Top Ten Summer Vacation Reads (Historical Romance)

Thank goodness the winter has long last left.

As the lazy days of summer creep closer, its time to pack your bags and get gone.

Whether jetting off to some foreign destination, or simply taking a day trip to your local park, here is a list of my top ten summer vacation hist-ros.  Feel free to leave me a comment with yours!

1. Julia Quinn-Minx-“William Dunford is stunned to learn he’s inherited property, a title… and a ward bent on making his first visit to his new estate his last. Henrietta (Henry) Barrett likes her life just fine and wants nothing more than to watch Dunford crawl back to London and stay there. But Dunford is convinced he can turn this tomboy into a lady — he just never expected to fall in love…”  Super funny, classic Julia Quinn read.  Great one you can pick up and put down in between chasing the kids or the dog or the sun.         
2. Victoria Alexander-Pursuit of Marriage- “When the topic is marriage . . .The Ladies Betterment Society is seeking success. Cassandra Effington is searching for Lord Perfect. Viscount Berkley is hunting for Miss Wonderful. And the chase begins . . .”  I love this story, the surprise about rakehell Viscount Berkley, and how hilarious it gets when both must produce for the other perfect matches.  Classic folly comedy.
3. Jenna Petersen-Her Notorious Viscount-I haven’t read this one yet…new to the shelves, but knowing Jenna Petersen its sure to be a scorcher.  Just perfect for those days on the back lawn with a glass of lemonade (or in my case, up on the roof with an ice-tea!)
4. Eloisa James-Fool For Love-“Lady Henrietta Maclellan longs for the romantic swirl of a London season. But as a rusticating country maiden, she has always kept her sensuous nature firmly under wraps — until she meets Simon Darby. Simon makes her want to whisper promises late at night, exchange kisses on a balcony, receive illicit love notes. So Henrietta lets her imagination soar and writes…” Eloisa is funny, sweet and has wonderful characters and material that is lighthearted and fun.  Plus, this cover is inconspicious, which makes it a bonus for the beach!
5. Celeste Bradley-The Spy-“James Cunnington has a pressing mission at hand: He must find the daughter of a missing code breaker for the Liar’s Club, a man suspected of turning traitor for Napoleon. Time is of the utmost concern. While it is evident that his ward’s new tutor has something to hide, James is unaware that the woman he seeks now resides under his very roof…Desperate and destitute, Phillipa Atwater must don gentlemen’s clothing to pass herself off as the scholarly young tutor. Her clever–if itchy–disguise allows her time to pursue her quest to find her father, ruthlessly abducted by French spies. Closely guarding the cryptic notebook he entrusted to her care, she senses danger all around her–even in the home of her roguishly handsome new employer, James Cunnington.”  Yes, I have a weakness for stories with the drag-masquerade theme.  They are just so fun…and funny.  Celeste rights some hum-dinger love scenes, and the action is always great.  Take with you for the tedious plane, train or automobile trip and you will be amazed at how time flies! (Bonus, this one is part of series, so you can take them all for those really long trips!).
6. Elizabeth Boyle, Stephanie Laurens, Christina Dodd- Hero, Come Back-“Sometimes he’s too good to let get away.”  This power packed novella collection features three of hist-ro’s hottest authors, writing about our favorite topic…the hero.   Novellas are some of my favorite summer time reads because they are short and sweet…and can be read on the hammock before a cat nap or poolside before a swim.
7. Georgette Heyer-Faro’s Daughter-“Beautiful Deborah Grantham, mistress of her aunt’s elegant gaming house, must find a way to restore herself and her aunt to respectability, preferably without accepting either of two repugnant offers. One is from an older, very rich and rather corpulent lord whose reputation for licentious behavior disgusts her; the other from the young, puppyish scion of a noble family whose relatives are convinced she is a fortune hunter.   Max Ravenscar, uncle to her young suitor, comes to buy her off, an insult so scathing that it leads to a volley of passionate reprisals, escalating between them to a level of flair and fury that can only have one conclusion…”  Need you any convincing to pick up a Heyer novel?
8. Kathleen Woodiwiss-The Flame and the Flower-“Doomed to a life of unending toil, Heather Simmons fears for her innocence–until a shocking, desperate act forces her to flee. . . and to seek refuge in the arms of a virile and dangerous stranger. A lusty adventurer married to the sea, Captain Brandon Birmingham courts scorn and peril when he abducts the beautiful fugitive from the tumultuous London dockside. But no power on Earth can compel him to relinquish his exquisite prize. For he is determined to make the sapphire-eyed lovely his woman. . .and to carry her off to far, uncharted realms of sensuous, passionate love.”  Unlikely matches, journeys and a bumpy road to love make a perfect companion to balmy summer evenings.
9. Judith McNaught-Until You-“A teacher in a school for wealthy young ladies, Sheridan, Bromleigh is hired to accompany one of her students, heiress Charise Lancaster, to England to meet her fiancé. When her charge elopes with a stranger, Sheridan wonders how she will ever explain it to Charise’s intended, Lord Burleton.  Standing on the pier, Stephen Westmoreland, the Earl of Langford, assumes the young woman coming toward him is Charise Lancaster — and informs her of his inadvertent role in a fatal accident involving Lord Burleton the night before. And just as Sheridan is about to speak, she steps into the path of a cargo net loaded with crates!  Sheridan awakens in Westmoreland’s mansion with no memory of who she is; the only hint of her past is the puzzling fact that everyone calls her Miss Lancaster. All she truly knows is that she is falling in love with a handsome English earl, and that the life unfolding before her seems full of wondrous possibilities…”  A little suspense, a lot of drama, this one is perfect for a long camping trip.
10. Kat Martin-Silk and Steel-“Lady Kathryn Grayson is a gently bred noblewoman with a privileged future ahead of her…until her greedy uncle decides to steal her fortune by committing her to an insane asylum. Her only escape is to stow away in the carriage of Lucien Montaine, Marguess of Litchfield, who hears her story with disbelief and suspicion. Yet Kathryn’s instincts tell her Lord Litchfield is a man of honor–and her only salvation. Desperate to save herself, she attempts to seduce him and forces him into marriage.”  The perfect villian for lunch breaks and bus rides home.