This was a fun read, who doesn't love a battle of the wits and battle between the sexes. I especially loved the ending!
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Portia MacIntosh's 'Too Hot to Handle' gives you just what you'd hope: a light, easy rom-com for a quick read. The idea of a double-booking in a Spanish villa that requires a stag party and a bachelorette to share quarters is ripe with comedic mayhem and romance. MacIntosh skillfully builds the laugh-out-loud scenes, especially from the early period of rivalry and sabotage tries between the two groups.
Where the story does ride familiar rom-com tropes, the interesting characters, particularly hard-working Molly and dashing Travis, keep you hooked. The sun-kissed Spanish background contributes to the escapism factor, making it a perfect beach read. Where some character detail may feel ever-so-slightly surface-level, the overall bright, feel-good atmosphere and undeniable chemistry make 'Too Hot to Handle' such a lovely, fun escape.

This book was a cute, sweet, fun, quick read. It was just what I needed and would be a perfect summer/beach read. I liked the enemies to lovers trope and the chemistry and silliness, even the cheesy but lovely ending. A happy and enjoyable read overall!

This book is a delightful and carefree romantic adventure that comes to life on the pages. It’s a lighthearted read filled with sunshine and fun. The characters are well-developed and engaging, providing ample drama and romance. It’s an easy and enjoyable read that lifts your spirits with every turn of the page.

Thank you, Netgalley, for sharing this wonderful book with me

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (5/5 stars)

*Sun, sass, and sizzling tension—*Too Hot to Handle* is the ultimate vacation romcom you’ll want to pack in your beach bag!* ☀️🍹💕

Molly is the queen of control—until her dream bachelorette getaway in Spain turns into a hilarious chaos fest when the villa is double-booked with a stag party. Enter Travis: charming, competitive, and very much off-limits. With a "winner takes all" competition as the only way to settle things, it’s girls vs. boys in a sun-soaked showdown full of banter, sabotage, and unexpected sparks. 🏖️🔥🤭

Portia MacIntosh delivers laugh-out-loud moments, sweet romance, and just the right amount of steam. Molly and Travis’s enemies-to-lovers dynamic is a total slow-burn treat, and the forced proximity? Chef’s kiss. 💋💥

This book is a romcom lover’s dream—perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Christina Lauren. If you’re looking for a feel-good, sun-drenched escape with heart and humor, *Too Hot to Handle* totally brings the heat. 🌶️📖💕

Thanks to Boldwood Books for the free copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Too Hot to Handle follows Molly and her 3 friends to a villa in Spain for Lou’s hen party. When they show up they realize the villa had also been rented to a group of 4 guys for the same 2 weeks. They create a competition to decide who gets to keep the villa and who has to find a new place to stay.

This book started off strong for me. It was fun and witty. I was enjoying the banter and the plot of the book. But once the competition started it all went downhill for me. It got too unrealistic, too cheesy. I’m sorry but a group of straight men would not beat women in a quiz on Sex and the City!

I also thought it was pointless to have us think the groom was someone else. Why would the guys lie about who the groom was & why would the author then make us believe it was someone else yet again. It didn’t add to the plot and just made the book a couple chapters longer and it just wasn’t necessary.

I’d say for me this was 2.5 stars rounded down to 2. It was still an easy read but I rolled my eyes a lot & ended up being a miss in the end.

I am a huge Portia MacIntosh fan because I know when I pick up one of her books, I am in for a humorous read with a cute romance and the perfect HEA. This was exactly what I wanted. I found the competition between the boys and girls hilarious, particularly their card game, and the romance(s) that crop up between the two groups were cute with great banter and the typical misunderstandings that eventually bring them closer. Highly recommended for a great beach read or when you need a good laugh with fun characters.

Rom-com beach reading at its finest!

If you want to plop yourself down and get lost in a book with fun girlfriends and witty banter. This one is it!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

Molly's best friend gets engaged and her boyfriend is shocked that Molly might be interested in the same future. Months and a break up later, Molly joins her best friend's wedding party for a hen do in Spain. They show up to the house only to find a bachelor party has already made themselves at home and they have to sort out who gets to keep the house for the week. A proposal for a winner takes all is agreed upon and the antics begin.
Portia's writing is always a delight to read. This is one of my new favorites! It's lighthearted with a fun cast of characters and who doesn't want to travel to Spain within the pages of a book? I loved how Portia pitted the bachelor and bachelorette parties - from different weddings - against each other through a series of games and tricks to beat out the others. Even thought the book spanned a short amount of time, the chemistry and time spent made Molly's romantic journey one that I was completely satisfied with.
Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Too Hot to Handle was one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. Just dry humour that doesn’t feel oppressive, just comes out of left field.

The friendships were fun! Loved all of the women and all of their dynamics. They were all really fun characters. The romance wasn’t fantastic, very instalove and while the book was interesting, the romance didn’t really add to that.

Thank you so much netgalley for my ARC! <3

I quite honestly could not get enough of this book. I genuinely felt like I was watching my favourite reality dating shows. The slow burn, the teasing of a twist that turns into something else entirely and then that ending….this book was amazing. You could feel the sun and smell the chlorine. The perfect read for summer and I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy so I can reread this again in the sun.

Molly and her girlfriends head to Spain for a pre-wedding holiday for her best friend. When the girls get to the villa, they discovered that the villa has been double booked with a bunch of bachelors who are there for a wedding as well.

Of course, what else would ensue but both groups declaring that they are the rightful renters to stay at the Villa. The groups then decide to split the Villa for the first week, girls upstairs and boys downstairs, sharing the common areas of the pool and yard. They then decide a friendly competition is in place to declare a winner of who will stay the second week .

Of course, hilarity and fun competetions are in order, and a little romance sneaks in there too . This was such a cute book to read and really enjoyable. I recommended if you’re looking for a fun summer read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

Too Hot to Handle is ideal for readers looking for a bit of rom-com escapism, and if you have a few hours to spare, it can easily be consumed in one sitting. As with any good romance, there needs to be heartbreak before true love is found, and Portia MacIntosh doesn’t fail to deliver in this novel.

As for Molly, the protagonist of this romance novel, I really struggled with her character. I understand that anyone who has ever had their heart broken may be a bit jaded, but she came across as so judgmental of everyone. It made it easy to see why she struggled in love, and perhaps that was the point. However, as the story between her and Travis evolved, she did begin to grow on me, so that in the end, I was praying she got her happy ending.

I found that the further into the story I went, the quicker I consumed the pages, wanting to know what happened next. I was transported to Spain and could envisage the girls heading off for tapas before enjoying an evening under the stars.

I read Too Hot to Handle after a hard-hitting crime novel, and the absence of needing to really think about the plot, which I find is often the case with this genre, was very welcome.

loved this romance and finding love and remembering love before the one. love the friends and the chemistry between the couple was on fire and loved the banter.

This book was so much fun, as Portia's books always are. You begin the story with the classic combo of a mismatched and interesting group of friends, followed by wedding planning and an unexpected holiday, and you're already off to a great start.

Add in a whole bunch of mishaps, mischief and romance and you've taken the fun and frolics to another level.

Portia brings together a totally believable and likeable cast of characters and throws them into a completely unbelievable and unlikely situation. This is a fun and original take on the enemies to lovers trope, and I really loved reading it.

There were so many laugh out loud parts, but also some really touching moments. A perfectly balanced rom-com that I'd definitely recommend to kick off your summer reading.

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Too Hot to Handel is a light, breezy read that's perfect for fans of feel-good romance. The easy-to-follow premise with a charming, if predictable, love story that unfolds just the way you'd hope. The writing style is accessible, making it a great pick for a relaxing weekend or vacation read.

While the audiobook was decent, it didn’t quite elevate the story as much as it could have, and some parts of the plot tended to blur together. Still, it’s a fun, no-stress romance that hits the familiar beats in a comforting way.

A solid pick for readers!

This was genuinely such a fantastic rom com. It is a slow burn but the slow element is so good and so entertaining with everything else. The start was a bit slow but once they hit Spain, I couldn’t put the book down! This would be a fantastic summer or vacation read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood books for this ARC!

Too Hot to Handle is Portia MacIntosh’s latest vacation romantic comedy, perfect for a beach read. While the characters are British and the story contains British phrasing, it is easy for Americans to understand. There is some mild profanity, and the sex scenes are “closed door.”

Molly is a recruiter at an English biscuit factory and has been dating a dull investment banker for several years. Dean isn’t interested in marriage and only lets Molly keep a toothbrush and change of underwear at his flat. Meanwhile Molly’s best friend, Louise “Lou”, gets a marriage proposal from her boyfriend of three years, Ellis. That same evening, dullard Dean dumps Molly.

Fast forward eight months and Lou has to move up her wedding date due to a plumbing issue at the resort in Spain. Her hen party, a weeklong vacation with her three best friends before the wedding, is also relocated to a seaside villa. When the ladies arrive, they discover that the villa has been accidentally double booked by a group of men who have no intention of leaving. Neither group wants to give up their place in paradise and they can’t find a compromise. They decide to have a winner-takes-all-competition between the girls and boys.

There’s all kinds of silly antics as the groups compete to keep the villa, so much that it feels like a reality TV show. Molly finds herself attracted to Travis, one of the bachelors, and there’s lots of banter between both groups. Unfortunately it appears that Travis is the groom in his group, so Molly has to bury her feelings.

Too Hot to Handle is an enjoyable escapist romance that contains many hilarious scenes. Readers can easily relate to Molly, who has a terrible evening after helping Ellis propose to her best friend. She’s heartbroken, lonely, and can’t seem to meet any decent guys. She also doesn’t get along well with one of the other bridesmaids. So readers are left wondering is she will find romance, and with who?

While the story moves slowly at first, the descriptions are so vivid that it’s like watching a movie. The competitive misadventures at the villa are over the top! Readers will laugh out loud while reading Too Hot to Handle and wish that a TV producer would create a show like this.

I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and Boldwood Books for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is the perfect read to bring along to the beach or pool—light, funny, and easy to breeze through. The premise is great, and while the story slows down a bit in the middle, the last 30% really pulled me in. Overall, it leaned more toward a slow burn for me, with no open-door scenes.

The story kicks off with Molly watching her best friend get engaged. Later that night, her boyfriend of a few years invites her to a romantic, private dinner at an empty restaurant. She thinks this could be her big moment too—but instead, she gets a shocking surprise. Cue the breakup.

Still wanting to support her newly engaged friend Lou, Molly heads off on a hen party getaway. The girls arrive at a beautiful villa—only to discover it’s been double-booked. Now they’re stuck sharing the space with a group of guys on a bachelor party. What follows is a week of hilarious competitions to win the villa for the second week. It was fun watching which guys got under which girls’ skin and all the sparks that flew.

That said, some moments had me rolling my eyes—in the best way. Like the shampoo scene—why on earth would the girls even give the guys a chance to get into their rooms or mess with their stuff? I was yelling at them half the time for the silly things they did, but it added to the humor.

In the end, I enjoyed the dynamics and friendships between the two groups. I did wish for a bit more steam, though. With a title like Too Hot to Handle, I went in expecting some spice, so I was a little disappointed on that front. Still, the story was fun and entertaining, and it made for a great quick read.

My rating is 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. I know it’s silly to deduct points for the lack of spice, but come on—with that title, it felt a little implied!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the eARC.

The perfect rom com ! absolutely loved it and would highly recommend.
Funny, light reading which had me laughing out loud. A perfect holiday read ! Utter chaos but a brilliant read .
Will Molly end up with Travis - who knows ?
Thanks to Netgalley, Boldwood Books and Portia Macintosh for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review