Just Beachy

By Wendy Wax

ISBN: 9780593335963

Website: authorwendywax.com

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra                   

Summary:
After losing her long-time acting gig on the hit show Murder 101, Sydney Ryan decides she needs a break from Hollywood politics. She heads to Treasure Island, Florida where her grandmother has been visiting and now refuses to leave. Sydney’s plan to lay low for a bit quickly goes awry though, as she is swept up in her grandmother’s now flourishing social life—Grand not only bought a new house in Casas de Flores, she’s also helping her neighbor Myra open a bookstore in Pass-a-Grille. But when someone breaks into Grand’s house repeatedly Sydney realizes her grandmother is keeping something from her.
 
Determined to ferret out the truth and protect her grandmother, Sydney enlists the help of the Ten Beach Road ladies and Luke, a local police officer who was once her high school crush. While Sydney puts her television crime solving skills to the test, she decides to act on the sizzling chemistry between her and Luke. And as Sydney spends more sunsets toasting to true friends and new romance, she begins to wonder if the sun is setting on her time in Hollywood and if this town could be the dawn of a new chapter. (Goodreads)

Review:

Well, first off, this is the first full-length book by Wendy Wax that I have read (previously read her novella – A Bella Flora Christmas – and unfortunately was not very impressed). This title is definitely a step up and one that I really enjoyed. So much so that I gave it a rating of ‘5’!

Sydney Ryan is an actress on the show Murder 101 (filmed in Hollywood) and is unceremoniously let go from the series by having her character (Cassie Everheart) committed to rehab for an alcohol problem. So what is a gal to do?  Well… go visit friends and family on the East Coast while gathering her bearings after this setback of course!   Sydney heads back to the east coast, her mother (Tonja Kay), friends, and her grandmother – Lillian Louise Wilde (affectionately known as Grand). Seems that Grand wants to move to Treasure Island, Florida, and her daughter (Sydney’s mother) is not happy about this and hopes that Sydney can talk Grand into at least moving into a senior’s residence.

Unbeknownst to Sydney or Tonja, Grand has found and put an offer on a place to buy…so in order to keep an eye on Grand, Sydney agrees to move in with Grand in this new Gulf home. And this is where some of the intriguing events start to occur. For one -> break-ins at the new home. While trying to figure out why this is happening, Sydney reconnects with an old flame (Luke Hayes) who just happens to be with the local constabulary. Grand is also trying to help her friend and neighbour, Myra open a bookstore in Pass-a-Grille. Sydney starts to wonder what Grand is not telling her!  That is something that I will not divulge, as that is an integral part of the story J Suffice it so say – this is all part of the charm of the book.

I got quite a chuckle out of Sydney’s ringtone for her mother – The Psycho theme song! Or the name of a restaurant on the sliver-shaped barrier island on the Gulf of Mexico call The Hurricane – what were they thinking? Another challenge Sydney has is that everyone (I mean the bartender at Harley’s) will not serve Sydney a drink because all he sees in her is Cassie Everheart, who was sent to rehab… he does not want her to relapse. Seems he is not able to separate the character from the real person, much to Sydney’s chagrin. The storyline around this scenario certainly had me smiling.

As with all good mysteries, it does take a while for Sydney to uncover the truth as to why the break-ins are happening. It also takes a while for Sydney to come to accept the new path her life is on – but a path with some new and exciting possibilities.

I must agree with another review that I read with respect to the intimate scenes between Sydney and Luke – I could have done with less detail and let my imagination do the rest.

Overall, Just Beachy is a good read which kept my attention throughout and in the end – wanting more from this author and the series. It was a humorous read with a bit of a mystery mixed in as well as a romantic component. Just Beachy must have been good, as I did read it in record time!!! 🙂