I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this summer and the past week or so I have had the pleasure of reading several books written by amazing women that I know. There is nothing quite like reading the words of a friend and seeing a story come to life on the pages. Each of these books was totally different but honestly – they were all top notch and I just have to share those with. you today.

First up, my blogger friend for years, Darlene Foster has added a 9th book in her Amanda Travels Adventure series where young Amanda travels to different countries to explore and somehow always gets into some kind of predicament. The latest book, Amanda in France: Fire in the Cathedral, finds Amanda in the beloved city of Paris. While these books have a middle school target audience they are really fun to read and well written. I always learn some little facts about the places she travels to and in this one especially, I found myself reminiscing about the places Chris and I have seen when we visited the country. If you have a young reader in your life this series is definitely for them. Amanda is adorable and always finds herself in interesting situations. Bonus – this one is set in a bookstore.

Next up is the latest in the Allison Parker Mystery series by Adair Sanders. Adair actually lives in my neighborhood and I always get excited when she tells me she is working on a new book. This one, And So It Ends: An Allison Parker Mystery, had me happily devouring it and enjoying every single page. “And So It Ends” is yet another example of a well written legal thriller with all kinds of twists and turns, danger and excitement and all around just a great book to read. I am always amazed at this author’s ability to write an engaging story while allowing the reader to feel like they know the characters. I have gotten to “know” Allison over the years and absolutely love the way her character has developed. If you like legal thrillers this is definitely the series for you.

The final book to share today is A Girl Named Charlie by author Micki Fredericks. Micki has written a variety of genres over the years and this one is aptly named a small town romance. I don’t normally read romances anymore but this one was so fun to ready. I absolutely loved it. Charlie is just trying to make it through another day as a single mom, keeping her head down and doing what she can to stay one step ahead of everything. And then….Reid, a young handsome (of course) doctor buys the building across the street that belonged to her dad and her world suddenly goes topsy turvy. Following Charlie on her journey with her romance and how it affects everyone around her is just delightful. Great writing and truly fun characters that you will fall in love with. Two thumbs up for this one, folks. Micki knocked it out of the park once again.

So there you go- a quick round up of some of my favorite summer reads and thanks to my writer friends my Kindle and bookshelves continue to overflow. These can all be found at your favorite independent bookstore or of course, on Amazon, (links provided in blog post above) and a couple are currently free if you are part of Kindle Unlimited.

Happy reading!