“Fifty Shades of Grey” has the world talking. Let’s just say it’s heating up the book world, and some bedrooms! I have to admit that although reluctant at first, I too joined in the craze and managed to read all three books in the trilogy in just a few days. I couldn’t help but be taken in by the spicy parts of the story, turning pages quickly to see what happened next. I was also totally engrossed in the intense love story that this trilogy describes so vividly, you find yourself completely hooked. Once you have finished reading these stories, here are some more to keep your summer hot! So grab your beach chair and be prepared to get lost in some more steamy summer beach reads. Make sure you find yourself a seat by the water, though – you might need to jump in and cool off!

“How to Be Single” is the story of Julie Jenson, a single anthropologist living in New York. After a horrible night out with her friends, Julie has had enough and decides to leave it all behind. Wouldn’t we all like to do that just once? From Paris to Brazil and Australia, Julie travels the world to find out if anyone has a better clue as to how to handle this whole “single” thing. Julie falls in love, gets her heart broken, sees the world, and learns more than she ever dreamed possible. This story is an adventure from start to finish! 

“The Feasting Season” by Nancy Coons

Meg Parker is an author who lives in the countryside with her two small children and neglectful husband. Everyday life has started to bring Meg down until she is offered her dream assignment: to write a guidebook about French history. Jean-Jacques, a scruffy and imperious photographer, has been assigned to the project as well. As the pair visits each region in search of the past, what they find is excitement in the present. From the bullfights in the Camargue, to the sacred gypsy pilgrimage at Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer, and the lightning storms of Mount Bego, the duo finds themselves engrossed in a fiery love affair. Meg is torn between what is familiar and the exciting unknown. In the end, she must choose what is worth holding on to and what is better for everyone to just let go. This book will have you captivated from the very start.

“My One and Only” by Kristan Higgins

The one that got away … Divorce attorney Harper James can’t catch a break. She is taken completely off guard when she runs into her ex-hubby at her sister’s destination wedding. Now, by a cruel twist of fate, she’s being forced to make a cross-country road trip with him. Wondering what her almost-fiancé back at home might think? Harper can’t help that Nick has come back into her life in all of his frustratingly appealing, gorgeous architect glory. But in Nick’s eyes, Harper’s always been the one. If they can only get it right this time, forever might be waiting – just around the bend.

“The Marriage Bargain” by Jennifer Probst

Billionaire Nicholas Ryan doesn’t believe in love or marriage. However, if he wants to inherit his father’s corporation, he needs a wife in a hurry. When he discovers his sister’s childhood friend is in dire financial straits, he offers Alexa a bold proposition. A marriage in name only with certain rules: Avoid entanglement. Keep things all business. Do not fall in love. The arrangement is only for a year, so the rules shouldn’t be that hard to follow, right? The plot might sound familiar, but “The Marriage Bargain” promises to keep you guessing right up until the very end.

“White Lies” by Caitlyn Willows

How about some mystery to go with that steam? Sarah Mason has had enough of her domineering parents and manipulative fiancé. She travels to Jamaica on a quest for clues to her sister’s disappearance. Her quest, however, takes an unexpected turn when she meets the sexy Dominick LaCroix, her sister’s ex-landlord and supposed ex-lover. Dominick not only aids in Sarah’s search for answers, but also helps her explore her heart and sexuality. Can Sarah and Dominick survive not only a killer hurricane, but a dangerous undercover mission to learn the truth about what happened to her sister? Or will they become the next people to mysteriously vanish? I am not sure which pages you will be turning faster, the steamy ones or the thrilling ones. Either way, I guarantee you won’t put this one down!

“The Stranger I Married” by Sylvia Day

They are London’s most scandalous couple: Isabel, Lady Pelham, and Gerard Faulkner, Marques of Grayson. They are well-matched in all things including their absolute refusal ever to ruin their marriage of convenience by falling in love with one another. Isabel knows he will never appeal to her guarded heart, nor will she sway his philandering one. It is an easy agreement – until a shocking turn of events sends Gerard away. Four years later, Gerard has returned. However, the carefree boy who left has been replaced by a powerful, irresistible man who is determined to seduce his way into her affections. Gerard desires Isabel’s body and soul and will stop at nothing to win her love. This is not the man she had married. But he is the man who might finally steal her heart ...