I had mixed feelings about this novel, and it was hard to pick a rating. One of those times where partial stars would really pay off! I rounded down to 3-stars, but it’s a very high 3-stars. There was a lot to like about this novel and I enjoyed reading it for the most part. There were unfortunately a lot of parts that didn’t work for me. I did enjoy reading the novel; however, I don’t think I would recommend it simply because there are better novels out there. This is part of a series (I didn’t realize that initially) and I haven’t read the prior novels, so it is possible that my reading experience might have been different if I had.

Highlights:
-There is some great representation in this novel of people from minority groups in positions of authority. This is always something great to see!
-I liked the characters. The side characters were particularly great as there were a bunch of them, and they all felt like properly realized characters and real people. That is likely due to the fact that these were the MC’s in previous novels, although I haven’t read them.
-The MC’s romance was sweet. They were a good match and I enjoyed reading them together.

Complaints:
-The dynamic between the two MC’s at the beginning didn’t work for me. It’s supposed to be enemies to lovers, however it felt incredibly forced. They naturally got along and had great chemistry and the only conflict was contrived, underwhelming, and felt like it was being shoehorned in for plot purposes. The “enemies” element consisted of mild annoyances and blaming each other for things they were not even responsible for.
-For most of the novel I wasn’t sure what the actual point/plot was. A series of events took place and it led to a resolution, but it wasn’t really a coherent plot. There were a lot of subplots going on and events taking place, but not much of a central throughline.
-Some of the writing simply didn’t work for me. It was hard to pin down what I mean exactly because some of the writing I also really liked. I think it was some dialogue that I particularly didn’t like, where it didn’t sound like people actually talk. “hashtag #relationshipgoals” isn’t something people say.
-Everything felt a little rushed, particularly at the end, but it also dragged at times. Pacing issues.
-I didn’t see the point of the supernatural element. It was very underdeveloped and ultimately didn’t go anywhere. The plot would have worked just fine and played out the same without this added component. I like supernatural stuff, so this disappointed me. Given how non-psychic the character was, I didn’t understand how she had such a reputation for it around town.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love reading books by 2 authors and this one was excellent. One of my favorite tropes.
Excellent characters

For most of my life, I've largely ignored romance as a genre because it was either paranormal, regency or cowboys, but in the past decade, there has been a shift to so many different kinds of romance novels that the genre has truly come alive. I remeber reading my first queer romance novel, and at the time there were very few, but now i can walk into most bookstores and have a great variety. And this book is a delightful addition to that selection. Characters that have backstory apart from each other, and electiric chemistry together. A side story that keeps you guessing all the way through, and ghosts to boot. What's not to like? Absolutley a book I will be adding to my romance recommendation roster.

Thank you to netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNF 50%
I started skimming and figured it was time to just bite the bullet and quit.

What drew me to Spirits and Sirens was that it's Sapphic, and one of the MCs is a firefighter. Plus, it has a cute illustrated cover and an alliteration title.

The writing seems a bit clunky and sometimes I can get past that, but not this time. Elana and Al have spent 50% of this book bickering about nothing, and when they finally start getting along one of them has to get all angry about something ridiculous. It's tedious.

I think this would appeal to many romance readers. It follows a lot of the same beats as a typical romance but the psychic (is talking to ghosts considered psychic?) and firefighter combo is pretty original.

This book probably won't be purchased by my library but mostly because it isn't available from the distributer they use to purchase materials. I still think it would be a good addition to a collection because it is an own voices novel and have a wide spread of representation is important.

Also, there was very little spirit action in the first half. Wanted some more spoops.

Casper the cat is pretty cute though.

Spirits and Sirens was a fun contemporary romance with a light dusting of supernatural phenomenons. I won't spoil it, of course, but opening chapter was a really nice move in making the reader curious, and how a mystery was small red line threading through the book while mainly being a more classic romance was a nice variation of the genre.

Not directly related to the book, but a couple writing books together really brings me joy, and reading this book has made me put the other Owen Station books straight onto my TBR!

4,5 stars!

Thank you Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for providing me with an ARC!

When Allison (Al) Jones started working as FireChief she was not planning to stay all that long. She figured two years and she’d be ready to move on. She got her drive and ambition from her father, who for much of her life was absent chasing the next promotion. She is determined to become a full Fire Chief before she turns forty. She’s made lots of good friends and would hate to leave them behind but she knew she’d take no time to make new friends. That’s just who she was, getting along with everybody she met.
Elena Murphy was born in Owen Station, her family owned and operated the Funeral Services for the community. She didn’t see herself there but when her parents called, telling her that her brothers were making a mess of the business she knew she had to return. While growing up Elena didn’t have a lot of friends. Being shy was one thing but for some reason people thought she could see beyond the grave. She couldn’t, at least not reliability, so when she moved back the friendships came. She along with everyone else grew up.
When Elena starts having problems with the family home she finally got a chance to meet Al, when she came to investigate why a hole suddening showed up in front of Elena’s house she was instantly attracted to Elena. But she was moving on, not a good time to fall in love, but…. The ladies, Fireside has given us a very nice read with lots of action and fun, with a little mystery thrown in. Very nice read.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books

Elena works for her family's mortuary business and Al is the new fire chief. Elena is a ghost whisperer and feels like there is something strange coming from a sink hole. Al mocks her for it. I dont love that the enemies to lovers aspect is built on Al's disbelief. The romance takes a while to build and because of that I did not feel that this story was very exciting or memorable.

I got this an arc on Netgalley and it came out last week! If you are looking for a nice simple sapphic romance give this a shot. It reads away really easily and for those who want to know: THOSE scenes are open door.

A hot fire fighter and a fierce photographer with a sixth sense team up to solve a decades old mystery. The flames igniting between them are impossible to be extinguished though 🔥 👻

I received an advance copy from Netgalley for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Assistant fire chief Al Jones has ambitions. She took the job in the small town of Owen Station because this assistant role would prep her to become a fire chief somewhere else. Al has spent her career hopping from one place to the next building an impressive resume. She never stays long in one place. Al lives for her job. She lives for helping people in terrible situations and keeping them safe. One day, a huge sinkhole opens up on one of the residential streets in town. The hole is right in front of Elena Murphy’s house. When Al gets Elena to safety, the woman faints in her arms. After that Al can’t help but be drawn into Elena’s life and the mystery that surrounds her and her family.

Elena Murphy never thought she would move back to her home town. As a kid people thought she was weird because she saw things others didn’t. It earned her the nickname ‘ghost whisperer’, a role Elena leant heavily into as a teen. When she finally left for college she thought she would never look back. Then her dad called to ask for her help with the family’s funeral business. Of course Elena couldn’t say no. Abandoning her newly started photography career, she packed up and returned home. All well and good, until that bloody sinkhole opened up right in front of her house. When she was escorted her out of the building, Elena stopped dead in her tracks. There were flames coming out of the hole, she couldn’t breathe..the next minute she woke up in the strong arms of assistant fire chief Al Jones. Apparently, nobody else saw the fire..

The mysterious events in this story got me hooked immediately. I kept turning pages to see what the hell was going on. Of course the huge dose of sexy firewoman did help too 😉 For me it is a good blend of mystery and romance.

The characters of Al and Elena drive the story. They are so different but also very alike. Al is the strong, levelheaded, responsible one, where Elena is more sensitive and emotional. But both of them are resilient, fierce and capable of anything. The combination is perfect! With all the things happening in town, we get to know each woman better and better. Their chemistry is off the charts and their connection is unbelievably strong. In the end it’s impossible not to believe they make a perfect couple. Luckily, Al gets that message eventually too.

The prologue gives a few hints about what could have transpired in the Murphy family decades ago. It’s just enough to keep you guessing. I’m not going to spoil it, but I will say, I was very intrigued about the story that unfolded.

A romance within a mystery or a mystery within a romance. However you categorize it, it’s a good one to be swept up in!

If you like station 19 I feel like you would enjoy this book. Al is a deputy fire chief when a sinkhole outside a house she is greeted with Elena who works at her family’s funeral home as well as being a photographer. The book is full of banter better the characters. It’s an enjoyable and easy read. Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review,

This was a beautifully done romance novel, it was realistic and enjoyed the overall concept going on. The characters were what I wanted and thought everything had that feel that I wanted. Kelly and Tana Fireside wrote this perfectly and enjoyed reading this.

This is a great book. I found it hard to put down. It was well-written, the story was interesting and the characters likeable and relatable. I definitely recommend this book

A unique plot with great MC. A cute fun story. I loved that the romance and communication was honest between the main characters. An enjoyable read overall.

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

Although I haven't read the other books that play in the same universe, I didn't feel like I was missing something. The book has great representation of queer people and has a great person of color as main character. The slow burn was well written and also the spice at the later parts of the books were great. But the book is not only romance it also has aspects of other genres, which makes the book exciting.

I liked quite a lot of the humour but didn’t find the barrier to the mains being together enough to keep me hooked. I enjoyed it while I read it but was quite happy anytime I’d to put it down, to do so.
The blend story was resolved at the end and although I wasn’t totally invested in the romance, I did enjoy the blip then fix, not a third act break up but a decision being made. I knew what way the decision would go as this is a romance but I still enjoyed that journey. A 3 that wavered at points.

I wish I could say I really enjoyed this one! The main characters were great, the plot was unique and interesting, and I enjoyed the setting. BUT I struggled to get into the writing style or the romance. The intention of characters seemed to go back and forward, and their interactions didn’t always feel like they made sense for the characters. I’m not sure if this is one of those ‘it’s not you it’s me’ things but I’m hoping so because I’m interested in giving the author another try.

The word that keeps coming to my mind when I think about this book is "potential." There is so much potential in this story - there are good bones, and the romance was spicy and fun. But something in the execution really missed the mark for me. There was just a lot going on here that didn't do much to advance the plot. And the main mystery of what was happening in the town seemed to take a backseat to those unnecessary pieces. In particular, the paranormal aspect of this book seemed entirely superfluous. We never got a real explanation of what was happening there, and it really didn't add anything to the story. I wish they had really committed to that aspect or left it out entirely. The beginning was extremely slow for me, but I eventually got interested when the romance started heating up.

Loved both MC and that’s what made the story for me. I really enjoyed getting to know Al and nods to the previous book, with appearances from old characters. I loved Gran and the sub story but the highlight was the way Al ran her fire department - the writing made it clear just what kind of person Al was and I really want to live in the town!!!

Elena left Owen Station to chase her photography career in LA. A decade later her father called asking her to come home help with mortuary business that her brothers are making a mess of. Allison is the new to town fire assistant chief she doesn’t plan stay long and is ok not putting down roots because she wants move up in her career. Elena and Al meet when a sinkhole happens in front of her house as Elena gets vibes from the sinkhole she discover a town mystery that she decides to investigate and pulls a reluctant Al into it as they get to know each other and love how they communicate and their conflicts were realistic. Loved the grandmother story a nice cozy mystery.


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

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to have an ARC of this book. I did enjoy the ending of this book but man, the beginning was hard to get through. It was not captivating and it didn't go into detail about the spirit feeling Elena had. Also, why did Al buy all the furniture for her apartment only to go an buy a house the next day. It left me very confused and it was extra information the reader didn't need. The chapters were super long and I was kind of put off by that.