This is my first book by Linda Hurtado Bond and I enjoyed it a great deal. This is a murder mystery woven with fascinating information about Santeria and Cuban culture. There was a great deal to learn, yet the author threaded the story with all the elements expertly and made you feel as though you were standing next to the characters experiencing everything with them.

Mari is a disgraced crime reporter just returning from a suspension and fighting for her place with a new reporter vying for the same position. As punishment, she's been assigned a fluff story with her usual photographer & friend. On the way, they hear a crime call that is in Mari's neighborhood. Crime reporting is in her blood, so stopping is the only option. Mari suffers a case of deja vu when she sees the woman murdered on the porch, almost exactly like her mother was murdered ten years prior. She can't let it go and starts investigating running afoul of her friend, her boss, and the cops. When more people die, she decides to join forces with the lead detective to solve the murders before it's too late.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I really struggled with this one and couldn’t seem to push through it, it might be me though but I’ve had to put it down. I hope to come back to it in the future to see if I feel different about it.

#1 – Florida…Any books that take place in Florida garner my attention.
#2 – The Title…It reeks of suspense and badness.

All The Broken Girls is my first book by Linda Hurtado Bond, but I will have my eye on her from here on out. Once I started reading, I didn’t want to stop.

Crime reporter Mari Alvarez is coming back to work after her suspension. Her serial killer story brought a law suit against the station. Her first call out, she arrives at a murder scene and all she wants to do is go to the two girls that have been broken. Someone dear to them had been taken away. She wanted to tell them everything would be okay, but that is not always the case. She can relate to them, because she had lost her mother and the case was never solved.

I love the element of Santeria, and the fact that she is an empath. She had given her azabache charm to one of the girls in hopes that the blessing will pass to her. It was an impulsive act, but she felt the girl needed it more than she did. I wonder what it will mean for Mari. Is she no longer protected?

Linda Hurtado Bond did a great job of sharing Cuban life, the food and customs. She made the Santeria religion shine with light, not darkness, though any religion can be twisted and used against someone and Mari has a feeling…if she doesn’t figure out what is going on, someone she loves will die. She feels the Evil Eye watching her.

I love serial killers, I mean I love reading about them, studying them, trying to figure out what goes on in their heads. I love vigilante stories, the innocent making things right in the only way they can.

The writing and pacing kept me flipping pages. Linda Hurtado Bond managed to throw some twists and turns my way and I definitely will be on the lookout for more of her work.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of All The Broken Girls by Linda Hurtado Bond.

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All the broken girls by Linda Hurtado Bond.
Mari has never been able to solve her mother’s murder ten years ago. But a woman is gunned down on her doorstep. Mari can't help shake the eerie sense of connection.
Two murders in two days. She must play the game. She must put the pieces together before someone else dies.
A good read. I did find it slow but readable. Good characters. 3*.

Her Mother’s murder from 10 years ago is a cold case. Now two more deaths in two days are very similar. Will they too become cold cases? With her career hanging in the balance and the Evil Eye watching her, TV Reporter Mari feels the need to investigate no matter the cost, even if the clues are steeped in the Santeria religion of her ancestors. Thank you NetGalley and publisher Entangled/Amara for the advanced copy of this good book. This review is my opinion.

Just from seeing the cover and reading the blurb, I wanted to read this book. It has many things on my list for a good book (suspense, serial killer story, a new culture for me, great characters...)
I was gripped from the start till the very end.
I enjoyed reading and learning about Cuban culture, and the Cuban religion Santeria described here. The story about the reporter investigating a serial killer was great, The characters were wonderfully built. This is the first book by this author for me, but definitely not the last.

New to me author, interesting and suspenseful story with a great female character and lots of insightful cultural information about the Cuban heritage.

While the story felt stale at times, the suspenseful moments of the investigation and the push and pull of the love interest kept me engaged and entertained.

I will be on the lookout for the next book in the series because the ending definitely left that door opened.

🆓📖 Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy through NetGalley

Linda Hurtado Bond is a new-to-me author, but with this romantic suspense, I definitely won’t pass her over in the future. While I can’t call the book one I could not put down, the suspense was enough to draw me back to the story each time life intruded upon my reading time. There was a delightful blend of mysterious and creepy elements to the story, and I enjoyed learning about Cuban heritage through the description of Santeria as well as the author’s illustration of how deeply family and community are interwoven in that culture. A few times, I felt the pace was a bit too slow, and I found it harder to maintain my interest. But all in all, this was a solidly entertaining read.

I look forward to seeing what the author brings us in the future!

Crime journalist Mari Alvarez never was able to solve her mother’s murder. Now a similar murder has occurred and she feels they are connected. A gutsy crime reporter searches for the connection between current crimes and past crimes, including the murder of her mother. It explores complicated family relationship, Cuban American culture, revenge vs justice, Santeria and a possible romance. The story easily flowed while still keeping me fully entertained from start to finish. Loved Marisol’s fiery attitude and though the tension between her and Garcia was great. This is my first book by this author and I loved it. I really liked the dynamic between Mari and Garcia. I can’t wait for the next book in the series that is sure to come.

Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley and the author.

This was an interesting read! I’m always fascinated by different cultures/religions and love learning more about them. This book had so much new information to go along with an entertaining storyline. I was captivated from the beginning until the end, I hope this is the first in a series, I would love to read more with this main character.

All the Broken Girls is a super suspenseful read full of old-world Cuban culture, heritage, superstitions with spiritual elements. The plot pulled me in from the first page until the last. I found learning about Santeria, a Cuban religion was very fascinating.

I loved the ending of the book but feel it is left open for the possibility of a sequel! At least I'm hoping for that.

Thank you #NetGalley and #EntangledPublishing for allowing me to review an ARC of All the Broken Girls by author Linda Hurtado Bond in exchange for my honest review.

Tampa TV crime reporter Marisol ("Mari, rhymes with sorry") Alvarez is trying to keep her head down on her first day back at work after being suspended for airing a story that got her station sued, but she isn't excited to learn that she's been relegated to fluff stories. On their way to report on a baby sloth, Mari and her cameraman detour to get her station some shots of a fresh crime scene. Mari is told to stay in the car, that the team assigned to the story will be there soon, but she is drawn to the scene as it is eerily similar to when Mari's mother was murdered ten years ago. When she is pointed to another similar murder the next day, Mari realizes that she might be the only one who sees the connections, including references to Santeria, which her grandmother practices. Her growing obsession with the cases could cost Mari her job. Or her life.
I enjoyed this book, my first by Linda Hurtado Bond, although there were times I had to reread a section because I felt a bit lost and the way the book starts, I wondered if I was reading a "next in a series" (no). I liked the main characters, the incorporation of Santeria added novelty, and the plot moved forward smoothly with some surprises.

Mari (rhymes with sorry) was a very interesting character. As her background emerged my understanding of her behavior made more sense. Her career as a crime reporter has just been put on hold when she finds herself in the right place (for her) at just the right moment in time. I totally enjoyed observing the way her mind worked as she analyzed and worked through the cases of the missing and broken girls. I appreciated the inclusion of the Cuban influence on her life and am fascinated by Santeria, which definitely added a layer of suspense to this story.
Loved seeing the interactions with her work partner, Orlando and the romance developing with Garcia. Izzy…remains a mystery.
All in all a very entertaining read. Well done Linda Hurtado Bond. I am looking forward to more of your writing. Three and a half stars.
Many thanks to Linda Hurtado Bond, Entangled, and NetGalley for affording me the pleasure of reading an arc of All the Broken Girls to be published on August 23rd.

Mari Alvarez is a local television crime reporter. She's back to work after being suspended and has to cover soft news stories before she gets her crime beat back. She has to be on her best behavior. While heading out to Busch Gardens for a human-interest story, Mari stumbles upon a gruesome crime scene in her West Tampa neighborhood. The murder of a woman has eerie similarities to her own mother's unsolved murder ten years ago. As the killings continue, Mari is compelled to do her own investigation knowing that it will put her job and perhaps even her life in jeopardy. She is determined to help all the broken girls left behind as she is one of them.

Author Linda Hurtado Bond is, by day, the news anchor for Fox 13 in Tampa, Florida. This entertaining thriller shows that Hurtado Bond clearly knows the world of Mari. All the Broken Girls was an interesting and satisfying mystery. I found the look into Cuban American culture especially appealing - from the azabache charm given to her by her Abuela Bonita to the Old-World superstitions that are practiced. Check this one out.

This is an interesting mystery. Told from the first person point of view, it is action packed with twists and turns that kept me reading. Mari is drawn into an investigation that looks like the same way her mother was murdered ten years ago. There is a lot of references to the Santeria religion and I learned a lot of interesting things about it. If you enjoy stories with a strong female lead, you will love All the Broken Girls. I received a free advance copy of this book via Netgalley and I am voluntarily leaving my review.

All the Broken Girls left me coasting on neutral. I didn’t love it, didn’t hate it.

I couldn’t connect with Mari, our main character. Her personality is abrasive, and she’s absolutely not someone I’d want to hang out with. None of the other characters are well developed.

The plot is interesting and complex. I enjoyed the incorporation of Santeria and Spanish customs.

Pacing is erratic, with a lot of backstory incorporated around the more urgent scenes.

While there’s no mention of this being the first in a series, we get to the end of this 400-page book only to find a cliffhanger. Or maybe it’s an open-ended non-ending. Either way, I didn’t like the wrap-up.

All the Broken Girls by Linda Hurtado Bond

I found this to be an exciting, suspenseful mystery with good, well developed characters.
The protagonist, Mari Álvarez, is a local news crime reporter who gets very involved with several neighborhood murders.

Messages and clues left at the murder sites are too much for Mari to ignore. She gets drawn into doing her own investigations at the cost of her job. Is she in danger? Does the killer want her dead too? What about her family?

If you are unfamiliar with Santería, orishas, Babalawos and azabache bracelets, here is your chance to get up to speed on some Cuban beliefs in addition to Catholicism. It was very informative.

I was excited to get this ARC from Entangled Publishing and Net Galley. Author Linda Hurtado is a local broadcaster where I live, so it was fun to recognize all the places mentioned in her story in and near Tampa FL.

All the Unbroken Girls features Mari, who has something to prove. She has some demons to battle, but is intent on getting the story and solving the crimes.
It was an ok read. It took me a long time to get into the story. The narrative was a bit sluggish.

Linda Hurtado Bond is a new author for me and I found her latest book All The Broken Girls very informative and easy to read. I was concerned when I started it, with the Cuban feel and Spanish throughout but Ms. Bond did a great job with her explanation and wordage. I found I learned a lot and even a little bit of a history lesson. This story has murder, suspense, complicated family relationships, revenge and even some romance. The characters are real and well developed. This is a unique story with great plot twists. I highly recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley, Entangled Publishing and Linda Hurtado Bond for an advanced copy of this intriguing book in exchange for my honest review.
#netgalley #allthebrokengirls. #entangledpublishing. #arc

Was going to give up at first because needed a Hispanic dictionary. But kept reading and this was a decent read. A little sophomoric at times. You still may need to look up Hispanic words.