Cocoa Beach A Novel

Beatriz Williams — 2017

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.

Reviews

Gisela Ayala @giselasmusings

Sep 7, 2022

“I was not falling in love; I was certainly not falling in love. Love was a fiction, written by Nature to disguise her real purpose. This sick, breathless sensation in my belly was only biology. This heat on my nerves. Only the instinct to procreate. Or something else, maybe. The recognition of imminent danger.” I.Did.Not.Know.Who.To.Trust. (Now read that again but clap between each word because that's EXACTLY how I described this book to my friend). I was expecting one thing, and got another but in a very good way. I was expecting an easy beachy read for the long weekend and was I mistaken. Coco Beach is a complete mystery filled with twists and turns at every corner. Alternating between the past (World World One) and the present (1922), Virginia's story unfolds throughout the book, and each chapter leaves at a cliff-hanger, which begs you to read more to find out what the heck happened. Being from Florida myself, and also very much into history, it is extremely interesting reading about Florida in the days when it was still this wild land filled with strange animals, fruit, storms, and people. So many familiar names were dropped throughout the book- Maitland, Winter Park, Miami- places that I either drive through all the time or have passed by before. At one point, I was on my way to the beach, driving past present-day Maitland and reading about it in 1922 when it was just all orange groves! Surreal doesn't even begin to describe this. If you love historical fiction, intrigue, mystery, the jazz age, bootleggers or all of that and more, read this. After that ending, I'm looking forward to reading more of Beatriz Williams's books.

Judy McClure@crazee4books

Dec 3, 2021

Wasn't overly impressed. Was eager to see how the author would solve the mystery and wrap up all the loose ends. Was more confused and annoyed than satisfied. Wait! What??? Huh??!!! Should not be how you feel when a book ends. Also wasn't a fan of the heroine Virginia. Ah well.