We're finally in July, and these sizzling romantic releases will have your burnin' up and breaking a sweat. From juicy thrillers to joyful romantic comedies, this month's new releases have what you need — and more. Here are nine new romance books to help get you in the steamy spirit of summer.
Make Me Need
RELEASE DATE: July 1
Strapped for cash and willing to do anything, Trish Livingston fills in for her brother while he’s on paternity leave. This means she’ll have to put up with his callous business partner– Cameron O’Clery. Despite Cameron’s attitude and his obvious disdain for Trish’s constant optimism, the two are drawn to each other in an unexplainable way. After a steamy, unexpected hook-up, Cameron attempts to suppress his feelings. But Trish isn’t about to let him forget what went down in the elevator that fateful night. Was it just a one-time thing? Or were there real feelings hiding beneath the surface all along?
The Me I Used to Be
RELEASE DATE: July 2
After being incarcerated for a crime she didn’t commit, Evangeline returns home to a cold welcome. Her mother blames her for her father’s death and her brothers want her out. When they learn that their ranch is failing, Evangeline seizes the opportunity to save their home in hopes of winning her family back. But that’s not enough– she also needs to prove her innocence. She seeks out Chris, the police officer who put her away in the first place, and the two make it their mission to bring the real culprits to justice. They’re both determined to do whatever it takes to clear Evangeline’s name. But as they get deeper into a dangerous sting operation, their growing feelings for each other may compromise their safety.
Surfside Sisters
RELEASE DATE: July 2
After moving from breezy Nantucket to fast-paced New York City, Keely Green is able to fulfill all her dreams of being a novelist who rubs elbows with the literary elite. She is also dating a charming pediatric surgeon, but their relationship goes south when he wants to settle down and Keely doesn’t feel like she’s ready yet. At the same time, her publisher rejects her novel and her mother back home in Nantucket falls into a depression. Reluctantly returning home for the first time in years, Keely is forced to face the problem she ran away from: her best friend and ex-boyfriend betrayed her and started a family together. But Keely is tired of running from the island she loves. She must confront the mistakes of the past, even if it means opening old wounds, if she’s ever to find peace in her home.
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We Came Here to Forget
RELEASE DATE: July 2
Ever since she was a child, Katie Cleary has felt that she’s destined to win the Olympic gold in skiing. She didn’t just want to compete, she wanted to be the best. To pursue this dream, she leaves home as a teen to go train with her friend Luke–whom she falls in love with– and his brother, Blair. It seems like Katie is about to have all she desired and more, when a very public scandal about her family breaks and she runs away from her Olympic dreams in shame. She makes a new home in Buenos Aires as Liz Sullivan, and meets new friends whose welcoming attitude makes her feel like she’s made the right decision. But Katie can’t outrun her demons fast enough. As she tries to forget the past, a love triangle in the present stirs up even more trouble.
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The Golden Hour
RELEASE DATE: July 9
Heartbroken from the recent passing of her husband, Lulu takes a job as an investigative reporter in the Bahamas. Her mission: penetrate the social circle of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Their glamorous marriage is a source of intrigue and people are demanding to know more, to be distracted from the constant barrage of news about the Second World War. It’s here that she meets Benedict Thorpe, an easy-going scientist, and falls in love with him. When a wealthy man on the islands is murdered, Lulu suspects the elite are staging a cover-up. To make matters worse, Benedict has completely disappeared. Lulu follows his trail to London in an effort to uncover what secrets the elite are harboring, and how they are connected to Benedict’s family. The story she ends up with is one she never dreamed of when she set out on this task, one that will change her forever.
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Wide Awake
RELEASE DATE: July 23
Alison Waverly and her former professor/FBI agent boyfriend Quinn Kaneko have a deep and passionate relationship. Though Quinn has told Alison much about his past, she knows that there are still many secrets about his life that she doesn’t know. When Quinn introduces Alison to his boss, Paul Miller, she is immediately intrigued by their dynamic. It seems like Paul has a strong influence and power over her boyfriend, but she squashes her suspicions. Their peaceful relationship is further disrupted when complications in Alison’s personal and family life bring out her insecurities and pessimism. This scares Quinn, who is used to Alison being the strong one in their relationship, and ultimately, both of them–and their relationship–start to crack from the pressure and the secrets come pouring out.
The Work of Art
RELEASE DATE: July 23
Phyllida Satterthwaite is a small-town girl whose unconventional features never brought her any real praise. She moves to London only to discover that many in the city find her looks intriguing and even artful, especially the malicious Duke of Moreland–a man with a passion for collecting unique art. To avoid the Duke’s literal clutches, Philly considers marrying Captain Arthur Heywood– an injured veteran from the Peninsular War who would be able to protect her. In Regency England, marriage was considered necessary. But while Philly wants to be her own person, she knows that marrying the Captain and moving up the social ladder might be her only option to keep the Duke away.
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The Seekers
RELEASE DATE: July 23
Keri Wolf has joined The Seekers, a crew of ghost hunters known for their daring adventures. Her first case with them is a haunted old inn on the outskirts of Philadelphia. While the inn was once known for being a warm and convenient place to rest for travelers, it is now infamous for being the scene of an ax massacre in the 1920s. When a dead body is discovered in the basement, Keri is shaken by fear from her skepticism that paranormal activity is afoot. She meets Joe Dunhill, a member of the FBI’s Krewe of Hunters and an investigator into the death. Together, the two uncover the seedy history of the inn and the nearby town, discovering more horrors along the way. It’s a race against time to stop the unknown evil from wreaking havoc once again — but they might just need to look to the dead for answers.
Gods of Jade and Shadow
RELEASE DATE: July 23
Music and culture are flourishing in the 1920s but Casiopea Tun is confined to maid duty in her wealthy grandfather’s home in southern Mexico. She dreams of a better life, somewhere far away where she isn’t scrubbing floors. One day, she finds a strange wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who tells her how he lost his throne to his traitor brother. When the god requests her help in reclaiming it and promises a bright future in return, Casiopea sees a way out of her dusty, downtrodden life. There’s just one caveat: failure will mean a certain death. She joins the formidable god in a quest that takes her from the wild, forest borders of Central America to skyscrapers in Mexico City.
Featured photo: Perfecto Capucine / Unsplash
