Virginia Fortescue bravely maneuvered her Red Cross ambulance through artillery fire and nighttime rescues during World War I. While transporting patients, Virginia meets British army surgeon, Captain Simon Fitzwilliam. Virginia is enchanted, but hears rumors that he is already married. However, Captain Fitzwilliam is enchanted and promises Virginia a divorce from the wife he was forced to marry for family money. The two are married in secret, but Virginia hears of more devastating rumors about her husband and decided to return to her father's home after the War. Virginia soon gives birth to a wonderful baby daughter, Evelyn and continues to receive letters from Simon who is renovating a family orchard and running a shipping company in Cocoa Beach, Florida. It isn't until a letter arrives that informs Virginia of Simon's death that she travels to Cocoa Beach to take over the business that she discovers the true nature of the lies and deceptions of the Fitzwilliam family. Cocoa Beach proved to be irresistible as soon as I dug in; combining the elements of danger in the prohibition age with romance and a menacing mystery. I have read Beatriz Williams' other books with some of the same characters, including Virginia and was glad to pick up her story again. While I loved The Wicked City and A Certain Age, it is not necessary to read those first. Virginia enters the scene in Cocoa Beach like a fighter; as a woman in 1922 and now a widow, Simon's lawyer figures she will be uninterested in the business that Simon carried out. Virginia makes it known that "...my wishes are your business now..." and I knew that Virginia would be a formidable character. I enjoyed that the writing switched back and forth between Virginia and Simon's time during World War I and 1922 in Cocoa Beach. Through these scenes I was able to know Virginia as a hero and an independent woman, I was also able to form an opinion about Simon. I was amazed at Virginia's fortitude as an ambulance driver and appreciated the compassionate love story despite the many times others attempted to derail it. The mystery is written with many layers and twists, I thought I knew where it was heading, and yet other elements kept getting thrown in for surprise after surprise. I was also pleased to see that the story will most likely continue as there is a cliffhanger at the end. This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

Headstrong Virginia Fortescue leaves her home and what's left of her family behind in New York City and begins driving an ambulance in France during World War I. While there she falls in love with a charismatic British army surgeon and as they begin a passionate love affair, she learns that Captain Simon Fitzwilliam is hiding secrets of his own.

Five years later and newly widowed Virginia Fitzwilliam has just arrived in Cocoa Beach, Florida to settle her husband's estate. There was a house fire, and while his brother confirmed it was indeed Simon inside the house, Virginia has her doubts that he's really dead. After all, Simon was cunning and kept his share of secrets from her - secrets that ruined their marriage and had Virginia fleeing back to New York very early on. But now she needs to uncover the truth, not for herself, but for the sake of their daughter.

I didn't find this one as good as her others. It goes back and forth between when Virginia met and fell in love with Simon and afterwards where we learn they are married but not together and they have a daughter Simon doesn't even know about. At first I didn't like that this was only about one character. Usually we have two different people from two different time periods. I also found that it was a bit overly descriptive; too wordy and repetitious at times. I do love Williams' writing - she paints a vivid picture with real characters. There was no shortage of secrets, lies, and manipulation. The story really picked up towards the end. But the actual ending - I do not understand what happened. I did not enjoy reading this book as much as I like it looking back on it now that it's over.

 
Falling in love and marrying during a war usually turns out to be a good thing, but for Virginia Fortescue Fitzwilliam it wasn't working out.

Virginia fell in love, married, and then spent hardly any time with her husband.  The war is over, she still hasn't seen him, and then she returns to the United States to her father and her sister.

Her family has secrets, and she finds out Simon does too. Simon seems to be the perfect manipulator and liar.

We follow Virginia and Simon Fitzwilliam as the book goes back and forth from WWI to after the war and as their love affair blossomed and faded and the secrets Simon held were revealed.

After three years of not seeing Simon, a fire in Cocoa Beach claimed his life, Virginia went there to settle things, and her adventure in Florida begins...well if you want to call it an adventure.   An adventure is to be fun, but Virginia runs into trouble and more secrets.

COCOA BEACH had beautifully detailed writing.  It was a bit slow at first, but the story line was marvelous as always and filled with mystery.

COCOA BEACH is another winner by Beatriz Williams that keeps you turning the pages wanting to know what really happened and what really was going on.  

Something sinister was brewing throughout, and the end will have you saying: What?  Who was the bigger liar?

ENJOY if you read COCOA BEACH...a marvelous, thoughtful read with mystery and a lot of questions.  4/5


This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.

I would recommend reading A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams before reading this book. You will understand more about Virginia's past if you read that book. This isn't necessarily a sequel to that book it just follows Virginia after the events of A Certain Age.

Virginia in A Certain Age held somewhat of a mystery about her so getting this expanded view into her life was great. You finally get to see how she met her husband and what led her to move back in with her father and sister.

In not sure that I enjoyed the back and forth between when Virginia first met Simon and the present day. I think I would have liked it more in chronological order. I did enjoy when a chapter ended with a letter from Simon to Virginia.

Towards the middle of the book the plot seemed to drag a bit and I became a little bit bored. I enjoyed when the book picked up towards the end and everything was revealed. I have to say that this was not my favorite one of Beatriz Williams' novels but it was still good.

I received this book from a  Librarything Early Reviewers giveaway. My review is not affected by that.