in the heat of the sea

Emily Davis has never been in a relationship before. But for a chance to win $210,000, she teams up with her best friend of 24 years, Alex Carter, and pretends to be his ""friends with benefits"" on a steamy reality dating show. She thought she just had to fake it for the cameras. But from the very first night, Emily finds herself having to kiss—and even sleep in the same bed with—other male contestants like Noah Parker and Nathan Harris. For someone who's never been with a man before, this wild, provocative experiment is a whole new world. Can Emily keep her secret and make it to the end for the grand prize, or will her true self be exposed under all the heat?

Emily Davis has never been in a relationship before. But for a chance to win $210,000, she teams up with her best friend of 24 years, Alex Carter, and pretends to be his ""friends with benefits"" on a steamy reality dating show. She thought she just had to fake it for the cameras. But from the very first night, Emily finds herself having to kiss—and even sleep in the same bed with—other male contestants like Noah Parker and Nathan Harris. For someone who's never been with a man before, this wild, provocative experiment is a whole new world. Can Emily keep her secret and make it to the end for the grand prize, or will her true self be exposed under all the heat?

Clyde Sullivan had lived as the cherished son of the Sullivan family until Miller's return exposed him as an imposter. When Miller framed Clyde for their grandfather's accident, the family turned their backs, condemning him to three years in a rehab center. Upon his release, his family treats him with indifference—Winona rejected him as a brother, Miller basked in triumph, Zack met him with blistering contempt, and even Yvette's fleeting sympathy couldn't override her allegiance to Miller. Bearing both physical scars and the burden of a prosthetic leg, Clyde came home to unrelenting condemnation. Sherry, a woman Clyde once adored but who is now close to Miller, breaks Clyde's heart. Trapped in a web of family betrayal and cruelty, Clyde found himself utterly alone, adrift in a sea of hostility with no compass to guide his future.