The Shippers by Katherine Center

 

Jojo has been cursed with love.  Every relationship she's had has ended badly and she's about to end another one standing at the altar with some help from her best friend Cooper.  

When she was 10 years old she was blindfolded and kissed and she's never stopped dreaming about that kiss.  Her blindfolded kisser, Finn, is newly divorced and going on the same cruise.  This is her chance to try and conquer him and be reunited with the best kiss of her life.

Not only is she trying to get her own love life under control she overheard her parents having marital problems.  Jojo's sister is getting married on the cruise to her ex boyfriend who is still holding a grudge over their breakup.

The Shippers unravels with a whole pile of misunderstandings and missed opportunities.  I'm a long time fan of all of Katherine Center's novels and this one was a very enjoyable fast paced read.  Only thing that would have made it better would be reading it on a cruise ship - I highly recommend doing that.

Burnout Summer by Jenna Ramirez

 Cam is burnt out.  Bad.  Her life is going down in flames.  She's drowning in debt.  She's just been fired.  She's very soon going to have no where to live.  Now she's just been arrested.  Something has to change.  When a friend offers a life line for the summer - a chance to breathe - how can she say no.

Danny is one of her best friends from college.  Part of the group of five that quickly formed over a project.  When life is falling apart for Cam, Danny swoops in with the perfect solution for a break and chance to recharge.  Danny owns a restaurant in a beach town.  He's got a summer job for Cam as a waitress, he can provide a roof of her head, and he's full of all the encouragement she needs to get her life back.

The only advice her best friend offered Cam before the summer began was don't fall in love with Danny.  Cam did that before - she dated Corey, one of the other guys in the friend group and when that ended the friend group struggled.  But falling for Danny is not going to be a problem.  She's got other things to focus on like what will she do when the summer ends.

I really enjoyed reading Burnout Summer.  Cam is definitely a sympathetic character and you can see how her life quickly spiraled.  Following her get back on track while working and living with her good friend in a beautiful beach town was a fun read.  I don't want to reveal too much but there's a very hilarious Oh My God! scene that I was howling over.  I will definitely be looking for more Jenna Ramirez books in the future.

Five Star Summer by Sarah Morgan

 

Five Star Summer is about Evie who finally has achieved her dream job in England.  It may be temporary so she's got to make the best of it.  She's grown up in the hotel - her dad is bell man.  Everyone in this hotel has changed her diapers and treats as one of their own.  It's a small town so everyone knows everyone and there are no secrets.

Abby is living in Chicago where her mom is the owner of the hotel chain.  Abby has done every job in the hotel and worked her way up from the bottom but it doesn't matter as everyone still sees her as her mother's daughter.  She's got no work friends.  They all stop talking every time she enters a room.  So Abby just does her best to work hard.

In a surprise twist Abby's mom is sending her to England to see why the oldest hotel in the chain isn't performing well lately.  Against Abby's wishes she must do so undercover.  She gets why she has to be undercover but this is her one shot at making friends.

I enjoyed reading this book and how it all unraveled.  Especially fun was reading Five Star Summer while on vacation in England.  I highly recommend reading this with scones and clotted cream because you will be craving them once you read about the chef.  I've read many Sarah Morgan's books and this was just enjoyable as I expected it to be.

Good Joy, Bad Joy by Mikki Brammer

 

Joy is a sweet little old lady that's lived her life following the expectations of those in her life.  First her father, a doctor, he had a lot of expectations of Joy.  Then her husband, a lawyer, expected her to be the perfect mother and house wife.  The only one who expected nothing of Joy was her long standing best friend, Hazel, that Joy met in grade 2.

Now at almost 80 years old almost all her friends have passed.   Now, even her beloved Hazel now has a expiry date coming soon with a new cancer diagnosis.  This cancer diagnosis and the thought of life without Hazel is enough to make Joy start living life on her own terms.  Slowly Joy starts taking more chances and soon sets a goal on her biggest risk yet.

Good Joy, Bad Joy was such a fun read!  I loved Joy and her friend Hazel.  I gave this book 5 stars which I don't do often but it really surprised me and I just loved the story.  

Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune

 

I was extremely excited to get to read Our Perfect Storm. I'm a huge Carley Fortune fan. I've loved all her other books and this one did not disappoint.

Frankie is getting married to Nate tomorrow and when her maid of honour, George, finally arrives she couldn't be happier. Her happiness doesn't last long though - she wakes the next morning to a note saying the wedding is off and no explanation.

The next 2 months are a blur until Frankie's convinced to go on her honeymoon to Tofino, British Columbia with George. George has a plan to help her get over Nate. He's done research - every day has a theme with the intention for Frankie to move on.

I don't want to reveal too much. But if you've read any Carley Fortune before you don't want to miss this one. I loved reading about Tofino. I've never been and the author describes the scenery so beautifully. Frankie is a chef so the descriptions of the food are amazing as well. This book is definitely going to be a huge hit this summer. I'm sure many of you will be so excited to read it.

This Weekend Doesn't End Well for Anyone by Catherine Mack

 This Weekend Doesn't End Well for Anyone is the second book in a murder mystery series.  I read that you can read book two without reading book one but I wouldn't recommend it.  Although, I was able to understand the story I felt like I was missing a lot of details about the characters and their relationships that I'm certain I would have gotten from reading in order.

Elenor is at a writers retreat with her boyfriend, Oliver and her sister/assistant Harper.  She knows all the other attendees too because they are on the same book circuits.  They were previously in Italy together and well the title is Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies, so that gives you an idea about the last time all these characters were together.

The weekend starts off with Elenor, Oliver and Harper being shown to their room and there is a dead body there!  As a murder mystery writer, Elenor knows there's probably going to be two more murders because that's how things go in a murder mystery.  Instead of being a guest speaker and teaching the attendees how to write a murder mystery they end up working to solve one.

This book is written in Elenor's perspective.  She writes some tips throughout the book on how to write a good murder mystery.  Elenor also loves to write with foot notes and there are plenty of them.  I was able to guess the murderer about mid way through the novel but I think it was more a lucky guess then actually predicable because I did not predict the ending.  At one of the most nail biting moments 89% through the book my Kindle died.  Leaving me hanging for 30 minutes while I waited for it to charge.  

Definitely take this series on vacation with you.  

Save the Date by Mallory Kass

Marigold is about to marry Jonathan, the very handsome doctor that her best friend Natalie set her up with.  Marigold's very wealthy step father has paid for the wedding on an island in Maine and everyone who is anyone is here.  But Marigold has some last minute business to finish in Canada that just can't wait.  

Olivia, Marigold's sister, is keeping a huge secret that would definitely upset Marigold if she knew.  Olivia, is also hoping to find a love connection this weekend on an old crush.  But right from the start this weekend isn't going as planned and she's trying to stay one step ahead of Marigold and take care of like she always has.

Then there's Natalie.  She introduced the happy couple even though she's been in love with the groom since college.  But she can't say anything now the weekend of her best friend and the guy she loves.  So she just smiles and grins and tries to be there for Marigold the best she can.

Save the Date felt pretty predictable right from the beginning but that didn't stop it from being a great read.  I really enjoyed the unraveling of the story.  I liked all the characters.  It was a fun book with a happy ending and I would recommend the book to everyone who enjoys a happy ending.