A fun, light, page-turner.

Thirty-something aspiring Aussie journalist manages to get a commission to cover a story involving rock stars and drug-dealing, leading to an adventure which takes her round much of continental Europe. Many mishaps and a bit of intrigue along the way and, of course, romantic interest before the inevitable happy ending.

A few rather unbelievable twists to the story, but it would be a good book for the plane or the beach.

I wasn't sure when I read the blurb this would be a book for me, as it advertised itself as chick lit, which I have not read an awful lot of but thought I would give it a go as it was out of my comfort zone.

Was I surprised, was a really good read, with interesting characters, fast paced, this book had everything, I actually read it in a day as I couldn't put it down and wanted to find out what happened in the end.

Great read and highly recommended.

Hot pursuit is a story about Rebecca, heartbroken and taking a big dive into her career. Will the heart heal ? Will the career take off?

I enjoyed this fun romantic suspense book. Sarah is a journalist in training and her live in boyfriend has dumped her. She has a low level job at a Celebrity Magazine but wants to be a investigative reporter. When a chance meeting with a musician turns into an an international mystery she is determined to write the story. The magazine reluctantly agrees and sends a staff reporter, Nick and her to Europe to chase the story. Romance and mystery soon follow. I liked the characters and the travels through Europe was fun. The romance was good but predictable. The mystery was good and did have a few surprises. Enjoy this fun Beach read.

I love, love this book!
It is so much fun.
It starts as a tipical romance but quickly morphs into mystery.
Sarah's works as a lowly jurno writing cosmetic tips for women's gossip magazine, love of her live has dumped her and left her with expenses she can't afford. Her friends decide to cheer her up and take her out where she meets a guy and almost ends up sleeping with him. All of the sudden he gets a phonecall and rushes out leaving Sarah in his hotel room.
Next day at work she realises that that guy is a famous rock star and that his band mate has been found dead. She manages to trick her editor into giving her the assignment to investigate what happened and that's how the chase all around Europe for the rock star begins. Unfortunately the photographer who is sent with her is the one guy she can't tolerate, not just because she had a one night stand with him and made the biggest mistake but he is also Sarah's ex-boyfriend best mate.
Fabulously fun, full of twists and turns, unsuspected developments and array of good and bad characters. Beautiful descriptions of Europe's most popular destinations. Well paced and often laugh out aloud funny this is the perfect book for all those who like romance with a good dose of mystery.

In Hot Pursuit by Rebecca Freeborn, we follow Sarah Burrowes, an over-eager journalism grad hoping to break into a full-time writing career of top stories and breaking news. However, she's stuck writing beauty articles for a women's gossip magazine while she battles the heartbreak of her long-term boyfriend leaving her not only alone, but with a ridiculously large mortgage payment to scrape together.
When a night out with the girls leads to a chance meeting with a famous rockstar, imagine Sarah's surprise when her boss pulls out his picture the next day and tells her about a breaking story involving him. Although Sarah isn't the first choice to take the job (or second, third, or fourth), she pursues it until her boss relents. This sets her on a course of adventure all throughout Europe with surprisingly dark moments and Sherlock Holmes-sleuthing, along with the dramatics of her partner-in-crime photographer who is also her ex-lover and her ex's best friend.
I wasn't sure what to expect when starting this book. Based on the cover alone, I thought I would find a lighthearted and fun read. However, this book delves into the underbelly of the drug trafficking world, introducing us to shady characters and scary confrontations. To balance out some of the seriousness, the book is chock-full of witty banter between Sarah and her photographer Nick, along with enough sexual tension to keep you engrossed and turning pages.
I really enjoyed the book. There was enough action and suspense to keep me up until way too late, and the evolving relationship of Sarah and Nick filled my will-they-or-won't-they suspense meter quota for the week. The changing settings of Barcelona, Venice, Rome, and Amsterdam read like a first-hand jaunt around some of Europe's most beautiful cities.
My only real flaw with the book was the difficulty in following/believing some of the reasoning behind Sarah's thought processes as she tried to crack the case. Some of her ideas seemed rather outlandish, and at other times it seemed like there wasn't enough information to make her think a certain way or follow a certain lead. I think the romantic angle was much more developed than the mystery/suspense theme in the book, although it didn't make the book any less enjoyable to read.
Overall, I give the book a 3.5/5 rating. It was a quick read with enough adventure and tension to keep me up reading well into the night.

I liked the mystery element of the book but the romance side was too overdone - it's just not my taste.

Hot Pursuit is a sexy, witty, thrilling adventure through Europe as one woman and her photographer go gunning for a story. Hot on the heels of a hot rocker and his disappearance, Sarah lies her way into getting the scoop of a lifetime.

Question is: after nearly sleeping with Chris, the hot rocker, can she find him? Even with her former fling, Nick, who torments her? And a mortgage weighing her down courtesy of her ex, James?

Find out in steamy Hot Pursuit. A book I love and will re-read for years to come! 5/5.

Sarah Burrowes has had a difficult few months. Her live-in partner has walked out on her with no explanation, leaving her with a crushing mortgage to deal with on her own. She's heartbroken and financially stressed. Then a night out with the girls - to cheer her up - leads to a meeting with an attractive Scotsman, but thoughts of her ex dash any hopes she might have had of a night of no-strings fun with this handsome stranger.

When Sarah learns that her Scotsman is the rockstar Chris Ford, and that he might have a big secret to hide, she blags her way from beauty columnist to investigative journalist. And so begins the adventure of a lifetime, trailing Chris from Melbourne to Barcelona, then across Europe. The only thing is, Sarah wasn't counting on having her ex's best mate, Nick, along for the ride as photographer.

I must admit I don't read a great deal of women's fiction or romance these days, so this was a bit of a change for me. And I enjoyed it! Sarah and Nick were both likeable lead characters in their own ways, the pacing was good and the plot even went a little bit darker than I had expected for this kind of book. But what I really liked the most was my armchair trip through a tourist's Barcelona, Rome, Paris, Venice and Amsterdam. I've been to all in real-life, and Freeborn took me back there.

Hot Pursuit by Rebecca Freeborn is a fun new book that is perfect as a summer read. Fans of Bridget Jones' Diary will love this book! There are many moments of catastrophe and hilarity. This is a fun book and I would highly recommend it. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher. These opinions are entirely my own.

This book was a great surprise, I was looking for something lighter and the blurb enticed me to give this book a go.

Sarah Burrows is at a low point of her life. Her boyfriend of a few years has suddenly left with no explanation, leaving her with a hefty mortgage to pay and her job at a women’s magazine is not really satisfying her journalist dreams. Her break comes when she manages to trick her boss into letting her investigate the story of a disappearing rock star. Flying to some well known European destinations sounds too good to be true but she’s swathed when she is joined by playboy photographer Nick, who just happens to be an old one night stand and a friend of her ex boyfriend. And then suddenly things start to get a bit dangerous...

I found this story really well written with some great characters (some we love to hate). There was entertaining banter between Sarah and Nick and I loved the Australian slang used. ie ‘oh bugger’ (hmm, I use this a lot) and ‘of course it’s locked, you nong’ (I haven’t heard the word ‘nong’ for so long!) There were a few more that brought a smile to my face.
Obviously you do have to suspend belief a little bit, especially as Sarah makes some silly decisions but on the whole this was a really fun read.
I’m impressed with this debut story and I noticed that the author is a local to me, so I’ll be watching for more from her.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy to read.

Hot Pursuit was a real delight to read; full of humour and adventure, with a spirited protagonist that’s certainly bitten off more than she can chew.

Sarah Burrows is journalist who writes beauty articles for a women’s magazine. When her partner left without a word, leaving her with a huge mortgage she can’t afford, she acts in desperation. With a lot bluffing and pleading, Sarah convinces her boss to send her off on an investigative assignment. Unprepared and inexperienced, Sarah is whisked off to Europe, chasing a musician on the run, who’s accused of murder. And to accompany her is Nick, the photographer, who also happens to be her ex lover!

Hot Pursuit is a novel I didn’t expect to turn slightly deadly. Sarah is not an experienced investigative journalist - she’s never done this type of work before - so it’s left her feeling so overwhelmed. And being in close proximity to her ex lover whom she loathes just adds to pressure! Her determination to succeed and prove herself as a real journalist has made her a bit erratic. Barging into a situation with out thinking which produced some hair-raising moments. But surprisingly, she got results! The spark between Sarah and Nick was most certainly there but the romance was a small part of novel and the focus was never taken away from the main plot. And to visit beautiful cities like Barcelona, Rome and Amsterdam in the book was the icing on the cake.
Really enjoyable debut novel!

<i>Thanks to Pantera Press and Netgalley for my review copy.</i>

A sweet story about someone who wants to better her life. I always enjoy reading these inspiring tales.