DGR’s Most Anticipated Summer Reads

It’s hard to believe that Summer is finally just around the corner. Especially since you definitely wouldn’t know it by the weather here in the Windy City. It’s a balmy 60 degrees here with a high chance of the weather changing more frequently than a teenage girl getting ready for her first date. But I digress…

What does summer mean for me? Welp, it basically equates to me living in maxi dresses and flip flops and enjoying the amazing weather outside with my nose stuck in a book because priorities. Going to the pool? With a book. Going to the park? With a book. Socializing? Is it about books? But I digress again.

With the upcoming months bringing some of my most anticipated releases, I figured why not share them with my dirty birds? Because I’m nothing if not a pusher. So without further ado, below are some of my most anticipated reads that will be releasing between June and August.

JUNE RELEASES  

BACKFIRE by Keri Lake (June 9): Pre-Order | Add on Goodreads

I had the immense honor to beta read this book, and no joke, I’ve read it twice more since. I’m obsessed with this author and if she’s not sick of me by now, it’s a miracle. This is a standalone novel set in the world of Ricochet’s Vigilante series. Which, by the way, if you haven’t read yet, I highly recommend you rectify right meow. (one-click Ricochet HERE)

This book is a standalone set in the same world as Ricochet.

No matter how unbreakable he may seem, every man has a weakness.

A year ago, my home became a bloodstained crime scene. That night marked the beginning of my hell—the same night I was tortured by my enemies and tossed into an underground prison to die.

They failed. I survived.

Now that I’m free, only one motive burns in my soul: revenge.

Lucky for me, they think Jase Hawkins is dead. Maybe I am. I’ve got nothing but a cold, merciless rage, and Black Betty, the sharp steel blade that never leaves my side.

Then she drifts into my life.

Lucia wants answers—so much so, she’s willing to fall into the darkness where my enemies lie in wait, to kill her for what she knows.

Or to take her for the depraved fantasies her body alone can rouse in a man’s mind.

Me? I want her for the fire in her touch that feeds my addiction, forces me to feel what has become numb, but my appetite for bloodshed runs deeper than flesh.

For my own sanity, I’ve vowed to stay away from her. Because she’s my only weakness, an obsession that leaves me craving more—one that could make even the most steadfast plan backfire.

Unbreak My Heart by Nicole Jacquelyn (June 7): Pre-Order | Add on Goodreads

No lie, I read the blurb and I actually started to salivated. Now if you follow my reviews, you already know that I’m a self professed angst whore. So just the sounds of this book had my ovaries perk their pervy little ears up.

What do you do when your soul mate marries your best friend?

If you’re Kate Evans, you keep your friend Rachel, bond with her kids, and bury your feelings for her husband. The fact that Shane’s in the military and away for long periods helps-but when tragedy strikes, everything changes.
After Rachel, pregnant with her fourth child, dies in a car accident and the baby miraculously survives, Kate upends her entire life to share parenting duties. Then on the first anniversary of Rachel’s death, Kate and Shane take comfort in each other in a night that they both soon regret.
Shane’s been angry for a year, and now he feels guilty too – for sleeping with his wife’s best friend and liking it . . . liking her. Kate’s ability to read him like a book may have once sent Shane running, but their lives are forever entwined and they are growing closer.
Now with Shane deployed for seven months, Kate is on her own and struggling with being a single parent. Shane is loving and supportive from thousands of miles away, but his homecoming brings a betrayal Kate never saw coming. So Kate’s only choice is to fight for the future she deserves – with or without Shane. . .

All The Rage by T.M. Frazier (June 7): iBooks Pre-Order | Add to Goodreads

I’ve loved everything this author has ever written. I’m a sucker for a good dark romance and this woman gives good dark romance.

They call me Rage.
My real name is like a shadow, always close behind, but never quite able to catch up to me.
I fly under the radar because no one ever suspects I’m capable of the kind of brutal violence I commit each and every day.
You see, I’m a girl. I’m nineteen.
And I’m a killer.
I look like a goddamn cheerleader, but can take out a man three times my size in more than as many ways, without hesitation.
This life is all I know. It’s all I want to know. It keeps the shit buried that I need kept buried. It allows me to live without thinking too much.
Without dwelling on the past.
Until him.
It all changes when an ordinary boy becomes my next target.
And my first love.
I have to choose.
The only life I’ve ever known has to die, or he does.
Either way, I’ll be the one pulling the trigger…
All the Rage is a STAND ALONE

Allegiance of Honor by Nalini Singh (June 14): Pre-Order | Add to Goodreads

One of the best PNR series and still a top fave. I can’t wait for this beauty!

The Psy-Changeling world has undergone a staggering transformation and now stands at a crossroads. The Trinity Accord promises a new era of cooperation between disparate races and groups. It is a beacon of hope held together by many hands: Old enemies. New allies. Wary loners.

But a century of distrust and suspicion can’t be so easily forgotten and threatens to shatter Trinity from within at any moment. As rival members vie for dominance, chaos and evil gather in the shadows and a kidnapped woman’s cry for help washes up in San Francisco, while the Consortium turns its murderous gaze toward a child who is the embodiment of change, of love, of piercing hope: A child who is both Psy…and changeling.

To find the lost, protect the vulnerable—and save Trinity—no one can stand alone. This is a time of loyalty across divisions, of bonds woven into the heart and the soul, of heroes known and unknown standing back to back and holding the line. But is an allegiance of honor even possible with traitors lurking in their midst?

BITTERSWEET by Sarina Bowen (June 14): iBooks Pre-Order | Add to Goodreads

Ever since I read HIM by Sarina and Elle Kennedy, I’ve had this author on my auto-buy list. This is a new series and per the author: The new series is set in Vermont. True North is populated by the tough, outdoorsy mountain men that populate the Green Mountain State. They raise cows and they grow apples. They chop a lot of wood, especially when they need to blow off steam. (Beards are optional but encouraged.)
So I ask you, how do I NOT want this?

If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the orchard.

The last person Griffin Shipley expects to find stuck in a ditch on his Vermont country road is his ex-hookup. Five years ago they’d shared a couple of steamy nights together. But that was a lifetime ago.

At twenty-seven, Griff is now the accidental patriarch of his family farm. Even his enormous shoulders feel the strain of supporting his mother, three siblings and a dotty grandfather. He doesn’t have time for the sorority girl who’s shown up expecting to buy his harvest at half price.

Vermont was never in Audrey Kidder’s travel plans. Neither was Griff Shipley. But she needs a second chance with the restaurant conglomerate employing her. Okay—a fifth chance. And no self-righteous lumbersexual farmer will stand in her way.

They’re adversaries. They want entirely different things from life. Too bad their sexual chemistry is as hot as Audrey’s top secret enchilada sauce, and then some.

LAST KISS by Laurelin Paige (June 14): Pre-Order | Add to Goodreads

Dude. DUDE. Do you even know the sort of desperate I’v been for this book ever since I read First Touch. First Touch was and still is one of my top reads for 2016. I devoured that book only to be hit with the mother of all cliffys and man was it painful. Suffice it to say when this ARC landed on my kindle, I was about to do a pervy rain dance around the living room

A GAME OF CAT AND MOUSE FILLED WITH DARK DESIRES AND DANGEROUS SECRETS…

Emily Wayborn has made a decision.

She might not fully trust handsome and deadly Reeve Sallis, but he is the one person that gives her what she needs. With Reeve she can finally be herself. Submitting to him is the only thing keeping her grounded as the rest of her life falls apart. But the hotelier is a master at keeping secrets and as she continues her quest for answers someone is making sure she doesn’t find them.

Time is running out and she is questioning everything she thought she knew about friendship and love. She must now make an impossible choice that will determine if she will survive with her heart…or at all.

Downtown Devil by Cara McKenna (June 21): Pre-Order | Add to Goodreads

Three words: Cara. McKenna. Threesome. What? I never said I was deep. (deep. *snorts*)

From the author of Crosstown Crush comes the second sexy novel in the trilogy that explores the illicit pleasures of ménage à trois.

At the edge of thirty, Clare is feeling restless. Even though she’s gainfully employed and pursuing her passion for photography, she can’t shake the feeling that something’s missing. Then she meets Mica. A perfect subject for her portrait exhibit, Mica is sexy, exciting, and everything Clare desires.

One night with the charismatic stranger is all it takes to leave her craving more. But the intensity Mica brings isn’t confined to the bedroom, and Clare wonders if this summer fling might turn more adventurous than she anticipated—especially as a curious energy starts to simmer between the two of them and Mica’s handsome roommate, Vaughn.

As the three-way tension mounts, Mica makes a sinful proposal. It’s an invitation Clare can’t pass up, and an erotic encounter she’ll never be able to forget. Caught up between two irresistible men, Clare is about to get all the excitement she’s been looking for—and then some….

Gun Shy by Lili St. Germain (June 27): iBooks Pre-Order | Add to Goodreads

This woman writes it. I read it. It’s really just that simple

A standalone romantic psychological thriller.

There are two thousand people living in Gun Creek, Nevada.
Only one of them knows what really happened that night.

One year ago, my boyfriend almost killed my mother.
One year ago, my stepfather became my legal guardian.
One year ago, my whole world ended.
The boy I loved was the boy who ended my world; Leo drank too much, got behind the wheel and smashed his car into my mother’s as she drove home from work. I believe him when he says it was an accident, but there’s only so much you can forgive when you’ve seen your mother laid out on a hospital gurney, all pale skin and damp hair from where they’ve tried to wash the blood away. There’s only so much you can forgive as you watch a nurse feed her through a feeding tube, because your mother has turned into a ghost.

There’s only so much you can forgive when your stepfather—the untouchable town Sheriff—moves into your bedroom and forces you to fulfill his every dark desire.

Yesterday the mailman handed me a letter from the prison where Leo’s being held. Leo’s getting out. The boy who stole my mother and thrust me into this hell? He gets to walk free after one lousy year. He gets to move on with his life, and start again, and I’m trapped in this nightmare that never seems to end.

One year ago, my boyfriend almost killed my mother.
One year ago, my stepfather became my legal guardian.
One year ago, my whole world ended.

ADDICTED by Elle Kennedy (June 28): Pre-Order | Add to Goodreads

This woman writes it, I read it. It’s just that necessary.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Claimed comes the second enticingly erotic novel set in a world on the brink of chaos.
 
Lennox used to live in a paradise on earth with his best friend Jamie, in a place where visitors came and went, allowing their desires to run free. But everything changes when a deadly attack forces them to take up with Connor Mackenzie’s band of Outlaws. Lennox knows Jamie is hung up on someone else, but he’s always believed he’s the man for her—and won’t let her go without a fight.

Even though Jamie is well aware that Lennox is one hot specimen of a man, she refuses to let sex ruin the most important relationship in her life. But when the object of her interest spurns her, she indulges in a little pleasure-filled revenge with her very magnetic, very willing best friend. One thrilling night with Lennox is enough to awaken Jamie’s unexpected desires for him. And now that she’s had a taste, she’s not sure she can ever give him up…

Bourbon Thief by Tiffany Reisz (June 28): Pre-Order | Add to Goodreads

Dude. It’s Tiffany fucking Reisz. This is self explanatory.

When Cooper McQueen wakes up from a night with a beautiful stranger, it’s to discover he’s been robbed. The only item stolen—a million-dollar bottle of bourbon. The thief, a mysterious woman named Paris, claims the bottle is rightfully hers. After all, the label itself says it’s property of the Maddox family who owned and operated Red Thread Bourbon distillery since the last days of the Civil War until the company went out of business for reasons no one knows… No one except Paris.

In the small hours of a Louisville morning, Paris unspools the lurid tale of Tamara Maddox, heiress to the distillery that became an empire. But the family tree is rooted in tainted soil and has borne rotten fruit. Theirs is a legacy of wealth and power, but also of lies, secrets and sins of omission. The Maddoxes have bourbon in their blood—and blood in their bourbon. Why Paris wants the bottle of Red Thread remains a secret until the truth of her identity is at last revealed, and the century-old vengeance Tamara vowed against her family can finally be completed.

Cream of the Crop by Alice Clayton (July 12): Pre-Order | Goodreads

It’s Alice Clayton. I haven’t met a book by her that I DIDN’T love. And after loving the hell out of Nuts, I can’t wait to get my grubby little hands on this one!

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Alice Clayton brings her trademark blend of funny and sexy to this second contemporary romance in the brand-new Hudson Valley series!

Manhattan’s It Girl, Natalie Grayson, has it all: she’s a hot exec at a leading advertising firm, known industry-wide for her challenging and edgy campaigns. She’s got a large circle of friends, a family that loves her dearly, and her dance card is always full with handsome eligible bachelors. What else could a modern gal-about-town wish for? The answer, of course, is…cheese.

Natalie’s favorite part of each week is spending Saturday morning at the Union Square Farmer’s Market, where she indulges her love of all things triple cream. Her favorite booth also indulges her love of all things handsome. Oscar Mendoza, owner of the Bailey Falls Creamery and purveyor of the finest artisanal cheeses the Hudson Valley has to offer, is tall, dark, mysterious, and a bit oblivious. Or so she thinks. But that doesn’t stop Natalie from fantasizing about the size of his, ahem, milk can.

Romance is churning, passion is burning, and something incredible is rising to the top. Could it be…love?

Sinner’s Revenge by Kim Jones (July 19): Pre-Order | Add to Goodreads

Ever since I read and cried my eyes out with Sinner’s Creed, I’ve been waiting for Shady’s story. Any author that cause my cold black heart to ugly cry the way I did and yet have a smile on my face at the end of it goes straight to my auto buy list. Period.

And if you missed my interview with Kim talking about all things Sinner’s Creed, you can read that HERE

The sizzling second book featuring the Sinner’s Creed Motorcycle Club, bikers bent on riding chrome and meting out mayhem…

Shady has spent the last eight years of his life dedicated to the Sinner’s Creed Motorcycle Club. But after losing the man who was both his brother and his best friend, he has a new purpose—to avenge the death of the greatest nomad in Sinner’s Creed history.

His plan is flawless. His mission is simple: seek and destroy. There is no room for distractions—especially a distraction like Diem.

She’s infuriating. Demanding. Complicated. Impossible. And for some reason, Shady can’t stay away. But he only has space in his heart for one love: Sinner’s Creed. And the club always comes first. Always.

Broken Prince by Erin Watt (July 25): Pre-Order | Add to Goodreads

I. Can’t. Even. Don’t make me talk about this book because I will find myself rocking in a dark corner and mumbling things about need, Reed, and sadistic authors. Just give me the book and no one gets hurt. And if you haven’t read Paper Princess yet, I don’t even know who you are right now.

Q: Where’s the blurb?
It’s coming, but until then, aren’t you enjoying the suspense?

Q: Who’s in this book? Can you at least tell us that?
Ella, Callum, the five Royal brothers, Wade, Valerie, and a host of others. 

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover (August 2): Pre-Order | Add to Goodreads

This blurb though!

Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up. She graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, and maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant and has a total soft spot for Lily; and the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head, but Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his no dating rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan, her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

With this bold and deeply personal novel Colleen Hoover delivers a heart-wrenching story that breaks exciting new ground for her as a writer. Combining a captivating romance with a cast of all too human characters, “It Ends with Us” is an unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price.

Burn Down The Night by Molly O’Keefe (August 2): Pre-Order | Add to Goodreads

Ever since I first met Max in Everything I Left Unsaid, I’ve been practically dying for his book!

The only thing that matters to me is rescuing my sister from the drug-cooking cult that once enslaved us both. I’ve run cons my whole life, and I’ll use my body to get whatever I need. Max Daniels is the last connection I have to that world, the one person reckless enough to get involved. Besides, now that his brothers have turned on him, he needs me too.

The deal was supposed to be simple: a place to hide in exchange for rescuing my sister. Now he’s my prisoner. Totally at my mercy. But I’m the one captivated. Enthralled. Doing everything he asks of me until I’m not sure who’s in control.

We both crave the heat. The more it hurts, the better. But what if Max wants a different life now, to leave the game . . . to love me? I thought I knew better than to get burned. Now I’m in too deep to pull away. And the crazy thing is . . . I don’t want to.

Reaper’s Fire by Joanna Wylde (August 9): Pre-Order | Add to Goodreads

Firstly, it’s Joanna Wylde. Secondly NEED! That is all.

The club comes first.

I’ve lived by those words my whole life—assumed I’d die by them, too, and I never had a problem with that. My Reaper brothers took my back and I took theirs and it was enough. Then I met her. Tinker Garrett. She’s beautiful, she’s loyal, and she works so damned hard it scares me sometimes . . . She deserves a good man—one better than me. I can’t take her yet because the club still needs me. There’s another woman, another job, another fight just ahead.

Now she’ll learn I’ve been lying to her all along. None of it’s real. Not my name, not my job, not even the clothes I wear. She thinks I’m nice. She pretends we’re just friends, that I’ve still got a soul . . . Mine’s been dead for years. Now I’m on fire for this woman, and a man can only burn for so long before he destroys everything around him.

I’m coming for you, Tinker.

First Star I See Tonight by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (August 23): Pre-Order | Add to Goodreads

SEP was THE author that hooked me on contemporary romance. It Had To Be You (book one in this series) is still one of my all time favorites. As a matter of fact, I adore the entire series. She writes strong alphas and sassy heroes with the added perk of perfect humor. How do you NOT love it?

A star quarterback and a feisty detective play for keeps in this sporty, sexy, sassy novel—a long-awaited new entry in the beloved, award-winning, New York Times bestselling author’s fan-favorite Chicago Stars football series.

Piper Dove is a woman with a dream—to become the best detective in the city of Chicago. First job? Trail former Chicago Stars quarterback, Cooper Graham. Problem? Graham’s spotted her, and he’s not happy.

Which is why a good detective needs to think on her feet. “The fact is…I’m your stalker. Not full-out barmy. Just…mildly unhinged.”

Piper soon finds herself working for Graham himself, although not as the bodyguard he refuses to admit he so desperately needs. Instead, he’s hired her to keep an eye on the employees at his exclusive new nightclub. But Coop’s life might be in danger, and Piper’s determined to protect him, whether he wants it or not. (Hint: Not!) If only she weren’t also dealing with a bevy of Middle Eastern princesses, a Pakistani servant girl yearning for freedom, a teenager who just wants to fit in, and an elderly neighbor demanding Piper find her very dead husband.

And then there’s Cooper Graham himself, a legendary sports hero who always gets what he wants—even if what he wants is a feisty detective hell bent on proving she’s as tough as he is.

From the bustling streets of Chicago to a windswept lighthouse on Lake Superior to the glistening waters of Biscayne Bay, two people who can’t stand to lose will test themselves and each other to discover what matters most.

Furious Rush by S.C. Stephens (August 23): Pre-Order | Add to Goodreads

First of all: that cover. Second of all: that blurb. Do you honestly need any more?

The first in an emotion-fueled, New Adult series from the #1 bestselling author of the Thoughtless novels.

Too fast, too furious-and way too hot to handle…

Mackenzie Cox has a lot to prove. Daughter of a racing legend, she is eager to show the world that she has inherited her father’s talent in the male-dominated sport of professional motorcycle racing. The last thing Kenzie needs is to be antagonized by her rival team’s newest rider, Hayden Hayes. Plucked from the world of illegal street racing, Hayden immediately gets under Kenzie’s skin. His insinuations that Kenzie is a spoiled princess who was handed her career fuels her desire to win, and much to her surprise, Kenzie soon learns she performs better when she’s racing against Hayden.

As Kenzie and Hayden push each other on the track, the electric energy between them offthe track shifts into an intense–and strictly forbidden–attraction. The only rule between their two ultra-competitive teams is zero contact. Kenzie always does her best to play by the rules, but when her team slips into a financial crisis, she has no choice but to turn to Hayden for help. The tension simmers during their secret, late-night rendezvous, but Kenzie has too much to lose to give in to her desires. Especially when she begins to doubt that Hayden has completely left his street life behind…

Shadow’s Falling by Rebecca Zanetti (August 30): Pre-Order | Add to Goodreads

I’m not typically a lover of post-apocalyptic romance, but damn if Rebecca Zanetti didn’t hook me with Mercury Striking. And then when she introduced Raze in that book? FAHGETBOUTIT. I need it BAD. I highly recommend reading this series in order for best enjoyment.

Before the Scorpius Syndrome tore through North America and nearly wiped out the population, Vivienne Kennedy was the FBI’s best profiler. The bacteria got her anyway. But she survived. She recovered. And when she woke up from a drug-nightmare of captivity, her skills as a hunter of men had gone from merely brilliant to full-on uncanny.

Her mysterious rescuer wants her to put them to the test. But no matter how tempting he is, with his angel’s eyes and devil’s tongue, Vinnie knows she shouldn’t trust him.

If the FBI were still around they would rate Raze Shadow as one of the bad guys. His military training can’t wipe out his association with the Mercenaries, the most feared gang in a thousand miles. His loyalties are compromised. He won’t even tell Vinnie his real name. But there’s no FBI in the new America of fear and firepower, only instinct and risk. And the way his arms wrap around Vinnie tells its own story. Whatever else Raze is concealing, he can’t hide his desire . . .

So there you have it, dirty birds. My most anticipated summer releases all in one long ass post. Did I miss any of yours? I’d love to hear about it in comments!

Till next time!

*kisses and ass grabs*