Book Review: Mai Tai One On by Jill Marie Landis

MAI TAI ONE ON
By Jill Marie Landis
Book 1 of the Tiki Goddess Series
Published July 1, 2011 – Book
August 24, 2011 – Kindle

Six months ago, if anyone would have told Em Johnson she’d end up divorced, broke, and running the dilapidated Tiki Goddess Bar on the magical North Shore of Kauai she would have told them to shove a swizzle stick up their okole.

As if all that isn’t bad enough, when an obnoxious neighbor with a grudge is found dead in the Goddess luau pit, suspicion falls on Em and the rest of the Goddess staff. With the help of a quirky dance troupe of over-the-hill Hula Maidens, Em and the cast of characters must ban together to find the killer and solve the mystery before the next pupu party.

I purchased this for my Kindle when there was a .99 cent special.  It sounded fun and came highly recommended by authors I love like Kristin Hannah and Carly Phillips.  This isn’t my typical genre but with the low price, I was willing to take a chance. 

I was expecting a little more “romance”, but it was mostly mystery with a comedic twist.  Since I have never been to Hawaii, some of the terms and way of life described in Hawaii was new to me.  I could see those who are familiar with the Hawaiian life-syle would appreciate that part of the book more.  I did appreciate the author making one of the characters from Iowa and not making her too “hickish”. 

Since there were a couple murders and an attempted murder in the story, you were easily drawn into finding out who was the next to fall and who the murderer was.  Even though the story leads you in several directions, I did guess the murderer early on, but it didn’t change my interest in finding out if and/or how that person would be caught. 

This was an enjoyable light read.  It is perfect for a weekend getaway or for taking a break from heavier reading.  It will make you laugh and make you wish you were relaxing at the Tiki Goddess bar yourself!  The fun part is, the author includes some signature Tiki Goddess drink recipes at the back of the book.  I may have to try out some of those!  I gave this 3 out of 5 stars. 

Check out this fun book trailer:

Check out the website  HERE for more Tiki Goddess information and to stayed tuned for information on Book 2 of the series!