Framed By Fire

by Bertie Stein

She came home seeking peace. She found danger, secrets—and the man she never stopped loving.

When investigative journalist Meghan Collins returns to the quiet coastal town of Seashore Cove, she never expected to be swept into a firestorm of deceit. A beloved historic pier is reduced to ash—and the new interim fire chief, Cody Mitchell, is named the prime suspect.

Cody once broke her heart. Now he’s fighting for his career, his reputation, and maybe even his life.

Determined to clear his name, Meghan digs deeper—and uncovers corruption that reaches the highest levels of town leadership. When her own father becomes a key suspect and two townspeople go missing, the story turns personal—and deadly.

As Meghan and Cody search for the truth, old wounds resurface, sparks reignite, and faith is tested. But the closer they get to exposing the truth, the more dangerous it becomes…

Can they stop an arsonist before the flames consume everything—including their second chance at love?

Perfect for fans of clean romantic suspense, Framed by Fire blends small-town mystery, heart-pounding intrigue, and a sweet slow-burn romance you won’t forget.

Genres: Romance

258 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2025

Reviews

[PAMELA ANN READS BOOKS · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝑭𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒔𝒆-𝒑𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝑩𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕!!! 😀😀😀

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐. 𝑺𝒆𝒕 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒑 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓! 𝑰 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒆𝒎𝒎𝒂 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒋𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂 𝒇𝒖𝒏 𝒕𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒕! 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕-𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒘𝒐𝒐𝒏𝒚 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒎 𝒆𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔!! 😘😘😘😘

[Anne Wondra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cody and Meghan reconnect after ten years apart. Competitor classmates in high school, they knew each other before life took them to different places. There's an attraction, but timing is wrong when a fire breaks out and temporary interim fire chief Cody is suspected of setting it. Meghan, a tenacious former investigative journalist works with Cody to clear his name. Good mystery, a bit of suspense, and an interesting read as these two find whodunit and grow closer through this. Some light Christian culture references toward the end (asking another to pray with them, wearing a grandmother's cross necklace).

[Katie Meyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Framed By Fire by Bertie Stein is a compelling blend of romantic suspense, small town mystery, and second chance romance that keeps readers engaged from the very beginning. Set in the coastal town of Seashore Cove, the story combines emotional history with a fast moving investigation that quickly escalates into a high stakes search for truth.

One of the novel’s strongest elements is its central relationship between Meghan Collins and Cody Mitchell. Their shared past adds emotional weight to the present-day tension, creating a layered dynamic built on unresolved feelings, trust issues, and lingering heartbreak. As the story unfolds, their connection gradually reopens, giving the romance a believable and emotionally satisfying arc.

The mystery at the heart of the story is equally engaging. The destruction of a historic pier sets off a chain of events that uncovers corruption, hidden motives, and escalating danger within the community. The investigation feels grounded in the setting, with each new revelation raising the stakes for both the characters and the town itself.

What makes the book especially effective is its balance between emotional storytelling and suspenseful pacing. The personal stakes for Meghan especially as the investigation draws her family into suspicion add depth and urgency to her pursuit of the truth. This intertwining of professional duty and personal conflict strengthens the narrative throughout.

The small-town atmosphere is well developed, adding a sense of intimacy and tension that enhances both the mystery and the romance. As secrets are uncovered and danger increases, the story maintains a steady sense of momentum leading toward a satisfying and emotionally charged conclusion.

[Bertie Stein]

I am excited so many of you are enjoying my new series, 𝑺𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒗𝒆.

Christian Mystery & Suspense is a new genre for me and I'm really loving it. In this new series I introduce Meghan and Cody who came close to being a couple in high school and now ten years later they both return to Seashore Cove and soon realize there may still be chemistry between them.

The main focus however, is not the romance but instead is the mystery of who set the Seashore Cove historical pier on fire. Cody is being framed and Meghan is determined to clear his name. Will her motivation and loyalty to Cody change when she discovers a family member may be involved? No spoilers, come over to Amazon to grab your copy and find out: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FFVDBW7J.

While there, please check out the blurb for book 2, it only gets better!

[Judi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good story, well written and edited. The characters were likeable and well fleshed out. Not too sweet but clean. I am curious as I thought this was a Christian author and there was nothing about it to indicate any faith. They were honorable, moral people but not particularly Christian. Meghan fidgeted with her grandmother's cross, and they said a prayer when facing danger, but I felt like those were foxhole prayers. If you are looking for an easy read this could be it.

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a fire destroys the pier of Seashore Cove, Meghan puts her background in investigative reporting to use. Interim fire chief Cody Mitchell is being framed for something he didn’t do. Meghan and Cody work together to get to the bottom of the mystery. This was a story with a good mix of romance, mystery and suspense that kept me turning the pages!

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. Loved the two main characters and the book had a great plot. It leaned towards being Christian fiction a bit, but did have one curse word, and slight spoiler....the couple moved in together and there was no indication they were getting married.
It was clean though, with the exception of the one curse word, and no sex or mention of it

[Tami Willard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can be read as a standalone but is the first book of the series. Characters may overlap.
References to faith and praying like it's known but not a normal part of their recent lives, rekindling?
Interim fire chief
Continuing her grandma's legacy
High school crush
Corruption within local leaders
Organized crime locally only or far reaching

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this series.
Predictable storyline, you know boy meets girl. The stories flowed like the whipped cream on my coffee and sting in the prose was the bite over the over roasted beans.
I really recommend these books for a bedtime relax before lights out.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

This is a new to me author. It was great second chance story, clean romance. A fast pace story that made you want to not put the book down.

[K G Wakeley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Framed by Fire



A fabulous story of lost love and misunderstanding amidst fire and betrayal. A great start to a fab series. A great storyline with believable characters x

[Barbara Lehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story

This story has suspence, some danger and a Mystery Keeping you turning the pages and to see what happens next until the last chapter and how the people all came together