8 romance novels to read this summer
As summer rolls in, now is a good time to make sure you’re prepared with the essentials: sunscreen, a picnic blanket and a juicy romance novel. If you’re looking for the perfect love story to get you a little flustered in the coming heat, here are eight recent and forthcoming recommendations certain to sweep you off your feet.
1. “Anywhere With You” by Ellie Palmer
Charley Beekman is totally in control. That is why she has somehow found herself stuck in a camper van with a golden retriever oozing sexual charisma. The golden retriever in question? Not an actual dog. It’s her childhood best friend, Ethan, from whom she’s been estranged for years, since their big fight about Charley marrying the wrong person. Anyway, she ended up divorced, and it is all absolutely fine! Now Charley and Ethan are on an ill-advised road trip to stop a wedding while doing their best to stamp out the flames that spark every time they are together. With high jinks, existential crises and long-repressed feelings, Palmer pulls off a delightful summer romance with plenty of heart and humor. (Putnam, Aug. 5)
2. “These Summer Storms” by Sarah MacLean
The exiled daughter of a famous billionaire, Alice Storm has spent five years keeping a low profile. So she knows it probably isn’t the best idea to sleep with the mysterious man she just met on the train to her father’s funeral. But you know what? She is entitled to one nice thing before she has to return to the private island where her complicated family lives. Too bad the mystery man is Jack Dean, her manipulative father’s second-in-command, who now holds the fate of the family’s inheritance in his hands. Longtime fans of MacLean’s historical novels will recognize her singular romance prowess in this tale of twisted family drama and unfortunate connections. It’s angsty and soaked in betrayal and raw passion. What more could you want? (Ballantine, July 8)
3. “A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke” by Adriana Herrera
It’s 1889, and Aurora Montalban Wright is risking everything to run an underground women’s clinic in Paris. It’s dangerous and demanding work, so you can understand why she doesn’t have time for Apollo, the exasperating duke with whom she shared one mind-blowing night months ago. But Apollo has a way of getting under Aurora’s skin, and it isn’t long before he has sneaked his way into her heart and her cause. Herrera spins shared resilience into a moving romance about making one’s way in a society that would rather erase them. Both ferociously hopeful and sexy, it’s the kind of love story that will scorch you from the inside out. (Canary Street)
4. “Promise Me Sunshine” by Cara Bastone
Lenny may be all smiles, but she’s barely holding it together. Grieving the loss of her best friend, she oscillates between sleeping on the Staten Island Ferry and faking it till she makes it at her babysitting jobs. Then she meets Miles, the surly uncle of her new charge. Miles knows that grief can eat you alive and decides to help Lenny out of the hole she can’t seem to escape. Surprising both, their partnership quickly becomes something unshakable – a spot of warmth in a world that won’t stop shifting beneath their feet. If you’re looking for a tearjerker of a love story, rooted in genuine friendship and care, grab your tissues and get this book. (Dial)
5. “A Rare Find” by Joanna Lowell
Elf has one dream: to prove her worth as a female archaeologist to her father’s stuffy male colleagues. And when she discovers a rare artifact on her family estate, it seems like her dream might be within reach. That is, until her childhood nemesis Georgie Redmayne knocks it into a nearby pond. To make amends, Georgie promises to help Elf hunt for a hidden treasure trove of Viking gold. Along the way, the duo will have to dig deep to unearth how they really feel about each other. Lowell’s queer historical romance is a perfect marriage of bickering and bantering, thoughtfully combining pulse-pounding tension with a joyful exploration of gender identity in Regency England. (Berkley, June 10)
6. “Can’t Get Enough” by Kennedy Ryan
When Hendrix and tech mogul Maverick meet at a party, their connection is immediate and undeniably electric. But Maverick’s ex-girlfriend is Hendrix’s new business partner. And Hendrix isn’t willing to risk her career for a man she just met, even if he’s the only one who understands her struggle to care for her mother with dementia. Yet, despite fervent vows to stay away, neither Hendrix nor Maverick can manage to pull themselves out of each other’s orbit. What comes next is a forbidden love built on conversation and deep emotional intimacy but laced with the tense excitement of a secret. (Forever)
7. “Passion Project” by London Sperry
If your 20s are for girl-bossing, Bennet Taylor is absolutely girl-failing. Lost in past personal pain, Bennet spends her days in New York without a single crumb of motivation. At least, until she meets Henry, a unicorn of a man who somehow finds it amusing when Bennet ghosts him on a date and then gets drunk in the restaurant next door. (Hey, it could happen to anyone!) Instead of trying to date Bennet, Henry offers to (platonically) help her rediscover her passion. Their friendship will take them across the city and quietly blossom into a love that heals and hurts in equal measure. A balm for the messy and hopeless among us, Sperry’s debut delivers joy, yearning and, most important, a kind and understanding hero with a sneaky hot tattoo. (Penguin)
8. “Friends to Lovers” by Sally Blakely
You know those two people who are clearly desperately in love but can never manage to get the timing right? That’s Joni and Ren. They’ve been in lockstep since they were kids, their friendship tinged with an intensity of feeling that most casual pals don’t have. But missed moments and one burning night years ago have sent Joni and Ren on different paths. Now, they’re reunited at a beach house, and the past is a tender wound they can’t help but rip open. Simmering with longing and choked-back confessions, this love story is perfect for “People We Meet on Vacation” devotees or anyone still thinking about the one that got away. (Canary Street, July 22)
Kalyani Saxena is a journalist and writer covering romance and fantasy. She’s also a voracious reader in perpetual search of the perfect execution of the enemies-to-lovers trope.