Thursday, July 31, 2014

BOOK REVIEW: Paradise by Tess Oliver

Decided to kick off this book blog by celebrating the dog days of summer and featuring some great “beach reads.” 

First summer “vacation” stop…Tahiti with Jayden and Nick of…

May your beach days be filled with as much romance, humor, mystery, and adventure…and well maybe a little less danger!

Paradise (Girl Friday) by Tess Oliver


5 Stars 

When Jayden Clark gets screwed over (somewhat literally) by her co-worker boyfriend and loses her job, she can only nurse an orange soda hangover for so long.  A girl must move on and the Help Wanted page advertises the position for a Girl Friday at a real estate agency. (For those unfamiliar with the term “Girl Friday,” it’s pretty much a secretarial position that can include a little bit of everything but nothing specific in the job description.)

Though from the interview she doesn't know the hours, salary, or actual duties of the job, she does know it includes an all accommodations paid trip to Tahiti and a 6’4, long dark hair, green eyes, gorgeous lashes, ‘no alcohol needed to bed’ boss by the name of Nick Regent.  What’s not to love about that job?

There are a few red flag though that would give an otherwise less desperate applicant pause. The office looks fly by night and interview questions have more to do with birth control medications than job qualifications. But Jayden’s a girl primed to start a new adventure in her life so she accepts the job when offered on the spot.

Is there more behind the business than just beach side real estate? Is there more to Nick than just a hot body? What are Frankie’s intentions? And was Nick really talking about pirates?

Paradise (Girl Friday) is a cute and funny read with a mix of mystery and adventure. There’s plenty of humor to pull you into the story right from the beginning. The airplane scene is laugh out loud. Fairy dust!

The story is told from Jayden’s first person POV, and though Jayden has had her bout of bad luck, you won’t find any angst ridden or damaged characters here. Jayden is upbeat and adventurous. Nick is hot and mysterious. Together they have great chemistry and a few hot scenes. Gesundheit!

The ending, while not a cliffhanger, certainly leaves the hint for more adventures for Jayden and Nick (and Amazon’s listing indicates it is first in the series.) There is definitely potential here for future books and more intriguing adventures.

It’s a light-hearted page-turner, making it a great afternoon escape whether you are privileged to be under an umbrella in the sand with a soundtrack of breaking waves in the background or you’re simply in your air conditioned house.


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