Reviewed by Nikyta
Title: Life’s a Beach
Author: Poppy Dennison
Series: Coconut Cove Episode #1
Heroes: Flynn & Seth
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 24,373 words
Publisher: Wilde City Press
Release Date: August 20, 2014
Available at: Wilde City Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: Welcome to Coconut Cove where you’ll always find oiled beach bodies, palm trees, tropical drinks, and plenty of drama!
Coconut Cove is the hottest new sensation to sweep the nation — a gay teen drama filled to the brim with hot stars and even hotter action. It’s catching the public’s attention and winning their hearts. But all the drama, heartache, and life lessons aren’t just for the characters on the screen. The fledgling actors behind the scenes have more than their fair share of love and catastrophes. They may only play teens on TV but when it comes to romance, these twenty-somethings still have lessons to learn.
From the scheming ex determined to cash in on a rising star, to the hunky high school crush resurrected from ancient history—from the nice guy with a naughty past, to the snarky diva with attitude—there’s plenty of scandalous hidden affairs and seriously sexy demons hiding in just about everyone’s closet on Coconut Cove.
You just have to be ready to drink it in. Bottoms up … or should we say off?
Review:
Flynn Wright needs to get out of LA. When the opportunity to star in an up and coming gay teen drama called Coconut Cove, he jumps at the chance to finally get a lead on a show and leave Los Angeles behind him. Coconut Cove is all that he hopes it’ll be. With an instant connection between his co-stars, Flynn can finally breathe again. While filming the show he meets local bartender, Seth, but while the attraction between them is strong, Seth doesn’t know if he’s up to dating someone famous. When Flynn’s ex makes an appearance, Seth’s forced to make a decision – deal with the limelight or give up on Flynn.
Omg, I ADORED these two! For such a short story, this book definitely had a lot to it. I loved that Flynn, while famous, was still considerate and nice. He had none of the entitled, arrogant attitude that some of his other co-stars had. At the same time, Seth was more arrogant and rude than Flynn, although that had more to do with Seth not liking his bar being taken over by fans and groupies. Still, I loved Seth because he was so complex. He hated that Flynn was famous but he couldn’t stop wanting Flynn and all that meant. The two together are sweet, hot and definitely have potential.
This story is a bit different than other books I’ve read with actors. In this one, it’s a telling of two stories – the ‘real’ story and romance between Seth and Flynn and the telling of the TV show Coconut Cove, that Flynn was cast for. At first, I was very surprised when I realized I was reading a passage from Mack, the 16-year old that Flynn plays on Coconut Cove. However, after my shock, I was very intrigued with the storyline of Coconut Cove to the point that I even want to read a FULL story of the show! Hell, I really want it as a TV show!
My only complaint with this one is that it’s TOO SHORT! OMG, I was sooooo engrossed in the story that I may have possibly sobbed when I realized I read the last word. I WANT MORE! Plus, it would have been great to see more of Flynn and Seth together once all the dust settled, so to speak.
In the end, this was a fast-paced, engaging and hella entertaining story! I loved the mix of real life and Coconut Cove storytelling. It definitely made things interesting and I know I was wondering what would happen in BOTH worlds. I adored both Seth and Flynn and while I really wish it had been a 100 pages longer, I still loved it.
Reading this book was one of the best hours of my week! I’m really looking forward to the rest of the episodes in this series and seeing all the other endearing (and not so endearing!) characters get their own story (and hopefully see more of Flynn and Seth). If you’re looking for something short, entertaining and a bit different, give this one a try!
Overall Impression: I loved it!
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*
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