I appreciate the opportunity to read this title, but unfortunately it didn’t quite capture my interest. While the premise was promising, I found it difficult to stay engaged. That said, I’m sure it will find its audience with readers who connect more strongly with the writing style or pacing.

Loved this cover, had to get this FF romance.

Nicole Wells returns to Seattle after grad school, ready to reconnect with friends and finally make a move on her longtime crush, Skylar. But when Skylar announces she's moving to Fiji, Nic teams up with Kira, a charming firefighter and new addition to their friend group, to stop her. Their plan quickly spirals into chaos, and while the mission to save Skylar falters, Nic finds herself drawn to Kira in unexpected ways. What starts as a rescue mission turns into something much more.

This was a cute, low-stakes read. I always love reading FF novels and seeing myself represented in these diverse friend groups. I thought the whole plot and things that drew our MCs together was great, and it felt like a nice one-off standalone palate cleanser.

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Canary Street Press for this ARC!

First and foremost, thank you to Netgalley as well as Harlequin and Harlequin Aduio/Canary Press for providing this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review

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⚝ Rating ⚝: 4.75✩ / 5✩’s

⚝ Review ⚝: THEM. THEM. THEM! And not just the two FMCs who I adored, but every single character in this book (minus the fire chief because absolutely not). Admittedly, I didn't know how I would feel about Skylar in the beginning, but I found I adored her as much as everyone else.

All Fired Up follows the 'misadventures' of Nic, who has just returned to Seattle from getting her Masters across the country, and Kira, a firefighter who, while Nic was away, was folded into the little friend group while Nic was away. Now the two are in the same city, with the same best friend (Skylar) the bombshell to end all bombshells: Skylar Clark, the social media influencer with a PhD, is dropping all social media and moving to Fiji indefinitely. Knowing all of Skylar's outlandish plans inevitably end in disaster, Nic and Kira team up to try and convince Skylar that leaving Seattle, giving up her career, and turning off the social media permanently, is a bad idea. Though Nic has ulterior motives: She has been in love with Skylar for years and is hoping this is her chance to finally have a shot at a relationship with her best friend.

But while Nic and Kira are (not so subtly) trying to deter Skylar from the move, sparks start flying between the two and Nic starts to realize that there may be more to her feelings about Skylar than she ever wanted to admit to herself.

Personally, I found this one of the most realistic and relatable RomComs I've ever read. All the characters melded so well together. There was the right amount of chemistry between everyone. Nic's lack of identity, while at times frustrating, was actually incredibly relatable. Most people do not enter adulthood with a complete understanding of who they are as an individual, on top of Nic never having a form of stable support until college, the need to fit a perceived set of ideations for what she should be for those around her to accept or be proud of her makes total sense. In contrast, Kira had a stable support system, and has always known what she wants: to make her (late) father proud as she does everything she can to climb the ranks within the Seattle Fire Department, only to have her requests for promotion be denied every time--exactly what her father told her would happen.

I loved how everything in this book was handled, from the delicate relationships, to the reality of moving back home, and especially the positive discussions about mental health and the importance of therapy. This was just such a fun and engaging read and I've spent the past *several* days still obsessing over Nic and Kira. This is one of the few RomComs that I would actually love to see work into a series, not necessarily following Nic and Kira, but any of the characters from their group of friends (no, seriously, this is me begging for stories about Skylar, Ian and Marco, Grace, or Willow. Really, I'm...I'm begging here.)

There is honestly only one thing I wish was explored more and that is the chemistry side of what Nic did, particularly, the material she showed Kira as a possible, more flame retardant material for firefighter uniforms. I felt like that had so much potential for adding to their relationship, but it was mentioned I believe only once and then dropped. Instead, it felt like the remainder of commentary on Nic's career was just her setting anything and everything on fire.

⚝ Audio/Narrator⚝: The two narrators for All Fired Up, Angel Pean and Kristen DiMercurio, were *perfect*. 10/10, no notes. But seriously, these two matched each other's energies so well that there were times they were narrating for characters other than the two FMCs where they genuinely sounded exactly the same, in the best way as the two voices for the FMCs themselves were so distinct and easy to tell apart. I can't believe I haven't heard from these two before (but I have several books they have narrated on my TBR).

⚝ Representation ⚝: Bisexual, Lesbian, Nonbinary, Queer, Gay, 'confused straight' (yes, this is an important designation in this book)

⚝ TWs ⚝: Fire/Burning building, Misogyny, Sexism, Death of parent, Alcohol

My monthly reading breakdown for May will be posted to TikTok, IG, and Threads the first week of June.

I loved absolutely everything about this book! The sapphic women-in-STEM romance was fantastic, and Skye's chaos scattered throughout made it a total "I need to know where this is going!" vibe.

I love when MCs in books have interesting backgrounds, and All Fired Up delivered strongly in this regard. A hot firefighter could be trope-y, but paired with another MC who works in fire science? Now we're talking! The found family aspect was comforting, and it was so great to read about queer MCs and SCs who are thriving and enjoying their lives.. even if they're struggling a bit. The mental health representation and conversations were well done, and provided a lot of heart and depth to the story.

I'm absolutely looking forward to more of M.K. England's work!

M.K. England's adult debut was a delightful friends to lovers romance between two new besties trying to save their BFF from herself. The plot was much different from what I thought would be a STEM set romance. Aside from this, it was cute quarte life crisis love story. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

This one was fun, but not very memorable for me.

I usually love a dual POV story, but I had a hard time differentiating between Nic and Kira, and had to flip back frequently to remember who was the firefighter and who was the scientist, etc. They didn't have distinguishing "voices."

It was a sweet friends-to-lovers plot, with them both coming together to convince their mutual friend Skylar to not move seemingly randomly to Fiji. It'll be a good read for people who like Ashley Herring Blake.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book: a firefighter and a fire scientist pairing sounded like such a cool idea! However, the book didn’t delve into either of those aspects enough for me. Instead they were background details for lots of friendship drama, a love triangle, and a wild plan to stop their mutual friend from moving to Fiji.

At times, it felt like the book was trying to be too many things at once. The main characters go from strangers to friends, to friends with benefits, to a couple, all within a very short book, so no element of their relationship had time to breathe. The third act fight before everything was resolved felt a little forced as the reason for the fight wasn’t satisfying.

That being said, the friendship group sounded like a lot of fun, the spicy scenes were very spicy, and the breezy writing style made it easy to read.

If you’re looking for a lighthearted sapphic romance with a host of interesting supporting characters (who I would expect to see more of in spin-off sequels), and a focus on preserving long-distance friendships, then this could be for you.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Unique and cute premise - easy and quick to read. I enjoyed Kira’s character the most, but didn’t feel quite attached to anyone else. I was relieved to experience Nic’s drastic character growth & developments because if she stayed as dumb as she started I was going to start throwing hands. Some of the dialogue, both inner dialogue and conversational was redundant and/or repetitive which slowed things down significantly for me. Ultimately, this is a good friends to lovers palette cleanser romance with some good spicy scenes but it didn’t blow my mind. 💕

3.5 ✨

A fun, quick sapphic read. Bonus points for the STEM Queen feature. Really enjoyed how well rounded the characters were and how realistic it all felt. I do wish the friend group was slightly smaller as it felt like a lot of side characters.

Thank you so much to Net Galley, the publishing company and this author for this arc!

Every cast of friends are so precious together in each book M. K. England has written. The messages being promoted fill my heart with joy. I love this story.

A fire chemist and a fire-fighter team up to convince their best friend not to move to Fiji, in this messy, adorable, opposites-attract steamy sapphic romance.

What’s to love…
- a firefighter and a fire chemist 💞
- complicated friend dynamics
- found family
- well done spice and plenty of tension
- dual POV (and dual narrated)
- bisexual/lesbian
- only one bed

What’s not to love…
- Overall this was a really good time. The first half was VERY good but it fell off a little towards the end. I wanted messy, and I definitely got that but the second half felt too neat and tidy - everything came together too quickly.

🌶️- Ch 11, 17, 18 Steamy, plenty of tension, and very well placed.

Audio Narration: 4.5/5
I loved the narrator choices for this one and think they did a spectacular job. The inflection, tone, speed, & pausing were all 5/5. However, there were a handful of times where you could tell a section had been re-recorded and edited in — it almost sounded like it was recorded in a different studio with slightly different acoustics. Not a huge issue but definitely noticeable. Ah - once last thing… The voice for Skylar was grating — I feel like it was quite intentional and did match the character well, but I will just say I am SO glad we only had minimal dialogue from this side character.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This started out strong, I was enjoying the story and it avoided a lot of the usual sapphic romance cringe. But then it went there. The word “center” in spicy scenes? Instant ick for me.

Nic was exhausting to be in the head of, deeply in need of therapy, though at least she finally got some. The epilogue was full-on U-Haul and way too much too fast.

Kira was great, and the tarot café scene was a highlight. Do these exist in real life? Because I want to visit one.
But honestly, Skylar stole the show for me.

Mixed feelings overall, but some enjoyable moments.

All Fired Up is a fun, sweet, and surprisingly emotional queer romance that balances light-hearted banter with deeper emotional themes. Nic and Kira are total opposites—one a fire scientist, the other a firefighter—and yet their chemistry is undeniable. Brought together by their mutual best friend Skylar (who may or may not be fleeing to Fiji), the two team up to try to make her stay… and end up finding something real in each other along the way.

What I appreciated most was how organically their relationship developed. While there’s some miscommunication and emotional baggage—Nic in particular is still working through abandonment issues—none of it felt overdone or manufactured just to create conflict. Their romance is messy, awkward, and very human. And although the book opens on a slightly melodramatic note, it settles into a comfortable, engaging rhythm that’s hard to put down.

I think the side characters could’ve been more fully developed, especially given how often they were referenced. There are some unanswered questions there and I'm wondering if it's been set up for a second book? Skylar’s character arc also felt a little uneven, especially considering how central she is to the plot. Still, All Fired Up is both heartfelt and hilarious, and while it didn’t totally hit every emotional beat for me, I ended up really enjoying the ride. Would definitely pick up more from this author and recommend it if you like your romance with a side of realism.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Flames are more than metaphorical in ALL FIRED UP (Canary St. Press, 304 pp., paperback, $18.99). This Sapphic contemporary between a professional firefighter and a fire science researcher had me reliving my own misspent youth amid the secondhand couches and karaoke bars in the heart of Seattle.

Nicole, a freshly minted Ph.D. moving back to her hometown, is trying to get over her feelings for her overdramatic best friend Skylar, with no success. Now she finds that not only has Skylar found a replacement best friend: She’s moving to Fiji at the end of the summer, in one of her trademark disaster decisions.

Desperate to convince Skylar to stay in town, Nic makes a secret pact with the replacement friend, Kira — an ambitious, type-A firefighter who’s hot both in and out of her gear. Conspiracy planning has them whispering in one another’s ear … and then casually, not-so-accidentally making out. But while Nic might be ready to let go of her dreams of winning Skylar’s heart, Kira is holding onto her own past too tightly.

What a messy, drunken, ill-advised joy of a book. Everyone’s putting on a cool, with-it surface while paddling like mad underneath. It reminds me of Casey McQuiston’s best party scenes, with the on-point Seattle flavor of Alexandria Bellefleur — effervescent and deeply sincere.

Heat Factor: It takes them a while to realize that they are attracted to each other, but once they do they go pretty hard

Character Chemistry: Complementary strengths

Plot: Nic and Kira team up to convince their mutual best friend that moving to Fiji is a bad idea

Overall: This book made me feel so old

Yes, this book is a love story. But more centrally, this book is about a messy, codependent friend group learning that it’s ok for them to all spread their wings and move in different directions. That they can still care about each other and not messily and codependently live in each others’ pockets at all times. (But not date people outside the friend circle. That would be too much.) And look, I get it. For my first two years post college, I still lived with friends from college and we continued to party with the same people we’d always partied with and had the same drama we’d always had. And it was weird and scary to move by myself to a new city to start graduate school and now that almost twenty years have passed that friend group is no longer a single cohesive lump. And I loved that this book showed the beginning steps of this process for these late-twenties folks with care and consideration.

But damn, did it make me feel old. Especially the first half, where Nic and Kira and the rest of the group are constantly out drinking too much and having platonic couch snuggling sessions and spending entire paychecks on plants that they expect to die as a prank. And not getting renters’ insurance, because that’s for grown ass adults, and we are not yet grown ass adults.

Around the midpoint of the book, Skylar—the mutual friend that Nic and Kira are trying to convince not to move away—has a conversation with Nic that really shifts the narrative. Up until this point, Skylar is presented as pretty feckless. This makes sense narratively, as Nic and Kira are both focused on the irresponsible side of her big move. However, in this conversation Skylar reveals more information about her upcoming move and asks Nic to back off on the sabotage and also gives Nic some free therapy. (This scene also helped me believe in Skylar as the glue of the friend group and not just as a partying glitter demon.) This moment really shifts the narrative away from Nic and Kira focusing on Skylar to them focusing on themselves. Nic and Kira are both stuck in old habits and thought patterns, which is why they’ve been holding on so tightly to Skylar and their need for her to stay where she is, so the moment of them letting go of her as the central lodestar in their respective lives is a big shift, and pushes them both to work on themselves. And allows them to see each other as potential partners, though I want to be very clear that a central explicit focus of the text is on Nic and Kira working on themselves as individuals.

Despite most of the journey here being singular personal growth, especially for Nic, the romance is pretty sweet (with some solid sexy bits in the second half of the book). Nic and Kira are clearly attracted to each other and have a decent rapport when casually spending time together. I thought it was fun that they both had fire-related careers. But. There was a little part of the back of my mind that wouldn’t stay quiet, one that was saying that they were both replacing Skylar as their focus point with someone new.

Given that so much of the book was focused on Nic learning to be her own person and Kira desperately wanting a family connection, I wish that the story had ended with an open-ended happy for now (ie, at the end of the penultimate chapter, when Skylar says goodbye and Nic and Kira go home together and Kira thinks: “When you have a big emotional ending in life, it helps to have a new beginning to look forward to. I think back to…the tarot reading, and to that Ace of Cups at the end of my spread—new love, a cup overflowing.”). Instead, we end with a marriage proposal just four months later and…these guys are not ready for that level of commitment. (Erin and Ingrid and I talked about epilogues, and the work they do, on the podcast back in 2023.) Now I’m convinced they’re going to get divorced within two years.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

This book was exactly what I expect from a light-hearted rom-com: cozy, queer, and a little cheesy. It's a playful gay romance that moves quickly and doesn't get too stuck in the details. The fire theme is cute and camp, and I mean... curly-haired female firefighters? Yes please.

Overall, this book was so much fun for me: clueless lesbian content, yearning, Seattle, firefighters, drag queens, nerdy references, found family, science, therapy, and more. It had all the ingredients, but I just felt like I never quite connected to the characters. I was interested in the story, but I found that I didn't care about the outcome most of the time. That didn't stop me from finishing this in two sittings, though!

Some of the side characters' subplots felt unfinished, so I'm (not so secretly) hoping M.K. England has some future same-universe books in mind. I'd definitely read about what Ian is up to next.

I really enjoyed the storyline of this book. I wasn't a fan of the redundancy of the love triangle. I expect that more from a YA book, not an adult book. The miscommunication between the two main characters was also very frustrating and made me wonder how different the storyline and ending could have been if some of this repetitive storyline was replaced with more substance.

All Fired Up by M. K. England was such a fantastic romance story.
A fun, sweet sapphic romance.
I found myself fully immersed, almost living through the book, and dreading the moment it would end. But, of course, it did.

This was really enjoyable! I really like M.K. England's writing style and they don't disappoint here.

Kira and Nick were great characters, as were the rest of their friend group. I really enjoyed the way Nick and Kira fell for each other while trying to make their mutual friend Skylar see that she shouldn't leave them. They each had a lot of emotional stuff to work through - really enjoyed all the talk of therapy and how important it is - before they could be together.

I loved the found family aspect and was really convinced of how great this friend group is and invested in it. I definitely need more books exploring the others and how they're growing and chasing their dreams.

I love reading queer books because they really celebrate queer joy and it just feels so good to read. And I haven't read as many books about sapphic relationships which made this extra good.

The narrators did a great job bringing the characters to life and really selling me on the relationship. I enjoyed their voices and would happily listen to more.

Highly recommend.

*Thanks to Canary Street Press and Harlequin Audio for providing an early copy for review.

I really wish that I had connected with this story more. I thought that there were too many characters and I did not care really about any of them. The love story was okay though. It was just not a new favorite for me.