Exciting Second Chance Romance!

Nora wants to become a photojournalist, but for her tuition fees, her father makes a deal with her that she must complete the summer program at Firecamp. For Fallon, Firecamp is her chance at a stable life, and upon meeting Nora there is instant tension, until they realise they have feelings but their future plans do not align. At the end of Firecamp, Nora goes off to achieve her dream, until her editor offers her the change to report of the Firecamp, and suddenly she is back and it becomes increasingly difficult for Fallon to keep from being distracted.

A great story about being true to yourself and following your dreams, but remembering you need help and support. The tension between Nora and Fallen was so intense, it was almost as hot as the fires they were preparing for at Firecamp. Because they were part of a team, there were a whole crew of women adding to the drama, especially those Nora seemed to be friends with, who were more mischievous than was welcome. When events forced Nora to accept that perhaps Fallon wasn’t so bad, they really started to grow closer but I knew one or both of them were going to end up broken hearted when the camp ended. Nora really grew whilst at the camp though, and I admired how far she had come, both standing up to the women trying to lead her astray and to her father.

Fallon had achieved so much in her own development and career when Nora returned. The second they met again, all that tension resurfaced but with more of an understanding and a protectiveness of each other. Fallon seemed more resistant to things than Nora, so I hoped Nora would be able to find a way to convince her that perhaps they could explore being together, if there was a way, and then fate stepped in and what was going to happen was completely in Nora’s control. At that point, I just willed her to make the right choice because the passion and connection she and Fallon shared, and after everything they had been through in past at Firecamp had to be for a bigger reason.

Enjoyed every minute of the story and loved how it introduced us to the characters, then reintroduced us to them after year’s had gone by and things had changed. Such an exciting romance!

Jaycie Morrison's romance between a firefighter and a photojournalist was fascinating as I got caught up in their worlds.

Thank you to Bold Strokes Books, Inc. | BSB genre and NetGalley for providing an honest review.

Nora Palmer’s goal of becoming a photojournalist is almost within her grasp, but her father won’t pay for her tuition unless she completes Firecamp, a demanding summer work program doing fire mitigation in the rugged Colorado national forest. Fallon Monroe’s life has been one of wishing and waiting. Firecamp is her chance at stability and a meaningful life. Despite getting off to a bumpy start, Nora and Fallon’s relationship deepens, even as they are honest about their incompatible plans for the future. But when it’s Nora’s photography that creates a rift between them, their split is abrupt and painful.

Almost fifteen years later, Nora has achieved her dream. So why does that summer still intrude into her memories? When an alert goes out for a major forest fire, Nora’s editor orders her to cover the Women’s Plus doing fire mitigation in advance of the flames. Fallon is now the team leader and can’t be distracted by Nora’s appearance if she’s going to keep her crew safe and help save the forest.

I loved the premise of this, and the first half of the story was really well done. I felt like the second part of the story wasn't as well developed, and the ending was abrupt. That being said, I really did enjoy getting to know the characters. This was a different setup than I've ever read before, so in that way, it was a fresh take! 3.5⭐

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

Nora and Fallon are very different people when they meet up at Firecamp. Nora is moving towards a future as a photojournalist and Fallon is getting away from an unpleasant childhood. Nora is using the Firecamp as a springboard, Fallon sees Firecamp as giving her a stable life.

The Firecamp itself sounds fascinating and terrifying and the scenes are well written and give the sense of danger yet fun and bonding.

The relationship between the two leads stumbles and fails for many reasons but their aims are so very different. Then we move to the current time when they have established themselves and although happy adults, neither of them have totally moved on. The meeting and moving forward is interesting but I did want to shake the pair of them and shut them in a room and tell them to just talk properly to each other. But then we wouldn’t have the angst and drama.

The book is interesting, well written and has some excellent scenes.

I was given a copy of the book by NetGalley

Jaycie Morrison’s writing for me is known to me to make good realistic fiction. This is my third book off the author’s repertoire and the theme of hyper realistic fiction did not disappoint.

I had zero idea of women sawyers let alone being a sawyer was an actual job! The story was immersive and detailed but balanced in a way that doesn’t inundate readers with info-dumping.

The cast, not just main characters, were realistic and thoughtfully constructed. The main characters had firm grounding in their character detail. And when the foundation is strong, the rest follows smoothly.

When it comes to sapphic realistic fiction, Jaycie Morrison is one of my go-to authors.

Oh my goodness, what a wonderful story. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I was not disappointed. Nora and Fallon were so sweet together, although it took them a while to realize they were meant for each other. There was a bit of angst, and there was some nice spice as well. The scenery descriptions made for a nice visual while reading, and the MC’s physical descriptions were nice. I enjoy seeing the characters in my mind’s eye. I will read more from this author. Well done.

Good second chance romance. This is one of my favorite genres to read. The main characters are well written and seem made for each other. The secondary characters are written to help move the story along. This book had quite a bit of drama and angst throughout. There's tension, drama, and romance. I would recommend this book to my friends and family and I look forward to what's next from this author.

I don't generally like to give negative reviews, but this story really got to me. The behavior of the leads is often immature, and their backgrounds don't excuse it. The group of girls of the forest ranger camp could be the most interesting thing, but several of the group members are literally delinquents, and I don't understand how they're allowed to act the way they do. It makes no sense to me. Since the story has two timelines, the period when they're teenagers and a later one when they're mature women, it should be possible to understand some things from the past in the present, but not everything becomes clear. It's been frustrating for me. It was a story with a lot of holes and a lack of coherence, not to mention some unpleasant situations.

great second chance romance. I enjoyed the story and thought both characters were well developed and the author did a great job bringing the story to life.

Thank you Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for this digital ARC.

Great start. Although in an unfamiliar setting to me, I can picture it without being overwhelmed with detail.
I was engrossed in part one. I knew from the blurb part 1 would not end well and as we got to half way in the book I was impatient for this to happen…… Not that I don’t enjoy things going well, but I knew it wasn’t going to last and wanted to get to the next bit. The end of part one, naturally and fortunately left me with lots of questions.
Part two is off to a fast engrossing start. If I felt any slip of pacing towards the end of part one, the actual ending of part one and beginning of part two made up for it. I barely paused to look up in the second section. Compelling. Great job!

Firecamp is a second chance, opposites attract romance told in two halves across a 10 year gap.

In the beginning we meet Fallon Monroe and Nora Palmer, as they both arrive at firecamp for the summer. Each of them have very different reasons for attending - Fallon hopes to find her inner confidence and forge a career path for herself. Whilst Nora has an agreement with her father - make it to the end of firecamp and he'll fund her last two years of college where Nora intends to study photojournalism.

I enjoyed the first half of the story, there is a decent amount of character development for both Fallon and Nora. During their time in the Colorado national forest, we get to understand their backgrounds and childhood in some detail, illuminating who they are now as twenty somethings. Plus there's an interesting cast of supporting characters also enrolled in firecamp. Some like Gwen and Tina lend themselves to loathing, others such as Kennedy add other personal journeys to the narrative. Although Kennedy's own path to coming out as non-binary would have benefitted from greater detail and progression.
By the end of firecamp there are more than just embers burning between Fallon and Nora but, with uncertain paths ahead, a firestorm soon threatens their Colorado paradise.

In the second part of the book, Fallon and Nora's stories jump forward 10 years; both now successfully embedded in their respective careers. A chance assignment to report on a forest fire sees Nora return to her old firecamp stomping ground where Fallon is now in charge.
Unfortunately, it's this stage of the story that I found unsatisfying. There's so much detail and growth in the first half of Fallon and Nora's story, yet when we meet back up with them 10 years later it's as if the issues of the past are no big deal; the romance felt like it progressed too quickly for the time that had elapsed. I was also fairly disappointed in the last two chapters and epilogue - there are some big transitions and decisions being made, but much of the story telling felt rushed with a lot of content left unexplored, a direct juxaposition to the first half of the book. We also don't see any of the supporting characters in the second half, which is a missed opportunity in my opinion given how much of a part they all play in the first half.

Ultimately, what saved this book for me, is the first half of Fallon and Nora's journey. The firecamp, fire fighting and fire mitigation aspects of the novel were also exceptionally depicted and interesting. The downside is that I found those aspects more entertaining than the plot and the romance at times.

Worth a read if you like the story theme and are aware of the pitfalls when it comes to the romance aspects.

Nora Palmer and Fallon Monroe both spend the summer at Firecamp for different reasons. Fallon is looking for a purpose, a place to belong and a career. Nora needs to do this for her father to pay for college where she wants to study photography and photojournalism. The first half of the book is the time spent at Firecamp. Nora and Fallon clash and eventually connect during that eventful summer. The second half of the book has the pair meeting again ten years later, not fifteen years as the blurb says.

Nora is very impulsive, head strong and has anger issues with her parents. Fallon is genuinely kind but life has dealt her rough blows. I enjoyed the time in camp learning the purpose of the work. Watching the women come together as a team. I’m not sure I bought into the romance side much as there was never a plan or discussion beyond the summer. Ten years brings some maturity and life experience. Nora has found success in her field and it is her job that brings her back back into Fallon’s path.

I enjoyed the story and some parts were riveting but other parts moved slowly. I think I was expected to feel a magical connection between the two when I really wanted some honest conversations as adults. It eventually gets there but it takes its time. (3.5 Stars)

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this awesome book

ohh man i loved this book.... again born in the wrong country cos it sounds like being at firecamp though hard work would be great even though there is an element of danger....

for fallon firecamp could be where she finds her family
for nora firecamp was a way to get to where she wanted to be.... away from her family to live her life....

these two met before firecamp and though one wanted to be friends the other had a vision where their life was gonna be....

man those first few days were hard for everyone...but gelling as a team started from that first beginning.....

i loved how the author had a part one and a part two merging the two together..... i certainly loved how the author wrote and brought the characters alive.... you could feel the authenticity of each moment that the girls lived through....

look forward to reading more from this author

MC's Fallon and Nora both join the Women's Plus Crew at Firecamp in the Colorado mountains for very different reasons. Fallon, finding herself alone in the world, is searching for a family to belong to and stability to ground her for the future. Nora, from a firefighting family, is looking for her father's approval by showing that she, like her brothers before her, can succeed at Firecamp.. In return her father has agreed to pay for 2 years of her photojournalism course which is where her true passion lies.

Along the way, Fallon and Nora succumb to the attraction that grows between them. However, it doesn't end well as each character is too absorbed in their own personal insecurities to truly accept each other.
10 years later they are reunited and romance starts to blossom again. Will those same insecurities intrude again?

While romance is a theme in this book, there is also a strong respect paid to all those women and men who spend their lives protecting the land and society from the threat of forest fire. The story benefits from the extensive research the author has done and the way in which it's weaved into the character's personalities.

A recommended read.

this is a great ‘second chance’ romance, though i do have to admit that for a pretty significant amount of time i didn’t care if the MCs got together at all because of how much i actively disliked them for being idiots (i sometimes struggle with the miscommunication trope or like in this book the ‘straight-up refusal to interact with humans normally’ trope).

i very much changed my mind eventually. what really helped was in the half set in the present, both MCs are very much aware of how annoying that they had been in the past and either had already started working on stuff or were starting to. the author did a fantastic job of doing self-aware character development in this one.

“She’d been stupid then, and so stubborn. Maybe everyone was at twenty, but she’d done a better job of it than most.”

also, i have learned a considerable amount about felling and wildfire prevention! and who doesn’t love a woman wielding a chainsaw?

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨✖️

Fallon and Nora first meet as 20 years olds while helping out at Firecamp in the Colarado wilderness. Although the two women have different backgrounds, much baggage and extremely different goals in life, the attraction is unable to be denied, despite Nora's determination to keep to herself, just get through Firecamp and get out of there to move on with getting her degree in photojournalism. However, when misperceptions on the behalf of both MCs leads to an explosive end to their budding relationship, the question is whether there can be any second chances.

Fortunately for them, circumstances conspire to bring them back together ten years later when Nora, now working as a photojournalist, is sent out to photograph the efforts of the Nora's firecamp team as they desperately fight to stop a massive forest fire. Just being back in each other's orbits, however, isn't sufficient for them to just fall back into arms and there are many hurdles to be overcome in order to overcome the hurts of the past.

Jaycie Morrison is a new author to me and does a wonderful job of showing the development of the characters and their personalities. I could really understand where much of their pain and distrust was coming from. The story also shows the importance of communication in developing a sense of trust and to find a way to overcome personal differences.

I will certainly be looking out for more works from this author in the future.

I am grateful to Jaycie Morrison, Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this story and am leaving this review voluntarily.

First and foremost, thank you to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc. for a digital ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is, unfortunately, going to be a short review. I *struggled* with Firecamp, which is a shame, because I was looking forward to this one so much.

Nora has made a bet with her dad: If she can survive the summer at Firecamp, he will pay for her last two years of college where she will be pursuing a future as a Photojournalist. Fallon is alone, having no family and no friends to fall back on until she meets Reva who convinces her to come to Firecamp for the summer. Nora wants nothing more than to get in and get out, no connections and nothing to tie her back to her father's roots. Fallon sees a future in the camp and will do everything to one day be a camp lead.

Told split in two times, the first half of the book covers Nora and Fallon's interactions at Firecamp, and the second half takes place 10 years later: Nora is a Photojournalist and Fallon is now leading the women's division of the Firecamp.

I could not stand Nora. I frankly found almost no redeeming qualities to her. Callous, rude, aloof, and shallow, she takes out her resentment towards her father and older brothers on EVERYONE including Fallon who can't seem to 'see' anyone else at the camp because Nora is attractive and 'mysterious'. There was no chemistry between these two. One sentence they could be having a civil conversation, the next, Nora was being...Nora and acting like Fallon had spat on her.

I did really enjoy the side characters, though. Jade, Hannah, Dolores, and Kennedy, I'd read about them any time.

My other issue was the awkward and sometimes clunky pacing. It often felt like the wrong things were being focused on and the 'romance' was constantly taking back seat, which played largely into the lack of chemistry between the two main characters. Phrasing and dialogue was also a bit awkward, and more often than not, it felt like 'telling, not showing' instead of 'showing, not telling'.

At the end of the day, I was disappointed and found myself forcing myself to just get to the next chapter so I could put the book down, which isn't what you want when reading.

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

I was expecting more from this one but the story just never connected to the expectations. It was lacking in the romance and what was given to us just didn’t really appeal to me.

I wanted to like it but it was just middle of the road for me.

Thanks to NetGallery and the publisher for this Arc in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.


Nora dreams of becoming a photojournalist but she has to go firecamp or her father won’t pay her tuition she longs to be away from her home where feels confined. Fallon sees firecamp as a way to have roots and to do something meaningful with her life when she and Nora meets they clash mostly on Nora part but eventually love is forms but things go bad at end of firecamp that has both separating. Years later they meet again will this time they won’t let anything stand in their way in being together. I enjoy this read the romance was good the secondary characters were interesting.

A heartfelt story about love, ambition, and second chances set in the adjacent world of wildfire fighting. Nora and Fallon’s journey starts with tension but grows into something deeper, even though they have very different goals. The book is pretty much split in half and I feel it was rushed in places. Some emotional moments could have been explored more, but the connection between the main characters is strong and believable. Overall, it’s an enjoyable 4-star read