Scorched by Jennifer L. Armentrout

What starts as a fun enemies-to-lovers romance full of years of banter, flirtation, and cabin chemistry eventually evolves into something much deeper. It’s an exploration of depression, anxiety, healing, and learning that love can’t save you until you’re ready to save yourself.

What’s it About?

Sometimes life leaves a mark. Most days, Andrea doesn’t know whether she wants to kiss Tanner or punch him in the gut. He is seriously hot, with legit bedroom eyes and that firefighter body of his, but he’s a major player, and they can’t get along for more than a handful of minutes. Until now. Tanner knows he and Andrea have had an epic love/hate relationship for as long as he can remember, but he wants more love than hate from her. He wants her. Now. Tomorrow. But the more he gets to know her, the more it becomes obvious that Andrea has a problem. She’s teetering on the edge, and every time he tries to catch her, she slips through his fingers. Andrea’s life is spiraling out of control, and it doesn’t matter that Tanner wants to save her, because when everything falls apart and she’s speeding toward rock bottom, only she can save herself. Sometimes life makes you work for that happily ever after…

First Impressions

Alright, confession time. I’m about to commit a major faux pas by reviewing the second book in a series before the first. Why? Because I’m nothing if not seasonally committed. Frigid, the first novel in this series, takes place during the dead of winter amidst a massive snowstorm. To me, that’s the kind of book practically begging to be read while bundled beneath a blanket with a mug of hot chocolate in hand. Scorched, on the other hand, unfolds during those final fleeting weeks of summer, making it feel like the perfect farewell to long afternoons by the pool and weekends spent escaping to the mountains. Besides, these books function wonderfully as stand-alones. Yes, the couple from the first novel, Syd and Kyler, make several appearances here. In fact, they’re the ones responsible for bringing our new leading pair together by inviting them on one last cabin getaway before summer officially comes to an end. But this is very much Andrea and Tanner’s story, and you never feel as though you’ve stumbled into the middle of someone else’s happily ever after.

Where Syd and Kyler’s romance revolved around longtime friends finally admitting there was something more between them, Andrea and Tanner take us down one of my favorite roads in all of Romancelandia: enemies-to-lovers. And not the kind where they genuinely despise one another. No, this is the far more entertaining variety where years of witty banter, sarcastic jabs, and mutual irritation have everyone around them wondering whether they should kiss already or continue pretending they can’t stand each other. The chemistry has always been there. The problem is that so have the misconceptions. Andrea has spent years convinced Tanner is little more than an arrogant firefighter with a revolving door of women following behind him. Tanner, meanwhile, has always viewed Andrea as the wealthy princess who never had to struggle for anything in life. Their verbal sparring becomes something of a competitive sport, with each trying to land the sharper insult before the other can fire back. Of course, like all great enemies-to-lovers romances, those arguments occasionally reveal far more than either of them intends.

From Misconceptions to Much More

For Andrea, much of her resentment stems from the fact that she actually met Tanner years before he believes they ever crossed paths. The two shared college classes together, and one unforgettable encounter involved Andrea walking in on Tanner enthusiastically hooking up with her roommate. The fact that he remembers neither the classes nor the roommate remains a slight she’s never quite forgiven. Meanwhile, Tanner’s harshest criticisms often center on Andrea’s drinking habits. While she insists she’s simply having fun, those closest to her have begun noticing she rarely knows when to stop after one drink. It’s a point of contention that repeatedly surfaces during their arguments, sometimes with surprising cruelty.

And yes, there were more than a few moments where my own jaw hit the floor because Tanner’s observations, while often rooted in uncomfortable truths, could be downright brutal in their delivery. Everything changes, however, after one particularly emotional evening when Tanner stops by Andrea’s house intending to apologize, only to find her intoxicated and unexpectedly vulnerable. During their conversation she confesses something neither of them ever saw coming. She’s had a crush on him for years. Suddenly, the woman he’d spent so much time arguing with begins looking very different through his eyes. So when Syd and Kyler invite both of them to spend a week together at a secluded cabin in West Virginia before summer slips away, Tanner sees the trip as the perfect opportunity to replace years of sarcastic banter with something a little more flirtatious. What neither of them realizes is that while the cabin may become the birthplace of their romance, it also forces long-buried truths to finally rise to the surface.

Cabin Fever Never Looked So Good

If there was ever a place destined to change the trajectory of Andrea and Tanner’s relationship, it was this cabin in the mountains of West Virginia. What begins as one last summer getaway with friends quickly turns into the backdrop for years of unresolved tension finally giving way to something far more honest. Thankfully, Syd and Kyler prove to be the world’s greatest accidental wingmen. Although the trip is supposed to be a group vacation, the happy couple somehow manages to disappear at all the right moments. Between leisurely hikes and overnight camping excursions, they practically hand Andrea and Tanner every opportunity they need to stop arguing long enough to realize there might actually be something worth exploring between them. And surprisingly, when that finally happens, it isn’t nearly as explosive as all their years of bickering might have led me to believe. It was…sweet. After all of Tanner’s shameless flirting and Andrea’s quick-witted comebacks, I expected sparks to fly in a very different way. Instead, Jennifer L. Armentrout gives us something much quieter and, honestly, much more romantic.

The flirtation takes a backseat, the walls come down, and the conversations become genuine. For the first time, Andrea and Tanner stop focusing on the assumptions they’ve built about one another over the years and actually begin seeing the people standing in front of them. One of my favorite aspects of their relationship was watching Andrea discover that physical intimacy didn’t have to be performative. In previous relationships she’d often gone through the motions, doing what she believed her partners wanted rather than feeling comfortable expressing what she enjoyed. With Tanner, there’s an entirely different level of trust. He makes it abundantly clear that nothing has to happen before she’s ready, and just as importantly, he wants to know what makes her comfortable instead of simply assuming. It’s a surprisingly refreshing dynamic. Likewise, Andrea slowly begins realizing that Tanner isn’t the relentless player she’s spent years convincing herself he is. Beneath all the flirting is someone remarkably patient, thoughtful, and emotionally intuitive. The more time they spend together, the more obvious it becomes that perhaps neither of them has ever really understood the other.

Beneath the Surface

As much as I enjoyed watching Andrea and Tanner finally find common ground, Scorched ultimately reveals itself to be about something much larger than romance. The cabin doesn’t simply become the place where their relationship begins. It’s where Andrea’s carefully constructed façade finally starts to crack. Up until this point, Tanner has always viewed Andrea’s drinking as her biggest problem. Considering his own complicated childhood, it’s easy to understand why. His father was a corrupt police officer whose alcoholism left a lasting mark on Tanner’s understanding of addiction, responsibility, and the damage alcohol can inflict on families. Watching Andrea repeatedly lose herself in drinking forces Tanner into an uncomfortable internal conflict. How can he build a future with someone whose behavior sometimes reminds him of the very person he spent his life trying not to become? It’s an incredibly nuanced dilemma because Tanner isn’t judging Andrea out of simple self-righteousness. His fears are deeply personal, shaped by experiences that continue influencing how he views relationships long into adulthood. At the same time, the novel gently reminds us that addiction and mental health are rarely as straightforward as they appear from the outside. As Tanner spends more time with Andrea, he begins noticing that alcohol isn’t really the problem. It’s the symptom. Hidden beneath the drinking are years of depression, anxiety, crushing self-doubt, and unhealthy coping mechanisms that extend beyond alcohol alone. Whether through drinking or seeking validation in unhealthy relationships, Andrea has spent years trying to silence emotions she never truly learned how to confront. And once those layers begin peeling away, the entire novel shifts.

Saving Yourself First

This is the point where the novel surprised me most. Had the author wanted to, she easily could have turned this into a story where Tanner’s love magically fixes everything. Thankfully, she doesn’t. Instead, Andrea’s healing becomes exactly what it should be. Her own. As Andrea’s emotional struggles intensify following the cabin trip, the romance almost intentionally fades into the background. Tanner is still there remaining supportive, patient, and hopeful for a future together. But he isn’t positioned as the solution to Andrea’s problems, nor should he be. Andrea eventually comes to understand that she can’t begin building a healthy relationship with someone else until she first begins repairing the relationship she has with herself. That realization gives the novel an emotional maturity I genuinely appreciated. There are moments throughout the latter half of this book that are difficult to read because it never sensationalizes Andrea’s depression or anxiety. Instead, the author approaches them with compassion and honesty, acknowledging both how isolating these experiences can feel and how much courage it takes to ask for help. By the time Andrea reaches rock bottom, the romance almost feels secondary. This has become her story. Her recovery. Her decision to seek help because she deserves a better life, not because winning Tanner somehow depends on it. I found that distinction incredibly important, and honestly rather refreshing within the romance genre.

Love at Second Sight

One question I noticed appearing repeatedly while browsing other readers’ reviews was whether Tanner and Andrea’s love story ultimately felt believable. It’s an interesting question, and one I found myself wrestling with after finishing the novel. Here’s where I landed. I absolutely believed in their connection. Emotionally, physically, and intellectually, these two complement one another far more than either initially realizes. Once the sarcasm subsides, they’re able to have vulnerable conversations about painful moments from their pasts and share parts of themselves they’ve kept hidden from almost everyone else. That foundation feels authentic. Love, however? I’m not entirely convinced they arrived there quite yet. These are two people who spent years convincing themselves they couldn’t stand one another, only to dramatically change course over the span of several days. Do I believe they were falling in love? Without question. Do I believe they had already reached that destination by the final chapter? Not quite. In some ways, I almost wish the author had allowed them to simply acknowledge that they wanted to genuinely pursue a relationship together rather than declaring their love outright. It would have felt like a beautifully hopeful beginning rather than insisting they’d already crossed the finish line. Ironically, that’s less of a criticism than it probably sounds. Because give these two another year, and I’d believe every single word of those “I love yous.” The foundation is absolutely there, but they simply needed a little more time to finish building the house.

Series: Frigid, book 2. Although Scorched absolutely works as a stand-alone, I’d actually recommend making a weekend out of it and reading both books back-to-back during your next cabin retreat. Between the two novels, you’ve got the perfect excuse to unplug for a few days, breathe in some mountain air, and lose yourself in two romances that complement each other remarkably well. While Frigid leans more toward the lighter side of New Adult romance with its longtime friends-to-lovers storyline, Scorched digs a little deeper emotionally. It still delivers plenty of flirtation and romantic tension, but it also isn’t afraid to tackle more difficult conversations surrounding mental health, unhealthy coping mechanisms, and what genuine healing can look like. The books may feature different couples, but they feel like two halves of the same experience.

Would I befriend the heroine? Andrea might have some personal issues she’s working through, but it also sounds like she goes out of her way to help others, whether it’s volunteering at her local hospital, or for a suicide helpline. While we couldn’t necessarily indulge in a happy hour together, maybe she’d be up for some comfort TV viewing with a charcuterie board.

Would I date the hero? Although we really only scratched the surface of who Tanner is as a person, what’s clear is that he’s patient, understanding, and willing to be there at the ready when it matters most. I might take him for a spin.

Final Impressions: Scorched begins as exactly the kind of enemies-to-lovers romance I can’t resist. Years of sarcastic banter, a cabin in the woods forcing two stubborn people into close proximity, and a firefighter with bedroom eyes who enjoys pushing every one of the heroine’s buttons? But somewhere along the way, the novel quietly transforms into something much more introspective. While Andrea and Tanner’s romance remains the heartbeat of the story, the author never loses sight of the fact that some of life’s greatest battles happen internally. Andrea’s struggle with depression, anxiety, and unhealthy coping mechanisms ultimately becomes just as important as her relationship with Tanner, and I appreciated that the novel refused to suggest love alone could magically solve those problems. Instead, it reminds us that healing often begins with making the difficult decision to save ourselves first. At its core, Scorched is a thoughtful, emotionally honest romance that proves enemies-to-lovers stories can deliver just as much heart as they do witty banter.

Smut Level: Before things become emotionally heavy with Andrea hitting rock bottom, we do get a few steamy moments between her and Tanner at the cabin, including a particularly sinful scene in the pool together. Let’s just say that neither of them was fully able to cool off in that environment.

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $4.99 Kindle Price. Self-Published. 292 Pages.