Best Books to Read Now - June 2016
Reminder/ Caveat/ Disclaimer: This is my (hopefully) monthly list of books I’ve read and enjoyed. These are not reviews, I do not include books I didn’t enjoy because life is too short to speak badly of books!
Um...how did it get to be summer already? The kids are out of school, the weather is getting too sticky for my walks and I'm finding myself reaching for a beautiful chilled rose instead of a cup of tea.
Summer is such a fabulous reading time, isn't it? You've got trips and vacations and lazy days by a pool or the lake and we all need reads that will take us away.
Once again, I've got an interesting mix this month. I dug up some reads from my TBR pile, took a chance on a new trope and indulged in continuing a series.
Silent in the Sanctuary / Silent on the Moor by Deanna Raybourn
silent on the moor
silent in the sanctuary
First up? Two more Lady Julia Gray mysteries! My husband and I were able to escape to Cabo San Lucas for a quick getaway to celebrate my birthday. I posted pics on my
and our trip was as heavenly as it looked. I have this (strange?) affinity for reading about rainy, cold locations while sweltering by a pool so reading about Lady Julia Gray at Belmont Abbey and on the Yorkshire moors was perfect for me.
kept me guessing the entire time and
was an unusual mystery in that it was piecing together a mystery from the past. Two more winners from Ms. Raybourn.
A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev
bollywood affair
Shamefully, this book has been in my Kindle for YEARS. YEARS. Y'all know how that happens. You one-click a book because of rave reviews and a gorgeous cover and then... life. Other books. Pretty soon, your new pretty book is on page four or five in your Paperwhite and you keep thinking, "why haven't I read
" when you see the constant recommendations on Twitter. So because I'm awesome like that, I finally opened this one... and I couldn't put it down.
It's a contemporary Indian romance, set in the U.S. (... mostly) but the characters are wholly influenced by their culture and history back in India. There's a complicated relationship between the hero and heroine - you know, your typical "my brother's annulled child bride" trope. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the unique cultural and plot points and Ms. Dev truly shines in writing characters jump off the page, fully realized and nuanced and loveable.
Simply Irresistible by Rachel Gibson
simply irressistible
Speaking of tropes, the secret baby trope is... not my favorite. Especially in contemporary romance. A few years ago, I gave one a shot and, um. Let's just say I was not planning on reading another one. Until I was listening to the
and Sarah MacLean said this was the secret baby book that would convert people who didn't like secret baby books and while I respect Ms. MacLean's professional expertise, I was dubious. Because SECRET BABY, y'all. But I bought it because HOCKEY PLAYER HERO. You see where my priorities lie.
Turns out, Sarah MacLean was right. *sigh* This book is a joy, the characters totally made me believe in the secret baby and I'm *semi* converted to secret baby books if they're recommended by Ms. MacLean.
*Note* on Avon on the Air. I'm trying really hard to be respectful here and call Lucia Macro and Sarah MacLean by their proper names. Because when I listen to this podcast, I'm totally calling them "Lu" and "Mac" and discussing books in my head with them (or whoever's on the podcast.) I just love talking books, even if its an imaginary conversation.
See
, also, this blog. If y'all know of any other awesome book podcasts, let me know because I'll happily talk to other podcasters in my head.
Or if you know other good secret baby books, let me know about those, too. I will readily admit that I could be, maybe, a little wrong about secret babies.
The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
the winter sea
Here's another from the TBR pile. This one, unlike A Bollywood Affair was not buried in my kindle. It was on my bookcase. Because it was an actual, physical hardcopy of the book (shocker, right?) that my mom had 'loaned' to me a few years ago. I always knew I'd like Susanna Kearsley's timetravel-esque book about 18th century Scotland because I have a well-documented love for other time-travelly 18th century Scotland books. *cough* Outlander *cough*
On a side note, this season's
is KILLING ME. Just knowing what is coming at the end of the season is preliminarily devastating me. I'm texting my friends after each episode asking them for comfort because the end is going to be so exquisitely terrible and then we'll have to wait a stupid amount of time before Season 3 starts...
??
So yes, Ms. Kearsley's novel did not disappoint. It flips back and forth between the past and present and while no actual time-travel takes place, you, the reader, feels as if it has. I can't wait to read another Kearsley novel, especially after I heard her
interview on the SMART BITCHES podcast.
(another podcast where I talk to another Sarah in my head all the time. I swear, I'm completely normal.)
And that's it for this month! I'm not sure I'll have an official BEST BOOKS TO READ NOW post in July. I'm doing a lot of non-fiction research for a new book I'm writing and I'll be headed to RWA nationals in San Diego (where I'll be sure to add to my TBR pile, natch). I may do a Best of Best Books post instead and then my usual post RWA roundup.
Oh! I'm also busy getting this little baby out the door.
The Last Plus One eBook Cover 400x600
Her release date is 6.13.16 and you can read more about it here. If you're not already, make sure you like
THE LAST PLUS ONE facebook page
and
. We're doing a few giveaways, posting excerpts and talking about weddings and you don't want to miss any of that.
As always, keep reading and let me know if you read something amazing!