A meet-cute to remember . . . for all the wrong reasons.

Chuck:

My whole life has been building to this moment. I’ve studied. I’ve trained. I’ve paid my dues. And as of this morning, I’m Engine 17’s newest recruit.

I’ve been on the clock for two hours…and I’m ready to throw in the towel. What could bring a fully trained firefighter and EMT to the breaking point? Was it a five-alarm blaze? Or a thirty-car pileup on the interstate?

Nope.

It’s a silver maple tree, a black-and-white cat with eerie yellow eyes, and a platinum blonde with more curves than a rolled-up firehose. Alli O’Malley. Don’t let her angel face fool you. I wouldn’t be surprised if she has tiny devil horns hidden beneath her hair.

I probably should have rated this story a little lower, but I ended up enjoying it so much that I was able to overlook its biggest flaw: it is simply too short. The ending arrives very abruptly, and the story quickly jumps into an epilogue that feels a bit out of sync with the pacing of the romance. The relationship barely begins to develop before the story wraps up, and then suddenly we are at a marriage. I can understand why this might frustrate some readers. Personally, I would have loved to see this expanded into a full-length novel so the romance could unfold more naturally.

That said, I had such a fun time reading it. I really liked the main couple, and their meet-cute was absolutely hilarious. The tone and humor reminded me a bit of Bridget Jones’s Diary, and several moments had me laughing out loud and grinning from beginning to end. Even though it is a short story, I still found myself fully invested in the characters and their budding relationship.

If you are looking for a quick, feel-good romance you can finish in one sitting, this is a great option. It is light, charming, and easy to read. There is also no language and no spice, which many readers will appreciate.

Overall, this was a sweet and entertaining story that left me wishing there had been more of it. I am definitely looking forward to continuing with the rest of this short story collection. Highly recommend if you want a fast, cozy little romance.