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Where There's Smoke...
Where there’s smoke, there’s bound to be a fire. However, fire never smelled this good.
Everyone knows Phoenix “Phee” Preston as the gorgeous, gentle giant, always ready to help in any way she can with a smile on her face. Ever since she was younger, she has always looked up to her grandfather, the town’s Fire Chief. She admired him and respected him, having been raised by him from the age of 6. So it’s only natural that when she turned 18, she followed in his footsteps, becoming the first and only female firefighter in the small town of Tucker, Louisiana.
When her grandpa passed away suddenly, she left town because it was hard being there when he wasn’t. It isn’t until a year later that she finally returns, and as if the Universe was gifting her for returning, she runs into a beautiful woman who immediately captures her heart, not only with her beauty but with a slice of strawberry shortcake. However, the moment is short-lived, and the woman disappears from her life, leaving only the taste of the sweet dessert and her name behind.
A year later, that mysteriously intriguing woman permanently moves to town to take over her late grandmother’s bakery.
Angel Savoie has spent a great deal of her adult life avoiding small towns because of the bad memories she had involving her parents’ death, but now she has no choice but to move to one. To her surprise, the town quickly grows on her, and she can see herself putting down roots in Tucker. Especially after she reconnects with a certain very attractive female firefighter who stops at nothing to make her smile
Everyone knows Phoenix “Phee” Preston as the gorgeous, gentle giant, always ready to help in any way she can with a smile on her face. Ever since she was younger, she has always looked up to her grandfather, the town’s Fire Chief. She admired him and respected him, having been raised by him from the age of 6. So it’s only natural that when she turned 18, she followed in his footsteps, becoming the first and only female firefighter in the small town of Tucker, Louisiana.
When her grandpa passed away suddenly, she left town because it was hard being there when he wasn’t. It isn’t until a year later that she finally returns, and as if the Universe was gifting her for returning, she runs into a beautiful woman who immediately captures her heart, not only with her beauty but with a slice of strawberry shortcake. However, the moment is short-lived, and the woman disappears from her life, leaving only the taste of the sweet dessert and her name behind.
A year later, that mysteriously intriguing woman permanently moves to town to take over her late grandmother’s bakery.
Angel Savoie has spent a great deal of her adult life avoiding small towns because of the bad memories she had involving her parents’ death, but now she has no choice but to move to one. To her surprise, the town quickly grows on her, and she can see herself putting down roots in Tucker. Especially after she reconnects with a certain very attractive female firefighter who stops at nothing to make her smile
258 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 2, 2025
254 people are currently reading
1134 people want to read
About the author
Aricka Alexander
27 books175 followersJust a Black sapphic indie author who loves Black sapphic stories. All of my books are set mostly in Southern Louisiana. I also write YA.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
July 6, 2025
⋆˚࿔ 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝜗𝜚˚⋆
3⭐️
This was such a cute book! I really liked the characters, they were fun, sweet, and easy to root for. But my biggest issue was that I didn’t actually see them fall in love. It felt like I was just told they were in love instead of being shown those little moments that make you believe it. I kept waiting for that spark, that turning point where you can feel the shift, but it never quite came. That really took away from the emotional impact for me.
Aside from that, I still enjoyed it overall. Phoebe was the ultimate girlfriend so supportive of Angel, emotionally and practically. She enabled Angel’s obsession with cute things in the best way, and I loved that about her. Their dynamic was adorable and definitely the highlight of the story!
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ I need something to keep me sane and this looks adorable, Fingers crossed it delivers the cozy vibes and serotonin I desperately need 💛📖 ⋆. 𐙚 ˚
3⭐️
This was such a cute book! I really liked the characters, they were fun, sweet, and easy to root for. But my biggest issue was that I didn’t actually see them fall in love. It felt like I was just told they were in love instead of being shown those little moments that make you believe it. I kept waiting for that spark, that turning point where you can feel the shift, but it never quite came. That really took away from the emotional impact for me.
Aside from that, I still enjoyed it overall. Phoebe was the ultimate girlfriend so supportive of Angel, emotionally and practically. She enabled Angel’s obsession with cute things in the best way, and I loved that about her. Their dynamic was adorable and definitely the highlight of the story!
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ I need something to keep me sane and this looks adorable, Fingers crossed it delivers the cozy vibes and serotonin I desperately need 💛📖 ⋆. 𐙚 ˚
October 5, 2025
Real rating: 3.4 stars
This was literally just vibes, no plot, but good vibes.
This was literally just vibes, no plot, but good vibes.
Read
June 4, 2025
Book Riot's Best New Romance Books Out in June:
From the moment I saw the social media post announcing this book, I knew that it would be one to tout. Aricka Alexander doesn’t get enough love as an indie Black author writing Black sapphic baes, and this one is about firefighters? (Okay, one firefighter.) Yes, friends, you want to read her books, and you might as well start with this one (then go watch a WNBA game and read her basketball books).
Phee grew up with dreams of following in her fire chief grandfather’s footsteps, but after he died, she left town to deal with her grief. Now she’s back, and when the town’s only female firefighter, Angel, moves to town to take over her grandparents’ legacy, the two pursue a quiet courtship that could prove healing for them both. —Jessica Pryde
From the moment I saw the social media post announcing this book, I knew that it would be one to tout. Aricka Alexander doesn’t get enough love as an indie Black author writing Black sapphic baes, and this one is about firefighters? (Okay, one firefighter.) Yes, friends, you want to read her books, and you might as well start with this one (then go watch a WNBA game and read her basketball books).
Phee grew up with dreams of following in her fire chief grandfather’s footsteps, but after he died, she left town to deal with her grief. Now she’s back, and when the town’s only female firefighter, Angel, moves to town to take over her grandparents’ legacy, the two pursue a quiet courtship that could prove healing for them both. —Jessica Pryde
July 17, 2025
Ok so this was sweet-nasty and I was here for it! Baby the lip syncing was top tier. This was one of the sexiest sapphic romances I’ve read. It had some really cute moments. But I found the pace to be slow not the romance or smex but the story itself, the writing. For me too much of it felt like filler, both because I found it wordy and at times redundant. It just took real effort on my part to stick with it, now luckily I was always rewarded for my diligence but I almost tapped out a time or three. But let’s take a moment to appreciate the concept of a small majority queer town and the kismet nature of their connection, although tragic, cause baby all the feels. I will definitely still be getting into more of Alexander’s work.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2025
good smut, wattpad everything else
July 27, 2025
I could not finish this book. I never leave 1 star reviews, but the amount of just pure lazy writing in this book could not be ignored. You can warn us before we start that you wrote in both past and present tense but it still doesn’t change how confusing it is to read. There was no research done regarding firefighters in small towns in the south or what it takes to be a firefighter. As someone who trained to be an EMT. I was surprised when the author wrote that the character who was a firefighter never went to college and only went to the academy. To become a firefighter there are a lot of certifications you need. Including an EMT certification that you get through a continuing education program at a college. Another thing they didn’t research is a town this small in the south would not employ this many firefighters. As well as have any firefighters who stay on call at a firestation. A town of that size would only have a volunteer fire department where when there’s an emergency they drive to the firestation and then drive the truck to where it needs to go. Small towns don’t have the money and have so few emergencies that require firefighters that they almost always have a volunteer fire department. The writing reminds me of 9th grade English class. Something can only be either in the present or in the past. It can’t be both. And it gets so confusing when the author writes in both present and past tense.
June 6, 2025
♥️Black sapphic romance
♥️Firefighter/ Pastry chef and bakery owner
♥️Plus sized/ Curvy FMCs
♥️Sweet and spicy
Where There’s Smoke is a sweet and spicy sapphic romance I’m totally into. Phoenix is a firefighter with golden retriever vibes, and Angel owns the sweetest little bakery—and is just as sweet herself. Their connection feels natural right from the start, with flirty banter, real emotional depth, and a whole lot of hotness. What I loved is that it never feels overly dramatic. Both characters are confident, grounded, and real. They support each other wholeheartedly. Their love for each other oozes off the pages—I loved it. The story still manages to throw in some funny moments without ever feeling cheesy. If you’re looking for a sweet sapphic love story with some very hot scenes and characters who feel like real people you’d want to hang out with, definitely check this one out.
This was an ARC I received. The book was released on 6/2/25!
♥️Firefighter/ Pastry chef and bakery owner
♥️Plus sized/ Curvy FMCs
♥️Sweet and spicy
Where There’s Smoke is a sweet and spicy sapphic romance I’m totally into. Phoenix is a firefighter with golden retriever vibes, and Angel owns the sweetest little bakery—and is just as sweet herself. Their connection feels natural right from the start, with flirty banter, real emotional depth, and a whole lot of hotness. What I loved is that it never feels overly dramatic. Both characters are confident, grounded, and real. They support each other wholeheartedly. Their love for each other oozes off the pages—I loved it. The story still manages to throw in some funny moments without ever feeling cheesy. If you’re looking for a sweet sapphic love story with some very hot scenes and characters who feel like real people you’d want to hang out with, definitely check this one out.
This was an ARC I received. The book was released on 6/2/25!
June 1, 2025
"She was a pure soul, and I think that’s one of the things about her that I was attracted to the most. I loved how much of a free spirit she was. She was genuinely a joy to be around. Being in her presence could make anyone’s day go from glum to full of sunshine and rainbows. It was so fucking refreshing if I’m being honest."
This sweet and spicy romance had me immediately hooked! I loved the small town setting which leant itself well to this wholesome love story. I was so drawn in by the magnetic connection and pure adoration in Phee and Angel's relationship. The love, attraction and devotion just radiated off the page and I was rooting for them the whole time. I also loved them as individuals, seeing their vulnerability with their past, grief and mental health but also seeing their strengths and desire to protect and cherish each other. I especially loved that despite major loss and anxiety, Angel is literally sunshine in human form - plus extra love for the plus size MC rep!
I really enjoyed all the side characters and how queernormative the Tucker community was. I'd absolutely be intrigued to read more stories in this sweet small town as I found myself curious to hear more about people like Kendrall or Maddox which is a sign of strong side characters for me!
This book had some great spice scenes throughout which were very hot!!! I think it was balanced well with the softer romance and the other plot lines. It went from being a turn on in one chapter to making me cry the next!
This is my first book by this author but it won't be my last!
This sweet and spicy romance had me immediately hooked! I loved the small town setting which leant itself well to this wholesome love story. I was so drawn in by the magnetic connection and pure adoration in Phee and Angel's relationship. The love, attraction and devotion just radiated off the page and I was rooting for them the whole time. I also loved them as individuals, seeing their vulnerability with their past, grief and mental health but also seeing their strengths and desire to protect and cherish each other. I especially loved that despite major loss and anxiety, Angel is literally sunshine in human form - plus extra love for the plus size MC rep!
I really enjoyed all the side characters and how queernormative the Tucker community was. I'd absolutely be intrigued to read more stories in this sweet small town as I found myself curious to hear more about people like Kendrall or Maddox which is a sign of strong side characters for me!
This book had some great spice scenes throughout which were very hot!!! I think it was balanced well with the softer romance and the other plot lines. It went from being a turn on in one chapter to making me cry the next!
This is my first book by this author but it won't be my last!
June 10, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
This was so cute
This was so cute
July 22, 2025
This one simply wasn’t for me, which is obvious given all 258 pages took me almost a month to read. I kept going because I held out hopes it would get better, that the relationship would develop and we’d get to know the characters more.
Unfortunately it’s just a lot of insta love, spice, and constantly talking about how much you love the other person. I never got to feel the connection between them and ultimately didn’t warm to either FMC. The reveal of the FMCs childhood connection was so badly executed you could blink and miss it, I was so excited for them to find out and then nothing happened and it was never mentioned again. The midpoint conflict, in my opinion, was awful. It was badly handled and felt pretty pointless. The drama around 70% should have been a big event in the book, it made so much sense for the characters and the story, but the main event was over in less than 2 pages (I genuinely thought it was a dream sequence at first), and then prolonged with a lot of melancholy that was never explored as genuine trauma (which would have made more sense).
It really felt like a book predominantly about spice with random dramatic scenes thrown in that didn’t really serve plot development.
Unfortunately it’s just a lot of insta love, spice, and constantly talking about how much you love the other person. I never got to feel the connection between them and ultimately didn’t warm to either FMC. The reveal of the FMCs childhood connection was so badly executed you could blink and miss it, I was so excited for them to find out and then nothing happened and it was never mentioned again. The midpoint conflict, in my opinion, was awful. It was badly handled and felt pretty pointless. The drama around 70% should have been a big event in the book, it made so much sense for the characters and the story, but the main event was over in less than 2 pages (I genuinely thought it was a dream sequence at first), and then prolonged with a lot of melancholy that was never explored as genuine trauma (which would have made more sense).
It really felt like a book predominantly about spice with random dramatic scenes thrown in that didn’t really serve plot development.
September 16, 2025
1.5 rounded down. DNF at 9%. This book is genuinely unreadable. I hate how so many romance books are self published these days and therefore do not have the same developmental editing and line editing and proofreading as traditionally published novels.
The premise of this is so good! The plot is there, but the writing is genuinely godawful. It’s simplistic, has exposition in every paragraph in the first chapter, and scenes are so surface level. Why would I want to read a book that’s literally ‘I woke up. I felt sad. I cried a bit.’ Ok go girl give us nothing!
I was already turned off by seeing the beginning with a list of characters. GRRM doesn’t have a list of characters in his book before diving into the prologue, and he has a million characters in each chapter! It’s something I’ve noticed so much in self published works. It makes me think the author either doesn’t trust their writing ability to convey all of this through the story or the author doesn’t trust the reader to comprehend which neither is a good thing.
I was genuinely highlighting things I would change/edit so I don’t recommend this book for anyone who thinks critically about what they read!
The premise of this is so good! The plot is there, but the writing is genuinely godawful. It’s simplistic, has exposition in every paragraph in the first chapter, and scenes are so surface level. Why would I want to read a book that’s literally ‘I woke up. I felt sad. I cried a bit.’ Ok go girl give us nothing!
I was already turned off by seeing the beginning with a list of characters. GRRM doesn’t have a list of characters in his book before diving into the prologue, and he has a million characters in each chapter! It’s something I’ve noticed so much in self published works. It makes me think the author either doesn’t trust their writing ability to convey all of this through the story or the author doesn’t trust the reader to comprehend which neither is a good thing.
I was genuinely highlighting things I would change/edit so I don’t recommend this book for anyone who thinks critically about what they read!
June 25, 2025
So I forced myself to keep reading this despite the fact that I was bored 👀 I don’t think contemporary, easy going, wholesome love stories are for me…..where’s the drama, the growth, the conflict, ANYTHING?
Also the spice didn’t do it for me. I’m all for sapphic love scenes but this just didn’t connect (mind you, I’m a woman married to a woman)
Also the spice didn’t do it for me. I’m all for sapphic love scenes but this just didn’t connect (mind you, I’m a woman married to a woman)
November 8, 2025
Eeekkk!!! So this was such a cute spicy read! I enjoyed it so so so much as a WLW I related and felt it all . I don’t typically read spice but when I say I had all the feels I was in bed reading rubbing my feet together smiling 🥹 !!!!
August 2, 2025
This is the second book I’ve tried from this author. They just aren’t for me. If you enjoy smut and entertainment, this is fine. However, if you want depth, true plot and conflict and ACTUAL chemistry, you will not find it with this author.
July 9, 2025
my babies Phee and Angel, i love them so much 😭🤍
June 3, 2025
I loved this story! So sweet and sexy throughout! Phee is a swoon worthy firefighter and Angel is an amazing baker! Their chemistry is off the charts!! They support each other, listen and share, and they are open and honest. If you are looking for a feel good sapphic romance, then this is a must read!
August 31, 2025
This book felt like I was sitting at dinner with a group of friends listening to the happy couple recount their dreamy romance. I loved the way it was written in such a conversational tone, this was my favorite bit about this book. Truly just a happy love story. While everything surrounding the couple might not be ideal we get to witness soulmates come together and all we care about is each other’s happiness and safety and comfort.
Great fun read with a gorgeous cast of characters. Besides Nate.
Great fun read with a gorgeous cast of characters. Besides Nate.
January 3, 2026
4.25/5--Oh, this was a GOODT start to the literary year. I had zero plot expectations but a simple and cute Black sapphic romance with some spice but I was given full-on SMUT and honey, I'll never be mad about that so I won😁 This was my first novel by Aricka Alexander and she can write the banter and spice! Phee and Angel were super cute and gave us classic U-Haul lesbian romance (also wasn't mad at). The beginning of the novel was a little slow for me but picked up about a quarter into it and was able to keep my attention from there. I also didn't love the narrator for the audiobook, but she wasn't horrible. Overall, I liked this a lot and will definitely try other works from this author.
June 21, 2025
I had such a good time reading this book! Such cute, funny and very spicy read. My only take is even with it being not a long story, certain parts dragged for me resulting in it taking me a while to finish cause I kept putting it down.
I definitely would like to read more from this author!
I definitely would like to read more from this author!
November 2, 2025
It was the loveee for me! This book gave me the feels from the first meeting. It's definitely for the hopeless romantics. There is no unnecessary drama and breakups, just pure vibes. Now, don't mistake the word pure for meaning this book was not full of spice. It gave overall coziness and sweetness. If you haven't read it, it's time to.
June 5, 2025
4.5/5
June 20, 2025
Definitely a hat relationship. This shit took off too fast lol they was nasty and moved like a U-Haul couple lol.
June 23, 2025
3.5 overall a cute small town romance book. I really enjoyed this book. I will be reading more books by this author.
August 21, 2025
This was such a cute read omg. I’m slowly getting into sapphic romances! I think these lovey dovey books are great palette cleaners.
October 16, 2025
cute
This was a cute read. The plot seemed to fall a little flat but the cuteness made up for it some of it.
This was a cute read. The plot seemed to fall a little flat but the cuteness made up for it some of it.
June 18, 2025
Very cute very spicy
June 26, 2025
2.75. There was a lot of spice and not much plot. But, the characters are so likeable, bumped to a 3.
January 6, 2026
as a black lesbian myself, i excused a lot of major writing issues just to read & enjoy a black lesbian romance however…
this book did a lot of telling and not showing. i was hearing about close relationships & deep familial connection but these weren’t explored in depth. there’s several mentions about Phee taking Angel to her favorite restaurant but lacked descriptions and environmental details that could add to the chemistry & aura of more intimate conversations. in honesty, the book read like a Wattpad story. again, i could ignore some of these things just for the sake of having a black lesbian romance but there could’ve been details that could add to their experience as women in the south, their shared trauma, and lesbianism.
there’s also plotlines that feel very rushed, under-explained, and meaningless in the end. i’m aware the author explained that this may be the case but in my honest opinion this shouldn’t be a cop-out for poor writing.
i did enjoy the stylistic choice to write in majority AAVE it added texture needed to hone in on the southern, and Louisiana setting. i also enjoyed that this book didn’t give in to stereotypes for lesbians/queer people. (that they didnt have homophobic families or went through hardship due to being queer) and overall the repeated settings did feel like we were in a small town. it wasn’t repetitively annoying, it was a subtle acknowledgment that this was the area they had to work with and i can appreciate this.
only thing saving this from becoming a 2/5 is me being able to see me and my partner in this relationship. representation matters. <3
this book did a lot of telling and not showing. i was hearing about close relationships & deep familial connection but these weren’t explored in depth. there’s several mentions about Phee taking Angel to her favorite restaurant but lacked descriptions and environmental details that could add to the chemistry & aura of more intimate conversations. in honesty, the book read like a Wattpad story. again, i could ignore some of these things just for the sake of having a black lesbian romance but there could’ve been details that could add to their experience as women in the south, their shared trauma, and lesbianism.
there’s also plotlines that feel very rushed, under-explained, and meaningless in the end. i’m aware the author explained that this may be the case but in my honest opinion this shouldn’t be a cop-out for poor writing.
i did enjoy the stylistic choice to write in majority AAVE it added texture needed to hone in on the southern, and Louisiana setting. i also enjoyed that this book didn’t give in to stereotypes for lesbians/queer people. (that they didnt have homophobic families or went through hardship due to being queer) and overall the repeated settings did feel like we were in a small town. it wasn’t repetitively annoying, it was a subtle acknowledgment that this was the area they had to work with and i can appreciate this.
only thing saving this from becoming a 2/5 is me being able to see me and my partner in this relationship. representation matters. <3
June 14, 2025
3.5 🌟
This was very sweet! I think it was a too fast of a burn for me personally (together and committed at 20%) BUT I do just love seeing women in love with low-stakes fluffiness!
This was very sweet! I think it was a too fast of a burn for me personally (together and committed at 20%) BUT I do just love seeing women in love with low-stakes fluffiness!
Read
June 19, 2025dnf 61%. it was cute to the point that i kept twiddling my feet but as short as it is it was boring and just couldnt push thru thru the sexond half.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews