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Cold Hearts, Hot Nights: An Enemies-to-Lovers MM Romance: Steamy, Emotional, and Unforgettable Gay Fiction Set in Stockholm and NYC
Some walls are built to last. Some men are built to tear them down.◆ Jack Adams has everything — money, looks, and a life carefully constructed to keep people out. After tragedy stripped him of the two people he loved most, he moved from New York to Stockholm with one survive. Not feel. Not hope. Definitely not fall.
◆ Alexander Magnusson has spent his life fighting for everyone else. As a gay activist in a city that still does not always make it easy, he has no patience for arrogant Americans who walk into his world and think charm is a substitute for character. When he meets Jack at a friend's party, the night ends exactly as expected — in a fight.
★★★★ So why can't he stop thinking about him?
When a transatlantic flight forces them into each other's company for hours, something shifts. Four days in New York. A borrowed apartment. A passion neither of them planned for or knows how to stop.
But Jack is hiding something. And Alexander has been disappointed before.
♥♥ Cold Hearts, Hot Nights is a steamy, emotionally charged MM romance about two men with every reason to walk away — and one undeniable reason to stay. Set between the streets of Stockholm and New York City, this is a story about grief, desire, and what happens when the person you least expect becomes the one you cannot live without.
① Damaged Hearts Series — Book 1
For readers who want their romance with heat, heart, and a guaranteed happy ending.
◆ Alexander Magnusson has spent his life fighting for everyone else. As a gay activist in a city that still does not always make it easy, he has no patience for arrogant Americans who walk into his world and think charm is a substitute for character. When he meets Jack at a friend's party, the night ends exactly as expected — in a fight.
★★★★ So why can't he stop thinking about him?
When a transatlantic flight forces them into each other's company for hours, something shifts. Four days in New York. A borrowed apartment. A passion neither of them planned for or knows how to stop.
But Jack is hiding something. And Alexander has been disappointed before.
♥♥ Cold Hearts, Hot Nights is a steamy, emotionally charged MM romance about two men with every reason to walk away — and one undeniable reason to stay. Set between the streets of Stockholm and New York City, this is a story about grief, desire, and what happens when the person you least expect becomes the one you cannot live without.
① Damaged Hearts Series — Book 1
For readers who want their romance with heat, heart, and a guaranteed happy ending.
202 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 2, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 5, 2026
Cold Hearts Hot Nights
By: Adrian Max Vale
📚💕⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💕📚
Could they find forever?
In my first book from Adrian Vale I wasn’t sure what to expect. To say the way she brought Jack and Alexander together was just a bit different that what I was expecting but very good. The author writing is flawless, and the words are so captivating, the plot had so many twists and turns and none that I was expecting, and many shockingly intimate I have become a huge fan of this author. The author writes with so much intensity and emotion pulled from each book it’s felt page after page. Some have quick witted story lines that are so perfect and lets you believe you have a front row seat. So being able to read this love story didn’t disappoint. The authors ability to have two separate individuals struggling in their everyday life and try to navigate someone else’s thoughts, needs and desires was intense and gives all the fills.
Authors blurb: Some walls are built to last. Some men are built to tear them down.
Jack Adams has everything money, looks, and a life carefully constructed to keep people out. After tragedy stripped him of the two people he loved most, he moved from New York to Stockholm with one goal: survive. Not feel. Not hope. Definitely not fall.
Alexander Magnusson has spent his life fighting for everyone else. As a gay activist in a city that still does not always make it easy, he has no patience for arrogant Americans who walk into his world and think charm is a substitute for character. When he meets Jack at a friend's party, the night ends exactly as expected in a fight.
So why can't he stop thinking about him?
When a transatlantic flight forces them into each other's company for hours, something shifts. Four days in New York. A borrowed apartment. A passion neither of them planned for or knows how to stop.
But Jack is hiding something. And Alexander has been disappointed before.
Cold Hearts, Hot Nights is a steamy, emotionally charged MM romance about two men with every reason to walk away and one undeniable reason to stay. Set between the streets of Stockholm and New York City, this is a story about grief, desire, and what happens when the person you least expect becomes the one you cannot live without.
The believable way the characters interact is perfect. Run, Hop, Jump or use your (1 click) finger to do whatever you have to do and get this amazing book. It'll break your heart, you'll want to scream with frustration and it'll let you discover that love just might conquer all. The chemistry is steamy and sweet and oh so romantic.
By: Adrian Max Vale
📚💕⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💕📚
Could they find forever?
In my first book from Adrian Vale I wasn’t sure what to expect. To say the way she brought Jack and Alexander together was just a bit different that what I was expecting but very good. The author writing is flawless, and the words are so captivating, the plot had so many twists and turns and none that I was expecting, and many shockingly intimate I have become a huge fan of this author. The author writes with so much intensity and emotion pulled from each book it’s felt page after page. Some have quick witted story lines that are so perfect and lets you believe you have a front row seat. So being able to read this love story didn’t disappoint. The authors ability to have two separate individuals struggling in their everyday life and try to navigate someone else’s thoughts, needs and desires was intense and gives all the fills.
Authors blurb: Some walls are built to last. Some men are built to tear them down.
Jack Adams has everything money, looks, and a life carefully constructed to keep people out. After tragedy stripped him of the two people he loved most, he moved from New York to Stockholm with one goal: survive. Not feel. Not hope. Definitely not fall.
Alexander Magnusson has spent his life fighting for everyone else. As a gay activist in a city that still does not always make it easy, he has no patience for arrogant Americans who walk into his world and think charm is a substitute for character. When he meets Jack at a friend's party, the night ends exactly as expected in a fight.
So why can't he stop thinking about him?
When a transatlantic flight forces them into each other's company for hours, something shifts. Four days in New York. A borrowed apartment. A passion neither of them planned for or knows how to stop.
But Jack is hiding something. And Alexander has been disappointed before.
Cold Hearts, Hot Nights is a steamy, emotionally charged MM romance about two men with every reason to walk away and one undeniable reason to stay. Set between the streets of Stockholm and New York City, this is a story about grief, desire, and what happens when the person you least expect becomes the one you cannot live without.
The believable way the characters interact is perfect. Run, Hop, Jump or use your (1 click) finger to do whatever you have to do and get this amazing book. It'll break your heart, you'll want to scream with frustration and it'll let you discover that love just might conquer all. The chemistry is steamy and sweet and oh so romantic.
April 5, 2026
This book was not the easiest read but I stuck with it so that I could give an honest review.
To begin with I thought of Alex as a well respected man who was well known in the LGBTQ community and someone you could look upto. As the story went on it was clear to see that Alex has big avoidance issues as does jack. How he tolerated the behaviour from jack as such a well respected man didn't fit well to me and my thoughts of Alex decreased rapidly.
I wasn't able to establish the age of either character in the story and was unsure if jack had long hair that he washed or was it then short when Alex grabbed it. How jack also gained a pouch over his abs in few days kinda made me question lots within this book.
Jack felt bipolar to me as in one part he is loving with Alex and thinking of him and then the next drinking and throwing bottles with his secretary in the room. He then goes home gets blind drunk and then somehow manages to meet Alex has dinner with him and makes rude gestures who then sees his dad whom just earlier on he was scolded by and told to grow up.
Jack has mega issues and how either of these got together at the end is beyond me considering both clearly have trauma from past relationships and childhood.
Several times in the story I wasn't sure if the author was referring to Alex or jack and had to look back up the page to check as it seemed to jump and had no flow.
I also kept wondering how relevant Oscar, Jean-Paul, Miguel, Lucas and the drag queen were and how they were dotted in throughout the story. Having lived with gay men myself one a drag queen this just missed the mark in so many ways.
I've read well over 100 + gay male books and this was just to all over the place for me. This has to be one of the strangest books I've ever read in my life.
Not for me at all this one
I gave this review in return for an advanced copy from Net Galley.
To begin with I thought of Alex as a well respected man who was well known in the LGBTQ community and someone you could look upto. As the story went on it was clear to see that Alex has big avoidance issues as does jack. How he tolerated the behaviour from jack as such a well respected man didn't fit well to me and my thoughts of Alex decreased rapidly.
I wasn't able to establish the age of either character in the story and was unsure if jack had long hair that he washed or was it then short when Alex grabbed it. How jack also gained a pouch over his abs in few days kinda made me question lots within this book.
Jack felt bipolar to me as in one part he is loving with Alex and thinking of him and then the next drinking and throwing bottles with his secretary in the room. He then goes home gets blind drunk and then somehow manages to meet Alex has dinner with him and makes rude gestures who then sees his dad whom just earlier on he was scolded by and told to grow up.
Jack has mega issues and how either of these got together at the end is beyond me considering both clearly have trauma from past relationships and childhood.
Several times in the story I wasn't sure if the author was referring to Alex or jack and had to look back up the page to check as it seemed to jump and had no flow.
I also kept wondering how relevant Oscar, Jean-Paul, Miguel, Lucas and the drag queen were and how they were dotted in throughout the story. Having lived with gay men myself one a drag queen this just missed the mark in so many ways.
I've read well over 100 + gay male books and this was just to all over the place for me. This has to be one of the strangest books I've ever read in my life.
Not for me at all this one
I gave this review in return for an advanced copy from Net Galley.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2026
Cold Hearts, Hot Nights opens with a man who has carefully built his life around emotional distance. Jack Adams appears to have everything on the surface, but beneath that polished exterior is unresolved grief and a quiet kind of loneliness that follows him from New York to Stockholm. When he meets Alexander Magnusson at a party, their first interaction is anything but romantic. It is tense, sharp, and filled with instant dislike. Yet fate has other plans, placing them side by side again on a flight that slowly forces conversation where silence once lived.
What unfolds is a story that leans into contrast. Jack is guarded and reactive, while Alexander is grounded and principled. Their connection does not arrive easily, and that is what makes it feel genuine. The pacing allows their relationship to grow through moments of friction, humor, and vulnerability. The setting shifts between vibrant city life and intimate indoor spaces, creating a sense that the outside world fades as their connection deepens. The emotional core of the story is anchored in healing, not just romance.
This is the kind of romance that pulls readers in because it feels raw and unpolished in the best way. It does not rely on grand gestures alone, but instead builds intensity through small, meaningful moments. The chemistry is undeniable, the tension is well earned, and the emotional payoff lingers. It is a compelling read that invites you to stay just a little longer with these characters.
What unfolds is a story that leans into contrast. Jack is guarded and reactive, while Alexander is grounded and principled. Their connection does not arrive easily, and that is what makes it feel genuine. The pacing allows their relationship to grow through moments of friction, humor, and vulnerability. The setting shifts between vibrant city life and intimate indoor spaces, creating a sense that the outside world fades as their connection deepens. The emotional core of the story is anchored in healing, not just romance.
This is the kind of romance that pulls readers in because it feels raw and unpolished in the best way. It does not rely on grand gestures alone, but instead builds intensity through small, meaningful moments. The chemistry is undeniable, the tension is well earned, and the emotional payoff lingers. It is a compelling read that invites you to stay just a little longer with these characters.
April 12, 2026
Sorry to say, but this one was a bit of a stumble. I think for me, there were too many characters that took away from the main couple, Alex and Jack. Many of the scenes involving this self-absorbed crew were only worthy of skimming by me. I just couldn't connect with most, except for the selfless Oscar. That man needs his own HEA since he puts up with such a sarcastic and uncaring group of friends. The constant making fun of one another was callous and unnecessary.
Meanwhile, all the door slamming when it came to Jack, in particular, was ridiculous. I get his pain at all the loss he had in the past few years but holy cow man, get some therapy! You're part of a very successful business yet you drink yourself in a stupor most days and blow off important meetings without a second thought? C'mon now. Sexual orientation aside, if I were your father, I'd fire your arse for how you have acted. And If I were Alex, I'd run far, far away.
Now Alex is a good dude, but he also made silly decisions and jumped to conclusions like a teenager. In the end, all of these men need some professional help in order to figure out their thoughts and actions before they do something rash. They do have great potential and I'm glad Jack was able to seemingly mend some fences with his homophobic father. But would I continue? That would be a hard no.
I wish the author well, but this one was simply not for me.
Meanwhile, all the door slamming when it came to Jack, in particular, was ridiculous. I get his pain at all the loss he had in the past few years but holy cow man, get some therapy! You're part of a very successful business yet you drink yourself in a stupor most days and blow off important meetings without a second thought? C'mon now. Sexual orientation aside, if I were your father, I'd fire your arse for how you have acted. And If I were Alex, I'd run far, far away.
Now Alex is a good dude, but he also made silly decisions and jumped to conclusions like a teenager. In the end, all of these men need some professional help in order to figure out their thoughts and actions before they do something rash. They do have great potential and I'm glad Jack was able to seemingly mend some fences with his homophobic father. But would I continue? That would be a hard no.
I wish the author well, but this one was simply not for me.
April 11, 2026
This was a hard book to get into and somewhat confusing.
Jack is an American that moved to Stockholm after losing his wife and baby. He's avoiding life mainly since then. He meets Alex at a party before he gets kicked out of and they don't have a very good interaction. The next day they end up sitting next to each other on a plane to New York. It's not really enemies or friends to lovers because they're not really either of those. The story was stilting and a bit unfinished in my opinion.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.
Jack is an American that moved to Stockholm after losing his wife and baby. He's avoiding life mainly since then. He meets Alex at a party before he gets kicked out of and they don't have a very good interaction. The next day they end up sitting next to each other on a plane to New York. It's not really enemies or friends to lovers because they're not really either of those. The story was stilting and a bit unfinished in my opinion.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.
April 7, 2026
I was not ready for how fast this book pulled me in. One minute these two are basically ready to throw punches and the next thing you know I am completely invested in every look, every word, every moment between them. The tension is sharp, the chemistry is wild, and the emotional side sneaks up on you when you least expect it. I loved how messy and real it felt, like these are two people who do not have it all figured out but still find something real anyway. If you love a story that starts with sparks flying for all the wrong reasons and turns into something unforgettable, this is it 🔥
April 21, 2026
Book Review
Cold Hearts, Hot Nights
An Enemies-to-Lovers MM Romance: Steamy, Emotional, and Unforgettable Gay Fiction Set in Stockholm and NYC
by Adrian Vale
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you Independently Published for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
This was a good book, and the twists and turns were not something I was expecting, but I can't wait to read more by this author!!
#ColdHeartsHotNights #NetGalley
Cold Hearts, Hot Nights
An Enemies-to-Lovers MM Romance: Steamy, Emotional, and Unforgettable Gay Fiction Set in Stockholm and NYC
by Adrian Vale
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you Independently Published for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
This was a good book, and the twists and turns were not something I was expecting, but I can't wait to read more by this author!!
#ColdHeartsHotNights #NetGalley
April 6, 2026
This was a nice story, I wouldn’t say enemies to lovers but they weren’t friends at the start.
Both characters had difficult pasts that they needed to work through, and trusting each other and their feelings needed this journey.
I enjoyed the characters and the multiple POV from the MCs and the wider group.
It felt a little rushed, or incomplete.
Both characters had difficult pasts that they needed to work through, and trusting each other and their feelings needed this journey.
I enjoyed the characters and the multiple POV from the MCs and the wider group.
It felt a little rushed, or incomplete.
April 6, 2026
DNF at 28%. This was so weird and choppy one of the interactions felt organic and the dialogue was very stilted. Difficult to continue.
April 27, 2026
beautiful read
A short spicy read that beautifully captures the spirit of homosexual relationships. Looking forward to reading more from this author.
A short spicy read that beautifully captures the spirit of homosexual relationships. Looking forward to reading more from this author.
May 22, 2026
I enjoyed very much!
I wish I got more at the end with Jack and Alex.
I wish I got more at the end with Jack and Alex.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews