Sweet Heat

Sweet and spicy second-chance romance animates this delightfully layered contemporary from Babalola (Honey and Spice). Kiki Banjo was heartbroken after her first love, filmmaker Malakai Korede, left London for what was supposed to be a six-month job in Los Angeles only to never return. Fast-forward three years, and Kiki has a wealthy new man (though she’s not sure how she feels about him) and doles out romantic advice as the host of popular podcast The Heartbeat. When her employer insists on bringing an out-of-touch white woman in as Kiki’s cohost, Kiki quits. In the midst of this personal upheaval, she has to put on a smile to play maid of honor at her best friend’s wedding, a task made harder by the knowledge that Malakai is the best man. After the pair’s reunion at the engagement party, they struggle to navigate the still-powerful attraction between them. When a musician they both love asks Malakai to direct and Kiki to produce a documentary, working together brings even more old feelings to the surface. Babalola has a talent for convincingly depicting the extremes of human emotion, from devastating heartbreak to intense passion, and her characters feel wonderfully real and well rounded. Readers won’t be able to resist. (Sept.)