War-N-Wit, Inc.—Mean Street, LLC by Gail Roughton

 

Blurb:

Another wedding day dawns for the ever-growing Garrett-Forrester Coven as Spike and Stacy get ready to say “I do”! Don’t expect weddings bells and white gowns, though. It’s off to the Drive-Thru Tunnel of Love at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Vegas. Again. It’s sort of a family tradition. But what’s supposed to happen in Vegas just refuses to stay in Vegas. And you’re not going to believe this side-trip!

Review:

I love the Garret-Forrester Coven, and Gail Roughton is a good enough writer to keep a series fresh, so the reader stays engaged. War-N-Wit, Inc.—Mean Street, LLC does not disappoint. When Stacey’s sister, Ariel met Chad’s brother Spike, it was love at first site and they knew they’d have a marriage made in …somewhere. They invite Stacey and Ariel’s parents to the wedding, knowing what a shock the whole thing will be for their gently-bred, Southern mom. Grace Anson always envisioned either church or garden weddings for her daughters, with flowing white gowns, flowers, ribbons, and crystal flutes of champagne afterward either still in the garden, or at a country club, or a very nice hotel—not a Vegas drive-thru wedding, and certainly not on the conveyances her daughters have in mind.

But, the girls are not the only ones having family problems. War-N-Wit, Inc. often works for a concern called “Mean Street, LLC,” a family-owned company run by a man named Gabe Smith. He calls Chad and asks him and Stacey to, “Check out a magic act on the Strip. No big deal.” Gabe and his brothers Mike and Raph are having problems with their brother, “Lucy” (a childhood nickname he hates), and it turns out to be a very big deal. Good thing Stacey’s cat, Micah has managed to “follow her” to Vegas—again.”

Gail Roughton is great at creating characters who are engaging. They keep you laughing, on the edge of your seat, rooting for them, and then laughing some more. While Ms. Roughton didn’t exactly write this as a Christmas/Yule tale, I think it kind of fits this week. Like most of her War-N-Wit novellas, it’s way too short. Oh, it’s complete. It stands well on its own. But it’s only a little over a hundred pages, so it goes really fast and leaves you wanting more.  I would have give the book five roses, but I found some comma splices.  Et tu, Ms. Roughton?  Aw me-ann!

Length:  111 Pages

Price:  $2.99

Buy Link:  http://www.amazon.com/War-N-Wit-Inc-MeanStreet-Gail-Roughton-ebook/dp/B00F5BVQKC/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1387140329&sr=1-1&keywords=gail+roughton

Thanks for visiting. RIW

Coda to Murder by J. Q. Rose

Blurb:

Pastor Christine Hobbs has been in the pulpit business for over five years. She never imagined herself caring for a flock that includes a pig, a kangaroo, and a murderer.

Detective Cole Stephens doesn't want the pretty pastor to get away with murdering the church music director. His investigative methods infuriate Christine as much as his deep brown eyes attract her.

Can they find the real killer and build a loving relationship based on trust?

Review:

Coda to Murder came from my publisher, MuseItUp Publishing, Inc., and Ms. Rose is a colleague of mine.  That said, please know that I always give honest reviews and have lost a friend from The Muse over a review I gave to her book.

“Coda” is categorized as a Contemporary Romance, although it would also be a good fit in the Inspirational genre, one which I normally avoid.  Ms. Rose and I discussed this subject when I was about half-way through the book.  She was worried the book was too preachy.

Christine Hobbs is a minister who gets involved in a murder mystery within her own congregation when someone kills the music director right there in the church basement.  Living in the parsonage and having keys to the church, Christine is the prime suspect.  How can she possibly lead her flock with possible murder charges hanging over her head?  How can she sleep at night knowing a murderer is on the loose?  And the murderer just might be someone she knows.  To add to her sleepless state, she can’t get that pesky, hunky (darn it!) detective out of her hair or out of her mind.

Christine doesn’t just preach her religion; she lives it.  She practices it from the moment she awakens to the moment she falls asleep.  She begins and ends her days with prayer and throughout the day she mutters little “booster” prayers.  Nothing big—no fancy Masses.  Her prayers during the day are as simple as “Please don’t let the murderer be here now,” or “Thanks, God.”  I was raised in a church similar to the one Pastor Hobbs shepherds, and this book brought back some fond memories to me.  I mutter similar prayers:  "Please, Goddess:  Let me make it to the bathroom," and "Thanks for the cool parking spot, HP (Higher Power)."  The names vary.

Having drifted in a different direction and not needing to be roped back, I didn’t want to read a preachy book.  I respect people who live what they believe, whether or not they’re in a position of leadership—but if they are in that position, then I especially think they should live what they preach.  Christine, however, is also very human.  She eats pizza and has an occasional beer with her best friend who teases her about the hunky detective.  She questions her feelings about him and asks both her human and Divine BFFs for advice before deciding whether or not to trust him.

Did I mention that she even helps her parishioners care for their pets?  The cat she adopts when one elderly parishioner dies is kind of a given.  But the pig and the kangaroo?  Well, they’re kind of what drew me to this book.  And I’m really glad they did.  It wasn’t preachy at all.  It was a fun read about a woman who lives and practices what she believes.  I can respect that, and enjoy my friend’s talent for spinning a tale that keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering who did it and laughing out loud at the same time.  Yeah, it's a great Contemporary Cozy Mystery Romance with a bit of Inspiration thrown in if you want some.  I highly recommend Coda to Murder.

Length:  151 Pages

Price:  $5.50

Buy Link:  http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=680&category_id=68&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

You’ll notice I always include the publisher’s buy link.  That’s because authors usually receive 40% of the book price from the publisher.  Editors and cover artists usually receive about 5%.  When you buy a book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or another third-party vendor, they take a hefty cut and the author, editors and cover artists receive their cuts from what is left.  So, if a book costs $5.99 at E-Book Publisher.com and you buy from there, the author will receive about $2.40.  If you buy the book at Amazon, the author will receive about $0.83.

Downloading the file from your computer to your Kindle is as easy as transferring any file from your computer to a USB flash drive.  Plug the USB end of your chord into a USB port on your computer and simply move the file from your “Downloads” box to your Kindle/Documents/Books directory.  I actually download my books using “Save As” to a “Books” file I created on my computer that’s sorted by my publisher, friends, and books “to review,” and then transfer them to my Kindle from there.  That way, if there’s a glitch with my Kindle, the books are on my computer.  Your author will be happy you did when he/she sees his/her royalty statement.

Thanks for visiting.  RIW