The Housewife Assassin's Hostage Hosting Tips

The Housewife Assassin #9

by Josie Brown

It's up to Donna Stone to save a hotel filled with international dignitaries from the terrorists whose usual demands are multi-million dollar ransoms.But this time, the prices is higher - and much more personal - to the housewife assassin.RAVE REVIEWS..."Adorable is not usually the word that comes to mind with a title like The Housewife Assassin’s Handbook, but it was just what I needed to pull me out of my reading doldrums. From the handy little homemaker/assassin tips at the beginning of each chapter to the thankless job of being a single parent with catty neighbors, this book hits all the right notes. Donna works for the good guys, Acme Industries, undercover by taking down drug lords and terrorists with a matter-0f-fact attitude while worrying about making it to her carpooling duties.Granted, the book ended with a hook that made me want to immediately get the next one, which is always a smart move and I was excited to see that there are actually 11 books in the series (including a prequel). I now want a week at the beach to read them all. Think Alias meets Desperate Housewives meets The Scarecrow and Mrs. King. Live a little, add some spice to your life, give this little book a try and give yourself a reason to smile. I know I did and now I’m completely smitten." -- Barbara Vey, BarbaraVey.com"This is a super sexy and fun read that you shouldn't miss! How do I love this book, let me count the (1.) A kick ass woman that can literally kick ass as well as cook and clean. Donna gives a whole new meaning to "taking out the trash". (2.) The book is set around Los Angeles, mostly in a gated community suspiciously like Coto de Caza, full of housewives that could be 'real" and for the setting alone, a big giant WIN! (3.) Super sarcasm, snarky dialogue and making fun of all that is wrong in the OC, politics, as well as current world affairs." -- Mary Jacobs, Book Hounds Reviews

Genres: Mystery, Romance, Romantic Suspense

296 pages, Paperback

First published December 4, 2014

About the author

Josie Brown's forty-two novels are now in the hands of over two million readers.

She has been published by St. Martin's Press, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins Publishers, Penguin Books.

Read Josie’s books. You’ll get a good idea of her sense of humor. https://www.JosieBrown.com

You'll also find Josie on
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JosieBrownCA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josiebrownau...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josiebrownn...

Visit her podcast, where she discusses writing with other authors:
http://bit.ly/AuthorProvocateurApple

Josie is the author of these novels:

The Housewife Assassin Novel Series, including
- Handbook (Book 1)
- Guide to Gracious Killing (Book 2)
- Killer Christmas Tips (Book 3)
- Relationship Survival Guide (Book 4)
- Vacation to Die For (Book 5)
- Recipes for Disaster (Book 6)
- Hollywood Scream Play (Book 7) [2014, Signal Press]
- Killer App (Book 8) [August 2014, Signal Press]
- Hostage Hosting Tips (Book 9)
- Garden of Deadly Delights (Book 10)
- Tips for Weddings, Weapons, and Warfare Hosting Tips (Book 11)
- Husband Hunting Hints (Book 12)
- Ghost Protocol (Book 13)
- Terrorist TV Guide (Book 14)
- Deadly Dossier (Book 15 - SERIES PREQUEL)
- Greatest Hits (Book 16 )
- Fourth Estate Sale (Book 17 )
- Horrorscope (Book 18 )
- White House Keeping Seal of Approval (Book 19)
- Assassination Vacation Tips (Book 20)
- Antisocial Media Tips (Book 21)
- Manners, Missiles & Mayhem (Book 22)
- Gambit (Book 23)
- Underwater Assets (Book 24)

The Candidate (Steamy Political Thriller)

Extracurricular - 3 episodic Novels (2020; Signal Press)

Totlandia - 8 episodic Novels (2014-2017; Signal Press)

The Baby Planner
[2011, Simon & Schuster]

The Housewife Assassin Gets Lucky (written with Deborah Coonts)

Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives
[2010, Simon & Schuster 2014 Signal Press]]

Hollywood Hunk (Book 1 - True Hollywood Lies)
[2005, HarperCollins; 2010 Signal Press]

Her novel, Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives (Simon & Schuster), is being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer as a dramatic series for NBC-TV.

She is also the author of three non-fiction books: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Finding Mr. Right [Penguin/Alpha]; Marriage Confidential: 102 Honest Answers to the Questions Every Husband Wants to Ask, and Every Wife Needs to Know [Signal Press]; and Last Night I Dreamt of Cosmopolitans: A Modern Girl's Dream Dictionary [St. Martin's Press]

Before becoming a full-time novelist, Josie also worked in advertising (JWT, DDB/Needham, BBM&B) and radio (WPLO-AM, Atlanta; WZGC-FM, Atlanta).

As a journalist, Josie has interviewed Maya Angelou, Brenda Blethyn, Julian Bond, Kenneth Branagh, Jackie Collins, Costa-Gavras, Craig Ferguson, John Gray, Derek Jacobi, Debbie Reynolds, and John Woo. Her celebrity interviews and relationships trends articles have been featured in Los Angeles Times Syndicate International, Redbook, and Complete Woman, as well as AOL, Yahoo, AskMen.com, Divorce360.com, and SingleMindedWomen.com, where she serves as the Relationships Channel editor.

Josie's interviews for her podcast, Author Provocateur, and for the International Thriller Writers magazine THE BIG THRILL include such notable authors as David Baldacci, Samantha M. Bailey, C.J. Box, Allison Brennan, Lee Child, Deborah Coonts, Robert Dugoni, Barry Eisler, JT Ellison, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, Tess Gerritsen, Andrew Gross, Kristan Higgins, Jon Land, John Lescroart, John Lutz, James Rollins, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Brad Thor, and Debra Webb.

Although born and raised (a Southern expression) in and around Atlanta, Georgia, Josie is proudly one-hundred percent Puerto Rican: her father was born in Ponce, and her mother was from Humacao. Does this make Josie a Georgiarican? She thinks so, and proudly claims that title.

She now lives in San Francisco with her husband and two children.

Reviews

[Barbara Hackel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot of this book includes Donna multitasking as she plans a prom for Jeff's class and fights off Quorum, terrorism, keeps the President safe and interviews replacements for her position at Acme as she seriously decides to resign from her job. In the course of interviewing applicants, bizarre incidents keep interfering with the candidates and Donna, as one by one they meet untimely and unusual deaths. Eventually a former partner of Jack's comes out of retirement and joins the mission to keep the President safe. By a fluke, the President and terrorists are in the same hotel as the Prom that Donna has been forced into planning. When the two accidentally overlap, the results are deadly. I have never felt so panicked or nervous about Donna and Jack being to save their son from being beheaded by terrorists in that same hotel. While I enjoy Ms Brown's writing style and the capable characteristics she has given Donna and the other Acme agents, this time I could hardly bear to read what happen.
Superb writing and story lines are in all the books of the series. Be sure to read them in order (book one is free on Kindle at this time) and don't skip any. Everything makes so much more sense if you do! A fun series with enough action to wear me out!

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this ninth book of the series, Josie Brown does not disappoint. Each book in the series gets better and better, and this one is a nail biter that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Can Donna make the transition from assassin and honey pot back to the life of a normal, everyday housewife, without killing the mailman for being half hour late with the mail? Donna volunteers to head the Committee for her son's prom. With her skills, it should be "Eazy peasy!" until she winds up neck deep in Acme's latest international terror thwart!

A page turner with twists and turns right to the very end!

[Linda Quick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!!!!

Another winner in the Housewife Assassin series. In this book, Donna retires to focus on her family. This creates inner turmoil as she must cope with being suddenly closed out of Acme intelligence, and ,as a byproduct, unable to communicate with Jack. This becomes a serious problem when terrorists attack.

As always, the author begins each chapter with "tips" - in this book they focus on party hosting tips. They are guaranteed to make you laugh out loud or get arrested (should you choose to follow them).

This is a must read book.

[Dee Haddrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really do love this series! With her reason for being assassin no longer applying, Donna has decided that it's time to retire. At no surprise to any of us, this turns out to not be the best idea. Great characters, funny dialogue and a sweet romance, reading about Donna, Jack and the family feels like coming home.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it

This is my favorite story so far, each book just keeps getting better. The Housewife Assassin's Hostage Hosting Tips has the 3 categories I require to make a good book, riveting, funny and heart warming. I stayed up way past by bedtime to finish this book. I'm looking forward to reading the next adventures of Donna, Jack and the rest of the gang.

[LaShawnda Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usually this was a good read I love hearing about the trouble Donna seems to get herself into. I can't wait until May for the next book in the series. Keep writing this series after a long day at work it's be able laugh a lot at the end of the day.

[kcfan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered this series on Kindle one night when I couldn't sleep. They are entertaining and easy reads. Almost entirely implausible, but what if the stay-at-home mom next door was a deadly assassin?

[Angela Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series,so funny and entertaining!

[Korey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary Mary

TOO CONTRARY!
That girl made me want to take her over my knee. That said, Josie Brown writes wonderfully realistic characters.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had my doubts when I read the description, but I absolutely love this series!

[Patricia Mccammon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great

Another hilarious story, but mixed with some sadness because sometimes the good guys don't always make it. But the bad guys always lose.

[Frank Roberto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the series!

Each book is exciting as the previous one. They keep me at the end be of my seat and keep me guessing what will happen next. This one was no exception. I thought there was going to be a plot twist at one point, but I was mistaken. Even though I was going by the clues that were previously given.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really want to punch Penelope Bing repeatedly!

[Karen Devine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alas we cut to the chase, family!

Whether catching the bad guys or saving the world from them, this cast of characters really believes in their families first above all else!

[Janelle carney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another delightfully fun read from Josie Brown.

[Sonia Knippshild · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humorous read

[Darrell Knippshild · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humorous

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is hard to put down especially near the end of the book, I find myself staying up to early hours of morning to finish it. Onto the next book!

[Darinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 9th book in the Housewife Assassin series. Humorous and fun.

[Victoria Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this series! Mom by day, assassin/honey pot by night. Can’t get much better than that! I loved the humor, personalities of the characters and the series really gives you it all: romance, comedy, and messy motherhood

[Pontiki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some parts of this book are really a 5, but others, 2, so this is a middle ground. Donna has decided to retire, but is to hire her replacement. It's kind of funny that each of three vying for the job end up getting killed by some weird accident, but what I didn't like was how obvious it was that Donna didn't want to retire in the first place.

Instead, she became more of a snoop with Jack and the team, and took on a ludicrous first dance for Jeff's class. All the problems Penelope causes make no sense, but of course, the hotel they have the dance at becomes handy later on.

The last third of the book is much better, with Donna involved in saving the president, a fun frenzy with the dance for the kids, and a certain return to sleuthing with Jack.

The death of Jack's new partner, Mara, out of retirement to help on the case, was very sad. The new baby, Nicky, for Emma and Arnie, is cute, and their wedding, a nice ending to this book.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read, very entertaining, can't wait for the next one.