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Hot Nights, Cold Shoulders
A girl revisits her past in search of her future and finds love in the eyes of the one person she can’t have.
Personal assistant to a literary rockstar, Isabel Martinez has always dreamed of publishing her own book. When the opportunity comes knocking, she discovers that she's completely unprepared, with no ideas to pursue. As if things can't get worse, her high school bully, Natalia Aranaz, invites her to spend the summer together, after a near decade of radio silence. Despite her reservations, Isabel accepts, hoping she can mine her past for good material. Immediately, Isabel is pulled into a world of obscene wealth: shopping sprees, private jets, and the boy of her dreams. The caveat? He's off-limits, with Natalia's name written all over him.
Kieran O’Connor has played it safe his whole life. Shy, quiet, and easygoing, he is the last person anyone expects to rock boats. But with nothing to show for his upcoming art exhibit at the end of summer, he's desperate enough to accept the invitation to a makeshift artist's residency in the home of the girl everyone knows is in love with him. Convinced all it will take to get through his predicament is laser-focus and infinite patience, he doesn't expect to meet Isabel, the girl who has been haunting his dreams every night for the past year, and whose face has been the only thing he's been able to sketch since.
Torn between their moral codes and magnetic attraction to one another, Kieran and Isabel must choose between the safety of everything they've ever known and the risk of building a better future—together.
In this summer of hot nights and cold shoulders, friendships are forged and broken, long-standing secrets are exposed, and the ties that bind us might very well be the ones that make or break us.
Personal assistant to a literary rockstar, Isabel Martinez has always dreamed of publishing her own book. When the opportunity comes knocking, she discovers that she's completely unprepared, with no ideas to pursue. As if things can't get worse, her high school bully, Natalia Aranaz, invites her to spend the summer together, after a near decade of radio silence. Despite her reservations, Isabel accepts, hoping she can mine her past for good material. Immediately, Isabel is pulled into a world of obscene wealth: shopping sprees, private jets, and the boy of her dreams. The caveat? He's off-limits, with Natalia's name written all over him.
Kieran O’Connor has played it safe his whole life. Shy, quiet, and easygoing, he is the last person anyone expects to rock boats. But with nothing to show for his upcoming art exhibit at the end of summer, he's desperate enough to accept the invitation to a makeshift artist's residency in the home of the girl everyone knows is in love with him. Convinced all it will take to get through his predicament is laser-focus and infinite patience, he doesn't expect to meet Isabel, the girl who has been haunting his dreams every night for the past year, and whose face has been the only thing he's been able to sketch since.
Torn between their moral codes and magnetic attraction to one another, Kieran and Isabel must choose between the safety of everything they've ever known and the risk of building a better future—together.
In this summer of hot nights and cold shoulders, friendships are forged and broken, long-standing secrets are exposed, and the ties that bind us might very well be the ones that make or break us.
Unknown Binding
Expected publication March 10, 2026
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About the author
Carina Gaskell
6 books94 followersCarina Gaskell writes multicultural romance novels led by Filipina characters. She believes that romance is political, from who gets their Happy Ever After to how they get it and why. She seeks to explore the intersections of love, art, culture, and politics in her work, and publishes independently as praxis.
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February 25, 2026Isabel siempre ha intentado dejar atrás los años que marcaron su adolescencia, especialmente el daño causado por Natalia, la chica rica que convirtió su vida escolar en una pesadilla. Ahora, años después y mientras intenta convertirse en escritora, recibe una inesperada invitación para pasar el verano en la lujosa casa de aquella misma persona que una vez la humilló públicamente. Lo que parece una oportunidad absurda pronto se transforma en algo imposible de ignorar, ya que Isabel ve la posibilidad de sanar viejas heridas y encontrar inspiración para la historia que podría cambiar su futuro.
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Cuando la mamá la animó a ir a al casa de la bully no lo podía creer y cuando se descubrió porque apoyaba tanto que se perdonaran e hicieran amigas, fue peor.
Gracias Love Notes PR por el ARC.
___
Cuando la mamá la animó a ir a al casa de la bully no lo podía creer y cuando se descubrió porque apoyaba tanto que se perdonaran e hicieran amigas, fue peor.
Gracias Love Notes PR por el ARC.
Displaying 1 of 1 review