Flora Reviews…
One Tequila (Rose Althea Mysteries #1) by Tricia O’Malley
Read: 17th – 19th November 2018
Publication Date: 16th July 2015
Quote from One Tequila
“We can’t be the same. We should never be the same. It isn’t light and dark. It’s just that our powers and essences are so different.”
My Ratings
Plot: 3/5 – Flow: 3/5 – Character Development: 3/5 – World Building: 4/5
Overall Rating: 3/5
So what’s this book about?
One Tequila is the first book (approx 263 pages) in Tricia O’Malley’s cozy mystery series Althea Rose Mysteries – currently a 5 book series. This book is set in sunny Tequila Key in the Florida Keys and has enough paranormal sprinkles to sit within the cozy mysteries genre as well as the paranormal one.
If you’ve read any of my reviews before, you’ll know that I don’t post spoilers or reveal plot twists in my book reviews, so here’s what the official blurb has to say about the story:
Tequila Key is just like any other small town and I’m just like any other small town psychic. Scratch that. Tequila Key is a world onto itself and some people might think that I am one crayon short of the box.
And, if we’re being totally honest, Tequila Key is just like any other small town – if that town boasts a voodoo priestess and a few white witches for flavor. Turquoise blue water and the best margaritas this side of Mexico make it hard to leave.
I’m Althea Rose, co-owner of Luna Rose Potions & Tarot Shop, and I’ve just stumbled into a love triangle while trying to save my best friend from being accused of murder.
See? Just like any other small town.
I can confirm that the mystery aspect of this tale is solved by the end of the book, which means that you could read as a standalone story.
So, what did I like about it?
Tricia O’Malley is a new-to-me author but I liked her writing style, the pace her plot developed and the subtle mix of magic and the paranormal that she added to her world.
I enjoyed the mystery aspect of this story and the way our heroine, Althea Rose was trying to solve it with her besties. I appreciated the various twists and turns that Ms O’Malley weaved into this cozy mystery story, not only with Althea’s quest to solve the murder but within the background plot lines too.
I liked our main character, Althea Rose, her best friend and co-owner of Luna Rose Potions & Tarot Shop, Luna Lavelle but I absolutely loved their best friend and bar owner, Beau Redford. I adored his quick wit, banter and effervescence; I connected to him almost immediately and looked forward to the scenes that he was in.
This cozy mystery made me chuckle, I shed a tear or two, the tension and action fed my adrenalin and the relationship between the three best friends warmed my heart.
So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?
Ok, so I’ve got to be honest, there was a niggle or two that kept me from rating this book higher.
My main gripe was the romance aspect in this tale; I liked our heroine but there is a love triangle in this story and I couldn’t understand why it was there. The characters involved, their actions, the dialogue, it didn’t add value for me or move the story on. I won’t say any more as “I don’t do spoilers” but feel free to leave a comment to discuss this, more than fleeting, plot aspect of One Tequila.
So, basically what I’m saying is…
I enjoyed this book; it was good. One Tequila has proved to have many of the elements that I look for in an engaging story; a good mystery thriller, humour, a great leading lady, a good set of supporting characters and it even had some romance and a sprinkling of magic and the supernatural.
So, has my review of ONE TEQUILA (ALTHEA ROSE MYSTERIES #1) encouraged you to find out more? Just click on any of the links below to check out the book yourself or to find out more about the author. To see the other books I’ve read, take a look at my profile on Goodreads.
See ONE TEQUILA on Goodreads.com
Buy ONE TEQUILA in print, eBook and audio formats through the usual sources, including Amazon UK or Amazon US, or through Barnes & Noble or iBooks
Visit TRICIA O’MALLEY‘s own little corner of the web, read her blog or connect to her on social media via Facebook
