My June 2026 Reads
It’s July 1st and a new month, so it’s time to share what I read in June: I listened to five audiobooks and read one novella on Kindle! Even better news is that I had three five star reads and two of the books I read were by Freida McFadden. I did also have a DNF (Did Not Finish).
Here are the books I completed in June. They are listed in the order that I finished them:
The Divorce by Freida McFadden- 3.5 stars
The Purpose of Life by Jason Hershey- 5 stars
Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden- 4 stars
Ransom by Raena Rood- 5 stars
Spies, Lies, and Alibis by Natalie Walters- 4 stars
No More Boring Bible Study by Faith Womack- 5 stars
My ‘top read” was…I had to think about what my ‘top rated read’ was. They are all very different books: One a contemporary novel with a young man who experiences many tough life challenges, the second is a dystopian with religious meaning to it, and the third is a Bible study guide to help you with your reading of the Bible. After debating on a ‘winner’ I determined that my Top Read for June was Ransom by Raena Rood!
My ‘lowest rated read’ was… The Divorce by Freida McFadden. I wasn’t disappointed in it and it was a good read, but that final ‘twist’ just wasn’t twisty enough for me. But I am looking forward to The Witch in October! I pre-ordered it because that cover is just…. Well, I admit that I judge books by their covers and it’s gorgeous so I had to buy it!
My DNF was a book club read. It was Propaganda Girls by Lisa Rogak. I listened to the audio and it was just so dry. I did make it about 2.5 hours out of 6 hours, so almost halfway. That was a great effort.
What did YOU read in June? Let’s see what July brings to me in reading!
Audiobook Review: Spies, Lies & Alibis by Natalie Walters
Spies, Lies, & Alibis
Author: Natalie Walters
Narrators:
Andrew Eiden
Dominique Salvacion
Published: May 19, 2026
Audiobook: 10 hours 13 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: June 17-25, 2026
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
They were each other’s first love. Now they might be each other’s last hope.
Cybil Langford has spent years hiding behind her polished, professional facade as the executive assistant to a powerful real estate mogul, where she’s perfectly positioned to collect intel on her boss’s criminal network. But when her mission leads her into the path of Lorenzo Ramirez—a ruthless crime boss with deadly plans—she’ll need every ounce of cunning and charm to stay one step ahead.
Then he walks back into her life.
Ben Bradley is deep undercover for the FBI, living under an alias, as a financial advisor with a reputation for helping the wealthy and corrupt launder their money. His target? Lorenzo Ramirez, a dangerous crime boss with his hands in everything from smuggling to murder. But when a familiar face from his past suddenly reappears, things get…complicated.
The last time Cybil saw Ben, he was an annoying prankster—and her first crush. The last time Ben saw Cybil, she stole a piece of his heart. Neither expected to run into each other at a high-stakes fundraising gala where crime, corruption, and undercover agendas collide. Now, they’re both keeping dangerous secrets–and working dangerously close to blowing each other’s cover.
Forced to work together to stop a catastrophic deal that could arm America’s enemies, Cybil and Ben must face ruthless criminals, hidden agendas, and the ghosts of their past. Trust is a luxury they can’t afford—but love? That just might be their undoing.
The intel is classified. The trust is fragile. And their covers are one lie away from blowing wide open.
Jessica’s Review:
This was a fun read! It seems like Spies, Lies, & Alibis is being marketed as a no spice romance, but the romance is on the back burner as the story is all about the mystery and spy centered. For me it was reminiscent of the 1994 film True Lies with Arnold Scharzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis, except our ‘book couple’ are not married. They knew each other as kids, and what’s worse: They recognize each other! What’s wrong with running into an old school pal? Well see, Ben is an undercover FBI agent and has been this way for 18 months! Now he has to worry about his job and Cybil ruining his cover. Cybil also has secrets as she is a spy and Ben is trying to figure out if she is actually a ‘bad guy’ or not! As a side character we get Ben’s entertaining grandmother who you can’t help but love and adore! She should have her own spinoff novel, I would listen that one!
We have dual narrations for Ben and Cybil, so we get both of their perspectives and pasts. And their past feelings for each other! This no spice novel has humor to it as well which makes it clean and entertaining read. It’s a book you don’t have to worry about passengers accidentally hearing something they shouldn’t!
Andrew Eiden and Dominique Salvacion were the narrators and did a good job. Eiden’s voice was unique for me, so I had to get used to his voice. But once I did both narrators kept the story entertaining.
This was Walters first novel for me and since I enjoyed it, I will be looking at what else she has written.
Thanks to the publisher for having the audio available on NetGalley!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Blog Tour: Guest Post: Me Too by Katharine Light
Today I am helping to start the blog tour for Me Too by Katharine Light. This is the second book in The Millingham series. This one has such a gorgeous cover! Katharine is sharing a guest post about “Do writers make things up, or mostly write about what they know?” Me Too is available now!
Book Description:
Nearly forty, Anna has a successful career, a long-term relationship, and a carefully maintained sense of independence. But as time begins to run out, one question becomes impossible to ignore. What if she’s left it too late for the one thing she truly wants—a baby?
Divorced journalist Rob keeps his life free from complications. But when he runs into Anna at a friend’s wedding, he’s caught off guard. The girl he remembers is gone, replaced by a woman who is impossible to ignore.
When Anna makes him an offer, it’s one he can’t quite believe. No strings. No expectations. Just one simple arrangement.
It should be straightforward.
But the closer they become, the harder it is to stay detached. What begins as a practical plan deepens into something far more tender and much more dangerous.
If Anna allows herself to hope, she could lose not only her dream of motherhood, but the one man who has begun to feel like home.
Now Rob has a choice. Walk away…or risk everything for the woman he was not supposed to fall for.
Because some arrangements were never meant to stay temporary.
Buy Your Copy Here:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Do writers make things up, or mostly write about what they know? Clive James, the writer and broadcaster, said of his book Unreliable Memoirs, ‘Most first novels are disguised autobiographies. This autobiography is a disguised novel… Nothing I have said is factual except the bits that sound like fiction.’
There are autobiographical aspects to Me Too and to Like Me the first novel in the Millingham series. I spent my secondary school years in Altrincham, just south of Manchester, England, which is the blueprint for Millingham. Going to Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, the Sunday night Youth Fellowship (YF) became a regular fixture in the social calendar because it was the place to meet boys, several of whom sang in the choir at St Mary’s Church, Bowdon.
We were a close group of friends, from when we were about 14 to 18 years old, who had somewhat innocent parties (a lot of snogging, pressed up against one another in the dark, and not much more), drank cider and listened to 1980s hits. Our soundtrack was an eclectic mix of Bowie, The Cure, Duran Duran, Wham, Blondie, Dire Straits, Randy Crawford, The Pretenders, The Clash, U2 and others… Communication was via landline telephones. There were no mobiles back then. When we arranged to meet up, we couldn’t text to change the plan. Nor did we have any social media to contend with. It feels as if it was a simpler, kinder world back then.
Some incidents in the books are based on actual events. There was a snow-laden New Year’s Eve, and night walk along Green Walk to Denzel House and Gardens in Bowdon (Lake Avenue and Lake Court in the books). There was a Brideshead Revisited party just after our A Levels and the evening was captured by some evocative black and white photos. Some of the locations have been changed, but I could point to Jess’s, Sam’s, and James’s houses, all within walking distance of St Mary’s Church.
Anna’s house is based on the home of family friends, but they lived in Dorset, rather than close to Bath. Purseton is mostly a figment of my imagination. Her workplace is similar to my friend Jane’s business premises in Warwickshire. Rob’s flat in Earls Court is inspired by friends who lived in Barkston Gardens for a number of years. Although theirs was a lovely home rather than an unloved living space.
Fiction is about drama, so many episodes from the books are made up. There was no fall from a tree, attack in a downstairs loo, or in a university bedroom. In many ways our lives growing up were privileged, happy and secure. But within our friendship group, there were other elements of family life to navigate: suicide, bereavement, divorce, secrets.
The original idea for Like Me, book one, was inspired by Friends Reunited, the social networking site reconnecting old school/university friends. Launched in 2000, its influence declined after the arrival of FaceBook in 2004. I began thinking about teenage friends who start meeting up again in their late thirties, and the ways these people who have known each other at a crucial and formative time in their lives might have special resonance for each other years later, and what might happen next.
As I was first writing when my children were small, and had to snatch time in the midst of busy parenting, it was very useful knowing what my characters looked like. Several were based on friends from my youth. But once on the page, they became characters in their own right. Anna’s and Rob’s story is entirely fictional, the result of imagining how far she would go to have a child.
My parents still live in Altrincham, and I love walking around the streets I’ve known most of my life. We make a point of dropping into one particular cafe, run by very lovely people, opposite Altrincham Market when we’re visiting, and that is the inspiration for the coffee shop where Rob takes Kate, and various other characters meet. It opened a few years after these books are set. But as I’ve created a fictional world, that’s ok. It’s fiction, after all.
About the Author:
Katharine Light was born in Glasgow and lived there until her family moved to Manchester when she was ten. While in her teens, she began writing stories for her younger sister Emma. These mostly centred around a naïve heroine and a 1980s pop star (some would say the hero was modelled on John Taylor of Duran Duran).
She did a degree in psychology at University College London, and after a year travelling, worked in corporate film production for several years, before taking a break to raise her children.
For many years she wrote mainly during the holidays, around her busy work for a local church.
Her first novel Like Me, published in 2023, was shortlisted for The Selfies Book Awards 2024. Her short story My arms are empty which is based on an episode from her second novel Me Too recently won the City University competition City Writes.
She is a director of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, with responsibility for organising their conferences, gatherings and awards ceremonies.
Katharine lives in London with her husband and quite often at least one of their adult children. She loves singing, walking, painting, looking at art, and going to the theatre.
Contact Katharine:
Threads @katharinelightwrites1
Instagram @katharinelightwrites1