Heated

Simone (the Rose Bend series) launches her BURNED (for Breaking Up, Reversing Nuptials & Evading Disasters) Inc. series with a steamy contemporary. Zora Nelson and her siblings have spent a lifetime watching their parents fight, inspiring them to open BURNED Inc., a business that promises clients drama-free breakups. Zora's latest client, Valerie, tasks her with breaking up with gorgeous lawyer Cyrus Hart--and the second Valerie shows Zora his picture, she knows she's in trouble. Her attraction is so intense, she worries whether she'll be able to just disappear after breaking the news. Cyrus wasn't in love, but Valerie fits perfectly into the life he's trying to build, and she's broken up with him just when he needs her most, as his firm only promotes family men. Assuming that Zora is a friend of Valerie's, rather than a professional, Cyrus asks her to atone for butting in by pretending to be his new girlfriend. The heat between them means their fake relationship could quickly turn real--that is, assuming Cyrus doesn't panic when he learns about BURNED Inc. Simone gets off to a slow start, with lots of background information dumped into the clunky opening chapters, but the narrative finds its rhythm once the romance picks up. Readers will be eager for more. Agent: Rachel Brooks, Bookends Literary. (July)

An inventive entrepreneur mixes business with pleasure when she strikes up a flirtation with a client's ex in this steamy contemporary romance. Zora Nelson is the president of BURNED Inc., a company that specializes in giving its clients amicable ends to their relationships. When Zora lands Valerie Summers--a wealthy woman who values discretion--as a client, she personally handles her assignment by way of reading a Dear John letter to her soon-to-be-ex. Cyrus Hart is surprised that his girlfriend of six months has sent someone else to break up with him. He's not entirely heartbroken, though his job as an entertainment lawyer requires him to network and Val helped with that. Zora and Cyrus share an immediate attraction, and, after running into each other soon after, they fall into a friends-with-benefits scenario without Cyrus knowing the depth of Zora's involvement in the end of his last relationship. Cyrus assumes Zora is a friend Valerie convinced to read the breakup letter for her, and Zora doesn't bother to correct him. The fact that Zora was both paid to break up with him and is the president of the company hired to do so remains a secret for most of the book, like a storm cloud hanging over every sweet and sexy moment. Zora is characterized as the business-savvy president of BURNED Inc., having started the company with her two siblings. Despite initial doubts from investors, their parents, and even potential clients, Zora has proven them all wrong with plenty of satisfied customers. Her only minimal hesitation in getting involved with Cyrus and potentially jeopardizing her company's reputation feels out of character. As Zora's leading man, Cyrus is fine but not distinctive. There are a handful of bright spots amid Zora and Cyrus' lukewarm connection, mainly Zora's interactions with her darling siblings both in and out of the office. A fake dating element emerges around the halfway point but feels very much half-baked. A mismatched romance with both too much and not enough going on. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.