Sneak Peek: Chasing the Fire by Paisley Hope

ON OUR BOOKSHELF

Chasing the Fire

by Paisley Hope

The final installation of the Silver Pines Ranch series.

A final trip to Laurel Creek and a goodbye to the Silver Pines Ranch friend group. I’ve enjoyed every book in this series, and I’m sad it’s coming to an end. But boy am I happy to have had the pleasure to hang out with the Not Angels! 

I am so grateful to have received an advanced reader’s copy of Chasing the Fire via NetGalley!

The Sneak Peek

For years Asher kept an eye out for Olivia. From the second he found Laurel Creek and settled in, Olivia caught his attention… with her clumsiness. He secretly referred to her as Oblivia because she was so accident-prone. So he’d taken it upon himself to keep an eye on her because she was so clearly  incapable of taking care of herself. 

Yet Asher’s concerns are confirmed when he gets a call to respond to a fire at Olivia’s house.

For Olivia, nothing is quite as embarrassing as the fire chief pulling up to her home with his team to find her a drunken frantic mess on her front yard. She’d been drowning her sorrows in a bottle of wine mourning the loss of her beloved cat and the celebration of her best friends’ love. Life wasn’t going her way —it hasn’t in a while — and the kitchen fire rescue by the hot fire fighter / bartender was the icing on the cake of her failures. 

And the fact that it’s always the sexy and mysterious Asher who somehow comes to her rescue doesn’t put her at ease. But when he offers to help coordinate her home renovations, she starts to wonder if being friends with Asher offers benefits beyond his amazing woodworking skills. 

What Victoria Loved

VICTORIA’S RATING:3.5/5

NGL I was immediately intrigued by the prospect of combining some of my favorite MMC tropes: small-town fire fighter with a secret dark past (with heavy hints at organized crime). So I was pretty disappointed his past didn’t play a bigger role in the overall plot. Yes, it informed a lot of the decisions that led him to Laurel Creek and his apprehension towards relationships but it wasn’t as prominent in the conflict as I hoped for. But at the same time, I could appreciate that Asher didn’t let his past completely darken his present. He saw the dark pits of his story and did the best he could to embrace his new life, to shine the brightest light on the possibilities of the future even when he struggled to forgive himself for his past sins. 

I’m also usually weary of the surprise pregnancy. As a planner, it gives me anxiety and I don’t like to idealize that a pregnancy can save a relationship nor should two people feel obligated to be together if they’re not meant to be. But it was so clear that Asher had yearned for Olivia for years (even if he didn’t realize that’s what he’d been doing). The way he showed up for her in silence — that was love. And the way he embraced every second of her proximity was heartwarming, it was so easy to feel at ease and cozy in his home even through the pages.

It’s been fun to read about the Not-Angels. They’ve been through so much together from secret relationships to drunken girls nights out to heartfelt advice to becoming parents. I’ve enjoyed the evolution of their friendship and it’s made me nostalgic for my own friendships. 

But my favorite part of this book (and series, if we’re being honest) is the absolute filth that comes out of Asher’s mouth. Hello, Daddy! Like the other men in this series, he does not hold back. He’s hyper aware of his partner’s needs and delivers the best lines that’ll have you weak at the knees and panting.

Pre-order your copy of Chasing the Fire (Amazon) and read with me!

Favorite Scene

“If you need a man to touch you”—his eyes drop to my lips— “you understand, that man is me.”

- CHASING THE FIRE by Paisley Hope

Similar Reads & Recommendations

• SMALL-TOWN FIREFIGHTER TACKLES A WILD FIRE #1:Wild Card (Rose Hill #4) by Elsie Silver (Amazon)

  I was so excited for the concept of Wild Card as soon as the author announced it. I think her age gap taboo romances are my favorite! Ex-bf’s dad was a trope I didn’t know I wanted to read until this book. The spice was spicing! The balcony scene is one to remember, but the small moments are what make this story. Read my Sneak Peek.

  VICTORIA’S RATING: 3.5/5

• SMALL-TOWN FIREFIGHTER TACKLES A WILD FIRE #2: Left of Forever (Spunes #2) by Tarah DeWitt (Amazon)

  An HoH Book Club pick! This second chance hits different. It will tear your heart out and slowly mend it back together. I think this is my first divorcés revisit-the-relationship love story. Ooomph, absolutely heart-wrenching. But ask me how hard I was rooting for them! Read my full Sneak Peek.

  VICTORIA’S RATING: 4/5

• SURPRISE PREGNANCY:Ready or Not by Cara Bastone (Amazon)

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• ORGANIZED CRIME IN SMALL TOWN: Flock (Ravenhood #1) by Kate Stewart (Amazon)

  This is a slow-burn suspense. These men are mysterious and mostly secretive and that’s the draw and source of the “thrill”. I was ready to settle this series at the end of book 1 after an intriguing twist, but the third book in this series was my favorite by far and the series ended on a high note.

  VICTORIA’S RATING:3.25/5

• BY THE AUTHOR:

  • Holding the Reins (Silver Pines Ranch #1) by Paisley Hope (Amazon)

    Buckle up — the first couple of pages will have you laughing out loud. And then you can just enjoy the ride as you’ll fall for the charm of Silver Pines, the hotness that is Nash (who is a retired hockey player turned local business owner and naturally, the most eligible bachelor who just happens to be in love with his best friend’s little sister), and the chaos of the Ashby family. This workplace / neighbor romance features a good amount of sneaking around and some VERY steamy scenes. Don’t let the cute cover fool you! The banter, dirty talk and tension are off the charts.

    VICTORIA’S RATING:4/5

  • Training the Heart (Silver Pines Ranch #2) by Paisley Hope (Amazon)

    I love a grumpy rancher / cowboy and a bratty FMC who can give as good as she can take (in and out of the bedroom). Mix that in with some forced proximity and a one bed scenario and I AM ALL IN. This is a story built around healthy love — prioritizing yourself, your partner and the relationship that you’re building. But don’t let the cute cover and nice little meet cute fool you… this book is also filled with absolute juicy filthiness. However, as steamy as this book is, I loved the little moments where the characters slowly got to know each other and realized how much they have in common from their pasts to their favorite movies and midnight snacks. All around it’s a feel-good story with a lottttta spice, while tackling some tough backstory. 

    VICTORIA’S RATING:3.5/5

  • Riding the High (Silver Pines Ranch #3) by Paisley Hope (Amazon)

    The sexy single dad who is head over heels for his kid(s)? Swooooooon! BUT IT DOESN’T END THERE. This sibling’s best friend turned his best friend turned accidental wedding / forced proximity is so cute, heartwarming and hands down steamy. But the kicker? It’s the unraveling of their relationship, peeling back the layers to understand who they are, and how that is portrayed in the series’ earlier books…

    VICTORIA’S RATING:4/5

Until the next chapter!

xo, Victoria

P.S. Craving more books featuring these sub-genres, tropes, and themes? Tap the links below.