Summertime is, theoretically, a time of rest and relaxation. The idea of lounging on the beach with a great book or chilling on my porch or deck with a light-hearted story calls to me while our schedule is slightly less frantic than during the school year. In general, I like to mix up the types of books I read, especially because I usually have more than one book going at a time. But over the summer break, lighter fare tempts me the most, which means I’m certain to pull some sweet romcoms from my TBR to enjoy. Lining up my summer reads, I have moved up a handful of novels to the top of my list. I either already own or have pre-ordered all of these. I anticipate five of my planned summer must-reads to be more fun, light-hearted stories with one bonus novel of a deeper, more poignant vein.
One Last Play, Annah Conwell
Published May 25
Bittersweet. That’s what the end of Conwell’s debut Sweet Peach Series will be for me. This fourth story focuses on artist Meadow Jane and Bennet’s colleague, Sebastian (or Coach Bash). But the book will set the stage for Conwell’s new series, But He’s a Carter Brother, featuring all of MJ’s hero brothers. For now, I am so ready to dive into MJ and Bash’s romance.
About the book:
She could be the one. I’ve spent twelve years caring for my niece Maddie who I adopted after my sister died. Having a daughter has made me picky when it comes to the women I spend time with. Not to mention dealing with the pressure of being a college football coach. But when I spot MJ at a mutual friend’s wedding, something draws me toward her. My friend tells me to forget about her, but how can I when she becomes Maddie’s art teacher and our paths cross again? I ask her out, she turns me down. Rinse and repeat. But I don’t plan on giving up any time soon. My instincts are always right, and they’re telling me Meadow Jane Carter might just be my future wife. One Last Play is an age gap, reverse grumpy/sunshine romcom for fans of sweet romantic comedies. It has all the sizzling chemistry you love, without any explicit scenes. Check out the fourth and final installment of the Sweet Peach Series, a four-book sweet romcom collection about best friends living in Atlanta, Georgia!
The Pocket Pair, Emma St. Clair
Expected Publication June 9
This release has me on pins and needles. I adore St. Clair’s Graham Brothers series, a spin-off of her Love Cliches series. While this one, book three of four, focuses on a Graham brother friend, this Sheet Cake, Texas-set story is sure to feature Graham brother appearances in addition to the best friend’s brother, friends-to-more vibes.
About the book:
Do I have feelings for my sister’s best friend? Of course not.
That would be stupid, considering my sister once threatened to castrate me if I ever hurt Val.
Hurting her is the last thing I want to do, which is all the MORE reason I can’t have feelings for her. Val deserves the world, and I’m NOT the man who can give it to her.
But when Val announces she’s leaving town (and the country), I’m suddenly confronted with some very capital-F Feelings–ones that refuse to stay stuffed down deep where I’ve hidden them for more years than I care to admit.
Having her crash in my guest bedroom until she leaves only makes things worse.
Little by little, Val chips away at my defenses, and despite all the solid reasons I have, my resolve starts to crumble.
The thing is–none of the circumstances have changed.
Val is still planning to leave the country. And I … well, I might have gotten more in touch with my feelings, but I’m still the same man.
NOT a man who can promise things like life-long commitment. NOT a man Val can count on. NOT the good guy everyone seems to think I am.
If only I could get Val and the rest of this nosy, meddling matchmaking town to believe me–and if my own stubborn heart wasn’t trying to convince me otherwise.
The Pocket Pair is a best friend’s brother, friends to more rom-com set in the fictional small town of Sheet Cake Texas. You’ll find plenty of laughs and sizzling chemistry in this closed door romantic comedy. It’s the third in a series, but can be read as a standalone.
Wedding at Sea, Melissa Tagg
Expected Publication June 29
Wedding at Sea is another finale to a series, and I’m very excited to read the conclusion to Tagg’s Muir Harbor trilogy. The big revelation solving the series-long mystery is worth waiting for, but I’m glad I won’t have to be patient much longer. While Wedding at Sea isn’t a romcom, I know there will be plenty of fun moments when spark fly between frenemies Lilian and Wilder.
About the book:
Lilian doesn’t remember anything about her life before the day Maggie Muir found her on her front porch—a toddler, abandoned and alone. And maybe that’s okay. She has a beautiful life at Muir Farm, including an adopted family she adores and a successful career as a lawyer. But she also has a secret . . . one that raises just as many questions about her future as it does her unknown past.
And, of course, it would be private investigator Wilder Monroe, her brother’s best friend and the bane of her existence, who sniffs out her secret before anyone else.
Wilder has spent the past three years trying to close the one case his father couldn’t—the mystery of Maggie Muir’s long-lost granddaughter. But the decades-long search has become more tangled than ever. It’s become more personal, too. Not only are the Muirs the closest thing to family he has left, but if he can solve this mystery, maybe he’ll keep himself from drowning in the one he can’t . . . the truth about his father’s death.
In the midst of secrets and swirling questions, Maggie asks a favor of both Lilian and put aside their bickering and work together to plan her summer wedding. It’s a big ask, made all the more difficult when danger comes calling at Muir Farm. But if the two enemies can stand each other long enough to pull off the event of the year, they just might solve a mystery in the process.
And the biggest discovery of all? That sometimes the one your heart longs for is the last person you ever would’ve expected.
Desire or Defense, Leah Brunner
Published April 15
The first in Brunner’s sweet hockey romcom Hooked on a Feeling series, Desire or Defense promises lots of tension between the grumpy MMC and the sunshine-y MFC. Add in sweet, tender moments and strong character growth and I’m all in.
About the book:
I’m not the hero in this story.
I’m the villain…
The notoriously angry, grouchy, D.C. Eagles defenseman that just can’t keep his temper in check. The temper that leads to a fifteen game suspension from the NHL.
As if that’s not bad enough, I’m forced into a short term youth-hockey coaching gig. Which my manager swears will “rebuild my image.”
But what I didn’t expect was for a gorgeous, spunky blonde to stomp onto the ice on day one and lecture me about being rude to her little brother.
Something about this spitfire of a woman, and the boy she’s so protective of, has my defenses melting.
And if I’m not careful, I’ll burst into flames, forever melting the ice I’ve carefully kept around my heart.
(This is a closed-door romcom with mild language. Trigger warnings include: parental substance abuse & dealing with grief/loss of parents).
A Novel Proposal, Denise Hunter
Published March 1
A lot of reviews of this grumpy-sunshine book declare it a perfect beach read. A Novel Proposal a fun and light-hearted contemporary romance with a writer protagonist—sign me up!
About the book:
When novelist Sadie Goodwin is forced to stop writing westerns and charged with penning a contemporary romance novel to rescue her lackluster sales, there’s only one tiny problem: She’s never been in love.
Desperate to salvage her career, Sadie begins devouring romance novels. Knowing she must devote herself to this confounding genre, she accepts an invitation to hole up at her friend’s beach duplex for the summer. Where better to witness love in bloom than on the beautiful North Carolina shore?
However, once ensconced in the charming ocean-front home with her sweet maltipoo Rio, she finds many ways to procrastinate. First there’s the beach, right outside her backdoor, with all its interesting visitors (research). Then there’s the free library she decides to build and set up by the back deck (She has to do something with all those romance novels). To say nothing of Sam Ford, the grumpy neighbor on the other side of the duplex . . . who she can’t seem to stop annoying.
A social butterfly by nature, Sadie soon gets to know all the beach regulars—sunbathers, walkers, and surfers alike. The free books draw a crowd right up to the house for nice little book chats, which further irritates her reclusive neighbor, to break up her “writing.” But things take an unexpected turn when Sadie opens a recently-placed novel to find a secret compartment—and tucked inside is a beautiful engagement ring. To whom does the ring belong? Sadie is convinced she needs to find the owner and save the man’s proposal from certain doom.
She draws a reluctant Sam into the project, and slowly their connection begins to develop. Are these weird fluttery feelings the first stirrings of love? Has Sadie managed to stumble upon the very subject about which she must write—and wouldn’t Sam make the perfect alpha hero?
Will Sadie find the ring’s rightful owner? And will she manage to pen a career-saving romance novel by summer’s end?
The Words We Lost, Nicole Deese
Published April 11
Okay, first of all, can we just talk about that cover? It’s just so very lovely! This book has been garnering a lot of praise and has earned some touching reviews. I’ve been waiting for just the right time to start The Words We Lost, knowing it would be hard for me to put down. Deese’s writing just gets better and better, and her novels are automatic pre-orders for me. I cannot wait to read this one!
About the book:
Three friends. Two broken promises. One missing manuscript.
As a senior acquisitions editor for Fog Harbor Books in San Francisco, Ingrid Erikson has rejected many a manuscript for lack of defined conflict and dramatic irony–two elements her current life possesses in spades. In the months following the death of her childhood best friend and international bestselling author Cecelia Campbell, Ingrid has not only lost her ability to escape into fiction due to a rare trauma response, but she’s also desperate to find the closure she’s convinced will come with Cecelia’s missing final manuscript.
After Ingrid jeopardizes her career, she fears her future will remain irrevocably broken. But then Joel Campbell–the man who shattered her belief in happily-ever-afters–offers her a sealed envelope from his late cousin, Cecelia, asking Joel and to put their differences aside and retrieve a mysterious package in their coastal Washington hometown.
Honoring Cecelia’s last request will challenge their convictions and test their loyalties, but through it all, will Ingrid and Joel be brave enough to uncover a twice-in-a-lifetime love?
So friends, what are you reading this summer? Will you add any of these books to your TBR list? Based on my preferences above, do you have any recommendations for me?