Best Hammock Book

Tracey Livesay, Like Lovers Do (2020)

Everyone loves a good opposites attract romance. In this breezy summer read, Nicole is an against-all-odds orthopaedic surgeon who’s just one key fellowship away from achieving her dream job; Ben’s the privilege offspring of a medical dynasty determined to run away from his legacy (okay, he’s a financial planner, not a rodeo rider, but still.) She’s got a no relationship rule; he’s got a no doctors rule. Result? These two have friend zoned each other hard for years while also living together (she’s his tenant). Obviously, we’re going to jump right in at the point where everything changes. With her fellowship in jeopardy, Nic agrees to be his girlfriend for a beach trip. We all know where this is going. Set in the relaxed linen playground of Cape Cod, Like Lovers Do is a perfect summer chill read. With Livesay’s writing, the character’s internal and external conflicts really come to life while never getting weighed down with angst. It’s also hot in the way only two people who’ve been crushing on each other forever can be. All you need to know is the hammock plays a pivotal role. The second in the series based around four friends’ annual vacation, you can easily read this one alone.

Best Road Trip Read

Alison Coburn, Here We Go Again (2024).

Did you miss out on a road trip this summer? Fear not, it’s time to roll down the window and blast that ABBA along with two polar opposites who hate each other, stuck in a van for a cross-country trip. What could go wrong? Naturally, everything. At this point, you might be excused for thinking you know where this one is going. But Colburn’s epic summer road trip romance is all about unexpected detours. Yes, hot mess Logan and perfect priss Rosemary have the expected backstory of being best friends as school, who of course fancied each other, but then had an epic falling out. Even going back to teach at the same school has not thawed their icy hate… until their dying English teacher needs a ride to from Washington State to Maine. Yeah, not such a fun reason. Don’t worry, we still get antics and mishaps galore. We have a mascot dog. And we have so so much road food. I actually wanted to do a vegetable delivery… which is evidence of just how invested I became in these characters. Logan and Rosemary begin the book closed off to change and, frankly, pretty unhappy. They both need a life intervention as much as their grumpy, lovely teacher, Joe, needs to finish his own unresolved business. Their catharsis during their time on the road never felt forced or overly proscriptive. Colburn really has a beautiful way with her characters. The diverse neurodiverse rep made my heart do a happy dance. (Not everyone with ADHD is a chaos gremlin!) Rosemary is also demisexual, or maybe just Logansexual, and that issue gets nuanced treatment. (Colburn includes only one open door sex scene, but it is an absolute masterclass in how sex scenes can do major character work.) Be prepared that you will shed some tears at the end of this one, so have your favourite road trip drink to hand for hydration. This is definitely more than one for the road – it’s a keeper.

Best Beat the Heat Book

Diane Biller, Hotel of Secrets (2023)

Sometimes hot isn’t hot, it’s just annoying. You want to be transported to a place where fruit doesn’t have to be eaten the day you buy it and your skin doesn’t stick to the furniture. And if there are picturesque snow-lined streets, dripping crystal chandeliers, and glittering ballgowns in that place? So much the better. Enter Hotel of Secrets, a historical romance that whisks us off to Vienna for the city’s Ball Season in 1880. Maria is an insanely competent person we first meet juggling high society and plumbing problems in a single night; she’s the manager of the legendary Hotel Wallner, a legendary establishment that’s fallen on hard times. To say the hotel is in her blood is an understatement. She’s the fourth Wallner woman to inherit the place – gotta love a matriarchal business – and each generation has amassed a whole host of secrets. Enter Eli, a fish out of water American government agent. He is also an extremely competent person – lots of competence porn in this one – but entirely flummoxed by Viennese society during its hectic, waltz-mad winter Ball Season. Eli is clearly on the spectrum, and the way he learns to open up to Maria and the eccentric inhabitants of the Wallner Hotel is beautiful. The romance is slow and delicious. Other things to love? Biller’s deft conjuring of an entire historical world (hello, Austrian-Hungarian Empire) with which most readers aren’t familiar. The author also weaves in a generous helping of mystery and murderous mayhem. While I wouldn’t quite categorise it as Romantic Suspense, it’s definitely not for the faint of heart. Other tropes to show up for: Virgin Hero, Renovations Romance, and Linen Closet Lay. Okay, I made up that last one, but truly it should exist.

Best Fan the Flames Read

Cat Giraldo, Wild Pitch (2022)

The word spicy gets thrown around a lot on social media. Specifically, it gets used because one big platform bans any remotely sexual language. I don’t love that, and I also don’t love the endless debates around what makes something a three-four-five hot chilli pepper read. Folks, it’s subjective. But Cat Giraldo’s baseball romance is my definition of a hot read. The leads, Sierra and Mateo, are hot. Yes, they are pro athletes, but Giraldo writes them as genuine people, sweating and suffering as they play through one hot summer in SoCal. They are also hot for each other… but shouldn’t be, cause they’re teammates. Finally, they are hot for a very specific sexual relationship that’s central to making their romantic connection happen. At work, he’s the captain and in charge, so off the pitch and in the back of his pickup truck, she wants to take the lead. Giraldo nicely updates the classic grumpy-veteran-meets-talented-upstart by having Sierra be the first woman playing in the Majors. I know absolutely nothing about baseball, so cannot vouch for this as a faithful love letter to the sport. But the game provides that longer structure native to the sports romance, i.e. The Season. These two start off pretty gun-shy of any relationship and it helps to have a bit more time to develop their relationship. That said, this is not a ‘hot read’ that comes in hot. Be prepared for a little wait. Also, be prepared that, once Sierra and Mateo finally give in to temptation, there are a lot of sex scenes in this book. And they do come in one particular flavour – this is not Baskin Robins – so check the tagline to make sure this is something you are at least curious about reading. If you’re still game, grab some cracker jack mix and enjoy your prize.