This week the heat gang popped our slippers on, took the phone off the hook and polished our spectacles as we sat back and enjoyed a spot of reading. On this week's heat bookshelf: Tigers In Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann and A Twist Of Fate by Joanna Rees.

Here's what we thought:

Tigers In Red Weather

Liza Klaussmann (Picador, £12.99)

The plot: Despite parting ways at the end of WW2, headstrong, sex-on-legs Nick and her sweet cousin Helena vow to still spend their summers together at the old family estate of the Tiger House. Set over 25 years as the pair grow up, get married and have children, the story – told from five different perspectives – lifts the lid on the explosive secrets of a family who seemingly have it all.

What’s right with it? On the surface, it’s an idyllic look at a life of flouncy frocks, cocktail hours and lashings of lippy. But, apparently, sitting at home all day prepping the hubby’s tea
isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and that’s where the heartbreak, jealousy, promiscuous behaviour and murky drug use come in. Oh, and then there’s Helena’s creepy son Ed, who finds a dead body in a shed, obviously.

What’s wrong with it? Tigers In Red Weather is a character-driven book, so if you find your mind wandering during flowery scene-setting, you might find the slow-burning suspense a turn-off.

Verdict: A sumptuous summer read packed with scandal, secrets and vodka Martinis. 5/5 @deborah_heat

A Twist Of Fate

Joanna Rees (Macmillan, £6.99)

The plot: It’s 1971, and in a snowy forest two baby girls are handed over to East German gangsters. One is sent to an orphanage on the Polish border where she can be certain of hard work, hunger and abuse; the other is sold to a moneyed American couple and destined for a life of mega-privilege in the West. For more than 40 years, their paths cross without either one ever knowing the truth about their start in life.

What’s right with it? It’s perfect beach-bag fodder, with a drama on just about every page. As the girls grow up, they face an endless stream of betrayals and tragedies, and even the occasional good day. It’s classic Jackie Collins territory, by which we mean it’s freakin’
ace. Evil stepbrothers! Double-crossing, drug-dealing hookers! Secret babies! Yachts Blackmail! It’s got the lot.

What’s wrong with it? After Fifty Shades Of Doodah, the saucy bits seem a bit, well, silly.

Verdict: Pack it in your hand luggage and expect to spend a day of your summer hols reading… and refusing all food, drink and conversation. 5/5 @racheleling