Off Shore Secrets
Title: OFF SHORE SECRETS
Author: Maya Berger
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 252
Genre: Chick Lit
Author: Maya Berger
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 252
Genre: Chick Lit
Maya shouldn’t be attracted to Adrian—the cocky, handsome Spaniard on board—especially when after a passionate night, he calls out another girl’s name in his sleep.
Una, who is supposed to be in a long distance relationship, hooks up with a stranger and sneaks him on board. The next day, the stranger is gone and so is some very expensive jewelry. When Una goes missing too, Maya wants to help her, but what is Una’s involvement?
And who is the mysterious girl Adrian mumbles about in his sleep? Perhaps it is something to do with Una’s secretive and reckless behavior. Maya has a lot of questions, but no one seems ready to give her the answers.
My Review
I like Maya and Una. They were sweet and good best friends. Yet, for me I needed more than just these two ladies. Yes, there are other characters but they were not as interesting or engaging as these two ladies. In addition, the story was "too" cozy mystery for me.
I did feel like I was on a vacation along with Maya and Una. I was swept away by the locations in this story. Yet, as I stated previously I struggled with this book. The mystery aspect was fine but I did figure it out half way through the storyline. However, this did not deter me from finishing this book until the end. Which speaking of the ending. It was a good one. So this was a bright spot in the story. There is nothing worse than to read a whole book just to get to a weak ending. Overall, this was a fine read. This may not have been for me but other readers seem to really enjoyed it.
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“Finally, I
can’t believe we have started our adventure!” Maya was driving with Una next to
her and Daria lounging in the backseat. She had positioned herself in the
middle of the backseat so she could push her head forward to be almost in line
with theirs.
Their trip to
Krk was supposed to be a short one—only two hours or three if the traffic was
bad—and they planned to be in Malinska by noon. They had a friend there who had
offered them a room to sleep, but they didn’t plan to stay in Malinska for more
than one night. It was a place that was getting wilder and bigger by the
minute, and it didn’t really have a charming old center like some of the other
towns and villages on the coast of the Adriatic Sea did.
“Can we stop so
I can smoke a cigarette?” Though Una smoked in her car, Maya didn’t allow it as
she didn’t want her car to constantly smell of smoke—she didn’t consider
herself a real smoker anyway. She smoked when she drank and these days, though
she went out a lot and consequently smoked almost every day, it wasn’t the same
in the winter when she didn't go out as often. She could go for days without
smoking and wouldn’t miss it.
“We’re almost
there. Can’t you endure just a bit longer without the cigarette?” Maya asked
imploringly.
“Why? We’re on
holiday, why should I have to endure anything? Let’s stop and have a coffee and
a smoke.” Una was persistent, and Maya gave up and pulled off at the nearest
gas station.
Una and Daria
sat on bar stools, drank their coffee, and smoked while Maya ate the croissant
she bought at the café. It was filled with peach jam and still warm, and Maya
thought she was eating one of the best croissants she’d ever had.
“Have you heard
from Helena yet? Are they on their way?” Daria was curiously peering at Maya
and Una while simultaneously stirring her coffee. “Who’s on the boat?” She
raised her eyebrows and continued, “I can’t wait to embark it. We had the
greatest time last year, didn’t we?”
“We did,” Maya
confirmed, looking at Una for consent. She looked like she was enjoying her
second cigarette and was blowing out a cloud of smoke, which made Maya feel
sick.
“I last heard from her a week ago, and they
weren’t on their way yet,” Una informed them while Maya waved away the cloud of
smoke. “But we still have like five or six days before our meeting in Split.”
While Una was
talking, Maya wondered how come she was bothered by the smoke of the cigarette.
She knew that a few hours later when they would drink alcohol, she’d be ready
to smoke, too. Then she remembered that Helena called her two days ago and left
a message on her secretary, so she shared her intel. “She said they’re on their
way and that we’ll see each other soon.”
“Why didn’t you
call her back?” Daria insisted. When she wanted to know something, she didn’t
let it go. “Now we don’t know who’s on the boat.”
“Why do you care anyway? It’s Juan’s boat, he
can invite whoever he wants, and we have to be okay with it, right? I hope you
don’t make some drama again this year; I wish for a less turbulent holiday,”
Una snapped.
Daria’s face
contorted with offense, and she looked like she was ready to launch a stream of
words at Una. Before things could get awkward between her friends, Maya stepped
in. “All right, that’s enough. Last year was last year. I don’t know who’s
going to be on the yacht, but isn’t that what makes everything more interesting
and appealing?” This was enough to make everyone quiet and relaxed again.
Still, it reminded Maya what a peculiar character Daria was and wondered if
they made the right choice by inviting her on the trip again after the last one
ended in disaster. Although Una was too harsh with Daria, it was only because
Daria could drive them both crazy. The best explanation was that they invited
her because she was fun to be around—most of the time—and she was always keen
for any kind of action—dancing, flirting, drinking, playing games, you name it,
she was for it.
Maya Berger is the author of a memoir focusing on women’s personal growth called Luna Tree and its sequel In the Pursuit of Change.
She took a break from writing about life and personal growth to write
adventure stories about two young women just out of university trying to
make important decisions in their life like who to date, who to
socialise with, how to travel with no money and how to act in
potentially dangerous situations. The most important lessons they learn
are how to depend on each other and rely on themselves.
Maya is a 44-year-old living in Zagreb, Croatia with her husband and their three-year- old daughter. She is a marketing graduate, pilates instructor, she promotes Croatia as a tourist destination and she loves to read and write.
Website: www.mayabergerauthor.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/maya___berger
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MayaBergerTheAuthor/
Maya is a 44-year-old living in Zagreb, Croatia with her husband and their three-year- old daughter. She is a marketing graduate, pilates instructor, she promotes Croatia as a tourist destination and she loves to read and write.
Website: www.mayabergerauthor.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/maya___berger
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MayaBergerTheAuthor/
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