3 Hot Summer Romance Reads

by MK French

Heat up your summer with these romance novels.

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Give Me A Reason by Jayci Lee

July 2025; St. Martin's Griffin; 978-1250907783
audio, ebook, print (352 pages); romance

Ten years ago, Anne Lee broke up with Frederick Nam when she dropped out of UC San Diego to pursue an acting career in Korea to save her father from bankruptcy. She thought it would help him get over her, but Frederick spent the time with his love until it twisted into hating her. He's now a firefighter in Culver City and has no need for romance. The two meet again when Anne is her cousin’s bridesmaid and Frederick is his friend’s groomsman. The two never really got over each other, but Frederick doesn't plan to forgive her.

Inspired by the novel Persuasion by Jane Austen, this second-chance romance follows K-drama actress Anne and Fire Chief Frederick. She had to drop out of college and act nonstop in Korea to fund her father's and older sister’s lavish and elitist lifestyle, and we see early on exactly what they think of that. Her father takes it as his due and doesn't recognize her efforts, so she continues to placate him, and her sister thoughtlessly makes cutting remarks. Her younger sister is a grad student, and her cousins are remarkably down-to-earth, giving her emotional support. Frederick has family in the form of his team at the station, but most have no idea what happened between them years ago. There are continual meetings between Anne and Frederick for bridal party planning and celebrations, and feelings are rekindled. Because of the past and reluctance to break each other's hearts, both dance around each other and their intentions until the final part of the book.

Even if you're not familiar with the story Persuasion, you will still understand the tension and romantic undercurrent between Anne and Frederick. The family members on both sides help or hinder the romance at times, adding to the confusion they have about the future. I find it funny that it's the men teaching Frederick what a grand gesture is, but both unwind and reveal their enduring love for each other. That's the stuff of romance novels that keeps us coming back.

Buy Give Me A Reason at Amazon

Road Trip With a Rogue by Kate Bateman

July 2025; St. Martin; 978-1250907387
audio, ebook, print (336 pages); Regency romance

Daisy Hamilton’s new mission for King & Co. is to stop heiress Violetta Brand from eloping. She mistakenly holds up the carriage of Lucien Vaughan, Duke of Cranford, who broke her heart five years ago and currently plans to see his nephew married to Miss Brand. While they follow the eloping couple, Lucien realizes that Daisy is the great love of his life and wants to win her back. Daisy isn't having it and is convinced it's a delay tactic. Can they find their own happily ever after?

From the start, Daisy and Lucien crackle and rub each other the wrong way. She's stubborn and headstrong, but so is he. We know right away why she's at his carriage, and I actually laughed at her comment that she only felt comfortable if wearing knives somewhere on her person, even in a ballroom. The two irritate each other in the way of opposites attracting, leading to great quippy conversations. The threats she makes read as foreplay half the time, and the mutual attraction in close quarters escalates with Lucien's delay tactics. The inevitable happily ever after is still one laced with fun bickering and challenges, which suits them and is at odds with the saccharine Violetta and Peregrine. It's a fun Regency romance novel.

Note: This is book 3 of Her Majesty's Rebels series. You can check out my reviews of book 1 and book 2.

Buy Road Trip With a Rogue at Amazon

We Are the Match by Mary E. Roach

July 2025; Montlake; 978-1662529429
audio, ebook, print (278 pages); romance

Paris manages to investigate a bomb going off at a mob boss' party, intending to take revenge on the family that had killed hers. Helen wants to abandon the violent world she was raised in, and doesn't want to marry the man her father had picked for her. Helen and Paris latch onto each other and flee from Greece to Troy. Helen's father is willing to start a war to get Helen back, and both women are willing to let him.

Influenced by mythology, we're introduced to a world of fixers, bombers, and assassins due to rival mafia families in Greece. Paris is one of the last surviving people from Troy, which Helen's father had bombed years ago. She is a violent woman intent on more murder and mayhem when she rescued Helen at the engagement party, mostly because she wanted to kill Helen herself to hurt her father. She doesn't know about Helen's penchant for bomb making when younger, or that she had planned to fake her death and was interrupted. The two bond due to their shared irreverence toward Helen's father, and only Helen has some qualms about the bodies left in their wake.

Told in their alternating POVs, we see the violent world and casual cruelties that the mafia inflict, killing with little provocation and no remorse. The actions these women take have a literal body count even before they decide to flee. It becomes real to them when it's not anonymous maids or guards dying, but people they actually care about. The repetition in the text as we go only shows how much both women are fueled by anger and loss, though only Paris is up front about it from the start. It's a game of power within the Families, and the winner is the one willing to shed blood. It's a stark reality of their world, with continued pain and loss along the way. The story grabs you and carries a dread fascination, with an ending as devastatingly violent as promised at the start.

Buy We Are the Match at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever.

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