In Bed With a Romance Author: Rachel Blaufeld recs 'Manwhore +1,' 'Ride Steady'

With July 4th in the rearview, I'm determined to enjoy every last second of summer.

Seriously, lovely readers, I'm on a one-woman mission to read as many books and see as many movies as possible.

Last week, I was chatting with my son who wanted to see a certain comedy movie, and I wanted to see another.

Me: I want to see people falling in love or fighting and then falling in love. Anything where they fall in love is good for me.

Him: How much romance can one person read or watch, MOM?

Me: Never enough.

Romance books and movies are obviously what I have been bingeing on … and I plan to share all my picks with you. My lists may be a bit longer, so I will try to keep my descriptions short and sweet. This way, you have enough time to go read and watch yourself.

My summer so far:

When I left you last, I was falling in love with Malcolm Saint and Rachel Livingston in Manwhore by Katy Evans. Let me say this, my love did not waiver in Manwhore +1. After the first installment, I was desperate to see what happened with OCD, bossy, incredibly rich and sexy Saint and smart, witty and stunning journalist Rachel. In +1, Evans starts right where she left off in Manwhore with a very sad and in-love Rachel vying to make her point to Saint –– or her Sin. Her exposé on the man goes viral –– it's all anyone is talking about –– other than the man himself, who she wants to talk about it.

Malcolm is reeling behind the scenes while putting on a front for the media. Of course, the millionaire playboy is working his own magic behind the scenes.

As in the first book, this pair singes the pages, while they both remain loyal to their own beliefs and independence. I love this about Rachel. She may have the wealthiest, sexiest, most daring bachelor on her heels, but she is who she is, and no one is going to take that away.

I refuse to give spoilers, but I will say after the scene at the wine tasting, I called dibs on Malcolm Saint and the ending left me sappy and satisfied … and counting the minutes until Mrs. Manwhore.

I also caught up on Whitney G's serial, Reasonable Doubt, and lucky for me, I have air conditioning. This is one smoking-hot read (all three stories are now available and complete). In Doubt, a feisty legal intern/aspiring ballerina and her mentor skirt around their growing attraction –– although her boss seems to know her prior to the internship. Oh, he certainly does. When the connections are made, it is with just the right amount of angst, humor and sassiness. Andrew Hamilton and Aubrey's affection blooms among witty dialogue and steamy scenes behind closed doors.

These two both twist and torment themselves in their passion and need, yet they cannot seem to resist one another. Hamilton is against commitment, and Aubrey is falling for the stubborn and sexy lawyer. She pushes and he pulls until finally, everything snaps. What happens after … is delicious!

Definitely highly charged, this is a sexy read. A perfect beach chair, poolside or sitting-out-on-the-deck romance.

Of course, I saw Magic Mike XXL (no, this was not the movie I was considering seeing with my family). A few of my girlfriends and I made a night of this movie and dinner. I loved the first one, and I figured how bad can a sans clothes Channing Tatum, Joe Manganiello and Michael Strahan be?

Honestly, it was simply awesome to head out to the movies with my friends. We laughed so hard, we cried! We danced walking in and out of the theater, and we had a blast dissecting the movie a dinner.

In XXL, the gang gathers for one last show. They head to Myrtle Beach for the Annual Strippers Convention, along the way meeting new people and reacquainting with friends from the past. While some of it was far-fetched and a bit stereotypical, the final scene made it all worth it!

Finally, I holed up with Ride Steady, Kristen Ashley's latest, and I was reminded of how much I missed KA.

In Steady, we meet Carson "Joker" Steele and Carissa "Butterfly" Teodoro, high school classmates who both took very different paths in life. Joker is a badass biker with the kindest heart ever and Carissa married her high school boyfriend, only to find herself deserted as a single mom working a crap job.

With the usual KA formula, Joker rescues Carissa, makes her his woman –– while looking fabulous with her son on his hip. The dialogue is fun and witty, the love sincere and the bedroom scenes sensual. There is some tension in the beginning, but once Joker and Butterfly figure out they're falling in love, it is a beautiful ride.

So, what's on your summer read or watch list?

I look forward to hearing — tweet me @rachelblaufeld and let me know.

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).