This Is How It Starts

A devastating wildfire destroys a Colorado tourist town, forcing its residents to evacuate and leaving firefighter Carmen Alvarez to face both professional and personal challenges. As she works to protect her community, Carmen must navigate tensions with her ex-girlfriend who has returned to town and confront long-buried family secrets. The story traces Carmen's journey as she balances her duties as a firefighter with the complexities of rebuilding her life post-disaster. At the same time, relationships within the town shift and evolve as residents grapple with loss, change, and the possibility of renewal. The book tracks multiple timelines, moving between Carmen's present-day struggles and pivotal moments from her past that shaped her identity as a queer Latina firefighter in a small mountain community. Food, cooking, and the bonds of chosen family feature prominently throughout the narrative. Through themes of resilience, identity, and community, O'Neal examines how both natural and emotional disasters can reveal our truest selves and forge unexpected connections.

Readers call this a comforting romance focused on midlife second chances and overcoming grief. Many note that O'Neal handles anxiety and PTSD with sensitivity and realism. Readers highlighted: - The bakery setting and detailed food descriptions - Complex family dynamics and relationships - Character depth and authenticity - The mix of romance and heavier themes Common criticisms: - Some found the pace too slow in the first third - A few readers wanted more development of secondary characters - The ending felt rushed to some Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: 4.2/5 (1,200+ ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (1,100+ ratings) BookBub: 4.3/5 (800+ ratings) Notable reader quotes: "Captures the messy reality of rebuilding a life after loss" - Goodreads reviewer "The baking scenes made me feel like I was right there in the kitchen" - Amazon review "Would have liked more resolution with the family subplot" - BookBub review

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🌟 Author Barbara O'Neal has won seven RITA awards from the Romance Writers of America, making her one of the most decorated authors in the organization's history 🌟 The book explores the culinary world and food writing, drawing from O'Neal's own background as a trained chef and food writer 🌟 Like the protagonist in This Is How It Starts, many professional chefs work an average of 12-14 hour days, often standing for most of their shifts 🌟 Barbara O'Neal also writes under the pen names Barbara Samuel and Ruth Wind, with over 60 published works across these names 🌟 This novel is part of a growing genre called "culinary fiction" or "foodie fiction," which has seen a 25% increase in popularity since 2010