Rick Gullotti lives the good life. He fights fires, dates beautiful women - though none long enough so she casts wistful glances at jewelry stores - and has great friends. And thanks to helping out the elderly couple who own his building, his rent is low. But when concerns about their health lead him to contact their only son, his life starts getting away from him.

 

Jessica Broussard has no interest in leaving sunny San Diego or her cushy corner office for Boston, but her father - who happens to be her boss - dispatches her to deal with the grandparents she's never met. She's unprepared for the frigid winter, loving relatives who aren't the monsters she's been led to believe, and the hot, scruffy firefighter who lives upstairs.

 

At first Jessica is determined to get back to her comfortable life as quickly as possible. All she has to do is talk her grandparents into selling their monstrosity of a house and moving to a retirement community. But she underestimates Rick's dedication - and his considerable charm. Nobody's taking advantage of his friends on his watch, even if that makes the tempting Southern California girl with the long legs his adversary. Unfortunately for them both, the only thing more urgent than the matter at hand is their sizzling chemistry, and it's quickly becoming too strong to resist.

 

 

 

Sexy Yummy Firefighters!!

 

Controlled Burn is book two in the Boston Fire series by Shannon Stacey and narrated by Tatiana Sokolov. 

 

I relished this audiobook. It’s a sweet light-hearted romance with almost no drama. This novel worked for me on so many levels. It’s easy and fun, but I really liked was the mature romance in that our leads are in their late 30’s early 40’s. 

 

Jessica is a VP of Financial Services at her father’s company. She’s never meet her grandparents on her fathers side. For some reason her father cut them out of his life and hers. After receiving a call from her grandfathers doctor she decides to go meet them and help them out, but her plans and life soon change once she meets them and their tenant Rick.

 

Rick is our sexy firefighter and such a sweet man. He’s taken such good care of the Brussard’s that he’s pretty much family. The son they never had. He looks out for them and makes sure their property is taken care of. 

 

I adored Rick and Jessica. They are likable, relatable, realistic, kind and down to earth. You can tell at the beginning that they don’t trust each others motives, but as time moves along they see that both want what’s best for the elderly couple. 

 

As for the romance. It’s a nice sweet build up with lots of sexual tension, flirting, and stolen kisses. They both fight this attraction and they keep thinking how can this work when they live miles away.

 

The only complaint I have is the end. It just ends and left me with some question’s. 

 

Narration: Tatiana Sokolov did a superb job in her narration. All the voices where distinctive and she brought out the romance and realistic life of our characters.

 

Controlled Burn was a feel good romance. I can’t wait to listen on in the Boston Fire series. 

 

Rated: 4 Stars

 

Was this review helpful? If so, please consider liking it on Goodreads (Angela)!

 

Challenge(s):

 

• 2019 Backlist Reader
• 2019 Audiobook
• 2019 Library Love

 

 

 
 


 

 

Angela 

I was born and raised in Northern Indiana. I’m an outdoor sun loving reader living near San Fransisco. I’m a mother, wife, dog owner, animal, and book lover. I’m the owner, reviewer, and mind behind Angel’s Guilty Pleasures. My favorite animals are horses & dogs. As for reading I love all things paranormal & urban fantasy. My favorite shifters are dragons!

 

 

 

Lydia Kincaid left Boston to get away from the firefighting community; but family is number one, and her father needs her help running the pub he bought when he retired. Soon Lydia finds it hard to resist the familiar comfort and routine and even harder to resist her brother's handsome friend, Aidan.

 

Aidan Hunt is a firefighter because of the Kincaid family. He's had the hots for Lydia for years, but if ever a woman was off-limits to him, it's her. She's his mentor's daughter. His best friend's sister. The ex-wife of a fellow firefighter. But his plan to play it cool fails, and soon he and Lydia have crossed a line they can't uncross.

 

As flirtation turns into something more serious, Lydia knows she should be planning her escape. Being a firefighter's wife was the hardest thing she's ever done, and she doesn't know if she has the strength to do it again. Aidan can't imagine walking away from Boston Fire; the job and the brotherhood are his life. But if he wants Lydia in it, he'll have to decide who's first in his heart.

 

 

 

Heat Exchange is book one in the Boston Fire series by Shannon Stacey.

 

 

I’ve seen some excellent review’s for this series that have made me want to check it out; besides that just look at that cover. Who doesn’t want a sexy hot firefighter.

 

This was my first taste of Shannon Stacey. It was a nice start. I enjoyed the premise and the heat.

 

Lydia know’s what life entails as a fireman’s wife. She doesn’t want that again. I can see her perspective, but I felt she shouldn’t close herself off; because not all are like her ex-husband. After her divorce she escapes town for a few year’s, but comes home when her sister, Ashley calls, needing her support and help. Now, she’s back where she didn’t want to be and falling for her little brother’s best friend.

 

 

Aiden he’s a hard worker, sweet, caring, sexy, and best friends with Lydia’s brother, Scotty. He shouldn’t be falling for his best friends sister; however he wants to take the risk and see what happens.

 

 

I had fun with Heat Exchange. I really liked Aiden. He was sweet, kind, and willing to put himself out there. He helps Lydia get over the past and move on. Lydia I liked, but at times I got frustrated with her. I can’t put my finger on what, but she did have her moments. Their romance was genuine and earnest. Which I really liked. The author also added great emotional growth and passion. It was honest and relatable.

 

 

Stacey has created genuinely likable and relatable characters in her Boston Fire series. I enjoyed all the Boston Firemen introduced along with all the other characters.

 

 

We are treated to a little side story as well featuring Ashley and her husband Danny in their separation and struggle. Besides that Ashely brings a little honesty to Lydia that she doesn’t want to hear, but needs.

 

 

Heat Exchange was enjoyable and I’m looking forward to continuing the series.

 

Narrator: This is my first taste of Tatiana Sokolov as a narrator. I enjoyed her voices and how she added a little Boston accent to her characters. I had a good time listening and recommend the audio.

 

 

Rated: 3.5 Stars
Narration: 4 Stars

 

Was this review helpful? If so, please consider liking it on Goodreads (Angela)!

 

Challenge(s):

 

• 2019 Audiobook Challenge
• 2019 Library Love
• 2019 Backlist Reader

 

 

 

 

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

I just loved this book! I have had this book for years but failed to take the time to read it until now and I must that I am a little mad at myself for not picking it up sooner. Once I started reading this story, I was hooked and did not want to put it down and found myself reaching for it every chance I had. I am so glad that I finally decided to give this one a try.

Things have not been going great for Paige. She has lost her job, her apartment, and her boyfriend in short order. As a result, she was forced to move back in with her parents who now live in the small town of Mirabelle, Florida. It has not been an easy transition and she feels like most of the town is against her. Her vehicle breaks down after a horrible interview and the town's handsome mechanic comes to her rescue.

Brendan has lived in Mirabelle all of his life and knows how hard some of the residents can be on new residents like Paige. He hasn't had things easy in his life but he has a great support system including his grandparents, his sister, and a great group of friends. He decides to help Paige out just a bit and he also plans to spend a little more time getting to know her.

I really liked Paige and Brendan. I thought that both of these characters felt very real, like someone I wouldn't be surprised to meet. They were fun together and I loved the chemistry between the pair. This was a pretty low drama story for much of the book and I really enjoyed just spending time with these two as they fell in love. There is some excitement before the book is over but I must say that I liked the parts of the book that just focused on these two getting to know each other. Paige and Brendan were not perfect and they made some mistakes but I think that helped them to feel more authentic. The secondary characters were very well developed and I appreciated what they brought to the story.

I would recommend this book to fans of contemporary romance. I thought that this was a really well-done romance filled with wonderful characters and a lot of sparks. I would not hesitate to read more of this author's work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley.

Initial Thoughts
I just loved this book and I am kind of mad at myself for not reading it sooner. Paige and Brendan were fantastic characters and they were so good together. The bulk of the story is rather drama free and I really enjoyed stepping back and watching Paige and Brendan fall for each other. Some drama does show up before the story draws to a close but I had a pretty good feeling that these two would find their happily ever after at that point.