Prince William: At Olympics 2012

by Mike Scantlebury

Prince William of England, second in line to the throne, is asked by his grandmother to represent her at the Olympic events happening in the North of England in 2012. The Prince is pleased at the request, appearing in public as the Queen's representative, but then less than happy when people start shooting at him and threatening his life in a myriad of unpleasant ways. Then Melia arrives. Amelia Hartliss, or 'Heartless' as she is known, has been sent from the local Regional Office of WSB, the country's foremost anti-terrorism unit. She is a professional, but in the weeks spent in the Prince's company, she finds her nature as a young and passionate woman is tested to the limit. She is attracted to the young man, and is surprised to find that the feeling may be mutual. As the terrorists close in, the two dissimilar people have to work together to survive, forging a bond that is more than their duty demands.

Genres: New Adult, Adventure, Young Adult, 21st Century, Drama, Modern, Ebooks

207 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 5, 2012

About the author

Born in the Delta, south west of England where the curlews fly and the marigolds vanish, Mike quickly read through his local library and went looking for where the Industrial Revolution started in Britain. He arrived in Manchester in 1974, carried on his education at the local Polytechnic and was thrilled to be encouraged to read books and talk about them: writing the essays, however, was a chore.
After a bit of teaching and years of Community Development, (where he helped people do what they wanted to do but sometimes didn't know it), he moved on into semi-retirement and found the time to construct more than one novel. Fashioning stories out of the clay of mortal men and the dust from the Inner City streets, he spins yarns that are always partly true but mostly happen in a universe where being 'fair' is fine, and being generous is expected. It's a moral place (with no swearing.)
Sorry if that's confusing for people, such as; the 'Mickey from Manchester' series is not set in Real Manchester. It's more like a Mythical Manchester or a Make-Believe Manchester.
And his real name's not 'Mickey' !

Reviews

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set firmly in Manchester, with a guided tour around football grounds, train stations and the sets for Coronation Street, this book looks with a jaundiced eye at hosting the Olympic Games in London and leaving the northern counties out of the picture. A few items are askew in this version of the world; I wondered why Prince William was 'next in line' but late in the book we are told his father Charles has renounced his claim to the throne. Prince Harry doesn't seem an important figure, the conspiracy theory about Diana is trotted out etc.

Anyway we mainly follow a close protection officer and her team, just involved because they know the local area. More bombs explode than you'd expect, a sad foreshadowing of real bombings at a concert; the ownership of the Man Utd grounds keeps being challenged by locals and an American agent gives themself a silly nickname which, I have to say, didn't work.

If you know the city you'll doubtless laugh a lot and grumble a lot; I have only visited once, so I'm just going on the story and characters. Not a bad effort and the author does make us think. I downloaded an e-ARC. This is an unbiased review.

[Donadee's Corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prince William at Olympics 2012 - Written by Mike Scantlebury
Terrorists and mayhem at the 2012 Olympics!

Prince William of England, second in line to the throne, is asked by his grandmother to represent her at the Olympics events happening in the North of England in 2012. The Prince is pleased with the request, appearing in public as the Queen's representative, but then less than happy when people start shooting at him and threatening his life in a myriad of unpleasant ways. Then Melia arrives. Amelia Hartliss, or 'Heartless' as she is known, has been sent from the local Regional Office of WSB, the country's foremost anti-terrorism unit. She is a professional, but in the weeks spent in the Prince's company, she finds her nature as a mature and passionate woman is tested to the limit. She is attracted to the young man and is surprised to find that the feeling may be mutual. As the terrorists close in, the two-dissimilar people have to work together to survive, forging a bond that is more than their duty demands.

What did I like? I am not English, but I don’t think that you must be from a country to respect and follow someone. I have watched this family for many years and have felt the heartbreak that that family has gone through but especially Prince William and his brother. This story just goes to show you that you don’t have to be Royalty to be affected by others. Presenting him as just as human as you and I are.

What will you like? A very good account of an event that leads the world back in 2012. Highlighting the problems of the family but the fact that two people from two different walks of life can come together and help each other. It can not be easy to be that much in the public eye, to have no privacy and be a target for every bad guy from terrorism to gossip. I felt this was an interesting look at the problems and was well done. Each of us could learn a lesson from this story about human life. I received this from the author for an honest review with no other compensation.

[Charles Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intrigue and danger

In 'Prince William: At Olympics 2012,' penned by none other than Mike Scantlebury, we get a taste of the 2012 Northern England Olympics. It starts with Prince William reluctantly taking on the Queen's emissary role, and then, lo and behold, he's under fire, quite literally. Scantlebury spins a web of intrigue and danger, creating an enthralling narrative that has you on the edge of your seat throughout.

[Mike Scantlebury · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am pleased to see how many other people have a positive view of this crime fiction thriller, but I'm still disappointed how many more look at the cover and think, 'I don't get it'. No, chums, it's really simple - it really is what the title suggests. Spoiler? Ever seen 'The Bodyguard ' film with Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston? Well, imagine a similar story but with the roles reversed.