Not every book has to be an award winner.

In fact, much of the time, I prefer a simple story that isn’t trying to beat me over the head with a message – and instead just wants to entertain me.

That’s exactly what ‘A Touch of Ice,’ by L.J. Charles, is. It is simple and mindless fun.

The book, the first in a series, follows Everly Gray, a woman that manages to see the image of a dead body when she touches photographer Mitchell Hunt.

Like all crazy heroines, Everly Gray manages to get in way over her head – and pretty quickly at that – as she tries to stay away from criminal mastermind Delano West.

From one scenario to the next, Everly manages to get caught up in a web of danger, intrigue – and even a little bit of romance – as she tries not to come face-to-face with a killer.

That’s essentially the plot of the book in a nutshell – and I don’t want to delve any deeper because it will ruin it for the reader.

‘A Touch of Ice’ is never going to win any big literary awards. It does belong on your Kindle shelf, though, right next to authors like Victoria Laurie, Keri Arthur, Teri Reid and Deborah Geary.

In essence, this is just simple and mindless fun with engaging characters, some funny situations and zany hijinks. The characters themselves are memorable, though, so if you’re a fan of chick lit – this will probably be your thing.

‘A Touch of Ice’ is written with a solid and decisive hand, and the typos aren’t so numerous they grow to the level of obnoxious. There are a few, though.

Basically, if you have an afternoon to spend in front of a fire and you want a quick read, take a chance on ‘A Touch of Ice.’

‘A Touch of Ice’ is available for $2.99 on Kindle and $11.99 in paperback.