aspygirlsmom_1995's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dollycas's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Plum Lockhart took a big step leaving New York for Paraiso, a Caribbean island overflowing with tourists. Now she takes another big step by starting her own villa brokerage agency. In the midst of finding the perfect tenants for her clients, renovating villas, and trying to get in a little beach time she finds herself in the middle of another murder investigation.
A young publishing heiress runs into a little trouble in paradise and an old employee from New York, someone she fired right before she was let go, Gerald Hand, begs Plum to help the girl, his new boss’s daughter out of it. Plum does but then the next day she learns the heiress was found dead on the private beach of Dieter Friedrich, an eccentric fat cat with a crazy theme park-like estate with a group of bizarre friends and staff.
Soon Gerald arrives on the island and moves into Plum’s guest room to help her catch the killer. Gerald gets more caught up in island life while Plum deals with Dieter Friedrich, his employees, some B-List Celebrities, a rundown rockstar, and other assorted island residents as she works with the hunky Director of Hotel Security, Juan Kevin Munoz, to catch a killer before they become victims themselves.
_____
Paraiso is a zany island if you live there, hopefully, the tourists can avoid all the drama. Feuds between families, jealousy, greed, lust, envy, heck all the seven deadly sins are apparent on this island of paradise. Sadly our protagonist, Plum, a tall redheaded American, gets caught up in it all as she tries to find her place and solve a murder. Her new friend Lucia, a small sixty-year-old grandma Paraison, accompanied her to start her own villa broker agency Plum Lockhart Luxury Retreats. Lucia knows everyone and the ways of the island. It will take both of them to make the business a success. I wasn’t really a Plum fan when reading the 1st book in this series, It Takes Two to Mango, but I liked her much better in this book. She is still adjusting to island life but still has a lot of New York attitude to work through.
It is Juan Kevin Munoz, the Security Director that I really enjoy. His laid-back way of life is just so comfortable. He grew up on the island so while he takes things like murder very seriously he understands how to handle danger on Paraiso. His interactions with Plum are filled with romantic tension and are very entertaining. He is doing his best to keep her safe while the murder investigation unfolds. He knows she can’t keep her nose out of it and that knowledge is half the battle. Of course, having Gerald tagging along in his leather pants on a tropical island adds to the chaos but sometimes it is pretty darn funny.
Yes, there are a bunch of secondary characters but they all have unique traits, good and bad. Some live on unique estates too. The author’s descriptions really brought the people and places to life. Let me tell you, Dieter Friedrich has some outlandish tastes and weird things on his estate and I easily envisioned it all from her words.
The mysteries are very well-plotted and Ms. Doyle sets a quick pace. There was a slew of suspects to work through and again Plum isn’t always the best amateur sleuth, she needs to work a little more on her questioning and eavesdropping techniques but that just adds to the fun for readers. There were several twists and turns too but all the clues do come together setting up a very satisfying reveal.
Something’s Guava Give
annarella's review
4.0
I had a lot of fun in reading this entertaining and compelling cozy mystery.
A cast of likable characters, lovely setting, a solid mystery that kept me guessing.
Can't wait to read the next story.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
A cast of likable characters, lovely setting, a solid mystery that kept me guessing.
Can't wait to read the next story.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
keepingyouonread's review
4.0
3.5 stars
Anyone else ready for summer? Something’s Guava Give was the perfect escape to a tropical island and warmer weather. Book two in the Trouble in Paradise series, finds Plum starting her own luxury vacation rental business. When an acquaintance of an ex-co-worker ends up murdered, Plum is once again sucked into amateur detective work with the help of potential love interest Juan Kevin.
What I liked: I’m really enjoying this series; Plum is a little high-strung, abrupt and won’t appeal to everyone, but island life is forcing her to rethink her priorities and you see a bit of a change in her in book two. I like seeing her relationship with Juan Kevin progress naturally.
The mystery was interesting – eccentric billionaires, affairs, neighbors fighting, pseudo-celebrities… there’s a little bit of everything happening.
The pacing of most of the book is good and moves things along quickly. However, the last quarter did seem to slow down and drag a bit for me.
What didn’t work for me: There are a lot of characters and at times some of the secondary characters seem to blend together (at least for me). I had to flip back a few times to remind myself who was who. The author also refers to some characters by their full name which got a little annoying.
I think some small details could be cut – I don’t really need to know what everyone orders at a restaurant every time they meet up.
The author refers to one female secondary character as unattractive and questions why her attractive boyfriend would be interested in her. I feel like we should be moving past this assessment of characters and maybe focus on the female character’s personality.
I question why Plum even considered hanging out with Gerald and I think the author’s attempt at humor with him was a little flat (it mainly revolves around drinking and him trying to use the trip as a vacation instead of working). Gerald and a few of the other secondary characters felt a bit like caricatures at times.
Who should read it: You’re a fan of cozy mysteries, tropical mixed drinks and a crazy cast of characters. This would be a fun easy beach read.
Anyone else ready for summer? Something’s Guava Give was the perfect escape to a tropical island and warmer weather. Book two in the Trouble in Paradise series, finds Plum starting her own luxury vacation rental business. When an acquaintance of an ex-co-worker ends up murdered, Plum is once again sucked into amateur detective work with the help of potential love interest Juan Kevin.
What I liked: I’m really enjoying this series; Plum is a little high-strung, abrupt and won’t appeal to everyone, but island life is forcing her to rethink her priorities and you see a bit of a change in her in book two. I like seeing her relationship with Juan Kevin progress naturally.
The mystery was interesting – eccentric billionaires, affairs, neighbors fighting, pseudo-celebrities… there’s a little bit of everything happening.
The pacing of most of the book is good and moves things along quickly. However, the last quarter did seem to slow down and drag a bit for me.
What didn’t work for me: There are a lot of characters and at times some of the secondary characters seem to blend together (at least for me). I had to flip back a few times to remind myself who was who. The author also refers to some characters by their full name which got a little annoying.
I think some small details could be cut – I don’t really need to know what everyone orders at a restaurant every time they meet up.
The author refers to one female secondary character as unattractive and questions why her attractive boyfriend would be interested in her. I feel like we should be moving past this assessment of characters and maybe focus on the female character’s personality.
I question why Plum even considered hanging out with Gerald and I think the author’s attempt at humor with him was a little flat (it mainly revolves around drinking and him trying to use the trip as a vacation instead of working). Gerald and a few of the other secondary characters felt a bit like caricatures at times.
Who should read it: You’re a fan of cozy mysteries, tropical mixed drinks and a crazy cast of characters. This would be a fun easy beach read.
tamsterdam_reads's review
4.0
I’m thoroughly enjoying the Trouble in Paradise series so far! Something’s Guava Give is the second series installment and as It Takes Two to Mango was one of my top cozies of 2021, I was eagerly awaiting this book’s arrival.
Plum Lockhart, although still salty, has softened up a bit in this story. So while she took on a less harsh approach at getting information out of potential suspects, she still had that saltiness that made me laugh out loud.
What also made me laugh out loud were the insults thrown around, including at Plum’s expense just like the first novel and the dialogue between Plum and her unexpected former colleague, Gerald had me in stitches.
The narration was good and I really love the tropical setting for this series. Also, the romance aspect is coming along and it’s nice that it’s not being dragged out over several books to be developed.
Something’s Guava Give was a fun read and provided the perfect summer vibes this cold month.
Plum Lockhart, although still salty, has softened up a bit in this story. So while she took on a less harsh approach at getting information out of potential suspects, she still had that saltiness that made me laugh out loud.
What also made me laugh out loud were the insults thrown around, including at Plum’s expense just like the first novel and the dialogue between Plum and her unexpected former colleague, Gerald had me in stitches.
The narration was good and I really love the tropical setting for this series. Also, the romance aspect is coming along and it’s nice that it’s not being dragged out over several books to be developed.
Something’s Guava Give was a fun read and provided the perfect summer vibes this cold month.