Wildfire
“I haven’t ever been anyone’s first choice, so I’m grabbing on to it with both hands.”
After devouring Icebreaker in a couple of days, I was excited to get my hands on the second installment of The Maple Hills series, Wildfire. To no surprise, Hannah Grace delivered another hot, humorous, and heartwarming tale.
Some context…
A giant Jenga tower, a table of tequila shots, and the end of a long semester—what could go wrong? For Aurora Roberts and Russ Callaghan, this revelry leads to a steamy night that neither of them will forget anytime soon—even though she sneaks out when the sun comes up. Only days later they cross paths again, having unknowingly planned to be counselors at the same sleepaway camp. When they begin to open up about their lives back home, they realize they have a lot more in common than their choice of employment. With every secret shared, it becomes harder to ignore the sparks flying between them. Are they mortified by this forced proximity or eager to make the most of it? Only time will tell.
The camp’s zero-fraternization policy should make it easy to avoid their feelings for each other, but better moral compasses have been lost to a forbidden romance…
Some thoughts…
Hannah Grace clearly has the formula for a charming love story down. Including everything from second chances to summer romance to opposites attract, this novel is a trope-lover's dream. Unlike most others of its kind, this book takes the power back by calling out the clichés, ultimately adding more humor to the text.
In addition to igniting powerful chemistry between them, the contrast between Aurora and Russ’ characters is interesting to read. Where she has outbursts, he shuts down. Where she overshares, he hides details. The epitome of an extrovert, she forces him (an incomparable introvert) to come out of his shell. In return, he shows her that she doesn’t always need to expose or surrender herself to others. Together, they learn to stand up for themselves as much as they do for each other.
Similar to Icebreaker, the protagonists’ friends play a large role in the story, but I definitely preferred this group to the ensemble in the previous book. Because there is a smaller circle of characters, each one receives more page time, allowing readers to better connect with them. Each character has their own distinct voice and sense of humor, making it exciting to see the range of personalities the author creates.
A satiating successor to Hannah Grace’s debut, this romance novel is a delightful blend of sweet, sentimental, and, of course, spicy.
RATING: ★★★★☆
