Beach Reads—Sunny, Funny and Surfside

By Linda Lovely

When I head to the beach, I want love and laughs, not tears. I’m on vacation. Time to forget the real world, the tragedies in the news, the weeds in my garden, the deadlines that loom.

So how do I select what books to pack? A promise of laughs is my number one criteria. No tear-jerker endings. No torture scenes. No unresolved issues.

If possible, the books are set somewhere waves can lap at my heroine’s feet. All the better to imagine myself in her flip flops with shared sand between our toes.

If you have similar preferences for your vacation reads, I highly recommend two books: The Secret Language of Leah Sinclair, written by Robin Weaver, a fellow Romancing the Genres blogger, and Dying for a Daiquiri, written by humorous romance author Cindy Sample.

I don’t pay a lot of heed to classifications, but I guess The Secret Language of Leah Sinclair falls into the YA (young adult) paranormal category, since one of its main characters is a talking dolphin and the heroine is a sixteen-year-old.

Am I a young adult? Uh, hardly. Am I going to attempt a conversation with a dolphin? No. But I thoroughly enjoyed this seaside romp. It made me recall both the angst and joy of being a teenage girl with a world full of possibilities and potential. Plus, Rocket, Leah’s dolphin companion, is a snarky delight, who mangles the English language in wonderfully perverse ways.

Here’s a synopsis minus any spoiler: Leah’s secret best friend, Rocket—a dolphin— confides that criminal activity threatens his pod. He wants Leah’s help. But she fears she’ll end up a CIA test subject if her secret ability slips. So what can she do? She risks telling Chase, her teen heartthrob, who joins her in battling dangerous thugs. Too bad Chase has the hots for another girl. Worse, if he reveals Leah’s secret, she may end up swimming with the fishes—permanently. Here's a link to the ebook on Amazon: amazon.com/dp/B00I5P3VZ8   

My second book choice, Dying for a Daiquiri, is a romantic laugh-laced who-done-it set in Hawaii, an exotic locale that author Sample fully exploits for atmosphere and hijinks. This is the third book in Sample’s “Dying” series, featuring single soccer mom Lauren McKay.  

The plot? A best friend’s destination wedding lures Lauren, her mom, and more of our heroine’s zany friends

to the Big Island where Lauren’s brother owns a restaurant/club. Soon, however, the death of a dancer makes Lauren’s brother a murder suspect. Naturally, it’s not long before the killer wants to put the skids to Lauren’s snooping.

Dying for a Daiquiri will make you hanker to visit Hawaii, where spectacular sunsets accompany those daiquiris. You’ll also want to order life-size posters of the two hunks vying for Laurel’s kisses. Best of all, you’ll laugh out loud at this single mom’s humor and pluck—even when her life’s hanging by a thread.

Sample serves up a cocktail of vacation adventure, sexy interludes, raucous laughs, and mystery. A perfect vacation from reality in any season. Here's a link to the ebook on Amazon: amazon.com/dp/B00FK5UW4Y 


Of course, I also would love you to check out Dead Line, the first book in my Smart Women, Touch Luck series of romantic thrillers. Here's a link to the ebook on Amazon:  amazon.com/dp/B00K6T429U

There's a tropical setting (Jamaica) in this one, too, but more suspense (and heat) than laughs.