Honey and Heat

Happy release day to Aurora Palit‘s second novel, Honey and Heat! I loved her debut, Sunshine and Spice, and was excited to see Cynthia get her chance at love here. After a memorable one-night-stand, Cynthia finds out that Rohit works at the same business she does: her father’s company. And he’s now her #1 competitor to get the CEO position when her dad retires. Cynthia’s walls instantly go up, but when she and Rohit are put on a project together, she can’t resist his persistent kindness. Can this workplace romance last when that CEO position opens up?

What I Liked:

• Cynthia is an Ice Princess, a #GirlBoss, and I kind of loved her despite her cool exterior. Yes, Cynthia may be seen as unlikable, and she certainly can be dismissive, intimidating, and even rude to others. But she’s also hardworking, smart, and just desperately wants her dad’s approval. I loved seeing her slowly open up to Rohit and learn to unwind a bit.
• Rohit is so sweet! The so-called Chosen One is actually a genuinely nice person. Sometimes a “nice” character can seem flat, but Rohit is well developed; he has layers, feels stress (to financially support his family in India), and doesn’t endlessly put up with others’ attacks on him. But even so, he’s open and a hopeless romantic. He’s a perfect complementer to Cynthia.
• Workplace issues… and romance! The corporate grind might be burning us all out, but I enjoyed watching Cynthia hustle for that CEO title. She and Rohit don’t face restrictions on their relationship from HR; it’s just the competition getting in the way. I liked seeing how they work through issues at their job, from being talked over in meetings and sexist comments from coworkers to taking charge of their own careers.
• Family issues. Both Rohit and Cynthia have complicated feelings towards their families, wanting to be close, but also harboring some resentment. I like how their respective situations are portrayed and eventually resolved.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

• I wanted more from Cynthia’s conversation with her dad by the end. Why was he so dismissive of her? Why did he treat her so badly at work? And what’s with his whole team’s obvious sexism? He only addresses one issue (too little, too late, in my opinion), but there’s no explanation about everything else.

Final Thoughts

I loved Honey and Heat equally as much as the previous novel! Cynthia and Rohit are both wonderful characters who work so well together, especially outside the office. I was rooting for them as a couple, for them each professionally, and for them to work through their family issues. It was also fun to see Naomi and Dev again. I’m loving Aurora Palit’s books and look forward to reading more!

Special thanks to the publishers at Penguin Random House, Berkley, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy Honey and Heat here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

Honey and Heat by Aurora Palit
Series	(#2)
Audience	Adult
Genre	Contemporary Romance
Setting	Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Number of Pages	368
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	September 16, 2025
Publisher	Berkley

Official Summary

She’s known as the Ice Princess. He’s got a reputation for melting hearts…except hers. Let the rivalry begin.

Cynthia Kumar always wins. She’s successful, competitive, and knows exactly what she wants: to be the heir to her father’s multimillion dollar business.

Except, her father just chose his successor and it’s not her…it’s her one-night stand.

Rohit Patel can’t believe his luck. He’s just landed the opportunity of a lifetime, his future is once again on track, and the woman he spent one steamy night with could be the love of his life.

Except, she’s his new boss’s daughter and now she hates him.

When Kumar Constructions falls under scrutiny, both Cynthia and Rohit are determined to see its tarnished reputation restored to its original glory. As they each try to swoop in and save the day, their game of one-upmanship fails spectacularly, leaving them no choice but to set their differences aside and work together. But as their partnership to save the company—and their feelings for one another—blossoms, they’ll have to decide what’s more important…their careers or love?