As a fan of the TV show 911 on Disney+ I was dying for a good firefighter roamce which wasn't dark, and Fake Flame definatley filled the spot! I really enjoyed this book, it was a perfect, short sweet anc ute romance with absolutley adorable main characters. I loved the reverse age gap, its very rare you see a romance book with the woman being older than the man which I quite enjoyed the change. I would definatley recomend this book to other romance readers

"Fake Flame" by Adele Buck is a captivating and sizzling romance that expertly navigates the trope of a fake relationship with an irresistible twist. Buck’s writing is both witty and heartfelt, creating a story that draws readers in with its engaging characters and the undeniable chemistry between them.

The novel centers around two protagonists who, for their own reasons, agree to pretend to be a couple. As they navigate the charade, sparks begin to fly, blurring the lines between what’s real and what’s pretend. Buck skillfully balances humor and emotion, making the characters' journey from a fake relationship to something much more genuine feel both natural and deeply satisfying.

What sets "Fake Flame" apart is its ability to blend light-hearted romance with deeper, more emotional undertones. The characters are well-developed, each with their own backstories and vulnerabilities that add layers to the narrative. As they get to know each other beyond the facade, the story delves into themes of trust, self-discovery, and the risks involved in letting someone truly into your heart.

"Fake Flame" is perfect for fans of contemporary romance who enjoy the "fake relationship" trope but with a fresh and emotionally resonant twist. Adele Buck has crafted a novel that is both fun and deeply romantic, making it a must-read for anyone who loves a story where love sneaks up on the characters when they least expect it. This book is a delightful mix of humor, heart, and heat, and it will leave readers thoroughly entertained.

This was a simple, fun, easy and quick read. The perfect type of book for your holiday, beach, pool kind of read. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

A cute little read! Really heartwarming and I loveeeee the characters 🫶🏻 one of my fave things about this is that the communication is 😘🤌🏻 - I HATEEEEEEE any sort of miscommunication with a PASSION and I was soooo glad this didn’t have that. Just 2 normal characters like omds ! I LOVE YOUUUUU🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

Thank you to Mills and Boon for granting me a copy of Fake Flame to review.

Fake Flame is an entertaining, heartwarming contemporary romance with a fun fake-dating plot centre around an older female main character, Eva, who is an English Professor in her 40s, and a main male character, Sean, a firefighter in his 30 who meets in quirk circumstance on the job. It is one of the best meet-cute opening scenes of a romance I have read in a long time!

Adele Buck's writing style is enjoyable, easy to read, and fast-paced storytelling that combines humour and heartfelt moments to bring to life the relationship challenges that befall Sean and Eva. This story reminded me of Collen Hoover's tone of voice and Olivia Dade's complex story beats. There is a lot packed into the plot, which could be a little distracting at points from the core romance building between Sean and Eva. It's nice to see an older, successful career woman at the heart of the romance and a younger male main character unthreatened by her position and the fact that she earns more than him.

The romance between Sean and Eva is sweet, centred around two emotionally mature characters who talk to each other about their problems and have a sizzling chemistry. Firefighting wasn't the only hot thing in this book – the bedroom scenes are smoldering with spice!

The Fake dating quickly spirals out of control, and reality blurs around their feelings towards each other. Eva and Sean were relatable, likable, and well-developed as the main characters – I did feel the secondary characters didn't have the same finishing touches, leading to some of them being a little stereotypical, like stalker ex-boyfriend antagonists who can't take no for an answer. I loved Eva's sassy nature – anyone willing to take a homemade flame thrower at their bothersome ex is a woman after my own heart. Any bookworm will sigh in appreciation for Sean, the book boyfriend who is an avid reader, kind and thoughtful.

An entertaining, cute, and fluffy romance that can sometimes be a little cheesy and predictable. The humour and drama are well written and blended well around the romance at the heart of the story, making it a perfect light read to enjoy at the end of a summer day.

cute but overall quite average. it’s clear that this was written in hopes to be popular among booktok. i liked the plot but it felt like the smut etc was forced and random

The characters were perfect, and I didn't want this book to end! I'll definitely be reading more from this author in the future, as I absolutely adore her writing style.

A fun fake dating story, the story of Sean and Eva. A great read, looking forward to reading more from this author

This just sounded like such a fun concept, as I haven't read a romance centred around a first responder before, and that aspect of it certainly was. I liked that there was more to Sean than you might first expect, but I do think his perfection was a bit on-the-nose and cliche at times, more than I find with some other romances. I really felt for Eva and her situation with her shitty ex, and was glad to see how she handled it throughout the book, not standing down at any point and eventually getting the justice that she deserved. I didn't love why Eva and Sean broke up, however, and how it led to him not being there for her in her worst moments - it just didn't feel realistic compared to the rest of their relationship, and it felt like a bit of a lazy third-act breakup. I'm intrigued about the next book in this series, so I'll give it a go and see how it compares!

I really wanted to love this, but it just felt a little confused for me :(

Whilst this is a great romance with lots of fantastic characters and banter, there were so many random scenes and plotlines dotted in that didn't fit. It felt a tad messy and made the book slightly less enjoyable.

The characters were perfect and I did not want this book to end! I will be sure to read more from this author in the future as I absolutely adore her style of writing.

This was a great quick read!

I love that the fake dating never really felt fake and you could tell how much they liked each other from the start

The POVs switch multiple times a chapter so you get to see the same scene from both POVs which is really fun and made it a really enjoyable read

- fake dating
- professor x firefighter

This book was so refreshing as although this romance story it was actually a love story where children weren’t in their end game. The way the author approached this subject was definitely clever, thoughtful and real!

Aside from that this book was super spicy; the male main character was adorable, thoughtful, good looking and totally besotted by the female main character. The female main character had a troubled past but she was relatable, funny, determined and independent.

This book was a little slow at times but overall I enjoyed it; the chemistry and flirting was definitely my favourite parts and this spice in this was smoking.

Firstly thank you to the publishers, and to Netgalley for the opportunity to read the e-arc of this beautiful and on occasion sad love story!
The opinions I share are fully my own.
I really enjoyed this book, it was such an easy read, the author’s writing style is one that I liked and could really get to grips with, let’s start with the one thing that I did find hard to get on with and that was the repetition that occurred within the book, it was noticeable, but for me it was a small thing that I could look past.
The opening of the book really made me chuckle to myself while I was reading it (one of the best openers I’ve read).
I felt every emotion running through this book the happiness and the highs, the sadness and the lows, the anger and the detest.
The author has delicately, respectfully and helpfully dealt with a “problem” with Eva’s ex, it’s nice to see that they’re showing positive ways to deal with the negative situation. Also showing that “you are not alone”.
I will be recommending this book to others when they ask for another book recommendation.
Happy reading!

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. I was really excited because I liked the description, but I just couldn't stay interested. I kept reading and then stopping for a while, hoping I'd get more into it next time, but it didn't happen. I tried twice, but in the end, I decided not to finish it.

But despite that, thank you so much for sending me this ARC.

A super fun and engaging romance that took me not time at all to finish. We had characters that had incredible chemistry off the bat, engaging side plots discussing important topics, brilliant supporting cast, great use of communication. This was just such an enjoyable read and I would recommend it to any contemporary romance fan. And shoutout to the 40 year old FMC. I want to see more characters like Eva in romance fiction!

i’ll admit i was confused with what to rate this because for the first half i felt like it would be a three star read, but i found myself warming to it as it went on. by the end, it felt like a four star read so i admit i’m still a little unsure — but i’ll stick with four stars for now.

‘fake flame’ is a relatively short book, with a believable and charming romance at the centre. it’s dual pov, which i admit i wasn’t a fan of at first as it quite rapidly changes povs within chapters, but i appreciated it more when the angst came into play and you got to see the character’s viewpoints a whole lot easier. the cover is cute and ultimately, this book works for as a great summer read for any romance enjoyers.

"Fake Flame" by Adele Buck is a delightful and engaging read.
The story kicks off with literature professor Eva Campbell's ex-boyfriend attempting a grand but manipulative public gesture to win her back. Eva's response? She tries to set his piano on fire. Enter Sean Hannigan, the hot firefighter who talks her down and offers to be her fake boyfriend to keep her ex at bay.
I love the dynamic between Eva and Sean. Eva is strong, smart, and determined, while Sean is sweet, easygoing, and wise beyond his years. Their chemistry is undeniable, and the line between their fake relationship and real feelings blurs quickly.
The book is well-written, balancing humor and serious moments perfectly. Sean's character is a dream—kind, thoughtful, and an avid reader of classic romance.
Overall, "Fake Flame" is a fun, heartwarming romance that I thoroughly enjoy.

Very grateful to the publisher for this copy, opinions are my own

This story incorporates contemporary issues. It's a mix of sweet and spicy romance that works well. The toxic relationship between the two professors is well-written. There are many lighter moments in the fake romance between the firefighter and the professor that balance the issues explored. I like the couple's characters and the romance, but they needed more depth to make them believable and relatable.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

This was a cute fluffy read but the writing style didn’t click with me and the insta-love aspect of their relationship was very overdone causing it to get a bit too ‘cute and fluffy’, Sadly I found myself rushing through this book especially with the drama that shouldn’t have been drama, I can see some people absolutely loving this book and the writing style working for them, I just happen not to be.