Thank you so much to NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I really loved this story from the start. It kept me honestly hooked throughout and had me glued to its pages. I love how it really focused on a woman being on the front lines as a wildland firefighter. Mena was an easy to love character and she was so inspiring. Sydney was also a great character but I honestly felt more attached to Mena.

It covered love and healing well. I feel as thought the relationship took its time and was a very natural healing and progression. I just loved Mena and Sydney. It was an honest good read and I highly recommend you add it to your shelf.

This was not the story I envisaged from the brief summary. So I was disappointed in it. On saying that it was a readable story just not what I was looking for.

Jimena “Mena” Mendoza, is a language teacher and a seasonal wildland firefighter in her native Arizona.
She returned to Arizona following a breakup with Dr. Sydney Foster, a Maryland university professor who specializes in Anthropological and Cultural Studies. In between fighting a raging wildfire, Mena goes out on her own to investigate the fire and is seriously injured. While unconscious in the hospital, Mena experiences haunting memories of not only a fire but love lost.

The first portion of the book concentrated quite heavily on the wildland fires, Mena’s injury, and some background about Mena and Sydney’s relationship. The second half of the book focused mainly on the psychological reasons why Sydney and to a lesser extent, Mena, behaved as this did during their relationship. The letter that Mena had written for Sydney was intense and poetic. That was one of the best parts of the book.

The main improvement recommendation that I would make is around the scene transitions. There were no scene transitions in this book. One moment the writing is about Mena is Arizona and the next moment the scene is focused on Sydney in Maryland. A new paragraph or some asterisks between scenes would help immensely.

In closing I thought the parallel between nature with the wildland fires and personal relationships was very fitting. Both can be unpredictable and intense. 4 stars

I received an ARC from Interlude Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.