Now that Labor Day has come and gone, and that summer is behind us, I’d like to pause and talk about some of the books I read. I typically devote a lot of time to reading, but summer brings about the excuse of reading by the beach or pool. This summer gave us some wildly wonderful fiction. Without further ado, here were my Top Three Erotic and Romantic Books of Summer 2017.

Haven, Book One of the Beards and Bondage series by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Started: June 4, 2017
Finished: June 4, 2017
What makes it great: This was the first book I’ve read by this author, and I am so glad I started with this one. The main characters are Claudia and Shep, and they are introduced to the reader in high-octane action. They are brought together through trauma that is gritty and portrayed without sentiment. Claudia is strong and aware of precisely what she wants, while Shep is sweet and caring while being grouchy and ferociously sexy. If that wasn’t reason enough to buy this book, the sex scenes are positively scorching. That reminds me: I need to find myself a diner…
Best quote: “I’m a grown man, Mrs. Tierney.” “No you’re not. You’re just tall.”


The Red by Tiffany Reisz

Started: July 11, 2017
Finished: July 12, 2017
What makes it great: First, let’s just get this out of the way: this book was reviewed on NPR! Another first by this author for me, this book was an absolute joy to read. Mona is a female entrepreneur who has taken over her deceased mother’s art gallery, which is drowning in debt. She meets Malcolm, an enigmatic man who proposes the following arrangement: permission to do what he wants to her and with her, in exchange for saving her gallery. She accepts, and what is most interesting about the ensuing play is that each scene is staged like a famous painting; these scenes were beautifully written and simply wonderful to read. As a hero, Malcolm is delightfully perverse and sweet to Mona. As for the sex itself, Reisz has written prose that is white-hot, emotional, and expertly realized.
Best quote: “You smile like the devil.” “The devil doesn’t smile. The devil smirks.”


Hate to Want You , Book One of the Forbidden Hearts by Alisha Rai

Started: August 8, 2017
Finished: August 12, 2017
What makes it great: Yet another first by this author! As someone who studied English literature, I’m a sucker for a good adaptation of Shakespeare. Rai gives us one with this book, and of course it’s a Romeo and Juliet adaptation, only this time there’s a happy ending (there isn’t a Prince to say, “For never was a story of more woe/Than this of Juliet and her Romeo”). Livvy and Nicholas are two wonderfully flawed characters, and boy oh boy do I love a flawed character. Rai addresses depression quite well, using a deft hand to accurately portray what depression can look like. The supporting characters are complex enough to be realistic, tangible people. And of course, this book is deeply emotional, wildly hot, and incredibly intimate.
Best quote: “Society tells women that they need to be responsible for the emotional health of their relationships, and then tells them they’re weak for feeling emotions. What kind of message is that?”

And there you have it! Each of these books offers the reader a wonderful respite, as well as romantic and hot scenes. I highly recommend each of them. Happy reading!