For August, we dove into Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds by Allison Brennan—a breezy murder mystery with a side of romance. And honestly? I think we could have done without the romance entirely. (Which says a lot coming from me, the girl who almost exclusively reads swoony romance.) The story follows overly responsible accountant Mia Crawford on a forced island vacation. All she wants is to get lost in a book, maybe have a little fling, when suddenly—plot twist—a missing woman turns up dead! Mia jumps headfirst into solving the case while also keeping an eye out for vacation hookups. It was a fun, quick read… but let’s just say: more mystery! More murder! Less forced flirting.