She is very set on ever going back to her hometown again, but when she finds out that her mom has very little time to live, she leaves everything and goes back home. Plagued with guilt of leaving everyone and everything, she struggles to fit back in.

Right on her first night back, she runs into a person she desperately hoped to avoid, her first love and the guy she hurt the most.

The spark between them is very much alive, and the more time they spend together, the more it grows.

It's a very touching story of second chances and forgiveness, but I had the hardest time getting into it.

I loved the romance in Rekindling the fire! It was such a good of a slow burn done well! I couldn't stop reading, and I can't wait to read more by this author

Rekindling the Flame is everything you want from a small-town romance: heartfelt, steamy, and packed with just enough emotional baggage to keep things interesting. Madison Myers takes us to Smoky Heights, a mountain town full of nostalgia, unresolved feelings, and one very smoldering Wyatt Grady.

The story follows our protagonist, who reluctantly returns to her hometown under difficult circumstances—helping her terminally ill mom—only to run straight into her first love. Sparks fly (literally and figuratively), and what starts as a casual "let's not talk about feelings" fling quickly morphs into a complicated tangle of emotions, regrets, and undeniable chemistry. Spoiler: they’re terrible at keeping things strictly physical, and honestly? Thank goodness for that.

Myers does a great job balancing the weight of the heroine’s family struggles with the lighter, sweeter moments of rekindling love. Wyatt is the perfect mix of rugged, patient, and emotionally bruised—basically, the poster boy for second-chance romance. And while the spicy scenes deliver (seriously, get a glass of ice water), it’s the tender moments that hit hardest. Watching these two navigate their messy history and figure out whether they can build a future together is what makes the story so satisfying.

If I had one gripe, it’s that the pacing felt a little rushed toward the end—I wouldn’t have minded a few extra chapters to savor their journey. But overall, Rekindling the Flame is a heartfelt story that tugs at your emotions while also turning up the heat. 4 stars for small-town charm, sizzling romance, and a love story that feels as cozy as it does fiery. 🔥✨

Well written second chance romance, small mountain town setting with just the right amount of banter and spice! This was my first time reading from this author and I enjoyed my time in her world. I will definitely be following for future releases! This is the perfect fall vibes, quick read to add to your tbr!

I haven’t read a book by this author before, but definitely will again! This book was a perfect autumnal second chance romance, and gave me all the cozy lovely vibes I wanted. Absolutely will be picking up a physical copy!

This book was a really fun and light-hearted read with a charming premise focusing on second chance romance in a small town. Whilst the story felt very light-hearted, there was a lot of heaviness within the female lead that took this book to a deeper level.

This book was a fun read. The steam was hot hot hot! I'm currently looking for another Madison Myers book to binge!

A heavy topic for our main FMC…coming home to help her mum who is dying from cancer and add on t that the weight of how she left town and abandoning those who loved her meant there was a lot for our main character to overcome but Rory found her true love, Wyatt and they rekindle what was once lost proving to each other that it’s only each other for them or no one.

I did feel Wyatt was a bit too soft on Rory with his understanding and forgiveness….she didn’t really have to fight for him like she had to win over everyone else. I dislike it for the story but like it for our MMC

I received this book as an ARC and provide an honest review

This book was wonderful! The story was very deep and it made me feel for the characters. And the romance was perfect!

First of all thanks to Netgalley and the author to allow me to read this book.. I just loved it.. It's definitly not an easy one if I'm going to be honest because two people are re-connecting after a while apart and after the process of letting someone we love go.. Yes it has spice but that's not the most important part, the healing and the process of loving was very deep and I love that

This book is takes you on an ultimate rollercoaster - it's a story of grief, loss, finding oneself, love, self forgiveness, and the honesty of returning home.

Right from the start, I found so much of myself in Aurora. She was carrying around so much emotional baggage that was weighing her down to a point where she was barely getting by. The way it was explained how her brain never shuts down? I felt that. Deeply. Needing the city noise to sleep, oh how I felt that in a big way as I was the exact way when I first left city life. Aurora's character development was top notch, and just so incredibly beautiful to witness - and my goodness what she had to face and overcome? So impressive.

Wyatt was a dream come true, such an incredible man, and his grasp on his own emotion? It's something that I truly love to see. I love the depth of him, and who doesn't love a man that LOVES taking care of others? How he was so certain of Aurora, and also so forgiving, so understanding... such a beautiful way to write a man and I can say - he might just be one of my all time favorite book boyfriends now.

The side characters were beautiful and brought so much to the story - Laura Lee is nothing short of incredible, Duke is a gentle & loving "giant", and Lexi is an utter spitfire. I also LOVED the chickens - the entire scenes with them were epic.

I absolutely love this book, and I am so ready and so excited to see this author grow.

Thank you SO much to Madison Myers for this ARC!

I didn’t know much before going into this book but I loved it nonetheless. This book was absolutely perfect for fall. It has all the gorgeous fall vibes in a small town setting. Bonfires, a hike in the colourful forest and outdoor fun. It also includes a second chance romance. Usually I’m not the greatest fan of second chance but this one was done very nicely. I really enjoyed that there were years between. The two main characters were a couple in their teenage years and now in their early thirties find to each other. I loved finding out that basically both MCs have never stoped loving the other and that they needed quite some time to admit that. The dates the two had were beautiful and I loved how much Wyatt still cared about Aurora even though he has been hurt. I also loved the little bits and pieces he had done in his life that showed that he only ever loved Aurora and no one else. While the book is very spice, which I loved by the way, it is also very emotional. The story around Aurora’s mom was so sad. But I loved how this drastic and unfair diagnosis helped to unite a family, at least in the end. The relationships between mother and daughter but also between the two sisters were written nicely and I could really feel that there was hurt present but still so much love. The exchanges between the two sisters were always funny even when they fought. The situations that had the most lasting effect for me were the ones when Aurora describes the discrepancy between seeing her mother, that has always been a strong woman, and the broken person she is now because of the cancer. That’s exactly how I believe this situation would be.
Long story short, a really emotional read even though a lot of spice is part of the story. I enjoyed reading it, would have loved to learn a bit more about what happened all these years ago. I think balancing the story a bit more towards the relationships and how they are repaired and a little less spice would have been perfect. Still a very good story and highly recommended for fall.

Rekindling the Flame by Madison Myers is a second chance, returning home, small town romance that deals with difficult topics such as grief, cancer and the loss of a parent. Aurora (Rory) is returning home from NYC to help take care of her mom who has been given a year to live. Upon Rory's return she is immediately reunited with Wyatt, the boyfriend she left behind to follow her dreams in the city. The book was fast paced, easy to read and I enjoyed the side characters. The spice was there however I didn't love the inner monologue of Wyatt, parts of it was gratuitous and gave me the ick. Both Wyatt and Rory were flawed characters with their own issues. I enjoy a second chance romance and characters growing and learning however there wasn't enough of a redemption arc. If the characters were in therapy and/or had serious conversations about working on themselves had made strides to be better the relationship and Rory's relationship with friends she left behind would make more sense. If you are looking for a small town and lots of spice you will enjoy this book.
Thank you to the author for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

ARC Review - 4.5 ⭐️

Rekindling the Flame is book 1 in the Smokey Heights series featuring Wyatt Grady & Aurora (Rory) Weiss.

Rory fled Smokey Heights years ago to find a better life for herself. She leaves behind her mom, her sister and her boyfriend Wyatt without a second thought.

Now it’s more than a decade later and Rory returns to Smokey Heights after her moms recent cancer diagnosis where she was given only months to live. Her return is not a welcome one for many in their small town.

Wyatt is one of the few that actually doesn’t seem to mind her being back, despite having every reason to hate her, he just doesn’t. He becomes Rory’s shoulder to cry on, but quickly realizes he never stopped loving her despite the way she left.

When Wyatt and Rory enter into a friends with benefits situation, where old feelings come out to play, will they be able to make it work for real this time or will Rory leave town again and cause everything to go up in flames once more?

I loved this book so much! One second I was laughing and the next I was tearing up and crying. The emotional journey these characters go on was relatable and let’s just say the spice was spicing !

Thank you Madison for the ARC opportunity, I can’t wait to see what comes next !

I loved this story! The author did an amazing job bringing the characters to life in a way that made them feel so real and tangible to me. The FMC Rory is stubborn, determined, and a little lost in what she wants from life. She's flawed but in a relatable way. The MMC Wyatt is a man's man. He's a mechanic, a lover of the outdoors, and an expert in all things Rory. I wish I could bottle him up. He can be stubborn, but he knows what he wants, and he aims to please. The story will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions. It's witty, spicy, sad, and so sweet! Loved it!

Rekindling the Flame by Madison Myers is a second-chance romance set in a small-town.

The FMC is called Aurora, who’s coming back to her hometown after being away for years (and trying to avoid her first love, Wyatt). Wyatt is a total heartthrob, and the chemistry between him and Aurora? It’s off-the-charts electric. From the moment they reconnect, you can just feel all those unresolved feelings bubbling up again.

There’s a perfect mix of flirty banter and heartfelt moments that had me giggling and blushing throughout the book. I love how their relationship isn’t just about jumping back into the romance—it’s about them growing as individuals and confronting their past. Aurora’s dealing with family drama and finding herself again, while Wyatt is still totally dreamy but also struggling with his own regrets.

This book has the perfect balance of sweet and steamy, and it makes Wyatt and Aurora’s romance feel so real and intense.

If you’re a fan of second-chance romances, and all the cute small-town feels, Rekindling the Flame will absolutely melt your heart.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Aurora ran as fast as she could at 21 away from Smoky Heights to the bright lights of NYC. Now a hotshot lawyer, you couldn’t drag her back to that small town - at least until her mum gets hit with terminal brain cancer. That sends her right back to the hometown she burnt all of her bridges in.

Mechanic Wyatt was left in the dust when Rory skipped town and he’s never really moved on from her so when she slams - literally - back into his life? Well, life has a sick sense of humour like that.

But even cancer isn’t enough to get Aurora and her sister Alexis talking civilly again - it takes far more than that for any of the town to consider forgiving Rory for skipping out on them.

Madison masterfully captures what it’s like to lose a parent to terminal cancer - after losing my own dad to it when I was barely 20, I saw a lot of my own guilt and sadness in Rory and Lexi’s reactions so I really appreciate how sensitively she handled it.

But can we take a minute to talk about Wyatt and his filthy mouth? I don’t think a spicy romance has ever made me BLUSH so much.

I really enjoyed this cosy romance, it was a perfect read for autumn. The storyline was very good and the characters were likeable. It was a nice quick read for autumn as i got so engrossed in it i read it in an afternoon.

This was my first read by this author and I loved the writing style! I definitely will read her again. The characters make this story and I particularly adored Wyatt. This story has sexy romance and a whole lot of emotion and heart.

I love a good little small town romance and this definitely was that! The character of Aurora had some great character building throughout the book and her coming to terms with her absence from town and then coming back to deal with a really hard situation. I felt like the love drama with Wyatt was a great story to tell and the SPICE between these two. Wowza! The ending had me tearing up and it was the perfect quick read that had all the romance, spice, and emotions and I would certainly recommend this! I am excited to see how the story spins in the second book and revisit Smoky Heights.