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maxamaris's review
My attention wasn't captured and I had a couple of bugbears:
- distant third person pov across a lot of characters and while I have faith this was a choice and not the author's perspective shing through, there were a lot of bad opinions laid out
- weirdly emotionless descriptive style, pls manipulate me a bit more
hotscarysummer's review
1.0
DNF at 120 pages.
This book is incredibly dialogue-heavy and switches perspective way too often, sometimes in the middle of a section. The characters are on the nose and by-and-large obnoxious. There was no way in hell I was ever going to root for the 17-year-old and the 20-something to get together why was that a thing?
The mystery was simple and honestly, the general setup just required the reader to jump through so many hoops in order just to believe it. Like in what world is a US FBI agent going undercover in Greece to investigate a series of non-lethal arsons?
This book is incredibly dialogue-heavy and switches perspective way too often, sometimes in the middle of a section. The characters are on the nose and by-and-large obnoxious. There was no way in hell I was ever going to root for the 17-year-old and the 20-something to get together why was that a thing?
The mystery was simple and honestly, the general setup just required the reader to jump through so many hoops in order just to believe it. Like in what world is a US FBI agent going undercover in Greece to investigate a series of non-lethal arsons?
miraboo's review
1.0
Honestly? This book was bad. And I have many thoughts about it. This has mild spoilers!!
First of all it was boring, the pacing felt kind of off, and most of the characters weren't built well enough to keep the reader interested in their stories, when they weren't outright despicable like in the case of the priest.
Furthermore if you're going to write a book about a culture you're not part of, and I place you haven't properly experienced, research is of the outmost importance. As a Greek person I can say that it is more than obvious that Timothy Jay Smith did not conduct said research.
From the Greek words that are written wrong and that have no reason for being not written in English (a café is still a café whether you write it in English or call it a kafeneio) to the incorrect description of island life. Can and do the issues (such as homophobia or xenophobia etc) that center the story exist in local communities? For sure. But due to the way they were handled, both in the "light" way they were often written but also simultaneously having them be a central part of the characters, it read to me more as a device to make the FBI agent more likable rather than to send any actual message.
I have many more thoughts but let's just leave it at that for now. Just don't bother with this book.
First of all it was boring, the pacing felt kind of off, and most of the characters weren't built well enough to keep the reader interested in their stories, when they weren't outright despicable like in the case of the priest.
Furthermore if you're going to write a book about a culture you're not part of, and I place you haven't properly experienced, research is of the outmost importance. As a Greek person I can say that it is more than obvious that Timothy Jay Smith did not conduct said research.
From the Greek words that are written wrong and that have no reason for being not written in English (a café is still a café whether you write it in English or call it a kafeneio) to the incorrect description of island life. Can and do the issues (such as homophobia or xenophobia etc) that center the story exist in local communities? For sure. But due to the way they were handled, both in the "light" way they were often written but also simultaneously having them be a central part of the characters, it read to me more as a device to make the FBI agent more likable rather than to send any actual message.
I have many more thoughts but let's just leave it at that for now. Just don't bother with this book.
the_lawyer_librarian's review
3.0
The action starts immediately in this book and I was drawn into the story from the first page. I loved the setting and felt as though I was transported to the beautiful and sunny Greek Islands. The characters are fun and all have interesting stories to tell, which are entwined with romance and the thrill of an arson investigation. I did find the multiple perspectives a little confusing as there were so many, but it didn’t detract from the enjoyment! Thank you to @lovebookstours for my copy in exchange for an honest review!
beehan__'s review
adventurous
mysterious
5.0
There were some sections in the book that I would have liked to be fleshed out a little more, but overall I really really loved this story. It was fun and engaging, had a bunch of great plot twists that kept me hooked right until the end. Loved it!
(I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.)
(I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.)
jacquevb's review
4.0
(thanks to Netgally for the free ARC, which was given to me in exchange for an honest review)
Fire on the Island is a rollercoaster ride of a romantic thriller. When FBI agent Nick comes to a small Grecian island to investigate a string of arson fires, he has no idea that he's stepping into a town that's about to boil over with political turmoil. Tension is around every turn, between the constant stream of refugees washing up on the island, to the cracking church bell, to the fires that are getting closer and closer to the Coast Guard tanks.
The characters in this story were complex, and throwing them together in such a charged situation made for some excellent drama and exciting thrills. Each character was involved in several subplots that all tied together wonderfully by the end. I would have preferred it if the characters' voices were a bit more distinct, and some of the exposition was a little bit info-dump-y, but all in all I really enjoyed the story and empathized with most of the characters.
Though there were some parts that I wasn't necessarily thrilled to hear about before I started reading (homophobia, racism, never-ending church politics), they were all essential to making the story as realistic as it is. Life is often messy and cruel, and Smith does a fantastic job of capturing those darker sides of human nature in such a way that explains the prejudices and complexities without excusing them.
Overall, this story masterfully balanced the insightful and the thrilling, which made it quite the page turner. The only thing that would have made this better is if I was able to read it on the beach in Greece!
Fire on the Island is a rollercoaster ride of a romantic thriller. When FBI agent Nick comes to a small Grecian island to investigate a string of arson fires, he has no idea that he's stepping into a town that's about to boil over with political turmoil. Tension is around every turn, between the constant stream of refugees washing up on the island, to the cracking church bell, to the fires that are getting closer and closer to the Coast Guard tanks.
The characters in this story were complex, and throwing them together in such a charged situation made for some excellent drama and exciting thrills. Each character was involved in several subplots that all tied together wonderfully by the end. I would have preferred it if the characters' voices were a bit more distinct, and some of the exposition was a little bit info-dump-y, but all in all I really enjoyed the story and empathized with most of the characters.
Though there were some parts that I wasn't necessarily thrilled to hear about before I started reading (homophobia, racism, never-ending church politics), they were all essential to making the story as realistic as it is. Life is often messy and cruel, and Smith does a fantastic job of capturing those darker sides of human nature in such a way that explains the prejudices and complexities without excusing them.
Overall, this story masterfully balanced the insightful and the thrilling, which made it quite the page turner. The only thing that would have made this better is if I was able to read it on the beach in Greece!
bobachel's review
4.0
Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy of this book. I really enjoyed it - more than I thought I would!
I know they always say “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but I was initially drawn this book because of its vibrant cover. The story lived up to the promise of the colorful snap on the cover, with vibrant characters and a lot of intrigue. Some of the characters leapt off the page, particularly the amorous singing fisherman Stavros and the seductive bar owner Vassoula.
The main mystery of the story - who is the arsonist setting fires all over the island? - remained a mystery until its reveal. The author did a great job of building up suspense and identifying numerous possible suspects, any of who could have been the arsonist.
Only a few small things kept this from getting a 5-star review. Towards the beginning of the book, it seemed like the author was using a lot of highflautin jargon with no real purpose for doing so. That didn’t work with this particular story about small town life on an idyllic Greek island.
My other minor complaint is that the relationship between Athina and her mother Lydia didn’t seem particularly realistic. Sure, teenage girls and their mothers frequently have tense, volatile relationships. But some have perfectly happy and loving relationships without major blowouts or the kind of secrecy depicted in this book. Because there wasn’t much development of the relationship to explain why Lydia and Athina acted how they did towards each other, their relationship came off as cliche and based entirely on exaggerated stereotypes.
That being said, I did really enjoy the book and would recommend it.
I know they always say “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but I was initially drawn this book because of its vibrant cover. The story lived up to the promise of the colorful snap on the cover, with vibrant characters and a lot of intrigue. Some of the characters leapt off the page, particularly the amorous singing fisherman Stavros and the seductive bar owner Vassoula.
The main mystery of the story - who is the arsonist setting fires all over the island? - remained a mystery until its reveal. The author did a great job of building up suspense and identifying numerous possible suspects, any of who could have been the arsonist.
Only a few small things kept this from getting a 5-star review. Towards the beginning of the book, it seemed like the author was using a lot of highflautin jargon with no real purpose for doing so. That didn’t work with this particular story about small town life on an idyllic Greek island.
My other minor complaint is that the relationship between Athina and her mother Lydia didn’t seem particularly realistic. Sure, teenage girls and their mothers frequently have tense, volatile relationships. But some have perfectly happy and loving relationships without major blowouts or the kind of secrecy depicted in this book. Because there wasn’t much development of the relationship to explain why Lydia and Athina acted how they did towards each other, their relationship came off as cliche and based entirely on exaggerated stereotypes.
That being said, I did really enjoy the book and would recommend it.
briarsreviews's review
5.0
Fire on the Island by Timothy Jay Smith is an addicting, fun and thrilling ride around a small Greek village.
In this thriller, an FBI agent finds his way to a Greek island where fires keep happening. He is investigating why they are happening and who could have caused him. Along the way, he comes across local islanders and business owners trying their best to succeed and living their lives. He meets himself a fancy man who he begins to fall for, and who might not be who he says he is. Many other islanders face the same fate: there's a priest who isn't so saintly, a family struggling to keep their business afloat, an Albanian waiter who has lots of drama going on, and his new lover's sister is trying to get with every man no matter the relationships she ruins for them along the way.
This book is WILD. I was instantly stuck to it and truly intrigued about the ending. It took a bit for the entire story to piece itself together, but when it does it's absolutely marvelous. I can easily say this is one of my top 2020 reads. I couldn't put the book down!
There are some difficult topics in this book, like suicide and rape. Reader beware - this book doesn't go too crazy into these topics, but they are still there. The mystery and romance is much more in the fore front.
On another note: This book is LGBT friendly! Huzzah!
Overall, this book was excellent! I'd highly recommend picking this book up if you love mystery and suspense with a dash of romance.
Five out of five stars.
Thank you to Timothy Jay Smith and NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.
In this thriller, an FBI agent finds his way to a Greek island where fires keep happening. He is investigating why they are happening and who could have caused him. Along the way, he comes across local islanders and business owners trying their best to succeed and living their lives. He meets himself a fancy man who he begins to fall for, and who might not be who he says he is. Many other islanders face the same fate: there's a priest who isn't so saintly, a family struggling to keep their business afloat, an Albanian waiter who has lots of drama going on, and his new lover's sister is trying to get with every man no matter the relationships she ruins for them along the way.
This book is WILD. I was instantly stuck to it and truly intrigued about the ending. It took a bit for the entire story to piece itself together, but when it does it's absolutely marvelous. I can easily say this is one of my top 2020 reads. I couldn't put the book down!
There are some difficult topics in this book, like suicide and rape. Reader beware - this book doesn't go too crazy into these topics, but they are still there. The mystery and romance is much more in the fore front.
On another note: This book is LGBT friendly! Huzzah!
Overall, this book was excellent! I'd highly recommend picking this book up if you love mystery and suspense with a dash of romance.
Five out of five stars.
Thank you to Timothy Jay Smith and NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.
annarella's review
4.0
Even if it's sometimes is a bit confusing it was an entertaining and engrossing read.
I appreciated the plot and how the author faces the different issues.
The characters are quite well rounded even if not always likable.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I appreciated the plot and how the author faces the different issues.
The characters are quite well rounded even if not always likable.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
confessionsofabookworm's review
4.0
This was a romance thriller set in Greece. You follow Nick who is an FBI agent under the alias of a writer to find out who has been starting all of the fires on the island. I loved the writing style of it. You follow the romance of two of the characters and so much happens in between too. So many important issues are raised in this book that really make you think. I won’t go into too much detail as it would spoil the book for anyone wanting to read it. I would love to read more about the characters in this book and finding out who had been starting the fires at the end was someone that I had not predicted at all!
Thank you to the author for my gifted copy of this book for my honest review
Thank you to the author for my gifted copy of this book for my honest review