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maiad9's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Cute mystery with two love interests. Wasn’t anything surprising though, wish there was a little bit more suspense. Overall though, not bad!
lil1smith's review against another edition
5.0
Serena just can't get away from all the action, even when she's on vacation. I remember the first time I read this book, at the beginning I was feeling disappointed because with Serena leaving on vacation, how was I going to get my fix of Nate and Tanner? I didn't need to worry. And if you read it you'll see why. ;) This is a perfectly swoon worthy book, packed with action and mystery as well. The ending has me wishing there was another book, but at the same time I'm satisfied with how it ended.
anniejaneb's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this whole series, although the love triangle got a little annoying. Just pick a guy already!!!! I want another book in the series so I can read more about the guy she did eventually pick...in the last couple pages. Lol
rusticreadingal's review against another edition
5.0
Serena and her family are on vacation on Martha's Vineyard to celebrate the engagement of a family friend. When there's a suspicious death and then rumblings of an antiquities smuggling ring, Serena can't help but get involved. With the help of her two potential love interests, Nate and Tanner, and even Aunt Martha, they set out to solve this puzzling mystery.
There were quite a few unexpected twist, turns, and reveals. It had a great mystery that left me guessing until the end. The author did a fantastic job at pointing just enough plausible suspicion on characters that it left me wondering who the guilty party really was.
Over Maya Dead Body had a slightly different feel to it than the first two books in the series, probably because of the change in location, but that didn't hinder my enjoyment one bit. I loved every second of it and think it was the best one of the series. The fun family dynamics were still there and Aunt Martha was still being her lively and 'helpful' self. Many loose ends were tied up and, as promised, the love triangle was resolved. That's all I'll say about that because I don't want to spoil it.
The Serena Jones Mysteries have been such fun books and I'm sad to see it end. I'm certainly gonna miss all these fantastic characters, especially Aunt Martha. Over Maya Dead Body was a wonderful conclusion to a marvelous series. I'm looking forward to reading whatever Ms. Orchard comes up with next. I highly recommend this series!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my own honest opinion.
There were quite a few unexpected twist, turns, and reveals. It had a great mystery that left me guessing until the end. The author did a fantastic job at pointing just enough plausible suspicion on characters that it left me wondering who the guilty party really was.
Over Maya Dead Body had a slightly different feel to it than the first two books in the series, probably because of the change in location, but that didn't hinder my enjoyment one bit. I loved every second of it and think it was the best one of the series. The fun family dynamics were still there and Aunt Martha was still being her lively and 'helpful' self. Many loose ends were tied up and, as promised, the love triangle was resolved. That's all I'll say about that because I don't want to spoil it.
The Serena Jones Mysteries have been such fun books and I'm sad to see it end. I'm certainly gonna miss all these fantastic characters, especially Aunt Martha. Over Maya Dead Body was a wonderful conclusion to a marvelous series. I'm looking forward to reading whatever Ms. Orchard comes up with next. I highly recommend this series!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my own honest opinion.
readerturnedwriter's review against another edition
5.0
Of the three in the series, this was my least favorite but I still really enjoyed it. I thought the entire series was very well done.
chelsjulian's review against another edition
2.0
The love triangle got especially annoying. The resolution wasn’t really enough to make up for it.
nataliesboooks's review against another edition
3.0
The mystery aspect of this was definitely not as good as the first two. There were too many characters and it was hard to keep them all straight at times.
I also once again found Serena to be very unprofessional. She tells her plans and theories about the murders to just about anyone she meets or talks to. It's probably just me because most other reviewers seem to love Aunt Martha, but I can't stand her. I found her to be annoying and nosy at best.
I can't talk too much about the romance without getting spoilery, but I will say I liked that both of them are good guys. Too many love triangles involve one guy that's nice and the other that isn't. In this one, they're both good.
And I did enjoy how the title worked into the storyline. These three have really fun, clever titles.
Overall I enjoyed the series.
I also once again found Serena to be very unprofessional. She tells her plans and theories about the murders to just about anyone she meets or talks to. It's probably just me because most other reviewers seem to love Aunt Martha, but I can't stand her. I found her to be annoying and nosy at best.
I can't talk too much about the romance without getting spoilery, but I will say I liked that both of them are good guys. Too many love triangles involve one guy that's nice and the other that isn't. In this one, they're both good.
And I did enjoy how the title worked into the storyline. These three have really fun, clever titles.
Overall I enjoyed the series.
booksforchristiangirls's review against another edition
4.0
About this book:
“FBI Special Agent Serena Jones arrives on Martha's Vineyard with her family, ready for a little bit of R&R and a whole lot of reminiscing as they celebrate the engagement of an old family friend. But crime doesn't take a vacation, and she's soon entangled in an investigation of a suspicious death tied to an antiquities smuggling ring.
When her investigation propels her into danger, Serena must stay the course and solve this case before anyone else dies. But just how is she supposed to do that when the two men in her life arrive on the scene, bringing with them plenty of romantic complications--and even a secret or two?”
Series: Book #3 in the “Serena Jones Mystery” series. Review of Book #1 Here! and #2 Here!
Spiritual Content- Prayers; Talks about God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God; Mentions of talks about God & witnessing; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, clergymen, & religious artifacts; A few mentions of a time when Serena & God weren’t on speaking terms (an uncle noticed and talked to her about it); A few mentions of faiths; A couple mentions of a hymn; A mention of a youth group; A mention of Precious Moments figurines;
*Note: A few mentions of statues of Maya gods; A couple mentions of luck (which Serena really doesn’t believe in); A mention of a fertility-goddess pendant.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dimwit’, a ‘shoot’, two ‘idiot’s, three forms of ‘dumb’, and four ‘stupid’s; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Eye rolling & a bit of sarcasm; Being tasered, being kidnapped/stuffed in a trunk, being choked, fighting, gunfire, pain, & passing out (semi-detailed); Gunfire, screaming, pain, blood/bleeding, & injuries (up to semi-detailed); A fire, smoke, flames, bombs, & gunfire (up to semi-detailed); Cut brakes & a car crash (up to semi-detailed); Guns are aimed; Tackling someone; Throwing up; All about mentions of antiquities smugglers, looters, a smuggling ring, stolen antiquities, thieves/criminals, & crimes; Many mentions of murders, deaths, dead bodies, how they happened, & the killers/attackers (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of drugs, dealers, smuggling, a drug lord, & drug rings; Mentions of a car hitting someone, a hit-and-run, gunfire, injuries, pain, blood/bleeding, bloodstains, needles, & passing out (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of being attacked/hit, injuries, a fire, bombs, gunfire, shooters, bullets, & nearly being shot (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of the mafia, mobsters, mobs, & ties to a mob; Mentions of foul play, enemies, bruises/marks, blackmail, & threats; Mentions of a plane that was shot down & pain; Mentions of terrorists; Mentions of robberies & break-ins; Mentions of jail & arrests; Mentions of dirty cops; Mentions of bars/pubs, drinking, & drunks; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of throwing up; A few mentions of a fire that took a set of parent’s lives; A few mentions of possible kidnappings; A few mentions of setups & stings; A few mentions of a car hitting a deer; A couple mentions of a car accident & deaths; A couple mentions of World War II; A couple mentions of being hit (Book #2); A couple mentions of carbon monoxide poisoning; A mention of children dying from malnutrition; A mention of poison; A mention of poker; A mention of bird pooing on someone’s head;
*Notes: Mentions of singers, songs, actors, actresses, characters, movies, & TV shows; Mentions of a brand name (Land Rover).
Sexual Content- three hand/wrist kisses, two finger-to-lips touches, a hair kiss, an almost kiss, a barely-above-not-detailed kiss, and an semi-detailed kiss; A few talks about kissing, a kiss, & staring at lips (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Warmth, & Butterflies/Shivers (up to semi-detailed); Some Noticing & Smelling; a ‘hot’; Many mentions of dating, dates, boyfriends, girlfriends, fiancés, exes, lovers, & being interested in someone; Mentions of remembering a kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of staring at another’s lips; Mentions of kissing & kisses; Mentions of public displays of affection; Mentions of honeymoons; Mentions of winks & flirting; Mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of other couples kissing; A couple mentions of having a type; A mention of hooking up with someone; A mention of an illicit rendezvous (that didn’t happen); Thinking about love, falling/being in love, & romance; Some love, falling/being in love, & the emotions;
*Note: A mention of hormones; A mention of testosterone; A mention of a man noticing a woman’s tight pants; A mention of someone trying to cover their butt (not with clothes, but with an alibi).
-Serena Jones, age 29
1st person P.O.V. of Serena
349 pages
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Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star (and a half)
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
I’m an emotional mess right now. I really don’t want to say much for spoilers—if you’ve read this book, feel free to message me—but I did really, really enjoy this trilogy. I’m also having a hard time being very vague in these final thoughts were nobody can guess (based my reactions) to who Serena picked. I don’t want to spoiler that for anyone.
There were many parts I loved and parts I was so excited about being right on prior guesses. The action and plot kept me guessing on who did the crime and why. I so enjoyed this novel along with the previous two in the series and plan on reading whatever this talented author puts out next. :)
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogspot.com/2017/07/over-maya-dead-body-by-sandra-orchard.html
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Revell) for this honest review.
fiction_aficionado's review against another edition
5.0
It’s here! The much anticipated conclusion to the Serena Jones series is fast-paced, full of twists, u-turns, and surprises, and crackling with romantic tension! I seriously thought I would be reading this one with my hands over my eyes, peeking through my fingers in some absurd attempt to thwart the nerves over how it would play out (if anyone says ‘it’s just a story’, I’ll throw the nearest object I can find at you!) but I was sucked in from the get-go, and my nerves gradually eased as the humour that has laced this whole series lightened the mood at all the right moments.
There’s quite a cast of suspects in this case, including Serena’s childhood bosom buddy Ashley, and Ashley’s brother Ben. Add in a bitter almost-step-daughter, her boyfriend, the deceased’s business partner, and a variety of law enforcement officers who may or may not be on the up-and-up, and you’ve got plenty of tails to chase. Aunt Martha, of course, throws her oar in, and when Nate and Tanner both drop everything to be by her side, Serena can no longer ignore their increasingly-less-subtle hints at their feelings for her.
For those who have been eagerly waiting to see who Serena ends up with, you will be holding your breath to the very end, but this series has still managed to avoid all the pitfalls that can so easily make stories with love triangles painful to read. There’s no angst, both Nate and Tanner are perfect gentlemen who retain their usual sense of humour throughout (with some moments of touching sincerity thrown in), and Serena is genuinely torn between two men who mean a great deal to her. Yet she never leads either one on, and really, she doesn’t get much opportunity to examine her feelings until the very end, when circumstances lead quite naturally to a moment of clarity for her.
This has become one of my favourite mystery series thanks to the intriguing plots, the gentle wit and humour, and the array of unique and down-to-earth characters. If only the series could continue!
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.
There’s quite a cast of suspects in this case, including Serena’s childhood bosom buddy Ashley, and Ashley’s brother Ben. Add in a bitter almost-step-daughter, her boyfriend, the deceased’s business partner, and a variety of law enforcement officers who may or may not be on the up-and-up, and you’ve got plenty of tails to chase. Aunt Martha, of course, throws her oar in, and when Nate and Tanner both drop everything to be by her side, Serena can no longer ignore their increasingly-less-subtle hints at their feelings for her.
For those who have been eagerly waiting to see who Serena ends up with, you will be holding your breath to the very end, but this series has still managed to avoid all the pitfalls that can so easily make stories with love triangles painful to read. There’s no angst, both Nate and Tanner are perfect gentlemen who retain their usual sense of humour throughout (with some moments of touching sincerity thrown in), and Serena is genuinely torn between two men who mean a great deal to her. Yet she never leads either one on, and really, she doesn’t get much opportunity to examine her feelings until the very end, when circumstances lead quite naturally to a moment of clarity for her.
This has become one of my favourite mystery series thanks to the intriguing plots, the gentle wit and humour, and the array of unique and down-to-earth characters. If only the series could continue!
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.
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