Love, Laughs & Mystery in Coco Key; Four brothers, a falling out, a family fortune, and an island. Lost treasure and found love. Plus the secret sister in this hilarious and heartwarming treasure hunt romantic comedy series where Schitts Creek meets Virgin River but on an island + the mystery and thrills of Lost City with Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum.
Could anything make visiting my sister on a tropical island better?
Actually, yes. I wish I could say my ex-boyfriend is an ex-con, but more like a current con-man. I’d rather not be hiding out, but I can’t think of a better location than this forgotten Florida Key.
I’m not complaining because my sis and I are besties. When she’s not working at a law firm, bonus, she’s side hustling a bookstore-café. I’m all about the beach reads until I do my sibling a solid and stand in for her to read a will—thankfully, not my own. At least not yet.
It’s rather mysterious, containing riddles and puzzles. Plus, the McGregor brothers aren’t bad to look at—I mean the scenery. It’s beautiful. Especially the second oldest—I mean the clear sky and turquoise sea. All this sunshine must be scrambling my brain.
Due to this inconvenient case of mistaken identity, I have to help the grumpiest McGregor brother, Royal, fix up the Driftwood Resort, a local landmark that he’d rather tear down. I have my work cut out for me. And by that, I mean making sure my ex doesn’t find me—and not falling for Royal McGregor, a prickly businessman with a pair of pewter eyes I can’t seem to escape.
...And as we explore, we discover the will is not what it seems. Then again, neither is he.
Is there anything worse than your boyfriend hooking up with your best friend?
Actually, yes. What’s worse is them getting married and asking me to be the maid of honor. Some might consider me a pushover for agreeing. I think of myself more as a peacemaker. Better not to make a scene. Already learned that lesson.
On the upside, the best man is the kind of ruggedly handsome that could cause a gal to experience a case of love at first sight. Despite his tough exterior, the moving speech he gave during the rehearsal dinner *might* have been why I swooned and fell into the pool.
Conveniently, the hotel made an error and we had to share a room. Magnus McGregor and Magnolia McGuiness are easy names to mix up. Probably. I think of the long conversation we had in the darkness well into the midnight hours as fate. But in a cruel twist, the next day he acted like we hadn’t shared secrets and dreams.
Never expecting to see Mag again, my surprise did cause me to make a scene when he rolled up on my island in his Jeep, wind tossed, sunkissed, and scowling because I have his dog. But I didn’t steal it. I swear.
...Then that butterball digs up a golden ring and it isn’t mine. At least not yet.
Would I rather run into anyone other than the guy I love to hate?
Actually, yes. I’d rather be beamed up by aliens or get chased by a pack of werewolves than physically run into my nemesis with my rental car. Thankfully, I was going under five miles an hour, but still. The celebrity football player with an ego the size of the Atlantic will never let me live down this incident.
My sisters insisted I take a long weekend and retreat to our aunt and uncle’s restaurant on what may as well be paradise island. They said I need a little R&R after the year I’ve had. They promised it would be fun. They insisted I lounge in a hammock.
They lied. They didn’t mention that Ryan McGregor would tease me all these years later. That he’d propose a fake relationship then flip that hammock over and kick sand at me when I said no. Okay, to be fair, that last part didn’t happen, but it may as well have. I know Ryan and he’d relish the opportunity then cackle like the jackal he is.
There’s just one problem and it’s a living, breathing—and irresistibly adorable, if I do say so myself—secret that he can never know. It’s the kind that’s hard to keep. But as for that R&R? More like R&D as I figure out this strange fluttering inside.
Because the treasure hunt on a moonlit night was purely platonic. Kind of. Shh. There was no kissing. Mostly.
If I had a do over, would I not have chosen to marry my husband?
Actually, yes and not for the expected reasons. See, it started with a smirk from across the crowded room. The next thing I knew, we danced the night away. Don’t get me wrong, I love the man with all my heart, but if I could rewind and start over, I would.
What happened next involved the casual mention of the Cartagena Catch—a rare treasure, for those not familiar with the lore—and a little fib on my part. Now we’re married and it’s too late to change my story. The thing is, we’re both seeking it but for different reasons. If he found out that mine include revenge and golden-eyed greed, he’d hate me.
CJ McGregor, pearl and pirate hunter extraordinaire, hooked me good, and I’m not willing to let him go. Not for anything because I have a job to do. I’m not a fisherman or a ballerina, but I’ve gone incognito as both. As for my true identity, I can’t give it up or I risk losing everything, including true love and my family’s legacy.
Now, his brothers are involved and this tiny island isn’t big enough for all this activity. With our relationship on the rocks, I have to be the first to find the treasure and then we can forget this whole thing happened and go on a cruise—at least I think that’s what normal couples do.
Then again, being a secret agent isn’t exactly normal, but I hope CJ doesn’t hand me over to the pirates when he learns the truth.
Do I regret falling in love with a man who I’ve never met in person and whose heart belongs to someone else?
Actually, yes because I should know better than to think I’d be anything but lonely this Christmas. If the grinch were a lady, I’d be her. I didn’t choose this for myself, but compounding factors make me dread the holiday and not only because it’s also my birthday.
But no one wants to hear that sob story. Instead, I help heroes and people who’ve transformed their lives tell theirs. After spending months emailing back and forth as I cowrite a veteran’s biography, we meet to finalize the manuscript before the deadline.
Every second spent with retired SEAL officer Alexander Armstrong is like being stabbed with icicle daggers because he’s taken. Dramatic, I know. To make matters worse, we get snowed in and have to spend Christmas together in a town called Holidayle of all places.
However, his focus turns to thawing out my heart when I learn the truth about his. We take long walks along glowing paths under the softly falling snow followed by peppermint mistletoe kisses. I don’t know why he’d bother when our lives are in different states and each of us bear scars from the past. We’ll need more than a miracle to make this work.
Then again, what else is this season for if not hope?
