Eva is a college professor who meets Sean, a younger fireman, when he is sent to help her resolve an issue with an ex on campus. He offers to take date her to show her ex that she is off the market in hopes he'll take the hint and leave her alone. It handles the domestic violence subplot with so much care and both characters feel very human in their descriptions which I always appreciate. The only complication is them actually falling for each other! This story was refreshing in that both main characters were in their late 30s and early 40s, a welcome change from 2-something year old leads.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the chance to read this wonderful ARC.

I just reviewed Fake Flame by Adele Buck. #FakeFlame #NetGalley

Professor Eve is dismayed when her cheating ex tries to win her back with a cheesy grand gesture, serenading her on campus in front of her students and colleagues. When he won’t take no for an answer, her temper snaps and she threatens to light his piano on fire. Enter young, handsome and kind firefighter Sean. He diffuses the situation, avoiding an inferno in the process, and actually listens to Eve and empathizes with her. When he returns a few days later just to check in, he finds her ex-boyfriend once again harassing Eve. Sean and Eve pretend to be seeing each other in hopes it will dissuade her creepy ex. This fake relationship starts to feel all too real as time progresses and if life differences threaten to snuff their flame before it fully ignites, will Eve and Sean recover?

———————

This was a quick and fun read with possibly the most unique “meet cute” I’ve read recently in a romance book. While there were some dramatic moments, for the most part it felt lighthearted and sweet throughout. Sean and Eve had instant chemistry and I adored both of their characters. Their lines of communication were mostly open, and you could feel the friendship progressing so naturally into love as they got to know each other through their fake dating scheme. Sean was definitely a protector sort of hero with no alpha-male tendencies so that was refreshing. I generally dislike family planning conversations when it doesn’t actually involve the two mains (in this case it was most of his family worrying Eve was too old to give him children which in turn causes her to question the longevity of their relationship), but I especially loved the one sister talking sense into him about it. Overall, it was enjoyable and cute and I’d read another in this series.

3.5⭐️ rounded to 4. 3🌶️

Fake Flame is book one in the First Responders series by Adele Buck.
Ok I adored this amazing romance story!
The characters felt so real and I couldn't stop myself from loving them.
This was sweet and made me smile, with just the right amount of humor and emotion. I loved these two.

Thank You NetGalley and Afterglow Books by Harlequin for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

In the past few years it has been very difficult for me to read and review new to me authors without a deadline imposed externally. As a result, I have a whole bunch of books I really want to read, but I struggle to focus on them unless they are an arc with a looming publication date. Anyway, I was thrilled to see Adele Buck’s Fake Flame on NetGalley because I’m pretty sure I own all her books and have read none of them. My apologies to Ms. Buck. Take it up with my neurotransmitters, or whatever is in charge up there.

Eva and Sean meet when her ex’s attempt at a grand gesture to win her back results in her threatening to set a baby grand piano on fire. Sean’s fire engine crew is called out to prevent the fire, or put it out if Eva can get the lighter to work. Sean is smitten. Eva is a professor of literature and pop culture and her ex is a professor of music at the same university. Sean and his crew identify the ex as not only the current problem, but also a possible future problem. One crew member, seeing the hearts in Sean’s eyes suggests he propose a fake dating relationship to Eva to get rid of the ex that won’t take no for an answer. Circumstances encourage Eva to accept the offer though she has doubts about the believability of them as a couple since Sean is ridiculously good looking and a few years younger.

Sean finds ways to stay engaged with Eva – offering to teach her and any interested students some basics of self defense, and asking for romance book recommendations. Eva and Sean have chemistry for days. They enjoy talking about books. Sean loves listening to Eva talk about the grand gesture in romance novels. Eva loves Sean’s thoughtfulness and care taking. They have a lovely relationship threatened by family expectations and a little insecurity.

I do have a couple of quibbles. Adele Buck introduces a couple of conflicts that in real life are complicated and messy. In the book, I think the author has written them in a way that she’d like to see them handled, but I felt like it was a little too neat. I’m fine with this not being a book that dwelled on parental conflict and dangerous exes, hence this is a quibble and not a problem. My weekend was all about a big, messy problem with no good solutions and I’m probably overly sensitive right now. I am a big romance book nerd and would dearly have loved more conversations between Eva and Sean about the romance genre and pop culture. Again quibbles, not problems. Overall, this was a lovely read, and I’m hoping to finally read more books by Adele Buck.

I received this as an advance reader copy from Afterglow Books by Harlequin and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

I received an ARC of this book and I loved it! The premise, while a bit out there, was such a fun way to start this story and made for great meet cute! How perfect that Sean and Eva bonded over reading—I absolutely adored that! The fake dating ruse, the tension and passion, how great of a man Sean was, and how this story blended defying the reverse age gap stigma but also the how important family is, how defying parental expectations is a struggle but can work out okay, and how not everyone needs to have kids to be happy! I loved the way Sean and Eva loved each other and supported each other and how they overcame a lot to be together. Plus the supporting characters and setting were great! I didn’t want it to end! I also especially enjoyed this one, being 37, single, and not sure about kids being in the cards anymore so this one hit close to home and lightened my outlook on future love a bit!

This was cute! There's a few too many POV switches per chapter--separated in the ARCs by easily-missed really narrow spaces with tiny asterisks in them (hopefully the finished book makes them more obvious?), and often with a slight overlap where we see the same part of a scene twice--but overall I did like the story.

I mean, and English professor, her cute little dog, and a hunky firefighter will never be something I say no to.

It would be nice to see more romance books normalizing the choice not to have children. Obviously, plenty of people make that choice IRL, but we don't see a ton of it in romance books.

Hopefully Thea's book is next?

Rating: 4 stars / B+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

This is a sweet romance between a professor, Eva and fireman, Sean. I enjoyed the reverse age gap and fake dating when Eva’s ex was giving her trouble. Feelings get real fast, especially for Sean, but they have to decide if they want the same things for the future and if a lasting relationship would work. These characters are absolutely adorable.

Trigger warning: domestic abuse
Some spice and language.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this ARC!

I really enjoyed this cute, steamy romcom. It has some of my favorite things, fake dating, age gap, older couple and dual POV.
Eva, a professor and Sean a firefighter have an unorthodox meet-cute when he's dispatched to her campus to prevent her from starting a fire. Eva is fed up with her ex, a fellow professor who is literally playing a piano in the quad, as a grand gesture to win her back. After Sean sees how manipulative her ex is he suggests to Eva that they fake date to deter her ex.
Of course they develop real feelings real fast! Sean is younger, hot, reads Jane Austen, has a job and friends, is good with animals and kids and likes pleasing his women! He's almost so perfect it's unbelievable. Lol
Sean in sincerely invested in Eva's safety. I really appreciated how the story addresses the domestic violence subplot. Except for Eva's naivete. I understand some women can be in denile about the threat their ex poses, but for being so smart, she acted pretty clueless sometimes. I'm glad that she ultimately handles the situation herself in a realistic manner. It was a good resolution to the issue. But she's lucky Sean was a first responder and knew what to do in these situations.
I don't usually care for third act break ups but this one felt like something that a couple like this would realistically face. I really liked the ending! They are such a cute couple I hated to see them apart at all.
This is my first book by Adele Buck and I liked it enough that I will be looking for other releases from her.
A huge thank you the author, Netgalley and Harlequin Romace for my ARC copy.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 3.75⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Contemporary romance 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A sweet and short romantic comedy.

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Firefighter/ English professor
Reverse age age
Fake dating
Dual POV
Older characters (36/41)
He falls first
Creepy cheating ex
Realistic stories
Mature characters
Insta love
Spicy scenes
Heavier topics

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
A bookish firefighter!
The self defense classes

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
Some of it felt a little forced
I wasn’t a fan of how the POVs switched in the middle of scenes, it took me out of the moment
Modern references

𝙵𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚀𝚞𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:
★ "I made an English teacher stop thinking about books. I consider that a major accomplishment."

In the interest of full disclosure, the author and I are social media friends. But I would've adored this book regardless! It's a fake dating romance (a perpetual favorite trope of mine) with an English professor and a bookish firefighter as the leads. What more could an EMS girlie like myself ask for? Their chemistry is top-notch, and their fauxmance is handled with humor and heart.

"Fake Flame" is such a fun, relatively low-angst read. I loved that the main characters were both older (41 and 36) and that they each had full individual lives before meeting one another. Eva and Sean have definite chemistry and I love that Buck focuses not just on a sexual connection but also an emotional one. Both main characters are relatively self-aware, which makes sense given their ages. The issues in their relationship are realistic and age-appropriate. I think this is the first book I have read in a long time, maybe ever, where a third-act separation happens because of good communication rather than the lack thereof. I applaud Buck for not having Eva take the "easy" or seemingly more common path in her life choices, and that Sean actually did the work to make sure he could be there for those choices.

There is definite spice, but also a lot of sweetness. The banter is fun, as is are the tongue-in-cheek references to romance novels and their tropes. This is definitely worth a read. 4 solid stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this book. These opinions are my own.

3.5 stars!
Cute little read! Definitely a nice short and sweet romance to pass the time. Eva and Sean are amazing together. The switched POV within the chapters was just not my style at all. i felt as if the ending was rushed and left on a little bit of a cliffhanger. Will say it left me wanting to know what’s next for them. I loved the reverse age gap and the meet cute was by far a favorite of mine.

And the scene of Sean on his knees in her office, chiefs kiss. Overall I would recommend this book if you love cute, easy romance novels that pull on your heart. Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read Fake Flame as an ARC.

Absolutely adorable. All the heart feels. I loved this book!!

I enjoyed so much about this book. I loved the characters! Eva and Sean were so well matched, complimenting each other but also challenging each other to be better versions of themselves and have fun with life. I loved the meet cute between them and laughed quite a few time. I loved how they appreciated each other's quirks and think the instant attraction between them fueled the flame (pun intended.)

I also loved all the romance novel aspects that were integrated into the story. It had everything I love about a romance: HEA, the mushy falling in love montage in the second act, lovers scorned but for each other, and heat heat heat. I also loved how the author made reference to the parts we love about romance novels and nuanced it throughout the story (like the importance of loveable side characters... Felix gave me all the heart eyes.)

Mostly, I loved the story and plot. I love how the characters came together and fell for each other, and I loved how they communicated like the 36/41 year old adults they are when they hit.a crossroads. I didn't care for the chapter style, the 3rd person POV was hard enough but then with the constantly changing POVs I found the flow to be interrupted more than I care for.

But overall, such a fun and fast paced read with so many things to love! Will definitely recommend to friends :)

4.5 Stars Rounded Up

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.
Ok, this was an overall very charming, honest romance. There are some quite serious moments that could escalate into even more serious situations, which are thankfully averted. I thought that those moments were handled pretty well and felt confident in the narrative carrying me through those spots. However, if you are not comfortable reading about mentions of intimate partner abuse/assault or discussions of pregnancy, this book is probably not for you.


Sean, the firefighter lead, is so aware of issues that women face and is careful to avoid “caveman” tendencies. We are given an explanation as to why he is aware, which I appreciate. Sometimes a romance lead being too perfect or too aware can really ruin the believability of a book, but there is a reason given here. I do think there was so much “ah I can’t indulge my urges to protect” while also having a whole lot of growling that it did feel a little contrived at times.


Eva is the female lead. A professor of pop culture and English Lit was a nice choice of a career. We do get discussions or mentions of books and authors throughout the novel and having romance novels be defended within a romance novel was a pretty cute moment, in my opinion. She was a very real-feeling character. She overreacts, gets upset, maintains boundaries that are good, and pushes for communication pretty frequently. She is not too perfect or without flaws, but she is also not so flawed that it distracts from the romance between her and Sean.


On top of the ex that first brings Eva and Sean to meet, family and complicated families are a big part of Fake Flame. Both of their families are in the book with dinners and other meetings. I enjoyed Buck’s characterization of difficult family dynamics. Even when you love each other, it can still be hard and when you don’t love each other, it’s so hard. Family relationships and expectations can be a weight that you don’t even recognize or know how to deal with and I enjoyed seeing that in this book.


As the book is pretty short, a lot of threads or situations don’t get a lot of time to mature or pull through the main narrative. I wish it was longer and that there were more of the quirky/cute moments to balance out the heavier side of Sean and Eva’s relationship. The attraction is cute and spicy moments abound. I enjoyed this book, but I didn’t absolutely love it.

I adored this reverse age gap, dual POV, fake dating romance between Eva, a college professor and Sean, a hot younger fireman. Brought together when Eva's ex makes a grand gesture causing her to try and make a homemade blow torch that has the local firefighters coming out, Sean offers to be her fake boyfriend in order to help deter her ex.

Naturally feelings get real very fast but the two have to decide if the want the same things out of the future in order to make a lasting relationship work. Steamy and full of heart with a great domestic abuse storyline, this was a quick, entertaining read and I enjoyed every page!! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and finished copy in exchange for my honest review!!

Steam level: open door, spicy

DNF. I really wanted to like this. I think the premise was really fun, but it just wasn’t working for me. Super choppy storytelling and the super quick pov changes were giving me reading whiplash. I’m sure some people will enjoy it, but it wasn’t for me

Smoking hot love story with main characters over 30?! YES PLEASE!

Eva is a 41 year old English literature and p0p culture professor at Montgomery University. Sean is a 36 year old firefighter who is working his way through the classics in his down time. When he arrives on the truck dispatched to deal with a potential fire on the quad at the University, there's no fire, just a very pissed off woman at the end of her rope. Armed with an industrial can of roach spray and a pink Bic lighter, Eva has had it with her cheating ex's refusal to accept the break up, and is threatening to end yet another attempted grand gesture attempt to win her back with a homemade blow torch. Sparks fly right away, and with inspiration from a fellow romance reading firefighter, a plot to protect her with a fake dating scheme is born.

It seems too rare lately to find main characters over 30 with sexy stories. I love that these are fully formed adults with established lives that fall in love. He definitely falls first, and his desire to protect and take care of her is really sweet to me. There's an emotional maturity to their developing relationship that I really appreciated. Without revealing too much, the 3rd act drama is well developed and handled with sensitivity. It's a super realistic dilemma that plays out in a way that drew me further into the story instead of pulling me out. The spice is also really nice. It's sexy and sweet and dirty all at the right moments.

I feel the "fake dating" plot is abandoned pretty quickly once our characters have met each other. The suspense subplot that runs under the love story is ok, but lacks any real punch for me in terms of tension. I am way more invested in the dynamics of their budding relationship, than what's happening on that front. For me, there's more emotional tension between Eva and Sean to build on and make the resolution really payoff.

Overall I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a hot story with emotional depth that centers around older characters. It's a quick enjoyable read with some nice sizzle.

Thanks to Netgalley, Harlequin, and Afterglow Books by Harlequin for the ARC.

DNF. The premise is a lot of fun, but was let down by the subpar, clunky writing and choppy switching between POVs. A tasteless remark about how the FMC would “be ok” if she committed arson because she was white also rubbed me the wrong way.

Fake Flame - Adele Buck | 04.23.2024

I DNF’d at 32%, which was more skimming than anything else and I’ll tell you why. The meet cute of the two characters is that she’s about to torch because of her ex, and the fire department gets called. And that would have been very cute, until the firefighter says, “I’m glad the police didn’t get called. Right. You’d probably be okay. Pretty white woman and all that…”

(also, he’s a white man)

The casualness and flippancy of something that impacts people of color every day left a bad taste in my mouth. The author, or editor could have cut that line because it didn’t add anything to the story. It was gross. I was already disappointed, but I skimmed some more.

The POV switches are so often, in the same CHAPTER, that I would have never been able to remain interested. It feels clumsy, and it was not a good read at all.

Thank you, NetGalley & Afterflow for the arc. This is an honest review, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

4.25/5 ⭐️s

LOVES:
- What a great beginning. You go, girl!
- All of the book talk and romance novel recommendations 🩷
- The Miss Congeniality reference
- An interesting perspective on grand gestures: the tie to the patriarchy and female/male societal dynamics was cool
- Great bedroom communication 👏
- When people *aren’t* weird about someone not wanting to have kids
- Sean is pretty dang perfect. Maybe a little too good to be true, but there is hope for men to be like that!

CRITIQUES:
- I get why, but she has strange ideas and anxieties around siblings and families
- The fake dating trope was a little weak, any reason for them not dating for real seemed very silly. I really liked the resolution though.