this was a good one from the start. must read and really enjoyed this from page one. I am loving this author more and more. Every book does it for me.

When I first got this I didn't realize it was previously a weekly chapter drop on Substack over the past year or so. It read perfectly fine but finding that out it did make more sense with the format.

I'm not a reality tv girly (besides the og Bachelor) but this plot was so much fun. I could actually picture everyone in this villa surrounded by camera's just trying to get by. The opening scenes very much gave Miss Congeniality which immediately hooked me. My only complaint is it wrapped up SO quickly. It was like the author ran out of time to release chapters and had to shove everything into just a couple.

A super fun, entertaining, page turner for summer!

I like the detailed introductions to the characters. Gives a clearer picture in my head of what they look like. Big Brother vibes. You can feel the tension. Beck is charming. Feels really drawn out. Logan definitely gives off Gold Retriever vibes. Lola terrifies him which is kind of endearing. Nina and Lauren are tough shells to crack but seem like they are waiting for someone to care enough to crack them. It was pretty comical everyone thinking they got drugged. Fairly certain it was Lola's fault. I feel bad for Beck being caught in Sienna's undercover web when she has to distance herself post-Heat Suites. I knew the Lola and Bailey drama would come to a head eventually. I guess I didn't expect them to get kicked off the show. I like how Sienna was honest with Dom and he and Logan helped her complete her mission.

📚 Title: Summer Heat
✍️ Author: Brooke Straiton
🗓️ Release Date: May 28, 2025
📘 Format: Ebook (ARC) — provided by BooksGoSocial, NetGalley, and Brooke Straiton in exchange for an honest review.

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🌟 Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5/5)

📝 Vibe Summary:
Think Love Island meets undercover suspense — packed with drama, heat, chemistry, and a high-stakes mission disguised as a reality dating show. Summer Heat brings the spice, the scandal, and the slow unraveling of something real beneath the sun-drenched chaos.

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📖 Story Review:

Initial Impressions:
The cover of Summer Heat is subtle, not giving much away — but the blurb? Instant hook. A “hot reality dating show” setting plus an undercover cop storyline? Yes, please. For lovers of binge-worthy tropes and guilty-pleasure drama, this premise was irresistible.

Plot & Characters:
Sienna, an undercover officer embedded in the show to investigate a human trafficking ring, finds herself dangerously close to Dominic Hale — son of the empire’s suspected leader — and even closer to falling for him. The setup is clever, and the balance of tension, romance, and mystery had me turning pages at warp speed.

Sienna was a complex character — tough, smart, and understandably torn. Her decisions sometimes made me want to yell at my Kindle (in the best way), but that emotional pull kept me invested. Dom wasn’t quite the broody billionaire I expected — more approachable, sincere, and surprisingly grounded, which worked beautifully against the heat of the storyline.

And then there’s Beck. Sweet, loyal, patient Beck. The man deserved the world and yet kept getting sidelined. His emotional arc was one of my favorites — and the entire Logan situation? UNEXPECTEDLY ICONIC. Closet drama? Say less.

Spice Level:
This isn’t your “open-door every chapter” kind of smut, but don’t let that fool you — the spice is intentional. It reads exactly like you’re watching a steamy scene unfold on-screen, except you get full access to the characters’ thoughts. It adds a depth and emotional weight often missing in visual media. And yes… Chapter 72 will live rent-free in my head forever. I laughed, I reread it, I almost missed my son’s baseball game over it. No regrets.

Also — someone please explain the that one-night switch?? Still not over it. The mystery lives on. WHO DID IT?!?!

Favorite Quote:

“And then— I move.”
— Chapter 96 Wrecked

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✅ Would I Recommend It?
Absolutely. If you’re a fan of Love Island, Temptation Island, or any “can’t-look-away” dating show chaos — this book is for you. It’s got reality TV drama, layered suspense, complex emotional stakes, and enough steam to fog up your Kindle.

Perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey’s spicy romcoms or Meghan Quinn’s high-drama romances with heart.

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📝 Final Thoughts:
Summer Heat was a wild ride that I devoured in record time. It’s got everything — undercover missions, magnetic attraction, emotional conflict, and scenes that leave you cackling out loud. I’ve already pre-ordered the physical copy for my personal bookshelf — because this book earned it.

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📣 Disclaimers & Tags:
• This ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.
• Content Warnings: human trafficking (non-graphic), sexual content, strong language, manipulation, jealousy, minor physical violence.

Dangerously Hot. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat both from intensity and laughter. It's hard to not turn the page in this brilliant performance.

This was a ridiculously fun read. I didn't have high hopes going into this but ended up reading it in one sitting.

It helped that the so-called villain wasn't terrible, in fact Dom was fairly sweet, the women were mostly supportive of each other and funny and the twist of having the undercover cop Sienna coming to terms with finding her inner hottie was also amusing. And the award for the best from left field character/character arc goes to Logan!!

I'm not a fan of the Bachelor series or it's spin off Bachelor in Paradise (which I guess is the sort of show that Summer Heat is spoofing) but have always enjoyed shows about the behind the scenes aspects of tv, like Unreal, so those glimpses into cranky producers, or silent meals were interesting to me. The amount of manipulation of the 'cast' was heartbreaking as we got to know and like them more. (Though I didn't understand why a scene between the crew getting goo-goo eyed over Sienna and Beck only to have it followed by the evening playing clips of everyone from the hidden cameras).

A perfect summer beach read.

This was a fun read that is unlike any other story I have read, It was interesting to watch the characters develop. Might be interesting to pull some excerpts as examples when discussing the topic of psychology, especially media psychology, for college-level courses. There were a couple of typos here and there, but I found the book to be well-written overall. Would love to see where this author goes with future books. Definitely enjoyed reading this and will recommend it to my friends who are into this genre.

i thought this would be a smart and fun read with flirty moments all melded in. and it was all those things but much more besides. it held so much more deeper moments and emotionally clever moments within both the plot and characters. and the interactions also gathered more deep layers so it hooked me in and kept me there all the way through.
i came in thinking it would a Miss congeniality funny but great at what it is read. and again i was surprised how much the plot made itself work on all fronts to make me feel more attached to the characters and what they were going through. but still managed to hold that bright lights feeling.
Sienna is a tough cookie. shes so clever but also so soft in how she holds her heart in this book. she has to get through a reality show of all places. her end goal is to get a job done, and that means getting closer in any way possible to a suspected very dangerous man.
her mission felt all at once on opposite end to each other. she was on this glitzy surface level of sorts show, but for much darker important reasons than...love. wasnt she?
and then we have the character of Beck. who lets all be shy and bashful right now with just how Beck makes us all feel. and how much his character stole the mission, the show, and Sienna's heart? their interactions were on point. there time together had me rooting for every part of this book as long as they could be togerher. and like i said before this only added to how much you are then invested. there is the emotional tension, the result and mission means so much more. but one didnt ever over take the others which was so clever on Brookes part.
this book was charming, sexy and so full of heart which you dont expect going in but oh you appreciate it all the more when its given to you.

This was a perfect summer read. It was fast-paced, full of banter and chemistry, and packed with more emotions than you would expect. The reality tv aspect in books is something I always enjoy, and this was no exception. Sienna and Beck have such an electric connection, and their chemistry is off the charts, with plenty of fun banter to top it off. The tension kept up throughout with the stakes being so high, and I really enjoyed the mix of fun and seriousness we got throughout.

This book was a really fun time. I liked the energy between the characters a lot. Sienna and Beck had great chemistry and made me smile more than once. Their banter felt natural and fresh. The writing was easy to read and I finished it super fast. The only thing that made me a little bit confused was that there were maybe too many characters, and with who was who. But nothing that ruined the experience. Overall, it kept my attention. Thank you so much to the author and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book in advance, I received this for free and I'm leaving a honest review

Smart, sizzling, and impossible to put down—Summer Heat is romantic suspense at its most addictive.

Brooke Straiton blends undercover intrigue with steamy reality TV drama in a high-stakes story full of heat, heart, and razor-sharp chemistry. Sienna James is a whip-smart heroine on a mission, but it’s Beck Wilder—the cocky ex-NFL star with a hidden soft side—who turns her world upside down.

With fast-paced twists, electric banter, and emotional depth, Summer Heat delivers the perfect blend of danger and desire. A must-read for fans of romance that burns hot and hits hard.

Thank you BooksGoSocial and Brooke Straiton for the eARC!

2 ✨ That was truly, utterly, hilariously unhinged. You can imagine how giddy my millennial ass was when I found out the plot was Miss Congeniality meets Bachelor in Paradise. The first 200 pages had me elated, but then the plot straight-up left the chat.
Mission—what? Missing girls—who?
Between the strip teases, makeout sessions, and a slutty Titanic moment, all semblance of a storyline yeeted itself off the page. I finished the book, and I won’t lie—I was entertained. But I won’t be seeking out more books in this series.
✨ Thanks to NetGalley and Brooke Straiton for the E-ARC! ✨

This was a really fun romance. I loved the summer vibes and the characters, Sienna and Beck. It had witty banter mixed with a great plot. The writing felt seamless and the chemistry between the characters really stood out. Overall, really binge-able and a great time, making it a perfect summer read.
Thank you Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for this arc.

Rating: 4/5
Spice: 5/5


WOW.

Honestly i don’t have many words for this story. There were a LOT of characters, and i found myself drowning a bit to remember who each person was, but the SPICE. I loved the spice. It felt very jab like to Love Island, but in a fun and exciting way.

I LOVED Sienna as well. Very fun and witty, and she and Beck felt like a perfect match right from the very beginning!

I didn’t love the “normal selection behavior” wording. I’m aware that most reality tv shows are scripted to a point, but this kinda ruined some of the “reality tv show” setting we were supposed to be in.

Overall a great story, and i found myself giggling a lot, and definitely enjoyed the author’s style and hope to read some more!

Thanks to NetGalley for access to the ARC in exchange for this honest review!