A delightful spicy romance that transported me away from the bleak English winter to a steamy paradise.
Dual POV, forbidden romance/co-workers trope with forced proximity as Jasmine and Alejandro are sent to Jamaica for 2 weeks to open a new branch of the Love Hotel.

A quick and easy read if you're looking for something to warm the winter chill and transport you with wonderful descriptions of beautiful jamaica and steamy summer fun.

The writing style wasn't my favourite and could be repetitive at times but I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and this little slice of spicy sunshine ☀️🔥

📚Thank you to NetGalley & Boldwood Books for this advanced copy of What Happens in Paradise by Olivia Spring in exchange for an honest review🫶🏼

What Happens In Paradise by Olivia Spring is a delightful, steamy romance set in the sun-soaked backdrop of a luxury hotel. Jasmine, a dedicated hotel guest relations manager and self-proclaimed Love Alchemist, is tasked with setting up a new branch of the Spanish Love Hotel in Jamaica. While she’s always kept her professional distance from the tempting sous-chef, Alejandro, their chemistry becomes impossible to ignore. With rules against staff relationships, the two agree to a secret holiday fling. But, of course, paradise complicates things. This charming, lighthearted read is perfect for fans of forbidden romance, tropical settings, and sizzling chemistry. Spring crafts a fun, escapist tale about love, temptation, and the consequences of following your heart in paradise.

I am a super fan of Olivia Spring’s novels and they just keep getting better.
I love the setting of The Love Hotel in sunny Spain and everyone’s job title is so fitting, The Love Alchemist, Jasmine, who was responsible for a true love match between Stella and Max in The One That Got Away, will she ever get her HEA?
We follow Jasmine in her quest to help set up a new Love Hotel in Jamaica, an idyllic location, along with wannabe Cuisine King, Alejandro, between them the chemistry ignites into an inferno, but they have to refrain as it’s frowned upon for colleagues to fraternise.
As the temperature soars so does their chemistry as they’re thrown together to try out romantic “dates” for the hotel.
A fabulously steamy, escapist beach read.

I really enjoyed the first novel in this series but absolutely loved this book. This time we’re exploring Jasmine and Alejando’s characters further as they’re sent off to the Love Hotel in Jamaica for a couple of weeks to train the new Love Alchemists and Cuisine Kings (yes this is the book with the quirky but adorable job titles. What could go wrong, two weeks on an island paradise, meeting new people and experiencing activities to add to the hotel’s portfolio. Apart from that Jasmine and Alejandro both have the hots for each other and work relationships are completely forbidden. Can they remain professional or will they pursue a secret romance? This novel is steamy, sultry and perfect for Valentine’s Day. and I can’t wait for book three. Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and the author for the chance to review.

This is the second book in the ‘Love Hotel’ series. After reading The One That Got Away last year, I was so excited to read more about Love Hotel and from different perspectives. The first book focused on two guests at the hotel whereas this one was a workplace romance surrounding Love Hotel employees Alejandro and Jasmine. The setting was stunning, we join Jasmine and Alejandro as they are helping to set up the Love Hotel in Jamaica. They are two of the best workers from the headquarters in Spain and are chosen to help set up the new hotel and educate the new workers on the Love Hotel ethos. Jasmine and Alejandro have feelings for each other which isn’t good seeing as co-worker relationships are forbidden and many people had been fired from the hotel because of hooking up with co-workers. It also doesn’t help that Jasmine was essentially Alejandro’s boss

One of the things I adored was the setting and world building. Reading this book in the cold gloom of January made me wish I was there with them! This was a fun, easy and faced paced read and there were a few moments that had me laughing out loud. The few appearances of Stella (from book 1) was a cute touch and I think it added to the flow of the story as we know that Stella and Jasmine had developed a good friendship. Dual perspectives in romances are my favourite, I love seeing both sides of the relationship and how they feel about one another. The steamy scenes flowed naturally and were filled with passion, you could really feel how much the characters wanted each other. The activities they did, to trial for the future guests, sounded like so much fun especially the waterfall climbing.

However, while their feelings for each other had grown over the past few months as they had mentioned, this romance felt very insta-love and I would have loved to have learnt more about their feelings for each other over the past few months. Jasmine was a secondary character in the first book and you got a slight taste of the chemistry between her and Alejandro but it never went into detail because that was about Stella and Max’s story.
I feel that having more of a build up to the relationship would have made the romance stronger. Alejandro was a very sweet character, I loved how understanding he was and he was just such a loveable character. Jasmine’s character, while strong, did frustrate me a bit. Her constant worry of the age gap did grow tiresome but I do understand why she was worried about it, it is a valid worry especially when you think about how her ex-husband went off with someone younger. In a lot of ways I felt that Alejandro was more mature than her, despite her being older.

At one point within the story I genuinely wondered whether Hazel (the boss) had sent Jasmine and Alejandro on this trip to bring them together and make them realise that they needed each other which is pretty much the ethos of the Love Hotel. I know that was a stretch, seeing as how mad she was when she kept firing people for hooking up, but what Jasmine and Alejandro had was different.

While this book didn’t hit the mark for me, I enjoyed reading and following the journey of Jasmine and Alejandro. This is a cute summery read that is perfect for romance lovers who enjoy these tropes:

Forbidden romance
Age gap romance
Forced proximity
He falls first
One bed

**I received this advanced copy of What Happens in Paradise by Olivia Spring from NetGalley & Boldwood Books in exchange for an honest review**

Oh Alejandro 🥵
What an adorable, hot man the main character is. This book is technically a second in the series, but it was the first one I read and definitely can be a standalone. It was cute, funny, and a good amount of spice!
The Love Hotel is located in Spain, and while the FMC Jasmine is not Spanish, Alejandro is. His confusion of some of the English language while with Jasmine was endearing, and he was adorable and the perfect book boyfriend to kick back and read about. I loved him from the very beginning and loved the way he treated Jasmine. This book overall was very cute and had me laughing the whole timeline !

It took me a while to get into this book. I found the FMC a little annoying. She was hung up on their age gap. She's older but was certainly less mature. I loved that it was a forbidden romance and forced proximity. Their boss also drove me a little nuts by putting them in these super romantic circumstances, but was highly offended that they fell in love. Isn't that what you want at the love hotel?!

This is the second book in a series but can definitely be read as a stand alone as I did. I will be going back to read book one!

Check this book out if you like the follow tropes:

Forced Proximity
One Bed
Forbidden Love
Reverse Age Gap

Jasmine y Alejandro se gustan, pero debido a que en su trabajo están prohibidas las relaciones entre empleados, no pueden hacer nada y deben mantenerse profesionales. Sin embargo, son enviados a un resort en Jamaica por dos semanas, y las cosas se les saldrán de las manos. Por más que intenten alejarse, no lo lograrán. ¿Sacrificarán sus empleos por amor? Y si lo hacen, ¿aceptarán las consecuencias?

Fue una lectura amena y entretenida.




Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This spicy romance is a perfect vacation or beach read. Doesn't take itself too seriously but delivers on fun and engagement

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun, heart-warming romance that combines the heat of being on holiday with the tension of workplace dynamics, and I absolutely loved it!

Jasmine and Alejandro felt so perfect for each other and I really enjoyed both of their characters. While I found some of the conflict of the workplace anti-fraternisation rules to be slightly repetitive at times, the story itself was great and I loved how these characters interacted.

If you’re looking for a fun, spicy read to keep you warm this winter, definitely give this one a go!

It was a cute read, but I feel their connection was too instalove. I would have appreciated more backstory and build to their love story. For example, more workplace happenings to show them developing the attraction and admiration for each other. Also, some of the banter and word choices were unrealistic and suspect to me. However, some of their interactions were swoonworthy! I enjoyed their time in Jamaica and them discovering how much they had in common despite their obvious age gap and ethnic differences.
I give it 3.5 Stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this arc in exchange for my honest review.|

HOT AND AMAZING NOVEL

I did not expect this to be this good.

Totally recommend to read as soon as possible.

I recently read What Happens in Paradise by Olivia Spring, and it was a delightful and spicy romance! The story follows Jasmine, the guest relations manager at an exclusive Spanish Love Hotel, known as the Love Alchemist for her matchmaking skills. However, matchmaking between staff is strictly forbidden. Enter Alejandro, the delectable sous-chef, who makes it hard for Jasmine to resist their mutual attraction. When Jasmine is tasked with setting up a new branch of the hotel in Jamaica, she's ecstatic—until she learns Alejandro will be joining her for two weeks. Under the sultry Jamaican sun, keeping things professional becomes impossible, and they agree to a secret holiday fling. The story is filled with forced proximity, opposites attracting, and plenty of spice. It's a fun, engaging read that will keep you entertained from start to finish. If you enjoy destination romances with a side of heat, this book is perfect for you!

This is a spicy, hot and romantic Olivia Spring romance based in paradise.Jasmine likes match making people but she isn't allowed to do it at work but sometimes she is driven to make the perfect match at work.

This was such a cute romantic read. I love a good age gap, add to it the prohibited workplace romance and I knew I’d be all in.
Jasmine and Ale couldn’t help themselves when they’re sent to Jamaica together to set up the new Love Hotel where couples are matched by matchmakers while spending time in paradise. Even though workplace relationships were strictly prohibited, Alejandro and Jasmine find themselves drawn to each other over and over again.
This story is very romantic. The setting in Jamaica is perfect and brings you Bob, the quirky Jamaican driver who was by far my favourite character.
My only complaint is, when the perspective changes between Ale and Jasmine, it goes over the same scene you just read again from their perspective a bit too much and started to seem a bit repetitive. Only a minor issue though because I thoroughly enjoyed this read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the Publisher for the eARC.

This story features Jasmine and Alejandro who we already met in "The One that Got Away" as staff members of the "Love Hotel" in Spain. If you have read the book, you know that there was already chemistry between those two. If you haven't read it, no worries, this book can absolutely be read as a stand-alone.
Jasmin and Alejandro have been attracted to one-another for quite a while but since their boss insists on enforcing a complete no dating policy they never acted on it. Also Alejandro is younger than Jasmine and she can't really believe he really would be interested in dating her. So they kept their distance but now they are sent to Jamaica to help opening another "Love Hotel" there and they keep being thrown together to check out possible romantic dates for the future guest. Of course this is not at all helpful for ignoring their attraction...
This book is an enjoyable and amusing read set in a gorgeous location. I had fun reading it and finished the book in one day. The main characters are mostly relatable and their romance is believable. I found it really hard to believe that any employer could have the right to fire you for your private relationships but it might be true in some countries, I guess. So while it felt a bit far-fetched overall the story worked for me.
I really enjoyed reading this book and while it was not my favorite book by Olivia Spring it really is a sweet, funny and heartwarming romance.

The second book "What Happens in Paradise" belongs to the Love Hotel series by Olivia Spring. The plot tells of the hotel's guest manager, Jasmine, who happens to be a talented "Love Alchemist", a nickname, which she got for her perfect matchmaking. However, match-making among workers is forbidden without exception. Jasmine, however, becomes extremely attracted to Alejandro, an appetizing sous-chef. Yet she has to resist her feelings towards him and adhere to her work duties. Upon the agreement with the manager of the hotel, Jasmine goes to open a new hotel branch in Jamaica. She sees this as an excellent chance to keep away from Alejandro. However, her scheme turns into something quite different once she gets the information that Alejandro will also be with her for a total of 2 weeks. The sultry Jamaican sun, which was the setting, became a minor thing. Additionally, the professional secrecy was not adhered to because they had decided to have their vacation, though secretly.

Jasmine is a determined and passionate girl who is very attached to her work and the guests' happiness in the hotel. Moreover, Alejandro, a charming and very qualified sous-chef, feels a strong bond with Jasmine. Their close and distant relationship is presented with tenderness and truthfulness, so they seem to be real and the viewer gets involved in their lives. Olivia Spring's narrative is fascinating and through the use of descriptions she can easily invoke unforgettable imagery of the place that has been decorated for the holiday. The style is also very smooth and it is as though readers were given the chance to actually enter the story which they love so much. Olivia Spring likes her readers to enjoy the moments of romance and suspense at the same time, as she makes a story capable of taking the readers through a thrilling ride that never loses its grip throughout.

The main themes of the novel are about love of those who are not allowed to love each other, self discovery, and the charm of a love story that occurs during the holidays. Through the ballad, the author tells that, if necessary, the people you don't imagine you can love sometimes offer the best moments, points to the fact that to yourselves being true is very essential to finding the right attractions.Her writing is colorful, passionate, and the action is felt as if you were living it with the characters. Some of the techniques used in the narrative are the multi-perspective approach and the use of flashbacks, which... together the readers are given a wealth of information through these means about the characters, their backgrounds and motivations. Most of the dialogue is normal and, in turn, reveals character relationships.

The story is evenly managed. It has ordered, clear, and interesting concepts that keep the reader engrossed. Each chapter leads smoothly to the following one, which in turn, has a good balance of slow and fast rhythms. The text is easy to read, as the prose is clear and the idea is explained logically and unambiguously."What Happens in Paradise" is an interesting and heartwarming romance which also combines the ideas of forbidden love, self-discovery, and the festive spirit. The way Olivia Spring is narrating the story is incredible and pulling, hence, making this a perfect read for holiday fiction and contemporary romance fans. The book makes the reader think a lot and promotes the appeal of the Christmas holiday and the benefits of love and community.

Anyone looking for a holiday romance, love stories with a twist, and human transformation of themselves may take a chance at "What Happens in Paradise." The story is a lively and heart-warming account that will be cherished by the readers long after they have finished the last page of the book. Its combination of the passionate feelings of love and the lively atmosphere of the holidays makes it a remarkable addition to the holiday genre.

I loved the concept for this book. The 'Love Hotel' was really fun, and I Ioved the different names the hotel had in place of staff roles, like a 'Love Alchemist'. I also enjoyed the fake dates our main characters had to go on to explore romantic options for the guests. Unfortunately my praises go a bit downhill from here on. I struggled with the writing style of this book, and felt the characters could have been stronger.

My first critique is a small one, but as I take notes while I read, and this is something I jotted down, I figured I'd include it - I felt a little uncomfortable with the way Alejandro and his sister spoke to each other. They seemed a little too comfortable talking about him being intimate. Alejandro's character is a very honest one, and he says he owes that to his sister, so perhaps it's just the way they've grown up or maybe their culture, I'm unsure, but maybe a better character for those conversations could have been a close friend of his.

Now onto what I disliked about the writing style. I found the sentences too short at times, without some of the embellishments and descriptions that can help bring the writing to life. They felt a little too simple or basic to me, describing too normal of things that the characters were doing, and I found the way things were explained too repetitive at times. Instead of furthering the detail and deepening the emotions described, the feelings felt more surface level and obviously stated. The impact of some scenes fell a little flat. And at other times there were too many filler sentences that described basic actions.

Overall, I found the author was overexplaining a lot of unnecessary things, and under describing what was important, for example, a lot of the scene setting/environment felt a bit empty for me, so I couldn't form a full image.

For other people this might be fine, and maybe not something they'd notice, but I feel I personally need a bit more detail to imagine the scenes more vividly in my mind, rather than just focusing on the characters conversations, which honestly contained too much back and forth of pleasantries, which got quite boring to read through so often.

A lot of scenes in this book were 'told' to the reader and not described. So 'we did this, then that, then this too'. I found myself feeling disconnected from the book, and the romance particularly, as I hadn't experienced it alongside the characters.

Characterisation-wise, I found Jasmine too indecisive to the point that it became a little annoying. She was constantly filled with regret but kept making decisions she knew she would end up regretting. I understand it was part of her character, but I found it frustrating to read as I went along. With Alejandro's character, I found he was simply too polite. It became monotonous, and felt robotic. I liked his character at first, and do think he was wonderful, but he lost personality and excitement for me.

Towards the end of the book, the firing and unfiring felt very unrealistic to me. It happened so fast there was barely time to process it. The build up to their romance was very long, but the 'conflict' of the novel was too fast and disorientating. The Manager then being fired instead of the two main characters made zero sense, as she'd only been doing her job, while Jasmine and Alejandro had behaved inappropriately with company money. I think this resolution could have at least worked better if there was simply more time to sit with it.

I think this novel had a really fun premise, and a cool twist on the 'fake dating' trope. The writing style not being my favourite could be just myself, but I do think the characters need to be stronger, with less indecisive and more separate personalities. They were too nice, and scared of stepping on each others toes, making them lack individual personalities.

2.5 ⭐️
This was very okay - I liked the premise and I really enjoyed the hotel setting (and the descriptions of Jamaica were amazing, I could picture it so clearly!). I didn’t really feel the chemistry between the two main characters and I would’ve liked to know more about their histories, a lot of the background info was just sprinkled in and not explained in-depth. I understand that Ale was Spanish and English wasn’t his first language but I didn’t really like how much Spanish was sprinkled into his dialogue (especially because it wasn’t always translated) and I felt the same way about Bob’s dialogue in Jamaican - it was quite hard to understand. I did like the ending and how it was all wrapped up - overall this was a cute summery read.

Dual POV, coworkers, age gap read. It was addicting I had to know what happens next! Somewhat predictable but it doesn’t affect the enjoyment of reading the book. This is book two in a series but can be read as standalone. I am going to read book one now that I have read this one. I enjoyed this quick and easy read. I was entertained.
I would say 4.25 stars but it doesn’t let me place a quarter star