(BPT) - Summer is all about recreation, relaxation - and diving into stories that transport you into another world. To help you get into beach mode, Disney Books offers exciting titles perfect for taking to the beach or packing for your vacay.
These selections have something for everyone: mystery, romance, adventure and humor. Whatever you're into, you'll find a story to suit your summer vibe.
Contemporary reboot of a beloved classic
If you grew up loving the story of Mulan, you'll be swept away reading "Worth Fighting For" by award-winning, bestselling author Jesse Q. Sutanto. She takes Mulan into the corporate boardroom, with a contemporary romance about family expectations, mistaken identity and high-stakes mergers of business and the heart.
Sutanto draws on her Chinese-Indonesian roots to reimagine Fa Mulan as the right hand of her father's private equity company who knows what it takes to succeed as a woman in a man's world: work twice as hard, be twice as smart and burp twice as loud as any other finance bros in the business.
What happens when she needs to close an acquisition deal by masquerading as her own father (whom the other company has never met), including a week of cattle wrangling, axe-throwing - and trying not to fall for Shang, the private equity company CEO she's negotiating with?
A beachy mystery - plus sea creatures
What if a friend from a magical summer on an island who mysteriously disappeared one day suddenly reappears 30 years later, still a ten-year-old boy? That's what happens to Jenni Farrow in "Here Beside the Rising Tide" by bestselling author Emily Jane.
That's just the beginning of the mysterious goings-on faced by Jenni, now grown up, with kids of her own. She has become Jenn Lanaro, famous author of the Philipia Bay action-romance series, and heads to the magical island from her childhood to escape her demanding career and soon-to-be-ex husband.
What happens next defies explanation: Her childhood friend Timmy emerges from the sea, saying he's on a mission to save the world and needs her help. As Jenn grapples with work deadlines, her spirited children and burgeoning interest in a very sexy contractor, alarming and mysterious events begin unfolding along the coast. When a terror appears in deeper waters, Jenn begins to wonder if Timmy may be on to something ...
Rugged life at sea
To further take you into coastal waters, "The North Line" explores the rough and ready work of men working on an Alaskan fishing boat in the unforgiving Bering Sea. Author Matt Riordan draws on his life experience to spin a seafaring tale featuring college student Adam, who's looking for quick money - only to find dangerous work and a harsh lifestyle that forces a dark-hearted exploration of who he really is.
While challenging, the labor required to seize bounty from the ocean invigorates Adam, and the often crude comradery also brings hard-earned wisdom. But when a strike threatens the entire season and violence stalks the waves, Adam is thrust into a struggle for survival at the edge of a world where evolutionary and social forces collide for outcomes beyond anyone's control.
Lies, truth and tragedy
If you love a good psychological thriller, "Tell Them You Lied" will keep you guessing until the end. Author Laura Leffler brings readers into the New York City art world, where recent art school grads Anna and Willow are trying to make their way. While art school was boundless creativity and collaboration, the New York art scene is all about survival. Worse: Willow's true nature as a muse only to herself has become nakedly apparent, as has her cruelty.
This morning, the "mugging" that Anna staged for Willow was supposed to send Willow running back to her true friend, Anna, to give Anna her power back. But this isn't just any Tuesday morning. It's September 11, 2001. As the city reels from the day, Willow never returns. Anna keeps quiet about her prank but feels growing panic that she's to blame for Willow's disappearance. As the hours and days tick by, Anna begins to question whether she's the mastermind she thought she was - or the pawn.
Thank you for being a cozy mystery
If you're a "Golden Girls" fan and love cozy mysteries, you're in luck! "Murder by Cheesecake: A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery" offers a delightfully zany combo of the two. Author and cheesecake enthusiast Rachel Ekstrom Courage offers a hilarious and mysterious series of events involving your favorite characters from the hit TV show. When Dorothy's obnoxious date (from a newfangled VHS dating service) is found dead in a hotel freezer, it not only ruins a gorgeous cheesecake, but threatens the elaborate St. Olaf-themed wedding that Rose is hosting for her cousin.
With every guest at the wedding considered a potential suspect (especially Dorothy), and Rose's cousin's marriage on the line, the four besties must identify the real killer, usher the should-be-happy couple down the aisle and make sure nobody from St. Olaf gets lost in the wilds of Miami. It's up to the Golden Girls to sleuth out a way for friendship and love to win the day!
Make sure to slip a few of these great options into your beach bag or suitcase in time for summer.