Julia feels fully prepared to take on this position and to do great things for Addison, but it seems every time she turns around, Chrissy, her boss, is demeaning her and telling her how to better do her job. Her new co-workers, Poppy and Maya, seem eager to help Julia in her new role, but she is certain she didn't do the things she is being accused of, such as typos in gala programs and screw-ups with teleprompters during important events. Could someone at Addison be sabotaging her? Perhaps it's Chrissy? After all, Julia did spot her in a rather naked and compromising position with a patron's husband during an event on another patron's yacht. When she tells Mark about this occurrence, the pair can only laugh at the insanity of Julia's new job.
Mark is experiencing changes at work as well. During the first few months of Julia's new job, things have gotten busier in the Royal Coconut Beach location of Mark's law firm and he has hired a new associate who quickly becomes his right hand man. The only problem is that it's actually a young, raven-haired beauty named Olivia, and as Mark's work schedule kicks into high gear, it seems he's always on the phone with Olivia or shut off in his office. Gone are the days when Mark and Julia would have drinks on the patio and discuss their work days. But since Julia is so busy trying to make her mark in her job, she lets the changes slide.
As Julia gains new wealthy patrons for Addison, she also makes some new friends along the way. Prior to leaving her old law firm, she and fellow attorney Nina had always wanted to start the Royal Coconut Beach Lunch Club, complete with mandatory glasses of Prosecco, and it finally comes to fruition with the addition of Elise, one of Addison's patrons with whom Julia grows close, and also another like-minded attorney named Valerie, who eventually partners with Nina to form a new law firm.
Amidst the fabulous lunches at upscale country clubs and galas Julia must attend for her job, she meets an enigmatic Ambassador named JJ Mendoza, and there are immediate sparks between the pair. Julia is dedicated to Mark, but he's been so distant lately that she can't help but be charmed by this handsome older man with the sexy South American accent. And it's all in the course of her job, right? But then he keeps texting and calling and wanting to join her on morning runs. Alarm bells should be going off for her, but Julia is becoming smitten and loves the attention.
Things start to get weird at Addison when a huge donor check goes missing from Julia's desk. Shame on her for not locking it up, but still. Before long, there's word of other missing funds and even a dead body in the Addison parking garage, a familiar face at that. If only Julia could talk to Mark about all of this stuff, but he is busy with Olivia and very prickly lately. If Julia doesn't figure all of this out soon, she could lose it all. Fortunately, she has the ladies of the Royal Coconut Beach Lunch Club to hash it all out over a cold glass of Prosecco.
Royal Coconut Beach Lunch Club is a beach read rather than a thriller, so don't let the dead body get you excited if you like chills and thrills. Personally, I had a hard time relating to Julia because she let's herself get railroaded by her boss without standing up to her, and she lets her husband push her away, bit by bit as well. It seems like a few conversations could have nipped a lot of this in the bud, and she's a lawyer, for crying out loud! Why is she letting this aging bimbo boss of hers treat her like a moron? It just annoyed me, personally. But if you enjoy stories about "ladies who lunch" and the seedy underbelly of the ultra elite of a beachy community, with all of the sordid affairs and white collar crime associated therein, you'll probably get a kick out of Royal Coconut Beach Lunch Club.
