Must-read romances: 'Beneath Blood and Bone,' 'Racing the Sun,' 'Flame'

The summer continues on, and for some strange reason, my kids squeeed when they discovered my old high school yearbooks.

And decided to peruse them.

Perhaps school is in the air?

Or they just wanted a good laugh?

Either way, two yearbooks later, we were all cramping from laughing so hard.

It wasn't just the pictures, but the tiny passages written by friends lining the inner covers and dormant pages.

Here's what may or may not have been heard while taking a trip down memory lane:

What's hooking up?

Why does everyone keep writing his or her phone numbers down with K.I.T.?

What is the Running Man?

Look at his haircut!

OMG, look at Mom!

For my kids, my life back then was like an alternate universe.

Which reminds me of my first read. Beneath Blood and Bone by Madeline Sheehan and Claire C. Riley is a post-apocalyptic love story set in Purgatory. This is definitely not my usual genre, yet I have to say — I'm becoming a convert. I read this one, second in the series, as a stand-alone and was able to follow along with the story.

Following a devastating virus in Thicker Than Blood, Autumn is left to survive in the wild. She survives there dreaming of her former life and living like a savage. She does her own thing and avoids communicating with anyone, until she is captured and brought to Purgatory.

There she meets Eagle and the whole lot of sinners left to inhabit the world. Eagle apparently was a nasty one in the first book, but we begin to see some small sliver of something redeeming inside him. Beyond all that is on the surface, there is more. Together, Eagle and Autumn find beauty in a dark place.

Reaching out, I let my fingers hover just above her cheek, wanting to touch her and yet, not wanting to touch her…wanting to touch something pure, something innocent, just one more time.

This is the type of book that cannot be ruined by spoilers. There is too much going on, way more than meets the eye, and you have to read it for yourself. I say hunker down with this one, and get ready to be blown away. Both the writing and the storylines are exquisite.

With my next book, I did a one-eighty picking up Racing the Sun by Karina Halle. By the way, I'm not sure you've heard me the first hundred times I've mentioned dreaming of the Amalfi Coast? It's my fantasy trip, and Halle transports us to the exact spot in this one. This book is the story of Amber MacLean, poor American wandering traveler, and Desiderio Larosa, brooding Italian motorbike racer left to care for his twin brother and sister when his parents pass.

The two meet when Amber, desperate to make money, applies for the job of being the twins' English tutor on the island of Capri. Larosa watches MacLean with an intent gaze as she takes on the impossible job of keeping his pesky brother and sister in line. Wrought with bad dreams and problems of his own, Derio is fascinated with the witty American. He's salacious and she's both smitten and awkward as the two engage in a gorgeous Italian romance, taking them up the windy roads to Anacapri, across the water to Naples and all over the treasured Amalfi Coast.

Not only did this book make me want to go to Capri even more than I already do, I wanted to be young and in love again. I also loved the added element of intimacy raising the children gave to this story. The protective vibe radiating off Derio and the natural instinct to love from Amber — despite fighting it — made their connection really sizzle.

As for my own kids, in a second state of extreme state of hilariousness, they decided to share the yearbooks with my husband! Of course, my most embarrassing moments were on display, including one of my first crushes … who happened to have a similar name to the hero in the book I'd just finished. I swear that's not why I loved it!

Flame by Erin Noelle is the second in her Fire on the Mountain Series, and we are introduced to another Shavell sister, Dakota, and James Levi. Unlike her sister, Hudson in Spark, Kota is a wild woman and not afraid to go after what she wants or needs, and Levi is in her sights. After one crazy night, Kota's blond hair ablaze and Levi's body made for 501's, the pair sets off on a two-week road trip for Levi's motocross tour. Did I mention he's an insanely hot motorbike man? Oh, yes, he is!

The trip unfolds into quite the elaborate affair when it comes to inside jokes and quite the steamy ride — one that isn't easy to walk away from when it ends. Fate continues to unfold, though, and Levi meets with an injury. When he has to decide what he wants from life, there are grand gestures and emotions.

The flame between these two cannot be extinguished. This is a sassy read to finish the summer off with — both stunning in scenery and characters and hysterical in dialogue.

This whole funny fiasco made me think how we will look at the current generation of romance books, ripe with innuendo, references to texting and … hooking up!

I would venture to say we'll be seen as an open-minded and brave group of readers. I love that. We are not afraid to grace our Kindles with any variety of dark and/or fanciful tales.

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).