Review: “Summer Hate” by Melissa Ivers

Series: Mountain Ridge Resort

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨

Steam: 🔥🔥🔥

Release Date: July 27th, 2022

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He was the last person I wanted to see on my girls trip, let alone share a room with.

Donovan Fitzroy is grumpy. Irritable. Annoyingly perfect. And as handsome as he is uptight. He’s also my best friend’s older brother.

My bestie promised me a relaxing week at her family owned resort, but when I got there all I got was an apologetic phone call and a promise that her brother would take care of me. Only Donovan couldn’t be bothered to give me the time of day. He never has. But as much as I would love to tell him to shove his hospitality where the sun don’t shine, I’m exhausted. I can survive one night sharing the same room with him and leave in the morning.

Only when morning comes, Donovan needs help. With a week packed full of weddings, a big summer bash, and no event coordinator, he’s in over his head. I should walk away. I should absolutely go home and never have to lay eyes on him again. But he doesn’t think I can do it and I would love nothing more than to prove him wrong.

The more we work together, the more I notice his innocent touches. The way his eyes darken when they rake over my body. The way he whispers my name in the dark. Getting involved with him would be a bad choice.

But I’m not known for my good decisions.

 

Summer Hate is a novella part of a multi-author series set at the Mountain Ridge Resort in Virginia. And Melissa Iver’s story is a quick, hot, fun one. It’s got the perfect balance of romance, steam and fantastic banter that I’ve come to associate with Melissa’s writing.

In Summer Hate, you’ll find:

✨ second chance

✨ best friend’s brother

✨ vacation romance

✨ age gap

✨ enemies to lovers

✨ forced proximity

Violet and Donovan have the kind of history that encourages them to irritate and dislike each other. As a teenager, all Violet wanted was for Donovan to notice her and be her first. But when she tells him as much, he runs away and breaks her heart. While they were never in a relationship and Donovan’s the older brother of her best friend, Violet’s feelings for him never wavered. Now, as an adult, she’s decided to take some time off from being a socialite and go on vacation at Mountain Ridge Resort with her best friend. Except, her best friend doesn’t show up and now Violet’s stuck at the resort with the man who ruined her.

While I’m not a fan of enemies to lovers, I have to admit that the banter and the chemistry between Violet and Donovan was awesome. I was thoroughly entertained by how they both find different ways to piss each other off, but also enjoy each other at the same time. Despite their obvious frustrations with each other, Violet and Donovan work together to make the summer party at the resort a success. I liked that even when Violet was doing everything she could to help Donovan, he found ways to needle and annoy her. But at the same time, he respects her for what she’s able to do for him.

“The second she pressed her lips against mine, when she stole that fucking kiss from me, I was a goner. That’s a lie. I was a goner the second I laid eyes on her. I think it’s safe to say I’ve been in love with her for well over a decade.”

Too much time together and lots of wine can sometimes tip things over and once these two collide, it’s so freaking hot. Melissa’s always had a way with writing steam, so I knew I would enjoy something very hot and fun. Violet and Donovan set the pages on fire and it’s absolutely brilliant.

Because it’s a novella, I think the conflict was unnecessary. It felt forced and a little misplaced. I definitely liked seeing Natalie and Hudson, especially knowing that they’re getting a story if they don’t have one already. But I would have liked for Violet and Donovan to have skipped the miscommunication and the drama.

I’m curious about the rest of the series, so I’m going to go through the other books and see what’s in store for me!

Thanks to Melissa Ivers for generously providing me with an advance copy. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.