After all, what would summer be without a tall frosty drink and a stack of books? But summer only lasts for a few months–so many books, so little time. Who wants to waste valuable time on a dull book?

To help you choose those books you’ll be enjoying this summer, whether you’re traveling halfway round the world or going no farther than your own backyard, TRR reviewers are coming to your rescue. We’ve compiled our own list of romance beach books and included links to TRR reviews when applicable. We’re sure you’ll find some titles that will help wile away some of those lazy, hazy days.

Lesley Dunlap recommends books old and new. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. If you haven’t read this classic, summer is a good time ... after all it’s when Elizabeth is on summer vacation that she meets Mr. Darcy again and love blooms. Mr. Darcy is the original model of the romance hero we all know and love. And after you’ve read the book, rent the A&E/BBC video. Yes, it is six hours long, but it’s tone-perfect and nearly word-for-word, and the casting is superb. Colin Firth creates the definitive Mr. Darcy and is a real hunk besides!

Sandra Brown is an author whose works epitomize beach books. It cannot be a coincidence that in recent years the paperback version of her previous year’s hardback is published in July and her new hardback title (Ricochet for 2006) is released in August. Her books are usually summer steamy–they’re often set in the sultry South, and few authors are more skillful in writing pillow talk. Among her better romantic suspense novels are:

The Alibi

Envy

Games of Pleasure by Julia Ross. Just like millions of vacationers, the hero and heroine are on a road trip that lasts most of the novel. This is one of the most romantic stories I’ve read in a long time, and the author’s skillful use of language is rare treat.

When it comes to writing medieval romances, no one does it better than Roberta Gellis. Her splendid series, the Roselynde Chronicles, first published in the 1970's and 80's, is being reissued. Roselynde and Alinor, the first two titles, have already been released. In 2005 she added another to the series that is chronologically positioned between those two.

Desiree

She’s a prolific author with many titles to her credit. Besides medievals, she’s written Regency-era historical romances, historical mysteries, and fantasies. Any one would be a good addition to your book stack.

Popular author Linda Howard has a new book, Cover of Night, due out the end of June. I’m sure I’ll have lots of company when I add that to my summer reading stack. But until then here are two of my favorites that showcase her lighter side: To Die For. When the heroine witnesses a murder, she understandably heads for the beach.

Open Season. A mild-mannered librarian gets a new wardrobe and a hunky lover. Finally, if all that lovey-dovey is starting to give you tooth decay, and you’re looking for something edgier, here are two recently published five-star keepers from our sister-site, The Mystery Reader:

The Fallen by T. Jefferson Parker, set in popular vacation destination, San Diego.

Tilt A Whirl by Chris Grabenstein, a must-read if you’re heading for the Jersey shore.

Susan Scribner recommends mostly "Women's Fiction" contemporary novels. The first three authors make great beach reading because they usually set their novels somewhere on the East Coast shoreline. They're all well-written without being too challenging, and predictable in a nice comforting way.

Luanne Rice -
Summer's Child and Summer of Roses from 2005. "Roses" is the sequel to "Child." Somewhat melodramatic but always enjoyable, big on relationships among women especially sisters.

Barbara Bretton -
Shore Lights (2003) Good relationship dramas with romance set in New Jersey and Maine coasts.

Mary Alice Monroe-
Sweetgrass (2005) Ambitious Southern women's fiction set in the Carolinas, almost like a Pat Conroy novel.

I also recommend the first 2 books in Emilie Richards' Shenandoah Album series, Wedding Ring from 2004 and Endless Chain from 2005. There is a third book coming out this summer, just in time for my beach trip to North Carolina in July! They take place in Northern Virginia but are engrossing, well-written summer reads. Lots of interesting family dynamics and good love stories as well.

This was my favorite surprise book of 2005 - Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty. It's now out in paperback. Fun, romantic Chick Lit and a bit quirky.

I have to include my first five-heart book of 2006 - Which Brings Me To You by Steve Almond and Juliana Baggott. I'm not sure if it's a "beach read" or not - it's very urban and adult - but because it's told through letters it's easy to read in small sections in between bouts of wave riding.

Wendy Crutcher recommends some favorites she reviewed.

Sex, Murder and a Double Latte by Kyra Davis (Red Dress Ink)

Murder in the Hamptons by Amy Garvey (Brava)

Personal Assets by Emma Holly (Berkley)

Wicked Women Whodunit by MaryJanice Davison, Amy Garvey, Jennifer Apodaca & Nancy J. Cohen (Brava)

Naked Truth by Amy J. Fetzer (Brava)

Amanda Waters recommends these. The Comeback Kiss by Lani Diane Rich

Don't Look Down by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer

Bitten and Smitten by Michelle Rowen

Ultra Violet by Ellen Henderson

The Bachelor Preferred Pastry by Shirley Jump. Any summer reading list has to include Shirley Jump who’s always handy with a cute, quick read–perfect for summertime lounging.

These are relatively easy to find, except for Ellen's which is category and would have to be ordered off Amazon, but I think it's worth tracking down.

Shirley Lyons thinks these are good choices.

Catherine Anderson - Phantom Waltz - this is my favorite of her books, providing sentimentality and romance - a feel good book.

From this year's reviews, I would add:

All Night Long by Jayne Ann Krentz - a great combo of suspense and romance.

Every Breath You Take by Judith McNaught - another example of romance and suspense

The Bride Hunt by Margo Maguire - a fun read

And of course, I would add anything by Nora Roberts- her books are so engaging that the beach is just a perfect backdrop to any of them.

Gwendolyn Osborne adds her recommendations. My beach reads tend to be a bit lighter. I can laugh out loud on the beach, but not on a commuter train to work!!! I do a lot of mysteries, Amanda Quick and anything Barbara Rosenblatt reads on audio.

Here are my first five. LOL. And yes, Pearl Cleage is really a closet romance writer at heart.

The Rock Orchard by Paula Wall

Babylon Sisters by Pearl Cleage

Seductive Hearts anthology by Felicia Mason

Three Perfect Men by Evelyn Palfrey

In the Midnight Rain by Ruth Wind

Then I would add:

A Time to Keep by Rochelle Alers

Dancing on the Edge of the Roof by Sheila Williams

On the Right Side of a Dream by Sheila Williams

Seductive Hearts collection by Felicia Mason

Chosen People by Karen Grigsby Bates

Judi McKee says that her definition of a good beach book “is one that is absorbing enough that I risk a sunburn because it makes me lose track of time.” Here are ones that she believes fit her definition.

Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughan

Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie is so much fun people probably shouldn’t read it if they’re responsible for the safety of small children while at the beach.

The appropriately titled Crazy Hot by Tara Janzen

If the sun isn’t hot enough at the beach, I recommend Emma Holly’s Courting Midnight. I gave it five hearts and an ‘R’ rating when I reviewed it in November and called it the winter equivalent of a beach book.

For fun summer readers outside the romance genre, I highly recommend:

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

And for those who want something really absorbing but don’t mind somewhat weightier subject matter, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I actually read this on my own recent week of holiday (although I wasn’t at the beach) and thought it was superb. If you’re not familiar with it, it begins with the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl, but the book is really about her watching her family and friends in the weeks and years following her disappearance, and observing the effect it has on their lives. And it actually does have a happy ending!

Laura Scott says she isn’t recommending the best beach books ever but those books easily found at a book store on the way to the beach.

I may be a bit quirky in terms of beach reading: with the exception of the Crusie book, these are far from sweetness and light. I have actually found that I like to weep a bit at the beach -- somehow the tear-jerkers suit me well in my beach mode, and the corner of a beach towel makes a perfectly acceptable tissue for sopping up those overspill tears.

For me, I think it's the "compellingness" of the book that counts -- I no longer have responsibility for watching young children, so absorbing is the key attribute. And the Crusie is here because, even though it's probably too old to meet the "easy to find criteria," it is a book that I actually read at the beach and I had to keep reading sections aloud to my friends (or just handing it over with a "start here" order) because I was either laughing out loud or practically panting after, you know, the good stuff.

Table for Five by Susan Wiggs

The Second Chance by Jaclyn Reding

You Only Love Twice by Lori Wilde

Surrender by Pamela Clare

Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie

Terry Lawrence, who reviews both romance and mysteries, says:

When it come to beach books, I’m more likely to take a book on murder and mayhem than romance. In the romance genre, fun and funny fit the beach best.

Open Season by Linda Howard (a second recommendation for this title)– Timid librarian learns to cut loose. Laugh out loud hilarious.

He Loves Lucy by Susan Donovan – The antics of a slightly overweight heroine in her campaign to lose weight as she learns to love herself.

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig – Grad student in London searches for the identity of the Pink Carnation. A great story for anyone who loves The Scarlet Pimpernel. (The Anthony Andrews movie version is my favorite.)

Solomon vs. Lord by Paul Levine – funny verbal sparring between two lawyers in a book that straddles the line between romance comedy and legal thriller.

Any In Death book by J.D. Robb

Mary Benn gives her take on beach reading. I guess I’m more uplifting women’s lit than light-hearted romance when it comes to beach reading although everything on my list has a romance subplot somewhere.

Pearl Cleage, Babylon Sisters (another nomination for this title)

Karen Joy Fowler, The Jane Austen Book Club

Lorna Landvik, Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons

Jennifer Wiener, Good in Bed and/or In Her Shoes

Lolly Winston, Good Grief

TRR’s esteemed editor-in-chief, Dede Anderson, is another who is more likely to take a mystery than a romance to the beach, but she gives us these romance recommendations.

I second the nomination of Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughan.

I might take an old favorite or two: Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase or Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner.

Beautiful Lies, a 2006 romantic suspense, by Lisa Unger.

And I’d definitely take The Hard Way by Lee Child because...well, I have a thing for Jack Reacher!

We hope that our recommendations will help you stuff your book bag this summer. We’re sure you’ll find some titles of interest among those listed above.

But if summer stretches endlessly in front of you and you need still more suggestions or if you’re one of those people for whom summertime is the time to read those books you always meant to read if and when you have the time, we recommend you check out TRR’s oldies but goodies list: The Top 100 Romances of the 20th Century.

We at TRR wish you a happy summer, many hours of happy reading, and of course, lots of romance!

Readers, what are you taking to the beach this summerr?

June 4, 2006