Romance Reads for Summer – Modern Mrs Darcy

A Prince on Paper: Reluctant Royals

by Alyssa Cole

What happens when a good girl finds herself up close and in person with the bad boy prince she loves to hate? Johan is no stranger to using the paparazzi to his advantage and decides a fake engagement with Nya is the best way to protect his brother, the heir to the throne. Nya may have given up on the existence of Prince Charming but Johan just might change her mind. This is the third book in the Reluctant Royals series and for the best reading experience, you'll probably want to read the first two books first. Spoiler alert: they're amazing. If you're not already reading Alyssa Cole, you're missing out.

Every Last Breath (Final Hour)

by Juno Rushdan

In this unputdownable romantic suspense, two covert operatives have 48 hours to neutralize a lethal bioweapon. There's just one small problem: the only person who can help Maddox stop the pandemic threat is the former love of her life who believes she betrayed him. Cole may want to hate Maddox but he can't ignore the looming crisis. And when these two find themselves working side by side and racing against the clock, who knows what sparks will ignite?

The Bride Test

by Helen Hoang

The follow up to Hoang’s smash hit The Kiss Quotient, The Bride Test follows Michael’s autistic cousin Khai who avoids relationships at all costs because he believes he’s not made for love. His mother disagrees, to the point of heading to Vietnam to find Khai a bride. Esme can’t turn the chance to come to America and meet a potential husband but nothing goes as planned. Esme and Khai only have so much time to see if their relationship has a shot. Make sure you read the Author’s Note at the end!

The Unhoneymooners

by Christina Lauren

Christina Lauren is back with an enemies-to-lovers romance! Bridesmaid Olive steels herself to get through her twin sister’s wedding, which forces her to spend the day with her sworn enemy best man Ethan. But when the rest of the party falls prey to food poisoning, Olive and Ethan find themselves on an all-expenses-paid honeymoon trip to Hawaii, determined to leave each other alone. Until they wind up pretending to be newlyweds to save Olive’s job. Sometimes pretending can be a whole lot of fun. (Fun and funny, this one had me fondly reminiscing my own tropical honeymoon.)

American Fairytale (Dreamers)

by Adriana Herrera

Adriana Herrera is quickly establishing herself as an author worth reading by giving us diverse characters we can’t help but root for. The second book in her Dreamers series, American Fairytale pairs a social worker with a billionaire and explores their differences beyond the financial gap between them. Thomas tends to wine and dine his lovers but Milo couldn’t be less interested in that; he just wants Thomas. They’ll both have to figure out how to overcome bad relationship habits in order to get the fairytale they deserve.

The Friend Zone

by Abby Jimenez

Add one salty infertile heroine with one firefighter hero who dreams of having a big family someday and you have a debut friends-to-lovers contemporary romance you might stay up reading until the wee hours of the night. Ahem. Josh and Kristen have some big things to overcome but there’s no denying their chemistry from the moment they meet. In a fender bender, no less. This story will make you laugh out loud one minute and cry the next. It doesn’t shy away from the hard topics and it makes the happy ending that much more satisfying.

The Right Swipe

by Alisha Rai

Alisha Rai's new series pits rival dating app creators against each other. Rhiannon is focused on her career. But when past hookup Samson reappears a few months after ghosting her and is in league with a business rival, she's wary of giving him a second chance. The angst! The intrigue! The possibilities of risking it all for love! Early readers say they adored the characters and are wishing the next books in the series were already available.

The Wedding Party

by Jasmine Guillory

Alexa and Drew's wedding (the couple from 2018 Summer Reading Guide pick The Wedding Date) is around the corner and there’s just one problem: Alexa's best friends Maddie and Theo hate each other. But there can be a thin line between love and hate and what was supposed to be a one-night stand quickly turns out into “hooking up until this wedding is over” situation. And if they're disappointed when the wedding suddenly gets moved up and it means their time together is coming to an end, surely it doesn't mean anything. Surely. Publication date July 16.

Beautiful Dreamer

by Melissa Brayden

When real estate broker Devyn is called back to her hometown, her only focus is on how soon she can leave. And on just when her old high school classmate Elizabeth got so pretty and interesting. Elizabeth wrote Devyn off as shallow back in the day but suddenly their grown up selves are looking at each other in a brand new light. Melissa Brayden is one of the best authors around when it comes to FF romances for a reason.

The Austen Playbook (London Celebrities)

by Lucy Parker

Lucy Parker brings us back to the London theater scene by way of The Austen Playbook, a live-action TV murder mystery where viewers at home determine the outcome for Jane Austen's beloved characters. Actress Freddy finds herself distracted by grumpy critic Griff, whose home is hosting the event. And Griff? He's distracted right back but there's a secret in their respective families' histories that might undo everything.