Member Reviews
It is so rare for me to finish a book in one sitting, but I could not put down All Fired Up! This fiery, sapphic story was exactly what I needed today.
Nic is a scientist that studies how fires behave and researches new materials with fire resistant properties. She’s an academic that just finished grad school and moved back to Seattle working at UW on a one year, grant funded contract. She’s back in Seattle trying to spark a relationship with her best friend, Skylar, but she soon finds out that Skylar is moving to Fiji at the end of the summer.
Kira stepped into Skylar’s life during Nic’s absence and they became fast friends. Kira is a firefighter at the Seattle Fire Department, desperately working towards a promotion to Lieutenant. She’s hoping to follow in her father’s footsteps and become Fire chief but she’s faced several setbacks along the way.
After finding out that Kira is also unhappy about Skylar’s departure, Nic teams up with her to hatch a plan to change Skylar’s mind about moving to Fiji. They soon find that they work well together and do their best to stop Skylar from leaving. We follow their adventures in learning about their friendships, their past traumas, and their mutual respect of fire.
This story was engaging from start to finish. I highly recommend for anyone wanting a spicy, sapphic romance to brighten their day!
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for access to the eARC!
Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
This was a short, sweet, and spicy book. The main couple was a little bit opposites attract with one FMC being a firefighter and the other being a fire scientist whose job is to set fires. There was found family dynamics, trauma processing, and soul searching. The only thing I would’ve changed/added would’ve been to have more background story on the history of the friend group. Otherwise I enjoyed it.
Literal sapphic romcom perfection. Super cute and easy to read and really enjoyed this one. And the banter had me rolling!
This was a cute read i liked the fire aspect and how opposites both fmc were. One of the fmc works to put out fires and the other one makes fires for a living. This book seemed to be a new adult romance with lots of friendship drama and a bit of a love triangle in which one of the fmc was trying to figure out what she wanted. Both characters are real and complex and their actions show that lol. This was a slow burn with so cute moments and good banter, I liked both characters together. There are a couple of steamy scenes and overall this is a fun contemporary romance that celebrates queer joy and characters. Thanks to HTP for this arc!
Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Teade Publishing for the eARC of All Fired Up. I love romance books, and for me that's reading all types of romance. All Fired Up is a solid 4.5 stars. The two FMC are flawed and relatable, and easy to cheer for. As a scientist, I really enjoyed the fire aspects of the story as well. Their connection felt very true - initially joining together in aims of keeping another friend from moving, the development of the relationship between Kira and Nic was easy to believe.
I loved the secondary cast of characters as well, although found myself wanting to know more (especially about Willow, and Ian and Marcus) - maybe/hopefully that's a set-up for future books??
Reading the acknowledgements, this book was a long time coming. Credit to the author and their team for working through this story, as it is an overall success.
"All Fired Up" is an absolutely adorable sapphic romcom featuring opposites attract, a close-knit group of queer friends, a butch/femme bi/lesbian pairing, and a sizzling romance between a scientist who studies fire and a firefighter. I couldn't help but request this book immediately.
Nic, the fire scientist and a disaster lesbian who moves back home to Seattle for a temporary research gig, has been in love with her best friend Skylar since freshman year of college, when the radiant woman pulled the reserved Nic into her orbit and never let go. Coming back, Nic learns she's sharing her best friend with a new person in their friend group, a hot firefighter named Kira.
Skylar, known for impetuous recklessness and a series of wild schemes, is a social media influencer who has built her brand as a psychologist. She announces a move to Fiji, intends to delete her accounts and start a farm, and in true Skylar fashion plans to throw an elaborate goodbye party in the same style as a wedding.
Concerned, Nic and Kira plot together to thwart her plans, but soon can't deny their mutual attraction and they start a situationship. But feelings make things muddy, and Nic begins to question everything she thought she knew about her life as she falls for the one person she didn't expect.
I thought the best friend crush situation could have gone badly in the annoying love triangle sort of way but I loved how it was handled as Nic learns to navigate romantic vs platonic love.
This was billed as a rom com but I didn't find it funny, just heartwarming and sweet, like a cozy hug of queer wholesome joy, and it made me smile. It had plenty of spice as well and I found the sex scenes hot. That dressing room scene... dang! And when Nic and Kira have to share a bed when Nic rooms with her, it was sexy and not cheesy like most "just one bed" stories.
I only wish the friend group had stronger character development, I felt like I never really knew their friends all that well and I am still wondering what Willow's big secret was. Nic and Kira's scheming was also very half-hearted and rather quickly fell to the wayside.
Overall a cute, sexy, lighthearted romance that could easily have turned Hallmark-cheesy or boring but kept me smiling instead the whole time.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
A firefighter and someone who starts fires for a living?!?! I’ve never hit request so quickly, and I’m so glad I got the chance to read this. Nic and Kira complemented each other so well, and although some bits annoyed me, this was overall such a great book. Here’s to hoping this becomes a series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
An amazing queer love story!! I adored the characters and their chemistry was amazing. The friendships in the book were just as good as the romance if not a little better. All in all an awesome romcom.
All Fired Up was a quick and joyful read about a fire fighter (Kira) and fire starting scientist (Nic) who share a best friend and grow close as they try to prevent that friend from making a big mistake.
This book was a 10/10 rom com. It was romantic and predictable (as rom com books should be), but there were also some elements of mystery thrown in that kept me intrigued to the end. While the romance was perfect, what really stood out to me were the friendships between Kira and Nic and their best friend, Skylar. The way their friendships grew and strengthened over the course of the book was beautiful, and I appreciated the emphasis on preserving long distance friendships.
If you are looking for a beautiful queer love story that will keep you smiling for days then this book certainly delivers! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!