Fall in love at Bayside, where sandy beaches, good friends, and true love come together in the sweet small towns of Cape Cod. Bayside Summers is a series of standalone steamy romance novels featuring alpha male heroes and sexy, empowered women. They’re fun, flirty, flawed, deeply emotional, always passionate, and easy to relate to. In BAYSIDE HEAT…Drake Savage has always done the right thing, … always done the right thing, especially where beautiful and fiercely determined Serena Mallery is concerned-even when it means keeping his feelings for her to himself. Serena has always wanted more than what their small town of Wellfleet, Massachusetts has to offer, and Drake’s roots are so deeply entrenched in the Cape, it’s all he can do to watch her pack up her life and move away.
Serena has always had big dreams. As a teenager she dreamed of becoming an interior designer and marrying smart, musically inclined, sexy-as-sin Drake Savage. Now she’s finally landed a killer job with a top interior design firm, but though she has spent the last four years working side by side with Drake, he’s never made a move. Four years is long enough for her to accept reality, and her new job in Boston is the perfect way to move on.
A weak moment leads to sizzling, sensual kisses, opening a door through which they’ve both been aching to walk. But Serena’s determined not to give up her shot at the career she’s always dreamed of, and Drake has loved her for too many years to stand in her way. With true love at their fingertips and a world of unstoppable passion igniting between them, can the two star-crossed lovers find their way to their happily ever after?
BAYSIDE SUMMERS
Bayside Desires
Bayside Passions
Bayside Heat
Bayside Escape
“With her wonderful characters and resonating emotions, Melissa Foster is a must-read author!” -NYT Bestseller Julie Kenner
“Melissa Foster is synonymous with sexy, swoony, heartfelt romance!” -NYT Bestseller Lauren Blakely
***
Bayside Summers is part of the Love in Bloom romance collection by New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Melissa Foster. While each book may be read as a standalone, you might enjoy reading the entire Love in Bloom series. Characters from each sub-series appear in future books. Visit Melissa’s website for family trees, series checklists, and more.
More Love in Bloom books:
SNOW SISTERS
Sisters in Love
Sisters in Bloom
Sisters in White
THE BRADENS (Weston, CO)
Lovers at Heart (Treat)
Destined for Love (Rex)
Friendship on Fire (Josh)
Sea of Love (Dane)
Bursting with Love (Savannah)
Hearts at Play (Hugh)
THE BRADENS (Trusty, CO)
Taken by Love (Luke)
Fated for Love (Wes)
Romancing My Love (Pierce)
Flirting with Love (Ross)
Dreaming of Love (Emily)
Crashing into Love (Jake)
THE BRADENS (Peaceful Harbor, MD)
Healed by Love (Nate)
Surrender My Love (Cole)
River of Love (Sam)
Crushing on Love (Shannon)
Whisper of Love (Tempest)
Thrill of Love (Ty)
THE BRADEN WORLD NOVELLAS
Promise My Love
Story of Love
Our New Love
Daring Her Love
THE REMINGTONS
Game of Love (Dex)
Stroke of Love (Sage)
Flames of Love (Siena)
Slope of Love (Rush)
Read, Write, Love (Kurt)
Touched by Love (Boyd)
SEASIDE SUMMERS
Seaside Dreams (Bella)
Seaside Hearts (Jenna)
Seaside Sunsets (Jamie)
Seaside Secrets (Amy)
Seaside Nights (Sky)
Seaside Embrace (Hunter)
Seaside Lovers (Grayson)
Seaside Whispers (Matt)
THE RYDERS
Seized by Love
Claimed by Love
Chased by Love
Rescued by Love
Swept Into Love
AUTHOR BIO
Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance, new adult romance, and women’s fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Melissa’s emotional journeys are always family oriented. Melissa loves to chat with book clubs and readers, invite her to your next event.
more
I was really looking forward to this one because friends to lovers is one of my favorite troupes. I just loved Serena and Drake together. They have so much history going back to their childhood. That’s what brings so much to the book for me. They know the little things about one another no one else really sees. Things get quite steamy between the two and you can see how deep their feelings for one another are. Drake that guy has so many swoon worthy moments when it comes to Serena. That was one of my favorite parts of the book. A thing I love about this series is the group of friends. I always look forward to the parts when they get together. Makes me wish I was part of the group. No everything is going to go smoothly for Serena and Drake because they finally reveal their feelings new chapters of their lives are starting. The balancing act is going to to test them, but do they have the kind connection that can weather the storm? I would recommend this one. The flow of the book is great and had me gobbling it up right to the end. Plus the characters are what truly make this book and series for me.
Bayside Heat by Melissa Foster
Bayside Summers #3
Friends to lovers stories are fun to read and this book was a treat…filled with delicious donuts, cookies, romance and more.
Drake and Serena have been friends for years and both have avoided letting their feelings be known. Drake wanted Serena to achieve her dreams and felt that a relationship with him would hold her back. When she finally gets “the job” doing what she thinks she will love it may not be all that she had hoped it would be. Just before she leaves for the city Drake lets her know he does care and she tells him she cares too. They deal with weeks apart and weekends together until they find a way to be together all of the time.
This was a well written fun story that tells of a couple willing to talk and make their relationship work no matter what comes their way. I thoroughly enjoyed it and want to thank the author for the ARC. This is my honest review.
4.5 Stars
I love friends to lovers stories & this one did not disappoint. Drake & Serena have been friends since they were kids & their friendship remained as adults. Serena is also good friends with Drake’s brother Rick, their sister Mira & friend Dean. Serena worked for Dean, Rick & Drake at their resort while they were getting it up & running but temporarily as she planned on working as a designer. Serena loved Drake for a long time but he put her in the friend zone so she decided to cut her losses and move on. When she tells Drake (and the others) that she is leaving & moving after landing a dream job he is forced to confront his feelings for her.
I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads, so here is my review.
As this series progresses, we get a different couple with each book. And we also still have the rest of the friends as the series moves along. This is the third book in the Bayside Summers series and is Drake and Serena’s story.
Serena has been working at the resort while waiting for her dream job to come along, and it has finally happened. How does she tell her best friends that she is moving to Boston to live out her dream? And how does she leave Drake, the love of her life, if he only knew how she felt.
Drake has loved Serena for as long as he can remember but he would never tell her that to keep her here and stand in the way of her dream job. He wants her to succeed on her own and he wants her to be his finally.
Can they make a long distance relationship work? Will her dream job be all she expects it to be? Will the time away from her friends be more of a burden on her than she thought? Will she still be able to make it home on weekends?
I love this series and look forward to each couples book and was so happy to see how things worked out for Drake and Serena. To see that this friends to lovers relationship has all the ups and downs that could happen in every relationship makes it the perfect story. And I loved everything about it. I can’t wait to see what happens with Violet’s story in Bayside Escape.
**Wicked Reads Review Team**
If you, like me, have been reading this series from the beginning, you’ve been watching Serena and Drake deny their feelings for a while. This book uses one of my very favorite tropes, friends to lovers. Even seeing the chemistry between these two in the other stories, I was really thinking it would go the direction of Serena having liked Drake since they were kids (because she did) and Drake just now realizing his feeling for Serena. I was pleasantly surprised when I realized that Drake was right on board from years ago but had very good reasons to keep his distance.
We’ve been told, more than once, that Serena’s job at the resort owned by Drake and his brother was just temporary. She was just helping out while they got up and rolling. But years later, it comes as a shock to all of her friends when she is offered, and accepts, a job in Boston. Their day-to-day lives are all so intertwined and flow so easily, everyone sort of pushed it to the back of their minds that Serena always wanted to work for a prestigious design firm. Her wishes are finally coming true and her friends, especially Drake, are not going to hold her back.
Drake has held his feeling in check when it comes to Serena because he always wanted her to follow her dreams. He’s watched her work hard and pull herself up all on her own over the years. Now that the dream has become a reality he has to face the fact that he may have to give her up completely. Luckily, with both of their emotions running high with her impending departure, the chemistry can no longer be denied. Serena and Drake finally give in to all of their feelings. But she still has to leave.
Watching these two navigate a long distance relationship after finally becoming a couple is beautiful and heart wrenching. I really enjoyed seeing Serena’s real personality come out at her new job and the way she didn’t back down from her beliefs, even if it wasn’t always the correct career boosting move. She has such a strong moral compass and is very compassionate to those around her, she can’t help but win over her new coworkers…even if her boss isn’t really thrilled with her bullheadedness.
Drake has always played the protector role, not only in Serena’s life but in the lives of all in his orbit. He’s the oldest child and his father died young. He’s always taken his responsibility for those around him to heart. Not as a burden, it’s just second nature to him. He often has trouble holding back from “fixing” things for Serena, but he is able to see the strong woman she is and doesn’t want to hold her back from anything. I loved how supportive he was even while he wanted to protect her and have her by his side.
I believe the next book in this particular series will tell Violet’s story and I cannot wait. That girl is so full of spunk and snark, I can’t wait to see her knocked on her booty by love.
https://allingoodtimeblog.wordpress.com/2018/09/07/bayside-heat-book-review/
Bayside Heat is the story I have been waiting for since the Bayside Summers series started. I knew Drake and Serena would be together someday, they had to be! They had so much love and cared so deeply for one another it was easy to see that they would have a friends-to-lovers HEA and we finally have it!!!
Serena is offered a job in Boston at a prestigious interior design firm so she is leaving their small town and heading to the city, lets just say that ALMOST everyone is happy for her. Drake has always believed he was doing the right thing by Serena by keeping her in the friend zone even though he wanted more…I’m not really sure this is ever the right thing to do for anyone but; oh well whats done is done. It finally shakes them both up knowing that they wont be seeing one another every day but their best friends so they can always call right? LOL Am I making light of the situation, yes I am because they are friends and they do care deeply for one another so you know they are going to make it work. WHICH I LOVE!!!!!! Like I said earlier I have been waiting for their HEA and it was great. I really don’t want to give anything away so this review is going to be short because I can just keep going on and on about it, especially the little surprises that took place which I thought were great and absolutely perfect.
I married my best friend so I guess I enjoy friends-to-lovers romances more than most do, especially when they are done as well as this one was. If you enjoy the friends-to-lovers trope grab a copy of Bayside Heat today and see how Drake and Serena really heat things up, you will not be disappointed, I promise. Happy Reading!!!
**I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book**
There is no accident that heat is apart of the title of this friends to lovers book because boy is this book hot!!
Serena has harbored feelings more than friendship for Drake for years but close friendship, working along side him at his resort and helping him open music stores has been all she has been all she has had. She contented herself with that because she “knew” he didn’t feel the same way and she didn’t want to lose him totally. When an amazing change to work at a well know design firm in Boston comes up Serena jumps at the chance to go to the big city and do what she always wanted, make her mark.
Drake has keep his strong feeling for Serena under wraps for too long. Not wanting to hold her back from her dreams and tie her down to their small town and him. When Serena gets the job in Boston and moves it all comes to a head and he can no longer keep quiet.
They come together and sparks fly but can Serena and Drake do the long distance thing. Can she be ok with the rest of her community moving forward and finding people to fill the hole she has left and can Drake be happy with Serena on the weekends when she’s not working?
This is a steamy friends to lovers book that keeps you rooting that they figure it all out.
I received an advanced readers copy of this book for a honest review.
*4.5 – 5 Stars*
ARC kindly received in exchange for an honest review.
Melissa Foster books are some of my favourites. I always find them enjoyable, fast reads, with little to no angst.
Drake and Serena’s story is a sweet and fun read. I haven’t read any of the other books in this series, but thats not an issue because Melissa writes them all as standalone. I love a good friends to lovers romance and this one was no exception.
Things start heating up between the two of them, as Serena is leaving to follow her dreams and move to Boston. Right from the start I was cheering for these two to get together, and watching them finally get there and how things play out as a result was really sweet.
Their friends are a lot of fun and make for some great banter and fun moments when they’re around. When its just Drake and Serena, their connection is palpable and intense and meant to be.
I enjoyed watching them navigate life and its changes, and how they communicate about things. The ending was absolutely perfect and I can’t wait to read more about their friends and this town in the future.
This is the third book in the Bayside Summers series and it is as fabulous as the first 2 were! However, it is a stand alone and it does that! But the books are so good, why wouldn’t you read the first two as well?
Drake and Serena were introduced in book 2, but you’ll see their special connection on full display in this book. The two grew up together and are best friends. But both are soooo attracted to the other, each trying desperately to hide it so the other can live the life they want.
This is a friends to lovers book, and the attraction is palpable before the two become lovers. Once the decision is made that they are together, the flirting and sexual tension is turned up. Their relationship becomes much more erotic and passionate. I thought my kindle would catch fire with their heat!
I really loved Serena and the way she fought for what she believed either in her relationships or in her job with clients and her manager. Drake is swoon-worthy! Once he decides Serena is his girl, he goes out of his way to make his time with her special. Together, they are perfect! And the cookies and donuts! How can you not love a book with lots of special cookies and donuts!?
I received an ARC copy of this book and am voluntarily reviewing it.
Melissa Foster has a winner in this book. While reading it, I would swoon through the many romantic parts, smile through the happy times, and laugh through the funny parts. It is a story of childhood crushes, to best friends, and then finally, lovers. I really like Serena. She is one strong woman, but is also as sweet as the doughnuts that she loves. Then, there is strong, sexy, protective Drake. What a wonderful pair they make, as they are both making some difficult life choices. I loved this book, and I highly recommend it. Actually, I don’t just recommend it, I consider this book a must read. You do not have to have read the first two Bayside Summers books, to enjoy this book, but I think you should, because this whole series is wonderful.
If you’re looking for an amazing friends to lovers romance with a touch of humor, a great cast of characters and enough heat to burn the pages…this is it! Serena and Drake have known each other since they were friends in school. They grew up on the Cape along with a lot of their other great friends who still live there. Drake opened a resort with two of his best friends and he also owns several music stores. Selena always wanted to be an interior designer and when Rick and his friends opened the resort, they brought Serena in to get the resort ready. Several years later, she feels like it’s time to move on. She’s spent years fighting her attraction to Drake because she’s sure her feeling are completely one sided, while working side by side with him at the resort and all Drake’s music stores. Serena has always wanted to make a name for herself and had visions of working at a high profile interior design company. When she gets the opportunity to work at one of the top design companies in Boston, she decides to take the job. Unfortunately, Drake has just told her that he’s had feeling for her for years. Drake tells Serena that they’ll be fine and to go for her dream. Boston is just over an hour away so they’ll be able to see each other on the weekends. Serena meets a few nice people at her office but she realizes that the job isn’t what she thought it would be and she misses Drake, her friends, and life on the Cape. When an opportunity arrives for Serena on the Cape, she has to decide if her dream of fame is worth it.
I think this has been one of my favorite stories. The chemistry between Serena and Drake had you squirming in your seat, but more than that, their friendships with the other characters was something we all hope to find. I highly recommend this story to everyone!
Drake and Serena were adorable together! I loved all of their special moments. Their love story captured my heart from the very beginning. The secondary characters were great, as well. I hope Gavin gets his own book!
Isn’t it amazing how one change in a friendship can make you crave something you’ve never had? Drake & Serena have come together at the wrong time for one reason or another their entire lives. Serena thought she was the only one to have feelings outside of just friendship. Now that she’s found another job & is moving, Drake finally reveals how he feels about her but admits he’s never wanted to hold her back from her dream. Why is it human nature to want what you’ve never had? Especially when the timing is such that you shouldn’t have it now?
This writer creates such amazing characters that her readers fall in love with. They are realistic, like able & friendly. We drool over the guys & envy the girls. Drake & Serena’s feelings are apparent from the moment we meet them. I love the fact that Drake puts Serena’s dreams & happiness in front of his feelings. He didn’t want her to give up on her dreams because of him & actually encouraged her to reach for them. I love the emotion & love present in each encounter between them & their interactions with their friends. Another great story!!
4.25 stars–BAYSIDE is the third instalment in Melissa Foster’s contemporary, adult BAYSIDE SUMMERS romance series focusing on a tight knit group of friends and family in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. This is thirty-one year old, interior designer Serena Mallery, and thirty-four year old, music story owner / Bayside Resort proprietor Drake Savage’s story line. BAYSIDE HEAT, and subsequently BAYSIDE SUMMERS is another one of Melissa Foster’s spin off series from both the Love in Bloom and Seaside Summers series but can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Several characters and couples cross over for cohesion and familiarity.
Told from dual third person perspective (Drake and Serena) BAYSIDE HEAT follows another friends to lovers relationship between thirty-one year old, interior designer Serena Mallery, and thirty-four year old, music story owner / Bayside Resort proprietor Drake Savage. For the past four years Serena has worked at Bayside Resort with the man that has called to her heart but a man who has kept Serena in the friend-zone for most of their life. Having grown up without the support of a loving mother, Serena found herself surrounded and protected by Dean, Rick and Drake Savage, but none more so than Drake himself. When an opportunity presents itself in Boston, in the field of interior design, Serena struggles between head and heart. Knowing she would never be anything more to Drake than a ‘sister’ and friend, Serena makes a decision that is about to change the course of both of their lives. What ensues is the friends to lovers relationship between Drake and Serena, as they embark on a long distance relationship that soon turns into something more.
Serena Mallery is a strong-willed, force of nature not afraid to do what has to be done but our heroine struggles to voice her affections for the man that has stolen her heart. Drake Savage has loved Serena Mallery for most of his life but he refuses to be the man who holds her back from the life and career she has always wanted.
The relationship between Serena and Drake is a friends to lovers romance where our couple struggle to reveal their attraction to one another although everyone else feels the palpable sexual energy and frustration. Relegated to the friend zone for far too long, Serena makes one final attempt to catch the eye of the man she loves hoping to prove there is more their attraction than best friends for life. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and passionate, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and likable secondary and supporting characters from a couple of Melissa’s cross-over series. We are introduced to Serena’s co-worker and designer Gavin Wheeler, who makes Serena an offer she cannot refuse.
BAYSIDE HEAT is a clever, imaginative and spirited story line. The premise is spicey and riveting; the romance is provocative and stirring; the characters are flirty, sassy and energetic. Melissa Foster will leave you breathless but still wanting more.
This is very much a friends to lovers (or rather a wannabe lovers to lovers) love story. As is typical in a lot of Ms Foster’s books, the main characters, Drake and Serena, have known each other since they were kids and have loved each other since they were teenagers, but never acted on it.
Cue the drama and fanciful music now. Serena gets an opportunity of a lifetime and Drake does not want to hold her back but his feelings are too strong. So they embark on a “long distance” relationship.
I love the core group of friends in this book, especially Vi. She is outspoken and blunt and I love her. I’m curious to see how everyone else’s love lives turn out and who they end up with. Now that Gavin has been introduced into the mix, who will he end up with? Only time will tell.
I loved this book. This was the first book in this series that I have read and that was okay. You can read these books as a stand alone. Serena and Drake are such a cute couple. I am glad that Melissa doesn’t wait until the end for these two to get together. Melissa chose a different way for them to test their relationship. Which was a perfect thing for them. They are so cute because they have known each other forever and have been best friends for several years now. They are so natural as a couple and also feels new. It was a great combination of both. I can’t wait for more in the Bayside Summers series.
If you’ve read any of the previous Bayside Summers books (though not necessary to love this book) you already know Drake Savage and Serena Mallery. They are childhood friends who are now adults and are not-so-secretly in love with each other…though neither is willing to admit their true feelings though all their friends are well aware of them. Serena wants to move out of their small town on the Cape to bigger and better things and after spending the last 4 years helping “the boys” get their resort up and running as well as helping Drake get his music stores started…she has finally accepted a job in Boston in a large design firm and is moving on. Drake and the rest of her friends are devastated by her leaving but he refuses to stand in her way and feels if he tells her his true feelings, she will not follow her dreams. As the time for Serena to move away, they both become even more aware of their feelings and things finally come to a boiling point and the truth (as they are finally honest with each other) is revealed. Serena is still leaving for Boston but they both decide that they want to make their new long-distance relationship work. This is such a great love story that shows that true love is worth fighting for and you will fall in love with both Serena and Drake and their sweetness… When things start to get difficult with Serena’s new job and with the distance, some decisions have to be made. Without any spoilers, both Serena and Drake have decisions to make about their futures both with and without each other…. This is another FANTASTIC love story and you will not want to put down once you start. You will laugh and you will cry and you will want nothing more than these two to find their personal happy-ever-after…. RUN to the store and get this book!!
Friends to lovers, meets best friend’s brother, meets second chance, meets the one that almost got away it’s trope-tastic!!! I love the way Melissa Foster weaves her series together so that each book really does stand alone and you can jump in without having read the other books in the series and not get a ton of backstory on other couples. Drake and Serena are my first trip to Bayside but I felt right at home and fell head over heels for these two. Drake’s selfless makes you love him, and want to shake him a bit, while Serena’s determination to follow her dreams but also realize that those can change was inspiring. I adore the group dynamics that Foster creates effortlessly and let’s not forget the banter with a side of dirty talk! Can’t wait to catch-up on this series and get more!
Decisions, decisions. That’s sometimes all life’s about. You think you want something and when you finally achieve it, it’s not as appealing as you thought it would be. That might be a circumstance anybody can relate to… Melissa has it all figured out as it is just another wonderful story. The characters are brought to you clearly Like you can feel all their emotions. I loved reading Drake and Serenas story.
When Serena accepts a job opportunity in Boston, she thinks this is exactly what she wants, except she needs to leave her friends behind on the Cape. Just before she is slated to relocate, Drake, who she has had a crush on since they were kids, finally admits he has feelings for her. Will Serena give up the perfect job? Will they be able to handle a long distance romance? Or is what she thought of as the perfect job, not so perfect anymore? With adorable characters and a storyline that i could not put down this was the perfect romance. The interaction between all of the characters read so real that you would think these characters are real life people. Nothing fake, nothing rushed. Once again Melissa Foster writes a true masterpiece that I highly recommend.