I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really fun book. I have read a lot of books with the fake dating trope and this ended up being one my favorites!

'Fake Flame' by Adele Buck, a novel that stands out with its unique blend of humour, romance, and literary charm, offers a fresh take on the romantic comedy genre. The unconventional pairing of a bookish firefighter and a feminist English professor for a fake dating scheme not only piques curiosity but also sets the stage for an intriguing narrative. However, the execution of this promising concept falls short of its potential, leaving a sense of unfulfilled anticipation.

The novel starts with an amusing and dramatic scene where literature professor Eva Campbell, fed up with her manipulative ex, nearly sets a baby grand piano on fire. Enter Sean Hannigan, the dashing young firefighter who saves the day by preventing a fire and offering to pose as Eva's boyfriend to ward off her persistent ex. This setup is ripe with potential for both comedic and romantic moments.

Sean Hannigan is a character with a lot of initial appeal. He's not only a firefighter who faces literal flames but also a charming man who reads romance novels and has a heart of gold. This initial promise of his character's depth and development sets a hopeful tone. Similarly, Eva Campbell, with her strong-willed personality and tired heart, starts as a promising heroine, sparking hope for a meaningful transformation throughout the narrative.

The chemistry between Eva and Sean is intended to be a slow burn, but it often feels more tepid than torrid. While occasionally sweet, their interactions lack the spark to keep readers fully engaged. However, the potential for their relationship to evolve into something more passionate and engaging is palpable. Still, the transition feels more mechanical than organic, missing the emotional depth that makes romance genuinely resonate.

The pacing of 'Fake Flame' is a mixed bag. While some scenes are engaging and filled with witty banter, others feel sluggish and fail to maintain momentum. Certain plot points also appear forced or contrived, disrupting the natural flow of the story. Unfortunately, the supporting characters, who could have injected more energy into the narrative, are underdeveloped, further contributing to the uneven pacing.

Despite its promising setup, "Fake Flame" falls short of delivering a truly memorable romantic comedy. The premise is clever, and there are moments of genuine charm, but the overall execution lacks the depth and development needed to make the story shine. Fans of light-hearted romance might enjoy the playful banter and unique concept, but those looking for a more compelling and emotionally satisfying read may be disappointed.

Overall I did enjoy the book. However I felt like the ending was written by a different author and it just didn't fit in. Also why are we talking so much about him peeing?

This story follows a bookish firefighter who suggests fake dating an English professor to send of her ex. I really enjoyed this book as it was a fun, short, cute read. I liked the fast-paced story and reading about two people who instantly fell in love. The storyline was good but I do have to say that it wasn’t well structured. The beginning started of good but then I felt like the story was going a bit all over. It wasn’t too bad but you can tell. I also didn’t enjoy the pov switch throughout the book as in usually you would see a new pov start when a new chapter starts but for this story it switches midway. The book is told from dual povs which was great but it needed to be more direct.

Eva is the FMC of the story whose ex is harassing her and the firefighter that saved her decides to help her. I liked her character and her passion for reading. I do have to say she was kind of bland as there wasn’t much story going for her. Then we have Sean who’s a firefighter who decides to help Eva because he has a crush on her. He’s a great character (love that he loves to read romance) but we just don’t know much about him. There are a few side characters in this book but none who stood out to me. There are a lot of tropes in this book but the main ones are the reverse age gap, fake dating, and instant love. I didn’t like the third-act breakup but the couple are cute together.

The ending was well done and I loved the HEA the characters got. This story was great and perfect to read in one sitting. I do wish the povs were written different as I believe they would have enhanced that reading experience. Overall not a bad read.

*this book was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

Not a fan of this book. He absolutely loathed that he kept calling her woman just no! I hated how the pov just kept switching even in the middle of chapters and I never knew who’s pov it was and with no indication of the switch. Just didn’t enjoy it at all.

Thank-you to NetGalley, Harlequin, and Adele Buck for the eARC.

Oh man. I so wanted to enjoy this. I didn't even want it to be GOOD, I just wanted to have fun. Unfortunately, this just didn't work for me. I normally have no problem with insta-love, but something about this one just did NOT work for me. Additionally, I found a lot of the dialogue extremely cringy and I just. ugh. It was a struggle to get through this one.

Heat Factor: There’s some action.

Character Chemistry: Sean makes googly eyes at Eva. Eva thinks, “Wow this guy is a really good actor to look at me like he thinks I’m hot when we’re in a fake relationship.”

Plot: Sometimes, you need a fake boyfriend so you’re ex will finally leave you alone.

Overall: Fun and fast. I’d read it on a beach.

Let me open by saying that Sean is the ooeyist, gooeyist, cinnamon roll who ever cinnamon rolled. All those people who are like, “I like a crusty cinnamon rolls who is grumpy on the outside and gooey on the inside” do not understand that a cinnamon roll is a hero who is too good for this world, with not a hint of crust in sight. They should read this book, because Buck set out to write a cinnamon roll and boy oh boy did she understand the assignment. In fact, a few years ago, we put together a list of seriously exceptional cinnamon rolls and Sean might top all of them.

The evidence:

- He’s a firefighter. So his job is literally saving people’s lives.
- He is in touch with his emotions. He cries when he’s happy.
- He knows how to communicate his wants and needs. (It’s the four older sisters that taught him this.)
- He thinks Eva is basically the coolest. He is so gone for her, which means he is extremely protective of her (eg: getting her to change her locks, teaching her self defense techniques) while simultaneously respecting her boundaries as a kick-ass adult.
- He knows that male caveman posturing is kind of gross, but also knows that it works to keep the creeps away. And he kind of likes doing it, when it means he gets to help Eva.
- And the scene that clinched it: when they go to dinner with Eva’s parents, said parents treat him and Eva horribly. So he finds the waiter, takes care of the tab, and then politely tells them he doesn’t want to watch them being rude to their daughter. He and Eva leave.

Anyways. My point is, if cinnamon roll energy is what you’re looking for, that’s what you get here. (My id tells me that I prefer my romance heroes a little bit more evil, despite my brain saying that that’s ridiculous.)

Let’s talk about the rest. Since this is a fake relationship story, you have the standard “this feels real but the other person keeps saying it fake so I need to repress my feelings” thing going on. It gets a bit repetitive, but luckily Buck has Eva and Sean sort things out (because Sean confesses his feelings) at about the halfway mark, so it doesn’t get drawn out too much. I didn’t love Eva’s insecurity, but I admit that it was believable, given that she’s older than him and he’s a super hot firefighter and she recently got out of a toxic relationship and her parents are terrible. Towards the end of the book there’s a hint of suspense energy as the terrible ex ratchets up his bad behavior (in pretty scary ways). This is balanced by the final relationship conflict (about whether Eva and Sean’s long-term life goals are aligned), which keeps the story grounded in real life.

The scenes in this book are all quite short. Or rather, the sections from each character’s perspective are quite short, with frequent switches between Eva and Sean. This has two results: 1) the story feels quite fast-paced, even though not a lot happens and 2) we don’t spend a lot of time really wallowing in anyone’s emotion—or luxuriating in their development. This is different from Buck’s earlier books, which were slower paced and spent a bit more time on the characters’ interior lives. Since some of her earlier books sometimes felt a tad too slow, this tighter pace is, in my opinion, a good thing. (Sidenote for Buck fans, we are definitely in the same world as the All For You duology. Montgomery County Maryland represent!) However, this also means that people who read romance to slow down and live with the characters may not enjoy this book as much. I admit that I started skimming toward the end; the faster pace meant that I had less connection with the characters—enough that I wanted to see them through to their HEA, but not enough to dwell on it.

Overall, this was a fun fast read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This was a great read and my first from Adele Buck. From the first scene in the quad with the piano to the final epilogue I was entertained the whole way through!

The romance between MCs was light and fun. I thought the more serious elements like their ages, and the conversation about how they pictured their lives together were handled well and with care. I really appreciated that their HEA didn’t need to involve pregnancy and, instead, that the focus was “Otherhood”.

I appreciated how Eva and Sean each stuck up for one another with each other’s families. The storyline with Eva’s ex added a hit of suspense to the plot, which I also enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalkey, Harlequin Romance and Adele Buck for an early review copy. These are my honest thoughts.

I just loved this one. Older women- college professors with a super funny meet cute with this little younger firefighter that reads Jane! We get some fake dating going, to help get her ex out of the picture. These two have some chemistry 🥵 from the start!

We do have a cough cough 3rd act breakup but it makes sense for this story and why but ahh! Then we get some forced proximity due to an incident. Overall enjoyed the older relationship- no kids aspect and good steam!

What a cute and fun read with a more mature cast of characters! For fans of fake dating, dual POV, and spice.

Buck's Fake Flame has many of the elements I enjoy in a contemporary romance: bookish heroine, an academic setting, and it turns out the bonus of a bookish hero, also a firefighter. The opening scene is a hoot, so I'll add humour to the romance recipe. But the key to a great romance is the reader's emotional engagement and this did not jell. I was disengaged and felt I was watching the characters go through tropish motions. After the droll opening, the hero and heroine and their fake relationship to foil the nasty ex is made of insta-lust and insta-love.,w hich we are compelling by the fast pace to "feelings" to believe in. I could not. There is no build up to their feelings and not much by way of getting to know each other, save that the author tells us they converse about sundry things. I wish I could have liked this a lot better.

Fake Flame is a fake dating rom com following Eva, a college professor who is struggling with getting her ex to leave her alone, and Sean, a firefighter she meets as a result of her ex's antics. In an attempt to get her ex to stop bothering her, Eva agrees to the fake dating scheme proposed by Sean.

Usually I am a big fan of fake dating plotlines, but in this case I felt that it was resolved too quickly. It came a bit too close to feeling too insta-love for my taste, as they decided to give the relationship a real go with nearly half the book remaining. There were multiple different subplots that were introduced only to feel like they hadn't fully been resolved by the end. There was plenty of spice, but it started to feel like the plot was almost secondary to the spice, which isn't generally my cup of tea. If you enjoy spicy romance featuring reverse age gap and a hot firefighter, I think this would be for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for providing me with an eARC for an honest review!

A fake dating romance with a professor and a hot firefighter. It’s quick and to the point. The MMC is an instant sweetheart who was perfectly crafted from a female author and the FMC is definitely someone I found myself rooting for.

Easy read. I liked it.

Thank you Harlequin Romance and NetGalley for the ARC.

I’ve been a long-time Adele Buck fan so I went into her first traditionally published book with extremely high expectations and she met every single one of them and blew me out of the water. The beginning of this book had me cracking up and pumping my fist as Eva threatens to set a piano on fire at the college quad as her cheating ex attempts to woo her back in a big, showy gesture no woman actually appreciates. Sean is part of the team dispatched by the fire department after they receive a call about the crazy lady with the homemade flamethrower. For Sean, it’s instant attraction and he finds himself seeking ways to be around Eva. Including a plan straight out of a romance novel to convince Eva’s ex that she’s moved on. The couple are the very definition of opposites attract with a side of age gap, with Eva being older than Sean. Add in some fake dating and this book hit all of my favorite tropes in one go. Their constant “this is fake, this is fake, this is fake” self-reminders even as they fall for each other amused me and had me screaming at them to just freaking talk about it already. Fake Flame will have you laughing out loud and maybe (if you’re a giant sap like me) crying. I am already chomping at the bit to get my hands on Adele’s next book.

Thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy.

Hot firefighter met pop culture professor.
The meet cute was cute, the ex drama was dramatic, and the sex was hot. The book was short, which meant everything stayed interesting for just long enough and not a second longer. Ultimately, a cute but forgettable romance.

This book was cute. It wasn't anything ground breaking, but I really enjoyed it. I thought it was cute that it was a reverse age gap and that they handled some topics really well. I do think there was a little too much like "i'm a caveman, can't help it" vibe. But, overall it was cute and I liked it

Fake Flame- Book #1 First Responders

By Adele Buck- never read author for me

Publication date 4-23-24, read 4-25-24

📃 Page count: 265

Quick Summary: Eva Campbell's ex boyfriend Darren is relentless. They are both professors @ Montgomery University and he gets a piano to serenade her. Eva is so over him and sets the instrument on fire. Sean Hannigan is the first firefighter on the scene. He sees how entitled Darren acts, and proposes to be Eva 's fake boyfriend. She agrees to fend off her ex, but fake dating Sean turns into more.

🤷🏾‍♀️ What to Expect:

⭐ age gap
⭐ firefighter/professor
⭐️fake dating
⭐️ rom-com
⭐LGBTQ2+ rep
⭐women's fic

⚠️: family drama, stalker ex bf


🤔 My Thoughts: Eva and Sean's parents are impossible but they both have to stand up for themselves. Sean is a new book boyfriend to add to my list. He's caring, sensitive, and a book lover. His love for kids and family and being a true hero just makes me melt. Other than yelling at Eva to get a restraining order on Darren and take his attitude seriously, this was a fun, fast paced rom-com.

Rating: 5/5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks to NetGalley and Afterglow Books by Harlequin for this ARC ❤️! I voluntarily give an honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

I’m so glad I requested/received this book! Such an adorable fake dating romance between a professor and a firefighter.

I love when the MMC is the one who instigates the fake dating plan, especially when it comes from a place of wanting to protect the FMC. Sean was a sweet golden retriever of a character, absolutely smitten with Eva from day one. He knows what he wants and he does his best to show Eva how wonderful he is for her.

Eva is a gentle soul who has been through a lot, some of which she experiences in the book. Her and Timmy, her pup, are so deserving of a happy ending and someone who is genuinely there for them. The way she can’t help but swoon for Sean had me giggling like she was.

One thing I liked about this book was that it also focused on family dynamics and overcoming expectations set by our loved ones. Eva and Sean both grow into their own people beyond what their parents want them to be and find their true happiness in addition to love.

Make sure you check for trigger warnings, there are a few tough topics (not in extreme detail though)!

I DNF'd this one pretty early on. I just couldn't get into it because of the way the POV was constantly switching mid-chapter. Sometimes even mid scene! I was just too frustrated with that narrative decision to get into the story or characters at all.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Romance for this book. I found this book to just be okay for me. The guy was doing odd things that were meant to be funny but I found odd. I would say it was still a good read but just not as believable for me. I do not want to rate it low because it was still a fun read.