June Reads

I decided to post this a few days early because I will not get to finish another book before Tuesday. June has been another month with curtailed reading time. Ugh. And now my TBR pile (physical, Kindle, audio) is so large that I wish I could read faster! There are so many stories I want to experience—and more coming this summer and fall! Eek! 

But for now, here’s what I finished this month. Let’s start with historical fiction, because I read the most of that—and they were all so good! 

Into a Golden Era by Gabrielle Meyer

With every new book in the Timeless series, I think it can’t get better than the last one. And they always do. I loved this one that swung between the Gold Rush era and 1920s Hollywood. Great twist at the end!

A Founding Mother by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

I have loved Abigail Adams since I did a lot of research on her in college. And I love her even more after this book. I so appreciate Dray & Kamoie’s collaborations and how they thoughtfully add the fictional to the historical. When I was young, I was captured by Abigail and John’s romance. Reading this, I was struck by their mature and enduring love through all kinds of hardships. If you don’t know Abigail’s whole story, I highly recommend this book. 

Sung in the Shadows by Crystal Caudill

Oh. My. This series—the Art of Love and Danger. I thought the first one was amazing. But this one? So full of tension and suspense! And romance, too. So, so good. Now I get to read an advanced copy of book three in the series! I’m so excited! 

Here’s some contemporary fiction from June: 

Spies, Lies, and Alibis by Natalie Walters

A romantic suspense rom-com? Yes, please! The romantic tension pulls tight until about the halfway mark—then the suspense tension pulls even tighter! And spies. Did I mention spies? I’m a sucker for a spy story! 

Beach Haven by T. I. Lowe

I was looking for a book with a beach on the cover for a reading challenge and found this one. T. I. Lowe does not disappoint. Not a light read—she always tackles difficult subjects and situations—but oh, so good. Definitely more of a romance than others of hers I’ve read. 

In audiobook form: 

An American in Scotland by Lucy Connelly

A cozy mystery set on a Scottish Isle near Edinburgh. I’m all in! I enjoyed the mystery and the characters, but I wasn’t crazy about the narrator. I bought book two in ebook form (it was on sale!), and will continue the series that way. Because I always enjoy traveling to Scotland—even if just via books. 

The Magician of Tiger Castle by Louis Sachar

I liked this book. Part historical fiction, part fantasy (but not like you’d think!). And the narrator was great. But I didn’t love it as much as Holes. Sigh. I was really hoping it would be at that level. Still, it was a good story. 

I’m so close to done with one really long book, over halfway in another, and a good 1/3 in three more, so I’m hoping to whittle down my TBR pile a bit in July! We’ll see what happens! 

What was your favorite read in June?