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Too hot to handle
First published 1986 · 504 pages
A sun-baked, smoldering battle of wills where desperate pride clashes with explosive, undeniable attraction.
What it feels like
Set against the rugged, sun-baked backdrop of an Arizona ranch, this classic 1980s romance delivers a smoldering, high-tension reading experience. The atmosphere is thick with the heat of the desert and the explosive friction of a fierce battle of wills. Readers are pulled into an intense emotional landscape where desperate circumstances meet unyielding pride, creating a crackling enemies-to-lovers dynamic. The prose is emotionally charged and direct, focusing on the sharp contrasts between a vulnerable but defiant athlete and a brooding, temperamental rancher. It is a briskly paced, passionate journey of healing and surrender that will delight fans of vintage contemporary romance who love their love stories laced with fiery clashes, rugged isolation, and undeniable, steamy attraction.
- Mood
- smoldering
- sun-baked
- tense
- rugged
- Tone
- dramatic
- intense
- defiant
- passionate
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- pride and vulnerability · healing and recovery · enemies to lovers · undeniable attraction · rugged isolation
- The writing
- Emotionally charged and direct, leaning heavily into the dramatic contrasts and simmering tension characteristic of 1980s romance.
- The arc
- Moves from desperate, prideful defiance and fiery clashes to a yielding, passionate connection.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave classic, high-tension contemporary romances featuring fiercely proud heroines and brooding, temperamental ranchers.
Content notes
- sexual content
- injury and medical recovery
About the book
DEVIL INCARNATE OR ANGEL IN DISGUISE?
Tory Wells arrived a Sundance Ranch with only her battered suitcase, little more than two dollars and a letter from a friend, promising her employment. An Olympic-class diver recovering from knee surgery, Tory desperately needed this job and though the owner was an angel to be giving it to her. But
Ethan Reever was no angel. With his dark presence, cold gray eyes, and explosive temper, he could be only one thing - the devil himself. Tory was in dire straits, but she would never ask Reever for anything. Not a job. Not a bus ticket. Not money, and most definitely not for his love.
Description from Open Library.
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