Summer Recommendations
I have been wanting to post my recommendations list since the end of June but the weather has been so crappy, it's been rainy and cold! It has barely reached 90 degrees. Now that it is finally starting to feel like summer I am going to post my summer reads list. FINALLY!
These are all books that are great for sitting on the beach and reading. I have seen so many of you posting pics on Instragram sitting on the beach with books, lucky! I live in Western Massachusetts, I don't live close to the beach but I try to make it once or twice a summer.
So, since I do plan on hitting the beach within the next few weeks and because the summer heat has finally kicked in, here goes my favorite summer reads! (These are in no particular order)
The Suit by B.N. Toler
Synopsis:
What happens when two dreams collide?
Fed up with the farm life and his one-time love of training horses, John Wilson has traded his tattered boots and jeans for power suits and cufflinks. Through hard work and determination, John has just graduated from law school and is focused on a fresh start. Refusing to let his bitter past hinder his future, John is intent on moving forward with his new life.
Except there’s one last thing he has to do—settle old debts before he can truly move on.
Unfortunately, settling debts involves him returning to a life he’s worked hard to forget. A mind-numbing summer working on a horse farm awaits him, and he’s dreading every damn minute of it.
Edie James is mourning the loss of her grandfather when John Wilson shows up in his perfectly tailored suit, reeking sexiness and city elegance—everything she’s not. Their meeting is less than pleasant as they both distastefully size up one another.
She thinks he’s arrogant and a white-collar yuppie.
He thinks she’s a simple, goody two-shoes farm girl.
Edie’s grandfather made a new will before he passed leaving stipulations in order for Edie to inherit the family farm. And as if that wasn’t enough of a challenge, the suit has to work on the farm with her for three months to settle a debt he owed to her grandfather.
And he’s moving in with her.
With a rocky start, the two seemingly polar opposites call a truce and attempt to be friends. As their unexpected friendship blooms, an attraction develops and both realize their first impression of each other is far from the truth. Now this once dreaded summer is set to be the hottest and most unforgettable they've ever had.
The Real Thing by Cassie Mae
Synopsis:
Eric Matua has one friend—his best friend and childhood sweetheart, who needs a place to stay for the summer. Mia Johnson has thousands of friends—who live in her computer. Along with her email chats and Facebook notifications, Mia also devours romance novels, spending countless hours with fictional characters, dreaming of her own Romeo to sweep her off her feet. When she starts receiving supersweet messages from a stranger who thinks she’s someone else, Mia begins to believe that real love is possible outside her virtual world.
When the two friends become roommates, Mia finds herself falling harder than she ever thought she could. But Eric keeps his desires locked away, unsure of himself and his ability to give his best friend what she deserves in a boyfriend. As her advances are continually spurned, Mia splits her time between Eric and her computer. But she soon realizes she’s about to lose the only real thing she’s ever had.
Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover
Synopsis:
At twenty-two years old, Sydney has a great life: She's in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her best friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers Hunter's cheating on her--and she is left trying to decide what to do next.
Sydney becomes captivated by Ridge, her mysterious neighbor. She can't take her eyes off him or stop listening to the passionate way he plays his guitar every evening out on his balcony. And there's something about Sydney that Ridge can't ignore, either. When their inevitable encounter happens, they soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one...
Original music created for Maybe Someday by musician Griffin Peterson can be accessed through the website listed in the ebook and paperback.
The Wild Ones by M. Leighton
I read this book the winter of 2014. I read this book in two days. I fell in love with the characters. Trick is a hot cowboy trying to do the right thing with his life when he meets a girl.
Synopsis:
Passion as hot as midnight in the South and love as wild as the horses they tame.
Sweet Filthy Boy by Christina Lauren
The darling daughter of a champion Thoroughbred breeder, Camille “Cami” Hines has a pedigree that rivals some of her father’s best horses. Other than feeling a little suffocated at times, Cami thought she was happy with her boyfriend, her life and her future—until she met Patrick Henley.
“Trick” blurs the lines between what Cami wants and what is expected of her—and he just happens to be so sexy she can’t keep her hands off him. While they both know that Trick would lose his much needed job on the ranch if anyone finds out, they can’t resist the lure of their scorchingly hot encounters.
But when Trick stumbles upon a note from his father, it triggers a series of revelations that could ruin what he and Cami have worked so hard to overcome. It turns out there’s more to Trick’s presence at the ranch than either of them knew, and secrets with the power to tear them apart...
Connected by the Sea by E.L. Todd
I received this book from the author last year in exchange for an honest review. This hadn't been the first book I had reviewed for this author. I love her stories and her writing style and I was sucked into this story. It is relatable and such the perfect beach read. It is currently FREE on Amazon!
Synopsis:
Coen Marshall is the bad boy with tattoos that every girl wants but can’t have. His reputation as a player is well known to everyone at the university, but that doesn’t sway anyone. His intelligence and looks are irresistible. And his abilities in the bedroom are sought after. Every girl hopes they can be the one to change him.
But no one really knows Coen…
Sydney is a good girl who does everything by the book. School, work, and her friends are the most important things to her. And after having her heart broken by a cheater, she’s not interested in another relationship. But Coen ignites desires within her that haven’t been felt before. Despite her feelings toward him, she ignores him. Based on his reputation, he’s no good for her. Her heart is guaranteed to be broken.
But when she unexpectantly becomes his tutor, she gets to know Coen in a way no one else ever has. That bad boy exterior is still there, but now she’s even more drawn to it. He pushes her buttons, gets her to acknowledge the truth around her, and does everything to gain her trust.
But where will it lead? Will Sydney’s heart be broken all over again? Or will she find the one thing she’s been missing her whole life?
But no one really knows Coen…
Sydney is a good girl who does everything by the book. School, work, and her friends are the most important things to her. And after having her heart broken by a cheater, she’s not interested in another relationship. But Coen ignites desires within her that haven’t been felt before. Despite her feelings toward him, she ignores him. Based on his reputation, he’s no good for her. Her heart is guaranteed to be broken.
But when she unexpectantly becomes his tutor, she gets to know Coen in a way no one else ever has. That bad boy exterior is still there, but now she’s even more drawn to it. He pushes her buttons, gets her to acknowledge the truth around her, and does everything to gain her trust.
But where will it lead? Will Sydney’s heart be broken all over again? Or will she find the one thing she’s been missing her whole life?
The Last Summer (of You and Me) by Ann Brashares
I picked this book up in Walden's Books when I was in high school. I had read the Sisterhood books when I was in middle school and loved them. So when I found out she had written more of an adult book I was so excited and went and bought it right away. This book was my days before my Kindle! This book is very emotional. The sisters in this book paints a good image of the true meaning of the word.
Synopsis:
In the town of Waterby on Fire Island, the rhythms and rituals of summer are sacrosanct: the ceremonial arrivals and departures by ferry; yacht club dinners with terrible food and breathtaking views; the virtual decree against shoes; and the generational parade of sandy, sun-bleached kids, running, swimming, squealing, and coming of age on the beach.
Set against this vivid backdrop, The Last Summer (of You and Me) is the enchanting, heartrending story of a beach-community friendship triangle and summertime romance among three young adults for whom summer and this place have meant everything. Sisters Riley and Alice, now in their twenties, have been returning to their parents’ modest beach house every summer for their entire lives. Petite, tenacious Riley is a tomboy and a lifeguard, always ready for a midnight swim, a gale-force sail, or a barefoot sprint down the beach. Beautiful Alice is lithe, gentle, a reader and a thinker, and worshipful of her older sister. And every summer growing up, in the big house that overshadowed their humble one, there was Paul, a friend as important to both girls as the place itself, who has now finally returned to the island after three years away. But his return marks a season of tremendous change, and when a simmering attraction, a serious illness, and a deep secret all collide, the three friends are launched into an unfamiliar adult world, a world from which their summer haven can no longer protect them.
Set against this vivid backdrop, The Last Summer (of You and Me) is the enchanting, heartrending story of a beach-community friendship triangle and summertime romance among three young adults for whom summer and this place have meant everything. Sisters Riley and Alice, now in their twenties, have been returning to their parents’ modest beach house every summer for their entire lives. Petite, tenacious Riley is a tomboy and a lifeguard, always ready for a midnight swim, a gale-force sail, or a barefoot sprint down the beach. Beautiful Alice is lithe, gentle, a reader and a thinker, and worshipful of her older sister. And every summer growing up, in the big house that overshadowed their humble one, there was Paul, a friend as important to both girls as the place itself, who has now finally returned to the island after three years away. But his return marks a season of tremendous change, and when a simmering attraction, a serious illness, and a deep secret all collide, the three friends are launched into an unfamiliar adult world, a world from which their summer haven can no longer protect them.
Body Surfing by Anita Shreve
Again, another book I bought at Walden's Books when I was in high school... Years before my Kindle days. I enjoyed this book and it makes a great beach read.
***Walden's Books has since gone out of business. I miss that store so much! It was my childhood!***
Synopsis:
At the age of 29, Sydney has already been once divorced and once widowed. Trying to regain her footing once again, she has answered an ad to tutor the teenage daughter of a well-to-do couple as they spend a sultry summer in their oceanfront New Hampshire cottage.
But when the Edwards' two grown sons, Ben and Jeff, arrive at the beach house, Sydney finds herself caught up in a destructive web of old tensions and bitter divisions. As the brothers vie for her affections, the fragile existence Sydney has rebuilt for herself is threatened.
But when the Edwards' two grown sons, Ben and Jeff, arrive at the beach house, Sydney finds herself caught up in a destructive web of old tensions and bitter divisions. As the brothers vie for her affections, the fragile existence Sydney has rebuilt for herself is threatened.
One to Hold by Tia Louise
I love this series and I love this author. I have been reading for her since the first book One to Hold released. This will make a great summer read, it is easy to get into and I have no doubt you will get sucked into this series like I did. Now, they are marked as standalones but I do recommend you read them in order for the fact that each book is characters from the previous book, so I would read them in order but you don't have to. This is the first book in the series and currently FREE on Amazon, so go one-click it!
Synopsis:
Derek Alexander is a retired Marine, ex-cop, and the top investigator in his field. Melissa Jones is a small-town girl trying to escape her troubled past.
When the two intersect in a bar in Arizona, their sexual chemistry is off the charts. But what is revealed during their "one week stand" only complicates matters.
Because she'll do everything in her power to get away from the past, but he'll do everything he can to hold her.
Sweet Filthy Boy by Christina Lauren
I was lucky enough to have received this book from the publishers last May and read it before it's release in exchange for an honest review. This was the first book I had read by Christina Lauren since I had read Beautiful Bastard and I enjoyed it. It is different from the Bastard Series but it is a funny series.
Synopsis:
One-night stands are supposed to be with someone convenient, or wickedly persuasive, or regrettable. They aren’t supposed to be with someone like him.
But after a crazy Vegas weekend celebrating her college graduation—and terrified of the future path she knows is a cop-out—Mia Holland makes the wildest decision of her life: follow Ansel Guillaume—her sweet, filthy fling—to France for the summer and just…play.
When feelings begin to develop behind the provocative roles they take on, and their temporary masquerade adventures begin to feel real, Mia will have to decide if she belongs in the life she left because it was all wrong, or in the strange new one that seems worlds away.
But after a crazy Vegas weekend celebrating her college graduation—and terrified of the future path she knows is a cop-out—Mia Holland makes the wildest decision of her life: follow Ansel Guillaume—her sweet, filthy fling—to France for the summer and just…play.
When feelings begin to develop behind the provocative roles they take on, and their temporary masquerade adventures begin to feel real, Mia will have to decide if she belongs in the life she left because it was all wrong, or in the strange new one that seems worlds away.
On The Island by Tracy-Garvis Graves
This is my last recommendation... and even though this is the only book out of the ten I have not read yet, I am putting it on my list because it is a book I do want to read this summer and I have heard so many wonderful things about it.
Synopsis:
Anna Emerson is a thirty-year-old English teacher desperately in need of adventure. Worn down by the cold Chicago winters and a relationship that’s going nowhere, she jumps at the chance to spend the summer on a tropical island tutoring sixteen-year-old T.J.
T.J. Callahan has no desire to go anywhere. His cancer is in remission and he wants to get back to his normal life. But his parents are insisting he spend the summer in the Maldives catching up on all the school he missed last year.
Anna and T.J. board a private plane headed to the Callahan’s summer home, and as they fly over the Maldives’ twelve hundred islands, the unthinkable happens. Their plane crashes in shark-infested waters. They make it to shore, but soon discover that they’re stranded on an uninhabited island.
At first, their only thought is survival. But as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.’s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man.
T.J. Callahan has no desire to go anywhere. His cancer is in remission and he wants to get back to his normal life. But his parents are insisting he spend the summer in the Maldives catching up on all the school he missed last year.
Anna and T.J. board a private plane headed to the Callahan’s summer home, and as they fly over the Maldives’ twelve hundred islands, the unthinkable happens. Their plane crashes in shark-infested waters. They make it to shore, but soon discover that they’re stranded on an uninhabited island.
At first, their only thought is survival. But as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.’s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man.
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