The heat · The Hartwell Group, Book 2
How spicy is Shared Bid?
Open door and explicit. 4 scenes across 20 chapters, the first at chapter 7. Happy ever after, and it says so here rather than making you find out on the last page. Adults 18+.
The measurements
- Door
- Open — nothing fades out
- Scenes
- 4
- First scene
- Chapter 7 of 20
- Heat level
- 4 of 5, declared in the book’s outline
- Ending
- Happy ever after
- Reader age
- 18+
- Length
- 30,402 words · 20 chapters
Where the scenes fall
- 1
Hotel, competitive
Ch. 7Hatred-to-lust, both trying to win
- 2
His apartment, slower
Ch. 10Discovery, vulnerability, loneliness
- 3
Desperate, emotional
Ch. 13Neither can pretend anymore
- 4
Reconciliation, intentional
Ch. 18Equals, chosen, present
From the book's outline, in the author's own words.
How the heat is written.
Open door, explicit, frequent (4–5 intimate scenes). Power dynamic: they're equals — both senior, both powerful, both stubborn. The sex is competitive at first — who can make who break first — then becomes genuinely vulnerable.
The tropes, as the outline names them.
- Enemies-to-Lovers
- Rival Firms / Competing for the Same Deal
- Hate-to-Lust
- Competence Kink — they're both financial savants
- Forced Proximity — due diligence requires them in the same war room for weeks
The line it opens on.
I have spent two years taking Derek Hawthorne’s bids apart in public.
Asked and answered
Questions about the heat in Shared Bid.
Is Shared Bid spicy?
Yes. Open door and explicit. 4 scenes across 20 chapters, the first at chapter 7. Happy ever after, and it says so here rather than making you find out on the last page. Adults 18+.
What heat level is Shared Bid?
4 out of 5, which is the level the book's own outline declares. For this imprint that means open door, explicit, and frequent enough that the heat carries plot.
How many spicy scenes are in Shared Bid?
4, and the book's outline says where each one falls, from chapter 7 to chapter 18.
Does Shared Bid fade to black?
No. Every scene is on the page. This is an open-door book and the heat is part of the story, not an appendix to it.
How does Shared Bid end?
Happy ever after. Nothing is a cliffhanger and nothing carries into the next book — it is a standalone couple.
How old do you have to be to read Shared Bid?
18+. The whole of chapter one is free to read on this site if you want to judge the register for yourself first.
What will Shared Bid not do?
Open door, explicit, frequent (4–5 intimate scenes). Power dynamic: they're equals — both senior, both powerful, both stubborn. The sex is competitive at first — who can make who break first — then becomes genuinely vulnerable.
Where can I read some of Shared Bid before buying?
The whole of chapter one is on this site, 1,601 words, with no email address asked for.