This should be “What I Listened To” instead of what I read because I’ve been doing more audiobook listening than reading lately. I still count it as “books read” and find it entertaining and relaxing to listen as I do chores and cook meals.
This month’s books include some love stories, some thrillers and a coming of age story.
Long, Hot Texas Summer by Carolyn Brown 3 stars
I read some on Kindle and listened to parts.
Loretta Sullivan Bailey left Lonesome Canyon Ranch with her young daughter when she caught her husband kissing another woman in the barn.
She swore she’d never come back. But when her daughter threatens to drop out of college to become a rancher’s wife, Loretta returns to convince her to finish college.
Loretta and Jackson find they still have feelings for each other. Can they get past the hurts of seventeen years ago and move forward?
This one was a little less emotional than some of the Carolyn Brown books I’ve read. It was funny at times and entertaining.
Daisies in the Canyon Carolyn Brown 4 stars
This is book two in a series with Long, Hot Texas Summer but it’s not really about Jackson and Loretta.
They are part of the story but the book plays on a supporting character from book 1. Abby Malloy comes to town to claim her inheritance from her estranged father.
He has given three daughters (all half-siblings who have not met before) an ultimatum that they live on the ranch for one year and the one left inherits the land and home. Abby Malloy is determined to win this challenge, but the sparks that develop with Sheriff Cooper Wilson prove to be a bigger challenge.
I mostly listened on Audible.
The Golden Couple Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen 4 stars
Marissa and Matthew seek counseling from Avery, who lost her license for unorthodox measures. She is still effective and practices a different form of counseling. Marissa has been unfaithful and wants to fix her marriage. There are so many secrets and twists in this story.
Night Road Kristin Hannah 5 stars
“For eighteen years, Jude Farraday has put her children’s needs above her own, and it shows—her twins,
Mia and Zach, are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill moves into their small, close-knit community, no one is more welcoming than Jude.
Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, quickly becomes Mia’s best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable.
Jude does everything to keep her kids out of harm’s way. But senior year of high school tests them all. It’s a dangerous, explosive season of drinking, driving, parties, and kids who want to let loose.
And then on a hot summer’s night, one bad decision is made. In the blink of an eye, the Farraday family will be torn apart and Lexi will lose everything.
In the years that follow, each must face the consequences of that single night and find a way to forget…or the courage to forgive.”
I always need tissues for Kristin Hannah’s books! I read and listened through Kindle and Audible.
This story is heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. The kids are coming of age and Jude is learning herself and her issues with control and has her own relationship with her mother to come to terms with.
Pray For Silence Linda Castillo 4 stars (book two in the Kate Burkholder series)
An Amish family of seven is found slaughtered on their farm. Painter’s Mill Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is left with few clues until she finds a diary of one of the teenage girls. Secrets are revealed and ultimately the killer is found. Kate gets assistance from John Tomasetti, a state agent who assisted her in book one and became her friend and sometimes lover. This story is a crime thriller with a little romance. I read some on Kindle and listened at times on Scribd.
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