Beach Reads
One of the greatest things about summer is that all of my favorite authors release new books. Avid book readers have favorite authors, and we wait months looking forward to the release of their latest novels. The summer of 2021 is shaping up to be a great summer for reading. From historical fiction and summer romance to intense murder investigations and espionage during the Cold War, there is a little something here for everyone to enjoy. Each one of these books is a story to embrace with characters you won’t soon forget!
“The Summer of Lost and Found” by Mary Alice Monroe
The Beach House series has won the hearts of readers everywhere. In this latest novel, Linnea Rutledge is facing many challenges in her life amid the coronavirus pandemic. She has been laid off from the job she loves at the aquarium; Gordon, her newest love interest, hasn’t been able to return from England; and an old flame, John, just showed up and is now quarantining next door! She tries her best to ignore him, but he wins her over and old feelings start coming back to the surface, just in time for Gordon to finally show up! The weeks turn into months and, as Linnea makes it through another turtle nesting season, she finds that it’s better to focus on the lessons learned, rather than the opportunities lost.
“Daddy’s Girls” by Danielle Steel
When Texas ranch hand JT Tucker lost his wife, he moved to California with his three little girls to start a new life. With sheer determination and a lot of hard work, he built the biggest ranch in California. At just 64, he dies suddenly, leaving the ranch to his girls. Caroline is the youngest and often felt overlooked by her father. Gemma, Daddy’s favorite, went to Hollywood and became a star. The oldest, Kate, stayed home, forsaking her own life to take care of their father. Now that he is gone, the girls follow the paper trail left behind revealing a lot about their father that they never knew. The girls are introduced to a man they didn’t really know at all. Each daughter handles the reality differently. Bonds will be tested, and relationships will strengthen either because of him, or in spite of him. “Daddy’s Girls” is the story of three strong women who persevere despite the domineering father who left them behind.
“21st Birthday” by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
A good James Patterson novel is always the perfect beach read. In “21st Birthday,” Lindsay Boxer is back. This time the San Francisco police detective’s mission is to protect a girl from a serial killer so that she makes it to her 21st birthday. Tara Burke is a young wife and mother who disappears with her baby girl. Of course, everyone immediately looks right at her husband, Lucas. Lucas claims she isn’t missing at all, that she is just a wayward wife. And then gruesome evidence is found confirming foul play. Reporter Cindy Thomas and Medical Examiner Claire Washburn have theories about what happened to Tara that differ from what the police think. It seems like a goose chase until Lucas brings a new suspect into the light. If Lucas is right, will any woman in the state of California ever be safe again?
“The Newcomer” by Mary Kay Andrews
When Letty Carnahan finds her sister Tanya dead in her New York City townhouse, she knows for sure who did it. Tanya’s ex, Evan Wingfield, is a sleazy real estate mogul whom Tanya had previously warned Letty about. Tanya left behind a bag of cash, a diamond ring, and a magazine story about a motel in Florida. Letty does what her sister would want when she takes her 4-year-old niece, Maya, and makes a run for it to The Murmuring Surf Motel. The Surf is filled with retirees and snowbirds who aren’t fond of the newcomers. They treat Letty and Maya with suspicion and borderline hostility. Letty and Maya do their best to settle in so they can work on discovering the secrets to Tanya’s past. Meanwhile, they have to work hard to avoid the attention of the owners’ attractive son who also happens to be a detective. Letty is running out of time and soon she will face a fate filled with romance or a life behind bars.
“Our Woman in Moscow” by Beatriz Williams
In 1948, Iris Digby vanishes from her home in London with her American diplomat husband and their two children. How does a family just disappear? Were they eliminated by the Soviets? Or did they run away taking their secrets with them? Four years later, her twin sister, Ruth Macallister receives a postcard from Iris, whom she hasn’t seen since 1940, when Iris fell in love with Sasha Digby, a U.S. Embassy official. Ruth leaves right away for Moscow, pretending to be the wife of a counterintelligence agent so she can save her sister’s family from behind the Iron Curtain. But when she finds Iris, there are truths that Ruth doesn’t understand and, as they race toward safety, a Soviet KGB officer stands in their way.
“Cottage by the Sea” by Debbie Macomber
Annie Marlow has been having a rough time with life lately. She decides to head back to her happy place, Oceanside, in the Pacific Northwest. This is where her family vacationed when she was a teenager. Once she is there, it shows that time does heal. Annie begins to feel better, mostly because of the people she encounters. Keaton is a local painter who helps Annie fix up her cottage. Mellie is the landlord Annie is determined to make her friend, and Britt is a teenager who clearly has secrets. As Annie grows closer to Keaton, she takes refuge in his peaceful nature and the comfort that he gives her. Then the opportunity of a lifetime comes up, and Annie is torn between reaching for the success she used to desire and the man she has come to desire now.
