I quite enjoyed this book! It took me several chapters to wrap my head around all the different characters and their relationships with each other, but I was somewhat figuring it out alongside the main character, which was fun! The writing was clear and easy to digest. The ending seemed rushed to me, which is the only reason I didn't give 5 stars. Regardless, I still highly recommend this as a great read!

I want to thank NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC of Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds by Allison Brennan.

The title is clever and intriguing. What a fun and entertaining whodunit tale! Situated on an all-inclusive resort on a Caribbean Island there is lust, love, greed and blackmail. Everything tied up in a nice little story that had me waiting to finish what I was doing to get back to the characters in the book.

We are first introduced to Mia, a workaholic who is forced to go on a vacation by her boss. She has no boyfriend and financially takes care of her grandma. She sees no marriage or family in her future because she has her life planned out and with this new promotion, there will be no time for dating let alone marriage. When Mia arrives on the island, there is news of a missing woman. An oddity on this normally very safe, secluded island. She finds a book with notes on it that she believes belongs to the missing woman. This brings Mia to starting a secret investigation to solve the puzzle of the woman's disappearance with the help of a younger guest Brie and a handsome bartender Jason. The more she looks into the disappearance the more she realizes everyone on the island has secrets and some secrets are worth killing for!

This is the perfect laid back, summer read. The story moves fast and keeps the reader entertained. I know of a few people already who I would recommend this book too.

This was the perfect beach read! It had a good mystery, it had a steamy romance, it had friendship, and drama, a book loving MC, and it all took place in a beautiful setting! It was a fun easy read that kept me hooked from start to finish. It also has me dreaming of a vacation to a private island! Would love for this to be a series because I want to solve more mysteries with Mia. Definitely recommending this one to all the mystery and romance readers.

Well, this is different for this author. This reads like a cozy mystery…sort of. I am a big fan of this author but this is not my favorite.

Mia is finally taking a much needed vacation, even though she does not want to. She is a workaholic and that is where she wants to be. But, since she has been forced to go to a luxurious private island, she is going to make the best of it. That is until, she comes upon a dead body.

Mia, to me, is a bit wishy washy. I expected more out of her. She is such a powerhouse at work but very inhibited and a bit naive everywhere else.

I did enjoy the setting and all the book references. This was music to my ears!

The narrator, Vanessa Johansson, is one of my favs. And this is probably the reason I continued with this book. She makes the characters come alive.

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I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

A fun read, different from most of Allison Brennan’s books. Good characters who were well-developed. The whodunnit stumped me. Everything tied up nicely. Happy ending.

I love a good beach read. Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds was so much more than a beach read and I absolutely loved it. It is the story of a woman who goes on a solo island vacation as a gift from her firm, only to discover the body of a dead woman and an old novel with handwritten clues in it, leading her to start her own investigation. This book is a love letter to book nerds everywhere. Quotes from books open each chapter and the protagonist talks about her favorite books and posts on Bookstagram. All with a tropical setting, a bit of a romance and a murder mystery - it was the perfect mash up of so many genres. I was hooked and devoured it.

Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds is a blend of mystery, thriller, and romance that kept me hooked from start to finish. The story follows Mia, a book-loving woman on a much-needed vacation to a luxurious private island. But her relaxing getaway quickly takes a dark turn when a murder disrupts the peaceful paradise. As Mia dives into uncovering the truth, she realizes the island has more secrets than she ever imagined.

This was my first book to read by Allison Brennan, I was not disappointed. It was a well-written, fast-paced read with complex characters and an engaging plot. The genre-blending was executed perfectly, and the story held my attention throughout. Be sure to check out the trigger warnings before reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Allison Brennan for the opportunity to get an early release of this book, and find a new author to read.

Unfortunately this book really missed the mark for me. The MC was insufferable and the mystery moved at. a. snail’s pace. The cover is quite eye catching though. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

Mia Crawford is a financial planner with her whole life planned out. Her financial life, that is. When she's offered a promotion to partner and a mandatory vacation to the Virgin Islands, Mia is determined to have a fun fling before she devotes her life to constant work. On the ferry to Saint Claire, Mia discovers another guest has gone missing from the resort. When a clue falls into Mia's lap, she starts sleuthing with the help of Brie, a teen on vacation with her pro baseball player dad. A light and flirty cozy mystery that hits the mark as a beach read. My quibble is that the repetitive thoughts Mia has about never vacationing again or finding love due to her promotion are absurd and should have been edited down.

Thank you Netgalley and Mira for the chance to read an ARC of Beach reads and deadly deeds by Allison Brennan. The author has been on my "want to read" list for awhile, and has several suspense/thriller series that I am dying to read. Beach reads and deadly deeds is more of a cozy mystery than thriller, and I was drawn to it because the main character, Mia Crawford was described as a "risk-averse bibliophile"! At first the story was a bit of a let-down, and was too slow-placed for me, but as I continued to read, I really started to enjoy the characters, and the many book quotes and nods was a great bibliography! Some of the twists were obvious, but what had me changing the 3 star review to 4 stars was the ending! I loved it!!! This is the perfect cottage/beach read!!!

mia is a CPA who is getting promoted to partner and was forced on a vacation before she officially starts her new position. she would much rather stick to her comfort zone: being too invested in work and reading at home with her cats during her free time. her first day on the private island, she finds a used book in the gift shop and takes it to read on the beach. she soon realizes that the previous owner of the book is the woman who went missing from the island a few days prior to her arrival, and she left clues in the margins of the book. mia finds herself super invested into the investigation, finally stepping out of her comfort zone to figure out what happened to the missing woman.

this book had me hooked literally the moment i picked it up. it has the perfect blend of summer romance, whodunnit murder investigation, and beachy private island vibes. i loved how bookish mia was and i related to her so much! i’m always a sucker for book references in books, so this book was right up my alley.

the plot was super interesting and i loved following along with mia as she investigated. there were a few twists that i was so surprised by and that fit into the story so well - they weren’t just included for shock factor. i absolutely loved the ending, it was the perfect wrap up for mia’s character and showed how the week on the island and the people she met there influenced her.

thank you so much to mira and netgalley for the opportunity to read this book early!

Mia Crawford, an accountant is practical. She loves her grandmother, her cats and most of all her books. She loves getting lost in a story and always has a book on the go. When her company wants to send her on a vacation, she would rather have the money to put in her retirement fund, but she relents. Mia needs a life. An exciting life like the characters in her books.

Mia heads out to a private island for her vacation. She is ready to relax, read, and maybe have a fling. When she gets to the island, she goes to find a book in the gift shop and picks up one that a guest has left behind. Mia has no idea when she opens the first page how the book will change her life. Soon she is embroiled in a mystery, the pages of the book giving her clues, and Mia does not know who to trust and who just may be the next victim.

Twists, turns, mysteries and a romance all tied into one a fabulous book by Allison Brennan. I loved the story and the characters. I had no clue who was guilty until the very end of the book. As usual for Ms. Brennan, just when you think you have it figure out, she goes in a different direction. My sincere thanks to Allison Brennan, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for my advanced copy which I read and reviewed voluntarily. A perfect beach read for the summer.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of the book as well as the audiobook
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This was an ideal beach read for me featuring some mystery and romance. The narrative was fairly predictable which is desirable for a beach read. I had a harder time engaging with the book and with the audiobook narrator's performance. Again, both were written and/or performed with care but I did not 100% connect with the story or protagonist.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

3.5 stars
Too slow to start, and too repetitive throughout the entire story. I didn't like that Mia was so down on herself for much of the book, but I did like how she grew towards the end. Jason and Brie were my favorite characters. The mysteries were fairly easily solved and the setting was great; you could absolutely picture it. The chapter headings were fun book quotes, and I loved seeing references to some of my all-time favorite book charaters: Harriet the Spy, Nancy Drew, Veronica Mars, Elvis Cole.

I applaud the author for trying something new. Would definitely read more in this genre from her, and even though I didn't love it, I do recommend it as a quick beach read.

I really enjoyed this book. I love when I can read a steamy romance mixed with a little mystery. It’s like two if my favorite genres in one!

What a fun premise and story!

The Book:
Mia is a risk-averse accountant who saves for a rainy day, helps her clients manage their money wisely, and prefers books to people. When her employer insists she take a vacation before accepting her promotion to partner, Mia (grudgingly) agrees and travels solo to the luxe private island of St. Claire for some fun in the sun (or reading in the sun as the only single at a resort filled with couples who frequent the place).

Mia meets a handsome bar tender, has a fling, and finds a tattered book that's been left behind by a former guest - And Mia suspects this guest is none other than the woman who traveled there solo and went missing.

Mia swore she wouldn't work while on vacation, but she's not accounting or financial planning - she's investigating. What happened to the missing woman and who on the island is responsible?

My Thoughts:
I love the location - What could be better than a luxurious private Caribbean island!
There is a great cast of characters - which makes for many suspects.
This is a fun summer read with a little bit of mystery and suspense, a little bit of romance, a little bit of adventure, and a lot of drama!

This review will be shared on my Instagram account Tues June 17 and will the link will be posted below.

I thought this would be a great beach read but it just ended up being a muddled mess. Mia, the main character, a strait laced accountant goes on a vacation to a secluded island. There were so many extra characters in the book and it was very odd that she befriended an 18 year old instead of one of the guests that was her age. The romance was forced and the mystery was pretty easy to solve. This book was slow and took me a lot to get through. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I think it is not her typical genre and it was obvious.

Allison Brennan is one of my absolute favorite authors.. Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds is a departure from her usual mystery and mayhem. I was very anxious to read this book! Mia is a risk-adverse accountant - she takes care of everyone - her clients, her bosses, her friends, and grandmother. She lacking in the love department, and she's hopeful on this gift/forced vacation from her bosses that she'll find a little love. After flirting with a very handsome bartender, Jason, Mia walks into the library (books are her favorite) and picks out a tattered book to read by the pool. When reading, she notices notes in the margins - which she deduces are a code for something. Whilst working on the code, she begins to learn a lot about the other guests, as well as the previous week's unfortunate murder victim, Diana. Mia can't help but start nosing around. Allison Brennan has written the absolute perfect Summer read. Fun, Fiesty, and Mysterious. It's the best book for summer! Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for an advanced reader of this book. The opinions expressed are my own.

First and foremost, thank you to the publisher and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved this story and it was definitely worth the read! I absolutely loved this book!!!

"Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds" is a surprisingly fun blend of genres that somehow works well for the most part. However, at times it felt like she was trying to smash too many genres into this book and it was a lot. I've never read anything but Allison Brennan so I didn't know what to expect, but overall I liked it. The slow burn part was done really well, and I'm not usually one who loves slow burns.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.