Tropical Girl Reads

Title:- The Marriage Secret

Author:- Carey Baldwin

No. of pages:- 309 pages

Date published:- will be published on 11th February 2022

Publisher:- Bookouture

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

He married me despite my darkest secret. But am I safe now that I know his?

From the outside, my marriage to Zach was perfect: dream home, a perfect baby girl and passionate, all-consuming love. When we met, I confessed my darkest secret to him and he never judged me for it. Instead, he vowed to always protect me whatever the cost.

But as I cradle my gorgeous baby, I have to accept that the husband who used to be my everything, has changed. At first it was little things: expecting me to keep to a strict schedule, picking out my clothes for me. Now, he controls every aspect of my life: from how much money I have, to when I leave the house and who I can see.

One fateful night, a young woman is found murdered and Zach is a potential suspect. Turning towards me, a look of warmth returning to his eyes, he swears he’s innocent, and I realize there is only one solution. If I agree to be his alibi, he will keep my secret and our daughter can grow up in a loving home. In that moment, I do what any faithful wife would do: I stand by him.

But I know deep down, only one of us will make it out of this marriage alive.

Content Warning:- Domestic abuse, murder, substance abuse

OK….I only have one word to describe this book…it’s simply just WOW….

How well do you know your spouse? Holly and Zach fell in love, got married and now Holly is pregnant with their first child. But after Holly gives birth to a baby girl named Jolene, Zach started changing. He starts almost controlling Holly’s life and threatening to reveal one of Holly’s dark secrets if Holly ever leaves him. Later on, the police come knocking on the door, questioning Zach about the disappearance of two girls, Beth and Claudia, who had affairs with Zach.

Now, this book is a fast paced thriller and I love reading fast paced thrillers. Holly is a complex character and as a reader, you feel what is the secret that Holly is afraid of revealing. The plot is really good, the writing was intense as the author did a good job of drawing the reader into the story. Holly is going through something like a “silent” domestic abuse what with Zach controlling her, deeming her to be unfit of becoming a parent. We see Zach’s love affair with Claudia and soon towards the middle, the story starts reaching its climax, with twists and turns that were completely unexpected! The ending…oh my god…the ending took my breath away–this was such an unexpected twist that the author had given and I couldn’t literally believe that ending at all!!! It was such a complete unexpected twist in the end! I couldn’t even put this book down and stayed up all night reading this book!

Overall, if you are into fast paced thriller, with a little bit of drama here and there, with so many twists and turns with an unexpected ending, I strongly recommend this book to you–worth five stars!

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

By day Carey is a dedicated pediatrician. By night she’s a USA Today bestselling and award winning author of edgy suspense. In addition to her MD, Carey also holds a PhD in clinical psychology. She loves reading and writing stories that keep you off balance and on the edge of your seat. In her spare time she enjoys hiking and chasing wildflowers.

Title:- The Midnight Killing

Author:- Sharon Dempsey

No. of pages:- 378 pages

Date published:- will be published on 17th February 2022

Publisher:- Avon

Genre:- Thriller

Rating:- 4/5 stars

She’d cycled this way hundreds of times before, every twist and turn familiar. She didn’t know this would be the last. 

When the body of local architect James McCallum is found hanging in the grounds of his former school one cold, dark night, DI Danny Stowe and forensic psychologist Rose Lainey suspect foul play behind his apparent suicide.

To their astonishment, the trail leads to a 20-year-old cold case of a missing girl, and a teenage party. But what was James’ fascination with the case and how is it linked to his death?

Secrets don’t stay buried forever – but the real killer will stop at nothing to hide theirs…

An absolutely gripping and totally unputdownable crime thriller that will keep you up all night! Perfect for fans of Patricia Gibney, Val McDermid and Rachel Caine.  

I didn’t know this is actually a sequel but nonetheless I got this ARC from the publisher.

When the body of a man named James McCallum was found, it was ruled as suicide. However, after the autopsy results, it was later found that James was indeed strangled to death and that it was actually a murder. Furthermore, when they investigated James’ laptop, they find James obsession with a girl named Maeve Lunn, an eight year old girl who disappeared more than twenty years ago. The police must find clues about the connection between this cold case and James murder and must find the killer before it’s too late.

Initially, the story was a little boring at first–it started off slightly boring. But gradually, it became fast paced towards the middle of the book, with the discovery of the case of the eight year old girl and the fact that James and his friends who were teenagers back then had been around during the time of the girl’s disappearance. From the middle of the book, it got interesting and I was literally hooked into the book. I didn’t read the first book of the series so I was a bit confused on the parts about Rose Linley’s background that I simply skimmed through those parts.

Overall, this was actually a good thriller–worth four stars!

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

Title:- Put Out To Pasture

Author:- Amanda Flower

No. of pages:- 320 pages

Date published:- will be published on 22nd February 2022

Publisher:- Poisoned Pen Press

Genre:- Cozy Mysteries

Rating:-

There’s fowl play afoot on the farm

Shiloh Bellamy has saved her family’s farm from financial ruin—but now what? She’s barely scraping by on the farm’s new organic business model and the fall festival she organized to drum up business comes to a screeching halt when the body of a prominent townswoman is discovered underneath a scarecrow in a nearby field. Worst of all, the evidence points to Shiloh’s childhood best friend, Kristy, as the prime suspect.

Between cooking up delicious treats made with her farm’s produce, convincing her cantankerous father to let her do things her own way, and dealing with a newcomer in town who could be serious competition for her customers, Shiloh doesn’t have time to wade into a murder investigation. But with a killer on the loose and suspicious activity circling closer and closer to Shiloh and the people she loves, she realizes there’s nothing to do but roll up her sleeves and get down to the dirty work of finding the killer and clearing Kristy’s name once and for all.

This book is perfect for cozy mystery readers and fans of Kate Carlisle, Denise Swanson, and Bree Baker!

This is the second book of the Farm to Table Mysteries series although this is the first time I am reading this series.

Shiloh Belamy is starting up her organic business farm when at a nearby field, a body of a woman is discovered. And the main suspect was her childhood friend Kristy who was last seen arguing with the woman. Shiloh sets to investigate the case–what with the killer on loose. She then finds a disturbing news about the dead woman’s past and is concerned that someone from the woman’s past had killed her and is living in the small town.

Despite the fact that I haven’t read the first book, I actually enjoyed this cozy thriller! Besides reading about the “murder”, I enjoyed reading about the life in the farm, making me feel like I was in the farm, the delicious meals prepared by Shiloh and of course the community in the small knitted town that made me feel like I was a part of the story as well! The author’s writing was good and did a good job of drawing the reader into the story. I do like the community setting in the story and I was actually curious a little bit about Shiloh’s past. I actually got interested with the part about Minnie (the woman who was murdered) reading about her scandalous past.

Overall I actually enjoyed reading the book–this was fast paced, interesting and quite a good cozy thriller and some parts about the food will make you hungry! Worth five stars!

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Amanda Flower is a USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author of over thirty-five mystery novels. Her novels have received starred reviews from Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and Romantic Times, and she had been featured in USA Today, First for Women, and Woman’s World. She currently writes for Penguin-Random House (Berkley), Kensington, Hallmark Publishing, Crooked Lane Books, and Sourcebooks. In addition to being a writer, she was a librarian for fifteen years. Today, Flower and her husband own a farm and recording studio, and they live in Northeast Ohio with their two adorable cats.

Title:- The Trivia Night

Author:- Ali Lowe

No. of pages:- 320 pages

Date published:- will be published on 22nd February 2022

Publisher:- Hodder and Stoughton

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Question: How long does it take to tear someone’s life apart?
Answer: Sometimes just one night.

From the outside the parents of the kindergarten class at Darley Heights primary school seem to have it all. Living in the wealthy Sydney suburbs, it’s a community where everyone knows each other – and secrets don’t stay secret for long.

The big date in the calendar is the school’s annual fundraising trivia night, but when the evening gets raucously out of hand, talk turns to partner-swapping. Initially scandalised, it’s not long before a group of parents make a reckless one-night-only pact.

But in the harsh light of day, those involved must face the fallout of their behaviour. As they begin to navigate the shady aftermath of their wild night, the truth threatens to rip their perfect lives apart – and revenge turns fatal.

THE TRIVIA NIGHT is agripping, domestic page-turner full of shocking reveals, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Sally Hepworth.

Content Warning:- Sex, Domestic Violence

Big Little Lies and Desperate Housewives meet each other creating The Trivia Night! I only have one word to describe this book–WOW.

Four couples, their children attending Kingdergarten at Darley Heights Primary School, and they are all wealthy families living in the suburbs of Sydney. The school arranges a fund raising event, called the Trivia Night where the parents dressed mostly as characters from Harry Potter. The four couples, Amanda and Ted, Paul and Alice, Zoe and Miles and Lara and Luke sit together at a table. However, they soon decide to have a little fun by exchanging their partners and experience sexual endures with each other. However, a woman named Victoria, who is Amanda’s nemesis had taken pictures of that fateful night and threatened to post these pictures online. And soon, the day after the four women threaten Victoria, she disappeared.

This was actually a fast paced thriller! It was so unputdownable that I was hooked up into the book and stayed up all night reading the book! Though the first bit was slightly boring, it started getting really intriguing and interesting that I was literally drawn into the story. Besides the “thriller” in the book, there were some funny parts that made me laugh out loud! There were some twists and turns and the ending was slightly unexpected as well! I do like the four mothers, Amanda, Alice, Lara and Zoe and their friendship sounds like a scene from the Desperate Housewives.

The story is told from the perspectives of Amanda, who is the main character of the story, Alice in her draft on a visit to her therapist (as it seems) and Zoe in the form of letter to her sister named Phoebe so it was actually interesting to read all their thoughts and personalities through reading the book. You can see that every marriage has issues and problems, secrets being revealed and the friendships being threatened. I do like Amanda’s issue with alcohol was labeled in the book, which was the cause of why her former friendship with Victoria was ruined and how it also affected her marriage. This was actually well written.

If you have read Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty and liked it, then you would most certainly like The Trivia Night as well–

1. Both books are set in wealthy suburbs of Sydney, Australia,
2. One of the mothers is suffering from domestic violence,
3. One having marital issues…and they are both well written and keeps the reader hooked into the story.

Overall, this is a fast paced thriller filled with family drama and revenge that will keep you up all night–worth five stars!

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

Ali Lowe has been a journalist for 20 years. She has written for magazines, newspapers and websites in London and then Australia, after she moved to Sydney sixteen years ago on a trip that was meant to last a year. She was Features Editor at OK! in London, where she memorably stalked celebrities in Elton John’s garden at his annual White Tie and Tiara ball.

Ali lives on the northern beaches of Sydney with her husband and three young children.

Title:- Black Orchid Girls

Author:- Carolyn Arnold

No. of pages:- 316 pages

Date published:- will be published on February 10th 2022

Publisher:- Bookouture

Genre:- Thriller

Rating:-

The first rays of sun filter through the tall trees, casting a faint light on the girl lying at the water’s edge. Her tears have frozen on her pale face, a black orchid rests against her cold white skin.

When hikers find the body of a beautiful young girl on the banks of the Potomac River, Detective Amanda Steele is shaken and confused. What is the significance of the delicate flower resting on the girl’s torso? A sign of affection, or a twisted killer’s calling card?

The girl is Chloe Somner, a local nineteen-year-old ecology student well-known to the park rangers and loved by all her classmates. Searching Chloe’s home, Amanda can’t work out who could have tempted her to the water in the early hours of the morning, but a long night hunting through cold cases gives her a possible lead: twenty years ago another local girl was murdered, a red rose left on her body. But why would this killer strike again now?

Focused on the past, the last thing Amanda expects is the news that Chloe’s roommate has been found dead, another black orchid left. Terrified that more innocent victims will follow, can Amanda uncover the significance of the flowers and stop this cold-hearted killer before he returns for the next orchid girl…?

A totally compulsive crime thriller! Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Robert Dugoni and Rachel Caine.

Detective Amanda Steele is back with another crime!

Chloe Somner, a college student who is an environmentalist was found stabbed seven times, naked with a black orchid resting on her chest. Detectives Amanda Steele and her partner Trent were assigned to the case and finds many suspects who had a motive to kill Chloe–Josh, her ex-boyfriend, Ashton, who was bullied by Chloe and Josh back in high school, Luke and Stephanie, who thought Chloe was a competition. Luke had feelings towards Chloe who rejected him. Amanda also finds a similar case that happened almost twenty years ago to another college student who died in the similar fashion. Is there a serial killer on loose or does someone have a vendetta against Chloe Somner.

This is the fourth book of the Detective Steele case and so far, this book had been one of my favorite series! Too many viable suspects that you are clueless as to who would have a motive to kill Chloe, the drama, the romance…I felt like I was watching a movie, sitting at the edge of my seat, wondering what is going to happen next. The writing is spot on, the author does a good job of keeping the reader interested and immersed into the story. The forensics, the autopsies all looked like I was watching an episode of CSI or Law and Order and I couldn’t actually wait to see who would be the killer. The killer turned out to be a complete surprise and unexpected that I did not expect that ending. This was a fast paced thriller filled with twists and turns that you didn’t expect.

Overall, this is an unputdownable thriller that will keep you awake at all night! Worth five stars!

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

CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has several continuing fiction series and has many published books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures. Her crime fiction series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining. This led to her adopting the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.

Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.