3.5 stars rounded up to 4

When a spoiled and entitled heiress is murdered the list of potential suspects is long. Local businesswoman, Plum Lockhart, is acquainted with the woman's boss and since she has no faith in the local police soon finds herself involved in trying to solve another murder.

The beginning of the book was a bit overwhelming with numerous character introductions. I did stick with it and ended up liking the wide variety of characters. However, the best part was the wonderful tropical setting. Thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an advanced reader's copy. The opinions expressed are my own.

💭What I thought would happen:

Honestly, I really liked the title and the cover. I didn’t think it would be too serious.

📖What actually happens:

Plum is back for this second murder mystery book. The entitled, bratty New Yorker tourist, Ariel, has been strangled to death and not in an s&m kind of way. Foul play not an accident. It’s up to Plum to determine who the culprit is even though she didn’t care for the spoiled victim.

🗯Thoughts:

I never read the first book. I feel like it would have been helpful but wasn’t necessary. There were a lot of characters introduced and questioned. It was very hard to keep them all straight.

I liked Plum. She was a savvy clever ex-actress/travel magazine reporter/detective. A suppose a woman of all trades or just indecisive. I am assuming she got into the murder mystery career due to curiosity, a need for low key sleuthing or perhaps a childhood full of excessive amounts of Clue.

Perhaps it’s just the name but I got a Stephanie Plum vibe from Plum. New to the field, ending up in odd situations and seemed distracted by love more than once. Maybe I’m wrong, I gave up on that series after book 1. Still new to the cozy mystery genre.

Book 2 in the Trouble in Paradise series was just as fun as the first one. The setting is fabulous, the characters are entertaining and well-developed, the slow-burn romance is heating up, and there's an interesting mystery to solve. I fully recommend this series to anyone who likes cozy mysteries, particularly those with an exotic setting. Waiting for book 3! Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the DRC in exchange for an honest review. 4 stars

Paraiso sounds like a fabulous island to spend time on (except for the murders).; sunny, a beautiful beach, and amazing food and drinks. The mystery was solid, with plenty of suspects to keep you guessing until the very end. I think my issue with this story is that I haven’t warmed to Plum. There’s nothing wrong with her; I just don’t connect. I like Juan Kevin but Gerard was not my favorite.

This was an enjoyable read. The cast of characters was fun, and I enjoyed trying to solve the mystery.

Plum Lockhart went out on a limb when she ditched her corporate job in New York City and moved to the Caribbean island of Paraiso. Now the head of her own villa broker agency, Plum spends her days chasing down clients and lounging on white sand beaches.

But the sweet life turns sour when a publishing heiress is found dead at the mansion of an eccentric tycoon, Dieter Friedrich. Even worse, Plum's old colleague cashes in a favor and asks her to investigate. It looks like she'll need to fit a murder case into her already jam-packed schedule!

Here I forgot about my own life and was immersed in the world created by the author. I would recommend this book.

The plot of the book was such a great page turner. The plot of the book was very well written. I truly cannot wait to read another wonderful book from this author. This was a truly great book.

There's been a murder in paradise! Wait, on Paraiso, the Caribbean Island where Plum Lockhart rents villas and solves crime. She's struggling a bit in her new business but things are looking good with her love interest Juan. Then she gets a call about Arielle, a wealthy young woman with a shop lifting habit. And then Arielle is murdered. This is in some ways standard cozy fair but it's enlivened by the setting and some razor sharp pokes at various residents and visitors to the island. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Don't worry if you missed the first one- this will be fine as a standalone.

Plum Lockhart is back in action in Something’s Guava Give, the second installment in the ‘Trouble in Paradise!’ series. Still settling into her new life in Paraiso, Plum is in the thick of building her new business and navigating island politics. However it was only a matter of time until a new mystery arose for her to solve. This time the death of a wealthy heiress draws her frenemy Gerard back to the island insisting Plum help him solve the mystery of her demise.

I’ll start by saying I enjoyed this book much, much more than book one in the series. When first introduced to Plum it was incredibly hard to like her and I wasn’t sure if I was going to continue with the story. But I saw a couple of reviews that said it was worth it to push through to the end so I did. I didn’t love Plum by the end of the book, but she had grown on me a considerable amount. I was glad to see this book continued her growth and character development, from a cold-hearted, annoying New Yorker, to an actually enjoyable person seeking balance and real connections in her new life. Though Plum still has her moments she was much much more enjoyable to read this time around, and I got through the book much faster because of that.

Doyle has a strong talent for creating dynamic characters, that each stand tall with their own unique personalities, who you either love or love to hate. There is a wide dynamic created among the cast of characters largely due to economic statuses and perceived importance. This lends to comical interactions and levels of story telling that I am excited to see explored further in future installments.

Even though I think character creation is where Doyle truly thrives, the mystery in this novel was extremely entertaining. Often when too many potential suspects are introduced in mystery novels I think the picture can get too muddled and confusing, but Doyle managed to weave a web of mystery and intrigue with her plot that kept me engaged start to finish wrapped up perfectly. The mystery was fun to solve along with Plum, and had real depth and intrigue.

While Something’s Guava Give does follow the same sort of format as most cozy mysteries do, I enjoyed it quite a lot. However I do think, with the heavy emphasis and detailed descriptions of food in the book that it would be a nice addition to add a couple of recipes to the back of the book like I have seen other cozy series add.

In the end I have enjoyed both books in the ‘Trouble in Paradise!’ series so far and would definitely recommend them to someone who is looking to get into the genre.

I wasn't sure if I was reading the same book as all the people who gave 4 and 5 star reviews. The mystery was unappealing and I was only able to get half way through the book before I couldn't force myself to read it anymore. The victim was too much of an unknown character to care about who the murderer was. Plum was not someone I liked or wanted to get to know more about. Her motivation to solve the crime was unclear and the laugh out loud elements others mentioned where non-existent.

Carrie Doyle really delivers with this one! Although the mystery was enticing the characters fell a little flat for me.

Plum Lockhart is back with another adventure up in the paradise island!

Something's Guava Give is the second book of the Trouble in Paradise and the third book I have read from the author. Having read It Takes Two to Mango, the first of the Trouble in Paradise series, I was determined to follow Plum Lockhart's adventure.

When Plum's frenemy Gabriel calls her that his boss's daughter, Arielle is in the paradise island, she was asked to look after Arielle. Arielle is a snobby, kleptomaniac who only thinks about herself. While partying at the country's German billionaire's house, Arielle is found dead and the police say it's murder.

Plum along with Juan and of course Gabriel who arrives to the island must get together to find the killer and they are in the crowd of billionaires, B-list celebrities with shady dealings.

Like the first book, I was hooked into the story and I couldn't wait to see what is going to happen in the end. As usual, besides all the mystery and thrill of solving the murder, there were some funny parts in the story that will make you laugh out loud like crazy and the bickering between Plum and Gabriel was too funny to read. Nevertheless, the author has done a good job of drawing the reader into the story and yeah, I was immediately hooked and couldn't put the book down!

That being said, I hope there's a third book of the series and can't wait to see the budding romance between Plum and Juan!

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

island-life, Caribbean, resort-hotel, small-business, murder, murder-investigation, cozy-mystery, situational-humor, verbal-humor, security-staff, snarky, snobs, friendship****

What happens when "influencers" buy into their own hype? They become inhuman and totally self-serving. And these are the very people who populate this interesting cozy mystery. The descriptions of everything and everyone are great, and the caricature characters had me ROFL. A nice fun read.
I requested and received an ebook copy of this book from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cozy mystery, and this is the second book in the Trouble in Paradise series. I really wanted to love this book, but I just did not. There was parts of the mystery that I did liked, but there was to much time was I feel there was nothing going on. This book just could not keep me wanting to keep going. I ended just making myself finish this book. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

Such a fun new series! The second book was even more enjoyable to read than the first. Looking forward to future sequels!

What a great cozy mystery! I loved the sweet and sassy Plum, and the rest of the characters were very relatable. Story kept me guessing until the end. Truly enjoyed!
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Something's Guava Give is the 2nd book in the Trouble in Paradise mystery series written by Carrie Doyle.

I have to admit I haven't read the first book or even heard of this author, But after reading this, I'll totally read her books and read the first book in the series.

If I had to use one word to describe this book, it would be 'fun'!

Paraiso comes across as a fun and beautiful place to live. It's teeming with larger-than-life characters who aren't exactly realistic, but they're so amusing that it's easy to suspend your disbelief.

Something’s Guava Give by Carrie Doyle is an excellent cozy mystery that is the second book in the wonderful Trouble in Paradise! Series. I loved it!

Plum Lockhart had escaped the stressful and cutthroat NYC environment for the Caribbean dream of Paraiso. She thought it would be all sun, sand, and selling at her broker agency but is snared into a bit of amateur sleuthing when she is asked to help find the real culprit of a local murder…can she balance it all…and keep her sanity in the process? I loved finding out.

I love Plum. She is smart and sassy. The picturesque locale pairs nicely with the over-the-top and memorable collection of characters and the murder/mystery. Plenty of suspects, and that paired with the narrative, kept me engaged throughout.

Looking forward to the next book.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Poisoned Pen Press for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 1/25/22.

This is the second book by this author that I have read. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, It Takes Two to Mango. For me, these short, cozy mystery books are just about perfect.

Plum Lockheart is back and at it again, This time she's a full time resident of Paraiso and is spending all of her time and energy in building her new business. Gerald, her longtime sort of friend, calls her from New York asking if she might check in on his boss' daughter, Arielle.. Plum is none too happy but feels obligated since Gerald insists he put her on the map when it comes to the article he wrote about her real estate company, Arielle is at Las Fruitas Resort and is being held by Juan Kevin,resort head of security, for stealing some items from other patrons, turns out she's a kleptomaniac. She is forced to leave the resort and ends up going to a local billionaires estate to stay. Unfortunately, Arielle is found dead, murdered, just 24 hours later. Why was she murdered and will she be the only one?

Plum, Gerald and Juan Kevin set out to discover the many secrets surrounding this billionaire, Dieter Friedrich. There is a lot of crazy stuff going on on his estate, including rumors of an on going war with his neighbor. This story has it all, D-list celebrities, more than a few salacious old men, crazy amounts of exotic animals, secrets, and of course murders. I love the characters. Plum can be stubborn and at times a tad haughty but all in all I think she's a great character and I cannot wait to see what other adventures she gets herself into. I'm really holding out hope for her and Juan Kevin. Another great story from this author!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.

I just gotta say, I really enjoyed his book. It’s a classic who-done-it, keeping you invested and interested in every twist and turn, as well as rooting for the subtle romance. I loved Plum and her willingness to step in and try to help; I thought she was quirky and relatable.

While I haven’t read the first book of this series, I didn’t feel like I was totally lost with the characters and their stories and could jump right in. I do think that I’ll try and read the first book though!