I recently read – and reviewed! – Beatriz Williams’ novel, A Certain Age, and Cocoa Beach picks up right where that novel left off. In A Certain Age, we’re introduced to the protagonist in this novel, Virginia, who is the older sister of Sophie. Virginia has a young daughter and is supposedly married to a man she met while serving as an ambulance driver in France during World War I. But there are suspicions about Virginia’s marriage brought up during that book, and I was pleased to get all of my questions answered during Cocoa Beach.

When this novel begins, Virginia has received word that her husband has died in a house fire in Florida, and her presence is needed to settle his estate. So she arrives in Florida with her daughter, Evelyn, and lots of questions. During the course of the novel, she learns more about what her husband was doing in Florida and about her husband’s brother and sister, who gladly welcome her into their lives as they all try to grieve Simon’s death.

The novel alternates between present-day 1920s Florida and World War I, when Virginia and Simon first meet and fall in love. I love a good love story, as everyone knows, and there was something so precious about Virginia and Simon. Virginia is someone who has been overlooked her whole life and wasn’t sure how to deal with Simon’s attention, and Simon is charismatic and romantic and overzealous in his affection for Virginia.

This book took so many twists and turns, and I really wasn’t expecting it to be such a crazy novel. Every time I thought I knew what was happening, the novel took a completely different turn. I really, really loved how crazy the plot was and how I never knew who to really trust throughout the entire novel. At a certain point, I had to tell myself to stop trying to solve the mystery and just read the novel blindly.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the setting and time period. Of course, any novel set in Florida has my heart, and reading about Florida during the Prohibition era was fascinating. The 1920s is one of my favorite time periods to read about because it was such a great era – women coming into their own and honing their power.

I also cannot review this novel without talking about the writing, which was outstanding. Beatriz Williams writes in such a beautiful way that truly captures the essence of the human spirit. There was one particular part in the novel, and I hesitate to say anything more because I don’t want to spoil any part of this enchanting read, where I felt like I was fully immersed in Virginia and what she was going through. I felt so connected to her in a way I haven’t felt connected to a character in such a long time. I credit that to Williams’ outstanding writing.

This novel is perfect for people who enjoy a good historical drama and love a novel that has tons of unexpected twists and turns. While I wish the ending wasn’t wrapped up so abruptly, it’s still a novel I had no trouble giving 5 of 5 stars. Pick this one up!

Goodreads synopsis:

The New York Times bestselling author of A Certain Age transports readers to sunny Florida in this lush and enthralling historical novel—an enchanting blend of love, suspense, betrayal, and redemption set among the rumrunners and scoundrels of Prohibition-era Cocoa Beach.

Burdened by a dark family secret, Virginia Fortescue flees her oppressive home in New York City for the battlefields of World War I France. While an ambulance driver for the Red Cross, she meets a charismatic British army surgeon whose persistent charm opens her heart to the possibility of love. As the war rages, Virginia falls into a passionate affair with the dashing Captain Simon Fitzwilliam, only to discover that his past has its own dark secrets—secrets that will damage their eventual marriage and propel her back across the Atlantic to the sister and father she left behind.

Five years later, in the early days of Prohibition, the newly widowed Virginia Fitzwilliam arrives in the tropical boomtown of Cocoa Beach, Florida, to settle her husband’s estate. Despite the evidence, Virginia does not believe Simon perished in the fire that destroyed the seaside home he built for her and their young daughter. Separated from her husband since the early days of their marriage, the headstrong Virginia plans to uncover the truth, for the sake of the daughter Simon never met.

Simon’s brother and sister welcome her with open arms and introduce her to a dazzling new world of citrus groves, white beaches, bootleggers, and Prohibition agents. But Virginia senses a predatory presence lurking beneath the irresistible, hedonistic surface of this coastal oasis. The more she learns about Simon and his mysterious business interests, the more she fears that the dangers that surrounded Simon now threaten her and their daughter’s life as well.

You can connect with Beatriz Williams on her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Her book is available to buy from Amazon, HarperCollins, and Barnes & Noble. 

Click here to add this book to Goodreads!

I received a copy of this novel for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All words and opinions, unless otherwise stated, are my own.

No affiliate links were used in this post.

Some of the things I can always count on in a Trigiani novel: Italian families, strong character development, and enough talk about delicious pasta dishes to make me hungry. Kiss Carlo had everything that I know and love about Adriana Trigiani, and it’s the kind of novel that just reverberates with the feeling of family – family that may be a little too loud and overbearing at times, family that might not always understand you, but family that you can count on to be in your corner no matter what.

In Kiss Carlo, we follow the story of Nicky Castone, who lost his parents at a young age and has lived with his aunt and uncle in Philadelphia – who had a full house of their own with their three boys – ever since. When the novel begins, Nicky is 30 and working for his uncle’s taxi and telegram delivery company. On the side, he works at a local struggling theater and has dreams of becoming an actor. He’s also engaged to Peachy, and has been for seven years, so it’s time to set a date and marry her.

But when Nicky is given a part in a play at the theater, he starts to have dreams that are far bigger than Philadelphia and Peachy and marriage and family. He wants to be someone. He wants to be known.

I’ll be honest that this novel was a bit of a slog for me. First of all, it’s over 500 pages and I found that there were so many unnecessary side plots that didn’t add anything to the story. I think this book could have been a manageable 300-350 page novel without those stories and it would have been a stronger book overall. It just floated along at this meandering pace that never seemed like it was going anywhere until it finally did around page 350. I kept waiting for the story to begin and that’s never a good thing.

It’s a good book, don’t get me wrong. Trigiani is a fabulous writer and she writes in an engrossing and lively way that makes the characters come alive on the pages, but I just wish the novel was shorter and that the plot was a bit stronger. It felt like there were a billion different plots in this novel, every one getting resolved at a different time (some early in the book, some at the end, etc.)

I’ve read nearly everything Trigiani has written, but I have to be honest and say this one wasn’t my favorite.

Goodreads synopsis:

It’s 1949 and South Philadelphia bursts with opportunity during the post-war boom. The Palazzini Cab Company & Western Union Telegraph Office, owned and operated by Dominic Palazzini and his three sons, is flourishing: business is good, they’re surrounded by sympathetic wives and daughters-in-law, with grandchildren on the way. But a decades-long feud that split Dominic and his brother Mike and their once-close families sets the stage for a re-match.

Amidst the hoopla, the arrival of an urgent telegram from Italy upends the life of Nicky Castone (Dominic and his wife’s orphaned nephew) who lives and works with his Uncle Dom and his family. Nicky decides, at 30, that he wants more—more than just a job driving Car #4 and more than his longtime fiancée Peachy DePino, a bookkeeper, can offer. When he admits to his fiancée that he’s been secretly moonlighting at the local Shakespeare theater company, Nicky finds himself drawn to the stage, its colorful players and to the determined Calla Borelli, who inherited the enterprise from her father, Nicky must choose between the conventional life his family expects of him or chart a new course and risk losing everything he cherishes.

From the dreamy mountaintop village of Roseto Valfortore in Italy, to the vibrant streets of South Philly, to the close-knit enclave of Roseto, Pennsylvania, to New York City during the birth of the golden age of television, Kiss Carlo is a powerful, inter-generational story that celebrates the ties that bind, while staying true to oneself when all hope seems lost.

Told against the backdrop of some of Shakespeare’s greatest comedies, this novel brims with romance as long buried secrets are revealed, mistaken identities are unmasked, scores are settled, broken hearts are mended and true love reigns. Trigiani’s consummate storytelling skill and her trademark wit, along with a dazzling cast of characters will enthrall readers. Once again, the author has returned to her own family garden to create an unforgettable feast. Kiss Carlo is a jubilee, resplendent with hope, love, and the abiding power of la famiglia.

You can connect with Adriana Trigiani on her website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Her book is available to buy from Amazon, HarperCollins, and Barnes & Noble.

Click here to add this book to Goodreads!

I received a copy of this novel for free from TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. All words and opinions, unless otherwise stated, are my own.

No affiliate links were used in this post.