I came into June thinking I need to read more. BUT DO I?

Not really.

Surprisingly… I read more than I thought looking back lol

As I type this final draft and publish… I realize I didn’t even post anything else in June. My bad. I’ve been working on posts, but I haven’t published anything. I guess I’ve been reading! Lol

Welcome to June’s reads!!

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Dangerous Depths by Colleen Coble

Another classic Colleen Coble read. I enjoyed this one more than the others in this series actually just because of the whole plot and backstory for Bane and Leia. They had really good chemistry and naturally progressed during all the action and mystery which was thrilling. Obviously… there was murder and suspense, but the whole time it felt like it wasn’t as dangerous as others – especially the first book in the series. But anything could have been dangerous I guess lol I don’t know – probably doesn’t make sense, but just my thoughts.

Dangerous Depths is the third book in the Aloha Reef series. This one didn’t need the first two books to understand the story or characters.

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Just Look Up by Courtney Walsh

I. Loved. This.

I loved the characters and their development. The writing was well done with the challenges they faced. There was a time where I felt like the conflict between the two main characters wasn’t enough, but whatevs, it worked out in the end and it ended up being enough for me.

Another thing is that for most of the story, I thought one character was the perfect character and the other obviously had a lot to work on so it felt unbalanced in that sense. But in the realm of reality, it was believable.

Honestly, I thought while reading this that the rest of the series set in Harbor Pointe would be about the siblings of Lane, but that’s not the case because I checked. So maybe that’s a spoiler for you – it’s not. 🙂

This is book one and I’ll be reading the rest soon. I have them all. They are stacked. They are waiting for me. Like all the other books I have bought lately.

Also, Courtney Walsh is a new author (for me) and she’s becoming a must read author (sorry not sorry). This is the second book I’ve read by this author.

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Whenever You Come Around by Robin Lee Hatcher

I don’t read Robin Lee Hatcher’s books nearly enough. Always a great read and this one was no different. If you’re interested in cowboy romances, this has a dash of that in it just for you!

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Just Let Go by Courtney Walsh

Another five star read! I loved this one.

I’m not like a huge fan of bad boys… but I was totally digging the vibes of this book because of the believable transformation that took place for the characters, especially Grady.

The characters and dialogue were funny and cute. The small town itself has such chemistry and charm that you can’t help but love them.

The theme was forgiveness and letting go.

I loved this book, since saying it once wasn’t enough… totally my favorite Courtney Walsh book. So far.

This is the second book in the Harbor Pointe series.

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Feelings and Faith by Brian S. Borgman

This was a great book! My friend picked this one out for us to read together and it was very affirming and convicting of Biblical emotions.

If you’re wanting to dive into the relationship of feelings and faith, I think you would glean something from this book, for sure.

These are just some of my takeaways…

the truth of God sustains faith and gives us joyful contentment, even when our hearts are breaking.

Page 93

It reinforces that knowing the truths of God, having a right and good understanding of God’s character helps with our contentment and the alignment of our general emotions and helps stabilize us and point us back to Him when our emotions are not godly.

We can bring everything to God, which includes our ungodly emotions – ask for help and direction – don’t stay where you are.

Am I displaying emotions that can point others to Jesus?

You cultivate godly emotions in community, not in a bubble. Where are you in or building community with believers regularly?

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Blind Dates

Another book to love!!!

Four stories, four authors.

Each story was unique, but short and sweet. Highly recommend. They were also funny – misunderstandings and of course.. they’re all “blind dates.”

Some of my favorite authors of course: Colleen Coble and Denise Hunter.

Would have finished this in one day over the weekend had life not gotten in the way of the fiction. 🥲

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Midnight Sea by Colleen Coble

I know I said Dangerous Depths was my favorite from this series, but this one is up there… haha.

So many twists and turns. I was trying to guess “who dun it” the whole way til the end (like always) and I was WRONG. Of course. Either I’m really bad, or Colleen Coble is just that good!! Lol

I’ve never gotten it right actually, in case you’re wondering.

In this one, you can find changed lives and how people do change when given the opportunity.

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The Hope in Hot Chocolate by Rachael Bloome

Yet another Rachael Bloome novel read in one day.

This is the seventh book in the Poppy Creek series and I loved it as much as I did all the others. They have all been so good. If you’re not already reading the series, you should be!

A heart-warming romance… and not just because there’s hot chocolate involved.

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Mending Places by Denise Hunter

I didn’t rate this one… I normally give all of Denise Hunter books 5 stars.

That’s not to say it’s not well written, it just deals with heavy topics and I don’t know how to feel about it – I’m still processing it. This is also the oldest book of Denise Hunter’s I’ve read – originally published in 2004.

Topics include forgiveness, sexual abuse, child abuse, infidelity, fear, among other things.

I definitely teared up reading this one at times. I don’t know if I agree with the story’s ending or how it was handled, but I know Hunter did extensive research, had expert help and had good intentions in bringing forgiveness to the forefront of this novel. Everyone handles things in their own way, in their own timing. There’s some less favorable reviews on GoodReads for this one for that reason.

Though I have not and am not going through the exact situation that’s portrayed here, it felt close to home in similar ways and for me, my life story won’t end in this same way. So maybe that’s another reason to cry – not all of life’s challenges we can move past enough to have a happy ending like in novels.

I fully believe in the power of God and the Holy Spirit working in lives to change them, I’ve witnessed that. That doesn’t mean that we can move past… the past and things go back to normal. It’s still there and there’s consequences and sometimes those consequences result in separation and not the coming together. *shrug*

This is the first novel of the New Heights series which follows the stories of three sisters. I’ll be reading the next two soon!

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I’m excited to start the next month! Sort of 😂

I’m hoping to finish some books I have started and also dig into some reads I’ve been anticipating.

What did you read in June? Share in the comments!