Hot Air

Joannie’s first date with Johnny is interrupted when a hot-air balloon mishap dumps a billionaire couple into Johnny’s pool. Joannie dives in to save the victims, Julia and Jonathan—the latter of whom turns out to be Joannie’s summer-camp crush from years ago. No good deed goes unpunished: for 208 pages, Joannie is one of four people roasted in this scorching satire of wacky relationships, iced with a juicy layer of saucy seduction. As the foursome of Joannie, Johnny, Julia, and Jonathan get to know one another a bit, Julia falls into instant love with little Lucy, Joannie’s daughter. The crush morphs into a weekend holiday at a Harry Potter theme park. Despite this frothy plotline, there are noir elements galore, such as Jonathan’s wicked moves against Julia, Joannie, and even Vivian, his personal assistant. Completing the group is Johnny, who manages to scratch Julia’s itch.