Temporarily Employed, romantic comedy mystery
Release Date: October 17, 2014
Author: Vicki Batman
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Page Count: 314

Synopsis

New Job. New Love. And Murder.

Hattie Cook’s dream job is down the toilet and her new SUV violated. Desperate for cash to cover the basic necessities of rent and food, she takes a temporary job at Buy Rite Insurance Company where she uncovers an embezzling scam tied to the death of a former employee–the very one she replaced. The last thing she wants is to clash with By-the-Book Detective Wellborn, no matter how much he makes her heart pound.

Detective Allan Charles Wellborn has secretly adored Hattie all his life. When the police determine there’s more to the death of a former Buy Rite employee, he steps in to lead the investigation. Overly dedicated, always perfect, he puts his job first, even if doing so ultimately hurts the one he loves.

Can the killer be found before Hattie’s time is up?

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Excerpt

“Yuck.”

Pretty much covered the whole freakin’ day.

A blinding red-white, red-white strobe, reflected in my brand new Wrangler’s rearview mirror, seized my attention. The police. I tossed my hands skyward, ready to surrender. I shouldn’t have been too surprised. Like I’d commented this a.m. to my roommate, Jenny, “Today, anything’s possible.”

My Bad Day checklist included:

– Crappy job interview, one which might have provided desperately needed income.

– Wore gut-busting panty hose on a hot day which had now worked past my waist and strangled my diaphragm.

– A barely blowing air conditioner indicated something had malfunctioned in my new, fun car.

I stole another glance in the mirror, and with great reluctance, flipped the right turn indicator. My vehicle coasted to a stop on the shoulder of Boston Avenue in my hometown of Sommerville, a nice suburb located between two large cities. Four lanes of cars and trucks zipped by as I sat there where every single one of my family, friends, friends’ friends, and their friends—including Rat Fink Suzanne—would see a police vehicle positioned right behind mine. Gleefully, drivers would chant the “Ha-ha, got you, not me” ditty.

How embarrassing.

After killing the engine, I flopped back in the seat. Shooting the morons the finger was an idea. Nah. I’m too exhausted to care.

A litany of: “No, not hiring.” “Just filled the position.” “You’re over qualified.” “You’re under qualified…” tornadoed through my head. Coupled with the intense job search through various outlets like the internet and completing numerous online employment applications, no wonder my body had been depleted of all life force.

Not even a breeze blew to take the edge off the unbearable summertime heat. Tangled wild trees and dry scrubby bushes banked the roadside. The grass had taken on a scorched look. Rolling down the driver’s window, I surveyed my surroundings. Nothing great. Nothing new.

I stole a glance in the side mirror at the policeman who strode purposefully along the shoulder. The gravel crunched under his boots. He looked huge, probably because his uniform, which appeared to be bulked with a bullet-proof vest, made him resemble a buffed-up superhero in size. Exceedingly intimidating.

Sigh. When things went wrong, they were really wrong.

Review

This is a combination of a pretty clean romance story (just 1 almost sex scene) and a smidge of a mystery.

Hattie is pulled over by a police officer, turns out her bumper has been stolen. on top of that he writes her a citation….that isn’t where the fun ends, he is the older brother of her best friend from high school and he is not the same geeky boy he was then. He has grown up and is quite hunky! Of course as you expect, they are attracted to each other and stumble around trying to figure out their relationship.

I thought it was a bit odd that she calls him A. Wellborn. Now I get why, he is a police officer and that is how he signed the citation, but why not refer to him by his name, Allan? Maybe that is how she kept him at bay and kept her feelings for him downplayed?

The mystery part is tied to her temp job at the insurance company. It isn’t too hard to figure out that there is something suspicious going on, but I was a little surprised at how it all played out. kept me on the edge of my seat when that portion came to a conclusion.

All in all I really enjoyed the book and wonder if there will be a second one because of the way the book ended. It does leave you hanging but you can probably guess how it will turn out. I hope there is a second book (at least) so I can see if Hattie remains working with the temp agency or if she goes back to her love of being a buyer for retail stores. And of course what is her relationship with A. Wellborn (aka Allan)?

We give this 4 paws up

About the Author

Like some of her characters, award-winning author, Vicki Batman has worked a wide variety of jobs including lifeguard, ride attendant at an amusement park; a hardware store, department store, book store, antique store clerk; administrative assistant in an international real estate firm; and a general “do anything gal” at a financial services firm–the list is endless, giving her plenty of material for her writing.

Writing for several years, she has completed three manuscripts, written essays, and sold many short stories to TRUE LOVE, TRUE ROMANCE, TRUE CONFESSIONS, NOBLE ROMANCE PUBLISHING, LONG AND SHORT REVIEWS, MUSEITUP PUBLISHING, and THE WILD ROSE PRESS. She is a member of RWA and several writing groups and chapters. In 2004, she joined DARA and has served in many capacities, including 2009 President. DARA awarded her the Robin Teer Memorial Service Award in 2010.

Most days begin with her hands set to the keyboard and thinking “What if??”

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