My nemesis is about to ruin my life. Is Patrick O’Connell gorgeous? Unfortunately, yes. Jet-black hair, smoldering eyes, and those muscles I accidentally saw when my friends dragged me to spy on the fireman calendar photo shoot. Is Patrick O’Connell also the bane of my existence? Absolutely. He wrecked my dream years ago, and I’ll never forget what he—and his family—took from me. Now the O’Connells want to dump a big-box store right next to my cozy bookshop. Over my dead body. Thankfully, I have a distraction: the anonymous podcast host of Burning Through the Pages. His voice is pure comfort—like a warm blanket by a crackling fire. He’s clever, kind, funny. With each late-night message, I want more. So much more that I’m almost tempted to ask him to meet face-to-face. The future of my bookshop is uncertain—but the fate of my heart feels even more fragile. Book and Ladder is a sweet, closed-door, hidden-identity, enemies-to-lovers romcom—a slow burn with kisses hot enough to need a fire extinguisher. A standalone in The Firemen of Waterford, TN series.