The Golden Mouse by Mike Dixon

 Blurb:

Vultures gather around creatures in distress: old Aboriginal saying.

Kate Bromley worried about her parents and the strange people that had gathered around them. Being a member of a banking family is hazardous when the bank is on the skids. There are rich pickings and it is difficult to tell friend from foe.

When she was a little girl, Kate was told that money grew on trees. That was a way of hiding the truth. Money is created by banks and floats around in cyberspace as trillions of dollars are traded every day.

That leaves room for a lot of skulduggery.

Money can be created and destroyed at the click of a mouse: a computer mouse. Her father talked about his. He called it the Golden Mouse and said it could work wonders. Kate thought he was joking. Then she realized it was no joke. Father was clicking away furiously and putting the entire family at risk.

One day, she was on a survival trek in the Scottish Highlands with her university friends. The next, she was fleeing for her life.

Hansen Files: The Golden Mouse is the third book in the Hansen Files series and can be read without reference to the others.

About the Author:

I either started off on the wrong foot or I'm the legendary rolling stone. Normally, a degree in astrophysics does not lead to a stint in Parliament House, public relations and the diving industry but that's what happened to me.

My varied life has provided a lot of background material for my novels.

Review by Rochelle:

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review. First, I’d like to thank Mr. Dixon for writing a series in which each book can stand alone. As many of you know, I hate cliff-hangers.

The Bromley family once owned one of the largest banks in England, but went out of business except for one branch in the Cayman Islands, and a few loyal business clients. As Kate Bromley learns when her father abruptly calls her to join him in Australia, not all of those clients are exactly, um, squeaky clean. Now she and her father are running for their lives across the Australian Outback, and she’s not sure whether the MI-5 agents chasing them are there to help her dad or arrest him.

This book would make a great movie. I could almost envision the wonderful sun-rises and –sets, and the great underwater diving scenes, spanning both Britain and Australia. It has action, adventure, alpha heroes and feisty heroines in two generations. The pacing is great. It was a page-burner that kept me up all night. A movie audience would forget to breathe. There were even details about Aboriginal tribes that live in remote valleys in Papua, New Guinea and still respect ancestral practices.

Heat Rating:  PG

Length:  300 Pages

Prices:

Print:  $9.50

Digital:  $0.99

Buy Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Mouse-Hansen-Files-ebook/dp/B00DNU2A6Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450133869&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Golden+Mouse+%2B+Mike+Dixon

Thanks for visiting. Donna, Julie, & Rochelle

The Rebel’s Redemption by Jacquie Biggar

Blurb:

Annie Campbell's predictable and cozy life gets turned on its side when her son's prodigal father returns to town. Then an old enemy shows up, and the outcome will not only place her in danger, but their son as well.

Jared Martin left Tidal Falls a hotheaded youth, and has seen his share of violence in the eight years he's served Uncle Sam. Floundering, bitter, and disillusioned he returns to his hometown to regain his bearings.

Then he finds out he's a father.

When an old enemy follows and causes mayhem in the small town, can Jared overcome the odds to protect the woman he's always loved and the child he never knew, or will it be too late?

About the Author:

Jacquie lives in paradise along the west coast of Canada with her husband, daughter, and grandson. She loves reading, writing, flower gardening and spoiling her German shepherd, Annie and calico cat, Harley.

Jacquie swears she can't function without strong, black coffee.

Review by Rochelle:

As a Navy veteran, I especially appreciate books about my fellow vets, especially those who served in combat. There’s a special camaraderie among people who have served together in harm’s way that carries over into civilian life. I see it every Tuesday and Thursday when I volunteer at the VA. So, I have a soft spot in my heart for these heroes and their stories.

That said, Ms. Biggar and her editor need to spend some time listening to these guys speak. She marred good story with stilted dialog. Here’s a scene from The Rebel’s Redemption in which Jared meets his best friend in a bar. The friend is already quite drunk.

“Hey, I thought you were going to stand me up.” [sic] Ty said as Jared pulled up a chair and swiped some of the bottles on the table off to one side.

There are two major problems with this sentence. First, a man as drunk as Ty would probably slur his words. At the very least he’d say something like “gonna” instead of “going to.” Second, when using a dialog tag, one should end the preceding sentence with a comma, not a period. Overuse of dialog tags is another thing authors need to watch out for. Anytime you can replace a dialog tag with an action, it’s best to do so. With an action, you would use a period at the end of the sentence inside the quotation mark. Had I edited this, I’d have slurred Ty’s speech, got rid of the dialog tag, and replaced it with an action. “Hey,I thought you were gonn’ stan’ me up.” Ty hiccupped as Jared…”

And that’s why my daughter sent me a Facebook photo that said, “I’m mentally editing everything you say to me.”

The Rebel’s Redemption really was a great page-burning story with a strong heroine, compassionate hero, and well-drawn supporting characters. It just needed looser language and a better editor. That’s why I’m giving it four roses.

Heat Rating:  PG-13

Length:  235 Pages

Prices:

Print:  $9.99

Digital:  $3.49

Buy Link:  http://www.jacquiebiggar.com/rebel-s-redemption.html

Author Web Site:  http://jacquiebiggar.com

Facebook:  http://Facebook.com/jacqbiggar

Twitter:  http://Twitter.com/jacqbiggar

Author Amazon Page:  http://www.amazon.com/Jacquie-Biggar/e/B00MSIJQBG/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

You’ll notice we always include the publisher’s buy link. That’s because authors usually receive 40-50% of the net proceeds 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-$2.99. If you buy the book at Amazon, the author will receive about $1.70-$2.10.

Download the file from the publisher onto your computer as you would any other file. I’ve created a folder for books on my computer, with subfolders by source (Marketing for Romance Writers, Net Galley, Authors who find me on Kindle lists, etc.). That way, if there’s a glitch with your Kindle, the books are on your computer. Some publishers send books in all digital formats. If my Kindle breaks and my kids buy me a Nook, I won’t have to replace all of my books. If you have a Kindle and your hubby has a Nook, you won’t have to buy separate copies, so buying directly from the publisher can save you money.

Moving the file from your computer to your e-reader is as easy as transferring any file from your computer to a USB flash drive. Plug the larger USB end of your e-reader charging chord into a USB port on your computer and simply move the file from the folder into which you’ve downloaded the book to Documents/Books directory on your e-reader. Your author will be happy you did when he/she sees his/her royalty statement.

Thanks for visiting. Donna, Julie, & Rochelle

Opening the Veil by C. L. Clark

Blurb:

When Cassie agrees to go on a date with her gorgeous new neighbor, she doesn’t expect the night to end with a glimpse into eternity. Within twenty-four hours she discovers not only are young women being brutally murdered around her beloved town, but an ancient evil is using her new neighbor like a puppet to do the killing. Knowing the police won’t believe her without solid proof, she makes it her mission to find the evidence they need. Add to that how her cat has started talking to her, plus she’s seeing ghosts who want her help, and it’s no surprise she’s beginning to question her sanity. Will she be able to help the living and the dead and not end up another victim? She’ll need to learn fast if she wants to survive.

Review by Rochelle:

Opening the Veil was a delightful cozy mystery with lots of humor and a talking cat. If you follow my reviews, you know I love cats, and I like to laugh. There was even a red herring that kept me guessing as to how many demons were after Cassie. I hope I’ll get to read Book Two in the series.

Alas, I was only able to give Opening the Veil four roses because like so many independently published books, it would have benefitted from better editing. Still, I’m sure you’ll greatly enjoy this book.

Length: 330 Pages

Prices:

Print:  $12.99

Digital:  $0.99

Buy Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Opening-paranormal-mystery-suspense-Sight-ebook/dp/B00V1XMPP8/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1438367600&sr=1-1&keywords=opening+the+veil

Thanks for visiting. Julie, Donna, & Rochelle

Victim of Love by Christa Maurice

Blurb:

What happens when wasting time becomes finding forever?

Rick Lincoln, bassist for SendDown, was just looking for something to occupy himself during recording when he spotted Tara on the beach. By the way she was waving off hopefuls, she wasn’t a hooker. And based on the book in her hands, she spoke English. Two points in her favor between sessions in Brazil.

Tara Feingold just wanted to warm up on break from her teaching job in Chile. Rick was very warm. Hot even. It just kept getting hotter when he took her back to the house where the band was staying, and the other members decided they needed to scare her off with debauchery.

Review by Rochelle Weber:

SendDown’s manager decides to record their album in Brazil in deference to drummer Alan’s latest round of treatment for drugs and alcohol, thinking it best to get him away from his connections in LA. In no time, the rest of the band fills their rented house/studio with booze and Brazilian hookers. While taking a break from the chaos, bassist Rick Lincoln notices Tara Feingold reading on the beach. Pretty and sexy, she’s waving men away—obviously not another hooker. And when he walks past her, he sees the book she’s reading is in English. She must be a tourist. During sex, she’d probably scream in English, not Portuguese. Now he has to have her.

Tara’s a school teacher who was burned by her ex. She doesn’t do one-night stands, and she’s only on a ten-day vacation. She’s locked into a year-long contract at a school in Chile. This is neither the time nor the place to begin a relationship. All she wants to do is sit in the sun and warm up until she returns to her un-heated Chilean school. Until she meets Rick. Suddenly, all of her rules go out the window, and she finds herself doing things with Rick and his friends she’s never done before. When she returns to Chile, Rick promises to visit her there, but she worries he won’t like the real Tara. She didn’t really enjoy the kinky things she did in Brazil to please him. She wants a normal life with one man, a home, and children. How could a star like Rick ever settle for that?

I know how expensive editing is. That’s why I don’t self-pub. I suppose I’m hyper-critical, but I find grammar errors really distracting, especially since I went to school when they still taught grammar, not “language arts.” I’m not sure what “language arts” are, but they certainly do not prepare people for either writing or editing. Victim of Love has a pretty good plot, and it kept me reading. It moved along nicely and had plenty of hot sex scenes for those who enjoy erotica.

Length:  103 Pages

Digital Price:  $2.99

Buy Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Victim-Love-Rock-Roll-State-ebook/dp/B00U6C9G16/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433098237&sr=8-1&keywords=Victim+of+Love+%2B+Christa+Maurice

Thanks for visiting. Julie, Donna, & Rochelle