3.8/5 STARS!

Holy angst, Batman.

This book was filled with all things I love- love/hate relationship, angst, nerd to hot, angst, funny, Dirty Dancing, and did I mention ANGST?

The characters were great, I loved Marlon and Ray. My favorite, however, was Jackson. I knew if he was in the scene I would laugh. Not to say the other characters didn't.

Rachel is one of the authors I can pick a book from and know that I'll like it or love it. At least, all that I've read so far.

One of the things I will say, and I don't know if this was because I was in a funk at first that Rachel brought me out of, or if it may have been the book itself, but the first few pages didn't grab me. However, I kept going because I trusted the author and I'm so glad I did!

This is the PERFECT quick summer read!

Now excuse me while I go get book #2 because I am not OK. (Don't worry, not in a bad way...)

4 Marlon & Ray stars!

God how I waited for this book to come. When Rachel Van Dyken announced that she was going to publish it exclusively on itunes, I kept checking my husband's ipad like a lunatic.

The blurb was so strong that I thought the story would be explosive. Don't get me wrong, Marlon and Ray were the perfect enemies to lovers couple but the hatred was so strong for me to handle.
The whole series though was a joy to read .

In high school, Ray and Marlon ran in different circles. She was the pretty, rich, popular girl who had everything; and he was the skinny, nerdy, foster kid who, along with his foster mom, worked for her family. They spent one drunken night together which Ray refused to acknowledge. The next day Marlon was still not worth her time.
Four years later and they’ve found themselves together once again but this time the tables have turned. Marlon is the hot guy that every girl wants, he’s also the guy in charge and he’s determined to show Ray exactly how it feels to be the one on the outside.
Super short, fun read about two high school enemies who are secretly attracted to each other. During the course of the first few weeks of this summer drama camp the two fumble their way around each other; Marlon trying to exact his revenge and Ray trying her best but failing miserably to stay out of Marlon’s way. Because the two still seem to be attracted too each other it makes it hard for either of them to hold onto their animosity. Confirmed uploaded budget is aligned with the budget template in grant. There’s also the fact that Marlon starts to see that maybe everything was so perfect in Ray’s perfect life.
What made this not a 5-star read for me? It’s a cliffhanger…. Sigh, I’m so not a fan of cliffhangers. I did my research and there are of course two additional books for this series (Summer Seduction and Summer Nights). The saving grace with this cliffhanger? The series was published in 2018 so you can read them all in one shot and not have to wait. However, you will not find them on Amazon, this appears to be an iBooks exclusive.

Marlo and Ray's story was a tough one to read. It broke my heart. They had history growing up and now are enemies who end up at the same place to work. My heart broke for both of them- Marlo's circumstances of life and Ray's upbringing. You can tell there is history and emotion there. Then the ending it killed me!! I need the next one now!!!!

I loved Summer Heat! I was a little bummed it ended so soon, but I picked up the other book on iBooks and cannot wait to dig in. The story was so great, so hot, so much angst! I love a good enemies to lovers romance and this was one of the best!

Whoa boy. Where to begin with this one? Two things to know before you read this book: this is essentially novella #1 out of 3 in a series that ends in a complete cliffhanger, and it is non-stop angst and tension. If you’re cool with that, it’s a sexy and gripping read that draws you in from the very beginning and never lets go. Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review and getting me caught up in this series. I love Rachel Van Dyken’s books because they are so different from the norm - the relationships are usually more complex, tension is high and the chemistry is palpable but there are obstacles in the couple’s path to happiness. I can’t read her books as often as I would like because my blood pressure usually increases while reading and I need to take a break from all that perfectly delivered angst.

Summer Heat tells the story of Ray and Marlo, two young adults who grew up together - her as the daughter of a wealthy family, and he as the foster son of Ray’s nanny. They were drawn to each other but the differences in their social status caused Marlo to resent Ray and his hatred towards her to build. When they are reunited while working together at a drama camp, time has passed and the dynamics of their relationship have changed. Marlo is seeking revenge for the way Ray treated him, thinking that using her and then casting her aside will make him feel better. But his feelings towards Ray are more complicated than that, and he’s not sure what to do with that information. Just as things are starting to come to a head, the book ends. The only thing that keeps this from being a 5-star book for me is that I would much rather have read this as one long, complete book. I think the build-up of all that angst didn’t pay off, because we don’t get to experience the softer side of the relationship - that must come in the sequels. So for me, this is the start of a great story but it doesn’t work unless you plan to complete the series (preferably immediately after reading this first installment).

I truly loved this book and the raw honestly of Marlo and Ray (maybe not always with each other but from the author's perspective). Summer Heat was engaging, had unique characters, was romantic, and certainly sexy. I'm not sure if I would call it a second-chance romance, an enemies-to-lovers romance, or a mix of both. But however you classify it, the writing was good and the characters seemed so real that I felt that I could reach out and touch them.

The only reason at all I am giving it four stars instead of five, it the enormous cliffhanger at the end. It is rare that I read a book that ends in a cliffhanger and I especially hate it when I didn't know about it before starting. Nevertheless, I found myself dying for books 2 and 3. Which led me to the discovery that they were only available on iBooks (an expensive considering how short they were), which was another enormous frustration because I never use it. As a matter of fact, the card I had on file with iBooks expired in 2017, so I then had to back out of everything and update my billing, blah, blah. But all of my personal angst aside, I loved this one and also loved books 2 & 3!

My only gripe on this book is that it ends on SUCH a cliffhanger! I actually gasped out loud and said “boooooooo!” Hahaha. Anyway this is great. It’s very sexy and the writing is top notch. Now I need to read the sequel to see what happens! Thank you to netgalley for the ARC!

An iBooks exclusive trilogy, and book 1, Summer Heat, is currently free. Maybe it’s alway free, I’m not sure, but it’s an excellent way to make sure you buy the additional books, and buy them you must, because let’s face it, the author pulls you in with her excellent writing, her addictive storyline, and two characters you just want to lock in a room until they finally realise how truly good for each other they are. Enemies to lovers to..... I'm guessing enemies again after that whopping cliffhanger. I love everything about this book (yep, except for that cliffie), the whole summer camp thing, the dirty dancing vibes (yep, it’s one of my favourite movies), Ray and Marlon have such great chemistry, the sexual tension is just screaming to be released. I loved it.

Three stars for a well-paced story, palpable chemistry between the two main characters., and unobtrusive flashbacks that flowed well with the story. My qualms: petty behavior from the main characters made them less likable and a cliffhanger that just cut the story off. Cliffhangers work best when you feel like you got a full story, and then there's more coming, not when the story abruptly ends with no sense of completion of fulfilment.

Thank s to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow really really like this!! But !! It's only a lead in to a series which I was like ok ok that's fine! BUT!! It's an ibooks exclusives series?!!!! Wth?? I definitely think that should have been explained! I don't have iBooks so this definitely stinks for me!! This book was a lot like the movie dirty dancing which I loved so if you have ibooks you're going to love this! Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

WOW WOW WOW!!

I found this book randomly browsing on netgalley (thanks for the fantastic read btw), and I had NO idea I would be hooked in so quickly.

I LOVED how this author wrote. Her books were short enough for a quick read but left you on CLIFF HANGER AFTER CLIFF HANGER *rude*. So I have finished the series in less than a day. Yes, it IS that good.

If you are a sucker for a fun, cheesy, romantic, sexual tension filled book, look no further. I loved the characters. Most of all, I loved the camp, and the countless references to Dirty Dancing. Also, love that Bad Zombies were mentioned WHO KNEW RV LOVED SOME ROCK?

Anyways, this book was suuuuuper steamy, so I advise readers to be 18+ for this bad boy. It was fantastic, and the sexual scenes and tension kept me on edge the entire time. The cliff hangers made me stay up until the wee hours of the morning needing more. I was obsessed and I will be reading more from this author. Go read!

Rating: 5/5

Summer Heat by Rachel Van Dyken is book One in the Cruel Summer series. This is the story of Ray and Marlon. Ray is thought of as a 'Princess' and Marlon was the boy that mowed her lawn, a foster kid and one that the other kids picked on. They were never really friends, although both thought the other one was attractive. Ray did go along with the other kids sometimes to stay cool and which did cause Marlon to be hurt. Now years later Marlon is totally different and they find themselves together again. Sparks fly again and love it tempted but something happens pulling them apart due to their past.
I am such a fan of Ms. Van Dyken and this book you won't be able to put down! It takes you through some roller coaster rides of emotions! I cannot wait for the next installment of this story!!