Wildfire: A Novel (The Maple Hills Series) Paperback – October 3, 2023

Grace has written another wonderful book full of amazingly real and relatable characters. I absolutely LOVED the first book in the Maple Hills series, and this follow up left me just as satisfied. These have rocketed to the top of my favorite romances!

So Wildfire by Hannah Grace—where do I even begin? 🤩 I was beyond excited to dive into this one because Icebreaker (aka my 5-star baby) really hit me right in the feels. Wildfire? Solid 4 stars for me, and here's why!Icebreaker was one of those reads where I was like, "Wow, this is basically me on paper." The connection? 💯. But Wildfire... I couldn’t quite fully relate to everything going down, which is why it’s not a five-star read. BUT that doesn’t mean it didn’t pull me in! Even though I haven’t personally lived through some of the experiences in this book, I still found myself empathizing with the characters like they were my own friends. And honestly, the way Hannah handled these heavier topics? Chef’s kiss. 👌🏽 Plus, she didn’t skimp on the romance! A mix of deep plot and spice? YES, please! 🌶️Let's talk about Russ (my heart 😭). This guy has been through it with a father who struggles with a gambling addiction, and while I can’t imagine that life, I could totally feel his pain. He coped by cleaning all the time (seriously, my man is a pro cleaner 🧼), just trying to avoid his dad’s bad energy. And, ugh, that hit hard because I could relate to how we sometimes condition ourselves to avoid pain. I grew up in a traditional Hispanic household where discipline was strict (hello, survival mode), so seeing Russ fight for his own space and eventually stand up for himself? Major props to him! 🙌🏽Now, Aurora’s story? Equally heart-wrenching. She spent so much of her life fighting for her dad’s attention, only to see him giving all his love to his new family. 🥺 Watching her go through that “what’s wrong with me?” spiral was tough, but so real. And when she finally realizes, “Nope, this was never about me, it was all him,” I was cheering her on! 🙌🏽 Oh, and the tension with her mom, who tried to overcompensate but ended up being overbearing? 😬 So relatable!I have to give a shout-out to how Hannah weaves in all this emotional messiness while keeping the romance front and center. The spice? 🌶️🌶️🌶️. And while I didn’t relate to everything in Wildfire the way I did with Icebreaker, I still devoured it in a day. And honestly, I’m so glad I did. This book really highlights how complicated, messy, and beautiful life can be, and I’m here for all of it. 😍Overall: 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, the spice is fire, and I can’t wait to see what Hannah serves up next!

Cheers to book number 5.86 for October because (I have read 5and DNF’ed 1 at 86%)😂•Title: #wildfireAuthor: @hannahgraceauthorPub Day: October 3, 2023Publisher: @atriabooks•I saw Icebreaker ALL OVER SOCIAL MEDIA before I took the jump and read it earlier this month, so it was only fitting that I read Wildfire this month too! Although Wildfire was super cute, I can definitely say that I prefer romance books deep in the sports scene (hockey, baseball, basketball), with a bit more spice.•I did really like how the female main character, Aurora, brought out the confident side of the male main character Russ. THAT DARE and SPICY JENGA!🙈😅 I’d feel all hot and bothered to Russ, so don’t be embarrassed. I also really enjoyed the #foundfamilytrope because I love seeing my favorite characters get what they deserve (especially since I do not have that in real life), so I live vicariously through them.•Overall, I’d rate the storyline/plot a ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars and the smut/spicy scenes a 🌶️🌶️/5. I am going to share some of my favorite quotes below:1. “People mistake me being quiet for being shy, but I’m not shy. I prefer to sit and listen than be the focus of everything. There is too much pressure with being the center of attention. I’m much happier being an observer, watching from the outside”.2. “George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson”.3. “I have a habit of leaving a path of destruction in my wake, both literally and metaphorically…. Like a wildfire”.

My god I don’t know what Hannah Grace is putting in her books but I’m completely addicted!!! I absolutely LOVE Icebreaker and was worried this one wouldn’t be as good because it was set at a summer camp so I thought the amazing friend group from Icebreaker would be missing. I’m so happy that not only was that not the case (I swear I giggled every time Henry made an appearance because I’m so obsessed with him) but we also get some amazing new friends with Xander and Emilia. I honestly kinda hope we get a Xander book someday in the future. All the people we know and love from UCMH are still so involved in this story because they all love Russ so much and of course have their usual shenanigans lolRuss is such an amazing MMC and there were several times when he’d be explaining how he views his dad and their relationship because of his addiction where I just really felt seen for the first time in the way I view my own father’s addiction versus other addicts. Russ was also so great at making Rory feel wanted like she needed. He would say the sweetest things and every time he’d blush I fell more in love with him.Aurora is hilarious first of all. I would have had the exact same reaction if I felt something touch my foot in any body of water lol There were parts of Rory and her relationship with her dad that also made me feel seen. It’s rare I think to be able to relate so much to both the FMC and the MMC on something so closely related. I think that just goes to show how amazing of a writer Hannah Grace is. There’s also a scene where Jenna is telling Rory that “dad” is just a word without any action behind it and it was definitely an emotional conversation for me to read. Rory is just all around an amazing character.There definitely isn’t as much spice in this book as there is in Icebreaker. This goes from a one night stand to a slow burn. But because it’s Hannah Grace, the spice is spicing when you get to it.Finally - I’m so excited that Henry’s book is next lolSpice: 2.5/5