This book was so much fun that I ended up reading it in one sitting! Not only is the romance very well paced and beautifully developed throughout the story, but the characters are also very well written. I really liked our main leads, Kat and Jay. Kat is not only very strong, both as a self-made business lady and as someone who has survived a horrible past relationship, but she is also incredibly sweet and funny. And Jay is just the dreamiest and most lovable of love interests. The setting of the story is also wonderfully summery. Set in the Canary Islands and featuring amazing descriptions of all the wonderful beaches, bars and, of course, the exotic shows, this book is the perfect summer read. The Heavenly Hunks (best name ever), the troupe of exotic dancers that Kat manages, were also super fun to read about. The guys are all great and it was really fun to read about their shows and all the backstage prep that goes into those. If you’re looking for your next summer read or you just want to read a fun, feel-good story, then this book is perfect for you.

Victoria Cooke is sure to bring some sunshine into your summer – regardless of the weather – with her latest breezy, feel-good and enjoyable new novel Sun, Sea and Sangria. As delicious as your favourite cocktail and as uplifting as sunshine after a rainy day, Sun, Sea and Sangria is another unmissable treat by this wonderfully talented writer of romantic comedy.

After the acrimonious end of her marriage, Kat had sworn off men and vowed never to make that mistake ever again. Leaving her life behind and moving to the Canary Islands, Kat plans to invest all of her time, energy and effort into her new career. Who needs romance, marriage and commitment when she gets to spend her life under the sun-kissed sky of the Canary Islands managing a troupe of sexy male dancers? The Heavenly Hunks provide Kat with all the excitement she could possibly need. She has never been tempted to take things further with any one of her gorgeous dancers – until she meets Jay and begins to wonder whether she has been too hasty in writing off the opposite sex….

Jay is nothing like the usual dancers who form part of Kat’s troupe. Sure, he has all the good looks and smooth moves, but he has made Kat feel like there is something missing from her life. Hardening her heart and refusing to let anyone in might have precluded her from getting hurt, but it certainly hasn’t stopped her from feeling lonely. Is Kat about to take the plunge after spending years keeping everyone at arm’s length?
Is Kat ready to take on last chance on a happy ending? Or will she continue to hide in the shadows?

A delightful romp that is escapist, enjoyable and wonderfully romantic, Sun, Sea and Sangria charms and entertains from beginning to end and whether you are reading Victoria Cooke’s latest rom-com on a sunny day by the pool or curled up at home on the sofa with a cup of tea, one thing is guaranteed: you are absolutely going to love this brilliantly written and wonderfully funny tale.

A terrific antidote to all the worrying things going on in the world at the moment, there simply is nothing better than escaping between the pages of Victoria Cooke’s latest novel: Sun, Sea and Sangria.

Good storyline. great charcters, the story flowed really well, and it was a fun read. I sat and read this in the garden and it was a great way to while away an afternoon.

Well, this is totally what i needed to read on my week off, it rained the whole time and there was no chance of me going anyway, so a virtual holiday was called in. Time to pop to the Canary Islands.

We meet Kat who has lived over in the canarys for a while after her home life turned sour and her marriage was not all it was cracked up to be, but dont worry about her because she has the dream job right? She manages The Heavenly Hunks, think magic mike & dreamboys ect *fans self* Yet, despite the glorious weather and wonderful men she is surrounded with - life isnt that great when she starts to question if she is really happy?

When a new hunk joins the group she finds herself drawn to him, there is a connection and the pair find themselves sharing the secret of their pasts to each other, but Kat has made it clear - no mixing business and pleasure. As things change around them though - will she take the plunge?

Honestly, i enjoyed this so much - it had me daydreaming about my holiday, i can imagine it all clear as day and that isn't a bad sight to imagine. I loved Kat and i enjoyed that we got insights into her past and how that has impacted her. She was a strong leading lady that has picked herself up and started again creating something wonderful.

Jay was great too - he was likeable, he fitted in with the hunks but was also his own person and whilst he could flirt with the best of them he also knows what he wants from life. He is enjoying spending time with Kat but she keeps running and he is determined to find out why and what he can do?

I really enjoyed this, it was light hearted, sexy and funny with a real dose of summer romance. It was perfect to whisk the reader away for a while. I would highly recommend this to anyone wanting a bit of a break for a whil

Kat ran away from her difficult marriage. Jay is also looking for a fresh start. Despite the attraction she tries to keep her distance as she is his boss, but when it looks like Jay will be leaving will she be brave enough to take a chance on him?

So much fun reading this as it takes place on the beaches of the Canary Islands and a perfect beach read to take you away.
Kat has sworn off dating after a horrible divorce and put all her energy into her business, The Heavenly Hunks, and all male dance troupe. All the men are known for their flirtatious antics and they take care of her and not cross the line while she tries to keep them in line. Jay just sits back and watches and doesn't get into trouble and not after the other ladies. He just likes to sit by the pool and be quiet. He is handsome, caring and a good listener and it has Kat wanting more than a professional relationship with him.
Kat really wants to keep taking care of the men and keep their career going and to something better. Maybe even a Las Vegas act. But more and more resorts are cancelling their shows and saying they want more family friendly shows.
I loved all the personalities of each of these men and they all had respect for Kat. Some of them had me laughing out loud with their antics.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC to review.

#SunSeaandSangria #NetGalley

I’m not quite sure how I’ve managed to miss Victoria Cooke’s previous books, but having read Sun, Sea and Sangria, I will be remedying that at the earliest opportunity. This book provided the perfect armchair travel for these lockdown days, taking us not only to the Canary Islands, but also a quick trip to Las Vegas!

The main protagonist Kat has clearly been through a lot, with her catastrophic marriage, of which we get intermittent flashbacks, so much so that for eight years after her marriage ended she had steered clear from dating, or moving on. Quite how she managed that whilst managing an all-male dance troupe touring the venues of the Canary Islands is a testament to her strength of character, but it was also nice to see her vulnerabilities too.

I loved The Heavenly Hunks, a Magic Mike style dance troupe who were all very different and entertaining characters. Jay, however, was a cut above the others, and as book boyfriends go, I thought he was completely adorable. Like Kat, in the respect that he was also damaged by his own past, his good qualities shone from the page, and from their very first meeting, I spent the ‘will they? won’t they?’ moments of the book firmly on the Team Kat and Jay bus, desperately willing them to be together. I also loved Andrea, Kat’s faithful friend in Tenerife, who was there for her in pretty much every way possible.

I really enjoyed reading about the competition Kat entered the Heavenly Hunks in, as well as the dates that Kat went on before she could admit her feelings for Jay. It all gave depth to the story, and provided some lighter moments to counteract the seriousness of Kat’s flashbacks. The locations were so vibrantly described I could picture myself there. I don’t think I’ve read another book set in the Canary Islands, and other than an off-season holiday to Lanzarote in the early 90s, it was a refreshing look at locations I had heard of but did not know a great deal about. I’ve never been to Vegas either, but from things I’ve watched on tv, I found myself picturing the locations that the characters visited. I’m still reluctant to head anywhere at the moment, whilst still pining for the places I haven’t been able to visit this year, so having a story that takes me on a journey from the safety of my armchair has been so enjoyable and rewarding.

Sun, Sea and Sangria was the perfect summer read, even on a miserable July day with the rain falling and the heating on! It whisked me away to the soundtrack of ‘Pony’, and captured my heart.

Who wouldn't want to read a book about a woman managing a group of hot male exotic dancers on a tropical island?

Whew! Ms. Cooke knows how to reel you in from the start by throwing you into the wild fray of Kat prepping her "boys" to get ready for their next hot and sexy gig. Let me just say I wish I were there in the flesh. ;)

I really enjoyed the romance between Kat and Jay, the newest and oldest member of the Heavenly Hunks. Though Kat doesn't like to mix business with pleasure, they slowly become friends who open up about the pasts they would rather forget, but which still affect them when it comes to relationships. Kat is a strong, savvy manager who cares greatly for the guys and when she needs to make a decision that is best for all of them, she unselfishly sacrifices her happiness for theirs. It takes her some time to come to terms with her insecurities, but she finally makes the right decision. And Jay is someone every woman needs. He is compassionate, considerate, and oh, so hot. His past is heartbreaking and I would have snatched it up in a minute. As for Marcus, Sammy, Paul, Ant, and Hugh...what can I say? Yummy!!!

I relished this fun and romantic story full of hot men and a beautiful setting. I recommend you kick back, grab a Sangria, and immerse yourself in a great summer read! Also, pick up Ms. Cooke's A Summer to Remember for another fun summer read.

Thank you to Ms. Cooke for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

The cover and description of this book completely drew me in. I needed some sunshine and romance in my life and this fit the bill perfectly. I've enjoyed quite a few novels by Victoria Cooke before so I was eager to get stuck into this one by her, as it includes all the things I love most - Sunshine, romance and of course - COCKTAILS!

This book started off quite slowly I'll be honest. When the description said that it was all about golden beaches, cocktails galore etc and I was reading about dance routines in bars, I was a little bored and was hoping it would get going. Luckily, the more I read the more I started enjoying it. I liked Kat, she wasn't my most relatable character but she had been through a lot with a controlling ex-husband so I really felt for her and what she had been through.

What I didn't really understand at first was that when Jay came onto the scene, Kat started telling him all her woes when they'd only known each other a day or so, so that felt a bit rushed to me and the death of her school-friend kind of seemed a little irrelevant to the overall storyline (sorry I know that sounds harsh!). However, as I mentioned above the story soon got better and soon I was dying to know what was going to happen next! Whether Kat would get together with Alonso or whether she would get closer to Jay and if they won the competition!

It was an exciting novel in the end, and I did love the location as well as the overall storyline. The dancers all seemed really nice and had their own quirks and there are some laugh out loud moments that made me want to read on. Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read an advance copy of this novel via Netgalley, which I have reviewed honestly.

I love Tenerife and was delighted to discover that this was where most of the novel was set. Although we don't get to see anything of the island, what we do get to experience is behind the scenes at those shows that many hotels hire. As a viewer, we just rock up, enjoy the show, then head for the bar - as a reader we take a peek at all the hard work that goes on before, during and after, and I found it fascinating.

Another thing to hold my interest was the love and friendship that Kat had with her team, and of course, the developing romance with Jay. Both of them have issues, both of them have a past, but it's how they deal with this and learn to love themselves as well as each other, which makes this book so lovely.

Well, I have to admit - I completely feel like I've just spent a good few days on the shores of Tenerife.  Sun, Sea, Sangria, cocktails and some Heavenly Hunks were all inclusive - what more could you want?

Sun, Sea and Sangria is such a fun and enjoyable read and if you have the time - you can easily consume it in one sitting.  The plot flows along at a fast pace and is filled with various story lines. 

 As a main character Kat is relateable and unique.  Through flashbacks we are shown snippets of her backstory and it's heartbreaking but she is such a strong woman and has carved out a new life for herself in Tenerife managing the Heavenly Hunks.  I love how Kat shows herself as a fearless and confident woman on stage but then underneath is vulnerable and still afraid of certain things.  I loved her story and spent the whole novel cheering for her to find what she truly wanted in life - whatever that may look like. 

A sub-plot of the novel is set around the Hunks.  Work is drying up due to the local economy and they guys enter a competition to try and win some cash to help them out.  I loved how Victoria portrays all the hunks individually and with a plethora of personalities - not always the stereotypical exotic dancer types.  I adore how protective they are of Kat and how she has several 'big brothers' taking care of her. 

This is a fun and enjoyable novel, perfect for a holiday read (or in my case a replacement holiday) and I highly recommend it but be warned - you may not want to put it down and return to reality.

Quick warning for an abusive past relationship including gaslighting.

From the outside, Kat's life looks perfect. She's buried her painful past and manages (read: plays mom to) an all-male troupe of dancers in the Canary Islands. Rather understandably, she's a little leery of relationships and spends most of her free time with her hilarious friend Andrea. Jay is looking for work and thinks he can hack it as one of Kat's Heavenly Hunks. He's a bit older than the rest of her dancers, but he knows what he's doing and is an awfully good listener. Too bad he's Kat's employee.

To be honest, Jay was almost too good to be true. Hot, talented, considerate, and incredibly patient with Kat even as her feelings see-sawed all over the place. For a woman pushing 40 (and yay for slightly older heroines!), Kat has an awful lot of growth to do in a short time. While her failed marriage did a number on her, the last eight years have left her in stasis so she's completely unprepared for a new relationship. After a while I got a bit tired of her 'relationships suck' angst but at least she did pull it together at last.

I really loved the family feel of the Hunks. Each of the boys are so distinct but you can tell Kat cares about each of them and is loved in return. As previously mentioned, Andrea is hilarious: an awesome friend, a steady rock, and not too high and mighty to turn up her nose at a bunch of hot guys using her bar as a practice area during the day. It would've been a very different book without Andrea on hand to push Kat to do better.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Rachel's Random Resources; all opinions are my own

Today is my turn on the blog tour for this book, thank you to @rachelsrandomresources for inviting me on the tour and @victoriacookewriter @netgalley for my advanced readers copy.
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Kat is suffering after a nasty marriage break up and moves to The Canary Islands to escape and start rebuilding her life again.
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She builds up an entertainment masterpiece called The Heavenly Hunks and becomes like a family with them as they rehearse and perform together.
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Then along comes Jay asking to be part of the team but Kat finds herself falling in head over heels no matter how hard she tried not too, but obstacles get in the way.
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This is a nice easy read perfect for those summer feels and escape.
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You really do feel like you are in the Island with them!

FIVE STAR BEACH READ. I have read some serious books lately so this one was, is a treat to read. Author Victoria Cooke never disappoints with her sexy men, poolside drinks, and the eventual Happily Ever After Endings.. This novel is even better than her previous works. Fans rejoice. The pacing is perfect, just enough character development to root for them
For Kat moving to the Canary Islands was her huge "Do Over". Now days the men in her life are part of the dance group she manages called the Heavenly Hunks. But eventual even paradise can be a rut if it is your daily life. Kat needs to navigate real feelings for flirtation. Real future over playing house. And love her life for the long run.

Sun, Sea, and Sangria is a thoroughly adorable, easy, summer book.

The main character, Kat is completely relatable, except in the fact that she started a male dance company. I don’t know many women who have done that, though maybe we should. 😉 . Otherwise, all of her feelings and actions were totally understandable, especially after learning about he past relationship.

The romance was very well done with tons of time spent building up tension. Jay and Kat had immediate chemistry, but it was handled in a realistic way. I felt like their relationship was allowed to develop without having to jump straight into the the sexy parts.

I wish I had a pool and and a cold drink while reading this book. Given the setting and the descriptions, it almost felt wrong to read this in my air conditioned house while in bed. I needed the feel of sand between my toes and the roar of the ocean in the background.

Anyone who likes contemporary romance or Magic Mike will love this book.

Really enjoyed this book. Perfect summer read - something different having a female in charge of a male exotic dance group. I liked the setting in Tenerife. I liked the character of Kat, a strong women especially after reading her back history of being gaslighted by her ex husband which added depth to the story and her character. I wasn’t sure about the character of Jay. I didn’t find him swoon worthy . He didn’t do it for me.
On the whole I recommend this as a beach read and would definitely read this author again.

Kat swore off dating years ago after her marriage ended in a mess. She moved to the Canary Islands for a fresh start and channeled all her energy into managing all-male dance troupe, the Heavenly Hunks.

The dancers are all well-known for their flirtatious antics and aren’t looking for anything serious. But when Jay arrives on the scene, Kat feels like she can tell him anything. But her relationship with Jay should stay strictly professional. There is absolutely no way that she can be his boss and his date. Will Kat be able to let go of her past and find romance in paradise?

This was a lighthearted read, easy and enjoyable. It had a summery vibe, which made it perfect for the holiday season. There was warmth and humor. But in the negative, there was nothing new in the story or the characters. Overall, a quick one-time read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book. I give it 3.5 stars.

My first introduction to Victoria Cooke’s writing was when I read and reviewed her lovely novel A Summer to Remember last year, so I was eager to jump into another of her books, especially since her stories are such a great escape from the every-day. In this summer of lockdown, a novel that takes place in Tenerife and features a cast of hunky male dancers was just what I needed.

But, Cooke’s books are never the fluff they might seem. In this novel, Sun, Sea and Sangria, we get a protagonist in Kat who isn’t some idealistic twenty-year-old. Rather, she’s eight years out of a bad marriage, and pointedly not-dating while managing the Heavenly Hunks. It’s a breathtaking relief to encounter a character who has experience in both love and life, and has learned from it, and I really appreciated Kat’s journey – she had healing to do that she’d been compartmentalizing for the better part of a decade, and when love walked – danced – into her life again, she had to prepare herself. I loved that. I loved that even though she wasn’t a fresh-faced college kid, she was still unsure and cautious. I think most of us are, and it made her character seem that much more real.

The leading male, Jay, was, likewise, not as young as the rest of the dancers. He, too, brought experience into the story, even if his initial overtures to Kat were strictly professional.

Dating someone you work with is always a risky proposition, but Cooke makes that a plot point, and does so with the same deftness she does everything else. I had no trouble envisioning any of the characters or settings, though I think this book should be sold with a bottle of sangria on the side.

Overall, this is a lovely, flirty, flight of fancy with just enough realism to keep it from becoming saccharine. The perfect summer read. Even in quarantine.

Goes well with pulled pork sandwiches and drinks with umbrellas and rum. Lots of rum.

Sun, C, and heavenly hunks. Victoria Cook never disappoints and this might be my absolute favorite from her. A delightful relatable female protagonist, a gorgeous tropical setting, friendship, romance, and hot hot men. Kat had a toxic marriage and now is living her best life in the Canary Islands. Kat is the manager of a creative exotic male dance troupe. She is not only manager but kind of a mother figure to this group of adorable good looking men. She has always abided by her rule not to get romantically involved with any of the dancers, that is until Jay joins the troupe and there is a definite spark. BUT Kat and Jay both have a lot of baggage.

Loved Kat and this colorful group of men. The setting sounded so divine I am not certain I’ve ever read a book that took place in the Canary Islands? I loved how talented all these characters were and had a lot of fun when they participated in a talent show of sorts. By the pool, on the sand, or even on your couch this is the perfect afternoon treat.

This book in emojis 🏖 🍹 🕺 🏝 🎰 🌴

*** Big thank you to HQ Digital for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

If you're looking for some sunshine and a little romance, this story is for you. Kat's the manager of an all-male exotic dance troupe in the Canary Islands, sound interesting? Well, it is, but she's more of a mother than a lover, keeping her relationships strictly business until Jay joins the group and threatens the status quo.

Kat fled to the islands, in the wake of a disastrous controlling marriage. Jay makes her take a look at her life and risk dating again with some hilarious and sometimes poignant results. Jay's past threatens his future happiness, but his attraction to Kat is hard to ignore.

The story balances fun and more serious moments in a relatable holiday setting. With believable characters and gentle romance, it's easy to lose yourself in this story. A must-have Summer read.

I received a copy of this book from HQ in return for an honest review.