Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Genre: Romance
Source: G.P. Putnam’s Sons ( Netgalley )

Goodreads: In the spirit of Colleen Hoover and Jojo Moyes’s Me Before You, an unforgettable and heartbreaking love story with an earth-shattering secret at its core that asks the question: is love worth risking everything for?

An earth-shattering secret. A life-changing love story.

When Wren realizes her fiancé is in love with someone else, she thinks her heart will never recover.

On the other side of the world, Anders lost his wife four years ago and is still struggling to move on.

Wren hopes that spending the summer with her dad and step-family on their farm in Indiana will help her to heal. There, amid the cornfields and fireflies, she and Anders cross paths and their worlds are turned upside-down again.

But Wren doesn’t know that Anders is harboring a secret, and if he acts on any feelings he has for Wren it will have serious fall-out for everyone. Walking away would hurt Wren more than she can imagine. But, knowing the truth, how can she possibly stay?

Ope’s Opinion: This is really a 3.5 chairs. The story is really good, but it just moved very, very slow. I do like to know the characters before they fall in love, but this took most of the book to get to know everyone before anything happened. I almost gave up on it – I am very glad I didn’t. There was a twist, I did not see coming.

Only hearing from Anders ( One chapter ) at the end of the book seemed out of place when the rest of the book was from Wren’s point of view. The ending had me on the fence. Part of me liked it, but a part of me felt it came out of nowhere. Can’t say too much more without giving things away.

Goodreads:  From the author of Pack Up the Moon comes a funny, romantic, and deeply moving novel about the unexpected rewards that come from life’s detours.

Lark Smith has always had a plan for her life: find a fantastic guy, create a marriage as blissful as her parents’, pop out a couple of kids and build a rewarding career as an oncologist.

Things aren’t going so well.

For one, the guy didn’t work out. Theoretically, she’d love to find someone else, but it hasn’t happened. Two, she’s just been transferred out of oncology for being too emotional. (Is it her fault she’s a weeper?) Three, her parents just split up.

Deviating from the plan was…well, not in the plan. A potential solution comes from the foul-tempered and renowned surgeon Lorenzo Santini (aka Dr. Satan). He needs a date this summer for his sister’s wedding. His ancient Noni wants to see him settled. In exchange, he could make a few introductions and maybe get Lark back into the field of her choice.

As a sucker for old people and fake relationships, Lark agrees. Teeny problem—she instantly falls for his big, warm family. Especially his estranged brother.

Meanwhile, Lark’s mom has moved in with Lark’s flamboyant landlady, Joy, and an unlikely friendship blossoms. The three women have a long summer and a big beautiful house on the ocean to figure out what’s next…and quite possibly learn that the best things in life aren’t planned at all.

This looks like a good read.

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Romance
Source: St. Martin’s Press ( Netgalley )

Goodreads: Welcome to the St. Cecelia, a landmark hotel on the coast of Georgia, where traditions run deep and scandals run even deeper. . . .

Everyone refers to the St. Cecelia as “the Saint.” If you grew up coming here, you were “a Saint.” If you came from the wrong side of the river, you were “an Ain’t.” Traci Eddings was one of those outsiders whose family wasn’t rich enough or connected enough to vacation here. But she could work here. One fateful summer she did, and married the boss’s son. Now, she’s the widowed owner of the hotel, determined to see it return to its glory days, even as staff shortages and financial troubles threaten to ruin it. Plus, her greedy and unscrupulous brother-in-law wants to make sure she fails. Enlisting a motley crew of recently hired summer help—including the daughter of her estranged best friend—Traci has one summer season to turn it around. But new information about a long-ago drowning at the hotel threatens to come to light, and the tragic death of one of their own brings Traci to the brink of despair.

Traci Eddings has her back against the pink-painted wall of this beloved institution. And it will take all the wits and guts she has to see wrongs put to right, to see guilty parties put in their place, and maybe even to find a new romance along the way. Told with Mary Kay Andrew’s warmth, humor, knack for twists, and eye for delicious detail about human nature, Summers at the Saint is a beach read with depth and heart.

Ope’s Opinion: This story has two mysteries and a little romance. The mysteries are the center of the story and they eventually make a connection. The twists and turns made it a fun read. The foul language was strong and constant. The language took away from the enjoyment for me. This is not Andrews normal beach, so know that before you pick it up.

There was a large cast of characters to keep up. It was also a little repetitive which made it move on the slow side. There was some amateur sleuthing, which always annoys me. Overall, not your typical MKA book.

Publisher: Audible Audio
Genre: Nonfiction
Source: Library

Goodreads: Jinger Vuolo, the sixth child in the famous Duggar family of TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On, recounts how she began to question the unhealthy ideology of her youth and learned to embrace true freedom in Christ.

When Jinger Duggar Vuolo was growing up, she was convinced that obeying the rules was the key to success and God’s favor. She zealously promoted the Basic Life Principles of Bill Gothard,

fastidiously obeying the modesty guidelines (no shorts or jeans, only dresses),
eagerly submitting to the umbrella of authority (any disobedience of parents would place her outside God’s protection),
 promoting the relationship standard of courtship, and
avoiding any music with a worldly beat, among others.

Jinger, along with three of her sisters, wrote a New York Times bestseller about their religious convictions. She believed this level of commitment would guarantee God’s blessing, even though in private she felt constant fear that she wasn’t measuring up to the high standards demanded of her.

In Becoming Free Indeed, Jinger shares how in her early twenties, a new family member—a brother-in-law who didn’t grow up in the same tight-knit conservative circle as Jinger—caused her to examine her beliefs. He was committed to the Bible, but he didn’t believe many of the things Jinger had always assumed were true. His influence, along with the help of a pastor named Jeremy Vuolo, caused Jinger to see that her life was built on rules, not God’s Word.

Jinger committed to studying the Bible—truly understanding it—for the first time. What resulted was an earth-shaking realization: much of what she’d always believed about God, obedience to His Word, and personal holiness wasn’t in-line with what the Bible teaches.

Now with a renewed faith of personal conviction, Becoming Free Indeed shares what it was like living under the tenants of Bill Gothard, the Biblical truth that changed her perspective, and how she disentangled her faith with her belief in Jesus intact.

Ope’s Opinion: I had watch some of the Duggar shows and was always interested in where they all are now. This was not a tell all book – she even says that upfront. It is about her and religious journey.

I listened to this book from my library. Jinger’s voice is very smooth and easy to listen to. She is well spoken. I enjoyed hearing her perspective of her childhood religious upbringing and her current beliefs. As all of us change and grow, our relationship to God changes and grows. Jinger has shared her growth.

Publisher: Forever
Genre: Romance
Source: Forever ( Netgalley )

Goodreads: An epic coastal road-trip gives two lifelong rivals a second chance at love in this debut novel from  The Bachelorette  star and  New York Times  bestselling author Hannah Brown.

Two former debate team champions who almost fell in love years ago are now stuck together on one wild wedding weekend. When bridesmaid Emma first sees groomsman Finn, she’s reminded of all the mistakes she almost made with him—the date, the party, the kiss, that one night on the rooftop in New York. Each ended in heartbreak, and she would have been happy never to see Finn again.

But when the bride runs away, and both Emma and Finn are tasked with bringing her home in time to walk down the aisle, they end up on a whirlwind road trip down memory lane… and might just fall in love along the way. 

Ope’s Opinion: There was too much crammed into the three or four days before this wedding. There was a road trip, a missing bride and so many dysfunctional relationships going on all at the same time.

Then there were flashbacks to fill you in on all the relationships, centering around Emma and Finn. They were so frustrating – if they had only communicated honestly with each other, so many misunderstandings could have been avoided. It did not create the kind of angst that made me want them to be together.

Poof – the ending – road trip is done, no questions answered – Why did the bride go missing? Where did she go? Did she get married? All of a sudden everyone is happy and all their relationships are healed. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for a happily ever after, but this one gave me whip lash.

Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Romance
Source: Berkley ( Netgalley )

Goodreads: A destination wedding in Italy’s Lake Como brings three best friends back together to face the secrets of the past in this romantic novel from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst.

Best friends Ava, Madison, and Chelsea made a pact to reunite for each other’s weddings when their careers sent them in different directions. But after one of them makes a choice that tears the group apart, an upcoming wedding might be their last chance to heal old wounds.

Ava is about to marry the man she loves in a lavish ceremony on the shores of Lake Como, but she’s haunted by the mistakes she’s made.

Madison’s made a name for herself as an influencer in the fashion world but is threatened by a scandal impacting everything she holds dear.

And Chelsea has the perfect family she always craved, but her professional dreams have fallen by the wayside.

As they return to Italy’s gorgeous coast, the three women revisit their life-changing first trip to Lake Como during college. When Madison comes face-to-face with the college sweetheart who was at the heart of one of the most pivotal times of her life, can they forge a new way forward?

Ope’s Opinion: This is the third in the Meet Me in Italy series, but the first one I have read. I had no idea it was part of a series. It felt like a stand alone to me. This is considered in the romance genre – there was definitely romance in the book, but the three female friendships were more of the center of the story.

The friendships start when they are all young, they are toxic relationships. As they grow, the relationships hit hard times. It felt good to see them mature, become independent and figure out what is really important for each one of them.

Look what came in today!!!

Goodreads: This summer they’ll keep their promise. This summer they won’t give into temptation. This summer will be different.

Lucy is the tourist vacationing at a beach house on Prince Edward Island. Felix is the local who shows her a very good time. The only problem: Lucy doesn’t know he’s her best friend’s younger brother. Lucy and Felix’s chemistry is unreal, but the list of reasons why they need to stay away from each other is long, and they vow to never repeat that electric night again.

It’s easier said than done.

Each year, Lucy escapes to PEI for a big breath of coastal air, fresh oysters and crisp vinho verde with her best friend, Bridget. Every visit begins with a long walk on the beach, beneath soaring red cliffs and a golden sun. And every visit, Lucy promises herself she won’t wind up in Felix’s bed. Again.

If Lucy can’t help being drawn to Felix, at least she’s always kept her heart out of it.

When Bridget suddenly flees Toronto a week before her wedding, Lucy drops everything to follow her to the island. Her mission is to help Bridget through her crisis and resist the one man she’s never been able to. But Felix’s sparkling eyes and flirty quips have been replaced with something new, and Lucy’s beginning to wonder just how safe her heart truly is.

I am so excited to read this one.
Carley Fortune has become one of my go-to authors.

Goodreads:  A glorious and tantalizing new escape from #1 New York Times bestselling author Carley Fortune.

This summer they’ll keep their promise. This summer they won’t give into temptation. This summer will be different.

Lucy is the tourist vacationing at a beach house on Prince Edward Island. Felix is the local who shows her a very good time. The only problem: Lucy doesn’t know he’s her best friend’s younger brother. Lucy and Felix’s chemistry is unreal, but the list of reasons why they need to stay away from each other is long, and they vow to never repeat that electric night again.

It’s easier said than done.

Each year, Lucy escapes to PEI for a big breath of coastal air, fresh oysters and crisp vinho verde with her best friend, Bridget. Every visit begins with a long walk on the beach, beneath soaring red cliffs and a golden sun. And every visit, Lucy promises herself she won’t wind up in Felix’s bed. Again.

If Lucy can’t help being drawn to Felix, at least she’s always kept her heart out of it.

When Bridget suddenly flees Toronto a week before her wedding, Lucy drops everything to follow her to the island. Her mission is to help Bridget through her crisis and resist the one man she’s never been able to. But Felix’s sparkling eyes and flirty quips have been replaced with something new, and Lucy’s beginning to wonder just how safe her heart truly is.

I hope to read this one!

Publisher: Avon
Genre: Romance
Source: Avon ( Netgalley )

Goodreads: One week, two friends, secrets revealed, and a wedding gone wrong.   With the drama of Colleen Hoover, the romantic tension of Lori Foster, and the page-turning power of Jill Shalvis,  New York Times  bestselling author Jennifer Ryan returns in this deliciously unforgettable novel. Sometimes weddings bring the worst surprises… Growing up, Rose fled her family home—and a dangerous father—vowing never to return. But Rose is back in Carmel, California, with two to joyfully act as maid of honor for her best-friend-forever Maggie and to reunite and rebuild her relationships with her mother and sister. And she can’t wait to finally meet the groom-to-be. But when Maggie excitedly introduces her to Marc, Rose is horrified. He’s the man Rose spent one lust-fueled but disastrous night with a year ago. Rose and Maggie have shared every secret…but Rose isn’t sure she can reveal this one. To complicate the situation, Rose makes an instant connection with Gray, Marc’s best man and cousin. And as the big day approaches, the secret weighs heavy upon Rose. It was a whirlwind courtship, but Maggie seems so sure she’s found the one she wants. Now Rose faces the biggest dilemma of her Should she tell Maggie and Gray the truth and risk losing them? What if it’s best to leave things alone? Then again, what if her friend is making the biggest mistake of her life?

Ope’s Opinion: If you like books with constant sexual innuendo’s followed by very descriptive steamy scenes, then you should pick up this book. I wish books were rated like movies, so you knew if it had a lot of violence, sexual scenes, etc.

So, why did I keep reading – the story around the steamy parts was actually a good one. There was abuse, cheating and other issues dealt with and resolved.