Good enemies-to-lovers story. Courtney has recently returned to her hometown after swearing she would never come back. Her mother died the year before, and she was estranged from her twin sister. Moving back will allow her to repair that relationship. She is also opening a clothing store that will sell her designs - a chance to show the town that she made it despite them. Courtney was ostracized and bullied in high school because she was different from her popular sister, Serena. The offender who got to her the most was Owen. Later, he was the EMT on the scene when her mother died, and she blames him for that, too.

Owen was one of the school's golden boys - athlete, intelligent, popular, and boyfriend of the head cheerleader. But rather than admit his admiration of Courtney's individualism, he joined in the bullying. After graduation, he spent some time in the Marines before coming home and becoming a hotshot firefighter and EMT. He feels terrible about his treatment of Courtney and would like to make amends, but she isn't interested.

As the story opens, Owen witnesses the death of a good friend and fellow firefighter in a tragic accident. But was it an accident? The head of the hotshot team, Braden, suspects that the "accidents" plaguing the team professionally and personally aren't accidents, but he has no proof. Those suspicions become more certain when Owen suffers several more accidents then out-and-out attempts on his life. Courtney gets involved when she inadvertently saves his life a couple of times. There were some interesting developments as Courtney briefly became a suspect. The intensity ramped up with each attack until the final confrontation took a twist I didn't see coming. A few threads are left hanging, so I can't wait to read the next book.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Courtney and Owen, but it frustrated me at times, too. I understood Courtney's grudge over the way Owen treated her in school. That kind of treatment can affect you for a long time. I had trouble with how Courtney blamed Owen for her mother's death. Owen wasn't the only first responder there, but she held him responsible and treated him like dirt. But when she sees his grief and self-blame for his friend's death, she can't help but make him feel better. As she starts to let go of her anger toward him, it opens the door for the attraction she can't deny. Owen is also surprised by the feelings Courtney stirs up in him. There is a lot of back-and-forth between the two as they give in to their attraction and then back away when the intensity freaks them out. But when danger comes calling, they realize that they belong together and the baggage of the past needs to be let go of. I liked their big moment at the end and look forward to seeing more of them in future books.

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