Lucky Beach

Escape to Maui #2

by JoAnn Bassett

Monica Gomez of Rio Blanco, Arizona, is one lucky twenty-nine-year-old. She's smart, pretty, and single. Oh yeah, and a year ago she won forty-five million dollars in a magazine sweepstakes. But as luck would have it, hitting the jackpot triggered an avalanche of misery. Her former boss claims the money is his and he's spent the past year dragging her to court and feeding lurid stories to the tabloid press. Former friends and newly-discovered "family members" pester her day and night demanding cash for their illnesses, their business ideas, or for just being "kin." Sick of hassling over her newfound riches, Monica abruptly moves to Maui, Hawaii. She's looking for a new start, a blank slate. But soon after arriving she's accosted at a Honokowai grocery store by a brawny, wickedly handsome local guy who hits her up for a donation to the Maui Food Bank. Will it never end? Luckily, she's introduced to a good-looking single guy in her posh Kapalua neighborhood whose wealth far surpasses her own. Finally, a guy who "gets" her. But who is he, really? And how much will it cost her to find out? Her fortune, her self-esteem—maybe even her life?

Genres: Contemporary Romance

346 pages, Paperback

Published March 7, 2016

About the author

JoAnn was born and raised in Seattle, but always preferred palm trees to pine trees. She wrote instructional books and videos for a living but dreamed of "making stuff up" once she put the working life behind her. In 1996, she and her husband bought a home on Maui. Best day ever. She loved living on the beach but her husband longed to get back to "normal" so they moved to Arizona. Now JoAnn writes about life in the islands as a way to stay connected. Her "Islands of Aloha" mystery series will feature a story set in each of the major Hawaiian islands, starting with Maui.

Reviews

[Allie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

[Eve Gaal · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend who reviewed my book, which is also set in Hawaii, told me I’d love Lucky Beach and he was right. The story begins with Monica winning the lottery and then dealing with a crazy, newfound publicity which quickly inspires her to getaway from it all. She decides to move to Maui where almost everything begins to crumble faster than lava rock hitting the fan palms of destiny. Bassett uses colorful language and tons of humor to get us through the twists and turns. Her tender use of native words and Maui landmarks drew me farther into the adventure. It’s a fast read full of great dialogue-- mystery and romance that kept me interested until the end—especially when Monica’s loving dog Pima-- a gray schnauzer goes missing and doesn’t turn up for days. The main characters are fantastic but even the minor characters have depth and personality. How can a person win millions of dollars and still end up in so much trouble? You’ll have to read Lucky Beach to find out.

[Nancy Wilkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably more like a 3.5. We have all fantasized about winning a huge amount of money... Wondering what we would do in that situation. We overlook the problems associated with that money and this book goes to some of that. Derek was creepy from the start so that whole relationship was weird. Bev Strong was a friend but not a friend. The book was okay but it seemed to stumble in places. I liked Chloe but I'm not sure what part she really played. Just okay.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be careful what you wish for even if you forgot you did!

This was a very interesting book. Her life changed in an instant & just kept on changing, sometimes not for the better. Monica is a naive woman who couldn’t understand people. Her life was taken care of by an assistant & when she decided to leave things just fell apart. When you think nothing else can happen, it does & she doesn’t have a clue what to do first after her assistant leaves her side. It was interesting see what happened next & stuff just kept happening. I enjoyed this book. It was a fast read & I won’t say I couldn’t put it down. I just didn’t want to!

[Kathy Hyde · Rating 2 out of 5]

This has to be one of the worst books I’ve read. I liked the first book in the series, Mai Tai Butterfly. It had characters you cared about, a worthy plot, and a fun atmosphere. Lucky Beach was the opposite. Struggled to care about the characters. Couldn’t believe the plot nor that the main character was really as stupid as she was written. A person who was orphaned and grew up hard wouldn’t catch onto all the hints? Really? Didn’t feel thrilled and satisfied with the ending other than it was finally over!

[Sharon Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and quick read. There was a little bit of everything in this book. A little fun, a little bit of Maui, a little sadness, a little suspense, a little love, a little frustration, and a little happy ending. I enjoyed this read during a super busy and stressing time in my life. I am anxious to go on to the next book.

[Laurie Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keeps my interest

Funny, I’m not usually a reader of romance novels but this author keeps my interest on every page. I’ll keep reading her books!

[Gloria]

Interesting fun fast read when you need something light. It kept me entertained and a great escape from every day happenings.

[Laurie Hanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

We’ve all fantasized about what we would do if we won the lottery. We’ve all heard the stories of someone who won millions, and it ruined their life. We’ve all believed we could do better. In Lucky Beach, we get to ride along with Monica Gomez as she figures out what to do with $45 million in lottery winnings – and how to keep a step ahead of all the greedy people who’d like to get their hands on her money. The story starts as Monica arrives in Maui, hoping to distance herself from the turmoil in Arizona and start living the kind of life she’s been dreaming of. But what she finds in Maui is anything but peaceful island living. She buys a multi-million dollar ocean-view home, and that’s when things really start to fall apart. Every time you think it’s as bad as it can get, something else happens. This is a fast paced, entertaining read with some real life lessons woven in.

[Marsha Newlen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice way to relax and enjoy reading

I think I have read all of the books by Joann Bassett. I really want t her to write more. I liked her outlook on life. Her characters were likeable. And her philosophy about having money was refreshing. I love the islands and her description of the island people was heartwarming.

[Ana C · Rating 2 out of 5]

A maneira da autora escrever é cativante, mas o livro vai além de extenso. Começa como uma comédia romântica, vira livro policial/thriller - com um final tosco e apressado. Não acho que leria outro livro dela.. Sou mais fã de histórias concisas.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy all of the authors books. but with this one, I feel there were a few chapters missing. thinking that someone did an awful job of editing .

[Kathy Hobel]

Enjoyed

I Enjoyed the book, loved the dog!
Like the idea of a series of stand-a-lone's as I don't always see the first, etc, in a series.
Keep up the good work

[carol taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucky Beach

I love all the books and really enjoyed this one really funny too the plot was great what a story

[Kathleen M. Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Fun Read

Joanna Basset has done another fun book set in Hawaii. I miss Pali Moon but this character was charming. Great story line. A good beach read.

[Christine]

Lovely!

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of light beach reading, not bad.