Ep. 145 - 12 Summertime Books (Romance, Historical & Thrillers) | June 2026 TBR Book List

It’s time to beat the heat with 12 books that are perfect for summertime reading. I have a variety of genres to fit my mood reading. Come find out which beach reads I’m excited to check out this summer.

Plus, I'll let you know about 12 new books coming out this month!

*Please note that this is NOT a recommendation list. I have not read any of these books yet, but they all sound interesting to me, so I'm excited to read them at some point.

You can find the companion blog here.

If you want to join my year-long Closed-Door Romance Reading Challenge, check out this post or listen to episode 129 for more information.

Shop at Book Outlet and use my link to save $5 off your first order when you spend $25 or more.

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Transcript

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It's time to beat the heat with 12 books that are perfect for summertime reading. I have a variety of genres to fit my mood reading. Com find out which beach reads I'm excited to check out this summer. Hey story lovers, it's time to unwind, relax, and get comfy cozy. You're listening to the Bookmarks and Blankets podcast. I'm your host, Kelly Matsudira. Each week I discuss my favorite forms of art, which are books, movies, and TV series. I also love talking about cozy living, cozy hobbies, and self-care tips. If you like reviews, recommendations, discussions, and a whole lot more, then you're in the right place. Join me with your favorite blanket, beverage, and snack, and let's get cozy together. Welcome or welcome back, my book friends. I hope everybody is doing well, and I hope that you are just as excited for summer to be here as I am. So I think for most of you, you know that I live in the mountains of Colorado, and we say up here that we are not safe from snow until June. We literally had two snowstorms in May. I know that sounds crazy for people who live in other parts of the country or other parts of the world, but yes, we get snow all the way through May up here in the mountains. I am so glad that it is finally June. We are past the winter months. We are past the snow season. I am so ready for warmer weather. And I'm just so happy that it's summertime. And I am super excited for some summertime books because I have been craving these types of books for about a month now. So before I hop into the book list, let me just give you a little bit of an update on me. I don't really have much of an update to be honest. Things are the same old, same old out here. My husband and I, we are still living with my mother-in-law. We are still looking for jobs or clients. Nothing has changed that way. But we might be able to take a trip down to Texas this summer. So that is something that may be happening. We're not quite sure if or when that's going to happen yet. We're still trying to get the logistics figured out. And I need all of the planets, moons, and stars to align for this to happen. But it may alter my podcast scheduling if that does happen, because I will be on the road. But I will definitely let all of my listeners know if we are able to take this trip. But that's something that may be happening for us this summer. So if it does, I'm super excited about that. But otherwise, it's the same old, same old. You guys know that I am a coffee drinker. I am a Starbucks girl. And I just want to mention some summer drinks right now. This is not any kind of sponsorship. I don't have any affiliate links or anything. This is just me being excited about certain things that I'm consuming right now. And Starbucks is kind of on point right now. I just want to mention a couple drinks that I have been really loving so far as the weather has warmed up and now we're getting into the summer months. At the time of this recording, they do still have these flavors, but they could go away. I think they might be limited time. I'm not sure if they're going to be staying all summer. But right now, they do have these flavors. So there are a couple coffee drinks that I've really enjoyed. You guys know that I mainly drink cold brews. Sometimes I'll drink some lattes, but I think the cold brews are a lot smoother. And those are my go-to coffee drinks. So there are two that I've really been enjoying. If you guys like the Mounds Coconut Candy bar, I have a drink that tastes just like that. So get the chocolate cream cold brew, but sub the chocolate cream cold foam for coconut cream cold foam. And it tastes so much like a Mounds candy bar. And if you want more of that coconut flavor, you could sub out the vanilla syrup for the coconut syrup. But I don't do that because I think their coconut syrup has more of a floral taste and I don't really enjoy that. So I just sub the cold foam. But if you wanted it more coconut flavor, you could sub out the syrups. But I'm really enjoying that when I'm feeling like I want something a little more tropical. Also, they just came out with horchata syrup, and they don't have a horchata cold brew on the menu. So my husband and I, we had to create our own, but I have a custom horchata cold brew that I wanted to share. So you order a cold brew and then you add how many pumps of horchata syrup that you like. I like it more on the sweeter side. I like some coffee with my sugar. That's just me. But I'm not going to tell you the amounts that we use because you may like it more or less, but get a cold brew, add corchata syrup, extra horchata cream cold foam, and cinnamon powder. And it is so good. I have just recently started really enjoying the horchata flavor. If you like rice pudding, which I love rice pudding, it tastes like liquid rice pudding. It is so good. There are also some refresher drinks that Starbucks has been on point with. They have this new mango strawberry. I love this drink so much. I will get it with or without cold foam, depending on if I want a creamy version of it or not. But it is so refreshing. I love the mango taste and the little tartness of the strawberry. It's very, very refreshing. And then they also just came out with a new butterfly drink, and that has a taste of mango and pineapple, and it has popping boba in it. Oh my gosh, that's another very tropical, refreshing drink that is perfect for the summertime. Both of those are really, really good. And then I follow some food people, and there is rumors that the s'mores rappuccino is coming back this summer, you guys. It's not been confirmed, but oh my gosh, I love, love, love the s'mores rappuccino. That was one of the first drinks that introduced me to Starbucks back in the day. And I don't know why they took that off of the menu because I feel like that is one of their most popular summer drinks. They don't bring that back every summer, but there are rumors that it's coming back this year. So fingers crossed that that's actually gonna happen. We'll have to find out what happens. But I just wanted to share those few Starbucks drinks that I've really been enjoying because since I do live in a very remote area, I don't leave this area too much. But when we do go out once a week, we go to a bigger city to get our groceries and to run errands, and we always stop at Starbucks for about four or five hours and we work there. So we're always trying their drinks. That is our go-to coffee shop, and it's the only one in town. So that is just the place that I have really enjoyed going to. But I just wanted to mention that. There's one other thing that I just wanted to mention very quickly. Again, this is not sponsored. I have no affiliate links. I just wanted to let my listeners know because this is some information I recently found out, and I mentioned this in a previous episode. So if you've listened to any of my most recent episodes, you might have already heard me talk about this. But Spotify Premium members, you get 15 hours of audiobooks every month. I recently just learned about this. I had no idea. I've been a Spotify member for many, many, many years, but I had no idea that I had access to literally hundreds of thousands of audiobooks. However, 15 hours is not a lot of time, and you can add more time, but it's like $12 a month to add more. And I'm not interested to paying more than I already pay. But if you plan it correctly, you could get definitely one, maybe two books out of Spotify. And I like to have this option because my library, Libby app, doesn't always have the audiobooks that I want to listen to, and they're not always available on Audible through my membership. So just knowing that now I have a third option through Spotify and I have been using it. I used all my hours last month. I just love the fact that this is another option for us audiobook listeners. So I just wanted to mention that because I had no idea that that was available to me as a member. Okay, I think that's it for the intro. I'm gonna hop to the new releases for the month because I don't make episodes where I talk about new release books coming out. So I always like to have a portion in my monthly TBRs where I do talk about all of the books that I'm very interested in that are coming out this month. So on June 2nd, we have quite a few coming out on this day. The first book is The Unicorn Hunters by Catherine Arden. I have read from this author before. She's a little bit of a hit and miss. So she writes adult books, but she also has a middle grade series, Small Spaces. I've read that entire four-book series and I loved it. It was really, really good. But then I read one of her adult novels and it was a three-star. I didn't really enjoy it that much. So I'm a little leery, but I am very interested in this book. The title alone sounds really interesting. And the little blurb says, in a desperate gamble to save her throne, a young monarch conceals a secret marriage in the shadows of an enchanted forest and unknowingly alters the fate of her world. In this rich and epic novel, Catherine Arden turns the real history of a remarkable woman into an unforgettable tale of mystery, enchantment, and the price of power. So that sounds very interesting. The next book coming out on June 2nd is Shadow Reaper by Lynette Noni. This is an author I have not read from yet, but she is known for the prison healer trilogy. And I've heard that that is a really, really good closed-door romance fantasy series that I have not gotten my hands on yet, but I've seen so many people talk about it. So she has a new YA fantasy book coming out. And it says a young Reaper hunter must conspire with her enemy to uproot the ancient evil that threatens her world in this heart pounding romantic fantasy. And it says that it is full of relentless twists, enemies to lover's romance, found family, and high-stakes action. This is the start of a new duology. The cover is absolutely stunning. So I am very curious about this. And I think she is a purely closed-door fantasy author, which is amazing for us readers that do not like to read the smut in these fantasy books. So hopefully she is sticking with that in this book. All right, the next book that is coming out is The Queen's Coronation by Jennifer Ryan. This is a historical fiction book. I have not read anything by this author yet. I have so many of her books that have been on past TBR book lists, but I just have not gotten to this author yet. But she has a brand new book that's coming out, and it says A young Queen Elizabeth II prepares to take the throne. Three women in her employ will discover where they belong in a rapidly changing world in this heartwarming novel. So this is set in London in 1953. So definitely sounds very interesting. And then the last book that I just recently saw is coming out on this day. It's a middle grade book, and it's called The House with Chicken Legs Runs Away by Sophie Anderson. This is actually a sequel to The House with Chicken Legs, which I did read that a couple years ago for middle grade March, and I gave that five stars. It was a really, really good middle grade book. So a sequel is coming out, and I just recently saw that this is coming out. So I am very interested to read that. All right. Then moving on to June 3rd, I have a clean closed door rom-com, No Match Found by Martha Keyes. Martha Keyes, I have read, I think one of her books. It was part of a summer series. She is known as a closed door romantic comedy author. She also writes closed door regency romance books. And in the closed door romance world, I think she's very well known. She's got a huge backlist. So I definitely want to read more from her. And this is a closed-door romantic comedy full of wit, office antics, and the type of romance that makes you giddy. It says she built the perfect algorithm for love, but it didn't predict him. So this looks like an office romance. That looks really fun. All right, then moving on to June 9th. This is a huge release day because all three of these books I have been dying to get my hands on, and I am so, so excited. So the very first one is To Dance with a Duke by Gabrielle Meyer. This is the second book in the Dollar Princess series. These are Gilded Age stories that are inspired by movie musicals. So the first book that I've already talked about, it's up on the podcast. It's called To Love a Lady was the very first one, and that was based on My Fair Lady. The second one is now going to be based on Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. And we follow the Duke and one of the women that we met from book one, and we followed their love story and book two. I think these can be read as standalones. You don't need to read them in order, but I think you'd probably get more enjoyment if you do read them in order because you will already be familiar with them from reading book one. I loved the first book. I gave it five stars. I gushed about it. It was one of my favorite books of the first quarter. I am so excited that this second book is coming out as soon as it comes out. It's going to be on Kindle Unlimited. I am downloading it and I am starting it because I cannot wait. I love Gabrielle Meyer. You guys know she is one of my all-time favorite authors. Another all-time favorite author that I just adore, and I just will read anything she writes is Courtney Walsh. She has a brand new summer rom-com coming out called Brighter Than Before. And the blurb says, Life has a way of changing your path. And Claire certainly didn't plan on a fork in the road in her 40s. From New York Times bestselling author Courtney Walsh comes a witty, warm, and uplifting novel about second chances, found family, and the courage it takes to become yourself. So I actually have an arc to this, and I am so excited to read this. This is the first time this author has written a character in her 40s. So I am very curious to see what she does in this story. But I cannot wait to start this one. And then the final book that is coming out on June 9th, that I think so many of us fans have just been waiting for. We are getting another book in the Joe Goldberg series or the You series. So You First by Caroline Kutness will be coming out. This is the fifth book in the You series. This is a prequel. And so this is going to be following Joe when he's younger. The blurb says, How did Joe Goldberg become Joe Goldberg? What led to his first love, first obsession, first kill? Find out in the highly anticipated prequel, which inspired the Blockbuster Netflix show. So I have already watched the entire Netflix series. I've watched all the seasons. I have not finished the you novel series yet, though. I've read the first two books. So I still have the next tutoring, and now there's this prequel coming out. So I think I may just settle in and finish these last three books in the series this summer because I am really craving some mystery thriller this summer. All right. And then moving on to June 10th, there is a brand new closed door hockey sports romance series that is coming out on Kindle Unlimited. It's called the Star Stripes and Hockey Nights series. And the first book is Oh Say Can You See by JP Sterling. JP Sterling is a newer-to-me author. I read her winter book earlier this year, An Icicle Made for Two. I really, really enjoyed that book. I need to read the second one, but she is part of this 13-book series. So there are a lot of authors. Ellie Hall is another author that's going to be part of this series. I've read from her before, but I don't think I've read from any of these others. Oh, I have read from Gigi Bloom. She's also part of this. So there are 13 authors, and these books are going to be released, I think, every week between June and August. So for the entire summer season, a book a week is going to be released in this series. And it says that this is a sweet hockey romantic comedy series where hockey isn't just a game, it's an American tradition. This summer, celebrate our nation's 250th birthday with the Swoonius Hockey All-Stars as they take the ice in a festive exhibition tournament. So this looks like this could be a really fun series to follow this summer. And it's starting out with an author that I have read from before. So I'm very excited to check out this series. Okay, then moving on to June 23rd. I have two books. The first is When You Love Me by Beatrice Williams. This is a historical fiction book, and the blurb says a young widow returns to her late father's New England estate only to be drawn into the hunt for the rumored pirate treasure that consumed his life in this thrilling and moving novel. I know Beatrice Williams is a very popular author in the historical fiction genre. I have not read anything from her yet, and you may actually see her on the list today, but I really want to read some books by her and to see if she is an author that I want to read from. But she has a brand new book coming out, so I'm very interested in that. And it's all about a timeless story of love and atonement. And this maps both a century-old treasure hunt and the intimate territory of the human heart weaving together past and present. Sounds very interesting and perfect for summer with pirate treasure. And then we are also getting a brand new Lisa Jewell book called It Could Have Been Her. She usually releases her books every summer. This is a mystery thriller. She's one of my favorite thriller authors. Now, I have heard that this is her darkest book yet. And I do have an arc to this one, even though I did get in line to get the audiobook because I would prefer to listen to it. But if it takes too long for me to get, I may just read my arc. But I'm a little curious of what that means that this is her darkest book yet. What are we talking about here? Is this gonna be really disturbing for me? I'm not really sure, so we'll find out. But it says that she brings her thrilling, chilling suspense to this shocking new thriller about a lost dog, a missing woman, and a house of long-buried secrets. So we shall find out. And then the final book that I'm really happy to see is another installment, is coming out on June 30th, is Murder at the Campfire Cookout, which is book seven in the Beacon Bake Shop Cozy Mystery series by Darcy Hanna. You guys know that I love Darcy Hanna. I love this series. I'm actually a book behind. I've read the first five books in this series, so I still need to read book six. But I saw that book seven is coming out, and I love the audiobooks for this series. The narrator does a wonderful, wonderful job. There's different accents, and I have loved all five books so far. They've been four and five stars. So I think I might just wait till my library gets this book and then binge through books six and seven. But the blurb says, when Lindsay Bakewell leaves behind her lighthouse bake shop, her boyfriend Rory, and her Newfoundland dog Wellington, for a glamping trip with her mother in Michigan's upper peninsula. The bears leave them alone, but a killer doesn't. I'm just happy that there's another book in this series because I've been kind of wanting to get back into a cozy mystery series, and this is the perfect one to do that with. Okay, I think that's it for my very long intro. Let me hop to the logistics for those that are new. As I deal with this type of episode, I will let you know the books I've put into my pile of possibilities. I'm gonna read the Goodreads description and then briefly explain why I chose that book. I do want to note that this is not a recommendation episode because I have not read any of these, so I don't know which ones are good to recommend. We're gonna find that out together. These are just all books that really interest me and that I would love to read at some point. Maybe I can get to all of these this summer season. I'm definitely not gonna be able to get to all of these this month, but these are just ones that are high on my radar. I also encourage you to check out the cover art for all of these books because some of them are just absolutely gorgeous. As always, you can head over to my website. I do have a companion blog so you can learn. More about the books, look at the book covers. I will also have all of the new release information over there as well. So that link is always in the description. I always have a companion blog with every podcast episode that I do. Also on my website, I have a blog I post every Tuesday and Thursday. If you like book discussions, reading tips and tricks, book crafts, book lists. And these are book lists that I don't talk about on the podcast. You can go check that out on my website. I also post very seasonally. So I have summertime posts from last year. I'm going to be getting ready to post brand new summertime posts this year. So definitely come back and check that out every week. Also, if you want to know what I'm reading in real time, I would love for you to follow me on Goodreads. I'm in there every single day. I read multiple formats in multiple genres. I just get my hands on anything that I'm in the mood for. I am a mood reader, but I definitely am in the mood for some summertime books so you can see what I'm reading. And I also post all of my written reviews on Goodreads as well. And then finally, I would love to know if you've read any of these books or what are you excited about that's coming out this summer. Are there some new releases? Are there any summertime beach read books that I should be aware of? I would love for you to follow me on social media. I'm in all the places: X or Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. You can make a comment on the graphics that I make for this type of episode every month. All right, enough chit-chatting. Let's get to the best part, you guys. Here are all of the summertime books I am so interested in reading. Let's get comfy, let's get cozy, and let's dive in. Okay, so I have chosen three genres that I wanted to focus on. So I have four contemporary romance or rom-coms. I have four historical fiction, and then I also have four mystery thrillers because what is summertime without some summer thrillers? So let's start with the romance books because I am really, really in the mood for some summer rom-coms. So book number one is Just Friends by Hailey Fam. And again, this is a contemporary romance. And all of these romance books, at least from my research, are closed door, meaning no spice, no smut. There may be language, but there's definitely not going to be any open door spice scenes. And this has an average Goodreads rating of a 3.54. And the description reads: This heartwarming and swoon-worthy second-chance romance about childhood friends reconnecting as adults is the highly anticipated debut novel from Book Talk icon Haley Fam. Blair and Declan were inseparable growing up. Best friends who knew each other better than anyone else. But when an impulsive kiss took them from friends to something more, everything changed. Just as quickly as their romance started, one moment shattered it all, leaving them with nothing but heartbreak and silence. Now, four years later, Blair is back in their coastal hometown of Seabrook to support her mom and care for her great aunt Lottie as her health declines. To make ends meet, Blair applies to work at a coffee shop, only to discover it's managed by none other than Declan, the boy she loved, the boy she lost, the boy who still makes her heart race. As Blair's path keeps crossing with Declan's, old wounds resurface, secrets are revealed, and sparks reignite. But could their future ever be free of their past? Told in dual timelines that unravel the magic and pain of first love, just friends is a moving romantic story about second chances, the weight of dreams, and finding your way back to the people who feel like home. So, again, this is the first novel by this author. I have seen this book everywhere. I don't know if it's the book of the summer, but this author, Haley Pham, I have never seen anything by her. I do not follow this book influencer. I have never watched one of her videos. But I guess she is a big deal in the book world. She has almost 4 million subscribers on YouTube. She has over 2 million on TikTok and about 1.5 million on Instagram. She is a zenil, so she's somebody in her 20s, and it doesn't look like our tastes align. And like I said, I've never even heard of this lady until her book came out. And then I've seen so many people talking about putting this on their summer book list. I actually watched one of my Christian booktubers. She did a whole reading vlog about reading this book, and I haven't watched her video because I didn't want anything spoiled, which she never really does spoilers, but I also didn't want to be influenced by her thoughts on it. So I'll probably watch her video once I'm done reading this book. But she only reads closed-door romances, and she said that this is safe to read for people like us that don't want to read smut in our books. So I'm just very curious because everybody is talking about this gals book. And I don't know, maybe she will be a new booktuber that I start to follow, but I don't know. Sometimes it's hard to follow booktubers where my taste doesn't align. And also she's really, really young. As someone who's a Gen Xer, I don't always agree with the younger generations. So I'm not sure if she's somebody that I will start to follow, but I am curious to read her book and to support her if I like it. Alright, then book number two is If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair. This is another contemporary rom-com, and this has an average Goodreads rating of a 3.99. The description reads: In this Enemies to Lovers romance, school nurse Josie and her brother's best friend hockey player Wyatt Jacobs are tricked into spending a summer together that's anything but smooth sailing. When Josie's brother sends her to a random address for their sometimes annual summer sibling extravaganza, she finds neither siblings nor extravaganzas. Instead, ends up at a rundown cottage on the northern neck of Virginia occupied by a hockey player she knows and loathes. A hockey player who isn't just one of her sports agent's brother's clients, he's also his best friend, and Josie's sworn enemy. Oh, and her brother wants Josie to help Wyatt recover from his injury. Dragging grumpy hockey players to physical therapy is a far cry from bandaging skin knees, but for the price her brother offers to pay, Josie is willing to try. Even if it means sharing what she dubs the quaint little murder cottage with Wyatt. Begrudgingly, Josie starts to see a little more of the man behind the grumpy exterior. And when she finds out he was supposed to sail the intercoastal waterway south to Savannah, scattering his uncle's ashes, Josie surprises even herself by offering to be Wyatt's first mate. Smooth sailing is nowhere to be found, and Josie begins to wonder if they'll be able to make it home without killing or kissing each other. And yet, the longer they share cramped quarters and canned food, the more of Wyatt's layers she peels back until Josie realizes she misunderstood him, their shared history, and perhaps herself as well. So this sounds like this could be a really fun book. This came out last year. I actually had an arc to read it last year and I just never got around to it. But I saw some booktubers that I follow already read this. They said it is so funny. It is laugh out loud funny, and it's just a very sweet, wholesome, clean, closed-door rom-com. I've read one other book by this author. I did start the Appy's hockey series that she writes with Jenny Proctor. It was part of the Sweater Weather rom com series that came out a few years ago. So I did read that book by her and I really, really enjoyed it. I think I gave it four stars. And I do want to continue with that series. And I think this is kind of sort of a companion book to that series. So I think there are some characters from that series in this book, and this is their love story. But I don't think you have to read the other series to read this one. I think this can be read as a standalone, but this sounds really cute and perfect for summer. And I just want to read more by this author. All right, book number three is The Shippers by Catherine Senner, another contemporary romance, and this has an average Goodreads rating of a 4.05. The description reads: After a whole lifetime of being bad at love, Jojo Burton decides to solve her intimacy issues once and for all at her sister's destination wedding on a cruise ship. With the help of a little pop psychology, she diagnoses herself with a fixation on the neighborhood guy who was her first crush and first kiss, and he just happens to be a newly divorced wedding guest, and she decides to woo him during the cruise for some long-delayed closure. Only problem is her sister's a little busy being a bride at the moment. So Jojo ropes in her childhood bustie, Cooper Watts, to be her wingman. Cooper, who RSVP'd know, but then showed up anyway. Cooper, who left town without a word four years earlier and moved to London. Cooper, who was, if she's being honest, the worst heartbreak of Jojo's life. It's bliss for her to see him again, and it's agony too. And the more they team up for Project Conquest, the more she obsesses over questions she can't bring herself to ask. Shipboard antics ensue in this witty, heart-tugging, childhood friends to lovers romance as Jojo and Cooper fake flirt, slow dance, share a cabin, sing duets, treat sunburns, get jealous, rescue each other over and over, and finally at last figure it all out in the most blissful, swoony, romantic way. No one does summer romance quite like Catherine Senner. The shippers will take readers on the cruise of a lifetime in a story awash with romantic longing, top-notch banter, long-held secrets, and true love rediscovered. So this is Catherine Senner's brand new book. It literally just came out a few weeks ago. I've read five of her books so far. I'm working my way through her backlist. She usually does have some language in her books, but she never has any spice. So I know I can always trust that she's going to be one of my closed-door romance authors, but I've really enjoyed her past books. They've all been four and five stars for me. They always go deeper and have more emotional depth to them. They're not just light fluffy rom-coms. So I have an art for this, and I am very, very excited to get my hands on this and to finally read it. And I've heard some really good things about this new book so far. All right, and then book number four is Dolly All the Time by Annabelle Monaghan. This is my final contemporary romance, and this has an average Goodreads rating of a 4.53. The description reads, If they begin by pretending, can they end with something real? Dolly Brook has never met a problem she couldn't solve. Not when her mom left when she was 12, and not at 39 when she moves with her son back to Whitfield, Rhode Island for the summer to keep her dad and brother from losing the family home. So when she comes across Stuart Whitfield, annoyingly handsome scion of the Whitfield family, with a flat tire and at the wrong end of a very public, very humiliating breakup, it's in her nature to help. But Stuart's proposed arrangement ends up being more than either of them bargain for. Because as public dinners and high society benefits turn into sunset boat rides and swinging on the porch, Dolly starts to feel something more than helpful. She's never relied on anyone besides herself. Can she really start now? So this is the brand new book by this author. She is one of my other favorite rom-com authors. I've read all of her adult rom-coms. They've been four and five stars. So after I read this one, this will put me back at zero for this author. I love her writing. Again, there's emotional depth. It's not just light, fluffy rom-com books. There are some deeper emotional issues that she always tackles. Now, her books are closed door, but I think they're more fade to black. So there have been a couple of her more recent books that sort of kind of toted the line, but they're definitely not open door spice scenes. So I still consider her a closed door romance author. And I'm hoping that she stays that way and she doesn't start writing spice in her books. But there can be a fine line where you think it's gonna start going one way, but then it fades to black. So right now, I'm really hoping that it stays that way. And I've heard nothing but good things. This is another brand new release, literally just came out a couple weeks ago. Again, I have an arc for this, but I did get in line for the audiobook because the audiobook is narrated by Julia Whalen. And you guys know how much I love the queen of audio. So I got in line really, really early. So I already have this audiobook sitting in my loans, and I'm just ready to start listening to this. All right, so let's move into my four historical fiction books because I really want to read more historical fiction this year. I've already read probably more so far this year than I did all of last year, which makes me very happy because this is a genre that I just really want to explore more authors and read more books in because I just really enjoy it. So, book number five is Appalachian Song by Michelle Shockley. This is a Christian historical fiction book and has an average Goodreads rating of a 4.43. Wow, that is very high. So the description reads Forever within the memories of my heart, always remember you are perfectly loved. Bertie Jenkins has spent 40 years serving as a midwife for her community in the great smoking mountains of East Tennessee. Out of the mothers she's tended, none affects her more than the young teenager who shows up on her doorstep, injured, afraid, and expecting one warm June day in 1943. As Bertie and her four sisters tenderly nurture Songbird back to health, the bond between the childless midwife and the motherless teen grows strong. But soon, Songbird is forced to make a heartbreaking decision that will tear this little family apart. Thirty years later, the day after his father's funeral, Walker Wiley is stunned to learn he was adopted as an infant. The famous country singer enlists the help of adoption advocate Reese Chandler in the hopes of learning why he was abandoned by his birth parents. With the only clue he has in hand, Walker and Reese head deep into the Appalachian Mountains to track down Bertie Jenkins, the midwife who holds the secret to Walker's past. For fans of historical and southern fiction comes a poignant story of love sacrifices set in the heart of Appalachia. So this book came out in October of 2023, but it wasn't until recently that I've seen this blow up in the Christian booktube world. So a lot of the Christian booktubers that I follow have been reading this and raving about this recently. It started last year, and I'm still seeing more people talk about it this year. I know this is a very popular Christian historical author. I've never read from her before. And I think many of her books are available on Kindle Unlimited, but I really wanted to check this out just because I've seen so many people talking about this book. Alright, book number six is The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly, another historical fiction. And this has an average kidreads rating of a 3.96. The description reads 2016. 34-year-old Mari Starwood is still grieving after her mother's death as she travels to the storied island of Martha's Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts. She's come all the way from California with nothing but a name on a piece of paper, Elizabeth Devereaux, the famous but reclusive vineyard painter. When Mari makes it to Mrs. Devereux's stunning waterfront farm under the guise of taking a painting class with her, Mrs. Devereaux begins to tell her story of the Smith sisters who once lived there. As the tale unfolds, Mari is shocked to learn that her relationship to this island runs deeper than she ever thought possible. 1942. The Smith Girls. When Briar spots German U-boats lurking off the island's shores, and Cadence falls into an unlikely romance with a sworn enemy, their quiet lives are officially upended. In an attempt of normalcy, Cadence and her best friend Ves start a book club, which grows both in members and influence as they connect with a fabulous New York publisher who could make all of Cadence's dreams come true. But all that is put at risk by a mysterious man who washes ashore and whispers of a spy in their myths. Who in their tight-knit island community can they trust? Could this little book club change the course of the war before it's too late? So this is another historical fiction author that I've heard of, but I've never read from. One of the booktubers that I follow, she put this book in her top 10 list of 2025, and she said it was really, really good. She gave it five stars. So I'm very curious, and I just wanted to read something by this author because I've heard of her books, but I've never read anything from her yet. So I had to put this one on the list. Alright, book number seven is A Hundred Summers by Beatrice Williams, another historical fiction that has a 3.96 on Goodreads. This was also a Goodreads nominee for Favorite Historical Fiction back in 2013. So this is a bit of an older book. The description reads Memorial Day, 1938. New York socialite Lily Dane has just returned with her family to the idyllic oceanfront community of Seaview, Rhode Island, expecting another placid summer season among the familiar traditions and friendships that sustained her after heartbreak. That is, until the Greenwalds decide to take up residence in Seaview. Nick and Bungie Greenwald are an unwelcome specter from Lily's past. Her former best friend and her former fiance now recently married, an event that set off a wildfire of gossip among the elite of Seaview, who have summered together for generations. Bungie's arrival to restore her family's old house puts her once more in the center of the community's social scene, and she insinuates herself back into Lily's friendship with an overpowering talent for seduction and an alluring acquaintance from their college days, Yankee pitcher Graham Pendleton. But the ties that bind Lily to Nick are too strong and intricate to ignore, and the two are drawn back into long buried dreams despite their uneasy secrets and many emotional obligations. Under the scorching summer sun, the expected truth of Bungie and Nick's marriage bubbles to the surface, and as a cataclysmic hurricane barrels unseen up the Atlantic and into New England, Lily and Nick must confront an emotional cyclone of their own which will change their worlds forever. So again, this just is an author I've had on my TBR list a few times. I've really been wanting to read from this author for a while now. So I figured this is a perfect time to pick up one of her books. And I've heard so many, so many good things about this author. Alright, then my final historical fiction is book number eight, The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwit. This has an average Goodreads rating of a 4.07, and this was a Goodreads nominee for Favorite Historical Fiction just last year in 2025. The description reads: Four dissatisfied 60s-era housewives form a book club turned Sisterhood that will hold fast amid the turmoil of a rapidly changing world and alter the course of each of their lives. By early 1960s standards, Margaret Ryan, Viv Bouchetti, and Bitsy Cobb, suburban housewives and a brand new planned community in Northern Virginia appear to have it all. The fact that all doesn't feel like enough leaves them feeling confused and guilty, certain the fault must lie with them. Things begin to change when they form a book club with Charlotte Gustison, the eccentric and artsy new neighbor from Manhattan, and read Betty Frieden's just released book, The Feminine Mystique. Controversial and groundbreaking, the book struck a chord with an entire generation of women, helping them realize that they weren't alone in their dissatisfactions or their longings for Lifting their eyes to new horizons of possibility and achievement. Margaret, Charlotte, Bitsy, and Viv are among them. But is it really the book that alters the lives of these four very different women? Or is it the bond of sisterhood that helps them find courage to confront the past, navigate turmoil in a rapidly changing world, and see themselves in a new and limitless light? So this is an author that I've never read from before, but I have seen this book everywhere. It is so big, especially in the historical fiction space. I've seen so many booktubers talking about this book. And it is just constantly showing up in my feeds. I'm seeing it all over Goodreads. And I did see that this is set during the summertime because I wasn't quite sure if it was, but I think this would be a really great book to read. I'm a little bit hesitant because I know that this is probably going to take some feminist tones, and that's fine if it's women empowerment. But if it gets real feministy with some liberal messaging, that's where I start having problems with books. But hopefully it doesn't go that route. So I'm willing to give this a shot and to just see what is all the rave about. All right. Then the final genre are my mystery thrillers because I have to have me some good summer thrillers to read this summer. So for these first two books, I just want to specify that I chose both of these for a very specific reason. So earlier this year, I think it was at the beginning of springtime, I started watching Desperate Housewives again on Amazon Prime. I have taken a little bit of a hiatus and I'm just now getting back to it, but I binged through that first season real fast. And I'm in the middle of season two, and then I took a break, but now I'm coming back to it because this was when seasons were like 20-some episodes long. So it took quite a while to get through the first season, and then I started losing a little bit of steam and a little bit of interest because I was just binging so much. But while I was watching Desperate Housewives, I really wanted to read some books that are like that show. So these first two books on the list supposedly give you the Desperate Housewives vibes, and they're set during, I think, summertime. So they're perfect summer reads. So I've been holding on to these books for a few months now, waiting for summer to come around. But I really wanted to read something like Desperate Housewives just because I've really been in that mood when it comes to mystery thrillers lately. So book number nine is One of Us Is Dead by Geneva Rose. And this has an average Goodreads rating of a 3.81. The description reads Opulence, sex, betrayal. Sometimes friendship can be deadly. Meet the women of Buckhead, a place of expensive cars, huge houses, and competitive friendships. Shannon was once the Queen Bee of Buckhead, but she's been unceremoniously dumped by Bryce, her political husband. When Bryce replaces her with a much younger woman, Sharon sets out to take revenge. Crystal has stepped into Shannon's old shoes. A young, innocent Texas girl, she simply has no idea what she's up against. Olivia has waited years to take Shannon's crown as the unofficial queen of Buckhead. Finally, her moment has come, but to take her rightful place, she will need to use every backstabbing, manipulative, underhand trick in the book. Jenny owns Glow, the most exclusive salon in town. Jenny knows all her clients' secrets and darkest desires. But will she ever tell? Who amongst these women will be clever enough to survive Buckhead? And who will wind up dead? They say that friendship can be complex, but no one said it could ever be this deadly. Oh my gosh, this sounds so good, you guys. This sounds exactly like what I want. It's going to be toxic female friendships. It's going to be gossipy, and it sounds like it could be soap opera-ish. And that's what I love about Desperate Housewives. It's just all of the drama. It's over the top, it's hilarious, it's salacious. There's betrayal. There's lies. There's just so much going on. It is like a soap opera. I love soap opera type dramas. And this totally gives me desperate housewives vibes. So I'm really, really interested in this. I've only read one other book by this author. She doesn't have a huge backlist. So I do want to read more from her. I think she has a lot of mixed reviews in the book world, especially among mystery thriller readers. Now, the book that I read, I really enjoyed it. I read Home is Where the Bodies Are, I believe it's called, and I gave it four stars. I had a really good time with that one. So I really want to read more from this author. Also, I love her Instagram account. She is so cute. She's so sweet. She makes these videos with her husband. Her husband is always filming her. And she loves to go to bookstores and other places where she can sign her books. And she always tries to sign all of her books at the store without getting caught, either by a fan or by an employee. And her videos are hilarious. She's always twirling around like a ballerina. And they are just the most adorable couple, her and her husband. She has a little baby boy now. I started watching her when she was pregnant, and now she's had the baby, and the baby's getting older. He is the sweetest little chubby baby, but she takes him along, and it's so funny because she tries to not get caught and she signs every single book of hers that she can find. Sometimes these stacks are so huge, and her husband will be filming and saying, Okay, we've been here for two hours. Are you almost done? Because she will not leave until she signs every single one of her books. So I love her videos. Go check out her Instagram if you are a fan of hers or if you just like really fun videos by authors. But I really can't wait to read more from her. All right, book number 10 is The Whispers by Ashley Aldrain. And this has an average Goodreads rating of a 3.80. The description reads: A propulsive page Turner about four families whose lives are changed when the unthinkable happens and what is lost when we give in to our own worst impulses. On Harlow Street, the well-to-do neighborhood couples and their children gather for a catered barbecue as the summer winds down. Drinks continue late into the night. Everything is fabulous until the picture-perfect hostess explodes in fury because her son disobeys her. Everyone at the party hears her exquisite veneer crack, loud and clear. Before long, that same young boy falls from his bedside window in the middle of the night. And then his mother can only sit by her son's hospital bed where she refuses to speak to anyone and his life hangs in the balance. What happens next over the course of a tense three days as each of these women grapple with what led to that terrible night? I've never read anything by this author, but I saw a couple of booktubers talking about this book. I think this book was really popular when it came out a few years ago in 2023. But I've heard that this is a really good book. I'm not quite getting as much desperate housewife vibes from this, more just something happens in the neighborhood. But I think this could be a really good summer thriller, especially when you're looking for something about neighbors and what is happening behind closed doors. Can you trust your neighbors? Who are you living next to? I love that kind of drama and those kinds of mystery thrillers. So I'm very curious to check this one out. All right, book number 11 is Our Last Resort by Clemence Michelin. And I apologize if I mispronounce that name, it's French. This has an average Goodreads rating of a 3.39. The description reads: Innocence doesn't bail you out, it just makes you easier to trap. Frieda and Gabriel arrive seeking a fresh start at the stunning Aura Hotel in the secluded desert of Escalante, Utah. Once so close, they were able to finish each other's sentences. They've grown apart in recent years after a sudden, unspeakable tragedy. Now at the Lux Resort, they are ready to reconnect between dips in the pool and hikes on spectacular desert trails. It all feels like paradise until the dead body of a beautiful young woman who was vacationing at the Aura with her powerful, much older husband is discovered. When the local police arrive and suspicion quickly falls on Gabriel, Frida is forced to revisit memories from their upbringing in a cloistered cult in upstate New York, their dramatic escape and the scandal that followed. Frida's belief in Gabriel's innocence never wavered at the time, but now even she can't ignore the evidence mounting against him. Alternating between past and present timelines, Our Last Resort builds toward a shattering climax that uncovers the fate of the murdered Aragest and poses the question: how well do we ever really know those we love? Multilayered, gripping, and intense, this latest suspense novel is a nail biter until the last page, cementing her status as a major new talent in the genre. So this book actually came out last year, and I had the arc and I just never got around to reading it, typical. But I read her book, The Quiet Tenant, and I really enjoyed it. I was hesitant at first because I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was actually really, really good. I've already talked about it, it's up on the podcast, but I think I gave that four stars. So I really wanted to read another book by this author. Plus, I had the arc for it. So I thought this was a great time to read about this murder mystery that takes place in a desert. So something a little bit different. All right. And then my final book on this list is book number 12, Forget Me Not by Stacey Willingham. And this has an average Goodreads rating of a 3.77. And this was also a Goodreads nominee for Favorite Mystery Thriller just last year in 2025. The description reads: 22 years ago, Claire Campbell's older sister Natalie disappeared after her 18th birthday. Days later, her blood was found in a car, a man was arrested, and the case was swiftly closed. In the decades since, Claire has attempted to forget her traumatic past by moving to the city and climbing the ranks as an investigative journalist, until an unexpected call from her father forces her to come back home and face it all anew. With the entire summer now looming ahead, a summer spent with nothing to do in her childhood home with her estrained mother, Claire decides on a whim to accept a seasonal job at Galloway Farm, a vineyard in coastal South Carolina, less than an hour away from where she grew up. At first glance, Galloway is an idyllic escape for Claire, a scenic retreat full of slow-paced nostalgia, as well as a place where her sister seemed truly happy in that summer before she vanished. It feels like the perfect plan to pass the time. However, as soon as Claire starts to settle in, she stumbles across an old diary written by one of the vineyard's owners, and what at first seems like a story of young rebellion and love turns into something much more sinister as it begins to describe details of various unsolved crimes. As the days stretch on, Claire finds herself becoming more and more secluded as she starts to obsess over the diary's contents, as well as the lingering feeling that her own sister's disappearance may be somehow tied to it all. Galloway was supposed to be a place to help her move forward, but instead, Claire quickly finds herself immersed in her own dark and dangerous past. Alright, so that sounds really good. I have read one other book by this author, Only If You're Lucky. I really enjoyed that one. It was four stars. She only has four mystery thriller books out. So I really think it could be easy to binge through this author and to read her to zero. I've heard so many good things about her books. I also have an arc for this. So again, this came out last year. I got this last year. I still haven't read it. As you can see, many of these books, I need to get the arcs read so I can get my reviews written for them. But this does sound really good. And I was in the mood for this earlier this year, but I held on to it because I know it is a summer thriller and I was just waiting for the summertime to be able to read this. So I'm really hoping that this is gonna be a good one. I really enjoyed the audiobook, so I'm gonna get that again and see what this is all about. All right, well, there you have it, my fellow book rooms. Those are all of the summer beach reads that I am very excited to read. I'm probably gonna try to get to most of these and space them throughout the whole summer season, but I do want to read a bunch of these this month. If I do get to any of these, check back to my website because I'm doing a pretty good job about getting my written reviews up. However, I'm not doing a great job when it comes to recording my reactions or my book reviews in recent read episodes on the podcast. So I'm still trying to work on the books that I've read earlier this year and getting some recent read episodes up on the podcast, but I will have all of my written reviews on my website. So you can always check back. There are two pages. I have one called the book collection that has everything. You can search by title, by author, by genre, by subgenre, and you can see if I've read any of these or not. My other page is My Book Rep. Now, those are four and five-star books that I do recommend. And you will find everything that I've really enjoyed on there. So definitely check back to the website. If I've read any of these, I will have the written reviews up because I'm trying to do a much better job of getting those reviews written pretty closely to after I finish the book. All right, again, if you missed anything in the episode, you can head over to the companion blog on my website. I will have all of the information over there. I would love for you to follow me on Goodreads and social media. I'm in all the places. And definitely give me a comment if you've read any of these, what you think of them, or what are some of your favorite summer beach reads. I love to hear what other people really enjoy and maybe I will put them on future TBR lists. I definitely love to keep adding to my never-ending book list, but I love to see what other readers are reading. All right, I think that's all I have for this episode. If you are still here to the very end of this long TBR book list, thank you so much for sticking around with me today. I truly appreciate you spending your time with me and hopefully I've piqued your interest in some of these summer reads. I have a lot more plans for this summer. I've got some really fun episodes in the works. I have some pages to popcorn where I read the book and watch the movie. I've got some real-time reactions, I've got some triad chapters. So I have a lot of stuff planned. I already have projects in the works. So definitely check back to the podcast for a lot more episodes this summer. I'm really in an ambitious mood to get a bunch of episodes out there. So if you enjoy hearing me talk about books and doing these types of episodes, definitely check back to the podcast this season. All right. Until next time, my sweet friends, happy reading. Well, that's all I have for this episode. If you missed anything, you can find the companion blog on my website at bookmarksandblankets.com. That's bookmarksthelternblankets.com. If you enjoyed today's discussion, please consider subscribing to the podcast so you don't miss any episodes. Also, if you feel called to do so, please share this podcast with others who you think may be interested in this type of show. Or if you have a few minutes, I'd love for you to write a quick review. This helps me reach more people, and I would greatly appreciate it. If you would like to support the show even more, you can join my Patreon community at patreon.comslash bookmarks and blankets. Until next time, my friends, please remember to take care of yourself and always stay cozy.