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A.J. Bailey Adventure #2
Gardens of the Queen
When a plane crash lands during a stormy night on Grand Cayman, AJ Bailey must pull the survivors from the roiling waters.
But saving Carlos Rojas, and his girlfriend Sydney, starts something bigger than anyone could foresee. The two recently fled Cuba with vital information. Now, Russian agents, working with the Cuban authorities, will stop at nothing to cover up the secret Carlos is determined to reveal to the world.
AJ and her mentor, Reg Moore, find themselves up against the might of two governments, as they try to protect Carlos, Sydney and the Gardens of the Queen.
Can two small island dive operators prevail against ruthless trained killers?
Find out in the thrilling sequel to Twelve Mile Bank.
- GenresAdventure
315 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2019
643 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Harvey
42 books174 followersA USA Today bestselling author, Nicholas Harvey's life has been anything but ordinary. Race car driver, motorsports professional, adventure traveller, divemaster, and since 2020, a full-time novelist. Raised in England, Nick has dual UK and US citizenship and now lives nomadically wherever he and his amazing wife, Cheryl, choose to land for a few months. He is the author of the Nora Sommer Suspense, Kat Cromwell Mystery, and AJ Bailey Adventure series, as well as multiple collaborations.
Find out more info and join his newsletter at www.HarveyBooks.com
Find out more info and join his newsletter at www.HarveyBooks.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
April 1, 2025
Great characters, great setting, and an edge-of-your-seat plot made this a truly entertaining read. The descriptions of the dives and the reefs is quite enjoyable. And the near death experiences keep the adrenaline flowing. I hope we see more of Carlos. I don’t think he realized what he was really getting himself into but he knew he had to do something to stop Cuba and Russia from destroying a beautiful area. He is both brave and full of passion for his cause. Looking forward to the next in the series.
June 3, 2020
Okay, wow. I believe the AJ Bailey novels keep getting better and better! Several times I had to put this book down because the action was getting too intense for me. I don’t do well with scary Bad Guy dudes/antagonists pitted against “pretty much every day” civilians/protagonists - even if the civilians are an ex-military guy and an independent thinking dive shop owner. But the story kept pulling at me. I hoped I wasn’t going to witness someone’s brains getting blow out or likewise in the next flip of the page. So, yes. Gardens of the Queen was a very suspenseful story - at least (for me) through the first 7/8 portion of the book. I felt I could safely breathe and read again after that, yet additional twists kept arising all the way to the end.
In Gardens of the Queen, Cayman dive shop owner AJ Bailey/FMC and her friends find themselves in one tight spot after another following her and her first mate, Thomas’s water rescue of the 2 people in the crashed aircraft sinking below the turbulent waters outside the reef of North Sound during a terrible storm. With first a precarious landing followed by an immediate sinking, the pilot of the Cuban plane and his passenger desperately required rescuing. Cuban and Russian forces scramble to conceal the information the passengers carry and indicate they will kill if necessary to suppress it. Just what has AJ gotten herself and her friends into this time? We also get a sneak peek at the “significant other“ AJ apparently has met between books. :D
I was biting my nails, and covering my eyes as I read my way through Nicholas Harvey’s Gardens of the Queen. Although thoroughly spooked, I loved and highly recommend it to readers who enjoy action-adventure, suspense novels and/or scuba-type adventure novels. Even with my “chicken-stops” it read quickly, the pages flipping. I have previously read the first 2 novels in the AJ Bailey series (Prequel/Cavern of Lost Souls & 12 Mile Bank/1) and recommend them as well. The novels can be read as standalone titles - each distinctly different yet forming a wonderfully engaging series. I look forward to reading the next in the AJ adventures, Wreck of the Raptor, very soon.
Reader Cautions -
Violence - Similar to PG-13 movie level with “Bad Guys.” Not Graphic.
Profanity- yes. Strong language but very infrequently (less than 20, perhaps 15?)
Sexual situations- none.
I recommend Gardens of the Queen to anyone except those who would be offended by the aforementioned rare occurrence of strong language - could be a wonderful (although intense) adventure read for YAs. :D
In Gardens of the Queen, Cayman dive shop owner AJ Bailey/FMC and her friends find themselves in one tight spot after another following her and her first mate, Thomas’s water rescue of the 2 people in the crashed aircraft sinking below the turbulent waters outside the reef of North Sound during a terrible storm. With first a precarious landing followed by an immediate sinking, the pilot of the Cuban plane and his passenger desperately required rescuing. Cuban and Russian forces scramble to conceal the information the passengers carry and indicate they will kill if necessary to suppress it. Just what has AJ gotten herself and her friends into this time? We also get a sneak peek at the “significant other“ AJ apparently has met between books. :D
I was biting my nails, and covering my eyes as I read my way through Nicholas Harvey’s Gardens of the Queen. Although thoroughly spooked, I loved and highly recommend it to readers who enjoy action-adventure, suspense novels and/or scuba-type adventure novels. Even with my “chicken-stops” it read quickly, the pages flipping. I have previously read the first 2 novels in the AJ Bailey series (Prequel/Cavern of Lost Souls & 12 Mile Bank/1) and recommend them as well. The novels can be read as standalone titles - each distinctly different yet forming a wonderfully engaging series. I look forward to reading the next in the AJ adventures, Wreck of the Raptor, very soon.
Reader Cautions -
Violence - Similar to PG-13 movie level with “Bad Guys.” Not Graphic.
Profanity- yes. Strong language but very infrequently (less than 20, perhaps 15?)
Sexual situations- none.
I recommend Gardens of the Queen to anyone except those who would be offended by the aforementioned rare occurrence of strong language - could be a wonderful (although intense) adventure read for YAs. :D
April 21, 2024
Another solid installment
Another easy and entertaining adventure read in this enjoyable series. I need ten more words to submit this overly succinct review.
Another easy and entertaining adventure read in this enjoyable series. I need ten more words to submit this overly succinct review.
May 15, 2021
Gardens of the Queen - a review by Rosemary Kenny
Illegal Cuban immigrant Carlos Rojas and his girlfriend Sydney Bodden, are the unwitting innocents, immersed in preventing Russian and Cuban co-conspirators from achieving ecological destruction on a huge scale, in pursuit of profit.
Things go badly awry almost straight away, leaving the young couple fighting for their lives in a raging sea. A deadly game of cat-and-mouse then ensues, as Carlos, Sydney, AJ, Thomas, Pearl, Reg and the Cayman police are all in contention with a group of Russian eco-terrorists.
Can the protagonists survive for long enough to break the news and gain support for their ecological cause with publicity for the damning evidence?
Get Nicholas Harvey's great book, Gardens of the Queen and find out for yourself how things in this tense conspiracy-thriller are resolved in the 'nick of time'!
Illegal Cuban immigrant Carlos Rojas and his girlfriend Sydney Bodden, are the unwitting innocents, immersed in preventing Russian and Cuban co-conspirators from achieving ecological destruction on a huge scale, in pursuit of profit.
Things go badly awry almost straight away, leaving the young couple fighting for their lives in a raging sea. A deadly game of cat-and-mouse then ensues, as Carlos, Sydney, AJ, Thomas, Pearl, Reg and the Cayman police are all in contention with a group of Russian eco-terrorists.
Can the protagonists survive for long enough to break the news and gain support for their ecological cause with publicity for the damning evidence?
Get Nicholas Harvey's great book, Gardens of the Queen and find out for yourself how things in this tense conspiracy-thriller are resolved in the 'nick of time'!
March 1, 2024
This is the second story in an adventure series that takes place in the Cayman Islands. This particular story begins with a tension filled and life-threatening flight in a Cessna aircraft through a tropical storm. This is a sure-fire technique to keep the reader turning pages. The story ends with another tension filled and life-threatening experience aboard a sinking trawler. A terrific way to end a book and entice a reader to find other stories in this series as well as other stories by this author. In between these high tension starts and finishes you’ll find a well plotted and interesting story with well-defined characters. The main character is A.J. Bailey, the owner of a deep-sea diving service primarily serving the cruise tourism trade on Grand Cayman. Ms. Bailey is a very likeable young woman in her 20s who enjoys her job and her friends there on Grand Cayman Island. She is also a very experienced and knowledgeable deep-sea diver with a healthy respect for its dangers and she has a real love for the ocean environment. So, as you read for entertainment purposes, you’ll also get to learn a lot about deep-sea diving and the ocean. I hesitate to say too much about the story line so as not to spoil it for future readers. It is an intricate and complicated situation that centers on potential man-made damage that is planned for a famous coral reef off the coast of Cuba. That reef is named Gardens of the Queen and hence the reason for the title to this book. The plot and the actions by the characters in this novel are very realistic and believable which makes the book very readable. You won’t get caught up needing to blindly accept improbable events or actions by the characters as you continue reading the story. This is a worthy 5-star adventure story.
November 19, 2022
I didn’t CRASH the plane- I landed it! THE SEA crashed it…
A fabulous, exciting AJ & Company story to follow to the 1st!
Totally different slant this time - no going back in history - but again the tale involves the global community. And international marine life!
Super fast paced, with many high tension scenes.
The bad guys have no morals & care nothing for the well-being of others. They are very well portrayed by the author. Characters for whom you hope the worst befalls them, & you enjoy every stumble they make, & all the karma that’s returned to them!
A bit lighter this time on the diving, reefs, & underwater animals, but the action makes up for it.
And - could there possibly be a true love, for real, for our girl AJ?? Perhaps… time will tell…
A fun read overall. That introduced us to a few new regular characters, I suspect.
So - on to Book 3!
I have no idea what to expect? Other than, based on the 1st two AJ Bailey Books - it will be an exciting adventure I won’t be able to put down!
A fabulous, exciting AJ & Company story to follow to the 1st!
Totally different slant this time - no going back in history - but again the tale involves the global community. And international marine life!
Super fast paced, with many high tension scenes.
The bad guys have no morals & care nothing for the well-being of others. They are very well portrayed by the author. Characters for whom you hope the worst befalls them, & you enjoy every stumble they make, & all the karma that’s returned to them!
A bit lighter this time on the diving, reefs, & underwater animals, but the action makes up for it.
And - could there possibly be a true love, for real, for our girl AJ?? Perhaps… time will tell…
A fun read overall. That introduced us to a few new regular characters, I suspect.
So - on to Book 3!
I have no idea what to expect? Other than, based on the 1st two AJ Bailey Books - it will be an exciting adventure I won’t be able to put down!
February 22, 2021
I have not read the first installment in this series (in fact, I didn't even realize it was a series!), so the characters were all new to me. I found the story interesting and at some points tense and exciting. It did keep me turning the pages (or sliding the screen, since I read it on my Kindle!), which is what a good thriller is supposed to do. That is a plus.
However, like many thrillers, I was rather disappointed in how a group of untrained individuals were able to consistently thwart a team of trained Russian professionals. I found myself uttering "Oh, come on!" several times in disbelief. Still, I do the same thing during the course of other top-notch thrillers.
So, as long as you are willing to suspend belief a bit, this is a fun, entertaining read.
However, like many thrillers, I was rather disappointed in how a group of untrained individuals were able to consistently thwart a team of trained Russian professionals. I found myself uttering "Oh, come on!" several times in disbelief. Still, I do the same thing during the course of other top-notch thrillers.
So, as long as you are willing to suspend belief a bit, this is a fun, entertaining read.
December 18, 2020
Outstanding from the first word to the last
I thoroughly enjoyed book one, so I moved on to book two, Garden’s of the Queen, and it blew me away. The story itself stands alone as outstanding, but the way it is told is superb. The chapters are tight with zero soft spots, only the action necessary to strategically move the story and the reader along. It was more than a fun read. I found it exciting as well. You will too, especially if you are a water or diving enthusiast. I look forward to reading more titles from Mr. Harvey.
I thoroughly enjoyed book one, so I moved on to book two, Garden’s of the Queen, and it blew me away. The story itself stands alone as outstanding, but the way it is told is superb. The chapters are tight with zero soft spots, only the action necessary to strategically move the story and the reader along. It was more than a fun read. I found it exciting as well. You will too, especially if you are a water or diving enthusiast. I look forward to reading more titles from Mr. Harvey.
August 18, 2021
A small plane crashes during a storm off Grand Cayman Island. The two occupants are fleeing from Cuba.
A.J. pulls them out of the water, and ends up in the middle of a game of spy vs spy.
Carlos and his girlfriend fled Cuba with information that the Cuban authorities together with Russian intelligence agents don't want to get out.
Carlos, Sydney, A.J. and her friend, Reg find themselves against two governments trying to protect Carlos and Sydney and the beautiful coral reefs known as the Gardens of the Queen.
Good action story and lots of genuine diving scenes.
Very enjoyable
A.J. pulls them out of the water, and ends up in the middle of a game of spy vs spy.
Carlos and his girlfriend fled Cuba with information that the Cuban authorities together with Russian intelligence agents don't want to get out.
Carlos, Sydney, A.J. and her friend, Reg find themselves against two governments trying to protect Carlos and Sydney and the beautiful coral reefs known as the Gardens of the Queen.
Good action story and lots of genuine diving scenes.
Very enjoyable
June 10, 2023
This is the third Nicholas Harvey book that I have read, and I plan on reading many more. I don't know which series I like the most -- the A. J. Bailey series, or the Nora Sommer series. If you like the action, adventure, thriller genre -- you would probably like this author and these books. I will start the second Nora Sommer series in the next couple of days, and I am already looking forward to it.
December 29, 2023
What an action-packed adventure!
The main characters are trying to save a huge coral reef off Cuba's coast from oil-hungry Cubans and Russians. It was so exciting and scary at times for the characters that I was telling them what to do. I'm ready to read any more of Nicholas Harvey's other books as soon as my heart stops racing. I also learned a little about coral, some fish and diving. Great storytelling!
The main characters are trying to save a huge coral reef off Cuba's coast from oil-hungry Cubans and Russians. It was so exciting and scary at times for the characters that I was telling them what to do. I'm ready to read any more of Nicholas Harvey's other books as soon as my heart stops racing. I also learned a little about coral, some fish and diving. Great storytelling!
September 15, 2024
A cracking good read
The second book in the series and, after the first I just paid and downloaded it from Amazon immediately and started reading it, it was so awesome I read until 2am to finish it as I couldn't leave it for another night.
The story lines are fabulous, the characters just superb and no spoilers but, the last 10% of the book I had to remind myself to breath.
Thank you Nicholas!
The second book in the series and, after the first I just paid and downloaded it from Amazon immediately and started reading it, it was so awesome I read until 2am to finish it as I couldn't leave it for another night.
The story lines are fabulous, the characters just superb and no spoilers but, the last 10% of the book I had to remind myself to breath.
Thank you Nicholas!
April 23, 2020
Gosh! I LOVE this series! This is the third book I’ve read by Harvey and each one has been adventurous, suspenseful, and fun! As an avid scuba diver and particularly to Grand Cayman, I especially love the setting for these novels. Makes me feel like I’m back on the island with a twist. Bravo!!!
August 26, 2023
Another outstanding adventure with our heroine AJ Bailey in Grand Cayman. Love the characters and the settings. While the book was wonderful, i thought it was just a tad less plot wise, and the ending a bit too much like the epic ending in the first book. That being said, this is one great story and one you wont regret reading
June 14, 2020
Page turner!
I like mysteries and crime dramas but throw in the islands and some diving...I was hooked. Normally a book like this would take two weeks to read, well I couldn’t put it down and finished it in 3 days days! I will be reading the prequel next.
I like mysteries and crime dramas but throw in the islands and some diving...I was hooked. Normally a book like this would take two weeks to read, well I couldn’t put it down and finished it in 3 days days! I will be reading the prequel next.
January 14, 2021
What a great series this is turning out to be!! I love the characters and I love the Cayman Islands and all the diving areas that AJ visits!! It’s beautiful!! The storyline is really cool and I got all caught up in it and couldn’t put the book down! Can’t wait for the next read!
August 5, 2021
A riveting adventure story that kept up the pace from page one to the end. The author's writing is easyreading with well-developed characters and a plotline full of twists and turns. If you have several hours of 'me' time and want to escape into a exciting page-turner of a book, this is the one.
October 14, 2021
Hard to put down…
Having scuba diving experience, I understood all the lingo and really enjoyed this book. Details describing the reefs and what was seen brought back fond memories of my dives.
Having scuba diving experience, I understood all the lingo and really enjoyed this book. Details describing the reefs and what was seen brought back fond memories of my dives.
June 28, 2020
Great book
This 2nd book of the series was good! I enjoyed it first to last page! I would say give all his books a go as I go to start #3
This 2nd book of the series was good! I enjoyed it first to last page! I would say give all his books a go as I go to start #3
July 21, 2020
Not one of my favorites. Very slow read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2020
Exciting read
I enjoyed this book as it moved along at an exciting pace. The diving experiences seemed almost real. I would recommend this as a good read.
I enjoyed this book as it moved along at an exciting pace. The diving experiences seemed almost real. I would recommend this as a good read.
January 26, 2021
I enjoyed the overall story, Had me holding my breath in the underwater portions, not good for a 86 yr old. Look forward to reading more of his books.
June 28, 2021
Lots of action
Enjoyed the book has a lot of diving stories in the big story
Been to Cayman remember the dive sites
Enjoyed the book has a lot of diving stories in the big story
Been to Cayman remember the dive sites
November 1, 2021
Great book to read! I enjoyed the plot, the suspense, and the information on diving, boats, the islands.
Believeable characters.
Believeable characters.
November 15, 2021
Really good story with lots of action.
July 24, 2022
Worth reading
Lots of twists and turns. Undersea most often, interesting story that makes one wonder about the Cuba Russian relationship. Must be more to the story.
Rock on!
Lots of twists and turns. Undersea most often, interesting story that makes one wonder about the Cuba Russian relationship. Must be more to the story.
Rock on!
August 3, 2022
Good read
Enjoyed this book. Well written and a good adventure story. Nice ending. Look forward to the next book by this author.
Enjoyed this book. Well written and a good adventure story. Nice ending. Look forward to the next book by this author.
September 25, 2022
These books are a great read! Very descriptive, fast paced and very enjoyable!
February 1, 2023
Another A.J. Bailey diving adventure with a challenging situation from Cuba. This book has less dive sequences and more intrigue, but the action moves quickly and keeps the reader engaged.
June 30, 2023
Story is good but personally I think the main character in the first two books comes across as very reckless in her decision making.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews