Another Rousing Edition of Penny's Quirky Summer Reading List!

What does "Summer Reading" actually mean?

Mindless? Easy-breezy? Entertaining? Stuff you can read on the beach and it's okay if some sand gets on your pages?

Not sure exactly, but I'm assuming it's the opposite of "The History of Bosnia" which is--true story--a book my husband once brought to the beach. 

Anyway, I have seen a lot of "Summer Reading Lists" over the last couple of months, so I decided it was time to put together something a little bit quirky and varied and eclectic. 

Time for...PENNY'S QUIRKY SUMMER READING SUGGESTIONS, a weird mish-mash of some of my favorite reads.** 

**Includes horror, mystery, gothic thriller, romance, women's fiction, a cozy, and of course a bonus HARLEQUIN PRESENTS. 

Here we go...

1. THE CITY BAKER'S GUIDE TO COUNTRY LIVING by Louise Miller

Women's Fiction

Fun and charming tale about a city girl-baker who moves to Vermont. Excellent choice for a foodie fiction lover. Also includes quirky characters, lots of Vermont details, and a meandering story that is summed up with one word: ADORABLE.

2. CROCODILE ON THE SANDBANK by Elizabeth Peters AMELIA PEABODY SERIES

Mystery

This series is absolutely brilliant and so very entertaining. Amelia Peabody is the no-nonsense hilarious protagonist, as well as budding archaeologist and Egyptologist. This series has it all...mystery, romance, history, humor. Guaranteed to get you addicted. You can read the whole series this summer while you work on your tan.

3. GLASS HOUSES by Louise Penny

Mystery

Book #13 in the Gamache Series. Another entertaining installment of this wonderful mystery series, filled with fascinating tidbits about human nature, history, humor, and poetic prose. I love Louise Penny!

4. INFESTATION by William Meikle

Horror

This was my first story by this author, and I heartily enjoyed the fast pace, interesting cast of characters, and horrifying sci fi creatures. Good summer fun for horror-lovers!

5. SILENT IN THE SANCTUARY by Deanna Raybourn

Historical Thriller/Gothic

Raybourn hits all of my high notes with this book. Includes the perfect balance of humor, plot, excellent writing, fabulous characterization, and eerie gothic creepiness. I just love Raybourn's subtle sense of humor and the sparkling dialogue. Recommended to me by my friend Laura K. Curtis, and now I'm addicted to this series. Thanks, Laura!

Lovely book. Read it.

6. THE MARINE'S SECRET DAUGHTER by Carrie Nichols

Harlequin Special Edition

A discovery on social media! Carrie is a friend on Facebook, so I decided to check out her book. Low on the angst, high on the sweet romance. Set in New England. Love the family dynamics. Perfect beach read.

7. WANT IT by Elisabeth Barrett

Contemporary Romance 

Love this author's writing and voice. It's fresh and fun and impressive. This series has a bunch of beardy brothers, their distillery business, and some angsty romantic melodrama. It is set in Portland, and includes family drama, lots of laugh-out-loud humor, and sex. Yep, it's pretty sexy. *Penny blushes and tries to look nonplussed* In other words...go ahead, people, say it with meaning...THE PERFECT SUMMER READING! 

Very good!

8. THE SUBURBS HAVE SECRETS by Barbara Wallace

Cozy mystery w/ romance

This is the start of a brand-new cozy series, and it's adorable. 40-something heroine, a very sexy chief-of-police, lots of blonde bitchy mummies in the 'burbs, and excellent secondary characters who pop off the page. It's a winner!

9. SUMMER AGAIN by Julia Gabriel

Contemporary romance

Yeah, you sort of have to include a book with the title SUMMER AGAIN on a summer reading list. 

Fun 2nd chance romance set at a family camp...has a real "Dirty Dancing" vibe which I loved. Very romantic. Swoony goodness!

10. THE HATING GAME by Sally Thorne

Contemporary romance

This book was unexpected and funny and sexy. The beginning has one of the best starts to a novel I've read in the last ten years. Spot-on humor and charming details and LOADS of sexual tension make this one totally worth a read, especially if you're sitting under an umbrella on the beach with an icy cold frozen cocktail. MAKE THAT HAPPEN!

Now time for the BONUS HARLEQUIN PRESENTS...

This was a pretty difficult decision, since I've read probably 2,000 HPs over the last year. Geez! But this one is a favorite...


**HP BONUS ROUND** 

REDEMPTION OF A RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE by Lucy Ellis

Harlequin Presents

I'm not embarrassed to say I've already read this one about a dozen times. SWOOOOOOON-I-LICIOUS! I have a thing about Russian heroes. Oh boy. This has Russian hero + adorable widow heroine with quirky daughter + scheming grandfather + charming British village, all mixed together with the perfect amount of angst and conflict = The Perfect Summer Treat.

Also, one of the funniest, most awesome "meet-cutes" ever. I laugh every time I read it!


Also...I'm going to recommend you eat some ice-cream...

...and pick some flowers...

...to round out your summer fun.

Badge of honor for list-makers...

Please share with your readers!

HAPPY SUMMER TO ALL!

Love, Nina/Penny

✼

Review for WANT IT by Elisabeth Barrett

Review for WANT IT by Elisabeth Barrett


As most of you know, I have a wee little problem with Harlequin Presents...as in, I read them every day. They are my go-to happy place. To be honest, I have not been reading a lot of non-HP romance lately.

Until now.

I discovered a new-to-me author and she is FABULOUS! Woo hoo!

Order of events...

1. Was wasting time on Facebook and I saw this cover. I thought...Hmm, very nice! 

2. Read the book blurb...saw the words "six brothers" and "distillery" and "bearded" and I thought...Hmm, very nice!

3. I went to Amazon and read a sample. This is imperative for new-to-me authors. I've been burned too many times.

So, I read the first 8 sentences, and I knew. I knew this chick could write. Sometimes that's all it takes. Then I read a few more paragraphs and I bought the book. It had a great hook, was funny, and best of all...GOOD WRITING!

4. I started reading and I couldn't stop. Not only did I read the entire book in one sitting, I also bought book #1 in this series (OWN IT) and read it later that day.

5. Good stuff about this book: Setting that pops off the page in all the best ways. Portland comes to life. Barrett does a superb job with setting, which adds excellent texture to the story. The food, the local hotspots, everything. Now I want to go to Portland!

6. More good stuff: The distillery and its cool details. You can tell Barrett has done her research--particularly in the first book of the series. I love learning new things. I learned about whiskey and beer and wine and cars and...let's face it, a family brewery and distillery is a super sexy setting for a family of six brothers + cousins who are bearded, burly, and hot. Hmm, very nice!

7. I have a real soft spot for "family" romance, and this one is sooooooooooo good! Not only did I love the hero and heroine in this, but the secondary characters were fantastic. Brody's family is full of quirky, sexy men (with beards!) and Juliette's hilarious Italian family made me laugh out loud. The conflicts and dialogue were to-die-for. Barrett excels at dialogue, including the sexy banter between the financial wiz Brody and his gorgeous Italian neighbor Juliette. I really loved this couple!

8. This book is VERY sexy. Maybe a tad too much for me (Vanilla Penny *cough cough*), but it totally worked in this story. If you like sweltering hot sexy scenes, you'll be satisfied. (Pun!)

9. I liked the 2nd book a bit better than the first book only because I am pretty much a low-angst girl. The first book has more angst. WANT IT was just right for me...perfect amount of conflict, etc.

10. In conclusion...if you like well-written, well-crafted novels with plenty of sexy banter, quirky secondary characters, a setting that pops off the page, a satisfying and sexy romance, and bottom line high quality romantic fiction, this book is a winner!

Bonus: Beards. 

Grade: A

Have a nice day,
Penny