Looking for a smart, steamy read? Allow the author of Honey & Spice and Sweet Heat to recommend her favourites
Bolu Babalola knows a thing or two about writing desire. Her debut novel, Honey & Spice – a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick – introduced readers to her sharp, funny, and emotionally astute voice, as well as her ability to depict sizzling, hot-under-the-collar intimacy. Her follow up, Sweet Heat, is equally fizzing with chemistry.
But when she’s not writing her own steamy stories, which books does she turn to for that perfect mix of emotional depth and sexual tension? Here, Babalola shares the five sexy romance novels that shaped her life and writing…
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
“This is the ultimate second-chance romance. It follows two authors who first fell in love with each other over seven days in June when they were both troubled teenagers. They reconnect in adulthood and the chemistry between them is just out of this world.
“What I love is how their past is so deeply embedded in their present – their connection is explosive, but also tangled up in pain, misunderstanding, and longing. I’m a big believer in sex scenes reflecting emotional intimacy, and in theirs you really feel they know each other, but they are also getting to know each other again. It’s hot, but never crude. That balance is hard to strike, and Tia Williams absolutely nails it.”
Quercus, £10.99
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
“Where do I even begin with this book? It is exquisite: beautifully written and emotionally charged, with a storyline that takes bold, unexpected turns. We meet Feyi, an artist grieving her late partner, and watch her slowly begin to open herself back up to life and desire. What starts as a one-night stand quickly shifts, and soon she finds herself developing feelings for someone completely off-limits: her new love interest’s father.
“When this pair first lock eyes and there is this crackling in the air, as a reader, you’re like, ‘surely not. There’s no way’. But there is a way, because their chemistry is just unbelievable. And what I love about this book is that it explores a kind of taboo relationship in a way you’re really rooting for them. I stayed up all night reading it because this forbidden love is just that good. The sexy bits will make you sweat.”
Faber, £8.99
Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan
“I love a good messy romance, and this one gives everything. Hendrix is a powerful PR boss juggling work, family, and the emotional weight of always having to hold it all together. Then she meets Maverick Bell, an ethical billionaire (yes, they exist in fiction!), who sees her clearly and wants to be her support. From the start, their chemistry is crackling, but Hendrix thinks he’s taken and isn’t about to risk her career or her values.
“What I love about Ryan’s writing is how she captures the nuance of emotional intimacy. You see Hendrix let herself be cared for in a way she’s never experienced, and that vulnerability is powerful. The story explores what it means for a woman who’s always had to be strong to finally feel safe enough to let go. It’s complex, grown-up, and – as it should go without saying – deeply hot.”
Piatkus, £9.99
Funny Story by Emily Henry
“This book is such a joy. It’s about two people who have both been dumped, and their exes have got together. So because now they’re both looking for a roommate, they end up living together, and we see these two hurting people find love in an unlikely place. There’s an awkward, tentative start to their relationship, but what makes it so compelling is how Henry writes slow-burn intimacy.
“It’s really sweet and sensitive, but that doesn’t undermine how steamy it is. In fact, I think it makes it more sexy because the romance feels grounded and real. I love how the novel captures that shift of seeing someone in a new light, and the surprising eroticism of somebody that you know so well being able to turn you on.”
Penguin, £9.99
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
“This one is a favourite for so many reasons. Chloe is a brilliant, funny woman living with chronic illness who decides she’s done holding herself back. She creates a list of things she wants to do and enlists her gruff but charming neighbour, Red, to help her tick them off.
“What I adore is how her illness is part of her story, but it doesn’t define her in the bedroom or stop her from being sexually empowered. Red is loving and considerate, but he doesn’t treat her like she’s a delicate piece of china. Chloe knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to ask for it. There’s something so refreshing and so hot about that.”
Piatkus, £9.99
Sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola is published by Headline Review, £18.99
