Cafe Tropicana

Ava Langston is looking to open up a coffee shop in her hometown of Bath but isn't having much luck. Leases for properties keep falling through or the properties themselves are located in unsuitable buildings or neighbourhoods. When her father phones her from Costa Rica offering her the chance to open up and run a coffee shop there, Ava decides to take him up on it. Once she arrives there, however, things are not quite what she expected. One, there's Santiago, her father's business partner whom she must compete with for the cafe, as he also wishes to run it. Two, there's her young stepmother Kiki, whom Ava just can't get a good read on, and three, there's Ryan, an attractive male friend of Kiki's that Ava is being set up with. Things get even more complicated as Ava realizes that she has feelings for Santiago as well. This is a great, entertaining read, perfect for the beach. Having recently returned from a holiday in Costa Rica, I was very impressed by the accurate facts about Costa Rica. Belinda Jones managed to bring back the memories of sighting the same animals, plants, and places that Ava sees while in the country. This novel lost one star from me due to Ava's frustrating indecisiveness; for example, dating one man isn't the best way to tell the one you really like that you're interested in him. Still the book contains for the most part likeable characters, great descriptions of tropical places, and romance. Fun!