A Spy's Secret - Rachel Astor (HRS #2298 - Oct 2024)

She's wholesome as apple pie…
Or is she?
 
Bakery owner Ava Katz adores everything about her adopted hometown of Ambrosia Falls -- especially her best friend, mystery writer Zach Harrison. But the bucolic setting is hiding something -- or someone -- more sinister. The Apple Cider Festival is threatened by a series of mishaps, and Zach's young daughter goes missing -- just as the spark between Ava and her neighbor begins to explode into flames. Has Ava's mysterious past plunged them into danger? Can Zach solve the tangled mystery of just who his best friend really is -- and will Ava find his child before it's too late for them all?
 
I made the mistake of starting this book in the evening and got so involved that I didn't put it down until I turned the last page well past my bedtime.
 
The story starts with a bang as Ava, an undercover operative of some kind, discovers her partner of four years isn't what she thought he was. The intense scene ended in a fade-to-black moment, leaving the reader wondering what happened.
 
Fast forward five years, and we find Ava living in the tiny town of Ambrosia Falls, where she owns a bakery. She is cheerful and friendly to everyone she meets. But her favorite is probably Zach, a local mystery writer who hangs out in her shop to do his writing. Zach is the single dad of ten-year-old Chloe, the center of his life.
 
Ava and Zach have kept their relationship strictly in the friend zone. Ava's past keeps her from getting too close to anyone, knowing she could have to disappear at a moment's notice. For Zach, the last time he loved it ended in disaster. He doesn't want to risk his friendship with Ava, so he ignores his feelings, which have been growing for years.
 
The story opens as the town begins its yearly Apple Cider Festival. Grumpy Zach rolls his eyes at the over-the-top reactions of tourists visiting the bakery, while Ava loves interacting with them. She loves the normalcy of her new life. However, when a temporary water tower collapses in the middle of the festival, Ava has a bad feeling that things are about to change. That feeling is reinforced when the temporary stage catches fire in the early morning hours. Sure that her old partner has found her, Ava is ready to run when a panicked Zach tells her that Chloe has disappeared.
 
Warned not to call the police, it is up to Ava and Zach to find Chloe before it's too late. Zach is stunned as Ava transforms from a bubbly baker to a deadly operative in the blink of an eye. I was glued to the pages through the twists and turns of their search. The intensity ramped up with every page until the nail-biter of the final confrontation.
 
The intense situation brings Zach and Ava's feelings for each other to the surface. The question is, will they have the courage to take a chance on love?

The Suspect Next Door - Rachel Astor (HRS #2270 - Mar 2024)

I'm stalking him
…for research!  
 
My bestselling-mystery-author career had come to a standstill, and I was plagued with writer's block. So I asked myself: What would my favorite fictional girl detective do? She would find a suspect to inspire her to finish the case, of course! Luckily, I have a new, mysterious and very dreamy private investigator next door to follow. I'm going to help him solve the case and finally finish this book of mine. Then maybe the two of us can pursue The Case of the Perfect Couple…
 
This book was highly frustrating for me to read. Petra is the author of a bestselling mystery novel and is having trouble getting started on a new book. She decides to follow her private investigator neighbor around to get ideas. She ignores that she's putting herself and him in danger, interfering with his work, and making herself look like a fool. Petra is one of those people who takes classes in anything that interests her and then thinks she's an expert at whatever it is. She also uses the fictional girl detective Nancy Drew as her role model, constantly asking herself, "WWND (What Would Nancy Do)." Despite Ryan asking her not to interfere, she just plowed on anyway.
 
I didn't get much of a romantic feel in the book. Petra was attracted to Ryan, but there was no indication that he felt the same way until the end. It was hard to tell if his determination to keep her out of danger was general protectiveness, frustration at her interference, or growing feelings.
 
The suspense had a good premise: finding a missing girl suspected of being taken by sex traffickers. There was enough action and uncertainty to keep me interested in the mystery, though my frustration with Petra frequently pulled me out of the story. A couple of twists at the end complicated things, but the final confrontation was well done.
 
I did not like that the book was written entirely in the first person from Petra's point of view. Nothing showed Ryan's thoughts, feelings, or actions except when he was with Petra. I felt like I was missing half the story. I may try another book by this author, but it will depend significantly on how it is written.