- Series: Fire Lake #1
- Publisher: Choc Lit
- Publication Date: February 12, 2026
- 288 Pages
- Genres: Romance, Adult
Source: From Zoe Book Tours for review.
About the Book:
Meet the Author
Get ready for your next small-town reading obsession! The brand-new, spicy romance, from bestselling author Juliana Stone, is perfect for fans of Elsie Silver and Catherine Cowles.🔥 Small-town🔥 Grumpy x Sunshine🔥 Sizzling heat🔥 Mystery🔥 Forced Proximity🔥 Brooding heroI came to Fire Lake to outrun my past.A broken-down car, an empty wallet and one loyal dog — that’s all I had when I stumbled into this small town I didn’t plan to stay in.Then I met Gus Lawson.Ex–Navy SEAL. Carpenter. Six-foot-five of trouble wrapped in muscle and quiet control. He’s the kind of man who can fix anything — except whatever’s broken inside him.I tell myself I don’t care. But every time his gaze finds mine, my resolve cracks a little more.His touch scorches. His kiss tastes like danger. And when he says my name, I forget every reason I ever had to run.He’s not the kind of man you fall for — he’s the kind you burn for.And I’m already going up in flames.This small-town romance, packed with sizzling heat and mystery is perfect for fans of Elsie Silver, Catherine Cowles, Paisley Hope, Samantha Christy, Lyla Sage and Elle Nicoll.
Rating: 
Catch the Flame is a romance about Faith and Gus, one running from their past, and another running toward it. They find themselves in Fire Lake dealing with their own personal issues, and both with a lot of family drama driving them.
Faith has come to Fire Lake to get away from her life and start over. She has her dog Taco and she is apprehensive but determined to make it on her own. Her personality is guarded, but she tries to stay in good spirits. Gus is a grump, he came to town possibly to confront his past, but he isn't really sure yet. He is a loner and although hot according to most of the town, not interested in anyone or anything really.
They are forced together by the town, Faith needs a ride and they are living in the same location, and from there they find themselves drawn to each other more regularly. Both unwilling to give up anything about themselves or why they are in Fire Lake.
This was a cute romance, slow to get going with lots of secrets, the tension between the MCs was well done. At about the half way point we start to see the forced-proximity take effect and from there Gus and Faith are fireworks for each other.
The story is told in alternating POVs and there are a bunch of interesting side characters (making this a great location for lots of romance opportunities for the author?). The pacing is steady, it did take a few chapters for me to feel 'in it.' The chemistry between the characters was good and I always appreciate a broody man. I am not sure I would go as far as to calling Faith "sunshine" to his grump, but together they are adorable.
While the family drama was a main piece of both characters, I feel like the ending was a bit rushed. Especially for Faith. Her resolution seemed too quickly concluded, while Gus' seemed to take more priority.
Overall, the story was a good one. I liked that there was mystery between them and they were still able to find each other and fall for each other. Super cute romance with a bit of spice. If you like a small-town romance with a bit of mystery/ false identity and a dog that really steals the show, this one might be for you.
USA Today bestselling author and 2015 RITA® winner JULIANA STONE fell in love with books in the fifth grade when her teacher introduced her to Tom Sawyer. A tomboy at heart, she splits her time between golf, pickle ball, books, and music. She writes both YA and adult contemporary romance novels that have been called ‘achingly beautiful’ and have garnered starred reviews from Publishers Weekly & Booklist. With her sweet dog Pinot at her side, she writes these novels in a quaint town on a lake in Canada.
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