Slow Burn: The unputdownable debut novel from Oti Mabuse

Filled with scenes of sizzling passion, plot beats of swoon-worthy romance, and a cast of Black female characters that you’ll fall in love with, the unputdownable debut novel from Oti Mabuse brims with heat and heart. Perfect for fans of Talia Hibbert, Laura Jane Williams, Tia Williams, Farrah Rochon, Hannah Grace and Bolu Babalola.

FEATURES AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BETWEEN OTI AND HER SISTER AND FELLOW DANCER, MOTSI MABUSE!

For dancer Lira, Latin Ballroom is everything. Whilst her dreams of fame were cut short aged 19, she’s never forgotten the connection she felt dancing with a stranger at the Paris World Championship afterparty 13 years ago. Now, with her younger sisters pursuing their own successful dancing careers, and the responsibility of running the family dance studio falling to her, Lira’s ambitious flame is about to flicker out. Until a chance encounter sees her secretly auditioning for Slow Burn, a new dance show about to embark on a 6-week European tour, and coming face to face with a blast from her past that sends her reeling. Gabriele is the quintessential bad boy of the Latin Ballroom scene. Slim of hip, with long, lean muscles that pop, a chiselled jaw, dark eyes, obscenely long lashes, and a mouth that just won’t give, it's no surprise when he lands the principal male lead role on Slow Burn. But, with just a few weeks to go till the tour starts, he still hasn't found his female co-star. All it takes is one audition to set his world on fire... On the dance floor they’re smouldering, off it, they’re on fire.

'Full of heat and glamour. I couldn’t put it down' LAURA WOOD

'Second chance romance, the most delicious slow burn, and two fantastic leads with a fiery chemistry that'll have you feverishly turning the page' ANISE STARRE

'A dazzling romance that swept me off my feet with sizzling chemistry’ LIZZIE DAMILOLA BLACKBURN

'So hot the sparks fly off the page!' ISABELLE BROOM

'Delicious!' EVA VERDE

'Sparkles with fun and sizzle' LUCY VINE

'Hooked me in from the beginning' BEVERLEY KENDALL

'A brilliant and sizzling romance! A must-read for romance lovers!' BETH REEKLES

© 2025 Simon & Schuster Audio UK (Audiobook): 9781398540484

Release date

Audiobook: 11 September 2025