Favorite Summer Reads & a Giveaway
Any time is a great time for reading, but there’s something extra special about reading in the summer. I’ve enjoyed some great stories the past three months, so I thought I’d share them with you and offer a giveaway.
When Secrets Come Calling by Felicia Ferguson
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Past secrets. A second chance. But can the truth really set them free?
When former University of Alabama and Titans wide receiver Dax Carpenter learns his father is accused of a forty-year-old robbery and murder, he turns to the only person he trusts to discover the truth: his ex-girlfriend, Caitlin Fitzhugh.
Caitlin, a cold-case specialist with the Alabama State Division of Investigations, wants nothing to do with the case nor Dax. Not only is the evidence against Dax’s father already condemning, she can’t risk having her heart broken—again.
Caitlin’s boss, however, ignores her arguments, and she begrudgingly takes the consult, convincing herself she can keep the case and her past with Dax separate. But unlike her, longings and memories don’t follow orders. While she lends her skills to the Gulf Shores Police Department in the search for the truth, Dax fends off a possibly career-ending social media hit—leading him to question everything he knows about his father and himself.
As the secrets of both their pasts unfold, they discover whether Dax’s father truly robbed and murdered a man forty years ago but also why Caitlin ended their relationship. Secrets that could drive a wedge between them, forever.
Check out my review here.
If for Any Reason by Courtney Walsh
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Emily Ackerman has traveled the world, her constant compass and companion a book of letters her mother left for her when she died. With no father in the picture, her mom’s advice has been her only true north. But when professional failure leads Emily back to Nantucket to renovate and sell the family cottage she inherited, she wonders if her mom left advice to cover this . . . especially when her grandmother arrives to “supervise.” And especially when her heart becomes entangled with Hollis McGuire, the boy next door–turned–baseball star who’s back on the island after a career-ending injury.
As sparks fly between her and Hollis, Emily is drawn to island life, even as she uncovers shocking secrets about the tragic accident that led to her mother’s death. With her world turned upside down, Emily must choose between allowing the voices from her past to guide her future or forging her own path forward.
Check out my review here.
The Roads We Follow by Nicole Deese
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A cross-country road trip. A secretive box of journals. An unforgettable summer romance.
As the youngest daughter of a country music legend, Raegan Farrow longs to establish an identity away from the spotlight and publish her small-town romances under a pen name. But after her dream is dashed when she won’t exploit her mother’s fame to further her own career, she hears a rumor from a reliable source regarding a tell-all being written about the Farrow family. Making matters worse, the unknown author has gone to great lengths to remain anonymous until publication.
Raegan chooses to keep the tell-all a secret from her scandal-leery sisters as they embark on a two-week cross-country road trip at their mother’s request and makes it her mission to expose the identity of the author behind the unsanctioned biography. But all is complicated when she discovers their hired bus driver, Micah Davenport, has a hidden agenda of his own–one involving both of their mothers and an old box of journals. As they rely on each other to find the answers they seek, the surprising revelations they unearth will lead them down an unexpected road of love and reconciliation.
Check out my review here.
Emma’s Hero by Carrie Walker
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“God won’t give me more than I can handle? I’m pretty sure He just did.”
After a year of loss and bad choices distance Emma Reynolds from her lifelong beliefs, she finds herself pregnant and alone at a twenty-week ultrasound, hearing the words “incompatible with life.” When her son, Theo, survives birth, she fights to give him the best care possible. As each day passes, Emma’s love for Theo grows—along with her fear of losing him. She can’t understand why God allows her son to suffer.
Seventeen-year-old blogger, Mason Hughes, feels lonely and worthless after his father left their family years ago. When he ignores his mother’s push to “contribute to society,” she volunteers him to help Emma each week. Wishing he’d applied for any other job, Mason has no choice but to grocery shop and practice his rusty social skills with a mother and son he doesn’t know.
Paramedic Ben Sullivan has earned himself the title of “most eligible” bachelor among his friends as they continually set him up on blind dates. While he’d love to avoid the uncomfortable events, his heart can’t help but seek the one thing missing in his life—a marriage like his parents have. If only he could find the woman himself.
As Theo’s tiny life connects them to each other, their loneliness breaks under the love of community, and they will never be the same.
Check out my review here.
To Speak His Name by Tara Johnson
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Avalina is a woman trapped in silence. Stolen from her home in Ireland and sold as a slave to a Barbados plantation owner, the trauma of her past has left her mute, wrapped in a prison of loneliness and isolation amid an island of beauty. Though she longs to be free from the cruelty of her overseer, her heart yearns for a greater freedom…something just beyond her grasp.
Josiah Holland has been born into a South Carolina slave-holding family but all it takes is one trip to the island of Barbados to open his eyes to the ugly cruelty that abounds beyond the confines of his plantation. With the aid of fiery abolitionist Benjamin McGee, Josiah forges a new future, fighting the very ideals he was once a part of.
When Avalina and Josiah’s lives entwine, will their spark engulf them in destruction, or ignite a revolution?
Check out my review here.
Hidden Currents by Christy Barritt
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You can take the detective out of the investigation, but you can’t take the investigator out of the detective.
A notorious gang puts a bounty on Detective Cady Matthews’s head after she takes down their leader, leaving her no choice but to hide until she can testify at trial. But her temporary home across the country on a remote North Carolina island isn’t as peaceful as she initially thinks.
Living under the new identity of Cassidy Livingston, she struggles to keep her investigative skills tucked away, especially after a body washes ashore. When local police bungle the murder investigation, she can’t resist stepping in. But Cassidy is supposed to be keeping a low profile. One wrong move could lead to both her discovery and her demise.
Can she bring justice to the island . . . or will the hidden currents surrounding her pull her under for good?
Check out my review here.
Comment on my favorite summer reads post by Sept. 3 for a chance to win a digital copy of one of the books on my list! (US resident only) #giveaway #ChristianFiction
TweetJoin the conversation. Have you read any of my favorite summer reads? What books have you read this summer? Which was your favorite?
Be sure to comment below by Sept. 3 for a chance to win your choice of my favorite reads. (US resident only)
If you missed E.V. Sparrow’s spotlight last week, find it here.
Deena Adams
As a Jesus girl for more than thirty years, Deena Adams understands how important hope is to daily life, which fuels her passion to inspire others through hope-filled fiction based on true to life stories. She is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency and is a multi-award-winning writer, an active ACFW member, and ACFW Virginia president. Connect with Deena through her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
22 Comments
Deena Adams
Congratulations to Caryl, the winner of this giveaway! Please respond to my email and let me know which book you’d like!
Stephanie
Thanks for bringing these books to my attention as I haven’t read any of them yet, but I’m now adding them to my list. Especially the book, The Roads We Follow by Nicole Deese as I’ve heard great things about it. I have read quite a few books this summer that I just loved like: Rachel Fordham’s Beyond Ivy Walls, The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri, Bitter & Sweet by Rhonda McKnight, The Inheritance by Pat Nichols, and The Triplet’s Summer Adventure by Laurel Blount.
Deena Adams
You’re welcome, Stephanie. Yes, you definitley need to read Nicole Deese’s book! I also love Rachel Fordham’s work. Thanks for joining the conversation!
Teresa A Moyer
I still need to get this book! When Secrets Come Calling by Felicia Ferguson
Deena Adams
Yes, you do, Teresa!
Danielle Hull
I haven’t read any of your favorites this Summer, though a few are on my TBR! One of my favorites has been Her Part to Play by Jenny Erlingsson. It’s her first fiction book. It’s a faith-filled contemporary romance, and I loved her characters, and the importance of family!
Deena Adams
I’ll have to check out Jenny’s book, Danielle. Thanks for the recommendation!
Carrie walker
Thanks so much for sharing about Emma’s Hero! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! And what a list to be among. I’m reading Nicole Deese’s book right now (and enjoying it!? But any of the others I’d love to read.
Deena Adams
You deserve a spot on my favorites list, Carrie! Your book is fantastic!
Caryl Kane
I’d love to read If For Any Reason – Courntey Walsh.
Deena Adams
Best of luck on the giveaway, Caryl!
Jeanette Davis
Ok these all sound wonderful but there are 3 I really want to read!
If choosen I would pick Emma’s Hero by Carrie Walker. Thank you for this post Deena
Deena Adams
Thanks for commenting, Jeanette. Now I’m curious which three you really want to read!
Jeanette Davis
The other two are To Speak His Name and the Roads we Follow—all three added to Goodreads!
Perrianne Askew
Tara Johnson’s To Speak His Name would be my choice since I really love her novels. I believe that I’ve read everything that she’s published. This one fell off of my radar, so I wonder if she has a new publisher?
I have read The Roads We Travel by Nicole Deese and definitely recommend it.
My favorites from the summer would be Cold Vengence by Nancy Mehl, Fatal Witness by Patricia Bradley, and A Token of Love by Carrie Turansky (releasing on Tuesday). I really couldn’t pick just one even though I feel like I’m in a reading slump lately.
I have to say that I like your summer picks. Thank you for doing a fun giveaway!
Deena Adams
Hi, Perrianne. For another chance to win Tara’s book, To Speak His Name, be sure to check out my newsletter on Sept. 1. I’m giving away a digital copy to one of my subscribers. 🙂
Best of luck in the giveaways!
Lynn Moore
Emma’s Hero…. how I loved this one! Encouragement for anyone in the midst of a “long unthinkable journey” that may have no end on “this” side of Heaven! ♥️
Deena Adams
I totally agree, Lynn!
Priscilla Bettis
Oo, To Speak His Name sounds like in interesting read. This summer I really enjoyed Elijah Fed by Ravens by Kristina Erny. It’s a poetry collection centered around the story of Elijah. So good.
Deena Adams
Thanks for sharing, Priscilla. If you’d like another chance to win Tara’s book, check out my newsletter when it arrives in your inbox Sept. 1. I’m giving away a digital copy. 🙂
Lori R
This sounds like an interesting book.
Deena Adams
Which one, Lori?