Honey and Heat

This heartwarming workplace romance from Palit (Sunshine and Spice) follows perfectionist workaholic Cynthia Kumar, heir to the Kumar Construction company. Though she and her father, Rich, were once close, they fell out during her teenage years and no matter how hard she’s tried to impress him since, he has never looked at her the same way. Cynthia dreams of being deemed worthy to lead the company—so she’s shocked and hurt when Rich hires Rohit Patel and starts grooming him to take over. Complicating matters is the fact that Cynthia and Rohit once shared a red-hot one-night stand. Rohit is thrilled both to be able to support his family financially and to be reunited with a woman he thinks could be the love of his life—until he learns that Cynthia is the boss’s daughter, and that she hates him for taking the job. Still, fierce competition between the two turns to reluctant collaboration when they’re tasked with rehabilitating the company’s public image after a scandal. As attraction and feelings deepen on both sides, it’s sweet to see Rohit help Cynthia find a balance between her professional and personal life. Palit also finds space within this light romance to explore the familial pressure and patriarchal expectations placed on Cynthia, making her a heroine readers will root for. This charms. (Sept.)