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Campfire Council #1
Forbidden Flame
A good girl gone rogue.
A charmer with an overprotective streak.
Are their $49 vows the investment of a lifetime?
Izzy O’Reilly’s strict upbringing makes running off to Vegas to fulfill her dream of starting her own family seem like the ultimate show of independence. When she runs into Ivan Nemitz there, she wonders if the handsome football coach can make her dreams a reality. He’s on board, but insists they secretly marry to protect her baby from her overbearing father.
Ivan Nemitz doesn’t love the idea of his best friend’s younger sister having a baby with a random stranger—but helping sweet Izzy achieve her dreams himself means waking up to the smart and beautiful woman who’s been under his nose for years. Their $49 wedding vows mean the fun of a honeymoon with zero responsibility afterwards. But after he calls Izzy his wife, can he ever return to his bachelor ways?
Keeping secrets in small-town Campfire is a losing proposition. Can Ivan and Izzy form a real family, or are their vows destined to be nothing more than tinder for the gossip fires?
Join us around the campfire, where you can pour out your troubles and seek solace in friendship and love.
Forbidden Flame is book one in the Campfire Council Series but can be read as a stand-alone romance. The newly elected city council of Campfire, WA, is ready to win hearts and rebuild their small town, but can this sisterhood of the wine-soaked campfire find love amid the flames?
A charmer with an overprotective streak.
Are their $49 vows the investment of a lifetime?
Izzy O’Reilly’s strict upbringing makes running off to Vegas to fulfill her dream of starting her own family seem like the ultimate show of independence. When she runs into Ivan Nemitz there, she wonders if the handsome football coach can make her dreams a reality. He’s on board, but insists they secretly marry to protect her baby from her overbearing father.
Ivan Nemitz doesn’t love the idea of his best friend’s younger sister having a baby with a random stranger—but helping sweet Izzy achieve her dreams himself means waking up to the smart and beautiful woman who’s been under his nose for years. Their $49 wedding vows mean the fun of a honeymoon with zero responsibility afterwards. But after he calls Izzy his wife, can he ever return to his bachelor ways?
Keeping secrets in small-town Campfire is a losing proposition. Can Ivan and Izzy form a real family, or are their vows destined to be nothing more than tinder for the gossip fires?
Join us around the campfire, where you can pour out your troubles and seek solace in friendship and love.
Forbidden Flame is book one in the Campfire Council Series but can be read as a stand-alone romance. The newly elected city council of Campfire, WA, is ready to win hearts and rebuild their small town, but can this sisterhood of the wine-soaked campfire find love amid the flames?
287 pages, ebook
First published May 26, 2023
About the author
Amelia Simone
21 books89 followersUpcoming Release
Flame Wars, book 4 in the Campfire Council Series is here! Book 5 will release later in 2024. Happy reading!
Latest Release
Flame Wars is out now and available in Kindle Unlimited and paperback!
Sign up for Amelia's Newsletter
Amelia's Amazon Page
About Amelia
Amelia Simone is the author of flirty, fun romances set in the Pacific Northwest, including Mister Romance (Book 1 of the Self-Made Series), Formula for Love (Book 1 of the Excelling @ Love Series), and Forbidden Flame (Book 1 of the Campfire Council Series.)
On sunny days, you can find her lounging on her deck, sipping coffee and working on her latest book. She specializes in writing lighthearted, hopeful romances that feature relatable, everyday characters who are looking for love. She’s a firm believer in writing dessert books with plenty of sweet, flirty banter, teasing, and spice. Her goal is to deliver stories that give you a serotonin boost and leave you with a smile.
When she’s not writing, she’s wrangling her kiddos, indulging in food and wine adventures with her better half, or out back trying to revive her garden. (Hey, sometimes things die, it’s fine.)
Flame Wars, book 4 in the Campfire Council Series is here! Book 5 will release later in 2024. Happy reading!
Latest Release
Flame Wars is out now and available in Kindle Unlimited and paperback!
Sign up for Amelia's Newsletter
Amelia's Amazon Page
About Amelia
Amelia Simone is the author of flirty, fun romances set in the Pacific Northwest, including Mister Romance (Book 1 of the Self-Made Series), Formula for Love (Book 1 of the Excelling @ Love Series), and Forbidden Flame (Book 1 of the Campfire Council Series.)
On sunny days, you can find her lounging on her deck, sipping coffee and working on her latest book. She specializes in writing lighthearted, hopeful romances that feature relatable, everyday characters who are looking for love. She’s a firm believer in writing dessert books with plenty of sweet, flirty banter, teasing, and spice. Her goal is to deliver stories that give you a serotonin boost and leave you with a smile.
When she’s not writing, she’s wrangling her kiddos, indulging in food and wine adventures with her better half, or out back trying to revive her garden. (Hey, sometimes things die, it’s fine.)
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 7, 2023
Love how this author writes her lovestruck male main characters!
This book by author Amelia Simone is a wonderfully inventive premise for a marriage of convenience romance. This is my second book from this author and I liked it even more than Formula for Devotion. It’s also the first book in her new Campfire Council series.
The book opens with hunky Ivan Nemitz at a conference in Vegas. He doesn’t realize that the woman he’s been admiring is in fact his best friend’s little sister, Izzy O’Reilly — whom he’s carefully avoided flirting with — even though he’s been attracted to her for years. When they speak, she tells him she’s in Vegas to find a baby daddy. Even though he’s far from ready to settle down and have kids, he volunteers as tribute to protect her ;-) from men who could take advantage of his perceived innocence of her. But, only under one condition: that they marry.
What a wonderful way to get these two hitched! Simone covers all the bases well in the story. The book moved quickly, the side characters were entertaining and it looks like there will be lots of fun spin-offs.
The ending is happy, but there is a loose end that borders on a mystery, which, presumably, will be followed up in the next book in the series. It surprised me it didn’t find resolution in this book, but now I have to know!
I’d recommend Forbidden Flame to readers who like inventive storylines featuring sweet men who fall hard (and first!) for their equally sweet women who find their strength in love. It’s a lovely and fun book filled with lust and yearning!
Key Passage
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book by author Amelia Simone is a wonderfully inventive premise for a marriage of convenience romance. This is my second book from this author and I liked it even more than Formula for Devotion. It’s also the first book in her new Campfire Council series.
The book opens with hunky Ivan Nemitz at a conference in Vegas. He doesn’t realize that the woman he’s been admiring is in fact his best friend’s little sister, Izzy O’Reilly — whom he’s carefully avoided flirting with — even though he’s been attracted to her for years. When they speak, she tells him she’s in Vegas to find a baby daddy. Even though he’s far from ready to settle down and have kids, he volunteers as tribute to protect her ;-) from men who could take advantage of his perceived innocence of her. But, only under one condition: that they marry.
What a wonderful way to get these two hitched! Simone covers all the bases well in the story. The book moved quickly, the side characters were entertaining and it looks like there will be lots of fun spin-offs.
The ending is happy, but there is a loose end that borders on a mystery, which, presumably, will be followed up in the next book in the series. It surprised me it didn’t find resolution in this book, but now I have to know!
I’d recommend Forbidden Flame to readers who like inventive storylines featuring sweet men who fall hard (and first!) for their equally sweet women who find their strength in love. It’s a lovely and fun book filled with lust and yearning!
Key Passage
“Beyond his obvious physical attributes, Ivan was a solid guy. If he’d ever shown even a hint of romantic interest in me, I would have flirted my heart out. Maybe now was my opportunity?
I extended my palm, sliding slowly from Ivan's rock-hard shoulder to cover his heart, thumping reassuringly under my hand. The steady beat sped up, all the encouragement I needed. Heat from his body engulfed me as I leaned closer, watching his expression for confirmation that he was as drawn to me as I was to him. Standing in the shelter of his bulk only served to stoke fantasies of how we might spend our time together, perfectly matched. One of his palms cupped my hip in an unconsciously possessive gesture. Ivan made me feel delicate. Precious. A stark contrast to other tall men, who seemed to see my height as a challenge to their masculinity, a threat to their dominance.
"How about it, Ivan? You want to help me with my baby-making badge after all? Personally?”
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 20, 2023
This story is about Izzy O'Reilly and Ivan Nemitz. Izzy has been feeling out of sorts and has come to the realization that she wants to have a child. A child for her to love and cherish and make her feel whole. The thing is, she doesn't have a boyfriend but she actually doesn't want one. She wants to do this by herself so she has decided to go to Vegas, find a guy, have a fling and go home, hopefully pregnant. Imagine her surprise when she see's her brothers best friend Ivan Nemitz walking up to her in the bar of the hotel. She has a huge crush on Ivan for a while but Ivan is known around their small town of Campfire as a ladies man, not someone she wants to be her baby daddy. As I was reading what Izzy had decided to do I was starting to worry about what could happen to her, but when she told Ivan, he told her that he would do it! When he saw Izzy in the bar he couldn't believe how hot Izzy looked! The one thing that Ivan insisted on was they should get married, to protect Izzy and the baby. Izzy's father is the pastor at the church in Campfire and not a nice man, she had managed to move out of the family home to be free of him. When they return home they are not sure how to deal with their 'partnership' because Izzy doesn't want anyone to know what happened. At this point, it was clear that they had strong feelings for each other and there were times when one of them would say something that made the other feel upset. I was so pleased that what happened was instead of storming off and causing a lot of angst, they would reason with themselves and affirm their feelings to one another. I loved that the author went that route. Izzy has some wonderful friends who would totally support her when she told them about Ivan. There is a lot more going on in the town of Campfire than Izzy and Ivan's story which does not take away at all from their road to love. It's a really well written book with humor and steam and plenty of things going on in the town and between other people that I am really looking forward to the next book. I feel fully invested in the town of Campfire!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 25, 2023
Such a solid read - great characters, the right amount of angsty drama, and a fun storyline.
I’ve read a few of Amelia’s previous books, and was excited that I had unknowingly chosen this book from BookSiren because the female character is the younger sister of Coach Ben ‘Bear’ O’Neil from Formula for Seduction.
In Coach Bear’s book their father’s bullying and emotionally abusive behavior is introduced, so seeing Izzy focusing on her happiness was appealing. I loved how these two characters had known each other forever and she even had a wild crush on Ivan as a teenager. A fateful run-in while in Vegas and her telling him she was looking for some anonymous stranger to get pregnant flipped his inner switch to offer himself up for baby daddy and to marry her as well.
Their return to ‘real life’ after a steamy weekend in Vegas was quite the adjustment as neither of them really knew what the other wanted or expected concerning their secret elopement. Feelings get bruised for both of them, but they each work through it and stumble through communicating what they want.
It’s a fun and realistic development of a relationship that these characters jumped into and had to navigate through some hurdles and potholes to find their HEA.
This book sets up a new series based in the small town of Campfire WA with several single characters sparking for some potential pairings in subsequent books. I’m definitely interested in a few of these simmering potential couples.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I’ve read a few of Amelia’s previous books, and was excited that I had unknowingly chosen this book from BookSiren because the female character is the younger sister of Coach Ben ‘Bear’ O’Neil from Formula for Seduction.
In Coach Bear’s book their father’s bullying and emotionally abusive behavior is introduced, so seeing Izzy focusing on her happiness was appealing. I loved how these two characters had known each other forever and she even had a wild crush on Ivan as a teenager. A fateful run-in while in Vegas and her telling him she was looking for some anonymous stranger to get pregnant flipped his inner switch to offer himself up for baby daddy and to marry her as well.
Their return to ‘real life’ after a steamy weekend in Vegas was quite the adjustment as neither of them really knew what the other wanted or expected concerning their secret elopement. Feelings get bruised for both of them, but they each work through it and stumble through communicating what they want.
It’s a fun and realistic development of a relationship that these characters jumped into and had to navigate through some hurdles and potholes to find their HEA.
This book sets up a new series based in the small town of Campfire WA with several single characters sparking for some potential pairings in subsequent books. I’m definitely interested in a few of these simmering potential couples.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 23, 2023
Book 1 in the Campfire Council series introduces a cast of interesting characters in the small town of Campfire.
Izzy & Ivan run into each other in a bar in Las Vegas, both being there for the weekend.
Ivan is at a work related conference, and Izzy has a plan, which she doesn’t want anyone from the small town of Campfire, where they both live, to know about.
Ivan is a close friend of Izzy’s brother, and feels he needs to protect her from herself. So he steps in to help her with her plan, which leads to more than either of them expected.
This is a sweet and steamy story, which has a mystery running through it, as someone is targeting the Town Council’s efforts to put Campfire on the map.
The characters are all well drawn, and the story well written. I enjoyed it very much, but was left wanting at the end, as the mystery was unsolved, so I’m looking forward to Book 2!
I received an advance review copy for free, and am leaving this honest review voluntarily.
Izzy & Ivan run into each other in a bar in Las Vegas, both being there for the weekend.
Ivan is at a work related conference, and Izzy has a plan, which she doesn’t want anyone from the small town of Campfire, where they both live, to know about.
Ivan is a close friend of Izzy’s brother, and feels he needs to protect her from herself. So he steps in to help her with her plan, which leads to more than either of them expected.
This is a sweet and steamy story, which has a mystery running through it, as someone is targeting the Town Council’s efforts to put Campfire on the map.
The characters are all well drawn, and the story well written. I enjoyed it very much, but was left wanting at the end, as the mystery was unsolved, so I’m looking forward to Book 2!
I received an advance review copy for free, and am leaving this honest review voluntarily.
May 27, 2023
First book in the campfire council series.
A forbidden best friends little sister romance.
Izzy and Ivan bump into each other in Vegas away from their hometown of campfire.
Ivan is there for a conference and Izzy is there on a mission.When Ivan finds out what she wants he volunteers himself.
They get married and start on their baby making mission.
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
They have to keep their wedding a secret from everyone,which is not easy in a small town.Izzy has had a crush on Ivan since forever and Ivan has feelings too,but did not want to break the bro code.
They eventually admit to their feelings.
They do get to their happily ever after
full of steam,humour,sabotage,suspense,
family drama and friendships.
Cannot wait for the next book in the series.
I recieved an advanced review copy of this book for free and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.
A forbidden best friends little sister romance.
Izzy and Ivan bump into each other in Vegas away from their hometown of campfire.
Ivan is there for a conference and Izzy is there on a mission.When Ivan finds out what she wants he volunteers himself.
They get married and start on their baby making mission.
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
They have to keep their wedding a secret from everyone,which is not easy in a small town.Izzy has had a crush on Ivan since forever and Ivan has feelings too,but did not want to break the bro code.
They eventually admit to their feelings.
They do get to their happily ever after
full of steam,humour,sabotage,suspense,
family drama and friendships.
Cannot wait for the next book in the series.
I recieved an advanced review copy of this book for free and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.
May 31, 2023
Gentle small-town romance. Izzy is in Vegas with the intent of having a one-night stand and, hopefully, getting pregnant! She encounters Ivan, her big brother’s best friend. I loved the way Ivan doesn’t immediately recognise the ‘hot blonde’ he sees across the bar and suddenly becomes very protective when it occurs to him who she is. He takes a sudden decision to assist her in her quest, and I really liked the fact that it is his suggestion they get married to protect her reputation. I really enjoyed the way their relationship (initially with a planned ‘expiry date’) continues to develop when they get home to their small town. Both develop strong feelings and after some misunderstandings and bumps in the road they get their HEA. I particularly like that this is the first in a series and look forward to reading the next book.
June 14, 2023
This was a fun read and had plenty of intrigue i.e. are they going to go public and let their families and friends know that they have gotten married! I am referring to Ivan and Izzy, of course!! These two have had a thing for each other and both afraid to let the other know.
If you are looking for a nice, easy read with just enough pull of mystery and questions, because you end up liking the main characters, Ivan and Izzy, and rooting for them to make it in their small town that they both love and serve. This book is for you!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
If you are looking for a nice, easy read with just enough pull of mystery and questions, because you end up liking the main characters, Ivan and Izzy, and rooting for them to make it in their small town that they both love and serve. This book is for you!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 29, 2023
Sometimes you select a book based on the cover; sometimes you choose a book based on the blurb. I thought the blurb was good for this one…I just didn’t realize the book was going to have about 10 chapters too many!
The storyline was good; the characters a little on the weak side; the plot twists and turns weren’t that great; but the HEA made the whole book worthwhile! If you’re looking for a nice read…this book’s for you. Grab your copy today! (I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and loved the HEA!) ❤️
The storyline was good; the characters a little on the weak side; the plot twists and turns weren’t that great; but the HEA made the whole book worthwhile! If you’re looking for a nice read…this book’s for you. Grab your copy today! (I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and loved the HEA!) ❤️
June 22, 2023
Izzy feels that she is ready for parenthood - single parenthood. Her plan to get knocked up by a one night stand gets derailed when
Ivan finds her and persuades her to modify her plan
Izzy and Ivan make choices to fulfill her plan while giving him the opportunity to win her heart. Add in a town that is in the middle of name re-branding, an unknown saboteur and nosy family members, leading to a humorous, well written story
I received an advanced reader copy for free and I'm voluntarily reviewing it
Ivan finds her and persuades her to modify her plan
Izzy and Ivan make choices to fulfill her plan while giving him the opportunity to win her heart. Add in a town that is in the middle of name re-branding, an unknown saboteur and nosy family members, leading to a humorous, well written story
I received an advanced reader copy for free and I'm voluntarily reviewing it
March 22, 2023
I love romance and cozy mysteries so this was the best of both worlds.
There is a small town, where the residents are looking to increase the town's tourism scene. However there is a little mystery surrounding everything the town council does. Then there is a budding romance that has to stay hidden.
Such a great read. I couldn't put it down and I can't wait to read what happens next for this crew.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
There is a small town, where the residents are looking to increase the town's tourism scene. However there is a little mystery surrounding everything the town council does. Then there is a budding romance that has to stay hidden.
Such a great read. I couldn't put it down and I can't wait to read what happens next for this crew.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 15, 2023
Marriage of convenience, secret marriage, baby daddy, best friend's little sister… there are a lot of common romance themes/concepts but this book is written so well with such fabulous characters with good hearts that you are not going to be thinking about those troupes. This book sucked me in and I can't wait for the next book set in the unique small town of Campfire. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
June 5, 2023
This book was like a warm hug ... or sitting around a cozy campfire.
The premise was a bit unbelievable to me and I wasn't a fan that so much of this book was about trying to have a baby. However, I still enjoyed reading it and was able to buy into it further into the book. I wish the sub plot with the Council had been wrapped up but I guess that's being saved for the following books.
If you want an unproblematic, cute romance this is it!
The premise was a bit unbelievable to me and I wasn't a fan that so much of this book was about trying to have a baby. However, I still enjoyed reading it and was able to buy into it further into the book. I wish the sub plot with the Council had been wrapped up but I guess that's being saved for the following books.
If you want an unproblematic, cute romance this is it!
September 28, 2023
Left me saying "what did I just read..." a book about a romance that sparks in a town that has some mischief happening and there's zero closure at the end of the book. I sped through the end just to finish and in hopes that I could find out the "Who dunnit" in the book but nothing... I get that this is a series but I feel like as a stand alone book it was not great.
May 27, 2023
Ivan and Izzy live in a very small town where everybody knows everybody’s business. Is he is a very headstrong main character and goes for what she wants. And what she wants is a baby with no strings attached.
Ivan has liked Izzy for many years, but she is his best friend’s little sister. Ivan is in Vegas for a conference and sees Izzy talking to a guy of course jealousy kicks in.
He volunteers to give her what she wants, but will that be enough for both of them?
Ivan has liked Izzy for many years, but she is his best friend’s little sister. Ivan is in Vegas for a conference and sees Izzy talking to a guy of course jealousy kicks in.
He volunteers to give her what she wants, but will that be enough for both of them?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2024
A really good read. Showing how different families interact with each other.
Great characters and an interesting situation. Looking forward to reading more of Amelia's books.
Great characters and an interesting situation. Looking forward to reading more of Amelia's books.
November 19, 2023
What a very cute romcom story. The setup was far-fetched, but the rest was fun and adorable. I'm excited about the next book Smoke Show with Eve and Brady. I'm looking forward to Zander and Gwen. That story is going to be hilarious. Some detailed sex but mostly fade to black. Mature language.
I received a copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received a copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews