Special thanks to the author for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Goodreads: Burning Up (The Prescotts #6)
Publication Date: 26 April 2022
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Panda Rating:

_{(4 pandas)}

We have to burn to rise from the ashes.

Nearly two years after her divorce, Felicity Hawthorne is ready to date again. At least, she thinks she would be, if the idea of dating wasn’t so freaking terrifying. But then she wins a date with sexy, swoony firefighter Noah Prescott at a charity bachelor auction, and everything changes.

FDNY captain Noah isn’t looking for a relationship. Since losing his father as a teenager, he’s spent the past twenty years shouldering heavy responsibilities, and he knows he doesn’t have the time or energy to be anyone’s boyfriend. But one date with sweet, charming Felicity has him wanting things he shouldn’t want.

Which is why Noah suggests Felicity practice her budding dating skills with him. He wants more of her, and practice dates are as close as he can come to having her in his life without hurting her. But then dating practice turns into practice of another kind—the kind that involves moans and sighs and orgasms—and Noah knows he’s going to fall. Hard.

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TL;DR: Burning Up is a fun, fast, pretty hot and slightly angsty story that is perfect if you’re looking for a romance with characters that have explosive chemistry! I really liked the dynamic between all the characters we meet from Noah’s brothers and cousins to Felicity’s ride-or-die besties. Plus, while we do get a HEA, I thought the ending was a bit too abrupt and I had hoped that we’d get a moment where the family officially meets Felicity. That said, the good still outweighed the not-so-great parts for me and I can’t wait for Hudson’s story next cos I have a feeling he just might be my favourite! 😍

What made me happy:

• Noah. Sweet, sexy, dependable, people-pleasing, filthy-mouthed, alpha Noah. He’s the oldest brother who seems to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders and I loved learning more about what goes on behind his stoic, never-says-no, responsible persona. He’s so genuine and loves helping others but the other reason why he is the way he is was pretty heartbreaking. I can’t imagine carrying around that kind of guilt from my teenage years well into adulthood. He does have a bit of a protective streak and he likes being in control but it’s not at all a negative towards his character.
• Felicity. She was a painfully relatable character and there were plenty of her moments that hit me quite hard; particularly when she was reflecting on her insecurities after being cheated on and how much that affected her relationship with herself and how it messed so much with her head and heart. She was such a down-to-earth and endearing character that it wasn’t hard to root for her happiness and it was great watching her come out of her shell the more Noah accepted her for who she is and as he treated her the way she deserved to be treated—like a queen!
• Their chemistry pretty much set my Kindle on fire! 🔥 They had an instant connection that only grew stronger the more they spend time together. There was a level of understanding and safety that developed between them that allowed them to be more vulnerable with each other and created a healthy space for their relationship to grow. I also loved that as characters in their early to mid-30s they actually acted like it and I found that maturity refreshing, not to mention that they actually communicated well and there was no extra drama.
• Did I mention that their sexual chemistry was wildfire explosive? Like, phew! 😮‍💨 I loved seeing Felicity have the chance to explore her sexuality in an encouraging and safe environment with Noah, which of course made their steamy scenes extra fire—someone has a bit of a praise kink and it was h-o-t.
• It’s rare that I say this but I actually thought the third act breakup made a lot of sense to the character development. Noah made a lot of progress throughout the story but of course, he’s not gonna be some guilt-free guy overnight and this “relapse”, was realistic. It was angsty AF but also, one of his biggest fears came true, so it made sense that he’d panic and react the way he did. That said…

What I was on the fence about:

• The resolution felt rushed and the story ended *so abruptly* that I was unprepared for it? I just wished there had been one more scene where they’d had the chance to talk things out a bit more after their emotions had calmed down, and I wanted a moment where Felicity was introduced to the family! Kinda bummed we didn’t get that…
• The “dating practice” bit sadly didn’t last very long. Then again, they had such great chemistry I also didn’t mind *too* much but it definitely would’ve added some more tension to their already great dynamic!
• There were a few moments when the writing felt a little too repetitive. Like someone would say something and then two pages later they’d say the exact same thing in the same conversation. It felt a bit weird and copy/paste-ish cos it was word-for-word the same in slightly different scenes.

Have you read any of the books in The Prescotts series or are they on your TBR? Are you excited to read Burning Up?

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