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Northern Rivers #3
Roman Roulette
Unable to leave Rome due to an air traffic controller strike, Charlotte accepts an invitation to a party on a super yacht. A friend disappears and then Charlotte becomes an accidental stowaway as the yacht heads for Sicily. Inadvertently caught up in the international slavery trade and forced to choose between several unbearable options, Charlotte embarks on a bold plan to save the women captured by the Monk, and in doing so, to save herself. Mystery/Adventure/Thriller set between Rome, Naples and Taormina in Sicily.
150 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 15, 2021
About the author
Jane Ellyson
10 books18 followersI’ve a deep connection to the far north coast of New South Wales in Australia where my novel Over Byron Bay is set. My great grandparents owned a farm a little way out of Byron Bay and grandparents a farm at nearby Mullumbimby.
I started writing Over Byron Bay in my last year at university in Lismore which is also located in the beautiful Northern Rivers area of New South Wales. For all the wannabe writers out there, let me report that it’s never too late to tell your story. It took 30 years for me to get Over Byron Bay written and published and I’m thrilled with my heart wrenching story of loss and love.
I’ve travelled extensively and lived in some lovely locations around the world including London, Paris and Nice. Nice, in the south of France was home for over a decade so it’s perhaps not surprising that the Cote d’Azur as it is more commonly known, takes centre stage in my second novel Substitute Child.
My heroine Charlotte Wyatt, visits London, Paris, Antibes, Cannes, Îles de Lérins and Monte Carlo on her journey to collect a bottle with a message inside. Her parents had thrown the bottle into the ocean off Byron Bay 20 years previously. It’s a thriller romance. It’s the story of a student on a journey to discover who she is and what she wants from life. It has fairy tale elements and lots of fun.
It’s also a wonderful travel story. The south of France where a fair chunk of the story is set is beautiful. I love the deep blue of the Mediterranean Sea, the craggy rocky outcrops along the coastline and the orange, yellow and pink painted houses.
I’ve recently written the backstory to Over Byron Bay. You can pick up a copy for free by joining my mailing list at www.janeellyson.com
I currently live at Possum Creek just out of Bangalow in northern New South Wales in Australia, well I would if I could, rather than being the pen name of someone who’d prefer to remain anonymous.
I started writing Over Byron Bay in my last year at university in Lismore which is also located in the beautiful Northern Rivers area of New South Wales. For all the wannabe writers out there, let me report that it’s never too late to tell your story. It took 30 years for me to get Over Byron Bay written and published and I’m thrilled with my heart wrenching story of loss and love.
I’ve travelled extensively and lived in some lovely locations around the world including London, Paris and Nice. Nice, in the south of France was home for over a decade so it’s perhaps not surprising that the Cote d’Azur as it is more commonly known, takes centre stage in my second novel Substitute Child.
My heroine Charlotte Wyatt, visits London, Paris, Antibes, Cannes, Îles de Lérins and Monte Carlo on her journey to collect a bottle with a message inside. Her parents had thrown the bottle into the ocean off Byron Bay 20 years previously. It’s a thriller romance. It’s the story of a student on a journey to discover who she is and what she wants from life. It has fairy tale elements and lots of fun.
It’s also a wonderful travel story. The south of France where a fair chunk of the story is set is beautiful. I love the deep blue of the Mediterranean Sea, the craggy rocky outcrops along the coastline and the orange, yellow and pink painted houses.
I’ve recently written the backstory to Over Byron Bay. You can pick up a copy for free by joining my mailing list at www.janeellyson.com
I currently live at Possum Creek just out of Bangalow in northern New South Wales in Australia, well I would if I could, rather than being the pen name of someone who’d prefer to remain anonymous.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 2, 2021
🚤Lots of action but had some issues😕
I can see a significant YA reading audience for this type of action adventure featuring an intrepid, pretty fearless, young Australian women who keeps running, not walking, into intrigue and danger in glamorous locations. I just had some problems with the execution, particularly the way the story assumes the reader's familiarity with Substitute Child, the immediately preceding book in the series which was published two years earlier. (Even if I had read it, two years is a long time and over 500 books for me so I am unlikely to recall the details of the previous plot and its characters).
For me, the book left too many things from the previous book unexplained when a simple few words or sentences could have clued me in. As an example, MC Charlotte encounters a fellow she met in the earlier book who's working as a bartender on a yacht. Later the name Roy appears when two characters are talking on the same yacht and apparently, I was supposed to know that Roy was the bartender's name. It would have been logical and a simple matter to include his name when he first talks to Charlotte. This laxity on filling in the pertinent facts from the earlier book keeps occurring and frustrated me.
There is also a hint of romance, more a teaser, really, that remains vague and unresolved. Better to have skipped IMO.
I picked up this Jane Ellyson novel because I really enjoyed Over Byron Bay, the first book in the series which had greater depth.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.
I can see a significant YA reading audience for this type of action adventure featuring an intrepid, pretty fearless, young Australian women who keeps running, not walking, into intrigue and danger in glamorous locations. I just had some problems with the execution, particularly the way the story assumes the reader's familiarity with Substitute Child, the immediately preceding book in the series which was published two years earlier. (Even if I had read it, two years is a long time and over 500 books for me so I am unlikely to recall the details of the previous plot and its characters).
For me, the book left too many things from the previous book unexplained when a simple few words or sentences could have clued me in. As an example, MC Charlotte encounters a fellow she met in the earlier book who's working as a bartender on a yacht. Later the name Roy appears when two characters are talking on the same yacht and apparently, I was supposed to know that Roy was the bartender's name. It would have been logical and a simple matter to include his name when he first talks to Charlotte. This laxity on filling in the pertinent facts from the earlier book keeps occurring and frustrated me.
There is also a hint of romance, more a teaser, really, that remains vague and unresolved. Better to have skipped IMO.
I picked up this Jane Ellyson novel because I really enjoyed Over Byron Bay, the first book in the series which had greater depth.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.
August 31, 2021
I didn’t read the first two books, but based on this one I think I need to go back and read them! This book joins Charlotte at the Rome Airport waiting for her flight home, only to learn that an air controllers strike has caused the cancellation of all flights. She also learns that her good friend, Jaques Dessault, has been listed as missing by his family! She winds up attending a party on the Paradiso yacht hosted by Middle Eastern modeling agencies and others, thanks to new acquaintance, model Channing. Charlotte notices similarities between this yacht and the Taormina Triumph, the Dessault’s yacht, but figures large yachts are probably very similar in style, until she sees a safety notice with the Taormina’s name on it! She discovers that there are some strange going’s on with the outfit on the yacht and hears of more missing girls. It’s fun to follow Charlotte as she uses her creativity to solve the problems and twists she encounters! I did receive a copy of this book from the author and write this review voluntarily.
August 15, 2021
Roman Roulette was filled with tons of twists and turns and I just loved flipping through the pages to see it all unfold. Without giving too much away, I thought the ending was very clever. What could have been a very precarious situation, was turned into a game to protect the innocent.
Sometimes, I was a bit confused since there were so many characters and the storyline flipped back and forth, but once I figured it all out, it was an enjoyable Mayhem in the Mediterranean! I'm sure it would have been a bit easier had I read the previous books.
All in all, I'd recommend Roman Roulette to anyone who loves a fast-paced whodunit. It's worth your time just to see how Charlotte pulls it all off!
Sometimes, I was a bit confused since there were so many characters and the storyline flipped back and forth, but once I figured it all out, it was an enjoyable Mayhem in the Mediterranean! I'm sure it would have been a bit easier had I read the previous books.
All in all, I'd recommend Roman Roulette to anyone who loves a fast-paced whodunit. It's worth your time just to see how Charlotte pulls it all off!
June 16, 2021
This isn't a long book, but it packs a lot of punch. Its nonstop action and adventure keep you turning the pages. Mystery. Intrigue. Romance. Suspense. There's plenty to keep the reader engaged. Charlotte is a captivating heroine, her mind always thinking of ways to get out of the jams she finds herself in. I especially loved how she managed to turn a dangerous situation into a presumed game to keep the victims from being aware of their situation so they wouldn't panic. All quite clever.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews