Burn Card by Carina Alyce is a fast-paced, high-heat firefighter romance that balances over-the-top fun with real emotional depth.

Caroline Peters, a schoolteacher who has always felt like an outsider, never expected to wake up married after a wild Vegas night. But when the man in her bed turns out to be her firefighter neighbor—Captain James Haskell—the fun twist suddenly comes with a whole lot of complications.

The setup is indulgent and entertaining, but the story quickly digs deeper. James is a classic grumpy hero, scarred inside and out, carrying the weight of past trauma while trying to keep his walls up. Caroline is his opposite—strong, empathetic, and unwilling to let her life be defined by other people’s expectations. Together, they’re electric. The romance builds through banter, steamy moments, and unexpected tenderness that sneaks in between all the heat.

The Vegas-wedding trope adds a delicious element of chaos, but the book doesn’t stop at “oops, we’re married.” It explores what it means to make that accident into a choice—to lean into vulnerability and let someone in. Carina Alyce also weaves in just enough firefighter detail and rescue-action energy to give the story urgency and texture, like a mash-up of Chicago Fire and Grey’s Anatomy with even more steam.

If you love firefighter romances with plenty of spice, wounded-but-strong heroes, and heroines who won’t back down, this book delivers. It’s fun, it’s heartfelt, and it leaves you cheering for Caroline and James to fight for both their love and their future.

A nice addition to the series. Both characters are scarred in their own ways. James with his scars from a fire and Caroline with her self esteem issues. They are neighbors and a chance meeting in Vegas they are married. I enjoyed the way they had their journey to being who they want to be and who they are as a couple.

I received this ARC through #netgalley and I am voluntarily reviewing this book

Burn Card: A Strong Woman Firefighter Romance MetroGen After Hours Book 3
by Carina Alyce

James is a captain in the fire dept with low self esteem due to scarring after being badly burned in a fire. Caroline is a teacher and former Russian judo champion who also has self esteem issues due to her strength and stature. They are both neighbours. Caroline goes to Vegas on a bachelorette party with her colleagues but she feels that she just never fits in. James is at a firefighters conference in Vegas and they meet up by chance, after a few ddrinks, they end up married.

The journey the couple have to take both fighting their own personal demons.

The characters were really fun and the way this author dealt with some delicate issues made this a very enjoyable and fast moving book to read.

Great second chance book, with a nice dose of steam!
James is a captain in the fire department. When he was badly burned 18 months ago in a fire saving others, his then fiancé broke things off because of how scarred his body was, leaving James with a lot of self imaging issues.
Caroline, AKA Katya, was a former fighter. Tall and muscular, she has never been made to feel feminine. Her ex broke things off because she just couldn't be what he needed.
When James is in Vegas for a convention, coincidentally Caroline and her friends are there for a Bachelorette party. Things heat up pretty fast. Hopefully what happens in Vegas carries over to real life.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.