Reading Ahead: August 2016, part 3

Easy reading is the order of the day during the summer months--entertaining page-turners that can be packed along on your beach or poolside excursions (though please don't let the books go for a swim!). Here are a few that fit just that bill which are slated for publication just in time for the dog-days of summer.

Curious Minds, by Janet Evanovich & Phoef Sutton. Evanovich and Sutton have been writing their bestselling Lizzy and Diesel series together for several years (since the series started in 2010 with Wicked Appetite). Now the duo is launching a new series, Knight and Moon, with this first title, Curious Minds. Emerson Knight is an awkward introvert, but thankfully he's also rich and brilliant, otherwise he might be homeless. Riley Moon has just graduated from Harvard Business and Harvard Law, and thought she'd won her dream job as a junior analyst with mega-bank Blane-Grunwald. Until she received her first assignment, that is, which turns out to be babysitting Emerson Knight. But what starts off as an inquiry about missing bank funds in the Knight account leads to inquiries about a missing man, missing gold, and a life-and-death race across the country.

Three Sisters, Three Queens, by Philippa Gregory. Gregory, who has been enchanting readers with novels of English history like The White Princess (currently being adapted as a Starz series)  and The Other Boleyn Girl, now brings readers the tale of Henry VIII's two sisters, Mary and Margaret, along with Katherine of Aragon--three women who all played pivotal roles in the Tudor saga, becoming queens of France, Scotland and England, respectively. An absolute must for fans.

Sweet Tomorrows, by Debbie Macomber. Bestseller Macomber brings her popular Rose Harbor series (a companion series to her Cedar Cove series) to a close here with Sweet Tomorrows. Nine months ago, Mark Taylor abruptly left Cedar Cove on a perilous mission to right a wrong from his past. Though Mark finally confessed his love for her, innkeeper Jo Marie Rose is unsure if he’s ever coming back. The Rose Harbor Inn barely seems the same without Mark, but Jo Marie can’t bear to lose herself in grief once more. Determined to move forward, she begins dating again, and finds companionship when she takes on a boarder who is starting a new chapter herself. The inn seems to be working its magic again—Emily opening herself up to love, Jo Marie moving on—until Jo Marie receives shocking news.

First Star I See Tonight, by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Piper Dove is a woman with a dream—to become the best detective in the city of Chicago. First job? Trail former Chicago Stars quarterback, Cooper Graham. The problem? Graham’s spotted her, and he’s not happy.

Which is why a great detective needs a first rate imagination. “The fact is . . . I’m your stalker. Not full-out barmy. Just . . . mildly unhinged.”
Piper soon finds herself working for Graham himself, although not as the bodyguard he refuses to admit he so desperately needs. Instead, he’s hired her to keep an eye on the employees at his exclusive new nightclub. But Coop’s life might be in danger, and Piper’s determined to protect him, whether he wants it or not. Phillips is known for treating readers to memorable characters and laugh-out-loud humor, which sounds like some great beach reading to me!