…. On a Bookshelf near you!

In August I hope to read….

Publication Date: August 8, 2023
Publisher: Revell

Goodreads: A hurricane may have destroyed her livelihood on Prince Edward Island, but she’s determined to save her community

Kelsey Ahern has performed at the Victoria Playhouse on Prince Edward Island every summer since she was seven. But when a hurricane destroys the building, it’s not just her memories that are in jeopardy. Her future as a teacher and drama coach are too. She teams up with Levi Ross, the facilities director at the high school, to produce a benefit show to raise money to rebuild the theater. He has a reputation for being able to fix anything, and Kelsey is sure there’s more to the quiet man than meets the eye.

For his part, Levi has admired Kelsey for years, but he can’t seem to find the words to tell her. When a popular weatherman arrives in town to cover the aftermath of the hurricane and takes an interest in Kelsey and her show, Levi realizes that the time has come to speak up–or lose the heart of the woman he longs for.

Join New York Times bestselling author Liz Johnson for a season of rebuilding, restoration, and romance with this final book in the Prince Edward Island Shores series.

What is coming soon …. to a bookshelf near you?

Let me know – I am always looking for a good read!

Author: Rachel Hauck
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Genre: Christian Fictiion
Source: Bethany House Publishers ( Netgalley )

Goodreads: Twenty years ago, the summer of ’77 was supposed to be the best summer of Summer Wilde’s life. She and her best friends, Spring, Autumn, and Snow–the Four Seasons–had big plans.

But those plans never had a chance. After a teenage prank gone awry, the Seasons found themselves on a bus to Tumbleweed, “Nowhere,” Oklahoma, to spend eight weeks as camp counselors. All four of them arrived with hidden secrets and buried fears, and the events that unfolded in those two months forever altered their friendships, their lives, and their futures.

Now, thirtysomething, Summer is at a crossroads. When her latest girl band leaves her in a motel outside Tulsa, she is forced to face the shadows of her past. Returning to the place where everything changed, she soon learns Tumbleweed is more than a town she never wanted to see again. It’s a place for healing, for reconciling the past with the present, and for finally listening to love’s voice.

Ope’s Opinion: I really like Rachel Hauck and Christian fiction, but this one did not draw me into the story. At times, I was enjoying the story, then I found my mind wandering during other times.

As a matter of fact, I got lost at certain points – the whole “preacher” story line confused me. If I were not aware of Bible stories, this part would have really lost me. I kept thinking it was going to be a dream. The 1977 part of the story seemed to drag out. The 1997 was more interesting ( where are they now ), but you needed the context of the past to enjoy the “now” part.

The ending felt rushed – I want to say more, but I don’t want to spoil it. It felt like suddenly it was done – not believable.

Author: Judith Keim
Publisher: Wild Quail Publishing
Genre: Fiction
Source: Wild Quail Publishing ( Netgalley )

Goodreads: Salty Kisses might be the sweetest of all…
Olivia “Livy” Winters agrees to spend the summer at Sanderling Cove on the Gulf Coast of Florida with her two cousins, Charlotte “Charlie” Bradford and Brooke Weatherby to help manage The Sanderling Cove Inn while their grandparents take a long road trip in Europe. Livy hopes a summer away from her past surroundings and her job as the owner of a bakery in Virginia will help her forget a traumatic incident there.
Unknown to her and her cousins, the five grandmothers at Sanderling Cove have invited their beloved grandchildren to spend as much time as possible this summer at the cove, hoping that romance might flourish among them.
Livy is delighted to discover other childhood friends there. Though running the inn with her cousins keeps her busy, Livy realizes she needs to find someone she can trust to help her with her issue. Austin Ensley is spending the summer at the cove visiting his grandmother while he decides what he wants to do after selling his successful IT business. As a teenager Livy had a crush on him, and while she has no interest in dating any of the men at the cove, they form a deeper friendship. And when Livy can no longer keep her secret, she turns to him for help. Together they help one another through past troubles and discover tears can bring happiness too.
Grandmothers can be very determined when it comes to seeing their grandchildren happy. A family saga full of love. Be sure to read all the books in the series – Waves of Hope, Sandy Wishes, Salty Kisses.
Another of Judith Keim’s series books celebrating love and families, strong women meeting challenges, and clean women’s fiction with a touch of romance—beach reads for all ages with a touch of humor, satisfying twists, and happy endings. Be sure to check out her other delightful books and series that readers adore.

Ope’s Opinion: This was a solid 3 – maybe a 3.5 if I had I read the whole series. I came late to the series. It can definitely be read alone, but I do think I missed a lot of details starting on book three. I think I would have been more attached to the characters had it read it from the beginning.

It is a clean romance ( which I really enjoy ), it had little to no foul language ( which I like ), and it has a really good ending! There a lot of characters, mostly strong woman with men who support them.

I am going to look to see what other books Judith Keim wrote. I think I would enjoy her other stories.

Author: Danielle Steel
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Genre: Romance
Source: Delacorte Press ( Netgalley )

Goodreads: In this captivating novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel, a wildly successful, unmarried wedding planner leads her clients to happily ever after.

Faith Ferguson is New York’s most in-demand wedding planner, an arbiter of taste for elegant affairs, lavish ceremonies, and exclusive fêtes. She appreciates a simple celebration as much as a dazzling event, for she knows that a dream wedding is not necessarily the most expensive one.

As much as Faith enjoys her work, her two failed engagements leave her with no desire to get married herself. She finds fulfillment in her close relationship with her twin sister, Hope, her role as a mentor for her assistant, Violet, and her career.

This year, new clients have flocked to her, and she signs up an extravagant reception, a mid-sized gathering, and an intimate soirée, in addition to her mother’s next marriage and Violet’s modest ceremony. Faith finds herself forming bonds with her new clients and their loved ones—mostnotably the handsome brother of one of her grooms.

But weddings are not always all champagne and roses, and in no time, Faith is grappling with private quarrels, unplanned pregnancies, family scandals, dark secrets, and the possibility of cancelled ceremonies. Through her own journey, Faith will prove once and for all that that there is not just one path to happily ever after.

In The Wedding Planner, Danielle Steel presents an enchanting story about the winding road to love and the many ways to find joy while staying true to oneself.

Ope’s Opinion: If you are interested in reading a lot of details about a lot of weddings, you will enjoy this book. It included details about the individuals getting married.

As I was reading I felt like I was standing outside the door watching the action, not a part of it. I was being told a story, but not involved in it, not really there. I did appreciate that there was little to no foul language and steamy details happened behind the closed doors.

Don’t worry if you get interrupted while you are reading, DS repeats sentences several times throughout the book. I have another DS book on TBR list, I am hoping the next one draws me.

For me a beach trip is not complete without a trip to the book store.
Some people bring how seashells.
I bring home books!
We had a rainy day and these were my purchases.

Author: Kristy Woodson Harvey
Publisher: Gallery Books
Genre: Fiction
Source: Kristy Woodson Harvey and Gallery Books

Goodreads: Four women come together to save the summer camp that changed their lives and rediscover themselves in the process in this moving new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Veil and the Peachtree Bluff series.

Nearly thirty years ago, in the wake of a personal tragedy, June Moore bought Camp Holly Springs and turned it into a thriving summer haven for girls. But now, June is in danger of losing the place she has sacrificed everything for, and begins to realize how much she has used the camp to avoid facing difficulties in her life.

June’s niece, Daphne, met her two best friends, Lanier and Mary Stuart, during a fateful summer at camp. They’ve all helped each other through hard things, from heartbreak and loss to substance abuse and unplanned pregnancy, and the three are inseparable even in their thirties. But when attorney Daphne is confronted with a relationship from her past—and a confidential issue at work becomes personal—she is faced with an impossible choice.

Lanier, meanwhile, is struggling with tough decisions of her own. After a run-in with an old flame, she is torn between the commitment she made to her fiancé and the one she made to her first love. And when a big secret comes to light, she finds herself at odds with her best friend…and risks losing the person she loves most.

But in spite of their personal problems, nothing is more important to these songbirds than Camp Holly Springs. When the women learn their childhood oasis is in danger of closing, they band together to save it, sending them on a journey that promises to open the next chapters in their lives.

From an author whose “writing coats your soul with heart” ( E! Online ), The Summer of Songbirds is a lyrical and unforgettable celebration of female friendship, summertime freedom, and enduring sisterhood—and a love letter to the places and people that make us who we are.

Ope’s Opinion: I am not a writer, so I do not understand how KWH develops the best characters and writes the best stories and this definitely one of the best. But I am an avid reader, so I do appreciate her wonderful ability to draw me right into the world she created.

If you only have room for one book this summer in your beach bag, this one should be it. I took this on my beach vacation this year and did not put it down. You will be able to relate to all these characters, probably find yourself in one of them, and are friends with the others.

I am not one to reread a book, but this one will sit on my shelf in the hope that there will be a time when I will read it again and pass it on to my granddaughters so they will become KWH fans.

Author: Catherine Bybee
Publisher: Montlake
Genre: Romance / Fiction
Source: Montlake ( Netgalley )

Goodreads: From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee comes the story of two wine enthusiasts who ride the ups and downs of love in the vineyards of Tuscany.

Tasting wine is not enough: sommelier Giovanni D’Angelo wants to create it. To put his family first, he’s always deferred his dreams—a vineyard to run, a woman to marry. But a three-week vineyard tour in Italy could set him back on track.

For Emma Rutledge, wine is in her blood. Intent to run the family wine business one day, she finds that the men in her family are only intent to push her out of it. But that’s fine—she’s got a plan.

When Gio and Emma meet on a wine tour in Tuscany, their shared aspirations fuel an undeniable chemistry. Returning home to California, they work toward setting up Emma’s vineyard and a label of their own. But when Emma receives a life-altering diagnosis, she worries it’s all been for nothing.

As Emma works to cement her family legacy while dealing with this unexpected challenge, Gio tries to convince her that their future isn’t just wine.

It’s each other.

Ope’s Opinion: I was struggling between 3.5 and 4.0, so I rounded up because I really like this author, and the story line was good and original. I especially liked that even though this was a romance, there was so much else going on.

There were some steamy parts and a bit of foul language that I don’t care for – that is why it didn’t end up being a 5.

The family drama and a twist in the story that I did not see coming made this an original story – not like all the other ones I am used to reading. The main character was a strong female, which always makes me like the story more.

I will look for Catherine Bybee’s next book.

Author: Kelle Z. Riley
Publisher: Kelle Z. Riley
Genre: Fiction
Source: A JKS Communications Company

Goodreads: When she traded her tiara for a few days of freedom, she didn’t expect to find herself – or to lose her heart to the one man guaranteed to break it . . . When Lady Sophia de Lyons, former fiancé to a king and protected daughter of the aristocracy, masqueraded as an American commoner, she didn’t expect to fall in love. She gets more than she bargained for when the man of her dreams turns out to be the tabloid reporter of her nightmares. Can she ever learn to trust him after he betrays her? Or will they both lose everything in a desperate gamble for love? Scroll up and grab a copy today.

Ope’s Opinion: I am usually into books about royals – real or fictional, but this one just didn’t hit the mark for me. This was book four in the Riches & Royals series. I did not feel like I walked into the middle of a story. It could be read alone.

Some times I got lost in the descriptions and forgot where the story was going. Those parts moved a little slow for me, but overall the book was okay.