Beach Trees by Karen White

Beach Trees by Karen White is a story of Julie Holt who has lost so many times in her life she is just trying to be found.  First her sister Chelsea goes missing as a child and then she loses her best friend Monica to heart problems.  Her best friend wills Julie her son Beau and her beach house in Biloxi, Mississippi.  Julie wants to give Monica's son the opportunity to see where his mom is from.  She leaves New York and heads to Mississippi to find the beach house has been destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.  She finds Monica's brother and grandmother and begins a new life.  At first Monica's brother Trey and Julie can't agree on anything. And then there is Miss Aimee, Monica's grandmother who through telling her own story of her past Julie starts to realize why Monica wanted to bring them all together. Julie and Monica's family is more connected then she realized and now Julie needs to decide what to do next.

This was a great book weaving 2 protagonists in this story of love, loss and rebuilding.  I could not put it down!  Karen White never disappoints.

Sophie Katz Series by Kyra Davis

If you are looking for some fun beach reads, I encourage you to give Kyra Davis's Sophie Katz series a try. There are 5 books in the series so far and I have read and enjoyed them all.  In order they are: 1. Sex, Murder and a Double Latte,2. Passion, Betrayal and Killer Highlights,3. Obsession, Deceit, and Really Dark Chocolate, 4. Lust, Loathing and a Little Lipgloss, and 5. Vows, Vendettas, and a Little Black Dress.


Sophie Katz is a divorced mystery writer who always finds herself in the middle of mysteries herself.  She is an amateur sleuth who tries to solve the crimes and the cops think she is a little crazy!  There is Anatoly a private investigator who begins as someone she fights to someone she ends up falling for throughout the series.  These are considered chic lit but have some mystery and at moments you will find yourself laughing out loud wondering how in the world does she get herself into these situations.  Her closest friends have personalities of their own that will leave you laughing.

The author, Kyra Davis has actually visited two of our book clubs when we were reading her books and she is an amazing person.  She has written a pilot for Lifetime television to make Sophie Katz a series soon. Keeping my fingers crossed, it would be a great show!

If you are looking for something fun to read, pick up her books!

Best Staged Plans by Claire Cook

I can always count on Claire Cook to get my summer reading off to a good start and Best Staged Plans did that again for me this summer.  Sandy Sullivan stages houses, (gets houses ready for selling).  As she looks toward retiring herself, she wants to get her house in order and gets frustrated with her family because she seems to be the only one who wants to get the house in Boston ready for selling.  Getting frustrated with everything she takes a job in Atlanta to stage a new hotel for her best friend's boyfriend.  She is excited at the opportunity to visit her married daughter in Atlanta. When she gets there she realizes her daughter is off to Boston for a month so Sandy spends the time with her son-in-law, which is humorous in itself.

Sandy and her friend Denise have some adventures in trying to figure out if Denise's boyfriend is all he is cracked up to be.  Sandy also meets Naomi living between the dumpsters at the Chocolate Hotel, that she is staging to open.  She befriends her and they both change each other's lives.

I love the description of the Chocolate Hotel as Sandy designs this Atlanta hotel, I would visit myself it were real!  There are lots of great tips in the book too for staging your own house to include some great paint colors.

The thing I love about Claire Cook's books is that you can always connect with her characters and you feel like they are your friends by the end of the book.  She has never disappointed me.  I can picture myself in a lot of the situations her characters get into.

Other books by Claire Cook are:  Must Love Dogs (my personal favorite) Ready to Fall,  Multiple Choice,  Life's a Beach,  Summer Blowout,  The Wildwater Walking Club,  and Seven Year Switch.

The Violets of March by Sarah Jio

Emily lives in New York and just gets a divorce. Her best friend convinces her to go to Bainbridge Island and visit her Aunt for a while to grieve.  While visiting her aunt she comes across a diary and begins reading it. She is fascinated by the story and is trying to figure out who wrote it and why she found it in the room she is staying in.  As she continues to read it she realizes there are some connections to her own life and family.  She also meets Jack who she becomes more and more attracted to and begins a relationship with him.  Her aunt doesn't like Jack nor wants to talk about why she doesn't.  As Emily continues to read the diary she starts to suspect why.  As Emily and Jack continue their relationship she suspects he is involved with someone else.  In frustration of not wanting to get hurt again, she flees the island and heads back to New York.  After receiving an envelope of letters in the mail she realizes she is drawn back to the island.  Follow Emily on her journey and discover can she and Jack have happiness?

This is Sarah Jio's debut novel and I for one could not put it down. It is a story within a story and I had to know what happened to the characters in the main story and the characters in the diary.  You won't be disappointed if you pick this book up, it is a quick read.