We’ve done it!

We’ve made it through the first round of voting for our Summer Showdown! And so, that also means we have a winner to celebrate. And who is that winner you ask?

Well, imagine this. You’re headed to the beach. You’ve got your swimsuit on, you’re looking cute (or whatever adjective makes you feel fierce enough to chill out on your beach towel like you own the place) and you realize you still need a book to toss into your beach bag. You scan through your e-reader and along your shelves. You think for a moment that you might go with a Women’s Fiction title, BUT in a last-minute bout of inspiration, you reach for a Contemporary Romance instead. You want the drama. You want the meet-cute. And, you want to fall head over heels for that person you could theoretically bump into at the grocery store, at your friend’s birthday party, or, yes, perhaps even on the beach. Or maybe you just like the idea of spying on other people falling in love. We’re not here to judge. We’re just here to give you some book recommendations so that you can do you.

So, what are some possible books that could be in your bag, ready to get covered in sand?

First up, we have Shadows of the Past by Alexa Aston. Our heroine is Paige Laramie, a high school teacher who secretly writes screenplays in her free time, one of which has just gotten picked by Hollywood’s hottest superstar, Tanner Haddock. Tanner is a former stuntman and model who has starred on the big screen and now wants the challenge of directing. He’s ready to put his heart into his directorial debut, but the last thing he expects is for that very heart to fall for his beautiful and quirky writer.

The next book we have for you is The Apple Blossom Café by Emma Cane. This one is also a small-town romance with a movie star as the lead, but this time it’s the other way around. The star is our heroine, Gabrielle, who just wants to return home and have a quiet life in between films, only to have that foiled when her producers pressure her to do some research for her next role. She’s meant to portray a chef, so she reaches out to Noah, the brother of her ex-boyfriend and former costar. A celebrated chef with his own secrets, Noah’s not looking forward to helping, but soon, his heart starts to trip him up and his plans start to fall by the wayside.

Now it’s time for Never Say Never by Yahrah St. John. Devastated by her recent divorce, single-mother Sabrina Matthews returns to her hometown of Savannah, Georgia, with her precocious eight-year-old daughter Jasmine to start afresh. She meets attractive and available surgeon, Malcom Winters who has moved to the small town to escape some demons of his own. Can this once-bitten, twice-shy divorcee find happiness with the town’s reclusive doctor?

Flirting with Sin by Naima Simone is our penultimate recommendation for you today. It centers around Ari Sincero, a man running away from the grueling realities and pressures of life as a rock star so that he can just relax with a few drinks and maybe finally write another song. What he wasn’t counting on is for Neveah Morgan to walk into his life and share his hotel room. She’s tired of questioning where her life has lead her and is ready to make some bad choices while she’s forced into a vacation she didn’t even want by her evil twin. But, will Ari end up being the best choice she’s ever made?

Finally, we have a little surprise for you. If you’re ready for a little Christmas in July, try Naughty or Nice by Kari Lee Harmon. Samantha Darling has spent her life making a list and checking it twice, but she’s through being nice. All being nice got her was a broken heart when her fiancé cheated on her last Christmas Eve, ruining her favorite holiday. After one too many All Powerful Peppermintinis, Samantha decides to give naughty a try. She breaks in and ruins the window of the boutique owner who stole her man, only to find out that she’s got the wrong window and the handsome scrooge who owns this one, Nathan Snow, is willing to make her a deal. He won’t press charges if she helps him create a winning display in time for the contest.