Tropical Girl Reads

Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there.

The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother’s situation, and the more questions she has. Ben’s neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it’s starting to look like it’s Ben’s future that’s in question.

The socialite – The nice guy – The alcoholic – The girl on the verge – The concierge

Everyone’s a neighbor. Everyone’s a suspect. And everyone knows something they’re not telling.

After reading Lucy Foley’s Guest List, I was so excited when I got the audiobook version of The Paris Apartment.

Just like The Guest List, there are multiple characters in this book–Jess, the sister of the missing person, Ben who comes to Paris to start a new life and moves into Ben’s apartment with weird people as neighbors (her opinion), The Concierge, an unnamed woman, who seemed to be having a past, Mimi, a young nineteen year old French woman and Sophie, an arrogant French woman and Nick, a friend of Ben. As Jess lives in the apartment and tries to find out what really happened to Ben, she finds so many dark secrets about the apartment…and the people who live in that apartment.

OK, so I am having some mixed feelings about the book. I feel you should read each and every word very carefully in this book to understand what is going on in the book. This sounded more like a gothic thriller to me–the eerie descriptions of the apartment, the cellar and attic, made me think if I was reading a gothic thriller more than a psychological thriller. The first part of the story was boring but then soon, it became fast paced with some twists and thrills along the way. Nonetheless, I felt the ending was OK–I kind of expected that ending however.

Jess’s character was OK but then other characters in my opinion seemed bland to me. But maybe that’s my opinion. The story kind of dragged on but then the interesting part happening by the middle of the book.

Anyway, this was not as good as Guest List in my opinion but it was OK. If you like a thriller with a creepy setting with a weird creepy family, then this book is one for you–worth 3.5 stars.

The woman’s skin was almost transparent. Her light hair darkened at the tips. Her lips were blue and slightly parted. But all Mackenzie could focus on were the eyes. Those arctic eyes that looked glassy like glistening marbles. She could see her own reflection in them staring back at her. The woman looked almost like a carefully crafted doll.

Detective Mackenzie Price knows what makes a killer tick. But when she finds the body of a young woman dumped in the trunk of her car, she knows this case is going to be the most personal and twisted yet.

Looking down at the victim, Mack recognises her instantly: Sophie Fields, the fiancée of Mack’s co-worker who vanished months before. Reeling in shock, Mack keeps one crucial piece of evidence to herself, too horrified to share it: a crumpled piece of paper bearing the words “You’re welcome, Mackenzie.”

As Mack pieces together Sophie’s last known movements, another body is found with a note. This time the victim is Courtney Montenegro, Mack’s childhood bully. As Mack looks at the note it becomes clear that the killer has an unusual MO: they want to protect her at all costs. But why?

The only evidence connecting the victims are identical pieces of material left at both crime scenes. With no other leads, Mack unearths a cold case which may lead her to the killer. Sophie had a sister who disappeared years before. Did she get too close to the truth and pay the ultimate price?

With an obsessive killer still on the loose, Mack knows that she needs to get deep inside their mind to work out who is next on the hit list. Can she get to the killer in time before someone close to her loses their life?

Detective Mackenzie Price is back with another adventure!!

Detective Mackenzie Price gets a shock when a body of a woman was found left at the back of Mackenzie’s car. The body belongs to Sophie who was the fiance of Austin, a colleague of Mackenzie and who went missing almost two years ago. The body was addressed to Mackenzie. Then another woman goes missing and Mackenzie must find who is responsible behind the disappearances.

It was a fast twisty thriller–I was literally hooked into the story from the first chapter till the end. The author has added some supernatural vibe into the story that I almost got goosebumps as I was reading that part. Detective Mackenzie Price seemed to be the target and the book was fast paced, keeping the reader at the edge of the story. Overall, I felt like I was going on a roller coaster ride as I read this one and I actually enjoyed reading the book. Can’t wait for the book 6 to come soon!

Overall, this is a twisted fast paced thriller and unputdownable that will keep you at the edge of the seat–worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Daisy Ellery’s pies have a secret ingredient: The magical ability to avenge women done wrong by men.But Daisy finds herself on the receiving end in Misha Popp’s cozy series debut, a sweet-as-buttercream treat for fans of Ellery Adams and Mary Maxwell.

The first time Daisy Ellery killed a man with a pie, it was an accident. Now, it’s her calling. Daisy bakes sweet vengeance into her pastries, which she and her dog Zoe deliver to the men who’ve done dirty deeds to the town’s women. But if she can’t solve the one crime that’s not of her own baking, she’ll be out of the pie pan and into the oven.
 
Parking her Pies Before Guys mobile bakery van outside the local diner, Daisy is informed by Frank, the crusty diner owner, that someone’s been prowling around the van—and not just to inhale the delectable aroma. Already on thin icing with Frank, she finds a letter on her door, threatening to reveal her unsavory secret sideline of pie a la murder.
 
Blackmail? But who whipped up this half-baked plot to cut a slice out of Daisy’s business? Purple-haired campus do-gooder Melly? Noel, the tender—if flaky—farm boy? Or one of the abusive men who prefer their pie without a deadly scoop of payback?
 
The upcoming statewide pie contest could be Daisy’s big chance to help wronged women everywhere…if she doesn’t meet a sticky end first. Because Daisy knows the blackmailer won’t stop until her business is in crumbles.
 

So this is one of those books that piqued my interest from the first chapter to the end, with an unusual plot and setting.

Daisy Ellery is a talented pie maker and her pies are special–she adds a certain magical element in the pie to help the women take revenge on the men who had wronged them. Her unusual business is successful and started after she accidentally killed a man with a pie. But then someone knows her secret and asks her to kill three women–if she didn’t follow the orders, her secret will be let out. Daisy has a certain rule–she will never harm a woman and she was determined to find out who this person was, who was determined to bring her dow.

Reading about the pies is actually making me hungry–those descriptive crusy words and fillings made my mouth water. From the first chapter to the end, it was really interesting–like a typical cozy mystery novel. I was literally hooked into the book and what made it more interesting is when Daisy joins the pie baking contest while trying to find the person who had sent her the message. The writer did a good job of drawing the reader into the story and I actually enjoyed reading the book! Oh, the ingredients of those pies are given at the back which I want to try at home. I hope this is not a standalone novel and would like to read more from this author. Overall, this book worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opnion only.

A family with a secret.
A past about to catch up with them.

At thirty, Hanna has finally decided she’s better off without her family. They hold her responsible for the incident that ruined their lives fourteen years ago and they’ve barely spoken since.

But then, whilst browsing a true crime website, she sees her family home listed as the site of a brutal murder. Number of victims: three. Date of crime: today. When the police investigate, they find no bodies, but the house is abandoned. Hanna’s family have disappeared.

To find them, Hanna will have to confront what happened all those years ago.

And the person determined to make her pay for it . . .

The plot line of the story sounds fascinating to me. A young woman with a troubled past named Hanna while going through a website with Adam discovers her own childhood house described as the scene of gruesome murders. And as the investigation continues, Hannah’s own past comes back tormenting her.

I actually did enjoy the story–as I really thought the plot sounded intriguing and intense. It was a bit of a slow burn but the story actually grew into me. The story is told from Hannah’s perspective and Sasha’s perspectives, Sasha being Hanna’s sister. Although the first part of the story was slightly boring, it got really intense and interesting by the second part of the book. Twists and turns started developing along the well, and the ending was really good. Hanna was kind of lucky to have good friends who actually helped her to deal with the trauma.

Overall, this is a good thriller–I would like to read more books from this author. Worth four stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Julia Bird’s picturesque Cotswolds cottage has everything she could want. Rustic charm, cosy fireplaces and, it turns out, a dead body in the garden…

Recently divorced and reluctantly retired, Julia Bird has fled London to enjoy idyllic rural life in the Cotswolds. Determined to have the perfect English garden, her first job is to tear down the old shed, where she unearths much more than she’d bargained for… A body, apparently buried for decades. But who could it be, and who killed them? The police draw a blank, and even the gossip-fest that is the local bookclub can’t remember anyone going missing in the village.

Unable to get on with her garden until the mystery is resolved, Julia decides to conduct her own clandestine investigations. So, together with her wayward chocolate Labrador puppy Jake, Julia begins a whirlwind tour of the local residents. And everyone, it seems, has something to hide in this village. As she gets closer to the truth, Julia uncovers something even more shocking… Another body, this time of someone she actually knows.

Determined to unmask the killer and find out what connects the two dead bodies, Julia – newly nicknamed the Grim Reaper – ups the stakes and hones in on the most likely suspect. But if she hasn’t deduced correctly, then there is someone else in the village who has killed twice already. Will they be prepared to make it third time lucky to keep their secret safe?

The first book of the Julia Bird series! This is a cozy mystery novel but I actually enjoyed reading it.

Julia Bird moves to a small town into a cottage after her divorce to her husband, leaving behind the city life. While trying to get used to the countryside living, she wanted to make a chicken coop by the garden shed near her cottage. But when they start digging, they find skeletal remains of woman dated nearly twenty years ago. And so begins the mystery.

I just loved the title of the book and thought I will try out the first book of the cozy mystery series. And to my surprise, I actually enjoyed reading this one. It was really entertaining and I really got into the story. The author(S) did a good job of making the reader feel like they are a part of the story and I actually really enjoyed this book that I simply couldn’t put the book down. There were some funny parts in the book as well and the descriptions of those countrysides and Julia’s life in the countryside with her newly adopted dog Jake was too enjoyable to read. So as much as I enjoyed this novel, I cannot wait to read for Julia Bird’s next adventure!

So if you like a cozy mystery series set in an English countryside, then this book is one for you–worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.