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Caribbean Murder #7
Death by Proposal
Cindy and Mattheus, finally away together for a much needed vacation on the beautiful island of Aruba, are awakened by horrible shouts of despair. A guest at the hotel has just discovered his new fiancée dead under their window, sprawled out on the courtyard below, soon after he had proposed. The two recently met online, had a long-distance internet relationship, and had met in person only a few times. The entire hotel is terrified and mobilized. Was it suicide or was it murder?
Despite pressure from Mattheus for Cindy to focus on their relationship and not become involved, she has to fulfill the promise she made to herself to help victims of crime. Cindy can’t stop herself from jumping in and helping.
Cindy and Mattheus’s relationship is put under strain as the tension heats up as they explore the strange web of relationships between the family of the young woman and her new fiancée. They meet the lackadaisical police on the Island, the victim’s strange father who always expected her to die, and the dead woman’s hot-headed boyfriend who recently turned up at the hotel with his new girlfriend. They are propelled deep into the worlds of counterfeit love, fantasy relationships, and the horror of not knowing the truth about the person you are with.
DEATH BY PROPOSAL is both a stand-alone novel, and is also Book #7 in the Caribbean Murder series, following DEATH BY HONEYMOON (Book #1), DEATH BY DIVORCE (Book #2) and DEATH BY MARRIAGE (Book #3), DEATH BY DESIRE (Book #4), DEATH BY DECEIT (Book #5) and DEATH BY JEALOUSY (Book #6).
Despite pressure from Mattheus for Cindy to focus on their relationship and not become involved, she has to fulfill the promise she made to herself to help victims of crime. Cindy can’t stop herself from jumping in and helping.
Cindy and Mattheus’s relationship is put under strain as the tension heats up as they explore the strange web of relationships between the family of the young woman and her new fiancée. They meet the lackadaisical police on the Island, the victim’s strange father who always expected her to die, and the dead woman’s hot-headed boyfriend who recently turned up at the hotel with his new girlfriend. They are propelled deep into the worlds of counterfeit love, fantasy relationships, and the horror of not knowing the truth about the person you are with.
DEATH BY PROPOSAL is both a stand-alone novel, and is also Book #7 in the Caribbean Murder series, following DEATH BY HONEYMOON (Book #1), DEATH BY DIVORCE (Book #2) and DEATH BY MARRIAGE (Book #3), DEATH BY DESIRE (Book #4), DEATH BY DECEIT (Book #5) and DEATH BY JEALOUSY (Book #6).
204 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 11, 2013
132 people are currently reading
823 people want to read
About the author
Jaden Skye
154 books139 followersJaden Skye has always been fascinated with mystery, wrongful death, lies, deception and the power of the truth to prevail. Her romantic suspense/mystery novels feature strong female protagonists who must overcome insurmountable obstacles, and through them, she seeks to get to the very heart of the nature of justice and love.
Her first three novels, DEATH BY HONEYMOON (BOOK #1 IN THE CARIBBEAN MURDER SERIES), DEATH BY DIVORCE (BOOK #2 IN THE CARIBBEAN MURDER SERIES)and DEATH BY MARRIAGE (#3 IN THE CARIBBEAN MURDER SERIES) are now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble elsewhere. Please feel free to visit her site, www.jadenskye.com to stay in touch.
Her first three novels, DEATH BY HONEYMOON (BOOK #1 IN THE CARIBBEAN MURDER SERIES), DEATH BY DIVORCE (BOOK #2 IN THE CARIBBEAN MURDER SERIES)and DEATH BY MARRIAGE (#3 IN THE CARIBBEAN MURDER SERIES) are now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble elsewhere. Please feel free to visit her site, www.jadenskye.com to stay in touch.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
January 3, 2020
I'm binge reading this series at them moment, as it's light and easy to read, just what I need over the holidays. This instalment is set in Aruba, with Cindy and Mattheus getting some downtime to work on their relationship. Yet when a newly engage young woman falls to her death from her balcony in their hotel Cindy feels compelled to investigate, and yet again tension is raised between her and Mattheus.
This book is an enjoyable quick read. This whole series is a really good beach/holiday read, though it doesn't really have much substance. Yet sometimes you need things a bit lighter after a year of heavy reading.
This book is an enjoyable quick read. This whole series is a really good beach/holiday read, though it doesn't really have much substance. Yet sometimes you need things a bit lighter after a year of heavy reading.
August 30, 2014
Private investigators Cindy and Mattheus are holidaying in Aruba to unwind and develop the romantic side of their relationship. But the apparent suicide of a newly engaged woman, Kate, and the police request for help prompts Cindy to make enquiries. Mattheus is opposed to spending their vacation investigating, and so the conflict begins.
I’d call this mystery more of an anti-romance novel. Sure, sleuthing is happening but the tension between Cindy and Mattheus, as well as Kate and her fiancé, drive the story. Add the appearance of Kate’s former boyfriend and his new girlfriend, who aren’t exactly in love either, and you’ve got a lot of relationship issues. The problem with this is that no one, except Cindy is likeable, and even she is wishy-washy. Immaturity and self-absorption dominate the men in this novel. The dialogue reminds me of whiny high schoolers, which I suppose reflects the immaturity issues.
Aside from the not-so-great characters, there were many typos and grammatical errors. The double-spaced text on my iPad added to the feel that this was a draft rather than a polished manuscript. There was far too much telling rather than showing. The author often described what characters were feeling when the emotion was already obvious in the dialogue. I’m all for romance and conflict and mystery in exotic settings, but this book needed major substantive and copy editing before publication.
I’d call this mystery more of an anti-romance novel. Sure, sleuthing is happening but the tension between Cindy and Mattheus, as well as Kate and her fiancé, drive the story. Add the appearance of Kate’s former boyfriend and his new girlfriend, who aren’t exactly in love either, and you’ve got a lot of relationship issues. The problem with this is that no one, except Cindy is likeable, and even she is wishy-washy. Immaturity and self-absorption dominate the men in this novel. The dialogue reminds me of whiny high schoolers, which I suppose reflects the immaturity issues.
Aside from the not-so-great characters, there were many typos and grammatical errors. The double-spaced text on my iPad added to the feel that this was a draft rather than a polished manuscript. There was far too much telling rather than showing. The author often described what characters were feeling when the emotion was already obvious in the dialogue. I’m all for romance and conflict and mystery in exotic settings, but this book needed major substantive and copy editing before publication.
August 30, 2014
Decent fluffy mystery! The book had some errors in it which was slightly annoying. Characters names were switched erroneously a few times and there were a couple of grammatical/spelling errors. My dislikes about the story was the way Mattheus' personality has evolved. I was expecting Cindy to tell him that their relationship was over. He was immature and sulky, not to mention controlling. Not healthy.
May 6, 2014
This book by Skye is well worth reading. It is a series and I haven't read the others but this one hangs together quite well. The characters are well defined and we grow to like them, most of them at least. The plot is interesting which keeps us looking forward to the next page. A good read.
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the Isms" "Wesley's Wars" and "To Whom It May Concern"
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the Isms" "Wesley's Wars" and "To Whom It May Concern"
January 27, 2015
Churlish and childish
This whole cast was immature beyond believable. I might have liked the ending better if they had all went over the cliff. And where was the editor?
This whole cast was immature beyond believable. I might have liked the ending better if they had all went over the cliff. And where was the editor?
November 10, 2023
Not proof read
This book clearly has not been proof read. There are so many spelling mistakes, grammatical inaccuracies and characters called by the wrong name that bring me to the conclusion that The book was written and published by a seven year old (apologies to seven year old kids that would not make those mistakes).
The story itself and the way it was constructed was actually quite good but the errors mentioned above really did spoil the whole book for me as in my mind I was reducing mr rating gradually but surely. I have actually has these problems with previous books in the series but they’ve never spoiled my reading. This book is the worst edited book I’ve ever read. The sad thing is I have four more books to read in the series, although I read one of them a long time ago and didn’t write a review so thought I would reread it, I’m having doubts about reading any of them now.
Cindy and Mattheus are private investigator partners who are also engaged in a personal relationship. Sadly things between them are falling apart and have deteriorated significantly since the last book in the series that I read and hoped they would eventually have a happy future. Now I don’t even believe they should be working together let alone in a relationship. They keep telling each other that they love each other but they only love themselves and both think they know better than the other when conducting an investigation which is a big hope from Cindy who only became a PI when she investigated her husband’s death whereas Mattheus at least spent years as a police detective.
The murderer in this book is quite easy to spot early on but it’s a long laborious investigation going down blind alleys or pointing the finger of guilt at the wrong person and not being objective enough to realise it’s clear they are wrong!
They get there in the end as you would expect but their loving relationship is seriously fraying at the edges and they are talking about relationship counselling. Not sure I care enough to find out as I don’t want to torture myself with yet another book that hasn’t been proofread. No doubt I will read more in the series but not likely until I’ve read better offerings.
Publisher and author really should be ashamed of this mess of a book.
This book clearly has not been proof read. There are so many spelling mistakes, grammatical inaccuracies and characters called by the wrong name that bring me to the conclusion that The book was written and published by a seven year old (apologies to seven year old kids that would not make those mistakes).
The story itself and the way it was constructed was actually quite good but the errors mentioned above really did spoil the whole book for me as in my mind I was reducing mr rating gradually but surely. I have actually has these problems with previous books in the series but they’ve never spoiled my reading. This book is the worst edited book I’ve ever read. The sad thing is I have four more books to read in the series, although I read one of them a long time ago and didn’t write a review so thought I would reread it, I’m having doubts about reading any of them now.
Cindy and Mattheus are private investigator partners who are also engaged in a personal relationship. Sadly things between them are falling apart and have deteriorated significantly since the last book in the series that I read and hoped they would eventually have a happy future. Now I don’t even believe they should be working together let alone in a relationship. They keep telling each other that they love each other but they only love themselves and both think they know better than the other when conducting an investigation which is a big hope from Cindy who only became a PI when she investigated her husband’s death whereas Mattheus at least spent years as a police detective.
The murderer in this book is quite easy to spot early on but it’s a long laborious investigation going down blind alleys or pointing the finger of guilt at the wrong person and not being objective enough to realise it’s clear they are wrong!
They get there in the end as you would expect but their loving relationship is seriously fraying at the edges and they are talking about relationship counselling. Not sure I care enough to find out as I don’t want to torture myself with yet another book that hasn’t been proofread. No doubt I will read more in the series but not likely until I’ve read better offerings.
Publisher and author really should be ashamed of this mess of a book.
April 5, 2019
I liked this story line of this particle murder - newly engaged in beautiful tropical Aruba and suddenly one is dead; suicide or murder? ...I wanted to give it 4 stars. I'm going with 3 though because I have realized that after reading/listening to three of these books in a row (boom, boom, and boom) Cindy and Mattheus are constantly at odds with each other; they are jealous and confrontational. Cindy gets angry with Mattheus because he doesn't want to take the case in Aruba. Mattheus wants to enjoy his time with Cindy so they can get to know each other better. Cindy seems to have forgotten that she got angry with him on their first vacation because he wanted to take a case and she wanted to spend more time with him. This grated on my nerves. And the whole jealousy thing between the two became irritating as well. So, I have decided to give this series a break for now. I do like the stories...They are quick and enjoyable but need to be taken in moderation.
March 8, 2019
I couldn't wait to get to the end! Not to find out who did it....that was very apparent long before that. The main characters were just too stupid to realize it.
Every single male character was a man-child. Especially Matteus. There is no way an intelligent woman like Cindy would have put up with him. With time, I think the author could write a great story.
I doubt this was every proof read. Wrong names, grammatical errors and bad spelling made it an irritating read.
It was very redundant to have the author explain the characters' feelings when they had already expressed it themselves.
Every single male character was a man-child. Especially Matteus. There is no way an intelligent woman like Cindy would have put up with him. With time, I think the author could write a great story.
I doubt this was every proof read. Wrong names, grammatical errors and bad spelling made it an irritating read.
It was very redundant to have the author explain the characters' feelings when they had already expressed it themselves.
November 22, 2024
Clearly there was no editor for this book. Some sentences didn't make sense, wrong people's names were used in conversation, double words, words left out, what a mess. I finished it because I needed to find out whodunnit lol.
March 12, 2018
Good book
You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel yourself and I really enjoyed reading this book very much so. Shelley MA
You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel yourself and I really enjoyed reading this book very much so. Shelley MA
March 13, 2018
Pretty Good Mystery
Misspelled words and using the wrong names were distracting. Evidently, no one proofreads the text which is unfortunate otherwise, it’s a pretty good book.
Misspelled words and using the wrong names were distracting. Evidently, no one proofreads the text which is unfortunate otherwise, it’s a pretty good book.
August 23, 2020
The story was ok, but the ebook was riddled with typos. Hire an editor!
January 27, 2024
Good book
This book kept my attention. In some areas where it should be Cindy they have Kate. All in all a good read and page turner.
This book kept my attention. In some areas where it should be Cindy they have Kate. All in all a good read and page turner.
October 17, 2018
now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
December 30, 2019
Cindy and Mattheus are taking a much needed break when they hear screaming in their hotel room. Soon they find themselves investigating another murder and finding their relationship is becoming more and more complicated. They can't seem to get on the same page at the same time. At times it is hard to like Matteus and at times it is hard to like Cindy. Sometimes I want to tell them to throw in the towel and find someone else to be with. The mysteries are all interesting and keep you guessing.
July 7, 2014
Not Impressed
I felt like I read this book forever (and I did it took months)! I felt like it dragged on and on and any time there could be a little bit of excitement it was killed by a predictable move in the story. Throughout the book the author used character names that were not consistent. for example Clay and Carl and Kate and Cindy got mixed up. Words were missing or not used correctly.
I felt like I read this book forever (and I did it took months)! I felt like it dragged on and on and any time there could be a little bit of excitement it was killed by a predictable move in the story. Throughout the book the author used character names that were not consistent. for example Clay and Carl and Kate and Cindy got mixed up. Words were missing or not used correctly.
June 15, 2015
This book is bad!!! it is exactly the same as book six but with a different way of dying. The main characters, Cindy and Matheus are always bickering for small stupid things, it's annoying, as if they were teenagers. I find her too naive and trusting to be a private detective. For her everything is a gut feeling but it's not believable. I read book one and was good, book six was ok, but after this one i don't think i will read any other from this series
March 11, 2015
I really wasn't thrilled with this book. I even double checked to make sue I didn't have an ARC copy, because there were so many typos, word switches, and even name switches it was difficult to follow. The male protagonist is a total jerk and very unlikable. The mystery was pretty easy to solve, and I just did not enjoy this at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2014
Enjoyed reading this series, think I only missed one book. While the content was good I was a bit put off with all the errors and misspelling of words, misuse of words, etc. Would read more by this author but I suggest that she find a much better proofreader for future books.
June 16, 2014
A good book but many inconsistencies in the book. For example when Cindy referred to a bracelet worn by the victim as a necklace instead, all in the same sentence. If you can overlook these errors you will enjoy this mystery who-dun-it.
January 28, 2015
Although there were quite a few errors in grammar and word substitutions, this did not take away from the story for me. This murder mystery had me keep changing my mind about who the killer was and why. I plan to read more books by this author.
January 27, 2015
Great mystery with gusto
I really enjoy the fascinating characters in this .lots of great information about the places and people. Excellent plot exciting twists and a very surprising ending. A great mystery Won ,suspenseful .I would highly recommend it..
I really enjoy the fascinating characters in this .lots of great information about the places and people. Excellent plot exciting twists and a very surprising ending. A great mystery Won ,suspenseful .I would highly recommend it..
February 2, 2015
terrible!!
Terrible character development and horrific dialogue. I only read through to see the conclusion. A conclusion that was pretty obvious from the prologue. One of the worst books I've ever read,
Terrible character development and horrific dialogue. I only read through to see the conclusion. A conclusion that was pretty obvious from the prologue. One of the worst books I've ever read,
February 7, 2015
Good storyline
Good storyline and interesting characters but the proofing is BAD!!!!
Quotation marks are in the wrong spots, characters are talking to themselves and other annoying proofing errors.
Good storyline and interesting characters but the proofing is BAD!!!!
Quotation marks are in the wrong spots, characters are talking to themselves and other annoying proofing errors.
April 25, 2014
Story was good but tons of typos are grammatical errors...
May 4, 2014
Proof reading would have helped - wrong names, missing words, felt like the ending was rushed and the grammatical errors seemed to confirm that.
May 9, 2014
good
June 26, 2014
Really great plot line and a good read. However, there were several spelling and grammatical errors and the author seemed to confuse characters quite a bit, especially toward the end.
August 10, 2014
Unfortunately, I have to agree with many other reviews. There were too many grammatical errors and inconsistencies which distracted me while reading this story.
October 9, 2014
Good
good story. It keep me in suspense all thru the book. There was love mixed with mystery. It was easy to read.
good story. It keep me in suspense all thru the book. There was love mixed with mystery. It was easy to read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews