This book was very predictable but there was no real chemistry between the characters. I did like that Thea was a firefighter, you don’t see many female firefighters in fiction. This book is perfect for anyone wanting a quick Christmas book to put them in the holiday spirit.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

This was so sweet, just the perfect cozy little romance. Watching these two make tentative steps towards one another was just lovely, very satisfying.

A great contemporary holiday read for those that like to see the script filled on the traditional gender roles we normally see romance characters portrayed in. He is a smart and caring library guy and she is a loud and proud firefighter who suddenly finds themself making a career change, These relatable real life characters will have you wanting to be a bit more anti social too.

In this quirky holiday romantic comedy, Thea Martinelli, an overworked and traumatized firefighter, transitions to a social media coordinator role to escape the burnout and anxiety of her demanding career. Her new mentor is Simon Osman, a librarian who had a huge crush on Thea in high school. She has to look him up in her yearbook to remember him. As they navigate the chaos of the holiday season, their professional collaboration ignites unexpected feelings, leading them to face their emotions head-on. Yet, their budding romance is complicated by misunderstandings and personal insecurities, resulting in a cycle of relationship troubles. Ultimately, Thea and Simon must decide if they’re willing to sacrifice their hard-earned progress for love.
Readers will be drawn to this delightful tale for its relatable characters and engaging premise. Thea, a strong female lead, grapples with the real issue of burnout, making her journey authentic and compelling. Simon, the endearing librarian, adds a charming dynamic, creating a perfect blend of grumpy and sunshine tropes. I love that the author went with a male librarian and a female firefighter. Simon feels that he does not do well in social situations. Thea seems to be super outgoing, but she feels insecure about a number of things. The story captures the essence of holiday spirit while maintaining a spicy undertone, making it a perfect escape for readers. I read both books in this series and I really enjoy the characters and the writing. However, I do think it's odd to write a Christmas romance and take some digs at religion. There were also some parts where the author was very forcefully interjecting her political opinions (with pronouns and Drag Queen Storytime's) that didn't necessarily flow with the romance part of the story. But overall, I love the characters, I love the library setting and I love the cover!

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

This was a fun Christmas novel. I really liked the characters and the story was wonderful!

I received an ARC of this book and I thought it was so cute! I really enjoyed the first book in the First Responders series and was excited to see this one was coming out and it did not disappoint. I liked the bit of relatability with transitioning out of one career into another, dealing with the anxiety that comes a long with that, and the ways you can learn to navigate your past to inform your present and future. I loved Thea's resilience and strength and Simon's ability to be so genuine and had a bit of a "yes sir" vibe in certain...ahem..areas of his life. They make such a good team! Also, the aspect of family drama, especially around the holidays, was so on point and it was nice to see Simon finally stand up for himself. Good read!

This Christmas read was a pleasant surprise. I loved reading this story and was immediately drawn in by the prose. Would read again and again!

A Christmas romance with an amazing leading man written by a woman. Lots of healthy communication and sexy scenes with Christmas flare.

Thea Martinelli, a burned-out firefighter turned social media coordinator, and Simon Osman, the librarian with a major unrequited crush, are the ultimate "opposites attract" duo. They’re both super cute, but man, they really love to overthink everything.

At first, things are cute and fun, but then… drama. And I mean drama. One minute they’re vibing, the next they’re off doing their own thing because someone misread something or got too butthurt to just talk about it like an adult.

After some time apart (and some seriously steamy make-up moments) they finally decide to take the plunge, and things get wild in the best way.

It’s honestly a quick, spicy little read that’s perfect for winter vibes. The communication between Thea and Simon (especially in the bedroom) was chef’s kiss. Not gonna lie, I didn’t expect it to be that spicy, but here we are. Overall, it’s sweet, simple, and totally hit the spot when I needed a feel-good, holiday romance. Would totally recommend for anyone who wants a short, fun escape with a bit of spice!

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thea is a firefighter turned social media person hopefully for the fire department Simon is a librarian and the libraries social media librarian. He's teaching her the ends and outs of social media for work. When sparks fly. I loved both Thea and Simon I mean what's not love about a nerdy librarian with more to him than meets the eye. And of course there's a librarian character that everyone loves to hate and unfortunately Mary-Pat's do exist in the real library world as well. It's technically suppose to be a Christmas rom com but it's mostly the days leading up to Christmas with Christmas mentioned briefly. But unlike most Christmas rom coms it does mention and acknowledge the other December Holidays of Kwanzaa and Hanukkah.

Overall this was a really cute holiday story. I loved Thea and appreciated seeing her HEA play out after Fake Flame. Simon took a while for me to warm up to, I just didn’t see the chemistry between them at first, but in the end appreciated the slow burn. Once the heat hits though you’re in it! 🔥 🔥
Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin - Romance/ Afterglow Books by Harlequin, and Adele Buck for an early review copy. These are my honest thoughts.

This is a cozy and steamy holiday romance about two very different people finding a way to make it work.
Simon, a librarian is tasked with teaching Thea a firefighter of ten years, the ropes of her new job as the city's social media safety expert. Thea is burnt-out and needs a new job so she leaves the fire force to try her hand as social media manager. The local hot librarian, Simon remembers Thea from high school and his crush on her. She doesn't remember him at first, getting things off to an awkward start.
As Thea and Simon spend more time together we learn they both have really annoying families that are bothersome and up in their business. I feel like most of the issues stemmed from them being bothered by other people. When they were just by themselves they seem to get along just fine.
I did enjoy the steamy scenes and the snowed in Christmas. It all felt very cozy! And I app the dual POV from two very likable MCs. It was a perfectly okay read.
But because nothing really special stood out to me though. After reading the last book in the series I thought I would enjoy this one more but it just felt like something was missing.
For that I'm giving it 3 1/2 stars.
Thank you to Harlequin Afterglow ama Netgalley for my ARC copy.

This was a really light, cozy Christmas romance. The set up for how Thea and Simon meet and end up working together was unique, and made for a great setting for their chemistry to grow. I liked that the book dealt with some heavier topics — anxiety, grief, family issues — without it consuming the story. It felt like a complex, real-life romance that was still plenty light and fun for the holiday season.

This.Is.So.Cute!
This is my first book from the author and I can say that she didn’t disappoint me. The story follows of an Ex-firefighter called Thea and Simon; the librarian.

Thea’s career as a firefighter is over, But, the department has an offer for her and that is social media coordinator. Even though she doesn’t have any experience towards this particular job, the county has a solution. They are hooking her up with a mentor who runs the library’s social media accounts.

Simon, the library social media director, can’t believe it when his pupil is none other than his high school crush who hardly remember him. But what will happen in his second chance to say what he has in his mind? 

I loved Thea and Simon. They are awkward but adorable, genuine and try to figure things out together. Simon and Thea find themselves sharing more than they ever had with other people. This book felt real for me.

A lighthearted workplace (w/ a smidge of second chance) romance perfect for the holiday season!

Thea, a familiar character for readers of Adele’s first First Responders novel, is trying to decide which direction her life should take now that she is stepping back from her role as a fire fighter when an unexpected opportunity is suddenly on the table, managing emergency services’ social media. This brings her to the public library where she is supposed to meet their social media manager to help her understand her new role. Not only is the librarian she meets ridiculously attractive but he also claims that they know each other…

While each of the main characters are dealing with life changes and the frustrations and stress that occur around the holidays, the story maintains a light energy that makes this an easy read!

3/5 stars. This was just so cringy to me. The dialogue, the awkwardness. It was so hard to get through. Also, the pacing in this was really off. They got together way to quickly with no build-up. But there were moments that I found really beautiful and that put me in the holiday mood. Thank you, NetGalley for the arc

I have loved the Adele Buck books I have read previously, but this one just didn't connect with me. I didn't necessarily dislike it, but I also didn't necessarily like it all that much. MMC librarian Simon and FMC former firefighter Thea apparently went to high school together, where he had a huge crush on her and she pretty much didn't know he existed. They reconnect when he is tapped to help train her for a new job as a social media manager. And then they date, have miscommunication, have (really hot) sex, have more miscommunication, bond over sister issues, and end up with at least a HFN. There just wasn't a lot to this story and I couldn't connect with either of the main characters over what there was. The high school storyline just kind of drops. Thea's issues with giving up firefighting just sort of resolves without any actual work on her part, and Simon's issues with his sister are portrayed as solely hers, and he is allowed to take no responsibility and instead hold on to his resentment. Honestly, the spicy scenes are the main reason this is a 3 star rather than a 2 star read for me.

If someone is looking for a relatively quiet, quick romance read, they will likely enjoy this story. It is part of a series, but works fine as a standalone. 3 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

I loved these two together and this author always has fun chemistry and spice! Sometimes you just need a quick and sweet romance.

I appreciated that the FMC was transitioning from being a first responder into a more office role and all those feelings around that, I found it to be SO accurate (it's not my specific experience but somewhat close in a different industry). Also, kind of random but I liked the level of grump this MMC was, it was just such a vibe.

Unfortunately, the writing bounces between POVs way too often for me. I think this would have been more impactful if they would alternate per chapter and not every few paragraphs at times.

Thank you to Harlequin for the eARC!

Simon and Thea were high school classmates and their paths intersect again as adults. Problem is, Simon remembers Thea and Thea doesn't remember him at first. They are also at critical points with career decisions, family dynamics, and finding themselves while making room for love. This is a fun read, especially for the holidays.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

This was a fun and cozy read. The plot was believable and fun and sets up a lot of close interaction between the main characters, Thea and Simon.

These two are adorably awkward and kind of fumbling with the idea of being around each other. I like Thea’s anxiety at having to find a new way to act and behave in her new work setting. Her environment is different now and it’s a change that unnerves her. Simon has reservations about working with Thea given their history from high school, but I liked that he addressed that early on.

Lots of great communication during spicy scenes without it being stilted and still being sexy. Good communication in general and support of each other. Those early days in a relationship are full of fumbling and getting to know each other and navigating tricky things and this book captures it all. Very lovely to have it set during the holiday season and a touch of family conflict brings some drama to the story.

This was a fun and uncomplicated read that was enjoyable and great for the holiday season!

Thank you to Adele Buck and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book for review.