Wildfire (Maple Hills Vol. 2)

I never got to go to summer camp but it was fun to pretend for a while. Cute little romance.

My Rating: ★★★★½Well, apparently after spending an alarming amount of time reading about murderers, bikers, morally questionable men and relationships that would require approximately seventeen therapists in real life, my brain finally said:Mel. For the love of God. Read something wholesome.Enter Wildfire by Hannah Grace.And oh, how I fucking loved this book.Wildfire follows Russ and Aurora, whose drunken one-night stand should have been exactly that...one night. Aurora slips out before Russ can even get her full name, they go their separate ways, and presumably that's the end of it.Except they both turn up as counsellors at the same summer camp.Because of course they fucking do.And even better? There's a strict no staff fraternising rule.Russ takes this rule seriously.Aurora basically looks at rules and goes, that's adorable.From the beginning, I loved the contrast between these two. Aurora is confident, sassy and seemingly determined to keep Russ permanently flustered, while Russ is just…A LITTLE SWEETHEART.Seriously. Protect this man.After some of the MMCs I've been reading lately, encountering a man whose primary personality trait isn't “I will murder everyone who looks at you and probably emotionally traumatise you in the process” was quite refreshing. But what I really loved about Wildfire was that beneath all the banter, summer-camp chaos and romantic tension, both Russ and Aurora are carrying complicated relationships with their families that have shaped how they see themselves.Aurora initially comes across as carefree and confident, but there's insecurity underneath that sass. Her experiences with parental neglect have influenced what she expects from relationships and, more importantly, what she believes she deserves.Russ has his own struggles surrounding his father's addiction and the impact it has had on his family. He's quieter and more reserved, and watching him slowly become comfortable with Aurora was ridiculously sweet.Their relationship also develops in a way that felt genuinely refreshing.Yes, they technically start with sex.But the actual romance comes afterwards.They have to learn each other. They become friends. They talk. They support each other. They slowly discover that what happened between them wasn't necessarily the most important part of their connection.And apparently THAT was exactly what my emotionally battered dark-romance-reading brain needed.The summer camp setting made everything even better. It gives the story this nostalgic, almost comforting atmosphere filled with camp activities, friendships and enough forced proximity to keep Russ questioning exactly how committed he really is to that whole no fraternising situation.Spoiler alert:The poor man was fighting for his life. Wildfire isn't completely fluffy; the family dynamics, addiction, neglect and low self-esteem give the story genuine emotional weight; but those heavier elements never overwhelm the warmth at its centre.If anything, they made me appreciate Russ and Aurora even more.I would absolutely recommend Wildfire to readers who love contemporary romance, summer camp settings, forced proximity, friends-to-lovers energy, opposites attract, emotional vulnerability, sassy FMCs and MMCs who are genuinely just GOOD FUCKING MEN.Overall, Wildfire was sweet, funny, emotional, romantic and exactly the palate cleanser I desperately needed.Russ was an absolute sweetheart.Aurora had me laughing.And Hannah Grace somehow convinced me that maybe I don't need my fictional men to be morally bankrupt to enjoy myself.Who knew?

Wildfire is pretty accurate with the way I DEVOURED this book like a hungry flame."If I change one thing in my past, it'd cause a ripple effect, and I wouldn't chance not meeting you."So I know I'm a bit late to the Maple Hills Universe but this book was worth the wait.I found Russ to be the perfect golden retriever boyfriend, and the way him and Aurora communicated around their feelings was a refreshing change from plotlines that thrive on miscommunications.Loved the way we were introduced to more characters from the Icebreaker friend group and I think Emilia and Xander might be my new spirit animals. Also shoutout to Fish and her aquatic themed puppies.At times I found Aurora just a tad much but her fiery passion compensated for those moments.The epilogue itself was the best ending I could've imagined for these characters, and it almost felt like witnessing friends get their happily ever after.All in all this was a great summer read that I couldn't put down and the spice was 🌶🌶🌶