Beach Reads
Summer is finally here! Bring on the bay swims, barbecues, beach time and my July must-read list! This list is always a favorite because I know that you will be enjoying each of these books while basking in the summer sun. These are true beach reads filled with tales of beach houses, forbidden love, broken hearts, mysterious deaths and everything else that makes up a story you have trouble putting down. Sit back and relax, soak them all in and don’t forget the sunscreen!
“Sunset Beach” by Mary Kay Andrews
Drue Campbell isn’t having much luck these days. Not only did she lose her job, nothing else seems to be going her way, either. When her father, Brice, a personal-injury lawyer, shows up at her mother’s funeral, it’s the first time Drue has seen him in 20 years. To make matters worse, he had gotten remarried. His new wife, Wendy, is a girl from Drue’s eighth-grade class, and the two weren’t particularly fond of each other. Wendy works with her husband. Hearing of Drue’s misfortune, they offer her a job. Drue has no choice but to take it, even though it sounds like a nightmare. Things are finally looking up. The possibility of romance is in the air and Drue finds out that she just inherited her grandparents’ beach bungalow. But when a suspicious death at an exclusive resort nearby threatens to expose corruption at her father’s firm, Drue finds herself thrown into the case.
“Queen Bee” by Dorothea Benton
Frank Dorothea Benton Frank takes us back to her beloved Sullivan’s Island. Holly McNee Kensen lives on the island. Her days are spent as a beekeeper and working at the local library. Holly’s mother is a bit of a handful, so much that Holly’s sister, Leslie, moved away as soon as she got married, making it clear that island life wasn’t for her. Holly’s escape consists of the two young boys next door and their father, Archie. Everything changes when Leslie comes home and both sisters find themselves obsessed with what is happening in the home next door. Will Archie marry his awful girlfriend, and if he does, what will that do to his little boys? Leslie will take attention anywhere she can get it, their mother’s behavior keeps getting worse and Holly, afraid of being part of a scandal, finds herself talking to the bees! “Queen Bee” is right up there with the best of the Sullivan’s Island stories.
“The Friends We Keep” by Jane Green
When you are in college, you have the whole world ahead of you and anything seems possible. Evvie, Maggie and Topher were the best of friends, who had big dreams of how their lives were going to turn out. Now, years later, nothing had gone according to plan. Evvie spent years starving herself to get a one-up in the world of modeling. Then she slept with a married man and ruined her career. Maggie married Ben, her college boyfriend, but their life has been anything but happily ever after. His drinking has caused more heartache than one should ever have to endure. Topher became an actor like he planned, but a secret from his childhood has prevented him from finding true love. Having lost touch, the three friends finally come together again at their 30th reunion. Just when the possibility of finding happiness seems within reach, a dark secret from the past comes out and threatens to ruin everything.
“The Summer Guests” by Mary Alice Monroe
Living on the coast can be a wonderful thing, except maybe during hurricane season. Lately it seems that hurricanes are becoming stronger and more frequent. It isn’t unusual to be evacuated at least once during hurricane season. That is exactly how this story begins. When a hurricane is coming, Grace and Charles Phillips open their farm in North Carolina to their friends and family members who were forced to evacuate. The guest list includes their daughter Moira, famed equestrian Javier Angel de la Cruz, makeup artist Hannah McLain, horse breeder Gerda Klug along with her daughter Elise, and more. Strangers united, they must ride out the storm together in what becomes the hardest week of their lives. Relationships are questioned, unresolved issues are brought to the surface, and the group learns that the biggest storm brewing might not be the one outside.
“Surfside Sisters” by Nancy Thayer
Keely Green grew up on the beaches of Nantucket with her best friend, Isabelle. The two were inseparable until Keely’s high school boyfriend, Tommy, came between them. Leaving it all behind, Keely is now living in New York City. She’s a best-selling writer who spends her free time hanging with the elite crowd and her boyfriend, a pediatric surgeon. Things start to spin out of control when Keely’s editor rejects her latest novel, and she realizes that her boyfriend, who has started talking about settling down, isn’t exactly “the one.” To add to her troubles, Keely’s mother has fallen into a deep depression and Keely knows that she has to return home to Nantucket, no matter what demons she will face when she gets there. Going home means seeing Isabelle, who is now married to Tommy, and Isabelle’s brother, Sebastian, whom Keely has always had a crush on. Keely has a lot to figure out, but sometimes going home is the first step in starting over again.
“One Loose String” by Christine Scarpa
We have all heard the stories of the one who got away. When you grow up at the shore, these stories typically revolve around a summer love. Anni, a local girl, formed a friendship with Michael, who spent his summers at the shore. Each summer, their friendship grows stronger until Michael admits he has romantic feelings for her. This changes their relationship, and while they struggle to hold onto a place in each other’s lives, Michael makes a decision that ends their friendship. Fast-forward almost two decades, and Anni can’t help but look up Michael on Facebook. What she finds brings out old feelings and temptations. What if things could be different? What if her first love never got over her, either? Will she risk everything to find out? “One Loose String” will have you turning the pages into the wee hours of the night. You won’t be able to put it down!
