Embers of You

By: Madi Danielle

Narrated by: Troy Duran, Shaina Summerville

A heartfelt and witty small-town romance about a woman rebuilding her life after betrayal, finding unexpected love with a charming firefighter, and learning to trust again, blending the charm of Emily Henry’s Book Lovers with the emotional depth of Abby Jimenez’s The Friend Zone.

When twenty-five-year-old Sutton Miller catches her best friend in a compromising position with her father, she does the only sensible thing: packs her car, drives north, and starts over in a town where no one knows her name. Amity, Washington, seems perfect—a place where she can lick her wounds while building a new life as a dog groomer, accompanied only by Jerry Lee, the shop’s potty-mouthed parrot with impeccable comic timing.

Enter Jameson Turner, the thirty-six-year-old firefighter next door whose boy-next-door charm and dimpled smile are as dangerous as the fires he fights. After rescuing Sutton from a locked car incident (and her dignity from Jerry Lee’s colorful commentary), Jameson is smitten. But while he’s busy trying to win her heart between emergency calls and helping at his family’s struggling ranch, Sutton’s busy building walls higher than the Cascade Mountains.

As Jameson’s mother’s illness forces him to confront family obligations and Sutton grapples with her trust issues, their attraction becomes harder to ignore. But for a woman whose closest relationships have gone up in flames, letting her guard down might be the scariest thing of all—even if Jameson proves to be more of a cinnamon roll than a player.

For fans of Elsie Silver and Laura Pavlov, this small-town, slow-burn romance delights with heartfelt themes of trust, healing, and the unexpected joy of finding a home where you least expect it.

Bad Female Performance

Ugh! Yet another female narrator that sounds like she’s constipated. Every sentence spoken with unnecessary angst. She has an irritating way of narrating the male parts that sounds like she’s running out of oxygen. I stuck it out through her parts because the male narrator is so strong and I really enjoyed the story. Wish the authors would be more choosy when they hire the narrators.

hooked from the start

firefighter, cowboy MMC meets heroine on the run. They're friends, then lovers with him falling first and hard. Dual narration.

“Saying yes to him was the easiest yes I’ve ever given.”

This was a really sweet, fun, and emotional listen. Shaina Summerville is a ntm narrator, and I really enjoyed her performance in this audiobook. I will definitely be looking more into her work. I also really enjoyed Troy Duran's performance. He does a small town hero so well.

One thing that I love in books that is a huge ❌️ irl is when the MMC keeps trying to win the girl over, not accepting no for an answer. And well, let's just say that Jameson does not give up easily. The man even got a dog to have an excuse to visit Sutton at work.

But honestly, these two are really cute. I really enjoyed their banter and how their relationship developed. I will also say that I was shocked by the loss/grief factor. That was definitely not what I was expecting, which I think made it hit even harder.

Quote: “If I have one goal in life, it’s to make Sutton laugh at least once every single day because the sound of her laugh is the greatest thing I’ve ever heard. And to hear it every day forever would be a prize greater than anything I could ever win.”

Great Narration, So So Story

Shaina is a new narrator for me and I enjoyed her very much here. Troy is my tried and true go-to and is wonderful, as always.

I enjoyed the story and characters for the most part but found them overshadowed by a graphic "love" scene, role play, etc. It was unnecessary and added nothing to the story or character development. The reason for discord between mother and daughter was quite distasteful as well. It's such a shame authors feel the need or simply want to add such salacious scenes and plot points to already well-written stories. Appealing to our baser instincts isn't better and frankly, I find it insulting. Romantic steam, some heat, sure. The rest, tone it down.

Small town romance with spice

If you love a small-town romance where the MMC falls first and hard, and let’s not forget the spice, then Embers of You is for you.

Sutton is feeling a bit down after her best friend betrayed her, so she moves to Amity to escape. Meanwhile, Jameson, our firefighter, decides to return to his hometown fire station to help his family run the farm while his mom battles cancer. There was a tragedy that I didn’t see coming that really tugged at my heartstrings. I’m only giving this book 3.5 stars because of Jameson’s actions towards the end, but don’t worry, he definitely made up for it. Overall, it was an easy read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I can’t forget to mention my favorite character, Jerry Lee the bird. The things that bird would say had me cracking up.

This was my first time listening to Shaina Summerville, and I think she did an amazing job alongside Troy Duran.