Summer Beach Reads - Romance Style!

It’s just hot – all over the country – just plain ol’ hot!  So what better way to spend a hot summer day than lazing around with a cold glass of something good and a sizzling hot book to read!  Sounds like my idea of a good time!

In the romance department, there is a huge selection of great recent releases that are sure to heat up your summer reading days.  Here are a few that I suggest as Sharon’s Summer Beach Reads Recommendations!

Here are two sizzling hot, passion-filled reads from new author Jennifer Bernard!  Summer time and Firemen – what a great combination!  I predict this is going to be a very, very popular series!!

The Fireman Who Loved Me: Book One of the Bachelor Fireman Novels

By Jennifer Bernard
Avon Books; $5.99

Fearless, smoking hot, and single: those words perfectly describe the Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel. These firemen might be heroes, but it's their bad luck in love that makes them legendary.

News producer Melissa McGuire and Fire Captain Harry Brody couldn't be more different, though they do have one thing in common: they're both convinced they're perfectly wrong for each other. But when Melissa's matchmaking grandmother wins her a date with Brody at a Bachelor auction  - Sparks fly. Passion flares. Heat rises. (You get the picture.)

Add a curse, a conniving nightly news anchor, a stunningly handsome daredevil fireman, a brave little boy, a couple of exes, and one giant fire to the mix, and Melissa and Brody's love may not be the only thing that burns.

Hot For Fireman: Book Two of the Bachelor Fireman Novels

By Jennifer Bernard
Avon Books; $5.99

Katie Dane knows better than to mix business and pleasure, but her new bartender, Ryan Blake, is simply irresistible . . . and besides, she doesn't plan on working there much longer. That's if things go according to plan. But they never do, do they?

Ryan, the sexy heartbreaker of Station One, is determined to rejoin the force. Tending bar in the meantime seems like the perfect idea, especially when it means he can spend his nights working next to his sultry new boss . . . if only the bar didn't keep catching fire.

Throw in a grizzled career criminal, a luscious-bodied barfly, a Bachelor Fireman bachelorette party, a flash-fire romance, and a million-dollar money pot, and suddenly playing with fire never seemed so much like falling in love.

Anything by Rachel Gibson is going to be filled with action, passion and fun!  You can’t go wrong with one of her steamy romances!

Rescue Me

By Rachel Gibson
Avon Books; $7.99

She's 33, unmarried, and stuffed into a Bubble Yum pink bridesmaid dress. And the whole town wants to fix her up with anyone with a dental plan . . .Who's going to rescue Sadie Hollowell now?

Everyone in Lovett, Texas, knows Sadie has always been a "notional" kind of gal. She got a notion to leave town ASAP and never visit her daddy (bless his heart) again. Now she's back and got the notion to invite a good-looking, hard-muscled, total stranger to her cousin's wedding. Better a stranger than some of the losers she's dated.

Vince Haven got his muscles the hard way—as a Navy SEAL in Afghanistan. He's staying in Lovett to visit his crazy aunt—the proprietor of the local Gas and Go. Before he can get the heck back out of the small town, his aunt makes him an offer he can't refuse. Maybe he'll stick around Lovett for a while. Maybe he'll make a "go" of the Gas and Go. Maybe he'll rescue Sadie out of that pink dress!

I LOVE Susan Mallery’s “Fools Gold” novels, set in the mountains of California in a tiny town where women outnumber the men!  And I was so delighted that she has a special trilogy just right for summer-time reading!  If you haven’t read any of the Fool’s Gold stories, well, shame on ya! (j/k), but you can easily pick up on the background of the series with this fun trilogy! 

 

Summer Days: A Fools Gold Romance

By Susan Mallery
Harlequin; $7.99

Locked in an unexpected land dispute, Rafe Stryker is trapped in the one place he vowed never to return to—the Castle Ranch in Fool's Gold, California. He made millions facing ruthless adversaries in the boardroom, but nothing could've prepared him to go head-to-head against stubborn, beautiful Heidi Simpson. No one is more surprised than Rafe to discover that he's finding Heidi—and life as a cowboy—much more compelling than he wants to admit.

For Heidi, the Castle Ranch is the home she's always wanted. After a life on the road, the vivacious blonde has finally put down roots. She won't give that up without a fight, not even for a man whose late-night kisses make her yearn to be a little less…wholesome.

As the two turn from passionate adversaries to passionate, period, they'll discover that summer love can last a lifetime.

Summer Nights: A Fools Gold Romance

By Susan Mallery

Harlequin; $7.99

Horse whisperer Shane Stryker is done with passion. This time around, he's determined to meet someone who will be content with the quiet life of a rancher's wife. And the fiery, pint-size redhead who dazzles him at the local bar definitely does not fit the bill.

Small-town librarian Annabelle Weiss has always seen herself as more of a sweetheart than a siren, so she can't understand why Shane keeps pushing her away. Shane has formed the totally wrong impression of her but only he can help her with a special event for the next Fool's Gold festival. And maybe while he's at it, she can convince him to teach her a few things about kissing on hot summer nights, too—some lessons, a girl shouldn't learn from reading a book!

And watch for “All Summer Long,” due out in August.

 

I’m very fond of Toni Blake’s “Destiny” series as well, and she has a great story lined up with her latest!

Willow Springs: A Destiny Novel

By Toni Blake
Avon Books; $7.99

Amy Bright might be the best matchmaker in Destiny, Ohio, but she's desperately shy when it comes to her own love life—and helpless when it comes to Logan Whitaker, with whom she's head-over-heels in love. So Amy decides to become Logan's secret admirer, sending him sensual love letters steamy enough to unseal their own envelopes.

After a tragedy on the job, firefighter Logan is battling demons. Thank goodness Amy is there for him. But when a woman from Logan's past resurfaces right as some anonymous letters send Logan's pulse hammering, suddenly he doesn't know what he needs. One smoking-hot kiss could change everything . . . but will it ruin a one-of-a-kind friendship, or show Logan and Amy that they've already found everything they need, right here in Destiny?

And finally, two classic romantic love stories are being re-released this summer for a whole new generation to become acquainted with, and for the ones of us who remember them fondly from our youth!

Love Story

By Erich Segal
Avon Books; $7.99

Oliver Barrett IV, a wealthy jock from a stuffy WASP family on his way to a Harvard degree and a career in law . . . Jenny Cavilleri, a sharp-tongued, working-class beauty studying music at Radcliffe . . .

Opposites in nearly every way, Oliver and Jenny are kindred spirits from vastly different worlds. Falling deeply and powerfully, their attraction to one another defies everything they have ever believed—as they share a passion far greater than anything they dreamed possible . . . and explore the wonder of a love that must end too soon.

One of the most adored novels of our time, this is the book that defined a generation - a story of uncompromising devotion, of life as it really is . . . and love that changes everything.

Oliver’s Story (The sequel to Love Story)

By Erich Segal
Avon Books; $7.99

Oliver Barrett IV found his true soulmate when he met and fell in love with Jenny Cavilleri. Their love was magical, exhilarating . . . and though heartbreakingly brief, it was enough to last a lifetime. Or so Oliver told himself.

Two years have passed since Jenny was taken from him, and Oliver truly believes he will never love again. Then one day, Marcie—beautiful and mysterious—enters his world . . . and suddenly the future holds a golden new promise.

The poignant and unforgettable sequel to the beloved classic Love Story is a beautiful tale of one man's journey out of the lonely darkness of grief and back into love's warm embrace— a story that will capture your heart as only Erich Segal can.

Fill up a beach bag with plenty of these summer romances, plenty of refreshments, and don’t forget the sunscreen!  But most importantly, whether you are on the beach or relaxing in front of the air conditioner, summertime is a time to indulge in a guilty pleasure or two!

                                                Happy Reading, Ya’ll!