Hunter O’Connor is the bane of my existence.
When I set out to join Green Valley’s new volunteer firefighter team as a way to honor my late father, the last person I expected to find there was the heartthrob bad boy from high school. The one whose family was involved in certain… illegal pursuits. Even if it is seven years later, people don’t change that much. And I especially don’t expect him to remember me—or for him to have a grudge.
I swear I didn’t mean to get entangled in a prank war with him, but when it gets too out of hand, the fire chief lays down the law, forcing us to work together in order to redeem ourselves and make the team. There are only so many smirky quips this foul-mouthed guy with a reputation can make, though, before I discover the real Hunter. The one who’s nothing like I thought he was. And when all that attention is focused on me in a different way… sparks fly.
| Title: | All Fired Up |
| Author: | Allie Winters |
| Series: | Green Valley Heroes (Book 7) |
| Pages: | 353 |
| Category / Genre(s): | Contemporary |
| Trope(s): | Enemies to Lovers Friends to Lovers Opposites Attract |
| Point of View: | First Person, Present Tense, Dual Viewpoint (H & h) |
| Location: | Green Valley, Tennessee, US |
| HEA: | ✔️ |
| Release Date: | 17th October, 2024 |
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Another brilliant Allie Winters story
I’m a huge fan of Allie Winters so of course I jumped as soon as I knew she had a new book out. This one is set in a Penny Reid Book Universe and is book 7 in the Green Valley Heroes, multi-author series. Having never read Penny Reid (sorry, Penny) and none of the previous books in the series – I still very much enjoyed and understood this story. I think the books might all just be connected by a location and the fact that they feature firefighters as I couldn’t spot anyone else that might be a crossover character. Long story short – this book stands alone.
Our story centres around Hunter and Madeline – two very different people with seemingly nothing in common except that they’ve both signed up for the volunteer firefighter program. Their dislike turns into pranks which turns into an ultimatum of working together or failing the course. It’s then that our pair find out just who the other is and how much they might actually get along.
I love an enemies to lovers story but as I started to read this I realised – hey, they actually hate each other. Normally I’m seeing two people who are secretly in love – or at least lust. Nope. All the way hate. It really made me want to keep reading because I wanted them to like each other, dammit!
Madeline is the good girl. She’s an introvert who works from her childhood home, having moved back after college. Living with her still grieving mother, Madeline is determined to do something for herself and to honour her late firefighter father. She knows she’s not strong but she’s determined – and that was something I really liked about her. She might be introverted but she was spunky and gives as good as she got. I loved her when she was sparring with Hunter and even more so when they start to have feelings for each other. She was a really easy character to root for.
“There’s something about Allie Winters’ writing that just pulls me in…”
But Hunter was just something else. At first, much like Madeline, I wasn’t too fond of Hunter. He was a bit cocky, a bit arrogant and a whole lot sexy. But as we get to know him – his troubles and his past – he becomes such a well-rounded, likeable and sympathetic character. I just wanted to give him a big ol’ hug. It was kind of heartbreaking to see everything he’d gone through and yet still come out the other end as a decent man.
Hunter and Madeline’s story progressed so well over the course of the book. Each change felt natural and real. They went from hating each other to tolerating each other. Then getting to know more about each other to being absolutely perfect for one another. There was definitely sex as part of their relationship and while it was hot – it also felt perfect for them as a couple.
There’s something about Allie Winters’ writing that just pulls me in and keeps me focussed on the characters and their story. These people felt real for me and watching them flounder and panic on their way to falling in love was a joy. Finding someone you can be your real self with is the dream and this felt like reading that dream. And, strangely, it also made me want to workout. Despite that anomaly, this is a fantastic small-town romance with characters you really fall in love with and another brilliant book from Allie Winters.
* I received this book in exchange for my honest review *
Allie lives in sunny Florida with her husband, daughter, and two cats. A librarian by day, she spends her nights writing happily ever afters. She enjoys reading, playing video games, and all things Disney.
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