New Release w/ Review: Chasing Fireflies by Claudia Burgoa

Sep 9, 2019
2 min read

Chasing Fireflies, by Claudia Burgoa is now available. This full-length contemporary romance was originally published in the Cards of Love collection as a novella. It has been revised with additional scenes. SUBGENRES: Military Romance; Small Town Romance TROPES: Second chance; friends-to-lovers

Check out the release blitz packet and my review below.

Happy Monday!

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R E V I E W :

Chasing Fireflies was a sweet contemporary romance that captured the small town vibe beautifully. The scene descriptions were vivid and easy to imagine. The strong sense of family, community support, and togetherness was present in the pages. I really enjoyed the friendship and longing between Ollie and Kaitlynn when they were younger, but I wasn't fully invested in their romantic relationship as adults. The story spanned a number of years and it was separated into two parts- Before and After. I loved the first half but the second half was missing some of the emotion, spark, and connection I felt in the beginning. The friendship and close bond that developed between Ollie and Kaitlynn was authentic and genuine; it was sweet and heart-warming. As the characters grew older (late teens), I could feel the shift in their relationship. It was obvious that they were "crushing" on each other but were too scared to admit it. Their changing feelings were believable because Burgoa did a wonderful job building/strengthening their connection. Then things started to shift again when Ollie got scared and another character got in their way. This was the first thing that didn't work for me. I did not understand why Ollie made certain choices, and this other person was awful. What motivated them to do this? Why was this other person so shallow? Why did they care about no one but themselves? I needed more development and explanation in this area. (My apologies for vagueness or any confusion, I've done my best not to spoil anything). I felt the After part wasn't as strong as Before. The main characters were now adults and they finally crossed paths and got their second chance. My issue was that so much time had passed and with certain character actions and decisions, it was harder to believe that those two were still so in love with each other. All in all, there were aspects of Chasing Fireflies that I loved, and others that didn't quite work. You might love it entirely, so check it out if you enjoy small town romance or the friends-to-lovers trope.