If you hate to be seaside (or lakeside or poolside or anything -side) without a book in hand, you’ve landed in the right place. Summer is a great time to catch up on reading, when the days are longer and the weather is perfect for lounging around with a great book.
This morning I added these to my summer reading list – novels by author friends I’ve had the pleasure of recently connecting with in a group on Facebook called THE WRITE HOUSE. Perhaps you’d like to add these women’s fiction novels to your beach bag as well?
The Summer of New Beginnings – Bette Lee Crosby
Aspiring journalist Meghan Briggs has always been the responsible one in the family. So when her father passes away unexpectedly, leaving behind his at-risk business, she steps up to save his legacy—even if that means putting her own dreams on hold.
Tracy couldn’t be more different from her sister. She’s always been the rebellious type, without much direction in life. But in the wake of her latest romantic disaster, she finds herself moving back home as a single mother.
As Tracy experiences the difficulties of new motherhood, Meghan faces her own struggle: trying not to fall for the stray puppy she rescued. This is no time for attachments—not to the adorable “Sox,” whose owner is bound to turn up any day, and certainly not to the handsome new vet in town. But as the summer unfolds, she discovers that, like Sox, she may need rescuing, too.
As both sisters navigate unexpected challenges and exciting new relationships, they’ll find that putting the past to rest can make way for beautiful new beginnings.
Butterfly Kisses – Leigh Duncan
Justine Gale just got incredible news. The struggling single mom has inherited the flourishing citrus grove where she spent idyllic summers and formed lifelong friendships. Once on the fast track to success, Justine has recently learned her five-year-old daughter faces a lifetime of expensive medical treatments. Treatments, she can’t afford. The decision to sell the land her family has owned for generations seems like the simple and smart way for Justine to provide for her daughter’s future. But when she returns to Orange Blossom, she quickly realizes her plans could hurt every resident of the small town that depends on Castle Grove to survive. Justine’s dilemma is only complicated by Nate Rhodes, her first love and now Orange Blossom’s mayor, who stakes his own claim to the land she has inherited. He’ll do whatever it takes to stop her, even if it means losing the woman he loves…one more time.
Love in a Small Town – CurtissAnn Matlock
With her engaging style of emotional drama and affectionate humor, USA TODAY bestselling author Curtiss Ann Matlock goes deep into the hidden desires and needs of a passionate woman and the man strong enough to love her.
Childhood sweethearts and perfect couple, Molly and Tommy Lee Hayes are are getting ready to celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary at the VFW hall. However, beneath the perfection, dissatisfaction smolders. One morning Molly wakes up yet again to an empty bed. She packs her things– including both her horse and her cat– and takes off for the sanctuary of Aunt Hestie’s cottage, the place reserved for all women of her family who leave their husbands. Tommy Lee is left bewildered and holding his own anger.
Proving that no marriage is an island is a cast of colorful supporting characters:
Molly’s family of women—Mama, who goes frequently in public dressed in her robe, and the four other unique Collier sisters. When one is threatened, they come together as an invincible force. Sam Ketchum, who is Tommy Lee’s best friend, has always loved Molly. Savannah, eldest child, pregnant and emotional, and her straight-laced husband who wants nothing to do with his loony in-laws; sons Boone and Colter, grown, but still with expectations of their parents. And the entire community of Valentine, Oklahoma, everyone having a view on Molly and Tommy Lee’s situation, and a great deal to say about it, too.
Redemption Song – Tanya Anne Crosby
Raised as an only child, Caia Paine once believed she had everything she would ever need to live a rich and contented life. The last thing she ever expected was that she would wake up one morning, despairing, and so full of loathing that even the sky is darkened by the potency of her anger. After her only son, Jack, is taken from her in a tragic accident, Caia finds herself obsessed with the man she holds responsible for Jack’s death, pursuing him all the way to Jerez, Spain. There she embarks upon a journey that will lead her to suspect her own moral boundaries. It is a dangerous game that will forever change Caia and make her question the nature of her paradise lost.
Lovers Like Us – Mary Campisi
Luke Donovan is the irresistible bad boy every woman wants, and no woman can catch. Long term? Marriage? Children? No thanks, not interested. Until he meets Helena Montrey. There’s something about her reserved manner and fresh-faced beauty that pulls him in, obliterates past notions of love and relationships and makes him want to commit–to her. Damn but he’s finally fallen in love! Gone are the bad-boy ways and reckless wandering, replaced with professions of forever and a vow to become respectable. It’s time to face up to past mistakes and returning to his hometown of Reunion Gap and the family he deserted is the first step. Besides, Luke wants his family to meet Helena; the woman who changed his life. Too bad he doesn’t know she’s not who she says she is.
After her fiancé’s betrayal makes her question her ability to tell an honest man from a liar, Helena Montrey shies away from men. Then she meets Luke Donovan. Her heart wants to tell him she’s not the struggling waitress and wannabe-writer he thinks she is, but the creator of the well-known and very lucrative Grace Annabelle Greeting Card line. But her brain forces her to wait until she’s sure the former bad boy with an admitted penchant for the open roads and constant change, is in this for keeps.
When the couple arrives in Reunion Gap, the Donovans are waiting for them with a lot of questions, and a ton of concerns. How is it that a woman they’ve never heard of ends up with a man who’s vowed he’ll never be tied down? The truth will come out as it always does, and then Luke will have to decide if he loves Helena enough to forgive her and give her a second chance or if he really is meant to wander the open roads–alone–for the rest of his days.
And of course, I hope you’ll also check out my popular SUN VALLEY SERIES. If you haven’t yet read SISTERS, now is the time to get your hands on a copy. Later this summer, the rest of the series will be releasing and you will not want to miss out on these stories about three sisters who face life’s unexpected surprises in the vacation resort town of Sun Valley, Idaho. Order by clicking HERE!
Before I close out, I’d like to invite you to join a bunch of women’s fiction readers and authors over on Facebook in a group called THE WRITE HOUSE. There are twelve authors and hundreds of avid readers. Every day, we chat about our favorite novels and all things book related. So, come along and don’t miss the fun! 