Mai Tai One On

Cute lighthearted mystery. I liked the quirky secondary characters and the setting. Will be reading more of these books in these series

Its been a while since I have read a ill Landis book - but that didn't prevent me from thoroughly enjoying this book. The characters and scenery were wonderful and I hope there will be more!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The Hawaiian back drop and the crazy characters. If you like your cozy mysteries with some humor then I would definitely recommend this author. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

Laugh Out Loud Cozy Hawaiian Mystery
This is the funniest cozy mystery this reader has ever had the pleasure of reading. It features an enormous selection of great characters with a rundown Hawaiian Tiki bar as the backdrop. The plot has several great twists with an ending that is perfect. This is the first in a series of 5 books and I can't wait to read them all! I received this book at no cost and this is my honest review.

This is a fun, fast paced mystery filled with plenty of Hawaiian culture and customs which will make you want to pack your bags and plan your own trip there. Em is getting over a bad divorce when she receives a letter from the Hula Girls, a group of mature women who perform at her Uncle Louie's bar in Kauai, The Tiki Goddess. They tell her that they are worried about Louie's mental decline and send her a plane ticket. When Em arrives she starts managing the bar with its close knit group of patrons and enjoys life there, but the next door neighbor Harold has a habit of burning his trash right when the bar is staging a luau which detracts from the atmosphere. One night Harold is found dead, burned to death in the luau pit and the police seem to be focusing their investigation on Sophie, the young bartender. Em and the Hula Girls believe in Sophie and are off on their own investigation to clear their friend. This is a most enjoyable story, with the great bonus of the wonderful Hawaiian background.

I really enjoyed Mai Tai On One, and have picked up the others in the series. I liked the zaniness of the Maidens, as well as David Letterman. I am glad to have found another mystery series that I like.

This was a great summer read! Even though it's just into fall read it and get those summer vibes back! Great cozy mystery

A very good cozy mystery!
I liked the cast of characters, the plot was engaging and kept me guessing.
An enjoyable and fun read.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC

This book was not only a good mystery it had so much humor in it I laughed so hard. Em has just been through a rough divorce, financial ruin and needs a change in her life. When The Maidens a Hula group from her Uncle's bar in Hawaii sends her a one way ticket to come help him run the bar, she jumps at the chance. Little does she know all the mystery, secrets and craziness there is running the bar. Then on top of it the neighbor gets killed in the bar's firepit. I loved the addition of the Maidens who added so much humor to the story. I can't wait to read more from this author and series.
I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Mai Tai One One by Jill Marie Landis is the first book in A Tiki Goddess Mystery series.

Em is divorced, broke and jobless when she gets a call to go and help her uncle who is running a tiki bar in Hawaii. She is just settling in when their obnoxious neighbor is found dead, burned in imu pit. Unfortunately her waitress's past is not as straightforward as should be and she almost immediately becomes a person of interest. Uncle Louie is not above suspicion either. So Em has no choice but to try to figure out who had it for the much disliked local.
I loved the setting, beautiful nature and breathtaking beaches of Hawaii make it one of the most desirable places. Also I liked the tiki bar and uncle Louie's constant recipe tasting.
There are enough characters both main and supporting. Although I thought that too many times Em behaved irresponsibly not to say stupidly as well. She wasn't a very likable character in my opinion.
I also found Maiden's spiteful, too quarrelsome instead of funny and quirky as I had expected. Ronald and Em's romantic moments are entertaining but too sparse.
It is a well thought out and written story but above mentioned things quite ruined it for me.
I hope that next installment will prove to be much better.

Jill Marie Landis writes The Tiki Goddess Series, and Mai Tai One On is the first in the series. Rather than dwell on the food (although there are lots of food references), this series focuses on cocktails served at a rundown bar on the North Shore of Kauai called The Tiki Goddess. Em Johnson, a divorcee who has escaped from her former life, runs the bar, and discovers the body of a neighbor who was a troublemaker, in her Goddess luau pit. With the help of some elderly has-been dancers, Em tries to find the murderer because she is blamed.

Landis is a veteran writer, and knows how to tell a story with a little romance and a lot of humor. This is not to say that there isn’t suspense – there is, and it builds throughout. Readers won’t know who-done-it until the very end. There are several cocktail recipes included, and the characters, who are mostly likeable and believable, will tempt readers to pick up the remaining books in the series. Fun! Fun! Fun

I was thrilled to be traveling to Hawaii...I mean...duh. I was sent to meet up with Em Johnson who had moved to the North Shore of Kauai to help out with her uncle’s drinking establishment, the “Tiki goddess bar”. A concerned group of Uncle Louie’s friends reported that he was having memory problems, and needed Em. The bar was starting to lose profit, and Louie just couldn't handle things on his own. Em who just went through an embarrassing and ugly divorce was good with the move away from California...and where better than paradise?!.

So when I arrived Em was settling into her new job and life at the tiki goddess bar. She had been in Hawaii a few months, and was making some positive changes to the bar. The night I arrived they were hosting a luau and pig roast. Until then we were all hanging out having a cocktail and a good time when a tourist ran into the bar hysterical. Once Em got her calmed down (there may have been some water to the face involved lol) the tourist explained “there’s a man roasting in the barbecue pit”. By the way a Hawaii native promptly explained the correct term is an IMU not barbecue pit. Anyways back to the real issue...a body ROASTING in the Imu! The body turned out to be Louie’s neighbor (and not exactly friend) Harold. Harold and Louie fought over the same woman years ago...Louie won….and Harold was still bitter.
Well Em and I (and even though we didn’t ask them...or were ready for their help lol...the hula maidens) knew we needed to figure out what happened here….

My thoughts: I loved this book!! The title and cover are great!! What really makes this book awesome are the quirky characters!!! The hula maidens (they could make the book themselves lol), Uncle Louie, and even David Letterman...yes I said David Letterman...no...not the talk show host. David Letterman is Uncle Louie’s bird...he is a real hoot! The author also did an amazing job at creating an awesome setting. She paints the picture so well...you feel like you're at the tiki...laughing at the hula maidens new outrageous outfits. This book is fun, fast paced,and filled with all kinds of action...hula dancing (well they try lol), fire dancing, luaus, kidnappings, and more!! Recipes included.

I recommend you pull up a seat and enjoy some sun, the hula maidens, and one of Uncle Louie's cocktails...maybe a huli huli boolie!!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Netgalley, the author Jill Marie Landis, and the publisher for this opportunity.