I have to start out by saying that I haven't read Icebreaker and requested this book out of curiosity because of the first book's popularity.

There were really enjoyable parts about Wildfire. The way that the characters are a found family and show up for each other is so satisfying. The humourous scenes were great. I enjoyed how Aurora wound Russ up about not knowing what a puck looked like and how he couldn't let that go. Other aspects were problematic and really stood out.

I don't need male characters saying "you're taking it so well" or "good girl" in sex scenes. It's crass and vulgar. Aurora may get off on praise but let's not make it sound like porn. It's such a complete opposite turn from when they check in with each other during the lap dance to ensure that things are consensual. It's conveyed right away that Russ is not a typical bro, so having him speak that way doesn't match his character.

Aurora and Russ experience parental neglect and addiction through their fathers. They believe they are unlovable. Aurora resorts to seeking attention and external validation. Russ bottles everything up and doesn't deal with his emotions. They show each other what it's like to be wanted and treated decently but it never goes beyond that. I would have traded a number of scenes to have them confess more to each other and actually work on themselves. Russ tells Aurora a bit about his dad and they become obsessed with each other, but their issues don't get explored again until the last bit of the novel. There needed to be a more even balance between the romance, camp happenings and parental issues. I would rather the story didn't include the parental neglect and addiction over barely showing Aurora and Russ work through their issues. The story works without it. The amends conversation between Russ and his dad was well done and allowed us to see Russ' thoughts. I wished Russ and Aurora could've communicated on a deeper level like that. They had better conversations with JJ, Xander and Emilia than with each other.

This was fun to read at times but also frustrating when the friends had deeper conversations than the main characters had with each other.

Hannah Grace is a fantastic author! I loved so much about this book, while being a light and airy romance novel it also hits some harder topics in a fantastic way that gives more to the characters story that makes you want to cheer them on even more!

I AM AMAZED BY THIS BOOK!
I believe that this will be in my top 5 favorite books this year.

Brief summary: Aurora and Russ, having previous history together from a one night stand, are challenged to spend the entire summer together at a camp were they have to contend with the feeling that they left unresolved. Their forced-proximity and family issues draw them together overtime which makes for the most addicting read.

For background, I didn’t read Icebreaker before picking up this book, so I had no expectations of whether I would like this or not. But let me tell you, by 25%, knew that I needed to buy both immediately. I went to Barnes on my lunch break and bought both, which absolutely made my day! I can’t explain how wonderful Russ the mmc is and how heartwarming he was to read about. I love both Aurora and Russ, and I felt seen through them from their struggles, so nice reading about them and how they handed their adversity. I am definitely reading Icebreakers next and I just adore Hannah Grace’s writing!

Not quite done this book but i wanted to give my review so far ! This is my first Hannah Grace novel, I know it's book two but I was curious to see what all the hype was about and the books don't exactly follow. I really enjoyed the time the author took with developing the characters and the relationship between Rory and Russ. Also absolutely adorable names for the two main characters. I think so far it is a really great boon, I've already purchased it and begun recommending it to my clients as a must read romance. Especially for the fact that it's not a cheesy romance it's a completely unique story from what I've read so far. The sex scenes are well written and not too dirty and dark so I also enjoyed that. I will definitely pick up another Hannah grace novel

I absolutely adored Icebreaker and couldn't wait for this one to release! I was so thankful to receive an ARC copy of Wildfire and I was not disappointed!!!

In this second installment in the Maple Hills series, we get a book centered around Russ whom we get to know a bit in Icebreaker. This is not a hockey romance so don't go in expecting it. This story takes place at a summer camp where Russ and Rory reunite after a one night stand. Because of the camp rules, they decide to be friends. Well... you can only imagine how long that lasts lol.

Hannah is a great author and wrote a fantastic story that the reader will quickly devour. I highly recommend picking this one up!

This book was everything I didn't know I needed! As someone who went to a sleep away camp as a kid and that was one of my happy places, it was nice to get a romance with the camp counselors. Aurora and Russ's love story was so heart warming and thank goodness no miscommunication (after the first one, way to be self-aware!) and no third act break up. Also loved that our FMC was an avid reader and nice job of mentioning two series I enjoy (Twisted series and Dreamland Billionaires). Such a wonderful addition to the Maple Hills series and i liked this more than the first book. For those who didn't like the couple in Icebreaker give Russ and Aurora a try, even though Russ doesn't share.

Wildfire by Hannah Grace was a great addition to the Maple Hills series! Aurora and Russ were very relatable characters and even though the relationship started with a one night stand, over the course of the summer they spend a lot of time together and come to realize they have a lot in common and help each other with through some rough moments. I really liked that most of the book takes place at a camp that meant so much to Aurora (Rory) and I so wanted their supportive and hilarious friends as my own! It is so refreshing to read a series that the male main characters are the ones seeking a relationship with the female main characters instead of the other way around. I can’t wait for the next book!

Wildfire is a really cute romance novel. It’s a good follow up to Icebreaker, but I wished I liked it as much as Stassie and Nate’s story. aside from comparing it to Maple Hill #1, I really liked Russ and Aurora. I really enjoyed getting to learn more about Russ in this sequel. I wish it was more of a slow burn, but I enjoyed reading about the main characters working through their problems together. My favorite thing about the Maple Hills series is how friendship always shines through.

This is another great read by Hannah Grace. The characters are endearing, and the story captivated my heart. I received Wildfire by Hannah Grace from #NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Wildfire had me squealing, screaming, and swooning (in no particular order and not necessarily in isolation from one another).

While Wildfire thematically was very different from Icebreaker, I felt Russ and Aurora's story was such a wonderful continuation of the Maple Hills series. Russ and Aurora had such fantastic chemistry that I couldn't put the book down (except when they just kept turning one another into master miscommunicators, then I had to take a moment and remind myself they are actually fictional and can't hear me telling them to just stop before I go crazy 🥴)!

Wildfire // Hannah Grace

Rating: ⛺️⛺️⛺️

The night before heading to camp to work as counselors for the summer, Russ and Aurora find themselves together at a party, completely enamored by each other. Cut to the next day at camp: they see one another, which comes as a wild surprise. Rule number 1 for counselors is very simple: no fraternizing with coworkers. Too bad for Russ and Rory, as they already broke that rule before stepping foot at camp. Can they make it the whole summer simply as coworkers, when neither of them can stop thinking about their budding friendship and the special night they spent together pre-summer?

This one just didn’t do it for me. I didn’t really care that much about the characters or their side stories. Their personal traumas were definitely heavy, but they seemed a bit aggressive and out of place. The setting was cute, fueling perfect summer camp dreams, but I just felt like it was kind of boring. It was definitely a quick read, and you get to see a few of Icebreaker’s characters, but it all but unrelated minus their cameos.

I absolutely devoured this book. Hannah Grace really knows how to make you love the characters. The morning after a one night stand can be awkward, but to be run into that person days later at work for your summer job, amplifies that awkwardness to an entire new level!

4.5⭐️ I LOVED THIS😫I highlighted the heck out of it and I’ve gone back to re-read quotes multiple times.

Definitely better than Icebreaker imo, I liked Russ and Aurora’s dynamic and relationship better and related to it more than Nate and Stassie’s story.

Russ is so observant, genuine, and sincere and he’s so babygirl. He’s so real for wanting to keep things to himself while also wanting to let Aurora in completely. Like, “Wanting to give her what she wants because I’d give her everything if I could, is not the same as being ready.” (!!!!)

And I love a good nervous tick, Russ’ is the classic “rubbing the back of his neck when he’s stressed out/uncomfortable/nervous” and I eat it up every single time.

Aurora was so real and I relate to a lot of her inner battles. Her monologues about constantly claiming to be self-aware yet not knowing a single thing about herself really resonate with me bc same🥲

The daddy issues/stuff with their parents hit DEEP though🥵For example:

“The balance between being the perfect daughter and my own person is like walking a tightrope. Except there’s a hurricane. And the rope is on fire.”

AND

“I don’t hate my parents, even though they’re definitely the root of all my problems.”

Like, YIKES☠️but you’re so real for that Hannah Grace.

The found family aspect of this story was so sweet🥹I liked the summer camp vibe and the tension that built between them because of their job as camp counselors. I wouldn’t say it’s a slow burn by any means though since they hook up at the start of the book lol.

I liked seeing the positive effect that Russ and Aurora had on each other and how they helped each grow, stick up for themselves and work through their respective family situations.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the arc!! Hannah Grace has officially become one of my auto-buy/auto-read authors 🫶 Can’t wait for the rest of the Maple Hills series.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Oh how I’m LOVING this series! Icebreaker was wonderful, but I actually think I loved Wildfire more!!

Russ and Aurora share deep rooted issues with their fathers (relatable for me very personally) and one of my favorite parts is seeing them work through these throughout the book.

Forced proximity is a favorite trope of mine!! Loved to see it in a summer camp setting! The main characters are wonderful, but I always love HANNAH Grace’s supporting characters, too!

I just thought this book and romance were sweet, thoughtful, and a very nice level of spicy that we get a taste of right away!!!

Maybe my expectations were high for this book because I was a bit disappointed. I didn't connect with the main characters. I felt like the Daddy issues were a bit much. I found the side characters a lot more likeable. Overall, this was just an okay read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the E-ARC

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of Wildfire by Hannah Grace!

As a big fan of Icebreaker, I was very excited to read this book early! These two books were completely different from one another, and the plot of Wildfire was definitely not what I expected. I did enjoy the summer camp plot, but I anticipated there to be more of a sports romance plot and was somewhat disappointed when I found out there wasn't. I liked Russ and Aurora's slow burn and thought they were really sweet together. I was really rooting for their growth and to find their ways to one another. In all honesty, though, I just didn't feel the same connection between Russ and Aurora that I felt when reading about Nate and Stassie in Icebreaker. These two just seemed to keep each other at arms length throughout the entire book which definitely made the epilogue in the end seem rushed and unfitting. Both characters seemed to lack the emotional depth and passion that I felt in the first book. One thing that I liked a lot about Icebreaker was how therapy and mental health were positively addressed throughout the book. In Wildfire, both Russ and Aurora had many issues, and they seemed to be addressed in the opposite manner in comparison with Icebreaker.

However, I did think that the supporting characters were fun to read about, and the found family trope always makes me happy. I also appreciated the mentions of Nate, Stassie, and other Icebreaker characters--it was good world building.

Overall, I'm grateful I got to read this book early and I'm looking forward to Hannah Grace's next book.

*4.25⭐️
This is one of the healthiest relationships I’ve ever read in a book. While they have a major miscommunication at the beginning of the book, once they figure that out, they make sure to have open communication. Even when one of them keeps something from the other, they talk through it rather than negatively reacting. It’s so healthy that it’s incredibly unrealistic for 20 year olds! I’m not faulting the book for that, since I’m both not reading this for realism and 20 year olds should strive for this, but I just needed to point that out.

I really liked Russ and Aurora as characters. They’re both well-developed and I love how they complement each other with similar backgrounds that make them kind of like two sides of the same coin. I also related a lot to Aurora’s tendency to blurt whatever comes to mind, so I really appreciated that.

The major thing that kept this from being five stars was the general plot of them sneaking around, which like Russ, made me too nervous to really enjoy, but that’s more of a me issue than an issue with the book.

Two things to note: first, this book is very different from Icebreaker. I liked that book too, but for vastly different reasons because the vibe of the books is very different. The other thing to note is that while the books are very different, I don’t think this should be read unless you’ve read Icebreaker first. I was a little confused by things because I didn’t remember certain plot points from Icebreaker since it’s been almost a year since I read it. I ended up going back to Icebreaker multiple times, but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment of Wildfire. If anything, it made me feel even more involved in the lives of the characters, seeing a fuller picture of their lives.

I love a book with spice but also a great plot and “Wildfire” fits the bill! After a one night stand Aurora and Russ then go as counselors at the same camp. Their secret summer romance is steamy but heartfelt as they both work on issues with their families.

Icebreaker was the internets favorite hockey romance last year and collectively we we’re all so excited to get a sequel! Russ is adorable! I was ecstatic to hear he was going to be the main male character and I love his golden retriever energy. After a one night stand with Aurora (FMC) and a massive misunderstanding these two have to overcome their own issues to work together. The chemistry between Russ and Aurora was fantastic. . Wildfire was steamy, charming, and funny! I can’t wait to for the next book in this series (hopefully it’s Henry)!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars
Wait, this was actually adorable (and incredibly spicy lol). I'm so here for Aurora and Russ (I love his golden retriever energy), I loved seeing these two fall in love, the growth in their relationship was refreshing to see and they made me tear up lol. I also loved how all the same characters from Icebreaker are in this book. That being said, you could probably read it as a standalone but it'll connect better if you read the first book. I actually didn't hate the epilogue in this one but overall, it was missing a bit more depth, the plot was cute but not much really happened and the ending was predictable but I still loved spending time with these characters. I'll probably read the next one lol.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!