This was a fun dual POV Sapphic friends to lovers romance between two women in the Firefighting world who are linked by a common friend and their scheme to get her to stay in Seattle rather than leave them for a mysterious relocation to Fiji. I enjoyed the women in STEM rep, the female firefighter rep and the great queer found family friend group. This was good on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Ashley Herring Blake or Alexandria Bellefleur. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

🦇 All Fired Up Book Review 🦇

❓ Who is your favorite opposites-attract ship?

🦇 Nicole Wells left Seattle two years ago for a master’s in fire dynamics and some much-needed space. Now she’s back, ready to hit reset on her life…and take one last chance on best friend/unrequited love Skylar Clark. But Nic’s plans crumble when Skylar announces she’s quitting her job and moving to Fiji. Kira McKinney stepped in as Skylar’s safety net friend while Nic was away. She’s got plenty of her own problems, but when Skylar makes her announcement, Kira knows she’s needed again. Fortunately, Kira finds an ally in Nic, and when talking to Skylar doesn’t work, there’s only one option left: shenanigans. But as all their efforts go up in smoke, one thing becomes wildly clear: the situation between Nic and Kira is heating up. Can they let go of the past, or will they get burned?

💜 Talk about chemistry! It's time to get you all fired up for this opposites-attract contemporary romance! Let's break it down:

✨ Characters: Give me a hot female firefighter (Marjan from 911 LS, anyone?) and a sexy woman in STEM any day. Nic and Kira are obviously made for each other, the two perfectly balanced. Both women have layers and detailed back stories; their characterization is thorough enough to make them breathe off the page. My concern, however, is their amazing friend group. We don't get a lot of the supporting cast, even though it's obvious they're all on side quests (and keeping secrets). Will we get their stories soon?

✨ Plot and Pacing: The plot of two strangers coming together to keep their mutual best friend from making a mistake was *chef's kiss* perfect. I do wish some of the shenanigans had been a bit bigger/crazier, but they all work realistically. The pacing is consistent, but I wish we'd seen a few bigger bonding moments before the falling officially starts.

✨ World-Building: Seattle is one of my favorite cities, so I do wish the setting played a bigger part, at least in descriptions.

✨ Romance: With Kira and Nic being so well-balanced (chaotic energy versus steadfast calm, the spontaneous versus the planner), it's no wonder their romance felt so natural. There's no big moment when they fall; it's gradual and easy. Unfortunately, this story relied on sex as the transitional period, which you guys know I don't love too much (but at least those scenes were fire instead of awkward). The tarot card scene was a beautiful, visually-powered way to help both women recognize it's time for change. Thankfully, Kira and Nic are what the other needs for serious character growth, and it's gorgeous. I can't possibly finish this review without saying it at least once, these two are FIRE. This was the sapphic book I've been waiting four months for, and it was worth the wait.

✨ Mystery/Suspense: EVERYONE in this friend group is keeping secrets, and yet, the tension isn't there. Even Skylar's reason for moving is revealed earlier than expected. That tension could have scorched a path throughout the entire book to give the pacing a bigger push, but it's lacking.

✨ Tone/Prose: I did mix up Kira and Nic a few times, when transitioning POVs/chapters. Their voices aren't entirely distinctive. Thankfully, there's dry wit and humor in the dialogue. When Kira and Nic finally start talking, the pace picks up. They have the kind of chemistry that can burn every obstacle to ash.

🦇 Recommended to fans of Rachel Lacey and Ashley Herring Blake.

✨ The Vibes ✨
🔥 Bisexual / Lesbian
🔥 Queer / Sapphic Romance
🔥 Firefighter / Fire Scientist
🔥 Dual POV
🔥 Only One Bed
🔥 Women in STEM
🔥 Mental Health Rep
🔥 Found Family
🔥 Friends to Lovers

🦇 Major thanks to the author @mk_england and publisher @canarystreetpress / @htpbooksfor providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #AllFiredUp

💬 Quotes
“Wow,” Nic interrupts. “I didn’t realize a person could actually sound like a neatly tabbed binder and a fresh pack of highlighters personified.”

I’ve know I’ve been attracted to her...but there’s a world of difference between being sexually attracted to someone and being romantically attracted to them. The world is filled with people who experience one, the other, neither, or both.

She’s beautiful under normal, everyday circumstances; with my name on her lips and her taste on my tongue, she would be a goddess.

"You need to be your own anchor.”

There is vulnerability in the aftermath of crisis, in hope, and in rebuilding. If you can care for each other in that vulnerable state, build together instead of staying siloed, you can avoid constructing an exact replica of your previous cage. You could balance each other. You could build something entirely new together.”

“Yeah. I’m ready.” I’d follow this woman into the fire any day.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for the arc!

Due to some *personal things* happening right now, I think I'd enjoy this one better as an audiobook, and I definitely plan to check that out. I enjoyed what I read, though! I think this would've been about a 3.5-4 star rating, so that's what I gave it. I really love the premise of a firefighter x pyro scientist, and I plan to give it another shot when an audio is available.

Thanks again for the arc!

The book was amazing, with characters like Kira and Nic developing into better versions of themselves. Reading about the friend group changing and developing was really interesting. The story was fun, relatable and comforting, with the main characters not fully having their lives together.

The chemistry between the characters was great, and the sex scenes were also enjoyable. The book felt like a true romance movie, with Nic slowly growing into herself and Kira taking charge in her professional life, while falling for eachother. That was so sweet to read about. I loved that the ending of the book was the beginning of something new for them

I had the opportunity to read this book early thanks to Netgalley!

"Yes, I will admit to being one of those people who spent hours online watching the lumberjack lesbian chop wood."

What a delightful and fun read! This book felt like such a breath of fresh air in a world were wlw couples and media seemed to be cursed by the tragedy stereotype. It was such a pleasant and sweet rom-com. I loved every single character in the book. While not predominately there, you still cared for them. Truly, skylar took the trophy as my favorite character. I love love Kira and Nic, but my go, Skylar made me laugh so much during this whole book, and getting to know her better and the complex layers that made her the person she is was so heartwarming.

I genuinely had so much fun reading this book and the emotional bits were SO SO SO GOOD, the angst is so delicious and the resolution is just chef's kiss.

Truly one of the sweetest reads I had this year! love me a good saphic romcom

I received an ARC from the publisher and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I’ve previously read something from M.K. England under their other pen name, and I was drawn to the premise of what I believe is their first adult romance with All Fired Up. And while it didn’t blow me away, I liked the generally easy, low-stakes feel, especially as I had recently put aside a much more difficult, unstimulating read. And while I wasn’t massively wowed, I found this to be one of the more entertaining and successful adult romances from authors who previously wrote YA.
The one thing that caught my attention immediately was the role of “fire” in the FMCs’ respective professions, with Kira being a firefighter, while Nic is a scientist of sorts and she starts them (also fire dynamics as a field of study and profession sounds so badass!). I was also drawn to their respective friendships with their mutual friend Skylar, and how her future plans motivate them to come together to try to keep her from making a mistake.
The romance is cute, and I did like them together as they navigated this difficult situation for the most part. The complications, particularly with Nic having unrequited feelings for Skylar was a complication, as was how quickly she got over it upon getting to know Kira, which did stretch the logic slightly. However, the progression of the relationship otherwise felt fairly realistic and compelling.
This was a solid read, and I’d recommend it to readers who are in search of a lighthearted sapphic romcom.

This dual POV romance was spicy and swoony. We can become so entrenched in an idea, it's hard to break out of that thought cycle. But what happens what that dream, that person, no longer fits our future? What if they never did? All Fired Up is about misguided decisions, the need to jump, and how important it is to realize what we want. It's tempting to just jump from life raft to life raft. But what happens when we have to stand on our own? This was such a fun, and heartfelt story about characters who both need the courage to jump.

Lesbian romance for the win. This was hot in every sense of the word and not just cause one of the protagonists is a firefighter.

I adored this whole book from start to finish. It’s funny, it’s heartwarming, it’s relatable! Gay fire scientist + bi firefighter is the combo I never knew I needed. The tarot reading scene was one of my favorite scenes in the book and I’m so glad that was included. This is the author’s first adult romance and I am so excited to see what else they put out in the future!

Read if you love:

🔥 Firefighter x fire starter
🔥 Only one bed
🔥 It’s just “casual”
🔥 Friend group shenanigans
🔥 Women in STEM

Genre/type: Queer Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️.5
Series or standalone: Standalone
Tropes/themes: Only One Bed, Women in STEM, Firefighter x Fire Scientist, Sapphic, Mental Health Rep, LGBTQ+ Rep, Friendly Shenanigans, Found Family, Friends with Benefits, Open Door Romance

All Fired Up was cute sapphic goodness!

Nic has just returned to Seattle after studying fire dynamics while going to college across the US. She's been in love with her BFF, Skylar forever and she thinks NOW is the time to finally pursue her. But Skylar has other plans and she lets their whole friend group know that she has some BIG PLANS by telling them in a very unique, yet fun way. When Nic finds out that her news will have Skylar moving, she teams up with Kira, a firefighter who is new to the friend group, to make Skylar realize that she is making a mistake.

I absolutely loved the friend group and liked that although both Kira and Nic were friends with Skylar, they hadn't gotten to know one another yet since Nic had just moved back. They were opposites in every way, right down to their jobs. One creating fire and one putting the fire out. But them coming together for Skylar's sake worked. The progression of friendship to attraction was steady and realistic. I just loved them and loved their story. I also liked the fact that both of their jobs were in male dominated fields and that is one hurdle that Kira had to overcome and it became another element of the plot.

Although these characters were supposed to be mid to upper 20's, they seemed more like new adults, fresh out of college. At least Nic did. She had some growing up to do, but we get to see that through the course of the story and it was done in a believable manner, with Skylar and her mom's expertise.

Overall, I really enjoyed this sapphic romance and I liked that it was more of a "quiet" progression and not as heavy on the steam. This was Nic and Kira's story, but I was definitely interested in the friend group and could see spinoff stories taking place if M.K. England decides to go that way.

If you like....
Sapphic romance
Opposites attract
Ploying friends to lovers
with a great friend group, then you will enjoy All Fired Up.

(More thoughts coming...)

We LOVE a queer romance, and this lesbian love story gives us all we could want. Found family, a chaotic love story, niche interests (a particular favorite of mine), and so much sweet friendship vibes that I could melt. One of them starts fires, the other puts them out? A match made in heaven. I also realized that sounds like one of them is very toxic, but those aren't their personalities, it's what they do for work.

Honestly, thank you so much for writing this M.K. England. I am SO grateful that I got to read this! I was grinning from ear to ear, and I now know that anything you write is a must read!

I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

I enjoyed the style of writing of this author. This was pretty easy to read. The two FMCs were both likable. I love their thing, the ~one puts out fires for a living and the other starts them~ thing. Cheesy but cute. The content was pretty corny though. The dialogue especially, which had me like “meh.” There were also a few inconsistencies, but they weren’t detrimental. Even so, I would read more of her books!

When I read the description I was excited to read this but then I read another blurb that compared it to writings of a particular author who writes similar romance. It was then that I had reservations since I was not a fan at all of them. Thankfully this book was great and not at all like the other author except being in the queer space.

Full discloser, I am not queer at all, I just like the variety of reading about people different from me. So I can’t comment on authenticity at all but from my experiences with friends and family seems to be very true to life, complete with stereotypical humor.

I loved the romance in how it unfolded whilst the characters dealt with things in their life aside from relationships. I think the book has some good teaching moments without sounding like it’s preaching.

I look forward to reading more from M. K. England!


I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary eARC from Harlequin Trade Publishing / Canary Street Press through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

This book comes out April 29, 2025
My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Nicole moves back home hoping to be open with her best friend about her feelings, Skylar. Things don’t go as planned when Skylar announces she’s moving to Fiji. Skylar’s friend Kira steps to help Nic convince Skylar to stay. This was a sweet romance with some heat.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Nicole Wells left Seattle two years ago for a master’s in fire dynamics and some much-needed space. Now she’s back, ready to hit reset on her life…and take one last chance on best friend/unrequited love Skylar Clark. But Nic’s plans crumble when Skylar announces she’s quitting her job and moving to Fiji for secret reasons—another typical Skylar disaster in the making. It’s a giant red flag, and Nic feels like she’s the only one who sees it… Until she meets Kira.

Kira McKinney stepped in as Skylar’s safety net friend while Nic was away. She’s got plenty of her own problems—can’t get promoted, cancels all her dates, her fire chief father’s legacy—but when Skylar makes her announcement, Kira knows she’s needed again. Fortunately, Kira finds an ally in Nic, and when talking to Skylar doesn’t work, there’s only one option left: shenanigans.

This was a scorcher! I really loved the premise of this story, and it was a joy getting to know Nic and Kira and to watch their relationship change and grow. Loved this one! 5⭐

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

adorable, u love to see it! beautiful little sapphic opposites attract romance. love seeing queer joy in books, especially romances, and this one was SO GOOD. very much a warm hug.

4.75⭐️ rounded up
🌶🌶🌶

I was feeling a bit of a reading slump when I started this, and All Fired Up cured me of it!

From the start, I had so much fun reading this sweet Sapphic romance. I loved Nic and Kira's development from co-conspirators to "it's casual" to "I caught feelings". I absolutely adore the positive therapy rep. This was such a good story and exactly what I needed. I do wish there had been a bit more about the side characters, but I'm hoping we'll get more books about them in the future. I would absolutely recommend for fans of Ashley Herring Blake and Alexandria Bellefleur!

Rep: mental health, lesbian (MC), bi (MC), nonbinary (SC), queer (SC)
CW: alcohol, death of parent (past), misogyny (at MC)

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

🔥ARC Review🧯4/29 Release

🌟Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
💧Drip-o-Meter: 💦💦💦💧
💗Something I Loved (with Summary):
Nic left Seattle 2 years ago for grad school to study fire dynamics...and to get away from her best friend and unrequited love, Skylar. She's back home now but her plans to finally confess her feelings go up in flames when Sky announces she's moving to Fiji indefinitely. Nic’s worried this move is a huge mistake and finds an ally in Kira, a firefighter who joined Nic’s friend group while she was away, to help convince Skylar to stay. ✨Cue the shenanigans.✨ What I personally loved about this book was how genuine the relationship between Kira and Nic felt. As the reader, you get to be with them from the very beginning (when they’re both still slightly worried the other is their replacement as Skylar’s BFF) and follow along as they become true friends… and eventually more. The author wrote this in a way that felt so authentic, never making their chemistry feel forced and including the (very realistic) awkward moments and realizations that come with getting to know someone new. Overall I really appreciated how honest their connection felt and how organically it developed.
🫤Something I Would Have Changed: I only wish there had been a little more time to get to know all of the side characters a bit better because curious minds (aka me) need to know what the hell shenanigans they were up to. However, if this were to become a series, this would be a moot point.
🥰Favorite Moment: Nic’s grand-ish gesture apology to Kira. It was full of open and honest communication, plus mentions of the benefits of therapy 🙌🏼, and actually had me tearing up a little.
🌶️Spiciest Scene: It has to be their first time in ch. 11. And yes, I read it more than once…. for science obviously. But also the scene in ch. 18 where there is some fawking in a dressing room because both the premise and execution of it was hot, hot, hot.🥵
📚Standalone vs. Series: Standalone as far as I know but could certainly become a series centering around each member of their friend group, especially with how things were left between some of them in the end.
📖Would I Recommend: I would. It was the very definition of queer rom-com, full of both funny and heartfelt moments, great communication, a little melodrama, and a lot of queer joy. I especially loved how any issues or hesitations they had with being in a relationship were more deeply rooted and not focused on their sexuality.… finally a queer romance where none of the characters main personality traits are “questioning my sexuality!” The book itself was perfectly paced and easy to lose yourself in and overall was such a fun and enjoyable read.
💬Tropes: Found Family, Friends to Lovers, Only One Bed, Sapphic, It’s “Casual”
🙏🏼Thank you to @mk_england, @canarystreetpress, and @htpbooks for this ARC. Forever grateful.

I love reading a queer romance so much. This was opposites attract, love triangle, and was such a cute romance book. I thought both characters were authentically written and felt real, which I really appreciate in a book. There was a lot of great banter and I loved both the characters a lot.

I really had a fun (and slightly stressful) time reading All Fired Up. The characters are very engaging, I was rooting for Nic and Kira the whole time- and there were some fun twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. The pacing was well done for all the different plot points, even if while reading it I was a little confused, it all pulled together in the end. The ending was mostly good, not the biggest fan, but overall a fun read!