Summertime is prime time for reading! Whether you’re poolside with a cool drink or soaking up the sun on a sandy beach, these romances will make great company for any reader. Whether you love British werewolves, wicked wagers or a mix of sugar and spice, we have three books that are sure to satisfy.

For fans of contemporary romance

In Zuri Day’s Sweet Heat, tensions run high as two cooks battle their attraction and each other on a televised cooking contest.

With $50,000 on the line, Marvin Carter and Naomi Carson have no desire to get friendly. Both have their own dreams of how they want to spend the prize money to advance their culinary careers, and falling in love doesn’t factor into their plans. But as the stakes become steadily higher for Marvin and Naomi, close quarters and fierce competition have a way of producing unexpected results. With meddling contestants and scenarios that require keeping cool under pressure, their romance is hard won but so worth it.

Family and food is at the center of this delicious contemporary romance. (Seriously, don’t read this romance while hungry.) Marvin and Naomi’s banter crackles with electricity. Neither one wants to show the first sign of weakness, but their flirtation comes so naturally. Naomi is a tour de force with her soul food cooking, but she knows early on that she needs to keep Marvin from being her ultimate distraction. But loyal, lovable Marvin is quite the keeper, and he creates the most amazing desserts. The competitive setting is an entertaining backdrop, keeping the main characters conflicted as their ambitions are pitted against finding love. Of course, who says you can’t have both?

Fans of cooking shows and foodie romances will devour Sweet Heat.

For fans of paranormal romance

Paige Tyler returns to her SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team series in Wolf Instinct, a romance between a werewolf in desperate need of answers and an FBI agent who is after things that go bump in the night.

SWAT werewolf Zane Kendrick and FBI agent Alyssa Carson are immediately attracted to one another when they cross paths during an investigation. There’s just one huge complication. Zane senses that Alyssa is his mate. Too bad that she hunts supernatural beings like him, and he isn’t sure she can see him as anything but a monster. Meanwhile, Alyssa is used to working alone. Teaming up with a partner is foreign to her, especially one who clearly isn’t a typical human.

Alyssa is an admirable, resilient and smart heroine as she investigates why several missing people have turned up dead and drained of blood. As her inquiries lead her to the hunky (and British!) Zane, she reluctantly agrees to join forces. Her own reservations about Zane are put aside in the face of finding this vicious attacker. Tyler’s pacing is perfect for relaxing in the summer sun, as the action keeps things effortlessly moving. While the thriller elements add a shot of adrenaline, the real conflict comes from whether Alyssa can accept Zane as a man and not a monster.

Wolf Instinct is a great choice for readers who love tough heroines and a romance that develops in the face of danger.

For fans of historical romance

A battle of wills ignites between a woman longing for adventure and a man hiding from the world in Say No to the Duke.

Betsy Wilde has resigned herself to playing the perfect lady. She’ll marry a respectable gentleman and abide by society’s rules, but before that, she just wants one taste of being a little less than proper. Lord Jeremy Roden has exiled himself to the Wilde family estate, Lindow Castle, after being offered solace by Betsy’s brother. While Jeremy contends with the difficulties he’s facing from war and his lingering PTSD, Betsy proves to be a perfect distraction. And when he gets wind that she’s after a bit of excitement before marriage, Jeremy makes a dangerous proposal over a game of billiards. If Betsy wins the game, Jeremy will help Betsy disguise herself as a man and let her experience things most women cannot. If he wins, Betsy must share the night with him. He doesn’t expect her to call his bluff, hoping to scandalize her with his suggestion.

This is another entertaining romp of a romance from New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James, but it also explores the deep insecurities of both Betsy and Jeremy. Betsy is still paying for her unfaithful mother’s shocking behavior. She’s unable to be herself, always living in her mother’s shadow. Torn between doing what’s expected of her as the eldest daughter and pursuing her own passions, Betsy worries her own happiness isn’t worth her family’s status. Jeremy is battling his own demons, hiding his genuine and sensitive nature behind rakish behavior.

James’ wit and wordplay has never been better in this lovely romance marked with tenderness, shining moments of emotional bravery and the central notion that girls just want to have fun.