Fire Fight ARC
⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
〰️
⭐⭐⭐⭐.25 〰️
💞 Found Family 💪 Bad*ss FMC 🧠 Mental Health Representation
☠️ Murder Mystery 🧯 Fire Fighter MMC 🔒 Forced Proximity
🌾 Small Town 🔥 Serial Arsonist Antagonist 🧬 Instant Attraction
Oh, this is soooo much more than a romance novel, you guys. I'm so glad I took my time reading it because there was so much to devour! The spice, the mystery, the action, the emotion - Amanda Chaperon packed a PUNCH in this book! I’m so fortunate to have been selected for the ARC opportunity and cannot wait for you guys to read it, too! This book is out TODAY and I’m already dying to get my hands on the physical copy - you know, as my trophy, of course.
Synopsis
Aspen McKay makes her way into the small town of Dusk Valley, investigating the ongoing case of The Prom Night Arsonist. Years and years have gone by without any breakthroughs, but she is determined to get her hands dirty, especially after the loss of her own sister in a fire. Just when you think the case couldn’t get any more personal, she finds herself directly within the flames.
Crew Lawless was simply doing his job as captain of the local fire department when he saved her from the burning building. His job should’ve ended there, but he couldn’t keep himself away. There was something about her that he couldn’t get out of his head, and he couldn’t resist his instinct to protect her. From the minute he laid eyes on her, he knew he would do anything to keep Aspen safe.
The two quickly ignite the spark between them as the arsonist targets their new flame. Join Aspen and Crew on their wild adventure through love, lust, and danger.
“I’d burn the f***ing world down for Aspen McKay, destroy anyone who tried to hurt her, and that scared me more than anything.”
Favorites
First of all, Aspen and Crew's chemistry is chef's kiss. They both experience that immediate physical attraction, minus the "love at first sight" I tend to dislike within most romances. Their relationship grew so naturally among the developments of the arson case, it felt so genuine. The pressing fear and anxiety of getting hurt brought them closer together without it ever feeling rushed. Never mind the open-door spice scenes - these two are HOT! The bipanic was so real in so many instances; I was truly gagged by these two and their bedroom banter.
I was anticipating a bit of mystery but was certainly not prepared for the full on THRILLER that came about in this novel! There was so much action and quite a few scenes that had my jaw on the floor. The slow breakthroughs and discoveries, the emails and notes - there were so many bits and pieces that cultivated an incredibly elaborate murder mystery. The plot of the serial arsonist intertwined perfectly with Aspen and Crew's lives and absolutely exceeded my expectations
As much as I adored our two main characters, this review is definitely not complete without mentioning the so beautifully-written side characters. Amanda wrote in so many amazing people that truly captured my whole heart. Crew has quite a large family, so be prepared to take in a lot of names, but don't feel intimidated! They're each introduced so carefully, and one in particular may even have to grow on you.
I was truly impressed with this book's ability to touch on some difficult topics, like mental health, substance abuse, and grief. You can tell that so much research and care was put into these topics, making our characters seem so raw and relatable. I was also very pleased with Amanda's choice to add in some more taboo topics, like female masturbation. It's not often that women's personal pleasure is written into a novel with positivity and I think it was done so tastefully! Again, another aspect that allowed our FMC to feel like a real relatable person!
“Aspen was an addiction - and for once, I wasn’t afraid of getting hooked.”
Final Thoughts
I wanted to ensure that I really took my time to analyze and create a thorough review for my very first ARC opportunity. I was so eager to provide honest feedback and constructive criticism to the author prior to the release date, and yet found myself entangled in such a fascinating story! The plot, the structure, Amanda’s writing style, the character development - all of it was so well done and extremely entertaining. I had not a single thing to note or make fuss about!
I would 100% recommend this to my romance readers who LOVE open-door spice: Aspen and Crew get hot and heavy quite a few times! I’d even recommend this to my thriller or mystery readers - I was truly amazed at the amount of twists and turns within the serial arsonist’s plot. I wasn’t expecting it to be so forward and action-packed but loved that aspect of the book. It felt like watching my favorite tv show, with so much going on at once and never feeling confused or lost.
This book is now available on Kindle Unlimited and is definitely worth your time! Thank you again, to Amanda and her publishing team, for the opportunity to review this book early. I can’t wait to hear all of your thoughts on it as well. Happy reading!
“‘I can take care of myself,’ she reminded me. ‘I know, but you shouldn’t have to. Not all the time, anyway.”
