The first half of July can be summed up thusly:
Tried to read on vacation, was not successful.
But I’m doing my best to make up for it in the second half of the month with some really fantastic reads. I have a little suspense, a bit of historical fiction, a dash of fantasy, and a heaping scoop of romance to share with you this month.
Let’s get to it!
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Just Finished:
The cover, title, and description made me think this would be a creepy/thrillery book. Instead, I found a quietly suspenseful but not truly scary story that did an amazing job of portraying a father who will do anything to keep his daughter, and to keep her safe. I don’t want to give away too many details and spoil anything, so I’ll just say the premise is that Cooper lives an isolated life in a remote cabin with 8-year-old Finch. Every year, they get a delivery of supplies from the only person who knows where they are—until the year he doesn’t come. The story unfolds from there with flashes back into the past that slowly reveal how they got to this point, while a series of events puts their secluded but contented life in jeopardy. This is a story about parental love, about second chances, and facing the consequences of choices. It’s about nature, loyalty, and survival. It was more than I expected, and I definitely cried at the last 10%. Easy five stars.
When Jack returns to his hometown for his sister’s wedding, he’s not expecting to get involved in finding a missing podcaster, or to come face-to-face with the woman he has a very tricky history with. I really had mixed feelings about this book. I almost DNF’d it several times when I would get bored, but then I’d give it ten more pages and something interesting would happen again. I did ultimately finish it, but it wasn’t an amazing read. I liked the age gap romance and the mystery element, although I wasn’t sure I completely understood the resolution. I didn’t love the huge cast of characters. I’ve read several Susan May Warren books in the past, and she now has several adjecent story worlds with overlapping characters that she really likes to include in new stories. The result is that this story felt crowded, and like you might be missing some details if you haven’t read the seventeen books that introduced all the many side characters and their backstories before this. So I guess I’d say if you’re a long time Susan May Warren reader, you’ll probably appreciate this book. If you’re not an existing fan, this is not the book to start with for this author.
In Progress:
Becca Kinzer, if you’re reading this, can we be friends? I just love her sense of humor and her sweet romances populated with flawed but lovable characters. They always hit just right! This one is about a photographer who bungles an attempt to help her sister’s boyfriend propose, which sends her on a wild goose chase to retrieve the now missing engagement ring. I’m listening on audio and can confirm it’s totally bingeable in that format.
I’ve been seeing this book everywhere, and when I read the words “secret college for magical botanists” I knew I had to read it. I’m only 5% in so I can’t tell you for sure if I like it yet, but so far I’m intrigued! I think I’m going to like watching Briar discover that she’s gifted and learn to wield her abilities with the help of a handsome tutor. What’s not to like? Also, how pretty is this cover?
I’ve heard good things about this author but never read one of her books, so when I grabbed this book for free during a sale, I knew it was time to give her a try. Again, it’s too early to give a true report, but I’m optimmistic about this enemies-to-more story about two neighbors who strike a bargain when he needs a nanny for his niece and she needs money to make her dream a reality. Hopefully it’ll hit the spot, and I’ll have a new author with a backlist to catch up on.
Up Next:
My girl Jaime Jo Wright is back with another Love Inspired suspense! She’s a master of crafting mysteries with twists I never see coming, so I’m excited to jump into this bite-sized story about a former SEAL who is in the right place at the right time to protect a young woman in WITSEC whose handler has been found dead just after she was shot at herself. Will he be able to overcome failure in his past and keep her safe? And who’s going to protect his heart?
If you want to step into an immersive historical world, I can’t recommend Laura Frantz’s books enough. This is her most recent release about two sisters navigating life during the American Revolution as the divide between patriots and loyalists complicates frienships, romances, and family relationships. I’m looking forward to another thoughtful story with well-developed characters and historical details that make the world come alive on the page, as I’ve come to expect from this talented author.
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