Month: May 2023

Book Talk Tuesday: THE BEST SUMMER OF OUR LIVES

Published on by Live Vi-Carrie-ously

I was blessed to receive an advanced reader copy of Rachel Hauck’s upcoming release, THE BEST SUMMER OF OUR LIVES.

The summer of 1977 was supposed to be the best summer of Summer, Autumn, Spring, and Snow’s lives. Friends since elementary school, the “Four Seasons” had big plans for the summer between high school and college, but they end up on probation as camp counselors in Tumbleweed, Oklahoma. But by the end of the summer, the Seasons are shattered apart by a secret and headed in four different directions.

Twenty years later, Summer Wilde is back in Tumbleweed, longing for the peace that’s eluded her since her summer at camp.

The book switches timelines and points of view seamlessly. The story is engrossing and the secrets are doled out skillfully enough to keep me turning the pages well into the night.

This story includes all the elements of a great Rachel Hauck novel: compelling characters, a fascinating story, and spiritual lessons with a special touch by God’s supernatural grace.

Rachel’s fans will gobble up (and love) this story. New readers will immediately look up her backlist books.

The book will be released June 27, but is available now for pre-order from all your favorite retailers.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, but that did not induce me to review it, favorably or not.

Monday Musings:

Published on by Live Vi-Carrie-ously

The last time I posted some quick book reviews, I included what was on my TBR and promised more reviews to come. So, to recap:

On top of my TBR:

WELCOME TO BEACH TOWN by Susan Wiggs (paperback)

**I won a copy of this upcoming June 2023 release through a Goodreads giveaway.**

From the Amazon description:

Every town has its secrets…

In idyllic Alara Cove, a California beach town known for its sunny charm and chill surfer vibe, it’s graduation day at the elite Thornton Academy. At Thornton, the students are the worldly and overindulged children who live in gated enclaves with spectacular views. But the class valedictorian is Nikki Graziola, a surfer’s daughter who is there on scholarship. To the shock of everyone in the audience, Nikki veers off script while giving her commencement address and reveals a secret that breaks open the whole community. As her truth explodes into the light, Alara Cove will face a reckoning.

I’ve read and loved Susan Wiggs’ other books so I’m looking forward to this one!

*****

I’ll post a longer review when the book releases next month, but it lived up to my expectations. Nikki fled Alara Cove right after graduation, but came back several years later to start over. She’s learned a lot in her years away and is able to rebuild her family and life. I enjoyed it!

FLYING SOLO by Linda Holmes (ebook)

Once I finish THE GOLDEN HOUR, this is next in my Kindle queue.

From the Amazon description: Smarting from her recently canceled wedding and about to turn forty, Laurie Sassalyn returns to her Maine hometown of Calcasset to handle the estate of her great-aunt Dot, a spirited adventurer who lived to be ninety-three. Alongside boxes of Polaroids and pottery, a mysterious wooden duck shows up at the bottom of a cedar chest. Laurie’s curiosity is piqued, especially after she finds a love letter to the never-married Dot that ends with the line “And anyway, if you’re ever desperate, there are always ducks, darling.”

OOPS. A few other titles on my Kindle nudged this one down and I haven’t read it yet.

I have read:

JONAS by Susan May Warren. The next installment in her Minnesota Marshall series, Jonas is about Jonas Marshall, a storm chaser working in Croatia and Sibba, the woman he meets on a mountain who’s searching for her missing grandfather. I loved it. Fast paced, lots of action and emotion, and now I’m ready for NED, coming in a few weeks.

THE BEST SUMMER OF OUR LIVES by Rachel Hauck. Check in tomorrow for a regular Book Talk Tuesday review of Rachel Hauck’s upcoming release.

LOVE AT FIRST by Kate Clayborn. I absolutely loved the first Kate Clayborn book I read, LOVE LETTERING, so when LOVE AT FIRST crossed my Kindle on special, I picked it up. It’s charming, and I enjoyed it, but it’s also telling that when I saw the cover on my Kindle app, I couldn’t remember the plot until I opened the book and read a couple of lines.

Next up on my TBR: an audio book, Daisy Jones and the Six, so I can watch the Amazon Prime series. Then I’m catching up on the new releases from my publisher. An Amish romance and some romantic suspense featuring fire fighters! I expect some steam and action. 😉