The Summer of 71 Books in Order

The Summer of 71 is a Rome-set romance series about a brief season that changes two lives. It begins with The Summer I Lost It, when Molly Moncrieff arrives in Rome shaken, stranded, and badly in need of a safe place to land. A chance encounter with Max DuPont, a younger American with deep ties to the city, gives her that refuge and starts a relationship neither of them expected.

Rome is more than scenery here. Its piazzas, fountains, villas, cafés, ruins, food, and art shape the couple's days together. The city gives Molly room to recover her confidence, while Max introduces her to a world of family history, culture, and youthful possibility. Their attraction is immediate, but the books are also concerned with trust and with what each person is ready to give.

There is a large difference in experience between them. That tension matters.

Molly is older, has been hurt, and is trying to regain control of her own life. Max is younger and more sheltered, though far from naïve about art, history, or the city he loves. Their relationship is tested by the practical questions that follow any intense summer romance: family expectations, past relationships, distance, and the approaching moment when their time together must end.

Loved, Killed & Eaten continues the story after Molly and Max have found each other. The focus remains on their growing bond and their exploration of Rome and its surrounding places. The series treats their romance as something lived in daily life, through travel, meals, conversations, jealousy, and the sometimes awkward work of getting to know another person honestly.

In Of Cocks and Hens, the couple's world expands further. They travel to Capri, encounter each other's families in Italy and London, and face pressure from Molly's past. The book also brings them toward the bittersweet question that has hovered over the series from the beginning: whether love can hold when the summer, and the protected space it created, is over.

These are adult romances with sensual content, but the ongoing stakes are emotional rather than plot-heavy. Readers can expect a close focus on Molly and Max, a loving interest in Italian culture, and a story about loss of innocence that does not treat growing up as a simple or painless process. Start with The Summer I Lost It, since the later books build on the pair's first meeting and the choices they make together.