she traveled to those far away places that had fired her childhood imagination. She then explored even more exotic places and cultures.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00L1R3PVW
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 15, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2285 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 314 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 29 ratings

About the author

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Elle Brookes
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Elle Brookes grew up in Los Angeles, California, but lived in Jamaica for three years when she was a Peace Corps Volunteer. She moved to San Francisco and studied at the California Culinary Academy, and went on to become a private chef to a well-known L.A. based television production company.

From an early age Elle was a voracious reader of adventure stories and from elementary school through high school, she tried writing her own stories of places foreign and exotic. She studied Art History and continued writing in college, focusing on short stories.

A dedicated and passionate traveler, Elle has explored river caves in Jamaica and Costa Rica, hiked glaciers in New Zealand and Iceland, and done dogsledding in Greenland and Iceland. She's danced a fa'a Samoan haka and slept in a fale on the island of Savai'i in Samoa, hiked in the northern mountains of Thailand along the border with Myanmar in the Golden Triangle, and in Haiti, she witnessed a white goat ceremonially sacrificed to Erzuli Freda by a powerful Houngan. For a time she did Performance Driving in Southern California, and has years of study and experience dedicated to fencing, theatrical combat, archery, and horsemanship.

Elle currently lives in the central highlands of Costa Rica with her dog Pixie, and her hedgehog, Quiller.

Elle can be reached through:

Website: www.tymslyder.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tymslyder

Twitter: @tymslyder

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
29 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book entertaining and fun to read. They appreciate the well-developed characters and witty dialogue. The story is enjoyable and moves along at a crackling pace, with helpful backstories. However, some feel the pacing starts out slow.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

9 customers mention "Readability"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable to read. They describe it as an entertaining adventure with a comfortable style. Readers appreciate the witty and humorous writing style. The book offers fantasy elements like swordplay, romance, and adventure in an interesting and engaging way.

"...It's also entertaining reading; you certainly won't want to skip over any of it!..." Read more

"This book was SO much fun to read! Great sense of fun and snarky ness! Great characters!..." Read more

"...books based on how catching the cover art is, but it’s definitely worth a read if you like witty, sarcastic humor...." Read more

"...The romance is really adorable too and is way different than a lot of the romance novels of today..." Read more

6 customers mention "Character development"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the character development. They find the characters appealing, with two handsome and sexy male protagonists.

"...(again, effortlessly) attractive to two incredibly handsome and sexy male characters, and gets into all kinds of adventures that get more exciting..." Read more

"...Great sense of fun and snarky ness! Great characters! The swoon-worthy Jax the rather elfin, no nonsense Lesley Meryn! And delicious devious Miles!..." Read more

"...halfway through the book, but I kept reading because of the quality of characters and their individual stories, all coming together in a hilarious..." Read more

"...I really enjoyed the character development too as everyone seems to come alive once you get to know them a bit...." Read more

5 customers mention "Humor"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the humor in the book. They find the characters witty and snarky, and the dialogue spot-on. The language nuances are also appreciated.

"...Including a pig named Napoleon who only drinks Evian. The dialogue is spot on and very witty. The story moves along at a crackling pace...." Read more

"...cover art is, but it’s definitely worth a read if you like witty, sarcastic humor...." Read more

"...I wouldn’t say it’s a comedy, but it does have some humorous moments that make the book fly by...." Read more

"...There is much more to know about Miles Sherwood and witty, funny, and snarky Lesley will be learning more...." Read more

5 customers mention "Story quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the story's quality. They find it engaging with its breaks from the main plot and getting involved in fencing. The book moves along at a fast pace with individual character stories that come together. The backstory is helpful, but some humorous moments make the book fly by.

"...The dialogue is spot on and very witty. The story moves along at a crackling pace. I. Could. Not. Put. It. Down!..." Read more

"...I kept reading because of the quality of characters and their individual stories, all coming together in a hilarious way...." Read more

"...The story itself if quite fun to get into. I wouldn’t say it’s a comedy, but it does have some humorous moments that make the book fly by...." Read more

"...Suffice it to say this is a good story, it needs work, but its worth the time." Read more

3 customers mention "Pacing"0 positive3 negative

Customers find the book's pacing slow.

"...At first I wasn’t sure what to make of it. The beginning was a bit slow in my opinion, and the story didn’t really get interesting until about..." Read more

"...It starts off slowly, which is a problem...." Read more

"...Note to readers that this book starts out a bit slow, but the details and explanations will reveal themselves as the story goes on...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2015
    For works of fiction, I reserve five stars for works of genius (see my review of Masters of Atlantis by Charles Portis), but I'm giving a solid four stars to Lust. Mechanics. Mini Cooper. It is especially remarkable considering that it's Elle Brookes' first novel. The heroine, adventure-romance author Lesley Meryn, is beautiful (in an effortless way, not the "high maintenance" type), talented, successful, rich, athletic, is (again, effortlessly) attractive to two incredibly handsome and sexy male characters, and gets into all kinds of adventures that get more exciting as the novel progresses. Yet, despite all this, you really like her! This alone is an amazing feat of writing, because normally, this kind of female character would be so insufferable, you'd "love to hate" her!

    The introductory chapter grabs the reader's attention right away. The remainder of the first portion of the novel (about one-quarter of the way through), is a sort of backstory that establishes Lesley's character, her life story, and her relationship with Jax. This section is a little too long; it could have been trimmed a bit, because the story really gets going when Lesley arrives in England. But this establishing information is important for understanding who Lesley is, it could not have been eliminated, as one reviewer seemed to suggest. It's also entertaining reading; you certainly won't want to skip over any of it! I laughed out loud at Lesley's thoughts about a man she had once dated, a Danish orchestra conductor with a "stratospheric ego" (an in-joke for residents of the Los Angeles area)!

    Lust. Mechanics. Mini Cooper. becomes more and more of a page-turner as the reader approaches the last portion of the book. The end is a cliff-hanger, but there is a sneak peek of Book Two at the end. Since I don't want to give anything away, I'll just say that what happens to Lesley on pages 296 - 297 (part of the sneak peek) is absolutely brilliant, because I haven't read or seen any human physical reaction like this to a similar event in any work of fiction -- yet, it makes perfect sense.

    Lust. Mechanics. Mini Cooper was obviously a labor of love, and is evidence of Elle Brookes' knowledge of many subjects, such as fencing, cars, English history, and the Yorkshire dialect. Though writers can pick up this sort of knowledge through research, I have a feeling that Elle Brookes' knowledge of these subjects comes from long personal experience. (Note: there is a Glossary at the end of words and phrases that may be unfamiliar to the reader. I understand why the Glossary is at the end, since it could give away things about the story if it were at the beginning, but I think there should be some indication at the beginning of the book that there is a Glossary at the end.)

    I plan to get Book Two, Sex. Coffee. Time Travel. as soon as it's published, and expect that it will be even better than Lust. Mechanics. Mini Cooper.
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2014
    This book was SO much fun to read! Great sense of fun and snarky ness! Great characters! The swoon-worthy Jax the rather elfin, no nonsense Lesley Meryn! And delicious devious Miles! Lesley is a famous romance writer whose very best friend is the wildly popular Jax Hambry, action movie star hunk.They have been friends forever. Both, as this tale begins, are restless for a change.
    Lesley gets a solicitors request to come to London to see to some mysterious property in Yorkshire her Aunt Sophia left her that Lesley had never heard of.
    Lesley...having been a product of a hoity toity girls school in England really does not want to return to the olde sod.
    But she does.
    And finds the property home to an unusual " historical society" run by the enigmatic very alpha Miles who has this project.....
    Jax eventually follows Lesley to England just to see what's she's up to and finds more than he ever expected! Including a pig named Napoleon who only drinks Evian.
    The dialogue is spot on and very witty. The story moves along at a crackling pace.
    I. Could. Not. Put. It. Down! Seriously, took me a day and a half to read.
    Perfect for a long holiday weekend!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2014
    I really wasn’t sure what to expect from the book, based on the cover, and the title didn’t make much sense. I was sold on the books description and decided to give it a shot. At first I wasn’t sure what to make of it. The beginning was a bit slow in my opinion, and the story didn’t really get interesting until about halfway through the book, but I kept reading because of the quality of characters and their individual stories, all coming together in a hilarious way.

    Lesley Meryn is a “wild child” who grows up to be a cheeky romance author. Entangled with a famous star, Jax, she needs to escape the paparazzi rumors about her and her “just friends” pal. When her Aunt leaves her an inheritance in England, she jumps at the chance to travel and discover why her aunt has been so secretive, where she meets Mr. Tall, Dark and Broody, Miles Sherwood. He is the head of the Historical Research Society and he is desperate for her help.

    I don’t know if this book series will ever be a best-seller, since most people buy books based on how catching the cover art is, but it’s definitely worth a read if you like witty, sarcastic humor. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next book of the series.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2014
    I have to say that the title threw me off a bit, but I do enjoy a bit of a surprise. The story itself if quite fun to get into. I wouldn’t say it’s a comedy, but it does have some humorous moments that make the book fly by. The romance is really adorable too and is way different than a lot of the romance novels of today (as in romances that are so sweet they turn your stomach).
    I really enjoyed the character development too as everyone seems to come alive once you get to know them a bit. There is, however, a whole lot of back story so this might be why. Although much of the back story is quite helpful it could have probably been shortened to make the book read faster and flow smoother.
    Towards the end of the book I was really getting into the story, so was pretty bummed when I got to the end and found a cliffhanger, AGGGG! Will have to pick up the next in the series, ASAP. Thanks for a fun read.

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