Tropical Girl Reads

She looked like an angel. She lay perfectly still, silky blonde hair falling to her pale shoulders. Icicles clung to her eyelashes as snowflakes fluttered to the frozen ground, burying her body.

As a snowstorm wreaks havoc in the mountain town of Crooked Creek, a woman is found buried in ice. Detective Ellie Reeves is first on the scene. Examining the body, she finds frozen blonde hair, pink nail polish and a silver heart necklace engraved with Mine Forever.

Ellie has first-hand experience of the monsters that lurk in the mountains––her childhood is testament to that. She vows to catch this one, but she’s up against the brutal weather, with snow covering footprints and making forensics impossible.

Frantically trawling through missing-person’s reports, Ellie identifies the victim. Nadine Houser disappeared eleven years ago. Where has she been all this time? Why was she only murdered now?

As storm clouds roll in, another girl is reported missing. Ellie retraces the steps of Ginger Weston who was renting a cabin in the mountains. She discovers a gold chain in the snow, spotted with blood. The killer is accelerating, and it’s just a matter of time before more innocent lives are robbed.

With the town blaming Ellie for the missing girl on her watch, and everyone fearing for their safety of their daughters, it’s down to Ellie to solve the toughest case of her career. But when the killer comes after her, will she live to save Crooked Creek from its ruthless monster?

A totally gripping read that will get your pulse pounding as you flip through the pages! Perfect for fans of Lisa Regan, Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot who love a roller-coaster, twist-packed page-turner!

Detective Ellie Reeves is back!

Plot:- A body of a woman who went missing years ago was found in the AT. The body has been kept in a cooler and is identified as Nadine Houser who went missing on the night after her shift at a convenience store few years ago. While Detective Ellie is trying to follow up Nadine’s case, soon Ginger Weston, daughter of the governor goes missing and Ellie must work alongside FBI agent Derrick to find Ginger before it becomes too late.

Writing:- I have been hooked into Ellie Reeves series and each time I read Rita Heron’s books, I wasn’t disappointed! Filled with twists and turns, many unexpected ones that will make the reader hooked into the story. I was at that the edge of my seat as I continued reading this book, wondering who this person who hunted these girls and then kept their bodies in the cooler! I kept reading this book until I came to the ending. All this time, I was left in suspense and there were not much suspects that I couldn’t figure out who the hunter is. Good job by the author for keeping the readers guess until the end! Also, this is fast paced, action packed that you feel like you are investigating this case with Ellie Reeves

Although this is a part of the Ellie Reeves series, this is actually a standalone novel and the author has clearly explained and written tits and bits from her previous books in this book so the person who is reading this book for the first time will not get lost in the series.

Characters:- Ellie Reeves is my all time favorite characters–she is brave and courageous who would do anything to catch the killers and put them behind the bars. I also like the slow romance developing between Ellie and Derrick.

Overall:- Overall, this is a fast paced thriller filled with twists and turns you would never have guessed until the end–worth five stars!

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

One dinner party will destroy everything.

The night that throws a wrecking ball into Abby’s life starts out perfectly at first. There’s still a hint of summer sun in the purple-streaked sky. Abby and her best friend, Sienna, look on fondly as their two husbands laugh under the garden gazebo. None of them know it’s the last time they will be together again.

What starts out as just a little fun, has devastating consequences for the couples. Alone with Sienna’s husband, Greg, Abby finds him unexpectedly charming. And something happens that night that neither she nor Greg can take back.

Abby is desperate to tell her husband and Sienna the truth, but can’t risk Greg sharing what he knows about her. She has no choice but to keep quiet. Then Greg suddenly disappears.

Is her best friend’s husband simply running from his secrets? Or has someone decided they can’t risk that he may share theirs?

The most gripping and twisty psychological thriller you’ll read this year from #1 bestseller Kathryn Croft. Perfect for readers who loved Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train.

One Dinner Party, One Crazy Idea then a terrible nightmare.

Plot:- Abby and Rob are happily married. Sienna and Greg seemed to be having some trouble in marriage. Abby and Sienna meets in a pilates class, and then gets invited to a dinner party, where Sienna suggesting swapping husbands for one night–Abby with Greg, Sienna with Rob. Something happens between Abby and Greg that Abby is afraid of her husband and Sienna finding out. Then one day Greg goes missing.

Writing:- The story is told from the perspectives of Abby and Sienna. We know Abby is hiding something but as a reader, you are curious–what is she really hiding? Sienna believes Abby is having an affair with Greg and accuses Abby. Is Sienna right? This fast paced thriller will put you as a reader at the edge and I was so determined to find out what Abby’s secret was–there were some twists and turns along the way. However, at the end, we do find what Abby’s secret was but I wasn’t really satisfied much with the ending. The writing was good however and the author did a good job drawing the reader into the story, feeling like they are also a part of the story.

Character:- Sienna and Abby are OK characters to me–I feel Abby is naive and Sienna is a bit too over the top.

Overall:-It was a fast paced thriller with twists and turns you wouldn’t expect–worth four stars!

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

When Mel is set up on a blind date by her best friends Chris and Simon, she’s as anxious as any woman would be. Her divorce came as such a shock and she’d been feeling lost and lonely, but that didn’t mean she was desperate to date again. It was a terrible day at work that made her say yes: it could be a bit of fun, a distraction at least. What did she have to lose?

When Mel meets Malik, she knows instantly that they could have more than just a fling. She tells him her deepest, darkest secrets and it doesn’t make him run away. He makes her feel wanted for the first time in years, and when she wakes up in his bed in the early hours she feels completely content.

Until she notices that he’s no longer lying beside her.

She’s tangled up in his sheets alone in his bedroom and she can’t remember how she got there.

And then she hears the metallic scrape of a key in the door and realises that Malik has locked her in. Is her dream man going to turn into her worst nightmare?

Thrilling and gripping until the final page, Blind Date is a dark and unsettling story about deception and how much we can trust the people we love. For fans of Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train and anything by Lisa Jewell.

Even though I see some low ratings in this book, I actually thought this book was great!

Plot:- Melanie Abbot used to work in the Breakfast show with her closest friends, Simon and Chris. But Melanie’s life seems to go down the drain–she was transferred to a late night radio show, she is facing divorce and she is asked to leave the house. Then her friend sets her up with a blind date and she meets Malik, a handsome man and instantly she feels attracted to him. But then soon she receives phone calls, and Malik locks her up in his room…is Malik her dream man or her worst nightmare?

Writing:-The story is told from Melanie’s perspective. Literally the writing was great and the author did a good job drawing the reader into the story. However, even though the thriller is fast paced, there were not much twists and turns but despite that, I was hooked into the book. However, towards the end of the book, it was a bit predictable and also I didn’t like how the ending turned out. I mean come on, if your own friends betrayed you, you wouldn’t really want to talk with them right? Anyway I didn’t like the ending much but maybe it was just me.

Characters:- Melanie seems to be a bit of a naive character and I do like Chris and Simon’s friendship with Melanie. But then I didn’thave any likable characters in the book.

Overall:- Overall, this was actually a good thriller that will keep you hooked into the story. Worth four stars!

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

She’ll do anything to save her son. But what if telling the truth means losing him for ever?

On a crisp winter’s evening, Beverly is cooking for her son. Eight-year-old Riley is climbing a tree in the garden, and Beverly smiles as she watches him. Nothing makes her happier than her precious child having fun – she never thought they’d be happy again.

The water on the stove is boiling, and Beverly slides in a handful of spaghetti. When she glances out of the window again, Riley is not there.

She races outside, her heart thumping. Riley is nowhere to be found.

Instinctively, Beverly knows that her son has not just run away. She knows this because of her secret – the one she has kept for eight years. The one that means she has no choice but to keep neighbours at a distance, that stops her sleeping at night.

She thought she’d made the right decision, that she was protecting her son. But now he’s gone. Could this be all her fault?

She’ll do anything to save him. Yet if she tells the truth, she could lose him for ever…

So this is the second book I have read from Nicole Trope and after reading the Family Across the Street, I was excited to read this book.

Plot:- Beverly and Rylie are mother and son. Beverly had recently broken up with her boyfriend Ethan. Soon someone starts sending expensive gifts to Rylie and Beverly thinks that it was Ethan. Meanwhile, at Rylie’s school, there’s a new teacher named Mr. Benton. Then there’s a woman, who is stalking Beverly and Rylie, determined to get Rylie.

Writing:- The story is told from the perspectives of Rylie, Beverly and the woman who had dark history and is stalking Beverly, believing that Rylie is her own son and out to seek revenge on Beverly. The start was a bit slow but slowly, by the middle of the book, it gained momentum and soon became fast paced with twists and turns. Though it was slightly predictable, the slight twist at the end was completely unexpected.

Characters:- Beverly seems to be a devoted who seemed to be hiding secret. Rylie adores his mother and is a feist kid–he is one of my favorite characters in the book.

Overall:- This was a good thriller–will keep you hooked into the story and unputdownable, making you want to read more. Worth five stars!

Today will be a book review, One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus. This book has been in my want to read book list and when I finally got the book, I was super excited. I am not sure if this book will be turned into a movie or not but if it did, definitely cannot wait to see it! This is the first book of the series, One of Us Is Lying series

The internationally bestselling YA thriller by acclaimed author, Karen M. McManus, soon to be a major new TV series!

Five students go to detention. Only four leave alive.

Yale hopeful Bronwyn has never publicly broken a rule.

Sports star Cooper only knows what he’s doing in the baseball diamond.

Bad boy Nate is one misstep away from a life of crime.

Prom queen Addy is holding together the cracks in her perfect life.

And outsider Simon, creator of the notorious gossip app at Bayview High, won’t ever talk about any of them again.

He dies 24 hours before he could post their deepest secrets online. Investigators conclude it’s no accident. All of them are suspects.

Everyone has secrets, right?
What really matters is how far you’ll go to protect them.

Plot:- The story starts with five students–Bronwyn who is set to Yale, Addy the prom queen, Cooper the baseball star, Nate, the bad boy and Simon an outsider though he runs this vicious gossip app called About That are all sent off to the detention after finding phones in their bags in one of the class. But during the detention, Simon drinks some water from the water fountain…and then gets a fit. He dies on the way to the hospital. Later on, it was found out that there were traces of peanut oil in the water and Simon is allergic to peanuts and no Epi pens were found. And, the remaining four were all suspects, as soon, the police realize that each of these four students hold a secret that Simon had found out and threatened to post them online.

Which one of the students kill Simon?

Writing:- The story is told from the perspectives of Bronwyn, Nate, Cooper and Addy. At first, the four of them, though they studied together were not very close but this incident brought all of them closer–Nate and Bronwyn’s budding romance, Addy and Bronwyn’ friendship and Cooper’s friendship with Addy. Each four of them did have sort of an agenda against Simon. There were some twists and turns and the story is fast paced and the author did a good job, keeping the reader hooked into story. I was literally hooked that I wanted to know which one of them actually did it. The ending was so shocking and unexpected that I literally did not expect that end!! So from start to finish, I have to say, this was good.

Characters:- All four main characters grow into me. Bronwyn who is a Yale hopeful has a good relationship with her younger sister Maeve and would do anything to protect her. She even would do anything to protect her friends and loved ones. I like the fact that Bronwyn plays the piano–a plus sign for me as I am also a pianist! Nate also grew into me–I like how he can be distrustful towards everyone except Bronwyn. He has strained relationship with his father and mother and is leading a double life as a drug dealer. Addy would be someone I wouldn’t really like and would call her a scatter brain but towards the middle of the book, I actually liked her. So did Cooper.

Overall:- It was a twisty, brilliant fast paced thriller that will keep you up all night!