Tuesday, March 27, 2012

REVIEW: "Wanna Get Lucky?" by Deborah Coonts

Why this book?: I received this book to review, but I chose it now because I wanted something different. I've been reading a lot of teen paranormal romance lately, and I needed something new.

Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for a review. I am not being compensated for this review, and all thoughts are my own.

Type: Series, Fiction, Fiction with romantic elements, Mystery, Las Vegas, Girl knows what she's doing, Living The High Life

About the bookA young woman plunges from a Las Vegas sightseeing helicopter, landing in the Pirate's lagoon in front of the Treasure Island Hotel in the middle of the 8:30 Pirate Show.  Almost everyone writes her off as another Vegas victim. 
But Lucky O'Toole smells a rat.  She's head of Customer Relations at The Babylon, the newest, most opulent mega-casino and resort on the Strip, so she's got a lot on her plate: the Adult Film industry's annual awards banquet, a spouse-swapping convention, sex toy purveyors preying on the pocket-protector crowd attending ElectroniCon....  Still, Lucky can't resist turning over a few stones. 
When a former flame is one of the snakes she uncovers, Lucky's certain she's no longer dealing with an anonymous Sin City suicide.  To top it all off, Lucky's best friend Teddie--Las Vegas' finest female impersonator--presses to take their relationship to the next level.  Leave it to Lucky to attract a man who looks better in a dress than she does.
Lucky must manage the Babylon's onslaught of outrageous festivities, solve a murder, and struggle to keep her life and libido from spinning out of control... not to mention keep her balance in six inch heels. 

My Review: "Wanna Get Lucky?" is one of those books that runs across genres - chick-lit, romance, mystery, fiction, etc. And while it is certainly not a shining example of each genre, when you mix them all together you get one heck of a good ride. I received this book to review, and I found it a little daunting at first because of the length.. But after picking it up, I got so sucked into the story that those four hundred plus pages just flew by. 

I've never been to Vegas, though it is on my wish list. But after reading about Lucky O'Toole's Vegas, I might have to find a way to move Vegas up the list. Lucky shows us the other side of Vegas - no, not the dark side. Lucky's story gives readers a chance to see the gears turning in Las Vegas, how the staff at these massive hotels really get things done and make their guests' stay absolutely fabulous. 

There are quite a few characters to keep track of in "Wanna Get Lucky?" so be prepared to meet a lot of people. In the very beginning, it was hard for me to keep up with absolutely everyone, but you see everyone so often, and just about all of them are important to the plot, so by the end of the novel I could identify every character and say exactly how they helped or hindered Lucky's plan. And I do hope to see some of my favorites in the next book! 

I've seen this series compared with Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels - quite a lot, actually. They do have a similar tone, but one thing that made me frustrated in the Plum series, was that no matter how long Stephanie had been working as a bounty hunter, she never got better/smarter. Lucky doesn't have that problem - she's smart, independent, and knows how to use the resources at hand to get the job done and the problem solved. I plan to keep reading both the Plum series and Lucky O'Toole, so lucky me, I'll get the best of both worlds!

Cover Lovin': I really like this cover. It's not over the top, but I think it gives a good idea of the tone of the novel.

Recommendations: A fun piece of fiction, Wanna Get Lucky? has a little something for fans of multiple genres - a lighthearted mystery, a romantic subplot, and a strong woman trying to make it out of a tough situation in rather Chick-Lit/Women's Fiction like ways. 

Final Rating: FOUR out of FIVE (4/5) stars. Really enjoyed this, and I can't wait to read the next one. Lucky (haha) for me, I have the next two in the series!
Have you read "Wanna Get Lucky?" or any of Deborah Coonts' Lucky O'Toole series? Share your thoughts in the comments! Wanna pick up a copy? Get it from Amazon.com today!

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~