Gina Rae Mitchell

One Jaded Rose by James Byron Books | Review – $10 Gift Card Giveaway

A book blog tour from Goddess Fish Promotions.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Marianne & Judy at Goddess Fish for providing me the information for this tour.

Book Details

One Jaded Rose by James Byron Books
Series: A Nic Thorn Caper #1
Published by Tellwell Talent on 11/11/2020
Genres: Amateur Sleuth, Fiction, Adventure, Humorous, General, Mystery & Detective
Format: eBook, Hardcover, Paperback
Pages: 151

One jaded Rose is a light-hearted caper, the first in the series written by James Byron Books.

Rose needed a plus-one, but not for the usual wedding or party. She was going to a funeral and needed a quiet, unassuming type, but when Nic Thorn arrived, he was anything but a wallflower.

Rose and her BFF, Sandy, have time on their hands and soon find that Nic will fill the void. He coerces them into his madcap investigations of scams, frauds, and misunderstandings.

This modern-day adventure leads them from one lively caper to another, involving portrait provenance, invoice inaccuracy, and a recycler's relapse, on their travels from Brisbane to Adelaide and across the South Australian border.

Source: Goddess Fish Promotions, Received from the author or publisher for review.

 

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Purchase Links for One Jaded Rose

Amazon     Amazon UK     Bookshop/IndieBound

Barnes & Noble     Kobo   Apple Books/ iTunes     The Book Depository

Waterstones     Chapters/Indigo      Smashwords

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Excerpt

Rose crossed her arms over her chest. “Sorry, Mr. Thorn. I’m a bit nervous about all of this dating stuff, and I tend to talk too much when I get nervous. So, coffee or tea… What would you like? Mrs. Croud will get that for you. And tell me more about yourself? What do you do, and why are you using the Vita Brevis dating app?”

“Chai tea if you have it, and yep will do, but first I need to find a vase for these.” He then proceeded to open kitchen cabinets looking for a suitable receptacle for the flowers.

“You’re very confident, aren’t you Mr. Thorn? Just put them in the sink. Mrs. Croud will deal with them later. I need to find out what, if any, skeletons you may have in your closet—or personality traits that I need to be aware of—if you are going to spend the afternoon with me and my family. Do you live in Brisbane? Do you work? Are you married?”

“Well, ‘confident’ is my middle name, so you didn’t read my Vita Brevis profile at all did you?” he replied. Then he added, “Yes, Yes and No. All good questions though. Firstly, I am living in Brisbane at the moment, as I have a small apartment in Southbank. Do I work…? Well, that is complicated. I like Vita Brevis for the pictures, and to know my competition. Sorry, what was the other question?”

“Are you married?”

“Well… no.”

Rose wondered why he had hesitated with that response, but let it go for the moment.

“So what time does this shindig start then? I’m happy to be your white knight on a steed if it suits.”

Rose rolled her eyes, “You don’t have a suit of armour, a steed, or a horse.”

“A steed is a horse, but I do have a white pony: the Mustang out the front has all the horsepower that I will ever need.”

Good grief.

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My thoughts on One Jaded Rose

One Jaded Rose is the kick-off to the Nic Thorn Caper series. Knowing this will be a series, I expected some set-up, but we are thrust right into the madcap adventures of Nic, Rose, and a bevy of zany side characters. I continually felt like I was a step behind. That’s not necessarily a bad thing in a mystery, but it drew me out of the story a little.

I should have known from the opening when Rose turns to a dating app for a plus-one for a funeral and will-reading that this would not be a typical mystery. It wasn’t, and yet the story works.

I absolutely loved all the references to song lyrics, bands, famous names from the past, and pop culture. How often do you have characters imitating Monty Python’s Ministry of Silly Walks skit? The humor kept me hooked on the story from start to finish. The tale was over-the-top fun, which made up for my feeling of being a little lost.

Nic seems to be a “man of mystery,” making me doubt everything he said, yet he evidently is everything he claims to be. Rose and her cousin Sandra are drifting after the closing of their boutique, so they were ready for the excitement Nic offered as his sleuthing assistants.

There is a lot more story to tell in future editions of the Nic Thorn Capers. I look forward to the next adventure, Two Hurtled Gloves. I’m picking up a theme with the titles. That’s a sample of the humor the author shows throughout the first book. You need to pay attention to every word lest a funny one slips by you.

If you are looking for a light-hearted, fast read, pick up a copy of One Jaded Rose today. But hold on tight; you’ll be in for a whirlwind of a ride!

 

I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.

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Giveaway!

James Byron Books will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Visit more stops on the tour for extra chances to win!

August 11: The Reading Addict
August 11: Gina Rae Mitchell
August 18: Lamon Reviews
August 18: Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books!
August 25: Bibliomanaic Aza
August 25: The Faerie Review
September 1: Long and Short Reviews

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Purchase One Jaded Rose online from a local book store.