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Playing With Fire: A Small Town, Chef Romance
Not yet published
Expected 13 Feb 26My new chef is infuriating. Hotter than a Southern summer, arrogant, tattooed, with tree trunks for thighs. And I can’t keep away from him.
It’s not enough that I can’t escape him during the day. Now he’s in my kitchen, in my head, even my damn dreams. And the worst part? He knows exactly what he’s doing.
He doesn’t realize the game he’s started. Wilder Amante might be new to Smoky Heights, but nobody in this town holds a grudge like Alexis Weiss can. I’ll win this battle of wills and send him back to whatever New York City sewer my sister dragged him out of.
He’s running from a dark past, but I’ve got my own ghosts to worry about. A sibling I can’t forgive, a mother I can’t stop grieving, and a secret that could tear apart the family that’s barely started to mend.
When everything finally blows up, I’m not sure anyone in this town will survive the fallout.
Hell, I might not even want him to leave anymore.
But no one has ever stayed for me before, and why would he?
WILDER
Escaping my old life was the only thing I cared about. If I’m gone, I’m invisible.
Can’t be roped back into world if they can’t find me.
Then this small mountain town gave me something I never expected.
Someone worth sacrificing my freedom for.
If walking away keeps her safe, I’ll do it.
Even if it kills me to go.
Playing With Fire is the third book in the Smoky Heights series, and it’s the hottest, messiest, most banter-filled one yet. It can be read as a standalone, but hits hardest as book three. For fans of small towns, found family, and spice that burns like a shot of whiskey.
It’s not enough that I can’t escape him during the day. Now he’s in my kitchen, in my head, even my damn dreams. And the worst part? He knows exactly what he’s doing.
He doesn’t realize the game he’s started. Wilder Amante might be new to Smoky Heights, but nobody in this town holds a grudge like Alexis Weiss can. I’ll win this battle of wills and send him back to whatever New York City sewer my sister dragged him out of.
He’s running from a dark past, but I’ve got my own ghosts to worry about. A sibling I can’t forgive, a mother I can’t stop grieving, and a secret that could tear apart the family that’s barely started to mend.
When everything finally blows up, I’m not sure anyone in this town will survive the fallout.
Hell, I might not even want him to leave anymore.
But no one has ever stayed for me before, and why would he?
WILDER
Escaping my old life was the only thing I cared about. If I’m gone, I’m invisible.
Can’t be roped back into world if they can’t find me.
Then this small mountain town gave me something I never expected.
Someone worth sacrificing my freedom for.
If walking away keeps her safe, I’ll do it.
Even if it kills me to go.
Playing With Fire is the third book in the Smoky Heights series, and it’s the hottest, messiest, most banter-filled one yet. It can be read as a standalone, but hits hardest as book three. For fans of small towns, found family, and spice that burns like a shot of whiskey.
443 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication February 13, 2026
47 people want to read
About the author
Madison Myers
5 books15 followersLibrarian Note: There are multiple authors by this name in the GR database.
Romance author Madison Myers
Romance author Madison Myers
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 27, 2026
Possibly the best way to end out time in Smoky Heights!
Madison did a phenomenal job with the 3rd installment of this series and it totally blew my expectations out of the water!
Book 3 is filled with spice, tension, sister drama, and a wonderful come together moment for everyone. Also these people always be doing the deed on, against, or in one of their siblings property and I find it absolutely hysterical.
Definitely the spiciest in the series but oh my 🫠. So so so worth it. I will never look at certain things the same way again and will be adding those object to the list that includes the atv, pool cue, and the air compressor from the other two books (iykyk👀)
Tropes include:
💕Small town
🔥Chef romance
💕Ex-con
🔥Hate to love (one sided)
💕Forced proximity
🔥Workplace romance
💕Midsize FMC
🔥Boy obsessed
💕Found family
The mouth on Wilder was something else but let me tell you that man 👀👀👀 the innuendos he makes at all times had me biting my lip to keep me from saying anything out loud about it while reading it. But often times “damn” and other profanities would have been said.
Alexis is a fireball. She knows what she wants but just won’t admit how much she wants Wilder. And it was evident from day one how much he got under her skin but in the best way possible.
I loved how Lexi and her sister finally faced what had happened and how they resolved it. Even if it mean involving their dad unintentionally but I think this moment was so beautifully written and hit me in a more personal way.
Maddie never ceases to amaze me with her stories and I’m so thankful to have been a reader of hers since practically the beginning! Can’t wait to see what she has in store for the future but just know Smoky Heights will be a place I constantly go back to!
Madison did a phenomenal job with the 3rd installment of this series and it totally blew my expectations out of the water!
Book 3 is filled with spice, tension, sister drama, and a wonderful come together moment for everyone. Also these people always be doing the deed on, against, or in one of their siblings property and I find it absolutely hysterical.
Definitely the spiciest in the series but oh my 🫠. So so so worth it. I will never look at certain things the same way again and will be adding those object to the list that includes the atv, pool cue, and the air compressor from the other two books (iykyk👀)
Tropes include:
💕Small town
🔥Chef romance
💕Ex-con
🔥Hate to love (one sided)
💕Forced proximity
🔥Workplace romance
💕Midsize FMC
🔥Boy obsessed
💕Found family
The mouth on Wilder was something else but let me tell you that man 👀👀👀 the innuendos he makes at all times had me biting my lip to keep me from saying anything out loud about it while reading it. But often times “damn” and other profanities would have been said.
Alexis is a fireball. She knows what she wants but just won’t admit how much she wants Wilder. And it was evident from day one how much he got under her skin but in the best way possible.
I loved how Lexi and her sister finally faced what had happened and how they resolved it. Even if it mean involving their dad unintentionally but I think this moment was so beautifully written and hit me in a more personal way.
Maddie never ceases to amaze me with her stories and I’m so thankful to have been a reader of hers since practically the beginning! Can’t wait to see what she has in store for the future but just know Smoky Heights will be a place I constantly go back to!
Read
February 1, 2026Wilder llega a Smoky Heights sin ganas de agradar a nadie y con un pasado que preferiría dejar bien enterrado. Solo quiere cocinar, trabajar y no meterse en problemas. Lexi ya tiene suficientes encima como para sumar a un chef arrogante y lleno de tatuajes que parece decidido a sacarla de quicio desde el primer minuto. Ella intenta mantener a flote el restaurante que significa todo para su familia y para el pueblo, mientras él lucha por no volver a la vida que dejó atrás. Lo que empieza con choques, comentarios filosos y miradas cargadas de tensión se va convirtiendo en algo mucho más intenso de lo que ambos planeaban.
_____
Si buscan puro spicy, este es su libro.
Gracias Love Notes PR por el ARC.
_____
Si buscan puro spicy, este es su libro.
Gracias Love Notes PR por el ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Playing With Fire 🍽️
Firstly,I want to thank LoveNotes PR & Madison Myers for trusting me with this ARC!🧡
The new chef is infuriating and... hot.
Wilder has not only owns THE skills in the kitchen,but also a dark past that he trying to leave behind.
So,new town,new him right?
That was🤌🏻 .
Myers portrayed the small town vibe,all working towards the same goal so well.And,if we take into consideration what a major role it had,apart from the romance,I can say she ATE.
I loved seeing the gang together, with them experiencing that found family feeling that left no one out!
Continuing,the romance was PERFECT.
Really🌶️ heavy and passionate.Yet,my absolutely favorite was their spicy humor that started before they finally met in the bedroom.Their jokes made me laugh so hard, and I love that Wilder was just a confident king!As you understood,that duo was impeccable!🫶🏻
Lexi,was the softie,cutetsy girl that tried to balance everything according to plan.However,as we meet her we are starting to realize that she has much more depth that what we thought.She literally CARRIES the family,the dinner,EVERYONE.-that girl is a real life heroine.
Wilder,on the other side,had to constantly fight demons all his life,and I CAN see how much he just want a simple life.Yet this won't came easily to him,but my boy will find his way out and when you read about it YOU ARE GOING TO SOB 🥹
More,Myers wrote about human relationships in this story.And not I am not referring to the romantic ones.
She gave us unfiltered so many feelings from Lexi,Rory and their dad,and she made us understand that maybe not everything is black and white & what I feel to do as right may not be the same to you,and that's totally okay,without invalidating my opinion.
As you saw,not only I ate up this story and but I also loved it really,really much,with leaving me only with a option: to recommend it 💌
Out On Feb,13th 🍳
4⭐
Firstly,I want to thank LoveNotes PR & Madison Myers for trusting me with this ARC!🧡
The new chef is infuriating and... hot.
Wilder has not only owns THE skills in the kitchen,but also a dark past that he trying to leave behind.
So,new town,new him right?
That was🤌🏻 .
Myers portrayed the small town vibe,all working towards the same goal so well.And,if we take into consideration what a major role it had,apart from the romance,I can say she ATE.
I loved seeing the gang together, with them experiencing that found family feeling that left no one out!
Continuing,the romance was PERFECT.
Really🌶️ heavy and passionate.Yet,my absolutely favorite was their spicy humor that started before they finally met in the bedroom.Their jokes made me laugh so hard, and I love that Wilder was just a confident king!As you understood,that duo was impeccable!🫶🏻
Lexi,was the softie,cutetsy girl that tried to balance everything according to plan.However,as we meet her we are starting to realize that she has much more depth that what we thought.She literally CARRIES the family,the dinner,EVERYONE.-that girl is a real life heroine.
Wilder,on the other side,had to constantly fight demons all his life,and I CAN see how much he just want a simple life.Yet this won't came easily to him,but my boy will find his way out and when you read about it YOU ARE GOING TO SOB 🥹
More,Myers wrote about human relationships in this story.And not I am not referring to the romantic ones.
She gave us unfiltered so many feelings from Lexi,Rory and their dad,and she made us understand that maybe not everything is black and white & what I feel to do as right may not be the same to you,and that's totally okay,without invalidating my opinion.
As you saw,not only I ate up this story and but I also loved it really,really much,with leaving me only with a option: to recommend it 💌
Out On Feb,13th 🍳
4⭐
Review of advance copy
So excited that Lexi Weiss FINALLY gets her story. As the eldest sister, she’s carried everything—her dad leaving, Rory leaving (and then coming back), and ultimately losing their mom. After all that, the last thing Lexi expects is to find her match… but cue Wilder Amante, Italian chef, fresh out of NYC, Rory’s friend, and her new Chef at the up-and-coming Heights Bites diner. 😮🔥
The hate-to-love trope hits HARD in this one. Lexi is absolutely determined to keep Wilder at arm’s length—emotionally and physically—and watching that resolve crumble is pure gold. The tension? Off the charts. The history creeping back in? Deliciously painful. And that plot twist?? I was shocked!
I loved books 1 and 2, but honestly… this might be my favorite of the series. The passion, the buildup, the emotional payoff—it all just worked. And let’s talk about the spice, because WOW. Maddie Myers seriously knows how to heat things up in and out of the kitchen. 🌶️🔥 If you’ve been waiting for Lexi’s story, trust me—it was worth it.
I wish I could give this more than 5 stars!
The hate-to-love trope hits HARD in this one. Lexi is absolutely determined to keep Wilder at arm’s length—emotionally and physically—and watching that resolve crumble is pure gold. The tension? Off the charts. The history creeping back in? Deliciously painful. And that plot twist?? I was shocked!
I loved books 1 and 2, but honestly… this might be my favorite of the series. The passion, the buildup, the emotional payoff—it all just worked. And let’s talk about the spice, because WOW. Maddie Myers seriously knows how to heat things up in and out of the kitchen. 🌶️🔥 If you’ve been waiting for Lexi’s story, trust me—it was worth it.
I wish I could give this more than 5 stars!
January 30, 2026
Thank you so much to the author for the eARC!
This book starts the best way, with Wilder’s filthy mouth, and honestly, he’s exactly what Alexis’s doctor ordered. As the last book in the series, I had a very hard time not put it down for a second. It hooked me from the start and didn’t let go.
The banter between Wilder and Alexis is nonstop, and the tension between them is so thick you could slice it with a razor-sharp knife. Did I say knife, well yes, there is knife play in this book and you just can’t stop reading this scene. You can feel how badly Alexis wants to hate Wilder, but he constantly pushes her buttons with that filthy mouth of his. I also love how much Wilder adores Alexis’s wild side, he embraces it, loves it, and honestly just loves her.
There’s also sadness through this story. It takes time, but Alexis and Rory slowly open up to each other again, and you really feel how deeply Rory hurt Alexis when she suddenly left years ago. The closure between these two is so perfectly written, it hits right where it should. And that epilogue? The absolute perfect ending to this series.
This book starts the best way, with Wilder’s filthy mouth, and honestly, he’s exactly what Alexis’s doctor ordered. As the last book in the series, I had a very hard time not put it down for a second. It hooked me from the start and didn’t let go.
The banter between Wilder and Alexis is nonstop, and the tension between them is so thick you could slice it with a razor-sharp knife. Did I say knife, well yes, there is knife play in this book and you just can’t stop reading this scene. You can feel how badly Alexis wants to hate Wilder, but he constantly pushes her buttons with that filthy mouth of his. I also love how much Wilder adores Alexis’s wild side, he embraces it, loves it, and honestly just loves her.
There’s also sadness through this story. It takes time, but Alexis and Rory slowly open up to each other again, and you really feel how deeply Rory hurt Alexis when she suddenly left years ago. The closure between these two is so perfectly written, it hits right where it should. And that epilogue? The absolute perfect ending to this series.
Review of advance copy
Oh how I've missed Smoky Heights!
Madison Myers the little town you've created has captured my heart and I don't want to leave! Well at least until you've put out book one for Spur Canyon.
Alexis Weiss has to be one of the most complicated FMCs I've read in awhile (at least in small town romance) and it took me awhile to fall in love with her, unlike Wilder Amante. That man was made to love Lexi. The way Wilder loves every single facet of her and allows her to feel seen and safe helped me to fall in love with Lexi. Wilder's attitude and outlook on life helps to ease the rough-edges of Lexi's world and helps her to deal with everything going on in her life at the moment.
Not only is this full of small town charm but it has the banter and spice that makes Madison's writing so addicting. I'm sad to reach the end of our time in Smoky Heights, but I can't wait to see what Madison has planned next!
Madison Myers the little town you've created has captured my heart and I don't want to leave! Well at least until you've put out book one for Spur Canyon.
Alexis Weiss has to be one of the most complicated FMCs I've read in awhile (at least in small town romance) and it took me awhile to fall in love with her, unlike Wilder Amante. That man was made to love Lexi. The way Wilder loves every single facet of her and allows her to feel seen and safe helped me to fall in love with Lexi. Wilder's attitude and outlook on life helps to ease the rough-edges of Lexi's world and helps her to deal with everything going on in her life at the moment.
Not only is this full of small town charm but it has the banter and spice that makes Madison's writing so addicting. I'm sad to reach the end of our time in Smoky Heights, but I can't wait to see what Madison has planned next!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I loved this entire series, but from the moment I met Alexis Weiss in Rekindling the Flame, I knew she was going to be my favorite. The sassiest, wittiest, funniest baddie around. Whenever I think about some of her lines from Book 1, I still crack up over a year later #sickbird (iykyk)
As if Lexi wasn’t enough….Madison had to throw Wilder at us. Our first introduction to him was — pun intended — chef’s kiss. And gooooodness gracious I thought the other men in this series had mouths 😅 Wilder Amante. Whew.
You can imagine how fiery things get when these two find themselves clashing together in a kitchen. But this book doesn’t have just sweltering spice to offer, there is so much heart, feels and found family to leave you feeling so cozy.
There is nothing by Madison Myers that I won’t read, but this one takes the cake.
As if Lexi wasn’t enough….Madison had to throw Wilder at us. Our first introduction to him was — pun intended — chef’s kiss. And gooooodness gracious I thought the other men in this series had mouths 😅 Wilder Amante. Whew.
You can imagine how fiery things get when these two find themselves clashing together in a kitchen. But this book doesn’t have just sweltering spice to offer, there is so much heart, feels and found family to leave you feeling so cozy.
There is nothing by Madison Myers that I won’t read, but this one takes the cake.
February 2, 2026
Arc
Absolutely loved it! I’m gonna need myself a big chef
Absolutely loved it! I’m gonna need myself a big chef
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews