Wow! Just wow. this is my first book by Bolu Babalola and I can say she is by far one of my favorite authors. Her writing is just magical. This book is pure poetry. The way she describes feelings, scenes, objects is all seductive. She had me an enraptured in this story with her tantalizing words. Thank you for this amazing experience while reading this book. I will be reading anything that she has written.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC and introducing me to this amazing author!!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5 stars)
I’m not usually a big romance reader, but Bolu Babalola’s writing makes me want to convert.

Sweet Heat, the second installment in the Honey & Spice series, delivered everything I didn’t know I needed. We reunite with our beloved Kiki as she navigates the whirlwind of rising stardom: new love, family tensions, and, of course, her best friend’s wedding. And guess who’s also part of that wedding? Malakai, Kiki’s ex, who still carries some unfinished business.

With both of them deeply involved in the wedding festivities, they’re forced to confront their past, unearth what went wrong, and figure out whether there’s still something worth saving.

This book is packed with passion, messy second chances, and the bittersweet beauty of starting over. My only gripe? I wish we got more of Malakai’s perspective. When he reentered Kiki’s life, we only saw her emotional crash out. And I was dying to know: was Kai crashing out too?

Still, Babalola gave us a romantic, heartfelt, and vibrant story filled with Black love, sharp wit, and vulnerability. I really hope there’s a third book in the works—I’m not ready to leave this world yet.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced listener copy in exchange for my honest review. Pick this one up if you love second-chance romances with heat, heart, and Black love. 💕

I'm not usually a romance reader, but I stumbled upon Honey & Spice a few years ago and enjoyed it, so I immediately requested Sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola.

📖: Kiki and Malakai broke up a few years ago, and they must be in the same room again when their best friends get married. To make things even more awkward, they find out they are hired to work on the same film project. Will Kiki and Kai be able to resist their chemistry and address why they broke up in the first place?

🤝: This may be a good fit if you enjoy:
- second chance romance
- books set in the music world
- interesting supporting characters

💭: Like I said, I don't really read romance, but I really enjoyed Kiki and Malakai's relationship in Honey & Spice. I struggle with characters who refuse to open up, but one of the things I love about Kiki and Kai is that once they start talking, I love their communication. I could relate to their pain, heartbreak, and lingering deep connection. They have intense physical chemistry, and even when they're broken up, they're support of one another as people. They have intense physical chemistry, and even when they're broken up, they're support of one another as people. This book is on the longer side. It was slow for me at times. Others it sucked me in. I think this couple and their friends would be a good fit for romance readers and readers dipping their toes in the genre like me. (It did have a couple spicy scenes.)

🎧: I recommend this format if you enjoy audiobooks. The narrator, Weruche Opia, read this book so poetically. It grew on me more and more as the story went on. She really brought this story to life and made it feel cinematic.

Rating: 3.5 rounded up

Memorable Quotes:
I love you deep and strong

My love for you is like poetry. I love you deep for many reasons, but also without reason.

Review: Compared to Honey and Spice, this one started slower for me. I found myself getting distracted initially, around 20%, but the story really began to pick up as Malakai was introduced more consistently back into the story, and we got more interaction and dialogue between Kiki and him, which is what made us fall in love with Honey and Spice and highly anticipate the release of Sweet Heat. This was a good ride, witty, funny, and well-written, with a slow pace initially, but then it begins to flow and gives us that R&B neo-soul vibe that Balu Babalola does so well.

Narration : was fantastic, as per usual; I would read/listen to any book narrated by Weruche Opia, she does an amazing job with her voice, helping to distinguish who was who, and her natural accent is a plus! Me personally.I recommend reading Balu Babalola books on hearing it just does the nigerian dialogue/dialect/ banter more justice

Cons: the initial pacing was slow and a bit uninteresting and hard to follow until about 20% in. The back-and-forth of let's talk about/let's not talk about it got a bit repetitive.

Pros: well-written, funny, gives you so many feelings, smiling moments, laugh-out-loud moments, empathy, and compassionate moments. Good balance of highs and lows. Loved the R&B references and comparisons. The ending was very satisfying. Scotch and Kai are one of my favorite book couples; it was nice to see them at a more mature stage of life. The way they protect and look out for each other is top-tier and is what made this book feel like 90s R&B love. I do not regret reading this; I will be purchasing a physical copy and would recommend it to other readers!

A second chance romance well done! And set within two contexts that I love- a wedding and an artistic project, where the passion and talent of the characters shine.

The thing about second chance romance that has to work is you have to a. understand and accept why the couple broke up to begin with while b. believing that a reunion would make sense and rooting for them to try again. Babalola succeeded with both. Kiki and Malakai's stories, together and apart, worked for me and their chemistry and friendship are to die for.

The audio is brilliant.

Oh my god, Babalola is SO BACK!!! I missed Kiki and Malachi so much, and I love how we get to see their second chance romance unfold. Sweet Heat is unbelievably sultry, filled with angst, and the pain of two adults trying to figure out their own goals and way back to each other. Highly recommend this on audio, the narrator does an incredible job!

I absolutely ate this book up! This second chance romance is packed with angst, banter, tension, spice, and heartache. I adored Kiki and Malakai…flawed, complex, and yet so perfect for each other. Their chemistry leapt off the page, and their emotional journey had me hooked from start to finish.

The narration was incredible; the narrator truly brought these characters to life and added an extra layer of depth and emotion to the story. If you're looking for a character driven, spicy, and emotional romance that will tug at your heartstrings and keep you turning the pages, this is it!

In the sequel to honey and spice, we see Kiki and Malakai are navigating interacting again after a brutal break up. This book made me laugh multiple times! I just love the way Babalola writes. Kiki's internal monologue was exquisitely relatable for me!

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you HarperAudio for the ALC!

Bolu is making me out to be a second chance romance lover and idk how I feel about that. This follow up was something I didn't know I wanted until I completed this. I enjoy how Sweet Heat was a well rounded read including catching up with friends, new life challenges and of course, exceptional romance. This read was poetic.

I am VERY happy that we have the same narrator as the first book. Weruche Opia did a phenomenal job and the production add ons like hearing the phone call was a special treat.

I’ve read just shy of 100 books this year, and this one? Hands down, my favorite. Honestly, this is no exaggeration. I joined NetGalley with one mission: to get my hands on this book early. I couldn’t wait another minute… and let me tell you:

✨ IT. DID. NOT. DISAPPOINT.
🌟 Five stars, no hesitation.

Though it’s a standalone, we reunite with KiKi and Malakai years after their electric love story in Honey & Spice. I’ve devoured more romances than I can count, but KiKi and Kai? They’re in a league of their own. Their connection is raw, real, and ridiculously compelling.
This story dives deep: career pressures, family dynamics, identity, and the evolving nature of long-term love. It’s messy, beautiful, and achingly honest. The tension between them? honestly, don't get me started. If you like yearning, you got it.

Bolu Babalola writes with a richness that’s almost tactile—her words are lush, layered, and like all her food metaphors- absolutely delicious. She is a THEE romance writer. I will gladly accept as many books as you want to write and hype them all day every day. Thank you for creating such beautiful stories.

4.75⭐️
Honey & Spice is one of my favorite romance reads ever so when I got this ARC to the sequel I screeched!! Sweet Heat is a perfect second chance romance between my loves, Kiki and Malakai!!
I can't lie when I saw this was a second chance romance, I was a bit scared because Kiki and Malakai were truly perfect in the first book and I didn't know if I would believe anything would have been powerful enough for them to break up. I never should have doubted Bolu Babalola because she beautiful writes this story of two people who destined to be together but unable to love each other at a certain point in their lives. Kiki and Malakai go through a brutal breakup and over the course of the book we find out why and are convinced again why they belong together.

Kiki is a vulnerable, raw, and hilarious woman. Malakai is a suave, smooth, vulnerable man. The tension, angst, and spice between Kiki and Malakai was just perfect and jumping off the page. The audiobook narrator of certain scenes genuinely had me SOBBING. I had to put my kindle down and turn on New Girl to feel happy again lol. The healing journey that they both go on individual was so so beautiful to read❤️‍🩹. Their passion for life and each other is truly out of this world. They made me giddy reading this.

This book is not just a second chance romance. It is a book about navigating life post college, finding your footing in your career/the world, self-identity, and sisterhood. MY GOD the relationship Kiki has with Aminah (and Chioma and Shanti) had me weeping. These women have a true friendship, where they can call each other out on their shit but also be the first person there to pick up the pieces. A certain scene with Kiki and Aminah in a bakery took me clean out while reading😭 The incorporation of music felt like a homage to Honey & Spice which I loved!

Bolu Babalola is always a must buy author for me because she writes these incredible strong, confident, and loving Nigerian characters. Seeing our Nigerian culture loved out and incorporated in every aspect of the books is truly something I will never get over. She delivers once again with Sweet Heat and now I can't wait till I get my hands on my preorder so I can re-read and transfer all my annotations. I can't recommend this series enough, especially the audiobooks!!!

I'll leave you with some of my favorite quotes that make me feel 🥰🤭😩😭🥹

"Fuck physics - we're transcendental."
"He’s my favourite kind of trouble and I’ve never know how to resist"
“Loving you is like muscle memory from a time before I even know I existed”
"You're the only thing on earth that I want to run to. I can't run from you - you're part of me"
"Malakai and I didn't last, and maybe we weren't meant to, but what I felt was real, and not even he can take that away from me. That love is still mine to give."

Thank you so so so much to HarperAdult Audio and Netgalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review. Y'all gave me one of my favorite reads of the year🫶🏾

Please prepare for me to be absolutely insufferable about this book. Gahhh this was so good.

The writing is lush and romantic and witty and hilarious and heartfelt, and the audiobook narration perfectly embodies the characters and feelings of the book. I was hooked from the first minute, and it only got better from there. Kiki and Kai are a second chance romance done right.

I haven’t read Honey and Spice and didn’t realize this was a sequel, but I had no issue following the story as a standalone. Now I want to go back and read that one too!

5 ⭐️

Thank you SO much to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of the audiobook.

I haven't read the first book in this series, and this is my first impression of Bolu Babalola. I listened to the audiobook version of Sweet Heat and thought it was terrific. I think what I liked is that I didn't realize it was the second book of the series until halfway through, and I didn't feel like I missed out significantly on not having a more in-depth knowledge of Kiki & Malaki's first relationship. That is the mark of a strong second book in the series for me.

As for the writing, I loved it. It felt incredibly authentic and transferred well to audio. I am typically hesitant with second-chance romances because miscommunication tropes (which the two go hand and hand) are not my favorite. Yes, there was miscommunication in this book between Kiki and Malaki, but it didn't overwhelm the rest of the plot. It's also a fine line in second-chance romances because people often break up for good reasons, and they are better apart. However, I appreciated the growth both Kiki and Malaki clearly made. Overall, I would definitely recommend!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley & the publisher for the advanced copy!

First, Weruche Opia’s voice is honestly so soothing. I could listen to her read a cook book. Both Sweet Heat and Honey & Spice were amazing to read, but also elevated as audio books. Thankful I was able to read the ebook arc while simultaneously listening to it.

I’m not usually crazy about second chance romances, but when it’s Malakai & Kiki ‘Scotch’ Banjo obviously it’s going to change my opinion. The chemistry between them is unreal, I felt every emotion with them. The high highs and low lows. This was so much more than just their relationship, though. It was honestly so relatable going through the struggles of different relationships, with jobs, friendships, family struggles, and just life in general. I really liked Honey & Spice, but Sweet Heat was honestly top tier. One of my favorite romances so far this year. Bolu Babalola can do no wrong.

**Thank you William Morrow for the gifted copy and thank you HarperAudio for the ALC**

I loved this book. I enjoyed Honey & Spice but it gave more of a college-nostalgia vibe. Sweet Heat definitely gave grown and sexy vibes. Kiki and Malakai are exes in their best friends’ wedding, what could go wrong?

Kiki is still spicy and hilarious while Malakai is such a charming and cool MMC. I love the banter in this entire book and the side characters are great! The sisterhood that Kiki has with her friends is perfect. I also loved the mental health rep within this book and the self-discover journey some of the characters experience. This is such a relatable story in so many different ways: from grief to self-discovery life after college to navigating love. I loved it all.

The audiobook for Sweet Heat is everything! I really enjoyed the narrator and her performance. I also loved the production (for example: when there is a voice message it really did sound like a voice message). I highly recommend this audiobook.

I was hooked into this story from the first page. I instantly felt connected to the FMC and I just adored listening to think and work through her life.

I also really enjoyed the main relationship and the spicy scenes were not only spicy but really helped the characterization of the main couple.

The writing just sucked me in and I absorbed this audiobook in one day. A great time!

Thank you to Net Galley and HarperAudio for an advance audiobook, all opinions are my own.

I feel like this duology is a masterclass in how you do second chance romance. If I had it my way, most if not all second chance romances would.be written in two book so you could see them fall in love go through the break and then find their way back to each other. Ugh it was just gorgeous. The angst and emotion along with the swoony romance. I was sold.

💖 Banter, longing, and a second-chance romance with just the right amount of heat — Kai & Kiki are all grown up… and still making me grin 😏

Title: Sweet Heat
Author: Bolu Babalola
Format: Audiobook (ALC)
Narrators: Weruche Opia
Narration Style: Solo narration
Tropes: Second Chance, Friends to Lovers, “One More Time” Temptation, Slow Burn, Post-College Growing Pains

🏆 Trophy Worthy: Yes — I’d hand them one just for that banter.
📚 Rating: 4 stars
🌶 Spice Rating: 2.5 peppers — slow burn with satisfying payoffs

💬 Quote: “Love needs room to breathe… even when it feels impossible to let go.”


Author Review 💌
Bolu Babalola knows how to write romance that isn’t just about falling in love, but staying in it — even when life gets messy. This follow-up to Honey & Spice takes the characters into that tricky post-college stage where dreams shift, friendships change, and nothing goes quite as planned. It’s richer in tone, a little heavier in subject, but still manages to keep the sparkle and humor she’s known for.

Narration Review 🎧
Weruche Opia’s voice? Gorgeous. Warm, smooth, and made for romance. She brings so much life to the banter and tension here. I’ve listened to her before and always enjoy her delivery, but she’s still not a top-tier solo narrator for me — at times, I had to really focus to catch which character was speaking. I’d love to hear her paired in a dual or duet narration because her style feels like it would bounce beautifully off another voice. Still, the accent? Absolute bonus points.

Book Review 📖
Kai and Kiki’s banter is back and better than ever — quick, clever, and laced with that we’re totally not still into each other energy that fools absolutely no one. The “just once to get it out of my system” moment had me cackling.

I liked seeing them more mature and grounded, even if some choices felt wildly out of character. And while I tore through the audiobook, the extra-long chapters made it feel like the story stretched further than it needed to. The chemistry was still there, the humor still hit, but I didn’t feel quite as emotionally tied to them this time around — more like I was watching from the stands instead of standing on the field with them.

Overall Thoughts ✨
Sweet Heat gives you a grown-up version of Kai and Kiki that’s equal parts sweet, spicy, and self-aware. It’s about finding your way back to each other while still chasing your own growth — and sometimes that’s just as romantic as the grand gestures. Not a carbon copy of Honey & Spice, but a thoughtful next chapter for these characters.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and HarperAudio Adult for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Okay I loved this book! I switched back and forth between Audio and reading, and loved both. Writing style and story were amazing! Would recommend

I’m still laughing that my Honey & Spice review started with “Kiki and Malakai forever😭” and this book started three years after their breakup😂😅 if you didn’t know this is a sequel now you do!!

While this one started slower for me (AKA the lack of Kai) once it got going I was once again reminded why I loved H&S and Babalola’s writing🤌

The banter was 10/10 - so flirty, funny, and witty. The tension was palpable and the “just once to get it out of my system” bit had me smirking😏

I will say some of the choices made felt very out of character / frustrated me and it was a smidge too long (with looong chapters) BUT I love these characters. It was more mature in tone than H&S since they’ve grown - it was relatable, life post-college does not always go the way you think it will and friendships go through phases!!

The audio narration was fantastic - I do love me an accent!!

Scotch and Kai forever for real this time!!❤️‍🔥 the way they supported each other even when they were apart, the chemistry - I fell in love with them all over again.

“Who you are is an abundance, not a burden. You’re my abundance.”