Nicole’s back in Seattle, ready for a fresh start…and a shot with her best friend, Skylar. But Skylar’s running off to Fiji, and Nicole’s only hope is teaming up with Kira, the quirky friend who’s always there to clean up Skylar’s messes. As their shenanigans escalate, so does the heat between Nicole and Kira. Will they save Skylar from herself, or will their unexpected attraction lead to a whole new kind of disaster?

This rom-com is so much fun! I was swept away by Nicole and Kira’s swoon-worthy romance. Their characters are beautifully developed, and their chemistry is electric. But it’s not just the romance that shines—the heartwarming sense of found family adds depth and richness.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

✨ Review ✨ All Fired Up by M. K. England, Narrated by Angel Pean and Kristen DiMercurio

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Canary Street Press, Harlequin Audio, and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

This is perfect for Ali Hazelwood fans - for the nerdy, STEM romance lovers!
Nic’s job is to make fires for a living and Kira’s job is to put them out, which makes for the perfect steamy set up. They both share a best friend who's getting ready to move far, far away and start a new life, and they conspire to try to convince her not to leave. In the process, they get to know each other (and they get to KNOW each other).

This features the best kind of queer friend group / found family - supporting, loving, and teasing each other. It tackles serious issues faced by women in STEM and in traditionally male jobs like firefighting, but it also doesn't hesitate to bring in the laughs to offset this.

This was short and sweet and overall just a fun read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre: f/f romance
Setting: Seattle
Length: 8 hours 35 minutes
Pub Date: Apr 29 2025

Read this if you like:
⭕️ women in STEM / female firefighters
⭕️ queer friend groups
⭕️ friends to lovers / forced proximity

Bummed about this one - had promise: firefighter MC x scientist MC end up teaming up to try and prevent their mutual friend from leaving town.

Ways this fell flat to me:

- chemistry was not there. they went from friend of a friend to working together once or twice to fucking to in love.
- the 'mystery' for why the mutual friend was leaving ended up being blown out of proportion, she was a social media therapist and livestreaming everything to her followers was not fun or interesting to read about
- for the pivotal big moments between the MCs, there was always some magical knowledgable person there to literally explain everything to them and as the reader, we were just talked at for all the plot movement (thinking of the tarot card cafe reading thing and the brunch scene that turned into an impromptu therapy session)
- the token nonbinary side character showed up at the beginning and the end to keep that plot moving
- there was not much of a plotline with their lives besides sexism at firefighter's work and money for grant at science job.


However, the narration was good and both Angel Pean & Kristen DiMercurio were working their butts off to keep this going. All stars go to the both of them lol.

Nic just moved back to Seattle in the hope she can begin a relationship with best friend Skylar, only to find out Skylar is moving to Fiji. She and Kira, the friend Skylar made while Nic was in grad school, decide to work together to show Skylar that moving to Fiji is a bad idea. But as they spend more time together, they become closer as they learn more about each other and Skylar's reason for moving.

Some of the things about someone researching fire resistant materials and a firefighter getting into a relationship felt a little gimmicky, but overall it was a fun read about friendship and relationships.

4/5 Stars 2/5 Spice

Tropes:
Firefighter Romance
Forced Proximity
Friends with Benefits
Only One Bed
Roommates to Lovers
Opposites Attract
Found Family

Ah! I loved Nic & Kira so much. Woman in STEM + a firefighter sapphic romance was the perfect opposites attract story. I loved the “keep it casual” vibes bc they were both dealing with feelings about their friend moving away & didn’t want to commit to things - which of course failed miserably bc they had amazing chemistry 😂 their love story was messy & a bit raw & i loved it. i loved their love. the forced proximity in this one was so unique - i really enjoyed the tension & drama of it all 😂 & oh my gosh skylar really kept us all on the hook didn’t she?! overall this was a fun binge read & if you love an opposites attract forced proximity moment - this one is definitely worth checking out!

I really loved the cover.

The contents of this book are exactly what the synopsis/description states.

I really wish Skylar the best in Fiji and I appreciated the insight that she provided to Nic and Kira.

This was just....fine? I'm having a hard time pinpointing what exactly I didn't love about it. There was a weird lack of emotion, and the two leads sounded a bit too similar in their POVs. It was actually really difficult for me to distinguish between the two of them at times. The plot was interesting enough but also gets blown up halfway through so.....................I don't know. Not really for me despite it being sapphic.

Nic and Kira have great chemistry, and it is simply adorable to put a fire-starting scientist and a firefighter together. I enjoyed the double entendre with the title and the chemistry between the characters. The two lead characters are in the same friend group, due to sharing a best friend, and it was fun to see how the characters interacted with each of them together and independently, in very realistic and relatable ways. Of course, as with all romances, there are misunderstandings, and times you want to take the main characters and shake them until they see the light. I loved the friend group and how much they all obviously cared about each other. This would be a good series with other books focusing on the other characters, like Willow. I also want to hear about Skylar’s future adventures. This story was engaging from start to finish. I would absolutely recommend for fans of Ashley Herring Blake and Alexandria Bellefleur! Thanks to M.K England, Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing and Canary Street Press for an e-arc in exchange for my thoughts. I can’t wait for M.K’s next book.

I truly appreciate how, through a joyful and messy queer romcom, M.K. England thoughtfully highlights the importance of therapy and mental health, while exploring the courage it takes to move on from what no longer serves you and the power of choosing your own happiness over others’ expectations. And, of course, how the bonds of found family can absolutely be fireproof.

ARC Review: All Fired Up by M. K. England
Pub Date: April 29, 2o25

Nic Wells comes back to Seattle after two years away going to grad school and trying to get over her best friend, Skylar. When Skylar suddenly announces that she is moving to Fiji, Nic thinks she's making a huge mistake. And conveniently, the newest addition to their friend group, fire fighter Kira, thinks the same. So the two of them team up to help Skylar realize the mistake that she's making and become closer throughout this process.

I really really loved this book! Both Nic and Kira have quite a bit of character growth to do during the course of the book. but they really do the work! They were both really easy to root for and their histories and backstories made me really invested in their growth. I really liked their relationship. Typically I don't love books where one of the main characters is in love with someone else throughout the course of the book BUT here we get to see a really honest conversation between Skylar and Nic where Skylar helps Nic to realize that she never actually loved Skylar, she just doesn't want to lose her and her family (girl has some major abandonment issues). Nic's realization of this is a huge part to her growth and she realizes what she feels for Kira is so different and actually real.

The HEA was immensely satisfying and I loved the friend group so so much!! I think we got a hint of what the next book will be and as someone who loves a queer awakening...I'm SO ready

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing/Canary Street Press for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to @canarystreetpress for providing me an early copy of this ebook. All opinions are my own.

I had such a great time with this one!

Nic is just back in town after 2 years away at grad school, hoping to finally admit her feelings to her best friend Skylar, when Skylar announces that she will be leaving the country in a few months! While she’s been away, Skylar and Nic’s other friends have added a new member to their friend group, Kira, whom Nic immediately befriends as they make a plan to work together to stop Skylar from leaving.

First of all, I loved that these two were a fire scientist and a firefighter. What could be better?! 😆

Secondly, I loved the scheming, that kind of got flirty, and had them spending so much time together…(“definitely” not *dates*. 👀)

The tension was so good, and I was just holding my breath waiting for a dam to break whenever they were alone together.

The writing style hooked me immediately; very engaging and fun.

There were some mysteries that kept me guessing, especially when it came to the side characters. Each side character definitely brought their own personality, and I wouldn’t be mad about seeing them featured in some theoretical future books?! 😍

Overall a really fun sapphic romcom that I think would make for a perfect summer read!

What this book is giving:
✅ Sapphic Romcom
✅ Dual POV
✅ Firefighter
✅ Fire Scientist
✅ Unrequited Love…for another character
✅ Forced Proximity
✅ Is this a date? It feels like a date?

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5

Right from the beginning I fell in love with this story. From the stop Skylar plot, to the little glances that Nic and Kira give each other the romance was one for the history books. They were really cute together and I like that their careers complement each other. I really enjoyed the way the story approaches moving forward as you grow up with your friendships (romances/crushes?). Those things are difficult to deal with and this story does a decent job of it.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an E-ARC of this book.

I thought this one was a sweet easy read that I read all in one sitting! It's clearly the start of a series in their friend group and I loveeee interconnected series so I look forward to it.

My inital reaction this book in the first few chapters was bad as I hate AirBnBs and Gentrification and I was worried that was what the friend was doing, so I was glad that the reveal was not that, although it still seems like the best friend is going to have an AirBnB and that is still upsetting to me as a person who lives in a city impacted by the AirBnB industry... This kept this from being a 4 Star Read.

OTHERWISE! I think our two characters were great for each other and balanced each other well. They were both a mess in their own ways and that's my favorite kind of book!

Plot-wise, this was silly and fun while still being hard-hitting as we think about adult friendship and growth as adults. I liked how England wrote that as someone struggling with adult friendships.

Out April 29th, check it out!

(I use storygraph so I actually gave this book 3.75)

A wonderful romance between two people who compliment each other so well, I absolutely loved Nic and Kira! Between the amazing smut, the genuine chaos of being in your mid-20s, firefighters, and a slew of loveable queer side characters, you have pretty much everything I could ask for in a sapphic romance. I do feel like the pacing got a little hectic towards the end, but that’s that is that case for contemporary romance. I also thought that the tarot scene in particular was very well written!

Thank you to MK England, the publisher, and NetGalley for offering me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found this sapphic romcom to be be fast paced and well written. I liked both FMC-Nic and Kira and found that they complemented each other well.
I appreciated their similar but different jobs, and their personalities. Initially, I really didn't like Skylar but I warmed up to her after she explained her trip to her friends. I liked the whole friend group and would be interested to read more by this author if she expanded on them.

All Fired Up is a slow BURN romance with some stream! I enjoyed watching the characters relationships transform through communication & love. It took me a little longer to get into the story but once I was, I fell in love with Kira & Nic’s romance. I feel like I wanted a little more about their future! 3/5
Thank you to Net Galley & for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun read that I finished in one sitting (I couldn't put it down)! Light, witty, and sexy in all the best ways. I loved getting to know not only the main characters and the depth to their characters, but also the extensive group of supporting characters in the friend group. I want to be in a group like that, and while I think this is a standalone, it made me wish for several sequels featuring others in the friend group! So supportive, loving, and FUN as hell. The emotional depth of the characters and the way their trauma impacted them and their relationships felt very realistic and I found myself with tears at several points in the book.

I did find myself rooting for both Kira and Skylar as the love interests for Nic, which was a bit challenging knowing this is not a why-choose and that the HEA is for Kira and Nic, but I loved the way things wrapped up and the little reveals at the end of what happens next for the friend group. I wish more time was given for Kira and Nic to explore their relationship more, though, as Nic's unrequited feelings for Skylar were not resolved until quite a bit into the book.

I think when an author leaves a reader yearning for more of not only the current book and its main characters, but also additional stories about the same universe and supporting characters, they've gotten something right!

A light fun queer rom com that sees a second chance romance, a bit of a love triangle and ....fire. It's nice to read a novel with characters who work in interesting jobs-in this case firefighting and fire science. The characters are well drawn, the situation believable, and it's all about knowing yourself. Thanks to the publisher for the arc. A very good read.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Canary Street Press, and Harlequin Audio for giving me access to both the e-ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review. I both read and listened to this book at the same time.
This book honestly hit me in the feels. As someone who is a licensed therapist (and struggles with mental health as well), it was nice seeing how the author worked through the different obstacles the characters faced, and showing that even the most "presentable" people have insecurities and flaws. I can relate both to Nic and Kira in different ways, and it was amazing watching their story unfold and bring them together. And the found family was really hitting me in the feels, with their compassion and hard but honest advice. And I thought the ending wrapped everything up perfectly - though I wouldn't mind seeing some of the other characters have their own story (iykyk). Overall, I highly recommend this heated (pun intended) sapphic romance.

This was cute! Ultimately it wasn't the perfect read for me, but it was light and fluffy and Sapphic. I wish the "being in love with your best friend" plotline resolved itself a little earlier, but if this book looks interesting to you, I'd give it a shot. Sapphic firefighter 🔥🔥🔥