Looking for steamy summer reads? Check out these new titles…

Once We Met by Annabelle McCormack

Yes, yes, yes to anything Annabelle McCormack writes. Once We Met is the third book in the Brandywood Small Town Romance series, but may be read as a standalone. Fans of Lucy Score and Claire Kingsley, you’ll love Annabelle’s books. Smart, funny, with enough angst and plot twists to keep you turning the page, any book Annabelle writes is an instant download for me.

For years, Avery Moretti has envisioned getting married at the Serendipity Lake Lodge in Brandywood, Maryland. It’s her home away from home, the vacation spot where her family has been coming for decades. But when she arrives two weeks before her wedding to finalize the details, she’s met with a huge shock: the Serendipity is under new ownership and construction and her planned wedding isn’t on the books. And the worst part? The new owner is the first guy she ever fell for—and never quite got over.

Buying the Serendipity was supposed to be Dan Klein’s “fresh start” after leaving the police force. Things seem to be going pretty well until Avery arrives at his doorstep. Now he’s tasked with trying to make the lodge work for Avery’s wedding, a job he doesn’t relish. After all, Avery broke his heart, and badly. Plus he’s never really forgiven what happened that summer so long ago, so why can’t he help the desire to help her anyway?

As Avery and Dan face one disaster after another trying to salvage her wedding, unresolved feelings seem to be simmering to the surface once again. But some things are better left in the past—aren’t they?

Annabelle McCormack loves to write the types of novels she always wants to read: 1) epic historical adventures that don’t skimp on the thrills or romance, and 2) contemporary love stories that have heart, depth, emotion—and don’t fade out when you get to the good parts. Born in Costa Rica and raised (mostly) in Maryland, she graduated from the Johns Hopkins University’s M.A. in Writing Program. She’s worked in cancer research, as a schoolteacher, actress in SAG/AFTRA, wedding vocalist, professional photographer, government contractor, and did a one-day stint as a restaurant hostess after which she asked her sister to call and quit for her. (She hates both the phone and disappointing people.) She lives in Maryland with her husband, five home-schooled children, and two boxer dogs, where she is still patiently waiting for the magical cleaning fairy from her childhood to show back up again. Sometimes, she pretends she’s funny. Follow her adventures on www.instagram.com/annabellemccormack or check out her website at www.annabellemccormack.com and sign up to her newsletter for free goodies.

A Hundred Days Till Tomorrow by L.S. Case

A Hundred Days Till Tomorrow is definitely a sweet, feel-good read. L.S. Case has a literary writing style and there is some beautiful prose contained within the pages. If you’re looking for heat between the sheets, this is not that romance. Often, the ‘life lessons’ are blatantly overstated and the flowery character dialogue felt too contrived for twenty-somethings, but I still read until the end, and I found myself thinking about the town, the characters, and the uplifting message long after I turned the last page.

Miranda has spent two decades running from her past, but everything changes when she’s named the sole heir to her grandmother’s estate. The catch? Her grandmother requires a 100-day stay at her smalltown New England cottage as a prerequisite for Miranda’s inheritance. Miranda begrudgingly accepts, and despite the charms of the picturesque town of Cobblers Hill, the abandoned property needs a makeover as desperately as Miranda does. There’s a definite perk: her handsome neighbor Jake Colby, who awakens Miranda’s taste for adventure by showing her the hidden beauty of Cobblers Hill. As attraction grows, Miranda allows herself to embrace new possibilities. But when secrets are revealed, can she trust her heart to choose the future she truly wants? 

L. S. Case is a lifelong resident of Long Island, a twenty-year volunteer wish granter for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Hofstra University. Before embarking on her author journey, she spent over a decade as a proud region leader, recruiter, trainer, and multi-award sales achiever for Lia Sophia jewelry. Her passion for helping others transformed countless women’s lives, one necklace at a time. In 2017, she co-founded a nonprofit organization and currently serves on its board of directors. Her life’s joy is the time she spends with her husband, family, and a tempera­mental cockatiel. Always on the lookout for her next adventure, L. S. can be found singing off-key at an ’80s concert, cycling to the beach, participating in races, swinging from a trapeze, or hanging from the warehouse ceiling in Fear Factor Live at Universal Studios. Find out more about her at www.lscasenovelist.com.

Ciao For Now by Kate Bromley

Laugh-out-loud funny and filled with characters you’ll fall in love with, Ciao For Now is a light, charming beach read.

With her thirties rapidly approaching and a mountain of student debt looming over her, Violet Luciano’s dream of finishing school and working in fashion has cost her everything. So, when she lands an internship in Rome, she brings her A game to Italy and plans to go home with the ultimate prize—a job at a New York label. But when a coffee run goes wrong and she destroys a stranger’s laptop, all of the apology Americanos in the world won’t help her. Because it turns out that the man from the café is Matteo, her professor’s eternally grumpy son. Their animosity (and undeniable chemistry) grows as they’re forced to face a summer of adventures through Rome. With her chance to win her dream job slipping out of her grasp, Violet has to decide whether to say ciao to Matteo—or ciao to her dreams.

Kate Bromley writes romantic comedies and contemporary romance. She lives in New York City with her husband, son, and her somewhat excessive collection of romance novels. (It’s not hoarding if it’s books, right?) She was a preschool teacher for several years and now focuses full-time on combining her two great passions―writing swoon-worthy love stories and making people laugh. She is also the author of Talk Bookish to Me and Here for the Drama.