Imani Lewis is taking the summer off. Her job as a publicist for a publisher keeps her busy, too busy sometimes. But her grandmother, who she calls Gigi, is about to undergo double knee replacement surgery, and Imani has taken a leave from work to care for Gigi through her recovery. And it just happens to coincide with the last month of her best friend’s pregnancy, so Imani has her summer all figured out.
And then there’s Zander.
The youngest of the three Matthews brothers, Zander is the one Imani he hooked up with after Kate and Drake’s wedding. Now her best friend Kate is married and having a baby with bestselling author (thanks in part to his publicist Imani) Drake Matthews. Imani is excited to be there for them, starting with her first important task—guarding the letter with the baby’s gender for the big reveal party.
But first, she has to come clean. In more ways than one.
Imani never told Kate that she hooked up with Zander after her wedding, or that she had ghosted him a few weeks later. And when Imani shows up at Gigi’s house, and sees that there are boxes all over the house, things that need to be put away, weeds in the garden, and a covering of dust everywhere, she realizes that she’s been needed here and feels guilty for not being more available to her grandmother.
The stress of her job—she keeps getting calls, emails, and texts despite being away from the office—and the guilt she feels at letting those she cares about down has turned into insomnia and constant headaches for Imani. Part of the reason Imani chose to take the summer off to care for her grandmother is to help her figure out what it is she wants moving forward. She’s been offered a promotion at work, but she hasn’t said yes yet. She worries it will move her further from the parts of her job that she most enjoys, and it will just be more stress.
She’s trying to figure out what it is that she wants, but it seems like every time Zander is close, all she wants is to wrap her arms around Zander and kiss him.
Zander has a reputation. He lives in the moment. He’s a good guy—he’ll give you the shirt off his back—but he lives for joy. His time as a Marine, and the years he spent helping his brother Ryker after getting injured as a soldier, taught him to be present and to put his attention on what makes him happy. And Imani makes him happy. He just has to figure out a way to win her heart.
Zander has a plan. She needs help with some broken ceramic tiles from Gigi’s fireplace. He has a ceramics studio. He’s going to offer her help, and wait for her to come to him. He knows that Imani needs some time to deal with her stress, to get some sleep, and to breathe. But will she be able to see past his flirting and his joking to understand that he could not be more serious about his feelings for her? Or will she stay stressed and distracted and let their potential relationship fall apart?
All Fired Up is another charming rom com from Dylan Newton. Her How Sweet It Is introduced these characters, as it told the love story of horror writer Drake Matthews and event planner Kate Sweet. This is another sweet love story in the same world, for Drake’s brother Zander and Kate’s best friend/Drake’s publicist Imani. You don’t have to read the fist book to enjoy this one, but I loved this world Newton created so much that I wasn’t going to miss out on another book about a Matthews brother. All Fired Up is funny and romantic, with truly surprising moments and a scene-stealing parrot with the vocabulary of a sailor and a sharp memory.
I loved All Fired Up. Reading it was a pleasure, a true escape from my stress and tension. Imani is easy to root for, and seeing her deal with the problems in front of her, learning mindfulness, living in the moment, and listening to her heart just made me happy. There are several scenes that are laugh-out-loud funny and several others that get steamy. But the balance is perfect. Told in alternating points of view, this rom com is a breath of fresh air and was a great reminder to me to live in the moment and be grateful to those in my life who make me laugh.
Egalleys for All Fired Up were provided by Forever (Grand Central Publishing) through NetGalley, with many thanks.
