Sweet Heat

Not every relationship makes it out of university.
But Kiki and Malakai were supposed to be forever.
Everything was perfect, until it all went up in flames.

Three years after their epic break-up, Kiki's worked hard to forget her first love. But just as she thinks she's got her life under control - jumping into the distractions of her romance-by-calendar-invite boyfriend, and plans for her best friend, Aminah's, wedding - Kiki's career implodes, the family business teeters on collapse, and Malakai returns.

As Malakai takes up his role as Best Man opposite her Maid of Honour, suddenly Kiki can think of nothing else: their simmering chemistry, what went wrong, and why it is now impossible to act normal around each other.

Juggling a new job, the prospect of her parents' restaurant being sold, and keeping her best friend from going full bridezilla, dealing with The Ex is the last thing she needs. But somehow the spark between them is only getting hotter - and threatening to ruin everything.

They just have to get through the wedding, so why does it feel like playing with fire?

Heart-melting, hilarious and completely addictive, Kiki and Malakai return in this standalone second novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Bolu Babalola.

I adored Honey & Spice, so I’ll admit—I was a little nervous about a sequel. But Sweet Heat did not disappoint. Kiki and Kai were made for each other. Even when they lost their way, their journey back felt so honest and full of heart. Watching them grow from young adults to full-on adulthood was beautiful, and the same goes for their entire circle of friends. This wasn’t just a romance—it was a story of self-discovery, risk-taking, and stepping into who you’re meant to be. The romantic soulmates had my heart, but the platonic ones? Just as powerful. The love between the best friends was everything. I was invested in everyone’s story, and this is one of those books I’ll be recommending over and over again.

Bolu Babalola is a British-Nigerian woman with a misleading bachelor's degree in law and a masters degree in American Politics & History from UCL. She feels it is important to state that her thesis was on Beyoncé's "Lemonade" and she was awarded a distinction for it. So essentially she has a masters degree in Beyoncé. A writer of books, scripts and retorts, a lover of love and self-coined "romcomoisseur", Bolu Babalola writes stories of dynamic women with distinct voices who love and are loved audaciously. She is a big believer in women being both "Beauty and the beast". She is not a fan of writing her own bios. She can be found tweeting far too much @BeeBabs.