BURNING QUESTION

She failed his station on her first surprise inspection. Now the city is forcing them to hunt an arsonist together.

Fire Inspector Avery Blake doesn’t make friends on the job. She makes reports. Multiple violations, expired gear, chief suspended — Station 42 hates her on sight. Especially Jake Torres, the cocky firefighter who blames her for everything.

Avery was pushed out of Denver for reporting corruption. Lost her career, her colleagues, her city — all for doing the right thing. She’s not compromising her standards. Not for anyone. And definitely not for the firefighter glaring at her like she personally betrayed him.

Jake lost his father in a preventable warehouse fire. Chief Brennan became his second father. And Inspector Blake just got the chief suspended. He’s not forgiving that.

Then someone starts burning Crested Pine.

Abandoned warehouse. Vacant office. A serial arsonist escalating. The police chief forces them to partner: her fire investigation expertise, his local knowledge. Three weeks to catch whoever’s doing this. Neither of them is happy about it.

Except she’s brilliant at reading fire scenes. And he knows every property owner, every grudge, every secret in this town. Together, they’re dangerously good at this — even when they can barely stand each other.

The fires keep escalating. Occupied buildings. Families evacuated barefoot. A building collapse that nearly kills them both. And somewhere between late-night surveillance and crime scenes, the firefighter who blamed her for everything starts looking at her like she’s the only person in the room.

The arsonist is getting closer. The investigation is getting personal. And the woman who lost everything for integrity is about to find out what happens when the thing she’s protecting isn’t a report — it’s a person.

Enemies-to-lovers. Firefighter romance. Romantic suspense. Forced partnership. Moderate heat (fade to black).

The kind of book where they can’t stand each other until a building is collapsing and he’s carrying her out of it.

WHY THIS WILL SELL

→ Firefighter romance is the 4th-best Hot Niche in romance — explicitly named by K-Lytics as a top-performing category alongside Medical, Sports, and Holidays
→ Fire inspector heroine investigating arson has zero direct competition — she’s not a civilian victim, she has expertise, authority, and fire academy training
→ Arson investigation plot adds mystery/suspense structure that pulls in romantic suspense readers alongside firefighter romance readers — true cross-category appeal
→ Enemies-to-lovers with real professional conflict (she shut down his station) creates organic tension that doesn’t rely on misunderstandings
→ Station 42 series: 5 books planned with recurring characters introduced in Book 1 — built-in reader investment and long-term readthrough revenue

TROPES:
• Enemies to Lovers
• Firefighter Romance
• Romantic Suspense
• Forced Partnership
• Small Town Colorado
• Protective Hero
• Competent Heroine
• Workplace Enemies
• Dual POV
• Found Family
• Series Starter (Station 42, Book 1 of 5)

HEAT LEVEL: Moderate (Fade to black)

Perfect for fans of: Nicole Snow, Elsie Silver, Helena Hunting, and Lucy Score