In Bed With a Romance Author recs: 'Fisher's Light,' 'Spark'

Hi there, readers! I'm back after a few weeks of spring breaks (yes, multiple weeks for multiple kids), tons of family time and looming deadlines. Needless to say, I had a few enlightening conversations during this time … and fell into bed each night with a hot read.

It all started with my husband making THIS announcement while he was In Bed With a Romance Author.

I'd just settled into bed on a Sunday night, perusing my iPad, checking e-mails (or Instagram) when I heard him say: I'm out of town this week for one night, leaving early Wednesday and getting back late Thursday.

Me, acting unfazed, hitting "like" on a photo: OK.

Inside I'm doing cartwheels and jumping jacks.

Him: Nothing I can do about this trip. Sorry, it's so last minute.

Me with VISIONS of leisurely bubble baths, glasses of wine and cups of coffee on the edge of the tub, and a stack of books dancing in my head: No prob! I'll miss you, but we'll be fine.

Him: So, you'll be good with carpools and stuff?

Me: Yeah, yeah ... do what you need to do.

All the while, I'm already lining up what I want to read.

The first night started out as planned as I slid into my tub with my Kindle (I know, one of these days, I'm going to drop it in the water).

In the mood for angst, love and suffering, I dove into Fisher's Light by Tara Sivec. Sivec who has shown she can be sarcastic, funny, romantic and mysterious, reveals another side with this one. A beautiful second-chance love story, Fisher and Lucy fall in love as young adults before he goes on to serve five tours of duty with the Marines. Lucy stays behind on their beloved Fisher's Island — a place named for his family — waiting for him to come "home" to her. Each time, Fisher returns a bit worse, and Lucy nurses him through nightmares and bouts of PTSD. Then, after the final tour, he pushes her totally away in a fit of rage.

Now a year later, they're divorced and Lucy is trying to make a new life for herself on the island, the same one that holds memories of Fisher and her at every corner — especially at the lighthouse. Until Fisher returns, determined to get his girl in what is an emotional journey, packing a number of gut-wrenching punches along the way, requiring tissues.

Which brings me to my next day home alone where everything didn't go quite as planned. No Magic Mike strolled through my bedroom delivering breakfast in bed or even coffee, and I had nothing to blow my nose or wipe anything else on.

I was almost asleep when my other-half returned home the following night.

He slid into bed and said: Hey, you good?

Me: Yeah.

My heart beating a happy beat that he was back.

Him: Did you miss me?

Me: We ran out of toilet paper and paper towels and tissues. How does that happen?

Him: So you did miss me?

Me: Did I say that? OK, I did.

With toilet paper the central focus in my life, I felt the need to read some young, uninhibited, heart-racing love.

I was super lucky to nab an advance copy of Spark by Erin Noelle. Set among the grandeur of the Colorado mountains and caught in the middle of legalized marijuana, skin bunnies and hipsters, Spark is not only a story about young love, but conviction, strength and the meaning of family.

Crew Elliott, his mother and younger brother, relocate to Colorado looking for an alternative cure for young Caleb's epilepsy when they walk into the inn owned by Hudson Shavell's family. Little did they know they'd find everything and more inside that very lodge. Upon meeting, a spark flutters between Hudson and Crew, and only continues to grow as she recognizes his devotion to his brother.

An inferno builds between the two of them — with Hudson's adorable hippie grandma orchestrating from the sidelines — until one day everything explodes right before their eyes. Now, it is up to Crew to decide how to make amends. What happens when a lovesick guy hits rock bottom and wants to get his girl back? Sparks fly.

After using up all my newly bought tissues, I needed a super fun, sexy read. Although they're all the rage, I haven't even dipped a toe into stepbrother romances, so I decided to go for it.

I picked up Prick by Sabrina Paige. Prick features Caulter Sterling, prep-school bad boy, and Kate Harrison, straight-laced, "A" student and the daughter of a presidential hopeful. In the final weeks of her senior year at boarding school, Kate decides to cash in her innocence with the guy who has slept with practically everyone else — Caulter. The night ends up being far different than either of them expected and with it fresh in their minds, they're blindsided with the announcement that their parents are dating and getting married!

Not your typical stepbrother romance, Kate and Caulter's budding relationship is not as taboo as if they'd been step-siblings their whole lives. They just learned of their familial relationship, but cannot stop the attraction between one another. Let the fun begin with the two of them chasing and pursuing one another while their parents hit the campaign trail. Hot and steamy, this isn't only a fun read but one about growing up.

Rachel Blaufeld is a social worker/entrepreneur/blogger-turned-romance author. Her obsessions include running, coffee, icing-filled doughnuts, antiheroes and mighty fine epilogues. She is the author of the Electric Tunnel Series and Redemption Lane, and can be found at rachelblaufeld.com or on Twitter (@rachelblaufeld).