THE HOTTER YOU BURN - Gena Showalter
The Original Heartbreakers , Book 2
HQN
ISBN: 978-0-373-77969-7
August 2015
Contemporary Romance

Strawberry Valley, Oklahoma - Present Day

Once upon a time, Harlow Glass was the biggest bully in Strawberry Valley.  Tragedy changed her, but she's burned too many bridges, and everyone in town hates her.  With nobody willing to hire her, Harlow lost her home and is currently camping out on what was her property – and frequently spying on the three men now living in her home.  After breaking into the house one day and pilfering a pie, Harlow is surprised by the early return of Beck Ockley, and agrees to work for him in order to avoid being reported to the police.  She finds Beck extremely attractive, but thanks to her spying, she's aware that Beck only ever sleeps with a woman once, and she has no intention of being his next one-and-done.

Beck became curious about Harlow after finding a box of photos when he moved into her bedroom, and now that he's found her, he's even more intrigued.  He's suspicious about her living circumstances and is determined to help her, but the more time he spends with her, the more Beck wants her.  He's never been interested in spending more than one night with a woman, so why is he having such a hard time getting Harlow off his mind?

The road to romance is definitely a rocky one for Harlow and Beck in THE HOTTER YOU BURN, but it's also an entertaining one. Until her junior year of high school, Harlow was a bully who was rude to just about everyone and caused such havoc that years later people still expect the worst from her.  She never tries to excuse or justify her past behavior, and does her best to atone for it while quietly accepting whatever anybody dishes her way.  Homeless and penniless, a part of her thinks she'd be better off in Oklahoma City where nobody knows her and she'd have a chance to put her past behind her, but Strawberry Valley is her home.  Beck grew up in foster care where he met his two best friends, Jase and West.  Beck has learned the hard way that counting on others to be there for you is a mistake, and the only people he trusts are Jase and West.  To say he's not a fan of change would be a huge understatement, but meeting Harlow starts an avalanche of change in his life, and for the first time Beck wonders if it could be a good thing.

The second story in the Original Heartbreakers series, THE HOTTER YOU BURN stands on its own, but the trilogy features Beck, Jase and West, and you'll have a better understanding of their relationship if you read the books in order.  Humorous, emotional, and sexy, THE HOTTER YOU BURN has a little bit of everything and will keep you turning the pages long into the night.

Jennifer Bishop