Burning Up My Love Life by Cindy Ray Hale: Book Review

 **ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

She's planning Twin Waves' first Valentine's Day festival, but the grumpy fire chief keeps shutting her down for safety violations.

Dean

I came to investigate complaints about Jo's Valentine's Day book club festival. What I found was thirty Bookaholics Anonymous members crammed into a space meant for fifteen, and a hostess who thinks “but it's for love” excuses basic safety rules. Jo Lennox has paint in her hair, heart-shaped decorations everywhere, and treats fire safety like suggestions. I've never seen someone turn safety violations into Valentine's flirtation—but somehow, she's got me questioning everything.

Jo

Dean Beckett showed up during my Love Stories and Lattes planning meeting with a clipboard and the romantic spirit of a tax audit. He's gruff, inflexible, and thinks his precious fire codes matter more than giving Twin Waves, North Carolina the most romantic beachside Valentine's celebration ever. But he keeps coming back, accidentally suggesting solutions, and almost smiling when I offer him heart-shaped cookies. I am not falling for the fire chief. Probably.

Burning Up My Love Life is part of The Valentine's Midlife Meet Cute Series. Here's what you'll find:

Grumpy/Sunshine

Enemies-to-lovers

Small town coastal romance

Firefighter Romance

Midlife Single Mom

The Author

Cindy Ray Hale loves to write romcoms set in small towns and has been writing and publishing books since 2012, all the while laughing at her own funny stories. As a busy mom, she juggles family life with her passion for storytelling.

She loves nerding out on video games, creating book covers, and drinking too much caffeine. When she can find a moment, she loves to sing and play the piano and often includes acting and singing somewhere in her stories.

Born and raised in the hills of Tennessee in a large, crazy family, she's lived all over the United States before settling down in a small mountain town where she loves to go hiking, boating, and digging in her garden.

Book Review

Nothing says 'be my Valentine' quite like having the festival you've worked so hard on planning shut down for fire code violations by the grumpy (but handsome) fire chief, right? Somehow though, it worked for Dean and Jo in this sweet addition to the Valentine's Midlife Meet Cute series. I really enjoyed the dynamic between these two... there was a lot of tension, yes, but some of that was certainly of the romantic variety and I was here for it. So was the rest of their small town! It's no secret that I love some good meddling... and this town? Well, they felt like pros at it! This definitely brought some laughs throughout, that's for certain. If you love a later-in-life romance with all the small town vibes, this is the perfect short and sweet Valentine's Day read to add to your TBR! 

Burning Up My Love Life is a closed-door romance with kisses only and no language. It is part of the Valentine's Midlife Meet Cute series. This is a multi-author series of later in life Valentine's Day romcom novellas that can all be enjoyed as standalones or in any order. 

You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/3YDgLVE