Holly Hillbay considers herself a darned good private
investigator, no matter what her ex-fiancé, Brad the Cad,
thinks. Her latest case involves going undercover in a
Tuesday evening book club at the Books on the Beach
bookstore in Goleta, California. Her client wants to prove
that his wife, Tanya, is having an affair with the very
sexy, extremely handsome owner of the store, Wes Brockman.
However, Holly soon learns that Tanya is interested in
another male member of the book club, Cullen, as are
several other women in the group. When Cullen ends up dead
in the club meeting room of the bookstore, the police seem
eager to pin the crime on Wes, but Holly is not so sure
they're right. As much as she'd like to believe that the
hunky Wes is guilty, the facts just don't fit.
Holly soon finds herself hired by Wes to prove his
innocence and to find out who really murdered Cullen.
However, Wes insists on being in on the investigation,
which doesn't sit well with Holly. It's not just that she's
a loner, but Wes makes her libido shift into hot overdrive,
and mixing business and pleasure is never a good idea.
Holly soon discovers that Wes is hiding something from his
past that he doesn't want uncovered. To complicate matters
further, he's trying to figure out what caused her to be so
tough and determined.
With a large cast of characters adding many layers and
twists to the plot, it's not an easy job keeping track of
all the possible motives or probable culprits. Jennifer
Apodaca, best known for her Samantha Shaw mystery
series, enters the contemporary romance arena with an
interesting whodunit filled with fun characters.
She’s a sharp-tongued, rebel P.I. who eats idiots for
breakfast. He’s a sexy bookstore owner who may or may not
be a womanizing killer. Then again, nobody’s perfect…
Holly Hillbay is a kick-ass rule breaker with an 80’s
jacket-sized chip on her sexy shoulder. Want a piece of
her? Get in line, pal. What Holly loves most is her job as
a P.I. Bringing in pond scum who cheat on their wives makes
her day. Like this guy, Wes Brockman, owner of Books on the
Beach. Apparently, he’s slipping between the covers with
another man’s wife. Joining Wes’s cozy book club is the
perfect way to get close to him and expose him for the
lying, cheating, pseudo-intellectual creep that he is. He
probably wears a turtleneck and a beret. Or not…
Problem numero uno: Wes Brockman is one seriously sexy hunk
of man who fires up Holly’s dormant libido faster than she
can say, “I’ll take this in hardcover.” The guy should come
in a home game version. Plus, he’s made it clear that
Holly’s in-your-face attitude is a total turn on. Gulp.
Holly doesn’t think Wes is having an affair—not yet, at
least (note to self: bikini wax…)—but she’s pretty sure the
mysterious, dangerous vibe he gives off is no act. He’s
hiding something, and she intends to find out exactly what
it is…especially when one of the book club members is found
dead in the store’s meeting room.
Now, with a page opened to secret identities, blackmail,
betrayal, murder, and sex on the beach (the drink) and,
well, sex on the beach (not the drink), Holly’s into a case
that is anything but by-the-book and one that’s riskier,
hotter, and more delicious than she ever dreamed possible…