Romance & erotica authors share what’s getting them hot this summer
Is that a new romance book or are you just happy to see me? Things are heating up this summer, and we chatted with our favorite romance and erotica authors for recommendations that are as stimulating as the weather. From Julia Quinn to Gloria Steinem, we have just the books to fill up your beach bag/Strand tote, keeping you hot and bothered even with the A.C. running.
The Girl With The Make-Believe Husband by Julia Quinn
Celebrated and best-selling author Julia Quinn captures us again with book two in the Rokesby Series. In it, we follow Cecilia Harcourt, who in the throws of battle of the American Revolutions, chooses her own path and journeys to the American colonies to find and help her injured brother Thomas. In her travels, she comes across her brother’s best friend, Edward, unconscious and helpless, and tells everyone she is his wife in order to care for him. Edward slowly regains consciousness, but not his full memory, and under the belief of already being married, the two discover their true feelings for each other. Driven by Edward and Cecilia’s strong passion, and Quinn’s knack for a steamy bedroom scene, this read will capture you from start to finish.
Julia Recommends: Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
“Based on the sheer number of times I’ve re-read it, I’m going to recommend Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas. This is an oldie (published in 1994) but it was unquestionably ahead of its time — with a true working-class hero (who has risen to be one of the most powerful men in London) and a heroine who is both intellectual and innocent. As a bonus, try Then Came You, the other book in this incredible pair. Then Came You comes first, but it doesn’t matter what order you read them in — I promise!”
Lady Bridget’s Diary: Keeping Up With the Cavendishes (Book #1) by Maya Rodale
Based in her love for Rom Com movies, Rodale has created a hilarious and romantic series that is everything we’re looking for. An American family has inherited a well respected dukedom in England, and (in her newfound role as a Lady) Bridget is determined to acclimate to the unfamiliar British high society. She records her adventures, society secrets, and awkward encounters in her diary, including her dislike for Lord Darcy, which is a mutual feeling. But once that diary goes missing, they both must work to find it. With circumstances forcing them together, an unexpected love blooms. We highly recommend you follow this with Chasing Lady Amelia and Lady Claire is All That to read up on the adventures of Lady Bridget’s sisters!
Maya Recommends: The Day of the Duchess by Sarah MacLean
“The Day of the Duchess by Sarah MacLean begins with a dramatic scene rarely encountered in a Regency romance: Our heroine, Seraphina, the duchess of Haven, bursting into the House of Lords to demand a divorce. Our hero, the duke, then spends the next few hundred pages trying to win her back at a hilarious house party in which Sera tries to pair him up with the next duchess. But of course, their attraction is too potent to deny — and Haven’s ultimate grovel is epic.”
Bad Deeds by Lisa Renee Jones
Shane carries the weight of his entire family on his shoulders as he works to protect them from a drug cartel. This burden has taken him down a dark and dangerous path, all the while fighting to keep himself and his morality afloat. Night after night he goes to Emily for a passionate release, and to escape from the life he has come to lead. But as he fight’s his own brother for control of everything, a war is about to break out, and only Emily can see how close to the edge he really is. Take the time to prep for this thriller romance, Bad Deeds will be release on August 8.
Lisa Recommends: Raw Need by Cherrie Lynn
Raw Need heated up my e-reader last month! That book weaved together the most gut-wrenching moments with some insanely hot and touching moments. It was, true to its name. So very raw. And it kept me up late into the night flipping the pages to see Rowan and Zane’s much-needed happy ending.
The Legend by Donna Grant
Calamity Jane would have met her match in born and breed Texan Callie Reed. A independent woman, expert sharp shooter and rebel hacker, she’s rarely in a position where she can’t take care of herself. But, when Callie is singled out by a dangerous organization known as the Saints, she’s forced to work with Wyatt, who has hidden his love for Callie since their childhood behind a cold, militant exterior. Will they survive the chase long enough to discover what romance may lie ahead?
Donna’s Recommendation: The Master by Kresley Cole
While I’ve long been a fan of Cole’s Immortals After Dark series, I was intrigued at her venturing into erotic romance. And she didn’t disappoint. While I love all of the books in the Game Maker series, it’s THE MASTER I truly love — or rather Maksimilian. He is certainly a hero that could — and would — defy anyone and everyone for the woman he loves! It’s a book/series that shouldn’t be missed!
Strand Recommends:
Slow Days, Fast Company: The World, The Flesh, and L.A. by Eve Babitz
Eve Babitz was born in Hollywood, California, and has lived a life you may imagine for a woman who embodies the spirit of LA in the 60s and 70s. At twenty-years-old, she appeared nude in a photo taken by the iconic Julian Wasser, sparking her first attention from the media and public. Throughout the 1960s, she was romantically involved with the likes of Jim Morrison, Harrison Ford and Ed Ruscha, all the while beginning an independent career as an artist and eventually a writer. Slow Days, Fast Company tells of Eve’s pursuit of one elusive man, and is in fact the very creation of that pursuit. Live you dreams of celebrity and romance in the world of soap stars, musicians, socialites, and actors in this high speed biography.
My American Duchess by Eloisa James
A “perfectly packaged historical romance” according to Booklist, and boy do we agree. James shines again creating a relationship and characters that mature and develop as time passes. Merry is in love with Trent’s younger brother, and Trent is happily engaged to a elite Englishwoman. The two were satisfied to simply tolerate each other, but love had other plans.
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Maddy has learned to live with her disease, Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, and has been mostly content living exclusively in her house. But after Olly moves in next door, she starts to discover a part of her that wants more; a part of her that wants to world beyond her. Everything, Everything breaks away from teenage tropes and shares an bittersweet young love story with all its possibilities and hope, despite everything.
Made for Love by Alissa Nutting
After her controversial debut, Tampa, Nutting wows again with her newest, Made for Love. Hazel escapes her tech-saavy husband, who tried to control her by wirelessly connecting their brains together. Now living with her father and his life-like sex doll in a trailer park, Hazel is forced to confront her own issues and ensure her manipulative husband never finds her. Humorous and a little bit deranged, this novel is the wild ride you need this summer.
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