I suppose Anal Kissed: Two Lesbians with Mommy Issues was already taken as a title--but how on the nose would that be??
Unlike the first two stellar installments (looks up stellar--no I meant terrible) Leilani being a firefighter was practically irrelevant. The one "firefighting" thing she did was a rescue of Adaze.
That ocean rescue operations are typically the purview of the Coast Guard and not the local fire department need not be mentioned.
That the city of Phoenix Ridge did not have a coastline until this book, apparently just for this rescue, can also be disregarded.
That no large US city is bordered by the ocean and the desert in such proximity is irrelevant.
That Phoenix Ridge was established as just across the Nevada border (in the Nevada-based first book) is not something you should worry yourself about.
As a certain Sapphic author once said, (E.J. Noyes), "this is fiction", so the author doesn't even have to try.
So, Leilani is another member of the (now in this book) all-Lesbian Firefighting crew (in book 2, a minor character--Flor, I believe--was interested in a man that had been hired. I assume she was excommunicated and the man executed).
If the name didn't give it away, Leilani is of native Hawaiian descent. Adaze (whose ethnicity is never established) can't figure it out despite her name and looks, but billionaires tend to be evil idiots, as we know.
Now, sure, Leilani is perhaps the most stereotypical name given to Hawaiian women--but it's a pretty name. What? She feels like one with the water, like she's Moana or something? So, Emily is employing the "magical Native" trope. Indigenous people are always so deeply in touch with nature you see. Adds this to the list of: "How an author can say they are so very white without acutally saying it."
And she has long luxurious black hair? Ah, because long hair is ideal for a firefighter because it's naturally fire-resistant, it's like strings of asbestos that--ah, I'm being told it burns fast and stinky and that fire department grooming standards typically restrict hair-length to shoulder level. Who knew?
So, Leilani saves Adaze from her sinking yacht that she took out onto the ocean in bad weather by herself--as all billionaires do. Leilani flouts protocol and challenges Captain Hunter and insists on diving into the water alone. That Hunter railed against such behavior many times in the first book can, yes you guessed it, be ignored.
After saving her, Leilani goes to "check" on her. She then offers to drive her home. She then asks for her phone number despite worrying that she had never done it before because "it seemed inappropriate." Because it was--and it is.
Back at the station, we learn Leilani did this during her break and was late returning. Yet, her crew thinks it's not a problem, in fact it's great. Go get you some, girl! WTAF? Then Captain Hunter, conceivably unaware that Leilani was late or that she got her number, commends her for checking on Adaze and says that's not a break--that's work (it's not, shh, but I get the sentiment). Of course, given that Hunter banged her probie in the first book, why would ethics matter to her here?
Okay, now any meaningful firefighter connection or action is done--and it's only, maybe, in the third chapter.
Adaze is "an ice queen" (because she's rich, I guess) and she's still chilly from the end of her marriage, where she was cheated on. So, she has "trust issues". More on that later.
Any reader of Emily Hayes knows she doesn't waste time with story or character development before getting into the sex, and she doesn't disappoint here--well, there's disappointment for a lot of other things, but not the rapidity of sex.
Then things take a turn (relative to the previous two books). Leilani, much to her surprise, starts giving off "pillow princess" vibes. Further, despite their age difference barely being addressed, Adaze abruptly tells Leilani to call her "Mommy" and Leilani, again to her surprise, agrees and begs "Mommy" to "lick her". Where's a pinching the bridge of your nose emoji when you need it?
This "mommy/baby" dynamic wasn't a one-time experiment. It becomes the norm and neither of them wonders why. Adaze likes to be in charge and Leilani felt ignored as one of many siblings--but no time is spent pondering that. It might be psychologically problematic to embrace such behaviors without some self-reflection. Or, maybe making every sexual encounter mock-incest is perfectly fine and not indicative of anything.
What also becomes the norm is anal play. It's not the occurrence of the act but the focus that is the problem. While it certainly can enhance the experience, she acts like these women have prostates by their reaction. I suppose I'm supposed to chalk it up to dom/sub arousal, but Adaze engages in it without much preparation--as in, unsanitary--springing it on Leilani (giving and receiving digital and oral) without any cleansing. So, you know, gross.
Apart from Adaze infantilizing and dominating Leilani, we learn that she's psychotically jealous. Almost like, "She hugged her friends...that whore!" When she discovers that Leilani's new platonic friend is actually Adaze's adulterous ex-wife. She can't believe that Leilani would do that to her! She can't believe Leilani didn't know who she was! That Adaze never told Leilani her ex's name (Veronica) nor the circumstances of the breakup gets ignored like Emily Hayes ignored basic geography. Sure, ultimately, she realizes she was wrong--but she went pretty far with it before her brain stopped being psychotic. Six months later she is in therapy and, of course, she and Leilani are deliriously happy (as always) but her behavior is a red flag the size of a circus tent--which probably explains why I kept seeing clowns during the sex scenes.