Sharon Jackson is a small-town girl with big-city dreams.
Forced out of her home in regional Western Australia with her singing career in
ruins, she hits the big smoke in search of stardom. After signing with a sleazy
agent who wants more than a ten percent cut of her earnings, she struggles to
earn a place in the macho world of rock-‘n-roll, encountering a series of
colourful characters along the way – like Todd, the sexy, brooding muso with a
dragon tattoo and Kevin, the whip-smart fighter with some hidden demons of his
own.But when her troubled past follows her to the city, Shazza’s dreams begin
to unravel. With no home to go back to and a past that won’t stay buried,
everything she has worked for is on the line. Shazza must make a decision that
will define the course of her future, and time is running out.

For more information please visit Amazon.  

A view weeks ago I was approached about the ‘Striking Out’
Blog Tour. When I read the book description I was immediately interested in
reading this story, especially since it sounded so different than the books I read
recently. So I was really excited to read this one. I knew that there would be Australian
slang in this book, but with the risk of not really getting it.. I dived into
this book.

In ‘Striking Out’ we meet Sharon Jackson, a young wannabe
singer who fled her hometown to escape her past and to make it in the ‘city’. Sharon
is determined to make her dreams come true. She has a new agent and she can’t
wait to start with her new life. But nothing is going the way Sharon planned.
Life is hard, and her past isn’t as easy to get away from. Then there’s also
the hot and sexy rock star who just doesn’t seem interested, and the sexy and
tough fighter who has a difficult past himself. The last thing Sharon wants is
to be caught between two men. And soon Sharon has to make some difficult
decisions.

Although this book really sounded like something I would
like, I didn’t expect to like it this much. From the moment I started reading,
I just didn’t want to put the book down. The main character Sharon Jackson,
a.k.a. Shazza is one tough girl. Shazza dreams big and isn’t afraid to work
hard for her dreams. Since her life hasn’t been easy all the time, Shazza has
some surprises on her sleeve. For one you really shouldn’t make her angry, second,
don’t challenge her for arm wrestling and third she really can sing.

This book was just so much fun to read. It really is a
story about the journey of life and about going on, especially when life gets
hard. I loved the main character Sharon, and I really enjoyed getting to know
her. The thing I admired about her character the most, was the way she really
was able to lose her bad habits and become a better and ‘smarter’ person. I
really felt proud of her at the end of the book.

Not only was this book interesting to read, it also was
really funny and I just didn’t want it to end. For me, the best thing about
this book was the way I could really imagine this story being real. It could
have easily been a memoir.

Since there was some Australian Slang, and English is my
second language, there were some concerns about me really enjoying it and
getting everything. I can honestly say I didn’t have any trouble with reading
this book. And I didn’t have any trouble with understanding the writing. It did
make me want to go to Australia even more than before I started reading this
book. And I really made myself laugh because I imagined the characters with
this huge Australian accent. And I’m so bad with accents!!

This book was amazing and I’m so glad I had the
opportunity to read this one. I read it in one sitting, and it just wasn’t long
enough. Scarlet Bennett really did an amazing job with this one. Great job! 😉

Scarlet Bennett spent her formative years in regional
Western Australia, and it shows. Years  of city living have softened her
broad accent, but the slang she’s stuck with. After earning a Masters degree in
Psychology, the colourful characters of her childhood – and that irrepressible
Aussie spirit – found their way onto the page. She is a graduate of
Allaboutwriting’s mentoring program, and lives in

For more information about Scarlet Bennett please visit her
website, Facebook and Firefield Press.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.