Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday

Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday
"First I find out that my boyfriend is cheating on me. Then he’s pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And now he’s depending on me to clear his name. Seriously?

As much as I wouldn’t mind watching him squirm, I know that he’s innocent. So I’m brushing off my previously untapped detective skills and getting down to business. But I keep tripping over dead bodies and I’m still no closer to figuring out who did it. And what’s worse: all signs seem to point to me as the killer’s next victim.

I really need to pick a better boyfriend next time."- summary from Amazon

I absolutely love Halliday's adult mysteries and was excited to see that she was doing a YA series. This book is similar to her adult books (though not as steamy) and therefore just as good. Deadly Cool is very funny, a bit romantic, and, of course, suspenseful.

What I especially love, aside from the humor, was how the romance happened. Halliday did the same thing in her adult books and it's just more realistic. The romantic leads start off hating each other a bit and getting on each other's nerves, then slowly becoming friends throughout the first book and by the end of the first book, the romance is slowly building. They aren't together yet but you know they will be. I like that Halliday takes her time with the romances.

The mystery is handled really well and I had no idea who the killer could be until basically right before Hartley did. But mainly that's because I had time to think about it since I got to that part right when it was time to go to work for the day. Usually I'm not very good at figuring it out so it was nice to be right.

I can't wait for more from Halliday- this is a great start to a series- and it makes me want to finish up her High Heels mysteries.

FTC: Received ARC from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.