A pool of blood... A missing body... A brother accused of murder...
June Nash has the lousiest luck.
As personal assistant to her twin, international tv star and reptile expert, Dewey Nash, all June wants is a little break from the endless mail, the crazy fans and the remote locations. She just never seems to get one. Finally home after an extended shoot, June desperately needs to veg in a hot tub and soak the rainforest out of her pores. But the blood, the missing body and her brother's possible incarceration keep getting in her way.
That and the Mexican gang looking to collect a debt, her brother's hardcore fans sniffing around for a nibble, and her own brilliance at being in the wrong place at the right time.
When she accidentally stumbles onto the truth, the reluctant adventurer is faced with a split-second decision. Race into danger and follow the lead or stay safe and dial 911.
The wrong choice sends her on a mad dash to recover the evidence and get it safely back to the sheriff before her brother's arrest goes public and her career...and his freedom...are history.
Melissa Banczak has lived all over the country, thanks to her now-retired military spouse. She currently resides in Florida, where she’s a reasonable driving distance to roller coasters in the Orlando area. An unexpected encounter with her daughter’s nine foot boa, Strawberry Margarita, led to the idea for the first book in her June Nash MisAdventure series. When she’s not writing, she and her husband run. Slowly. She accidentally completed her first marathon in 2017, when she didn’t hear her husband ask if she’d like to stop at 13.1. She would have. You can contact her at MelissaBanczak.com
This novel was such a breath of fresh air, exactly what I needed after frying my brain a bit with murder mysteries and horror stories.
An entertaining read featuring the character June Nash who is working as a P.A. for her famous brother Dewey, a herpetologist with his own TV show. The whole premise is quite funny as June hates creepy crawlies and spends most of her time trying rather unsuccessfully to keep Dewey's rabid fans from mobbing him. This is the first book in the June Nash MisAdventures series and revolves around Dewey being arrested for the murder of his best friend after June stumbles and slips in a huge spill of blood with no body to be found. June realises she only has 48 hours to solve the case and get her brother released in time for an upcoming public appearance. What ensues is an action packed, giggle inducing, thrilling ride with the klutziest amateur detective in cosy mystery history! The book has a very Pink Panther-esque feel to it with June managing to extricate herself from various dangers with good intentions and a whole slew of fumbling induced accidents that save the day. If you're looking for a lighter, entertaining read with larger than life characters and hilarious situations then this is the novel for you. I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for more in this new series.
Thoughts: I love June Nash! She is so completely inept and disaster-prone. Everything she does turns out to be the wrong thing, and yet, she survives. The title of the book drew me in. I mean it’s rather strange and off-beat for a cozy mystery title. But it was the character of June and the writing that kept me reading. June works as a personal assistant to her famous twin brother Dewey so when he gets arrested for the murder of his best friend Morgan, what can she do but help? And that’s when it starts getting real. And real funny. Everything she does just gets her deeper into trouble as she ends up facing drug runners, human trafficers, smugglers…but all with hilarious outcomes. And she is always hungry! Always! There are multiple times when her stomach rules against her better judgement (not she has much of that to begin with). She is spacey, misses a lot because she doesn’t listen, and makes more mistakes in one weekend than most people make in a lifetime. The story was quirky, funny, intriguing and a nice uplift to the happenings in the real world. Oh, and yeah, the title comes from the fact that June's brother is a herpetologist (snake guy).
What I liked: June! She is the best (un)heroine I’ve read in a while. The writing was quick and humorous and it was just a fun book to read.
What I didn’t like: Though I gave this five sparklers, I will note that there were several editorial issues (misspellings/misuse – like “adds” for “ads”) and other minor mistakes that need to be addressed. But the book was so much fun that I’ll let it slide—this time.
Recommendation: If you’re looking for a quirky, fun cozy with a decent outcome and a totally inept heroine, pick this one up. I’ll definitely be looking for more from this author.
Disclaimer: I received this book in hopes of an honest review. All opinions are my own and are not influenced by anyone.
I found this book on My Indie Bookshelf, attracted by the cover, the title, and the blurb. Boy, am I glad I did. This is an excellent opener to a series. I will read the rest. Just as soon as I’ve recovered from this one!
June is the eponymous heroine of the series and in this opening instalment she gets to an ex’s house to meet her brother. However, there is a sticky pool of blood in the hall. Calling the police is a sensible idea, especially when the police chief is “having coffee” with your mother. The police immediately arrest June’s brother, Dewey. Dewey is a TV star (think Steve Irwin, but American) and being a murder suspect, never mind a murderer, would end his career. June vows to clear his name.
She is hardly a Ripley from Alien type of strong female lead. Clumsy and dippy are more apt descriptors. I think she might have ADHD, as she zones out during conversations. She’s more likely to stand on a rake and break her own nose than disarm a gangster. And I love her for that. Does she always make the right decision? No. Absolutely not. Does she ever make the right decision? Debatable. But each of them makes sense to her at the time and if she made the right decision, the book would be a pamphlet and lacking in the sheer entertainment value this book provides.
I didn’t laugh out loud, but I enjoyed the rollercoaster ride. More please!
June rolls around in three liters of blood, and suddenly her twin brother is a suspect in a murder. Somehow, it ends up being up to June to solve the murder, or at least figure out why Morgan was squatting in her office. But you know, sometimes you end up getting kidnapped a couple times, save a bunch of workers from indentured service, and manage to figure out the sex of your snake. Unless of course, you faint and piss off the wrong guy in a suit.
This is not my normal genre. This was recommended to me for a laugh.
Here's what I didn't like: there are some punctuation and typos. Blast it repeated quite a bit. June's a bit spacey.
Here's what I liked: this was a total misadventure! June's spacey, and her line of thoughts work for how she gets so spacey and misses some import things. This was cute and funny--easy to read and a little hard to put down.
Overall, it read well and had decent flow, but the typos turned me into a sad panda, which is why it gets 3 stars. This is a great, clean cozy mystery.
In a world full of dystopian novels where teenagers are saving the world sometimes you just need a little June Nash. June is the unlikely heroine of this book as well as her own life. Growing up in her famous brother's shadow she is trying to find out who she is in this world and we get to go along for the ride. How to Sex Your Snake is like movie butter popcorn- you know it's probably bad for you but you need it in your life. It is a fun, beach read type book with enough humor and twists to keep you going back for more. The author does an excellent job forming the lovable June Nash but does not reveal all of her secrets and the end of the book left me wanting to see where she ends up next.
So read How to Sex Your Snake, it won't help you save the world but it might teach you a few things about snakes and oddly enough greyhounds.
How can one woman get into so much trouble over something she had nothing to do with? June Nash, who handles her famous herpetologist brother’s public appearances, slips in a pool of blood that once belonged to Dewey’s best friend Morgan, and sets off a chain of events leading to what must be the worst day ever. Dewey, arrested for murder just days before a much-anticipated public appearance, languishes in jail while June is kidnapped and winds up embroiled in a crazy mess. I was hooked from the first page, totally caught up in June’s calamities, laughing out loud at her inner dialogue and her interactions with the other characters, and eager to read the next account of her misadventures. The author is a master storyteller.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. The pace was good, and the way she ends the chapters made you want to read more. There were a few minor things that I didn’t care for, but nothing that broke the book, in my opinion.
June Nash was a fun, quirky character and the supporting cast was interesting enough that while not entirely fleshed out, you knew enough about them that it worked.
On a weird note, the way June interprets her world (how she references other characters, in particular) started off as annoying because it wasn’t what I was used to, but somehow it worked.
This book was just ok for me. I'm not sure if it was the actual book or the narrator, but most of the jokes and funny scenes fell a bit flat in my opinion. It didn't feel zany or crazy, even when crazy things were happening. It almost felt like a newsreel.
The premise was pretty decent, although it was very hard to connect with the main character since she didn't appear to like anyone or anything except eating.
I always feel that the first book in a series is usually the weakest one, so I will give the next one a try and see if it improves. 2 1/2 stars
4.8 stars for How to Sex Your Snake (no kidding!).
I know this story deserves 5 stars, but I really figured a new fav author might need some encouragement. This story is hysterical and June is full of snarky lip, so no doubt I would love it. Besides I inherited two snakes from my nephew when he went off to University. Even if you don't like snakes, you will learn all kinds of cool stuff (like how to Sex Your Snake). Don't miss this one!!
This brilliant book deserved way more than 5 stars! June’s inner snark was hilarious, and the rest of the characters were terrific too, including the bad guys. I haven’t read such an amusing tale in ages and was thrilled to see there will be another June Nash story coming soon.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
This is a great mystery with June as the main character, a fabulous character at that. This is definitely a fast-paced story with a lot of twists to keep you guessing to the end and a compelling story that did not let me put the book down!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was hilarious, I was laughing out loud the whole time. June is a klutz, and constantly falling into trouble and Morgan happens to be her partner in crime the whole way through. The two of them together was too much, I love them! The storyline and hijinks they find themselves in constantly made for one of the most entertaining mysteries I’ve read in a looooong time. Can’t wait for more!
Picked up the book because the main character has the same first name as me. I was rather disappointed. The book seems to drag on , the characters seem clueless. Reminded me of the Stephanie Plum series, except Stephanie Plum is better
Banczak created a vibrant character in June Nash. I got a kick out of all her random predicaments. As a snake hater, there were plenty of cringe worthy moments for me, but they were totally worth it. This is the funniest book I’ve read in a while.
Move over Janet E !!! Melissa Banczak has arrived! A Tilt-a-whirl and Roller-coaster combines to offer non stop action and laughs! Without a doubt the funnies book I have read this year.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the first book by this Author that I have read, I found myself smiling as I read somethings. I think I would have done what June did at the end. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book was so much fun! I swear I was laughing through the whole thing. June is great! Her internal thoughts and the the things she did to fight back, just priceless! I must read more!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The narrator absolutely nails June Nash’s personality. The sarcasm, wit and the desire to silence her hunger pangs with tacos instead of out running the dudes with guns - make for a laugh out loud read.
This book was hilarious and full of adventure. I wasn't even halfway through before I bought the rest of the series. This book reminded me of just how fun it is to sit down and read.
June Nash is an unlikely albeit funny heroine. Her self talk will keep you giggling late into the night. Pick up this book for a quick, entertaining read. There's lots to like in this witty novel.
I liked this book, but there were just too many 'suspend-your-disbelief' episodes for it to be totally satisfying. I liked the premise and the characters are good, however.
I really enjoyed this fun, adventure filled book. It was funny and action packed. June Nash is a really entertaining character and I’d love to read more of her Misadventures!