Series: Burning Hearts #1
Publication date: September 3rd, 2025
Synopsis:
He swore to protect his town--but guarding his heart is the real challenge.
Volunteer firefighter Shawn Miller thought he had his life figured out in small-town Elken Grove. His print shop pays the bills while his real passion--fighting fires--keeps him connected to the community he loves.
Then his new Captain walks through the station doors: Rebecca "Becks" Schwartz, the woman who walked out of his life nine years ago. Now she's his superior officer, and someone in the department is determined to drive her away--or worse.
As danger closes in, Shawn must balance protecting Becks with respecting her authority. But when sparks fly hotter than ever between them, he realizes some flames aren't meant to be extinguished--they're meant to be stoked.
Get REKINDLED FLAME today and feel the heat of this slow-burn second chance romance!
🔥 firefighter romance 🚒 second chance 🔥 small town 🚒 protective hero 🔥 workplace romance 🚒 she's his boss 🔥 contemporary 🚒 first responder 🔥
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Excerpt
Later, she couldn't say who moved first. Only that somehow the space between them vanished, and his lips were on hers, or hers on him--a kiss born of shared danger, old memories, and new respect. His hands found her waist, steadying her as she leaned into him, allowing herself this one moment of abandon.
It was both familiar and entirely new. The Shawn she'd kissed nine years ago had been a young man, passionate but untested. This Shawn kissed her with a quiet assurance, a depth of emotions that made her knees weaken.
When they finally broke apart, both breathing heavily, reality came crashing back. She was his captain. Someone was targeting her. And their past remained largely unresolved.
"I shouldn't have--" he started.
"We can't--" she said simultaneously.
They stared at each other, mutual regret and longing creating an almost unbearable tension.
"This complicates things," she whispered.
"It was already complicated," he replied, running a hand through his hair in that familiar gesture she remembered from years ago.
Becks stepped back, creating necessary distance. "Someone sabotaged my turnouts, Shawn. That tear in my jacket--if we'd been called to a fire instead of an accident..."
"I know." His expression darkened. "We'll figure out who's behind this."
"And this--" she gestured between them, "--whatever this is, it has to wait."
He nodded, though the reluctance was clear in his eyes. "I'll follow you home, make sure you get there safely. After that... professional distance."
"Professional distance," she echoed, though the lingering taste of him made a mockery of the words.
As she drove home with Shawn's truck visible in her rearview mirror, Becks touched her lips, still sensitive from his kiss. Whatever was developing between them would have to be shelved until the threat was neutralized and they'd properly addressed their complicated past.
She'd broken her cardinal rule tonight. The one she'd established after Charlotte: never let personal feelings cloud professional judgment. Never give anyone ammunition to suggest you got where you are through anything but merit. And never, ever, let a man make you feel like you need saving. Yet here she was, lips still tingling from kissing her volunteer firefighter, grateful for his protective presence behind her. Everything she'd sworn she'd never do again.
ELLA BRAEME writes steamy small-town romance where protective heroes and the women who capture their hearts find love in the mountains and marshlands of Georgia. Whether her characters are running toward danger or running from their past, they always find their way to happily-ever-after. When she's not dreaming up new ways for couples to fall headlong into danger (and love), she's in her garden, supervised by a dog who firmly believes digging holes helps the flowers grow. Her quick, satisfying reads deliver the perfect escape, whether you're sneaking in a chapter during lunch or staying up way too late to reach that happily-ever-after.
