Between The Pages | July Reading Round Up

Welcome back to the blog, friends! Can you believe we’ve turned the page on July? Summer is flying by, but no matter how busy or hot the days got this past month, I made sure to save plenty of room for reading.
Whether you’re looking for your next great beach read, a cozy story to curl up with on a quiet afternoon, or just curious about what kept me turning pages all month long, you’re in the right place. Grab a cool drink, settle into a comfortable spot, and let’s dive into my July reading round-up!

One Euro Summer (Book 1 Pies & Prosecco Series) by Sage Parker

One Euro Summer follows Christine, a 55-year-old woman looking for a fresh start after her divorce. Instead of taking out her frustration on her ex’s belongings, she makes a bold move: buying a crumbling townhouse in the charming Tuscan village of Santa Lucia for just one euro.

When she arrives with a broken suitcase, a best friend who won’t learn Italian, and an embarrassing mix-up involving a runaway pair of underwear on the cathedral steps, Christine quickly realizes her grand Italian escape isn’t going to be seamless.

However, life in Santa Lucia soon begins to work its magic:

• A Mystery in the Walls: Inside her new townhouse, Christine discovers a hidden cookbook filled with handwritten love notes left by a woman who vanished decades ago.
• A Welcoming Community: The village’s warm, wonderfully nosy locals waste no time taking her under their wing.
• An Unexpected Connection: She catches the eye of Marco—a patient, kind, and handsome local who makes it hard for Christine to keep her guard up.

Ultimately, One Euro Summer is a warm, uplifting story about starting over, rediscovering joy and adventure in midlife, unraveling a past mystery, and unexpectedly finding love in Italy.

One Euro Summer (Book 2 Pies & Prosecco Series) by Sage Parker 

After braving a major life transition, renovating her home, and learning Italian, Christine thinks the hardest part of her Tuscan fresh start is behind her. Her next dream is in sight: opening her own small bakery in Santa Lucia. However, new obstacles quickly threaten everything she’s worked to build.

• Deeper Mysteries: While clearing out the cellar, Christine uncovers a rusted metal box containing secrets about Isabella—the woman who vanished decades ago—hinting that her disappearance was no accident.
• Trouble from the Past: Just as Christine and Marco begin finding their stride together, her ex-husband, Harold, unexpectedly shows up on her cobblestone street, sowing seeds of doubt between them.
• A Crisis of Faith: Between the bureaucracy of opening a business in a foreign country, Harold’s sudden reappearance, and the dark mystery hanging over Isabella’s past, Christine finds herself questioning if she’s fighting for a dream that was never meant to be.

Book 2 continues Christine’s journey with a blend of warmth, romance, local charm, and gripping mystery as she decides whether to hold on to her new life or let it go.

One Euro Summer (Book 3 Pies & Prosecco Series) by Sage Parker

After fighting through the challenges of moving abroad, renovating her home, and navigating past heartbreak, Christine is finally settling into her new life and feeling like Santa Lucia is truly home. But just as peace seems within reach, the mysteries of the village come to a head.

• A Cryptic Warning: A faded, yellowed photograph carrying a stark two-word message is left on Christine’s doorstep, proving that the mystery surrounding Isabella—the vanished baker—is far from over.
• Uncovering the Truth: As Christine digs deeper to solve Isabella’s disappearance once and for all, her questions begin to unearth secrets that someone in Santa Lucia is desperate to keep buried.
• Protecting Her New Life: With danger and the past threatening to unravel everything she has built, Christine must face the truth about her adopted home to protect her future.

Book 3 brings Christine’s Italian journey to a warm, thrilling, and satisfying conclusion, wrapping up the romance, community charm, and long-standing mystery at the heart of the series.

The Star and the Shamrock by Jean Grainger 

Set against the backdrop of World War II, The Star and the Shamrock follows a heart-wrenching story of survival, loss, and unlikely connection spanning from Berlin to Northern Ireland.

• A Mother’s Agonizing Choice (Berlin, 1939): When her husband disappears, Ariella Bannon knows her Jewish children, Liesl and Erich, are in danger from the Nazi regime. Desperate to keep them safe, she makes the painful decision to send them away on the Kindertransport.
• A Heart Guarded by Grief: A thousand miles away in Northern Ireland, Elizabeth Klein lives a quiet, guarded life. Having lost both her husband and her child years earlier, she has sworn off love to protect herself from further heartbreak. Yet, she becomes the young Bannon children’s only lifeline.
• Danger in an Unexpected Place: Reunited in the lush countryside of the Ards Peninsula, Elizabeth and the children soon discover that rural life brings its own hidden threats. Danger, intrigue, and deceit follow them, proving that some people are not who they appear to be.

Moving from wartime Berlin to bombed-out Liverpool and the quiet valleys of Northern Ireland, The Star and the Shamrock is a gripping, emotional novel about resilience, family, and finding hope in the darkest times.

The Emerald Horizon (The Star and the Shamrock Book 2) by Jean Grainger

Set in 1944 as World War II nears its end, The Emerald Horizon picks up the tension-filled story of Ariella Bannon and her children, who remain separated by war.

• A Hunted Mother in Berlin: Surviving against incredible odds in war-torn Berlin, Ariella is determined to reunite with her children. However, the Third Reich is crumbling, danger is everywhere, and someone is actively trying to betray her to the authorities before she can escape.
• A Divided Loyalty in Ireland: Liesl and Erich have built a peaceful, safe life in Ballycreggan, Ireland. As devastating news of the Holocaust reaches them, they are torn between their deep love for their mother and the sense of home and belonging they’ve found away from the war.
• A Bittersweet Hope for Foster Parents: Elizabeth and Daniel desperately want Ariella to survive, yet they face a quiet, painful fear: if Ariella returns, it means losing the children they have come to love as their own.

The Emerald Horizon is a high-stakes, emotional sequel about survival, the complex bonds of family, and the harrowing final risks taken to reunite loved ones against all odds.

The Hard Way Home (The Star and the Shamrock Book 3) by Jean Grainger

Set in 1950, The Hard Way Home moves the story forward into the postwar era, following Liesl Bannon as she navigates lingering trauma, identity, and family secrets.

• A Feeling of Unbelonging: Though Liesl and her brother Erich were saved from the Holocaust via the Kindertransport and raised with love in Northern Ireland by Elizabeth and Daniel Lieber, Liesl has never truly felt at home anywhere since being sent away from Berlin as a child.
• A Difficult Return: When an opportunity arises to represent her Dublin university in Berlin, Liesl is deeply conflicted. Returning means confronting the city that rejected her family. Still, she hopes it might finally bring her a sense of closure or connection.
• Troubling Secrets: Upon returning to Berlin, a chance encounter with an old family friend rekindles forgotten memories of her childhood before the war. As Liesl begins digging into her past, she realizes her family’s strong opposition to her trip might stem from something far more sinister than just protective concern.

The Hard Way Home is a heart-wrenching third installment about identity, suppressed memories, and uncovering long-buried secrets on the road to true healing.

The Long Lost Reunion (Book 1 Derry Mystery Series) by June Woods 

The Long Lost Reunion follows Ramona Cartwright as she finds herself starting over alone, pregnant, and desperate for answers about her unknown past. Determined to secure a stable future for her unborn baby, Ramona takes a DNA test that reveals a shocking connection: a half-brother living in Derry, Ireland.

Hoping to trace her roots, Ramona travels to Ireland, where her search leads to unexpected discoveries:

• A Hidden Past: Rather than just a family tree, Ramona uncovers a decades-old mystery and meets a woman who has spent years hoping for a second chance after suffering a devastating loss.
• New Beginnings: Along the way, she crosses paths with a charming Irishman, opening her heart to the possibility of romance.
• A Place to Belong: As secrets unravel and old wounds start to heal, Ramona begins to find the very things she has missed most—family, love, and a sense of home.

Set against the scenic backdrop of small-town Ireland, The Long Lost Reunion is a heartfelt, clean romance about second chances, lost connections, and uncovering the truth of where you belong.

The Long Lost Reunion (Book 2 Derry Mystery Series) by June Woods 

The Long Lost Reunion follows Ramona Cartwright as she finds herself starting over alone, pregnant, and desperate for answers about her family history. Driven by a desire to give her unborn baby a sense of identity and security, Ramona takes a DNA test that reveals an unexpected lead: a half-brother living in Derry, Ireland.

Packing her bags to travel north to trace her roots, Ramona finds much more than basic genealogical facts:
Uncovering the Truth: Her search unearths a decades-old mystery and connects her with a woman who has held onto hope for a second chance after experiencing unimaginable loss.

Unexpected Connection: Her journey introduces her to a charming Irishman, opening the door to a sweet new romance.
Finding a Future: As long-held secrets come to light and past wounds begin to heal, Ramona discovers that searching for her past might just give her the love, family, and home she’s needed all along.

Set against the scenic backdrop of small-town Ireland, The Long Lost Reunion is a heartfelt, clean romance focused on second chances, healing, and discovering where you truly belong.

Happier Here With You: A Novel by Amy Gail Hansen

Happier Here With You is a heart-lifting story about family, food, and second chances, following widowed mother and overworked food historian Maggie Brodbeck.

• A Much-Needed Escape: Juggling a demanding job as a museum curator and raising her five-year-old daughter, Hannah, Maggie is running on empty with no time for herself. Everything shifts when she receives an unexpected invitation from her estranged great-aunt Alice to visit her Wisconsin farm.
• Finding Peace and Connection: Seeking a break, Maggie and Hannah arrive at Rosehill Farm, where Maggie quickly forms a deep bond with her kindred-spirit aunt. The slow, soothing rhythm of country life—baking together and stargazing—brings a fresh sense of calm, which becomes even sweeter when Maggie crosses paths with Brady, a charismatic local pastry chef.
• Uncovering the Past: Inside Alice’s treasured box of vintage, generations-old recipes, Maggie discovers heroic family secrets. As a food historian, Maggie uses these recipes not only to unlock her family’s hidden heritage, but also to rekindle her passion for cooking and guide her toward a life of contentment, healing, and joy.

Happier Here With You is a warm, comforting novel about reconnecting with your roots, rediscovering your passions, and learning that happiness can be baked right from scratch.

Looking back on July’s stack, I couldn’t have asked for a better mix of stories to keep me company. There’s really nothing quite like getting lost in a good book on a warm summer day, is there? Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing a bit of your day with me. Grab your current read, find a cozy spot, and enjoy every page!

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