Summer Reading

One of my favorite things about the summer is finding great summer beach books. For me, these are usually lighter books, set in the summer in warm, sunny beach locations. Most often they are contemporary adult romance, sometimes sweet romance and sometimes with a little romantic heat to them.

Some people really enjoy reading YA during the summer, and if that’s you, be sure to check out the Stacked Blog here where you can find great posts about various YA books.

This summer, before my schedule becomes busy with teaching teen classes and educator classes, I’ve had some time to dive into a contemporary series by romance author, Roxanne St. Claire. The first four novels in this series are about four friends and set in Barefoot Bay, a small town in Florida. In the first story, a hurricane wipes out heroine Lacy’s home. But with the help of her three friends and hero, architect Clay, the two are able to design and build a resort of villas. These villas become part of the story in each of the following stories in the series about the three friends.

As a writer, I am always reading with an eye on craft and how another author creates a story world. These are some of the questions I ask myself:

What trope is being used in this story? (Friends to Lovers, Former Loves, Etc…)


What is the theme of this story? And what is the overarching theme of the entire series of stories?


What archetypes did the author use for her heroine and hero?
Who are the minor characters in each story and how do they show up later in the series?


How is this story plotted? Do the twists keep me interested and turning the pages? Why?


How does the setting impact the plot in this book and all the books in the series?
Why is this book a single title rather than a category romance?

 

If you’re interested in a summer romance read, you can read all about the Bayfoot Bay series here. 

These are contemporary romance with a little more heat to them than I write in my sweet romances, so fans of the sweet romance be warned!