So far this year I’ve read 90 books, so I thought I’d take some time today to share my favorite recent reads. These books are from a variety of genres, so I hope you find something you like in the mix. These options are from several different genres. What have you read likely that you’ve loved?
Denise Hunter is always a good choice when you’re in the mood for a contemporary romance, and Riverbend Gap was a great read. With shadows of While You Were Sleeping, this romance is filled with tension and people trying to do the right thing and finding grace when they can’t. It’s about finding a home and restoration. And the romance is plagued with angst and sweet resolution. From the back cover: She came in search of the family she’d always wanted—and found the kind of love she’d never dared to imagine. When Katelyn Loveland’s car veered off a winding Appalachian Mountain road, she thought she was done for. That is until Cooper Robinson, local sheriff’s deputy, came to her rescue. And though Katie narrowly escaped her brush with death, she still fell. Hard.
Jen Turano was my guest this week on Book Talk with Cara, and I LOVED her novel that released earlier this month. To Write a Wrong was everything I hoped for Daphne’s story. Daphne is a writer in an age where women can’t write under their names and that creates the need for her to use a pseudonym. She’s also an inquiry agent with the Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency. Put the two together and give her a client who is her biggest competition in the mystery world, and you have the recipe for a book that was so fun to read. It pokes fun at writers, but never devolves to a treatise on how terrible publishing is. Instead To Write a Wrong creates a plot that twists and turns while having a good time and weaving a tale of a sweet romance. Loved it!
Pepper Basham has created an unforgettable split-time novel with Hope Between the Pages. She more than does the tricky gambit of creating two separate stories that perfectly supplement each other and delighted me as a reader. The combination is beautifully crafted and so very rich. All in all it is a beautifully told split time novel. Both stories are so strong and engrossing. Here’s more about this story I highly recommend: Clara Blackwell helps her mother manage a struggling one-hundred-year old family bookshop in Asheville, North Carolina, but the discovery of a forgotten letter opens a mystery of a long-lost romance and undiscovered inheritance which could save its future. Forced to step outside of her predictable world, Clara embarks on an adventure with only the name Oliver as a hint of the man’s identity in her great-great-grandmother’s letter. From the nearby grand estate of the Vanderbilts, to a hamlet in Derbyshire, England, Clara seeks to uncover truth about family and love that may lead to her own unexpected romance.
Finally, last night I finished Angela Ruth Strong’s Husband Auditions. It is a delightful rom com that was so sweet and fun. The big idea is what would happen if a woman in her early 30s wants to get married but can’t find a man. Instead, she’s given a list of ways to catch a man from the 1950s. Then her roommate starts a reality show for her trying those different suggestions to find a man. It’s a farce and just plain fun. I enjoyed the back and forth as Meri and Kai navigate creating the show while ignoring how they feel about each other. It’s the perfect read when you need to laugh and simply enjoy a good story.
You can see all of the books I’ve finished so far this year here. So I want to know…what have you enjoyed reading lately? What was a book that you couldn’t put down…or can’t quit recommending to others? After all, books are a uniquely portable magic, and I’m always looking for new recommendations!
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Three recent reads that I really enjoyed were:
* Under the Magnolias – T.I. Lowe
* Love and the Silver Lining – Tammy L. Gray
* Lawless – Tamara Leigh
Fun post, Cara! I have To Write a Wrong on my TBR pile and can’t wait to dive in. I love Jen’s books. Always so quirky and fun. And with a writer heroine? I know I’m going to love it.
I’m currently reading Mr. Gardiner and the Governess by Sally Britton. It has a great nerdy hero who is an entomologist cataloging the insects and vegetation on a duke’s estate. Such a unique character. He’s just awkward enough to be adorable.
I still recommend Our Darkest Night by Jennifer Robson even though I read it in January.
I borrowed and read “To Write a Wrong” from the library. It picks up from “To a Steal a Heart,” the new and #2 entry has Daphne as the lead character. There’s another novel in the “Bleeker Street Inquiry Agency” series releasing in early 2022! Eunice gets her story so readers will get to know more about her.
I enjoyed reading the “Verity Kent Mystery” series by Anna Lee Huber (She also writes the “Lady Darby Mystery” series which I enjoy) The new and #5 book comes out next week. In 1919, Verity Kent is readjusting to life in postwar UK; she’d worked in a support role for the British secret service.
Those sound like great reads! Thank you!