Arc Review: A Geek Girl’s Guide To Murder by Julie Ann Lindsey

IT manager Mia Connors is up to her tortoiseshell glasses in technical drama when a glitch in the Horseshoe Falls email system disrupts security and sends errant messages to residents of the gated community. The snafu’s timing couldn’t be worse—Renaissance Faire season is in full swing and Mia’s family’s business relies on her presence.

Mia doesn’t have time to hunt down a computer hacker. Her best friend has disappeared, and she finds another of her friends murdered—in her office. When the hunky new head of Horseshoe Falls security identifies Mia as the prime suspect, her anxiety level registers on the Richter scale.

Eager to clear her name, Mia moves into action to locate her missing buddy and find out who killed their friend. But her quick tongue gets her into trouble with more than the new head of security. When Mia begins receiving threats, the killer makes it clear that he’s closer than she’d ever imagined.

Review:

I received a digital copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly requested this book without even reading the blurb – it was the title that captured my attention. It was only after requesting this title did I even think to read the blurb 😀

“Awkward conversations were my kryptonite.”

Mia Connors is an oddball. She is a geek, IT Girl, loves playing online games, and going to Renaissance fairs. She has a wacky family, from a sister and brother -in-law who are psychologists studying sexuality and a grandmother who is an entrepreneur from home 😀

She is considerably happy in her awkward little life, when everything turns to shit. Her friend (one time ex!) is found murdered in her office, her best friend is officialy missing,she is being considered as a prime suspect and there is potentially threatening online appointment system that is creating havoc in the Gated Community she works in and not to forget, the enemy who is trying to destroy her credits in an online role playing game. Things couldn’t get worse!

But wait. They do!

“I’m single because I chose to be, by the way. Single is a choice, not a disability, and dating is an unnerving, exhausting, occasionally crude ritual I’m thankful to be finished with.”

Jack Archer is the new Head of Security (or is he?) and is comes in at the nick of time, coincidently – to help solve a murder (does that seem suspicious to anyone else or is it just me?). He immediately latches on Mia and starts overshadowing her steps, though it takes a lot of sarcastic and sassy conversations for him to come to the conclusion that she isn’t exactly murderous type.

They form an uneasy alliance to find the truth, but there are still secrets they are keeping from each other!

“That’s life, right? Sometimes an almost-thirty-year-old-girl who’s sworn off dating falls for a guy who doesn’t care or even notice.”

Mia is honestly adorable. I loved her – from her geek talk to her sassy sarcastic comments to her being okay in her own skin, she spoke to me, the younger me who was so awkward, that it seemed like a pipe dream to be even thinking about being that comfortable in my own skin.

Jake Archer, on the other hand took a little time to warm up to! Which again, might have been because I didn’t get his POV (that pet peeve is honestly never going to go away!), but he slowly snuck his way into my heart!

Mia’s family on the other hand, are hilarious and gosh, oh so embarrassing – but the best part is that they don’t even embarrass Mia. Their antics are looked upon most fondly by her and even sometimes joined by her!

The romance though, is quite understated. Just like Jake slowly snuck his way into my heart, so did the romance between Mia and Jake. While you see hints of attraction, it isn’t overwhelming to the story, in fact it is complementary to the plot, which I think is a bloody brilliant job by the author!

The reasons why I took away the .5 stars, is because of the Single POV mainly – I just think (or really really wanted) to know Jake’s thoughts – about Mia, the murder and most of all, about why the bloody hell did he do what he did at the end >.<

But that doesn’t mean I am not looking forward to the next installment. I am (because there better be a next installment!!).

Rating:

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Recommendation:

Honestly, read this book, if you are in a mood for something not so light, but no so heavy either! It’s a perfect blend of humour, mystery, sarcasm, sassiness and romance ❤