Cold Start: A Grumpy Sunshine Small-Town Firefighter Romance

by Blair Pritchett

The new town librarian matched with the town's grumpy fire captain.

There was just one problem.

His firefighters forgot to tell him.

Olivia Bennett thought she was meeting the man she'd spent the last week getting to know online.

Instead, Fire Captain Harlan Rhodes sits down across from her with an apology.

He didn't write the messages.

His crew did.

But he couldn't let her sit there alone.

One disastrous blind date becomes an unexpected friendship. Soon, Harlan keeps finding reasons to stop by the library, Olivia keeps finding reasons to smile at the quiet firefighter who says more with his actions than his words, and the meddling crew of Station 17—and the entire town of Pine Ridge—decide they're invested in the outcome.

But falling in love is the easy part.

Trusting someone enough to stay is another story.

Cold Start is a sweet & spicy small-town romance

❤️ Grumpy Fire Captain

❤️ Sunshine Librarian

❤️ Blind Date Setup

❤️ Found Family

❤️ Protective Hero

❤️ Cozy Small Town

❤️ Happily Ever After

335 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 17, 2026

Reviews

[allemuor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the pacing

I had so much fun reading this book, it was hard to put it down. From Chapter one, I was pulled in, stuck, and happily engrossed in their slow burn romance.

[Eleanor Wonciar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a good read! I loved that the story wasn’t written in long blocks of text with information that isn’t needed for the plot. It was short to the point sentences and short paragraphs with so much emotion behind them. I seriously couldn’t put this book down and finished it within 24 hours of starting it. I love the character growth and the realistic relationship problems. I definitely recommend it for a good heartfelt and easy read.

[Rissa Toledo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read! The witty banter between the main characters had me smiling from start to finish, and their chemistry was undeniable. I really appreciated that they started with completely opposing views on relationships and what they wanted, yet the story took its time to bridge that gap. The resolution felt earned—not rushed, and not because either of them had to compromise their core needs. The pacing was excellent, with just the right amount of tension and slow-burn buildup to keep me hooked until the very end.

[Jennifer Perdue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute!

I do love the story line. Very cute book. There was some giggles from me while reading. The characters personalities do show on the pages. Worth reading.

[elw · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first was giving Lorelei and Luke banter but then was actually just repetitive and the structure was formatted so weird like a 300 page haiku

[Amanda Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Good

I was so in the storyline that I was laughing out loud and crying tears. Must admit I was slightly put off by the narrative format at first, but I will say that I actually quite enjoyed it. No huge inferred inner dialogue, just straight to the point decisive sentences. I really wanted to hate Harlan, but he at least made up for his emotional constipation 😂 Olivia is the embodiment of that insecure female trying to find love in her 30s and I have to say it hit somewhere deep in my heart. I am so glad they got their HEA!!!

[Andrea Rolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful

Enjoyed this one a lot more than I expected I would. Cute rom com with fun banter. I really liked it.

[Mallory Logue · Rating 1 out of 5]

both of these characters must be somewhere on the spectrum i’m sure of it

[Caitlin]

I could not get past the formatting of it. I dnfed @40%.

[karen deaton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Has to be AI

The plot of the book is good. The execution in the writing is horrible. I suspect AI use which is sad.

[Carmen Falcone · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a charming debut romance! I was enthralled from the first page to the last. Fast-paced and fun!