Heather’s Bookshelf: Reunion Cruise
Author: Maria A. Palace
Released: 12/09/25
Genre: Crime Mystery
“Margot had just entered her apartment and kicked off her heels. Work was getting to be a real drag. Things weren’t exactly going as she had hoped. She shouldn’t have to work this hard.”
“Reunion Cruise” follows Margarita Kauzlaskas from her early days as an immigrant school girl from Lithuania and through adulthood.
Margarita realizes two things at a very young age. 1. She’s more beautiful than most and her looks can get her ahead. 2. She will stop at nothing to get what she wants. In high school, she changes her name to Margot and does not look back.
Moving to NYC, Margot leaves her besties, her boyfriend, and her parents behind in pursuit of her dreams. She soon finds a place to live and lands a job as a temp at a very prestigious firm. There she befriends Bethany and her husband Charles. She is also introduced to their number one client, Burton Magnuson. Burt is a married businessman who expresses a desire for more than friendship from Margot. Along the way, Margot can’t help but take what she wants, no matter who she hurts.
Some time later, Margot convinces her four best friends to go on a cruise to Bermuda. Secrets and consequences emerge and a body goes overboard. FBI Agent Heller investigates…will he find the truth?
Trigger Warning: violence, sexual situations, drug use, adultery, adult language, reference to miscarriage, cancer-related death
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It is not what I expected, but I enjoyed it all the same. The main character, Margot, is highly unlikable. She’s extremely selfish, disloyal, and an opportunist. She also completely disregards her relationships and friendships if it benefits her fiscally or from a power standpoint. Having said all that, I loved following her journey. Every time I thought she had outdone herself, she’d do something else that was despicable. Many of the other characters were also well-developed with personalities and backstories to match. I do wish that there had been one male who wasn’t an absolute stereotypical sex-crazed neanderthal. The mystery aspects of the story were fun and there’s a twist which was a bit obvious but still fit in nicely. The pacing of the story is where the book becomes a bit challenging. The first 2/3 of the story leads up to the actual “reunion cruise”. I enjoyed that part of the book the most as it gives a lot of background and personality to the story. The cruise itself was also eventful, but seemed to pull away from Margot’s sense of self-preservation. The last section of the book was an absolute disaster. An FBI agent is introduced who seems more distracted by Margot’s looks and breaking the law than actually solving any crime. This section also seems extremely rushed and without much resolution- especially in comparison to the rest of the book.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A character-driven story that results in a mystery with a twist that falters with uneven pacing and a lackluster ending.
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Check out my interview with Maria A. Palace
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