HOTT SHOT (Hott Springs Eternal 1) by Serena Bell-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 19, 2023

Beauty salon… and the Beast

Quinn: Working at the family wedding resort wasn’t exactly on my Bingo card. But it’s the only way for my siblings and me to get our grandfather’s inheritance, so here I am, staffing the Hott Spot Spa and Salon front desk. It’s an absurd gig for a man who makes Oscar the Grouch look like a people-person.

Still, I’m a hard worker. I’ve made a fortune off my scientific discoveries, and if I can engineer groundbreaking drugs, I can do anything, right? Not according to Sonya Rossi, the spa’s smoking hot and relentlessly perky manager. My grumpy approach is testing even sunshine-y Sonya’s patience. Meanwhile, I’m not sure whether I want to rain on her parade—or kiss the smile off her face.

Then the universe throws another curveball, putting us under the same roof. The closer Sonya gets, the more I like it—and her. I want to get to know her better and let her see the side of me I never show people. Until now, I’ve only believed in what I can touch, sense, and prove. I definitely don’t believe in love… but Sonya’s making me wish I could.

A spicy, grumpy-sunshine, opposites attract, under-one-roof, forced proximity standalone romantic comedy set in the beloved small town of Rush Creek.

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REVIEW: HOTT SHOT is the first instalment in Serena Bell’s contemporary, adult HOTT SPRINGS ETERNAL erotic, romance series focusing on the HOTT siblings: Quinn, Shane, Preston, Tucker, Rhys, and their sister Hanna (Wilder at Last 5/ Wilder Adventures). This is scientist Quinn Hott, and spa manager Sonya Rossi’s story line. HOTT SPRINGS ETERNAL is a spin off from the author’s WILDER ADVENTURE SERIES but you do not have to have read the original series to follow along.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Quinn and Sonya) HOTT SHOT follows in the aftermath of the death of the Hott family patriarch, grandfather Hott who has a number of stipulations and guidelines if the siblings are to inherit of keep the family fortune. Up first, is scientist Quinn Hott, who is forced to work the reception desk at Hott Springs Eternal Spa and Salon, a sixty day assignment in which he must abide by all of the rules and regulations set out in the will but Quinn is the quiet, the grump, the deep thinking Hott sibling, and facing the public is not what he does best. Enter spa manager Sonya Rossi who is about to discover that an expensive betrayal forces her out of her comfort zone, and into the arms of our story line hero. What ensues is the building relationship between Sonya and Quinn, and the potential fall-out as Quinn’s time at the spa comes to an end.

The world building focuses on the struggling HOTT sibling relationships, relationships mired in independence, heart break, rejection and loss. Grandfather Hott recognized the dysfunctional reality of his embittered grandchildren, and each will be assigned a task to maintain a relationship with their once-close siblings.

The relationship between Sonya and Quinn begins when Quinn is forced or assigned to work as the new receptionist at Hott Spring Eternal Spa and Salon. Quinn’s arrival coincides with an expensive betrayal, and in the ensuing aftermath, Quinn finds himself using his scientific brain to help Sonya overcome the loss. Living together, a forced proximity relationship ensues but Sonya knows that Quinn’s time n Rush Creek is quickly coming to a close. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, energetic and dynamic secondary and supporting characters including all of Quinn’s sibings: Hannah and her husband Easton, Shane, Preston, Tucker and Rhys, as well as Sonya’s father Thomas Rossi and his girlfriend Wendy, and several of the couples from the author’s WILDER ADVENTURE series. Shane’s story line is next.

HOTT SHOT is a story of betrayal and loss, power and control, family and friendships, relationships and love. The premise is thought provoking and entertaining; the romance is tender and edgy; the characters are sassy and determined.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy