Book Review: Freelancer by Jake Lingwall

Kari is way smarter than your average bear. At seventeen, she hides her brilliance at school by day and freelances on the net at night. Her products? Anything she can imagine, write the code for, and create on her three-D printers.

Her parents don’t have any idea what she can do or what she can create. Kari hides her talents away in this dystopian mechanized world where only three types of jobs exist and her skill set is out of the box.

Meanwhile, the US is poised for another Civil War. A clever government plot draws Kari out of hiding, paints her as a heinous threat to society. They’ll let her family and her friend David’s family go if she cooperates and creates powerful weapons for them.

Little do they know, putting Kari in a tight jam is just the way to stoke her creative engine. With a little luck, she might just save the world and have a date for the dance.

Lingwall’s page turning dystopian YA novel kept me on the edge of my seat. The high octane blend of Kari’s vulnerabilities, poise, and talents stole the show.

Another winner from Kindle Scout.

Maggie Toussaint and Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews

Book Review: Four by RE Carr

Like a little vampire action in your novel explorations?

RE Carr’s paranormal story centers on a vampire’s assistant named Georgia, who is recruiting her replacement. Gail, the hapless whale, is reeled into the vampire’s world, anecdote by anecdote, with great finesse.

At times campy and irreverent, at time gross with animal smoothies, and at times sensual with intimate scenes, Four is a tap dance of two vamps and two humans trying to meet their personal needs.

The story poses a story question much like the chicken and the egg. Which came first? Vamps or humans?

Rich in texture and characterization, Four was a different kind of read for me. My best description of the story? Sookie Stackhouse meets Stephanie Plum.

Another fine read from Kindle Press.

Maggie Toussaint aka Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews

Book Review: Indiscretion by Polly Iyer

 

 

A woman at a crossroads in life is beguiled by a charming stranger, but the stranger is killed not long after their torrid affair begins. The cops come and so do the feds. The thief was not who Zoe Swan thought he was, he’s thought to have the loot from the Gardner art heist.

 Separated but not divorced, Zoe calls her estranged husband who comes down to the beach to set matters straight. But things don’t go straight, they go horribly wrong. One fed shoots another before their very eyes. Zoe’s husband manages to extricate them from the dangerous situation, but they are wanted for the murder of the fed.

With nowhere to turn, they call the black sheep of the family, Paul Swan. Having lived a double life, Paul has the underground connections they don’t, connections that could either clear them or seal their fate as stone cold killers.

Iyer’s latest mystery/suspense novel is a pure delight to read. The characters and the settings felt so real, it was as if I was there. I rooted for Zoe to triumph throughout the story, and the resolution was satisfying. I’m a big fan, and I can’t wait for Iyer’s next book to come out.

Another fine book from Kindle Scout! WTG!

Maggie Toussaint and Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews

 

Book Review: Valens the Fletcher and His Captive by Lindsay Townsend

Another fine medieval novella from talented author Lindsay Townsend.

While on a spying mission for Lord Sebastian, Valens the fletcher (arrow maker) has his eye on a wet nurse for his ailing niece. Before the band of thieves is set upon by the Lord’s men, Valens whisks Katherine and her infant son away from the group.

Katherine isn’t happy about being a captive, but her life with the women thieves was miserable. She was tired and hungry and dead broke. Valens promises to keep her and her son safe, along with providing room and board, as long as she’ll take his niece to breast. Lord Sebastian okays the agreement with the condition that they marry. How can Katherine trust Valens, the man who made her a captive? She doesn’t want marriage to another man with secrets.

When they don’t show up in due time for their nuptials, Sebastian sets a four day time limit, and orders Valens to woo her. They will marry in four days, regardless. Just as the bridge of trust seems to be repaired, Katherine learns of a new deceit. Only love can make this right.

A gripping tale, rich in scenery and characters. I love this series!

Maggie Toussaint and Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews

Book Review: Compromised by Lawrence Keltner

Second generation cop Detective Stephanie Chalice awakens in the hospital with no memory of how she got there. Even though she sustained a gunshot to the head, she’s determined to find out who killed her partner Yana during the same incident. Trouble is this puts her at odds with Gus, her detective husband, and her Italian mom.

Officially sidelined from work for R&R, Stephanie soon busts free of the prison of her home, contacts Yana’s brother, and goes off the grid in NYC for a few days. Retracing her steps that last day doesn’t bring her memory back.

The question that stumps her is why. Why would someone kill Yana and injure her? It takes some digging, but Stephanie makes more progress in a few days than the department has in a month. Soon, puzzle pieces start fitting together, and the body count rises.

This is the first Stephanie Chalice mystery I’ve read. Even though its several books into the series, I enjoyed reading it as if it were the first. This Kindle Scout winner captivated me from page one. Author Lawrence Keltner writes with a deft hand, cleverly drawing out the story so that it had to be read in one sitting. I’d read the next Stephanie Chalice mystery in a heartbeat.

 Maggie Toussaint and Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews