Catch the Flame: Fire Lake, Book 1

by Juliana Stone

I came to Fire Lake to outrun my past.

A broken-down car, an empty wallet and one loyal dog — that’s all I had when I stumbled into this small town I didn’t plan to stay in.

Then I met Gus.

Ex–Navy SEAL. Carpenter. Six-foot-five of trouble wrapped in muscle and quiet control. He’s the kind of man who can fix anything — except whatever’s broken inside him.

I tell myself I don’t care. But every time his gaze finds mine, my resolve cracks a little more.

His touch scorches. His kiss tastes like danger. And when he says my name, I forget every reason I ever had to run.

He’s not the kind of man you fall for — he’s the kind you burn for.

And I’m already going up in flames.

Audible Audio

Published September 30, 2026

About the author

Juliana Stone is also known as J.A. Stone.

USA Today bestselling author and 2015 RITA® winner JULIANA STONE fell in love with books in the fifth grade when her teacher introduced her to Tom Sawyer. A tomboy at heart, she splits her time between baseball, books, and music. When she’s not singing with her band, she’s thrilled to be writing young adult as well as adult contemporary romance—books that have garnered starred reviews from Publishers Weekly & Booklist—from somewhere in the wilds of Canada.

Reviews

[Lisa Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great first novel in the series. It was a bit grittier than my normal HEA but I like how it sets up the next few novels with more drama. Lots of trauma for all the siblings to unpack. Looking forward to book 2.

[Abigail Murphy · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

It took me a while to get into the swing of it - I found the beginning of the narration quite difficult to follow, I think it should have been a narrator for each main character. But a good read in the end!

[Salimah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story lacked the emotional depth needed to make Gus and Faith's romance rootable. The premise and the characters' backstories had tremendous potential, but the execution fell flat.