Book Review - The Gotcha Detective Agency Novels - Death of a Sales Rep. - Textual Relations - Let Us Prey - Jamie Lee Scott

Title:  Gotcha Detective Agency Mysteries Box set (3 Books)

Author: Jamie Lee Scott

Review:  

Let Us Prey - book 1

Mimi Capurro former Secret Service agent is trying to put what is left of her life back together after her husband of one year suddenly died.  She opens up the Gotcha Detective Agency.  Her friend computer forensics partner, Charles Parks, cares for

Mimi but knows she is working through personal issues and helps her when he can. Gotcha specializes in executive protection (bodyguards), and tailing cheating spouses.

Nick Christianson former San Francisco Homicide detective decided to move back to Salinas CA to move past his former daemons and is now adjusting to the new police department and a blast from the past.

Mimi when she takes on an executive protection case for New York Times bestselling author Lauren Silke she figured it would be an easy protection but when Lauren’s assistant is murdered. Mimi finds herself working side by side with her former college flame Nick.  The only question is will Mimi and Nick be able to solve this murder without killing each other first?

The murder scene in this book is not a cozy mystery if that is what you are looking for.

Textual Relations - book 2

Mimi Capurro, owner of Gotcha Detective Agency,  is breaking and entering into an alleged predator’s home, Mimi and Charles find a murder victim on the floor in his bedroom. When homicide detective Nick Christianson and his new partner, Piper Mason, arrive on the scene Mimi has to find a way to work with Nick and Piper with the green eyed monster hanger over her shoulder. When the teenage girl and victim disappear Mimi, Nick and Charles race against the clock to find the killer and hopefully find the girl in the process.

Death of a Sales Rep - book 3

Mimi and Charles take some time off from the detective agency to help Charles' friend, Anthony DeLuca, sell his exclusive line of voodoo dolls at a trade show in San Francisco. But as luck may have it, Mimi finds the body of a dead sales rep. When Anthony is implicated in the suspicious death, Mimi decides to investigate.

The three books put together are only 519 pages so each story is barely 200 pages but perfect for a beach read.  Each book moves the story forward from the romance between Nick and Mimi to the endless victims Mimi comes across. The author doesn’t hold anyone back from developing Mimi as a person discovering who she is as a Private Detective and what she wants in her love life.

Jamie Lee Scott creates vivid murder scenes that cause the reader to feel for Mimi and everything she sees and feels. There is the right amount of humor and romance to balance out the murders.

Each book is a perfect murder mystery story with you guessing who the murder might be.  I have to admit I was pretty sure who the murderer was in the first book but I also take pride in discovering who the killer is before everyone else.

Out of the three books I really enjoyed the second one because with children you forget the world of technology they live in and the author makes sure you realize how dangerous the technology is when it comes to our children and the sexual predators who are searching for them. I like that Jamie Lee Scott flushed out Charles character more and I found I really like him more than the first book.  Jamie Lee Scott also flushes out all of her characters though each book and you find yourself caring for everyone who works for Mimi.

Each book could stand along because the author makes sure the reader is never lost and wondering who everyone is and what they are doing in the books.

 The series is well worth the buy and I plan on reading her next books in the Gotcha series.

Thanks Heidi for this review

Published:  Published January 1st 2013 by LBBCompany (Ryan Lee,Inc.)

ISBN:  B00AW1K5SE

Page Count: 515

Quick Review:  4 out 5 stars –

Why I Read this Title:  I bought the Gotcha Detective books for .99 from Amazon when I was looking for a good mystery one day.

Synopsis:   Let Us Prey - book 1

Mimi Capurro is trying to put her life back together after the sudden death of her husband. Using the skills she learned as a secret service agent, she runs the Gotcha Detective Agency, along with her skilled computer forensics partner Charles Parks. Gotcha specializes in executive protection (bodyguards), and tailing cheating spouses.

Nick Christianson is running from the demons of his past, and that has put him back in his old stomping grounds in Salinas, CA. Nick has transferred from the San Francisco Homicide Division and is now adjusting to this new police department.

Mimi never expects to run into her old college flame Nick, when she takes on an executive protection case for New York Times bestselling author Lauren Silke. But when Lauren’s assistant is murdered, the homicide case, along with Mimi, land in Nick’s lap. Will Mimi and Nick be able to solve this murder without killing each other first?

Textual Relations - book 2

Mimi Capurro, owner of Gotcha Detective Agency, hasn’t seen her old college flame since they teamed up to find a killer several months earlier. Now, after breaking and entering into an alleged predator’s home, Mimi and Charles find a murder victim on the floor in his bedroom. When homicide detective Nick Christianson and his new partner, Piper Mason, arrive on the scene, this is not the way Mimi expected to see Nick again.

Even though it’s his job, Nick is loath to find the killer. That is until a teenage girl with ties to the victim disappears. Now Mimi, Nick and Charles race against the clock to find the killer and hopefully find the girl in the process.

Death of a Sales Rep -Book 3

 Mimi and Charles take some time off from the detective agency to help Charles' friend, Anthony DeLuca, sell his exclusive line of voodoo dolls at a trade show in San Francisco. Mimi is less than thrilled to find out Charles has invited Nick Christianson to come along.

But as luck may have it, Mimi finds the body of a dead sales rep. When Anthony is implicated in the suspicious death, Mimi investigates her way, and NIck goes off with his old partner at the SFPD to investigate with them.

With so many viable suspects, who wanted this sales rep dead?

Author Information:  Jamie was born on the Central Coast of California, where she spent her entire childhood entertaining. She wrote plays and charged admission to her backyard stage so her friends and family could enjoy the performances. She wrote her first novel at the age of 10, for her 5th grade class project. The novel was called Cindy,

Busy with horses and school, Jamie rarely wrote through her teens and twenties, she was living a life most dreamed of (well, she dreamed of anyway), competing at barrel races, hanging out with cowboys, and traveling in rodeo circles with her friends. Money was tight, but life was good. Then Jamie met the man of her dreams. And low and behold he was not a cowboy, but a farm boy. They married and he swept her away to her little piece of heaven in Iowa. Well, then Iowa didn't turn out to be such heaven, Jamie again turned to fiction. This time she wrote to relieve the stress of living so far from her family, and from running a business with her husband. Funny how she now found it cathartic to kill people, only on paper of course.

Before she finished her first full length novel, Jamie was contracted to write the book, Hiking Iowa for Falcon publishing. In a year, she hiked 75 trails in the state of Iowa and mapped the trails, landmarks and distances. And this was before GPS. It was tough work for the measly advance, but it was a writing credit. So now, Jamie writes the mystery series featuring the Gotcha Detective Agency. Jamie also writes screenplays, and for TV.

Before Jamie’s college professor submitted her case study assignment to Physician and Sports Medicine for publication, she never dreamed people actually got paid to write. Since then, she’s written a book, Hiking Iowa, and numerous magazine articles for national magazines.

After spending two years as contributing writer for Crafts Business Magazine, writing feature articles, she decided to delve into the craft of fiction. She went from writing 2500 word articles for money, to writing 80,000 words she hoped would sell.

Jamie has written three novels, Let Us Prey, the soon to be released Death of a Sales Rep, and Give a Dog a Bone. She is currently writing screenplays. She is co-founder of Scriptchat on Twitter www.scriptchat.com & TWWriterChat www.tvwriterchat.com, and is the former president of RWA’s screenwriting chapter, Script Scene.

She's an equestian, but not the hunter/jumper kind. She rides barrel racing horses.

Jamie still lives in Iowa (though she visits California as often as possible) with her husband, 2 dogs, 2 cats and 2 horses. She writes with a few from her 6 acre farm.

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Product Review - Phytoceramides Skin Therapy Supplement - Purely Holistic

Product Name:  Phytoceramides Skin Therapy Supplement

Manufacturer:  PurelyHolistic

Review:  I have been taking these for the past 2 weeks and I plan on taking them until the bottle is empty – so 1^st off I am thirsty about ½ hour after I take these pills - also these taste terrible so swallow fast– SO I am drinking more which is good and also the added benefits of the added vitamins is a plus for these pills.  I am also gluten-free so being rice based is another plus.  I have yet to find a downside to these pills. Plus plus plus for sure so far.

After taking these pills for 2 weeks this is what I have discovered.    My hands - this is what I first noticed about 12 days after taking the product - my hands looked less sunken and the veins that stick out seemed less pronounced.  I wasn't even thinking about the pills when my eyes caught a good look at my hands and I thought, "when did they start to look pretty again?"  I have always had veins sticking up in my hands and arms, but lately(last 2 years or so) they seemed to be huge and today they look smaller since the skin around them looks better and more fuller.  This alone makes me smile and think these are worth taking.  

As for my face I cannot say I see a huge difference yet- remember it has only been 2 weeks-  but my hands speak volumes about this product so I will keep taking them and see what happens.  I do expect my face to plump up like my hands and that should help the thinness under my eyes look better and my crows feet to improve - I am 45 years old and I have extremely pale skin and so some days, from a lack of sleep, the skin under my eyes is very dark.  

I think the change will be small when this bottle of pills runs out so that is why I am not waiting to post this review, but I plan on buying more of these pills and continuing this process for at least 3 months since 12 weeks is when they say you will really see a difference in your face.  I already see a difference in my hands so I know it will be coming for my face.  I have taken before shots of my face so I will take one at 12 weeks and let you know.

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Book Review - The Weight Loss and Detox Secret - Green Smoothies - Jonathan Vine

Title:  Green Smoothies: The Weight Loss & Detox Secret: 50 Recipes for a Healthy Diet

Author:  Jonathan Vine

Review:  I received this book from the publisher for an honest review.  I tried several of the recipes and I love the spinach recipes, I think kale is too strong for me in a smoothie.  The 1^st recipe is Apple and Spinach Smoothie and it is delicious – I am lactose intolerant so I substituted protein powder for the yogurt…yummy.  I stir the cup while I am drinking the smoothie so nothing settles to the bottom of the glass – I just swirl it before taking another drink. The Kale and Blueberry was OK I switched the butter milk with protein powder mixed with water – I have to admit that I am not a fan for Kale….(I did the blueberry kale smoothies with spinach instead and the protein powder and it was very good – I love blueberries.)

I have yet to try the sweet potato smoothie but plan on it when I get my hands of some sweet potatoes.    The spinach and citrus smoothie was good with the sweet/tangy citrus taste and I used protein powder again instead of the yogurt.    I have taken to freezing my spinach – fresh spinach but I freeze it before using- it lasts longer and I make fewer trips to the grocery store.  I also use frozen berries and this way the smoothie is colder and I can usually skip the ice- I do not have an automatic ice maker in my fridge.

I think making and drinking green smoothies is a great way to get your vegetables in for the day – I would much rather drink them then eat them most days.  I have to admit that celery is a bit strong for a drink and I am not big on vegetable only drinks – But for health this cookbook cannot be beat – give it a try and I think you will be glad you did – I eat my spinach this way almost every day now.  I have not tried every recipe in this book and I am not a vegetarian - I like adding banana also for a sweet punch to the smoothie.

Published:  Published August 3rd 2014

ISBN:  B00M121T96

Page Count: 166

Quick Review:  41/2 out 5 stars –

Why I Read this Title:  sent by the publisher for a review

Synopsis:   Want to jump-start your weight loss and improve your health? This book reveals the weight loss and detox secrete.

Let me introduce to you the newest fast food: the green smoothie. This mixture of sun ripened fruits and earth harvested vegetables can be made in seconds. You can say “Goodbye,” to the regret that normally comes along with eating fast food.

Green smoothies are nutritious, providing your body with vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants. Packed with nutrients used to fight diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, you will begin to wonder why you have gone so long without enjoying green smoothies.

In this book you will discover: What is a Green Smoothie? What’s So Good About Green Smoothies? Nutritional Value and Health Benefits of Green Smoothies The Healthiest Weight Loss Program Methodology Types of Green Smoothies Tasty Tips ˃˃˃ 50 delicious recipes inside

The book includes 50 delicious recipes that use green leafy vegetables, fruits and non-dairy milk or yogurt to create nutritious, filling drinks for your day-to-day menu.

Whether you are brand new to the world of green smoothies or you’ve enjoyed them in the past, don’t miss this great book!

Each recipe offers different variations or tips and tricks so your job is truly simple: follow the recipes and enjoy a glass of pure, healthy food!

 

Author Information:  My name is Jonathan Vine, and I was caught up in the vegetarian lifestyle a few years back. I have to say that giving up on meat did not struck me in a single moment, nor it was a swift decision, but an inner journey that evolved within a few months. Eventually I took a final decision that the suffering of animals is my grief and my motivation.

I was always enthusiastic about cooking. For me this is absolutely one of the greatest joys life can offer. With my vegetarian cooking style, I never feel deprived of what I eat, but rather satisfied and exhilarated with each bite.

My goal is to publish books that will empower readers to improve their health and well-being through simple everyday ingredients and low fat recipes that make eating affordable, realistic and delicious.

Other Review:  Amazon Review page 

Buy the book here 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Book Review - Hard to Kill - Wendy Byrne - Released Today Go get your copy NOW!!!!!!!

Title:  Hard to Kill

Author:  Wendy Byrne

Review:  Sabrina Shaw and her two brothers were raised with a less than normal up bringing- they were trained assassins by the infamous Goren Petrovich.  Sabrina and her brother’s escape and now work for an organization called the Alliance.  They specialize in jobs that no one else wants. Think Phoenix Foundation from the TV show MacGyver expect the woman has the ability to take down grown men, escape using her wit and sassy mouth vs using a little red knife and duct take to make things go boom.

When the daughter of a prominent politician disappears everyone calls her a runaway but Sabrina uncovers the girl was kidnapped and taken into sex trafficking. Sabrina does everything she can to bring the girl home but to destroy the operation that took her.

Hard to kill is action packed from page one to the very last page never really giving the reader a moment of down time. Sabrina never once stops to think through the situation or formulate a plan of attack which makes me wonder how she has survived all those years but then when the reader question her abilities the author reminds you of her past as a child assassin. Kane the undercover FBI agent helps Sabrina escape the sex traffickers only to find her being hunted.  The author created Kane Travis as the All American Hero. When the story gets dark because it is based around human sex trafficking Kane gives the light and humor to the story. So much works in this Romantic Suspense that will keep readers going until they find they finished the book in the middle of the night and want to start back over in the morning.

The story has romance but it doesn’t over shadow the main story but helps create a flow that will take the reader to the very end where the author leaves you with a few questions about Sabrina's past and her future as well. Hard to Kill is the perfect mix of mystery, action, romance for a great pool side read. I can’t wait to read another from this author - Wendy Byrane.

I was given an advance copy exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks Heidi for this review

Published:  Expected publication: August 11th 2014 by Smashwords Edition-GEMMA HALLIDAY PUBLISHING

ISBN:  9781940371344

Page Count: ebook

Quick Review:  5 out 5 stars –

Why I Read this Title:  I was given an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis:   Trained as children to become an assassins by the infamous Goren Petrovich, Sabrina Shaw and her two brothers have had a less-than-normal upbringing. After escaping his clutches, Sabrina and her brothers have tried to make a normal life for themselves. Now Sabrina works for an organization called The Alliance, specializing the kind of jobs that no one else can or wants to do. Her current assignment: find the daughter of a prominent politician who has disappeared, categorized as a runaway by the authorities. It seems simple enough, until Sabrina uncovers the girl may have been the victim of a kidnapping that goes far beyond ransom requests. Now Sabrina must put her training to the test as she infiltrates a sex trafficking ring operating in Europe in order to find the girl...all while dodging a mysterious FBI agent and the demons from her own past.

Author Information:  Wendy Byrne was born and raised and still makes her home in the Chicago area.  She’s married and has two grown sons, a great daughter-in-law and two adorable grandchildren.

Wendy has a Masters in Social Work and worked in the child welfare field for twelve years before she decided to pursue her dream of writing. She joined Romance Writers of America in 1999 where she met an incredible group of women who shared her passion and helped her learn her craft.

Her first published novel Fractured was released in 2011 and was picked up by a major book club and made available in hardcover. Her second book, Mama Said…., was released in 2012 and was a finalist in the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence Contest in the romantic suspense category.

She self-published The Christmas Curse in 2012. Her book, Bad to the Bone, will be out in 2014 from Entangled Publishing and Hard to Kill will be out 2014 from Gemma Halliday Publishing. She plans to self-publish, Accused, in Spring 2014.

Between teaching college classes,  trying to get her morbidly obese cat to slim down and tempering the will of her five-year-old granddaughter, who’s determined to become a witch when she turns six so she can fly on her broom to see the Eiffel Tower and put hexes on people—not necessarily in that order—somehow Wendy still manages to fit in writing.  She spends the remainder of her days inflicting mayhem on her hero and heroine until they beg for mercy.

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Book Cover Reveal - Cephrael's Hand - Melissa McPhail -

One Often Overlooked Element of World-Building

A Guest Post & Cover Reveal by Melissa McPhail

Every author should understand world-building. Whether engaged in the writing of genre or literary fiction, an author crafts a unique world with each novel. Even when set in the present day, the novel’s events layer a new dimension upon our visible reality. It’s the dimension of those characters, of that story, but it should feel as real to the reader as his own tangible environment.

One overlooked element in world-building is religion. Often when religion isn’t factoring into the plot of the story, the author may fail to mention it. Yet when we take a look at how religion influences our daily lives—even when we ourselves may practice no particular faith—it’s clear that religion of some nature is part and parcel to nearly every culture that inhabits this earth.

Religion influences our daily interactions with others (moral codes, traditions) and for many, it determines at least in part the way they spend their mornings, nights or weekends. It even influences the words we swear (or curse) by. 

Religious symbols and icons are prevalent in society, from cathedrals to dollar bills to the skylines of Earth’s most ancient cities. Sadly, in today’s culture, the subject of religion provides unending fodder for politicians, litigators, pundits and malcontents; yet these detractions aside, the belief in something greater than ourselves continues to offer spiritual succor for a majority of the world’s population.

Whether you as the author practice any faith, it’s impossible to escape the cultural foundations the world’s religions—from the pagan to the divine—have established through the centuries. Why would life be any different for other cultures, other worlds, other lands? Or for your magical vampire hunter detective?

Don’t overlook this valuable tool for making the world of your novel more real to the reader. The inclusion of some religious mention—whether mystical, magical or mythological—can bring greater depth to any story and create instant bonds of reality between the reader and your characters.

With that said, happy writing!

The Cover Reveal & Giveaway

Are you ready for the reveal of the new Cephrael’s Hand cover? Because here it is! What do you think? Does it do a good job conveying the fantasy genre? Is it a book you’d be attracted to in the store? Does it make you want to learn more?

Thank you for helping us celebrate! If you’d like to see the new covers for books 2 and 3 in the series stop by www.MelissaMcPhail.com, and check them out.

Guess what else? The author is offering a special giveaway as part of this grand event. Check out the Rafflecopter form below (it’s also available at www.novelpublicity.com/cephrael-cover-reveal/) to find out how you can win a Kindle Fire. Hooray!

Oh, and don’t miss learning more about Cephrael’s Hand and where you can pick up a copy—that’s below too.

“All things are composed of patterns…” And within the pattern of the realm of Alorin, three strands must cross:

In Alorin… three hundred years after the genocidal Adept Wars, the realm is dying, and the blessed Adept race dies with it. One man holds the secret to reverting this decline: Bjorn van Gelderan, a dangerous and enigmatic man whose shocking betrayal three centuries past earned him a traitor’s brand. It is the Adept Vestal Raine D’Lacourte’s mission to learn what Bjorn knows in the hope of salvaging his race. But first he’ll have to find him.

In the kingdom of Dannym… the young Prince Ean val Lorian faces a tenuous future as the last living heir to the coveted Eagle Throne. When his blood-brother is slain during a failed assassination, Ean embarks on a desperate hunt for the man responsible. Yet his advisors have their own agendas, and his quest for vengeance leads him ever deeper into a sinuous plot masterminded by a mysterious and powerful man, the one they call First Lord.

In the Nadori desert…tormented by the missing pieces of his life, a soldier named Trell heads off to uncover the truth of his shadowed past. But when disaster places him in the debt of Wildlings sworn to the First Lord, Trell begins to suspect a deadlier, darker secret motivating them. Honor-bound to serve the First Lord in return for his life, Trell continues on his appointed path, yet each day unveils new and stranger secrets that eventually call into question everything he knows.

Get it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or wherever awesome eBooks are sold!

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