Many books flood the summer reading market at this time of year, hoping to make their way into the hands of eager readers looking for a way to pass time on the plane or while sitting poolside. As an author, I’m constantly scanning the lists of upcoming releases to find books by my favorite authors and get the buzz about stories and authors I don’t yet know.

But rather than list my personal recommendations for this summer, it might be more interesting to let the siblings from my current Cabot novels offer up their selections.

What the characters of The Cabot novels are reading_Before I Knew by Jamie Beck

Colby from Before I Knew
We’ll begin with Colby, the middle child and former lawyer-turned-restaurateur who had a tough time coming back from her bipolar husband’s suicide. Now she’s newly engaged to her head chef and former childhood friend, and in the mood for stories about resilient women, love and food. As a longtime fan of author Barbara O’Neal, The Art of Inheriting Secrets, due in mid-July, is at the top of Colby’s reading wish list. This story follows a food editor to England where she claims her inheritance and unravels a history of secrets that influence decisions about her future.

All We Knew by Jamie Beck

Hunter from All We Knew
Next we have Hunter, the eldest Cabot sibling and hard-nosed businessman who recently salvaged his marriage and adopted a foster son. While his wife, Sara, devours parenting books to learn about raising children with developmental delays, Hunter needs an escape from the stress of running his tea company empire. He hopes delving into a family mystery set in another place and time will give him just that. Thankfully, he’s got Michael Ondaatje’s Warlight to look forward to in May.

when you knew by Jamie Beck

Gentry from When You Knew
Finally, we come to Gentry, the baby of the family and protagonist of my June release. She’s a mostly reformed black sheep with a sharp tongue. Her story features a fun twist on some favorite romance tropes including an accidental pregnancy, a love triangle and an opposites-attract storyline. Although her days are largely devoted to her infant son and her nights to her hot, humanitarian love interest, she still sneaks in some time to herself. Sloane Crosley’s Look Alive Out There, a new compilation of hilarious essays packed with insight and emotion, is at the top of Gentry’s TBR pile because it can be read in bursts and is sure to give her food for thought with a healthy dose of laughter.

As for me, I’m a little too busy writing my next series to have much free reading time at the moment, but I’m collecting a stack of romance and women’s fiction novels on my Kindle. I do love to escape into a witty historical romance and fall for a rake, so I’m eager for Julia Quinn’s summer release, The Other Miss Bridgerton.