Carolina Heat by Karen Gray is a trilogy about five friends in each book is about an hour long I thought the narration was decent and the stories were pretty good. everyone in some aspect or another wants to have a career in Hollywood and I thought the first book really explained that very well. It’s also my favorite book of the three although the other two were pretty good. If you like books set in the 90s with that whole 90s vibe and summertime friendship/romance then you’ll definitely enjoy the stories I certainly did.#NetGalley, #DreamscapeSelect, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #KarenGray, #CarolinaHeat,

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the audio version. I will be honest I was very much drawn to the cover and I don't mind short stories at all this sounded good and thought I would give it a try. This was a DNF for me. I listened to more than half of the book. The first story was cute, very much like a Hallmark type story plot. The 2nd book was awful. The writing was terrible and it ended up turning into smut and one night stands etc. Just was not for me.

A 2 book and 1 novella Audiobook that has a retro feel to it.
Having a full cast of narrators was a nice change and they did a fantastic job moving the stories along.

This box set is a short novella and two novels. I preferred the third book the best and all were very 90's ! The novella set the scene and character building. The narration was well done and I enjoyed listening to these one after another. If your looking for back to back stories this one is for you. I didn't think the first two were very romance based but the third one was the one I enjoyed the most. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this audio set.

**I'll Stand By You**: Solid little novella, good way for me to get an introduction to the characters. just a short little hour long audiobook so it was nice and quick!

obsessed with the vibes and atmosphere!! Late 80's- early 90's is one of my favorite eras to read about!

**You Get What You Give**: This was a lot of fun! Felt like reading a 90’s drama show. I really like the characters. The spice I will admit was cringy and I laughed a few times at some dialogue used. (Looking at you “butter bean” 😂)

Its just such a fun time and its giving me all the summer vibes I need in these cold times

Very excited to dive into the next boom cause that cliffhanger has got me intrigued!

**Hold On to Me**: It's not my favorite of the series but I still enjoyed reading it! With this one the story focuses on Sullivan and his story. I liked the relationship a lot, but Helen annoyed me from time to time. The spice was a bit better than the other books.

Overall good book! This one does have a fair few trigger warnings to it so be weary of that.

The audiobook was incredibly well done! I really enjoyed it!

Carolina Heat scratches an itch for 90s network soaps I never even realized I had. The narrators were excellent and the stories were cute. The problem with a box set is that some will stand out more than others, but both novels and the novella were entertaining. It was small town mixed with the entertainment industry that truly felt like a tv show from decades ago (in the best way).

The transitions between chapters could be a bit jarring, but didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC in exchange for an honest review!

This is a box set of:
One novella/prequel
Two novels

The prequel was ok. Main focus was setting up the characters but at a younger age. They are in a hotel trying to find a lost dog. No real romance story. Maybe 3/5 stars.

The first novel was ok. Also 3/5 for me. Some of the spicy talk took me out. "I circled my buttered bean" WHY IS IT BUTTERED. Then shortly after new scene she tossed in a "I buttered him up".

Second novel I enjoyed much more 4.5/5 it's open door a bit but mainly closed door. Workplace she's black cat he's golden grumpy retriever because he's injured from a boating accident. She's older he's younger.

Thank you netgalley for this ALC box set

I liked the drama listening I realized it was a spin off later but they were good books, it didn't happened that much in my opinion and I felt like a book was missing to finish the story, it was fast but at the beginning there so many people I kept getting confused. Once I kept listening, it was so much better
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this book

I received an ALC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Audio: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Stories: ⭐⭐⭐

This box set contains three stories. First is the prequel novella, second is about Violet and Nate, and third is about Sully and Helen. The narrators (Jack Calihan, Ryan Lee Dunlap, Mackenzie Cartwright, JF Harding, Amy McFadden, Maxine Mitchell, and Amanda Steibling) all did an amazing job. Each character got their own narrator depending on who the chapters about. So it was told in dual narration. Given the large amount of characters I felt duet would have suited more but it wasn't really hard to figure out who was talking. I love JF Harding and so I was all in on this box set.

The first book was a novella centered around the 5 best friends in a summer break. All done with school or college and having one last summer together as they figure out what to do. There's also a love triangle between the two boys and Whitney that is being ignored kind of.

The second book follows Violet and Nate. Violet is one of the friends from the original friend group that chose never to leave the Carolinas. She worked hard and just started her own casting agency when Nate is sent by his father to basically run her out of business and win the petty family fued going on.

The third book is about Sully. He gave Whitney an ultimatum that didn't end in his favor. So he goes on sea for a few months to clear his head and heart but in the middle of it is in a hit and run boating accident that breaks his leg. He ends up staying with Vi and Dani. Dani gets him a job for a very hard to work for woman, Helen, but ends up complimenting her personality perfectly.

These books were very adorable. Definitely hit the nail on the head with 90s sit com. I wasn't the biggest fan starting this and was actually quite bored. The characters were lovely and it was a nostalgic blast remembering all the lack of technology. These books were entertaining and they had funny moments but thats about all they were to me. I wasn't dying to see what happened but basically was happily floating along.

The concept that the first book was an enemies to lovers felt like a stretch since the only animosity came from Vi's side while Nate was trying to help her in the best way he could. They are super cute together and love them as a couple though.

The second book held a little more depth because I felt where Helen was coming from. Her hesitation to date him could backfire on her image and authority. I honestly was extremely nervous for her. Sully worked through a lot and I was disappointed in his reasoning for going after Whitney. It matched the nature of a 90s sitcom but felt too immature to be a real reason. Helen and Sully also complimented each other well.

All in all, I enjoyed all the characters and the storyline. Is it anything to obsess over? No. Am I interested on continuing this story line through the rest of the three characters? Yes.

Take this as you will, it is neither a bad nor a great review but somewhere in the middle. If you do choose to read it, or listen, enjoy the immense amount of nostalgia!

3.5 ⭐
Such a sexy, steamy, 90s style boxset that I absolutely devoured. Think 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S', with spice. Plus everyone is in some way working in the entertainment industry.

0.5 - It's summer of 1991. Can 5 friends who work at a beach front hotel in their coastal town grow up & go on their own adventures without growing apart?
Such a cute novella, and a beautifully, chaotic introduction to all the characters!

1 - A sleepy coastal town is deemed the 'Hollywood' of the East, but even so, this small town isn't big enough for accidental rivals: Violet Davenport & Nate Fowler.
Loves this so much! Still giving spicy 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S' & I'm here for it!

2 - After a devastating accident at sea leaving Sullivan Calloway temporarily in Crutches, he gets hired as Helen O'Neill's assistant until get gets back on his feet, excuse the pun.
This age-gap, workplace romance from this series is currently my favorite! Loved Sullivan & Helen's relationship so, so much!

Loved this inter-connected series so much, can't wait to continue with it!
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is a box set of previously released stories. The aduiobook is done very well with duet narration and a full cast for each story.
The prequel novella sets up the cast of friends and is a Cute short story.
The second story gives has wonderful 90s nostalgia thays gives of Dawson creek energy with a love triangle and while I wasn't a huge fan of who.she ended up with it was a cute story.
The third story is a reverse age gap with sully and his boss. It's a fun slow burn.
I enjoyed this story the most.
Overall these had great nostalgia factor and were fun and sweet.

This is a cute, lighthearted collection of romance novellas. I really enjoyed the retro vibe. I didn't love the added audio at the beginning of each chapter. It felt distracting and didn't add anything to the story.

Spice: 🌶️
Overall: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Multiple

I recently had the pleasure of reading an advance reader copy (ARC) of Carolina Heat: a Small Town RomCom Box Set by Karen Grey. This audiobook is a nolleva prequel and 2 books combined of all in the Carolina Classics in one place. The books are set in the 90s which normally wouldn’t bother me as I’m only a few years behind them but some of the phrases throughout the series gave me the eck, but also had a nostalgic feel. Great dialogue and found family of friends.

The narration was fantastic and would recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and DreamScape Select for the ARC!

A compilation of light romances with a beautiful setting. I gave it 2 stars because a couple of the stories were absolutely awful.

A group of five friends drifted apart but they have now the chance to rekindle their friendship and also fall in love and have a better future. I’ll stand by you, You get what you give and Hold onto me are the three first books of this really good series Carolina Classics, by Karen Grey. You can’t put it down. The audiobook with Jack Calian, Ryan Lee Dunlap, Mackenzie Cartwright, JF Harding, Alastair Haynesbrigde, Amy Mcfaden, Maxine Mitchell and Amanda Stribling is a great one. Thanks to NetGalley for the ALC copy. This is my honest review

This was a fun collection of stories!

We start off with the prequel:

I’ll Stand By You- ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️.25
This was the perfect novella to introduce you to the 5 friends. Each friend had a distinct voice and you were truly able to get a sense of their personalities. I believe the novella set up the following books very well. The narrators were also excellent.

You Get What You Give- ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️
We start our first full length novel with the bossy, self assured friend- Violet. This book truly set the stage for the setting- taking us to the late 90s with the musical references, beepers and pagers over cell phones and the simpler life before the internet and social media really took over. Violet and Nate’s one night stand to enemies to lovers storyline was well plotted out and I thought there was a substantial reason for their initial split, unlike many enemies to lovers stories. I also loved that we still had the rest of the friends around and they played significant parts in the story and weren’t just there for filler. The narrators did an excellent job, and I truly enjoyed the Lawson’s Beach excerpts at the beginning of each chapter… especially since it I loved Dawson’s Creek and it is the direct inspiration for that show.

Hold On To Me- ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
Here we have our first story that breaks up the love triangle that started in the prequel and bled into the first novel. Sully’s story was great. I truly enjoyed watching him find someone he was attracted to and shared chemistry with so that he could get over Whitney. I wasn’t sure how the love triangle was going to shake up. I did enjoy the direct connections the story made to the Pacey/Joey/Dawson & Sully/Whit/Ford love triangles- especially the stuck in a chain store mention! I was a little disappointed to find out in this story she will end up with the Dawson of the friend group, but alas- I did love Helen and Sully. Helen’s backstory with her previous boss really helped to flesh out why she was so insistent on not starting up with Sully right away but I was glad he was able to get through her tough exterior because they had a great relationship. The inclusion of the 90s movie quotes was top notch for me! I did not enjoy these narrators as much as the first novel but they were still excellent.



Overall this collection was truly a fun little slice of spicy, rom-com 90s inspired love stories. I will definitely be listening to the next two books to see how Dani and Whit/Ford get their happy endings!


Thank you to Home Cooked Books PR and NetGalley for my ALC in exchange for an honest review!

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed it and couldn’t stop listening. I was hooked from the first minute! The narration was wonderful. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this audiobook.

I loved all the smaller novellas as they called them. I loved sully and Helen and Mr jones. I was so happy when Mr jones was found when sully and Helen went to get sullys boat. Karen made this such a easy listen because I felt like I was truly part of the book, and would love this to be turned into a tv series.

Thank you to NetGalley, DreamScape Select and Karen Grey for the chance to listen to this series in exchange for my honest review.

All three stories were really quite good. However, I was completely thrown by some out of pocket language/vernacular.
For example:
-Referring to the clitoris as a "butterbean"... (repeatedly, but only in internal dialogue..)
-Hero states "Your luscious bod on my rod..."
-"Any guy that wants bare down there is basically a pedophile..."
-I've got the Niagara Falls of juices going.

I know this series takes place in the late 90s. I am familiar with the tongue of the 90s as an elder millennial. But these phrases were so out of pocket that it threw me out of the whole collection.

Narration was well done by the cast. The added audio/sounds at the beginning of each chapter were a little jarring/startling and not exactly needed.

A 2 book and 1 novella Audiobook that has a retro feel to it.
Having a full cast of narrators was a nice change and they did a fantastic job moving the stories along.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this audiobook.