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.

I want to say thank you to the authors and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is part of the Owen Station series, while I hadn’t read any of the prior books, I felt the authors did an excellent job providing necessary details. I don’t feel like I was missing anything.


Al, new to town fire chief and Elena meet when a sink hole opens in front of Elena’s home. Al is doing her best to keep the town safe, so Al jumps infront of Elena’s car to keep her from joining into the sink hole.

Somehow Elena is able to convince Al that, surely it would be okay to go inside and grab a few things before heading to her parents house. Elena works at her family funeral home and is supposedly a ghost whisperer so when she sees something in the whole town goes crazy with speculation and rumor


This is a sapphic love story and while I found the romance slow to start, I found it endearing.
What I struggle with was the repeated call backs to Elena being a ghost whisperer. It was mentioned over and over and never explored. I also struggled with the fact that the book felt so slow going. Ultimately I nearly gave up on this book so many times. I am glad I pushed through so that I had the ability to give the review.

So spicy and spirited and was just so delightful, I had a fantastic time with this story and will definitely be looking into more of the author’s works!

I've really enjoyed this series and Spirits and Sirens is no different. Yes, it's a bit predictable and the stakes are fairly low, but it's a cute and cosy read that is perfect if you want something quick and fun. It was a great break between heavier reads and an ideal lazy weekend/holiday book.

There are still some things that I find jarring about these authors' writing style, mainly around the dialogue. At points, the book is very dialogue-heavy and a lot of it doesn't sound like a real person. There seems to be a hatred of abbreviating words, as people would when talking, which makes the dialogue seem even more awkward.

I also find the sudden change in Al to be far too sudden. It wasn't built up quite enough and seemed to be a big 180 with very little warning. I knew it was going to happen - because, let's face it, this is a romance book - but I felt like a bit more character development was needed to make it realistic.

This may not be the best romance book I've ever read, but I really enjoyed it and I love the inter-racial sapphic representation. I'm looking forward to more stories from Owen Station because they're exactly what I want from a cosy read.

Overall a good story. There were mentions of the pandemic a few times that I felt were unnecessary. I don’t felt like they added to the story at all. That is a personal preference of mine though.

I had to DNF this. I couldn’t get past chapter 1. Right out the gate Al was very unlikable and why all of a sudden is a sink hole supernatural just because it’s close to the house of a photographer that takes pics of ghosts…. Ugh I wanted to like this but couldn’t…

Thank you net galley

Overall i thought this book had a lot of great moments, funny interactions between the two main characters, and i loved Al and Elena. If you're in the mood for an easy, short, light hearted read i would totally recommend this book. while reading the book i felt as though the plot got lost a little, andthe storyline was kind of lost towards the end of the book. I think Al and Elena make this book rally great and i enjoyed their relationship, and their moment s throughout the book. The photo shoot Eleana set up for Al and the fire crew was such one of my favorites. I think both Al and Elena have great personalities, character building, and their relationship really was cute to follow, including their own personal journeys throughout the book.

This book is falling super flat and I feel no spark between them and I just can't cope with it anymore.
Some aspects are fun and I really like the concept, but overall it really wasn't able to keep my attention.

Elena Murphy tried to escape the ghosts by moving as far away from Owen Station as she could get. It didn’t work. So when her dad asks her to manage the front-of-the-house at Murphy’s Mortuary Funeral Services, which her cold-as-ice brothers are burying, she packs up her art studio and comes home. This time, though, she’s not the town weirdo but an up-and-coming photographer who has embraced her sixth sense—and learned how to use it.

Allison Jones is the charismatic new assistant fire chief—and maybe the only person not happy Elena’s back. Not only is Al the first woman to hold this post in Owen Station, but she is up to her eyeballs in swirling conspiracy theories that are thwarting efforts to prevent wildfires during a record-breaking Southwest summer. The last thing she needs is somebody with Elena’s profile telling ghost stories.

Despite the premise being a bit weak, I always enjoy stories about women firefighters, so this couldn't go wrong for me. The paranormal stuff was fun. The romance felt a bit flat to me, but overall this was a nice sapphic read. It was fun to revisit Owen Station (although definitely not necessary to read the previous ones).

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

Spirits and Sirens by Kelly and Tana Fireside follows Elena, a photographer and funeral home owner, and AL, a fire deputy chief, as they navigate commitment issues and the presence of ghosts, both literal and metaphorical.

While I did enjoy some aspects of the book, a lot of the storylines seemed to fall flat in my opinion. Some of them made sense and were captivating but others were just simply confusing and left me flipping back through pages to figure out what I had missed.

I was intrigued by the description and title being about first responders and the paranormal, but as I read I became thrown off by so much of it it just became a struggle to finish.

While I found Elena and AL’s relationship cute the book itself didn’t make for anything particularly memorable which is super disappointing.

This was a sweet, easily digestible sapphic romance, even if it didn't have anything too spectacular going for it. Spirits and Sirens follows Elena, a photographer and manager of the local funeral home who can maybe see ghosts (??) and Al, a fire deputy chief with serious commitment issues. Despite a meet cute (a sink hole appearing in Elena's yard and Al being one of the responders), the two keep coming up against tensions as to why they shouldn't be together. Honestly, the reasons are pretty weak, and despite the authors seeming to aim for something like enemies to lovers, their disagreements were bland and seemed constructed to block their path. The book blurb also mentions Al helping Elena solve a decades old family mystery. This is misleading. What the mystery even is isn't apparent until almost three quarters of the way through the book, and it's not something Elena even knew about to be haunted by or anything. The authors were also very wishy-washy on Elena's abilities. It's like they liked the idea of a medium as a main character but didn't want to commit fully to anything really supernatural. Elena and Al's relationship was cute, but I think more consistent characterization would have benefitted this story.

This book was very cute! I loved the two main characters. Elena is super funny, and I loved the take on spirits and the funeral home the authors did. She is relatable, and I love that she accepts her sixth sense. Al is a badass, who tries her best to get rid of Elena and her spiritual BS. The two of them have such fun, hot chemistry. I will be reading more of the Fireside's books!

This is the third book set in Owen Station, a small town between Tuscan and the Arizona border. The stories can be read as stand alone romances but previous characters and couples show up in the small town. Elena Murphy is a photographer who moved back to Owen Station to help manage her struggling family mortuary business. She meets Al (Allison) Jones, the assistant fire chief, when a large sinkhole opens on her street. Al is career driven and wants to be a chief before she is 40. She is used to not putting down roots and is willing to move every few years.

The romance moves along as Elena and Al cross paths in the small town. I especially liked the photo shoot Al arranges Elena to do with her crew. This romance is good with honest communication between the pair. The conflict feels realistic as their priorities about settling in town are different. My favorite part of the book and what moved me emotionally is the grandmother's story. I also like the cover and title and how it matches others in the series.