Quick Summary: A dark mafia, second chance romance

My Review: Through Any Fire by Katherine Carter is book #1 in the Any X series. It is categorized as "A Second Chance Marriage of Convenience" romance. The book is scheduled for release on 7/28/25.

About the Book: "Life doesn’t always work out the way you want it to.

I would’ve fallen arms wide open and headfirst into his raging storm. It didn’t matter that we were teenagers, that he was the heir to the rival Keane family, or that I was arguably too young to know he was the love of my life.

. . . until that fateful night."

In My Own Words: A morally gray anti-hero falls deeply in love with a woman from a rival family. She, too, loses her heart to him. Years after a seeming betrayal, a cruel twist of fate brings the two star-crossed lovers back together.

About the Characters:

- The Keane clan was intriguing. I wanted to unravel all of the brothers, as well as some of the staff.

- Loren, Mason, and their whole backstory got my attention. I want to know more.

- Rosy and her family ties - I want to understand how that all plays out. When she decided to take action, as well as when she chose to remain silent, it all came across bigger than what was obvious.

- The Thorns...hmm... There is more to that story, for sure!

- Who is Loren's best friend, really?

- Tinley????????????? Her relationship with the Keane's, her relationship with Mason, and her link to all of the above has me baffled.

- Jude and Jenna were adorable. I liked the opposites vibe they gave off. Jude is one to watch, though. Is there more to him than meets the eye?

About the Second Chance Love: Cal and Ren's love story was tragic and beautiful. It was brutal to watch at times, especially when looking from the past to the present. They had both loved, lost, and sacrificed so much. The intensity of their feelings and the soul-deep emotion was next level.

What Left Me Curious: One particular flashback kept nagging at me. The crashed car and the identified accident victims were peculiar. Theirs was an interesting placement in the story.

What I Loved:

- I loved the strength of both leads. They were so different, yet they were also so similar in a lot of ways. Their lightness matched, but their darkness did as well.

- I loved the dangling threads that were left for the readers to find. While this story resolved, there was obviously more that could come. In fact, there were so many different directions that could be taken for the next installment in the series.

- I loved the wordplay associated with the up and coming, unknown rival group. The monikers were telling. The darkness hidden in the light gave off the evil disguised as good vibe.

- I loved that Loren was a layered character with different facets to her personality. She was Loren, Bunny, and Ren all rolled up into one. Additionally, she was her father's daughter, her sibling's caregiver and guardian. She was also a wife, a partner, a friend, and... She was not weak by any means - on any level.

My Final Say: Through the Fire had my mind reeling. There were so many twists and turns. I was glued to the pages the entire time. I loved it! I look forward to continuing with this series.

Other: Readers who like the following tropes should enjoy this book.

Tropes - >

- Mafia

- Second chance at love

- Fake Relationship

- Marriage of Convenience

- Dark Romance

- Anti-hero Heroes


Other Author/Publisher Recognized Tropes - >

+ childhood rivals turned lovers turned strangers

+ forced proximity

+ "my wife"

+ reformed playboy

+ old betrayals

+ new secrets

+ lost letter

+ headstrong FMC

All potential readers should refer to the author/publisher notes, regarding triggering content. This book is intended for mature audiences only.

Rating: 4.5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Re-read: Yes
Keeper: Yes
Status/Level:⭐️❤️🌶️
Triggers: Yes
Series: Yes
Note: I cannot wait to listen to this as an audiobook. I know it will be amazing!

Appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher, and to NetGalley. Thank you for granting access to a digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest critique. The expressed words and opinions are my own; they have been voluntarily submitted. I am grateful for the opportunity. I genuinely look forward to becoming better acquainted with this series.

**ARC READER REVIEW**

⭐ Rating: ★★★★☆ (4 stars)
📅 Release Date: July 28, 2025

Before I even get into how I felt about this book, can we just take a moment to appreciate how stunning the cover is? Seriously, it might be one of my favorite book covers ever.

Now onto the story: I loved this book. It's an arranged marriage, second chance, lovers-to-strangers kind of romance. Basically my dream trope combination! Both main characters were well-developed, and the mystery throughout the plot added another layer that kept me hooked. I felt the author did a great job balancing drama and emotional dilemmas without it feeling repetitive or overdone. I was fully invested in their story.

That said, I did find myself losing a bit of interest toward the end due to a change in pacing. I think this is more of a personal preference than a flaw, though others might really enjoy the slower wrap-up after the climax.

Overall, this was an emotional, and beautifully written romance that fans of angst and second chances will absolutely devour. Definitely one i would recommend you add to your TBR!