Fierce at Heart

Zoe York

Jan 2021 · Kincaids of Pine Harbour Book 2 · Zoe York

About this ebook

He’s a new firefighter with a lot to prove, and she’s the former army captain who just wants to open a bakery and start a new life.

Adam Kincaid wants to be known as his own person: not the easiest thing to do as the youngest of five brothers in a small town where everyone knows exactly who his family is. Unexpectedly getting hitched to his former army captain wasn’t quite what he had in mind, though.

Isla Peterson knows exactly what she’s gotten herself into with the younger Kincaid: a marriage of convenience. In return, she gets a bakery of her own, and the company of a friend who has as little faith in love as she does.

But as their public charade starts to feel surprisingly real behind closed doors, Isla’s ex-husband shows up, asking all the wrong questions. If the truth of their relationship comes out, the safety they’ve found could come crashing down.

Welcome back to Pine Harbour, in this sexy small town romance about two friends who don’t believe in love, but do believe in each other.

Ratings and reviews

This is book two in The Kincaids of Pine Harbour and it is Adam and Isla's story. Adam and Isla met while in the military but now they are both civilians and starting new careers. Isla is taking a course to be a baker and Adam is training to be a fire fighter, years later and they meet again in the market where Isla is selling her baking, they both have an understanding of what each other has gone through so they connect again and have a one night stand and said they would keep in touch as they both lived a long way apart but wanted to remain just friends. Adam has now completed his training and now works for The spine Harbour Emergency Services as a qualified fire fighter and he was looking forward to the challenge but Isla was never far from his thoughts. When a opportunity in Pie Harbour presents its self for Isla Adam and Isla decide to get married but it is not for love but for convenience. Adam and Isla have such a strong connection and chemistry between them but will there marriage of convenience turn into something real or will they just remain good friends and room mates. Wow this story was so good with all its twists and turns and I couldn't put it down and I had to keep turning the pages to see what would happen next. The characters and storyline pulled you in right from the first page and it was so addictive. Zoe York is an amazing author and writer and I absolutely love her books so much and I can't wait to read the next book in this series. I Voluntarily Reviewed an Arc Copy of this Amazing Book.

Three and a half stars. Adam Kincaid and Isla Peterson were squaddie and commanding officer back in the day. Now they've both left the military, he's training to be a firefighter like his father and she is hoping to open her own bakery once she graduates from culinary school. They meet by chance at a Farmer's Market where Isla is selling her cakes, get to reminiscing about old times and end up having a spectacular one-night stand. But living in different parts of Canada and their nascent careers leave little time for a relationship so they agree to be friends only. Adam returns to his home (small) town of Pine Harbour where three of his four older brothers still live. He may be 30, but as the youngest, and having been brought up by his elder two brothers after their parents' deaths, none of his brothers seems to see it that way. Heck, they even seem to think they have a voice in where he lives and who he dates and how he does his job! After her ex-husband tanked her credit rating Isla knows she will be lucky to be able to start her own bakery but she doesn't want to be a chef working for someone else forever. When Adam buys his fixer-upper he overhears the owner of the local cafe/diner offering to sell her place for $1, one catch; the owner must be a ling-standing resident of Pine Harbour, or married to a resident. It's a crazy plan but if it helps out his BFF Adam thinks he could enter into a fake marriage for a few years, after all he's never going to fall in love anyway. I was surprised that I hadn't read any of Zoe York's books before, but the books are similar to Cora Seton's mail-order bride series, or indeed any small-town series featuring a large family. Adam and Isla provide each other with much-needed support and validation, but as they get closer can they still ignore the growing attraction? My biggest gripe was that there was a sub-plot involving Isla's ex-husband that didn't really go anywhere and was a bit cliched/ overdone in this genre. Otherwise, I enjoyed this sweet small-town romance. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

How can such a practical arrangement generate so much passion? This heartwarming romance takes us on a journey from one-night-stand to friend zone to marriage of convenience, all while immersing us in the delightful and familiar Pine Harbour community. I really loved Isla and Adam separately and together as a couple. They are two wounded hearts who decide on a pragmatic approach to marriage for the partnership benefits, without realizing that it's the same path to realizing the dreams they never thought possible. The respect they have for each other provides the foundation for so much more to develop, and it was refreshing to watch their romance blossom as a result of honest communication facilitated by a strong friendship. Their chemistry is palpable -- you can practically see the steam rising from the pages -- yet they don't allow their physical attraction to take precedence over their emotional responsibilities. I also really enjoyed seeing so many familiar faces from this fictional world. Everything is interconnected in such a small town, and that familiarity lends a realism to each of the stories in this series. The story is a real page-turner throughout and I loved every bit of it. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

About the author

Thirteen-time USA Today bestselling romance author Zoe York lives in London, Ontario with her young family. She’s currently chugging Americanos, wiping sticky fingers, and dreaming of heroes in and out of uniform.