The Best Romance Books to Read in Summer 2024

Even in the quirky town of Wahoo, Florida, twenty-five-year-old Maggie Andrews is an anomaly. She's the gator queen, a trapper who left her job at the Boston Zoo to take over the family business and keep her hometown safe. Jack Bianchi is a criminology professor from Miami who is renting a room from Maggie and her twin sister Vera. 

Before they can get hot and heavy, a rival gator trapper turns up dead in a swamp full of bullets from Vera’s stolen gun. Jack and Maggie team up to investigate the truth, and find themselves in the middle of a fake romance drama that's almost as dangerous as the killer who's trying to bump them off.

Kingston went to an exclusive drama school in London and has leading-man looks, but he's not landing the roles he's dreamed of since childhood. In the meantime, he's determined to make the most of his time on location in New Zealand for a major film franchise. But ever since he picked up a shiny washed-up trinket on the beach shoot, things have been getting weird. 

Amalia chose to become a cooking witch rather than work in the plant magic her family made their specialty, which leads to her running a food truck at a small location shoot. Kingston immediately catches her eye. But so does the angry ghost that's now haunting him.

Baseball photographer Maggie Redford is happy to watch life from the stands. She spends her days on the sidelines snapping shots of Chicago's major league team, all of which helps to distract her from her recent heartache. Things change when the team signs Tommy Mikals, a tattooed hotshot as well known for his playboy love life as his skills on the field. 

Tommy knows he was traded because his last team grew tired of his tabloid escapades, but he's looking at this season as a chance at redemption. Vowing to give up his party-boy ways, he can't afford to be distracted by Maggie, who he finds hard to ignore as she takes photos of him in action. When a wild team outing leads to Maggie getting caught on the wrong side of the camera with Tommy, the photo goes viral. Only a fake romance can solve all of their problems, right?

The new partner in a New York City law firm, Justine O’Neill can thank her strong anti-marriage views for her success. Being an infamously successful divorce lawyer will do that to you. She keeps her distance from men and the idea of romance, knowing how ugly it often ends. 

But when her firm takes on an important new client, Sloane Harper, president of a renowned think tank, Justine finds herself falling in lust at first sight. He's a stone cold silver fox with a reputation for seduction. It doesn't take long for Justine to lose her inhibitions and fall into his arms.

Ducky, Princess Victoria Melita, was born into a mighty dynasty. Her father is Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Victoria's second son. Her mother is Grand Duchess Marie, the daughter of Tsar Alexander II. But her birthright means she is destined to be a pawn in her family's never-ending game of power and control. That means marrying well, but not for love. 

But Ducky is not so easily controlled. In an era when death is considered preferable to divorce she fights for the freedom to be with the true love of her life, a Romanov cousin whose family is destined to be massacred in one of history's most shocking moments. Whatever happens, Ducky will carve her own path in life.

Lacie Appleby is a beauty therapist and former Hollywood makeup artist. She's used to keeping her famous clients' secrets, but she's less able to keep her own locked up. That's a problem because she's off to a family reunion in Tarrin's Bay, she's pregnant, and she still keeps to tell the father the happy news. 

Then she meets Nathan, who makes her heart and her stomach flip. They hit it off instantly, but can their romance withstand her big secret and the other guy in the picture?

Sarah's in the midst of her latest heartbreak while her best friend Jenny is in the perfect relationship with Zack. Ready to help Sarah move on, she suggests a holiday in Rome. Sarah’s gorgeous both inside and out, so it shouldn’t be hard for her to find someone to settle down with. The trouble is, she doesn’t want just anyone, she wants The One. 

Maybe she can help Sarah find that special guy, one who makes her feel as good as Zack makes Jenny. But how do you recognize Mr. Right when he comes along?

When bride-to-be Sally spends a weekend away with her bridesmaids, the last thing she expects is a supernatural gate crasher. There's a ghost named Red hovering around their vacation home, and she's the spirit of her fiancé’s ex-girlfriend. Red won't leave Sally alone, and she's also reluctant to share the reason for her presence. 

Then there's the hot next door neighbor who's caught her eye. Time is running out for both of them. Sally wants her own happy ever after but will that clash with ensuring that Red gets hers too?

Through this collection of micro fiction, Jenna Langbaum explores the messy world of dating as a millennial and trying to find a connection in-between the chaos of modern life. Part One delves into the live of a young and new college relationship, while Part Two shows what happens after that romance comes to an end. Love in the 2020s means Bumble dates, blind dates, taking huge risks, and finding the thrill of the unknown and dangerous.

In 1988, before her senior year of high school, Nina and her best friend spent the summer together on Cape Cod. Having been raised by her ill grandmother, Nina yearns for some freedom, so when she enrolls in an acting course, she soon finds romance with Sarah, one of the teaching assistants. 

It doesn't take long for their lives to become embroiled, or for Nina's obsession to linger on well beyond that fateful Summer. Adulthood is on the horizon, as is the ravage of the AIDS epidemic, and Nina must navigate this overwhelming blend of love, loss, and revelation.