Conversations with Kav – Let’s talk Summer Reading + Giveaway

I haven’t always been a seasonal reader, but the last couple of years I’ve found I crave books that fit the season I’m living in. Not all the time, but I like to pick at least some books that match the seasonal vibe and standard holidays I’m enjoying. Of course, I have particular themes for every season, because I’m book nerdy like that (aren’t we all?). Here’s my Summer Bookish Craves List:

  • Contemporary summer rom/coms!
  • lighthouses!
  • seaside settings (especially in Historical romances for some strange reason)
  • animal rescues (?!)
  • thrillerish (mild) suspense (which is out of character for me the rest of the year)
  • holiday romances (especially travel abroad or shipboard romance)
  • wilderness survival adventure/ suspense
  • gardening
  • renos and upcycling
  • pun-y titles and bright cover art

Okay, I admit, that’s a weirdly eclectic list and not everything is specific to the summer season, but this is where my mood reading takes me in the summer! How about you? What kind of book draws you in during the summer months?

Looking for a specific kind of summer series recommendations. Can you help?

Last year I discovered a delightful multi-authored closed door romantic comedy series that was so much fun! The Falling for Summer series was set on an island off the Florida coast and featured seven heroes and seven heroines all finding their happily every afters by the end of the summer. It was really clever the way the stories overlapped each other and yet could all be read as standalones. I actually read them out of order without any problem. It was fun to keep going back to the same setting and lovable (and not so lovable) secondary characters all summer long. These were all independently published.

So, now I’m wondering it that’s a ‘thing’ each summer? Does anyone know of a similar kind of series with a summer setting that’s either Christian Fiction or Closed Door? Independent or traditionally published. I think it would be fun to dive into another summery series. Do let me know if you have any suggestions.

Books with a Summer setting suggestions for the Best Reads Summer Book Bingo!

I thought it would be fun and helpful to gather some suggestions for the trickier Bingo prompts so it seems appropriate to start with this one. Usually it’s hard to determine the seasonal setting just from the cover or title ( exceptions being: The Summer of Yes by Courtney Walsh and The Summer of You and Me by Denise Hunter.) It seems like lately every book I’ve picked up has been set in the winter! So, let’s help each out by sharing Christian Fiction or Closed Door Romances that are set in the summer time. I really had to think hard to come up with any that didn’t have ‘summer’ in the title as a major clue! Here they are:

  • A Novel Proposal by Denise Hunter
  • A Match in the Making by Jen Turano
  • Beyond the Tides by Liz Johnson
  • Seaside Proposal by Narelle Atkins (Australian summer, which is a fun twist)

Okay, let’s get the conversations going. Add your thoughts in a comment to be entered in a draw for a $10.00 Baker Book House (US) gift card or an Amazon gift card (Canada.)

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday June 14 2025

48 thoughts on “Conversations with Kav – Let’s talk Summer Reading + Giveaway”

  1. This book is not about season but our library does a one book, one lincoln every year top three books chosen. Dust Child by Nguyen Phan Que Mai was one of the chosen now it’s not christian but it dives into a subject that most older people will understand. I don’t recommend reads unless the book has caught my attention and this one has. It is internationally recommended as a read.

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    1. Dust Child sounds like a powerful story. Love that your library chooses top three books each year. I should check to see if my library has put out a summer reading list. Good luck, Kim!

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  2. I love seasonal reading too! I’m drawn to beachy seaside reads with lighthouses, travel and adventure, even some suspense.

    The first series that came to mind came out in 2019. I heard about it because it featured some Love Inspired authors I liked, Jill Kemmerer, Jessica Patch, Jodie Bailey and Susan Tuttle too. The name of the series is Resort to Romance about a matchmaking week on a private Bahama Island. The first was book is A Messed-Up Match, there are 10 books, I think I read 6 of them.

    If I go way back in time, I loved Lisa Tawn Bergren’s Full Circle 6 book series from 1994. Paperbacks but there audio is available. I read them all and loved them, 5 stars each. Torchlight has a Maine lighthouse setting as an inheritance and the handyman who comes to help restore it. Treasure is treasure hunting off the Caribbean coast. Chosen is about an archeological dig at Solomon’s stable and under the Temple Mount. Adventure and suspense. I came across this set when straighten my bookshelves, now I’ve talked myself into reading them again.

    Carla Laureano had a cute novella called Jilted set on a pricey private Island with the main character as a chef. Foodie and vacation vibes.

    I have Love Overboard and Hearts Aweigh Sunsan Dunlap on my summer reading list for vacation and travel.

    I guess that’s plenty for now, I could talk about favorite books all day long. I’m sure more will come to mind 🙂

    Thanks for the giveaway and fun topic! tracey14567 at gmail dot com

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    1. I was just going through my TBR this morning and discovered a lighthouse book. Eeeep. So excited. Don’t know if it has a summer setting or not though but I’ll be reading it soon – Where I Found You by Betsy St. Amant.

      Ohhh that Resort to Romance series sounds really good and I’d love to read a non-suspense book by Jessica Patch but it looks like the series is only available in kindle editions. Which makes sense, it looks like they released one new novella length story a week over the summer. Such a great idea!

      Thanks for the Full Circle series recommendation — those sound good. Interesting that audible looks to be the only option for them, in Canada anyway. I guess the paperbacks are out of print now because the prices on the US side are pretty steep for used copies. I’ve put them all in my audible wishlist now. And interesting, because they are all set in different locations so I’m thinking this is a series that can be read out of order, as the mood strikes.

      Grrr Jilted is only available in ebook as well. Looks like it’s part of a series too. I think that’s what stumped me last year, trying to find more summer series that weren’t ebook only. Makes sense that they’d publish them that way given that the books come out quickly over just a couple of months. Great for you ebook readers though.

      I loved Love Overboard and am putting Hearts Aweigh on my must read summer list for sure! Love book talking with you, Tracey! Good luck!

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      1. As best I remember the Full Circle series can be read out of order, although secondary characters from previous books do pop up as main characters in subsequent books.

        It’s funny how the books in Resort to Romance show differently in Canada. In US they show as paperback too, sorry about that.

        I thought of another must read for summer, very beachy and multigenerational relationships, The Light on Horn Island! I highly recommend it, one of my favorites of the year.

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      2. Looks like I told you wrong on the Resort to Romance series. Some have paperbacks, some don’t Jill Kemerer’s and Krista Phillips do. I guess it was up to each author,

        Oh, and I thought about reading Where I Found You for the yellow on the Lighthouse for the Bingo game. Set in coastal Louisianna so fits my summer reading choices, hope I can get to it while I have KU.

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      3. I’ve been hearing good things about Punk from The Light on Horn Island so I guess I best get to that one this summer too. 🙂 I think I could definitely find enough summer books to last through to the end of August!

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  3. Good morning, Kav! I have my front door open looking at my crepe myrtle tree waving those gorgeous purple blossoms in the breeze & I can only think of reading summer books right now. No snow on the cover! But struggling to think of many ATM!

    Series – Below the Far Horizon by Jessie Gussman (entire beach series)

    Series – Trusting His Promise by Valerie M. Bodden (full- length novel w/ 4.8 stars out of 1,127 reviews! It’s in a 5 book series w/ lighthouses, picnic baskets, & sunflowers on the covers)

    Series – The Way Home by Heidi Chiavaroli (summer read with a lighthouse on the cover)

    Suspense summer read – Vacation Friends by Christy Barritt (this was good!)

    Summer read – Second Chance at Sunshine Inn by Amy Clipston

    Summer read – The Sands of Sea Blue Beach by Rachel Hauck (oh, that cover!)

    I know there’s tons more! Happy Summer Reading, everyone!

    dianalflowers at aol dot com

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      1. Ooohhh, my library has A Girl’s Guide to the Outback, Just put it on hold. 🙂 And I’ve heard of Jessie Gussman but haven’t read any of her books — a couple os her series look really summery — from the covers anyway. And I love that Below a Far Horizon has a lighthouse on the cover!

        I have been meaning to read a Valerie Bodden book and Trusting His Promise looks good plus there’s a Jennifer Rodewald novel in that same series the features a contemporary marriage of convenience! Yikes, look at me hopping down internet bunny trails!

        Lighthouses are jumping out at me all over the place this year! 🙂 Love the cover of The Way Home — so serene, but it sounds like the story is anything but!

        I wondered about Vacation Friends by Christy Barritt — it sounded kinda love triangle-y to me which made me leery when I first heard about it but if you say it’s good….maybe I’ll have to get brave. 🙂

        I see you’ve included two not yet released books that sound amazing. Summer setting and summer releases — ticks two boxes!

        Thanks for adding to my summer reading list, Diane. I wonder if it’s possible for me to only read summer setting books all summer long?! Good luck!

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      2. Some of these indie authors such as Valerie Bodden & Jessie Gussman write so many books, I found myself hopping down a few bunny trails myself! As far as Vacation Friends go, I didn’t really look at it as a love triangle story bc someone is a creep (that’s all I can say w/o spoilers). 😜

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  4. Last year I read the Chasing Fire: Montana series created by Susan May Warren and Lisa Phillips and this year they have a new series called Chasing Fire: Alaska. They are on my TBR list for this summer. Sandyavery at comcast dot net

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  5. This is really true. In the summer, I enjoy long, slow paced books, especially romance, to enjoy with a cup of iced tea. I think this summer I’m planning on reading Michael Phillips‘s Stonewycke Trilogy and Secrets of the Shetlands.

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      1. It has been so long since I read the Stonewycke books, but my daughter and I just love them. They do turn up sometimes at library sales.

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  6. During the summer I don’t care what type of book it is. I just love to read. Perhaps not Christmas books, though. So Christmas in July isn’t my thing. I do like longer books in the summer since I’m not bombarded by teaching.

    kathrynlvossATgmailDOTcom

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    1. Good point about longer books since you have a break from a busy profession. Sounds so delicious to lounge around in the garden with a big ol’ tome to keep you company. 🙂 Good luck, Kathryn!

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  8. Lauren K Denton isn’t a Christian author but the ones I read were clean and took place in summer. It’s been awhile since I read anything by her.

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    1. Ohh, you’re right. I’ve read a few of Lauren K. Denton’s book — multi-generational Southern Fiction, if I’m remembering correctly. Must check my library to see if they have any of her books I haven’t read yet. Thanks for the suggestion. Good luck, Lucy!

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  9. I wouldn’t say I am a seasonal reader at all. I usually pick my next book by 1) an author I haven’t read recently, or 2) a book everybody is raving about, and I don’t want to miss out on!

    I do have The Summer of Yes in my stack of ‘to be read soon’! I think it might fit more than one of the BINGO prompts for me.

    pattymh2000(at)yahoo(dot) com

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  10. Kav, I’m not really a seasonal reader except for Christmas reads. But as far as suggestions for summer reads, I’m looking forward to Sara Brunsvold’s new book coming out this month – The Atlas of Untold Stories – about a family road trip – two sisters and their mother – through the heartland. And it’s a bookish road trip no less! Also Sara’s previous book The Divine Proverb of Streusel took place during the summer and it was an excellent read. It included recipes too 🙂

    ckbarker at gmail dot com

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    1. Great call on The Divine Proverb of Streusel. I forgot that has a summer setting. And The Atlas of Untold Stories sounds awesome — nothing like a bookish road trip when you can’t go on one yourself. Good luck, Cheryl!

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  11. I’m not really a seasonal reader, except for Christmas stories. I can’t think of a summer series for you right off hand. I’ve been reading mostly historical fiction lately and haven’t got many contemporary books on my list. There have been a lot of great-sounding books mentioned here! I enjoy reading everyone’s comments.

    whthomas13 at yahoo dot com

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    1. It’s funny how the summer series books seem to all be contemporary rom/coms, isn’t it? I’ll have to hunt out a good old-fashioned historical seaside romance. 🙂 Good luck, Winnie!

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      1. Julie Klassen’s On Devonshire Shores series is good, although they are set in different seasons.

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  12. I want to be triplets with Kav, Tracey, and Diana and read The Light on Horn Island!! Thanks for the generous giveaway Kav! jacsmi75 at gmail dot com

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    1. Ohhhh, thanks for sharing that. I was wondering about that book. I have seen it on Instagram. Rose Lee is a new to me author…wondering if this might be her debut? I’ll have to do some checking. Definitely has a summery cover and it would fit the flowers on the cover too. 🙂 Thanks for the recommendation, Stephanie. Good luck!

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  14. I’m more of a mood reader than a season one. However, Denise Hunter’s novels are excellent for summer reading. Also, a Gothic mystery is perfect for any season.

    psalm103and138aygmaildotcom

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  15. I enjoy multi author series! Unfortunately I can’t think of any I’ve read with a summer theme. I plan to read “Making Waves” by Lorna Seilstad for the Summer Setting bingo square (it also has water on the cover!). I would think all three books in the series are summer based (Lake Manawa Summers) but I’m not 100% sure since I haven’t read them yet. Also, I can’t remember if they were set in summer or not, but Liz Johnson’s “Georgia Coast Romance” series made me think of summer when I read them. 😁

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    1. Ohhhh, I read Making Waves back when it released. Great choice for the Summer Book Bingo! That whole series is awesome! And I’d totally forgotten about Liz Johnson’s Georgia Coast series…I always gravitate to her PEI books and if I remember at least one of them features a pirate! Good luck, Sabrina!

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  16. I’m definitely a mood reader but when I think of beach or summer reads, I think of T.I.  Lowe.  My favorites are Low Country Lost, Indigo Isle,  Under the Magnolias, and Lulu’s Cafe.  Now, if you’re thinking of an easy, breezy read, this is probably not a great choice because there is always angst in her novels.  

    I recently read and really enjoyed The Way Home (lighthouses!) by Heidi Chiavaroli which got me to thinking about The Orchard House Bed and Breakfast series of hers.  I really enjoyed the first in the series, Where Grace Appears.  I don’t expect that they’re easy breezy either, but I’m sure it’s a fabulous series.

    So I think I need to work on T.I. Lowe’s backlist this summer and dive into some more of Heidi Chiavaroli’s The Orchard House series.  First I need to get out from under my library hold deluge!  Why do they always come in all at once? Sigh….

    perrianne (DOT) askew (AT) me (DOT) com

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    1. sooooo…..I haven’t read Indigo Isle or Under the Magnolias yet but I do have them on my TBR – guess this summer is the perfect time to start reading! Have you read Beach Haven by T.I Lowe? That’s one of my favourites. It’s a bit lighter than the books you mentioned, but still emotional. Has a grumpy sunshine romance that is divine!

      Diane has been raving about The Way Home too! And I’ve had The Orchard House Bed and Breakfast series on my radar for a long time now. I have one of the books (hopefully the first one) on my TBR. Yikes, I feel like such a slacker! Good luck, Perrianne!

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      1. I think you need to read those two and I need to read Beach Haven since you highly recommend it!
        As for Heidi Chiavaroli’s The Orchard House Bed & Breakfast series, Book 1, Where Grace Appears is free on Amazon Kindle last I checked. I know you don’t read on Kindle, but other folks probably do and might enjoy her warmth of story. I do love Heidi’s books!

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  17. I hadn’t given much thought in reference to seasonal reads. Although I have to admit, the last few years I’ve looked for Christmas stories. When I worked at the library, I’d do a Christmas in July display. People liked reading the Christmas storys in lieu of the holiday. You’ve given me lots to think about. Thank you for the discussion. I like you chats!

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    1. Yay! Glad you enjoy the chats. I like celebrating Christmas in July too. One of the reasons I started reading Christmas books in the summer was because it was easy to get the books I wanted from the library. No mega holds on new Christmas releases to worry about! Good luck, Nora!

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