Hot Nights, Cold Shoulders

by Carina Gaskell

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.

340 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 10, 2026

About the author

Carina 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.


Reviews

[Dimitra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot Nights,Cold Shoulders 🌴
Firstly,I want to thank LoveNotes PR & Carina Gaskell for trusting me with this ARC!💜
Isabel's high school bully invites her to spend the summer together .Ew no,right?However,what if this is her opportunity,to gather some material for her one and only dream : writing.
Kieran was always going around the plan. & finally he is tired of playing it safe.

Before I say ANYTHING,I will just say ALL THIS BECAUSE OF A M A N.(thank you)
Now,getting into the story I can surely say it shattered my heart into pieces from the first page to the last.I literally cried so much.
Not only about Isabel and her personal struggles,but there were so many heartbreaking moments in general,and as you read you will view that even the ones,have such a heartbreaking story and traumas that you will sob for sure,of course without that meaning their actions can be justified because of this fact.
Specifically,getting into our main girl,we see a girl that has been always through a lot & she carries that with her deeply.However,that did not stopped her from getting out of this abyss and trying to live to the fullest.In this story it is one of the few times that I want the good things (romance,friendship,happiness ) to rush to come to her.Like girl,I do not want a slow burn,give this girl WHAT SHE DESERVES.
& of course she got it to the fullest (with my reading it with tearing eyes)🥹
Kieran,was also a really good guy that supported and loves Isa in a way no one ever did.(thank you for your services🫡 ).As an individual,he carries A LOT of stuff inside his soul,and Isabel helped him a lot,without her even understanding it (cutie🫶🏻)

Lastly,I want to point out the unique set up that the story had because if you ask me personally I have not ever read something similar,& yes of course I LOVED IT.
Out on Mar 10th🍦
5⭐

[☆Laura☆]

Isabel 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.


___


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.

[Alexa Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

**ARC REVIEW**

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.75/5)

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Hot Nights, Cold Shoulders by Carina Gaskell, and the moment it landed in my inbox, I immediately downloaded it and started reading. Suffice to say… I devoured it.

This story hit much closer to home than I expected, and not just because Isabel and I share the same surname. I saw so much of myself in her. Her struggle with not fitting in, being bullied, and that constant feeling of needing to shrink herself to be accepted… it hurt in a very real way. Some scenes felt painfully familiar.

I related to her even more because of how openly her faith journey was written. I loved the quiet threads of faith woven throughout the story. They felt like gentle reminders to me, too, that God is always with me and that I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Watching Isabel hold onto her faith and build that strong relationship with God after everything she endured was so beautiful. I genuinely cried... because in many ways, it mirrored my own journey.

Kieran, our male lead, completely won me over. He respected Isabel’s boundaries. He protected her when his friends tried to embarrass her. And when it mattered most? He chose her over toxic friendships. The way he truly listened to her, engaged with her instead of trying to fix or control her. It made all the difference. He comforted her when she needed it. He wasn’t just romantic. Kieran was intentional.

And I can’t forget Rocio, Isabel’s best friend. She reminded me so much of my own best friend: fiercely loyal, steady, and always present. Isabel’s biggest cheerleader and, when necessary, her protector. That kind of friendship representation will always have a special place in my heart.

Hot Nights, Cold Shoulders was emotional, healing, and full of heart. There were so many lessons woven into its pages, and it ended up being such a deeply meaningful read for me.

And yes… I enjoyed the spice too. 🌶️

I absolutely cannot wait for more stories in this series!

[Ashlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The storyline of Hot Nights, Cold Shoulders was absolutely amazing. High school, for so many of us, really is this story — when hormones are raging, mental health becomes its own battle, cliques form and bullying is very real. Who we are as adults is shaped so much by those experiences, especially those ones that often haunt us at 3 a.m. By the end of this book, I was in tears.

The God element was something I truly appreciated. I loved that it wasn’t fully tied to a specific church or denomination. Youth group is mentioned a few times, but faith felt personal rather than institutional. I especially loved how they connected over both being believers within their friend group. Faith is woven throughout the story in a natural way, and I appreciated that representation.

One thing I didn’t realize going in was that the book includes some bilingual elements. While I appreciate the authenticity it adds, I do wish there had been more context or light translation for readers who only speak English or aren’t familiar with certain terms.

The sexual health and pregnancy risk stood out to me. I understand that education varies by location and access, but at times it felt frustrating watching the characters knowingly take risks and treat emergency contraception as a temporary birth control plan. Combined with the strong emphasis on youth group, this occasionally made the characters read slightly younger than their intended age.

There were a couple of twists — one in particular that I didn’t see coming until it was right in front of me. And the ending? It was refreshing. The bond between them will never be strong, and I appreciated that realism. So many stories lean into dramatic redemption arcs or neatly packaged “everyone gets what they deserve” endings. We love a sweeping, fictional happily-ever-after — that’s why we read romance, right?

But this felt different.

This was the kind of happily-ever-after most people actually receive. Messy. Imperfect. Real. And honestly? That was refreshing to see in a romance.

[Lacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genuinely this book was so cute and I genuinely enjoyed every part. It was cute whilst still showing the messy sides of both high school and adult relationships.

I loved the way the characters weren't perfect. I especially liked how most people would find a part of this book to relate too in one way or another.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 🌟

- review incoming -