Showing posts with label first responders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label first responders. Show all posts

Early Book Review: Finding Mr. Right Next Door (Firefighters of Station 1) by Sarah Ballance

Finding Mr. Right Next Door is the second book in the Firefighters of Station 1 series by Sarah Ballance and currently scheduled for release on May 11 2020. You can read each book as a stand alone, but there a few spoilers if you read out of order.

For Lexi Dean, burning down her kitchen was disaster enough. Agreeing to move in next door with her totally off-limits best friend, Matt Freeman, until her house is livable again? They’ve always been close, but this is ridiculous. If she’s not bumping into him at the refrigerator, he’s at the front door giving her date the third degree. And slipping between his borrowed sheets? That’s about as distracting as listening to his shower run, because suddenly all she can think about is rivulets of water cascading down is spectacular body—the one he seems to be going out of his way to make sure she notices. Not that it matters. He can flaunt his firefighter abs around her all he wants. They already share everything—their jobs, their friends, their backyard, even their dog—and that means only one thing: Lexi is not going to risk losing any of it by dipping a single toe in the temptation that is Matt Freeman. Lexi may not know how to handle a fire extinguisher, but this is one fire that just might burn them both if they’re not careful.

Finding Mr. Right Next Door is a contemporary romance that I have mixed feelings about. I felt bad for Lexi on occasion, her friends seem to tease her constantly and self esteem and having an uncomfortable conversation seem beyond her. Matt is painted as almost too perfect, aside from his worries about losing Lexi's friendship. There are some funny moments, some heat, and lots of me shaking my head. I liked the secondary characters and thought some of the book was very well written. However, despite a few attempts at talking it out that were shot down and avoided, I was so annoyed with the fact that two people that had supposedly been best friends forever could not just sit down and talk. I get the fear of wrecking a friendship with a romantic relationship, but how can you even have a friendship if you are not willing to talk to each other?

Finding Mr. Right Next Door is a friends to more romance that will appeal to fans of the author and series.

Book Review: Face the Flames (Sugarland Blue) by Jo Davis

Face the Flames is the sixth book in the Sugarland Blue series by Jo Davis. I have not tread the previous books in the series, but was still able to fully enjoy the series. Those that have read the other books will likely get more out of the read just because of the prior knowledge about the characters that appear as secondary players in the story. 

A near-fatal accident left firefighter/paramedic Clay Montana with devastating injuries. Now, after a year-long recovery, Clay is focused on one thing: getting his body back to form, so he can return to the job he loves. And then a chance meeting with a fiery redhead changes his life.  Detective Melissa Ryan may be the new cop on the block, but she s no stranger to Sugarland. It is where she lived with her violent, criminal uncle a man she needs to see behind bars. But when she meets Clay at a crime scene, the down-but-far-from-out firefighter makes her rethink her priorities. Getting close to Clay is intoxicating, but Melissa must keep her wits about her if she s to protect them from a man with deadly intentions

Face the Flames is a small town, first responder romance. Clay is towards the end of his recovery after a serious accident that almost killed him and Melissa is a police office a little obsessed with busting the Uncle that runs a huge illegal moonshine operation. When they meet they instantly connect, and almost instantly start dating. I think the getting together was a little too easy, and while sometimes it really does work like that I felt like they never really talked about any issues or expectations they had about their relationship. They only focused on the external or danger related issues. I was a little bothered by a couple things- like how Clay's internal dialogue got all cave man when Melissa was hurt or in danger. She is an officer, it is going to happen- and pretty regularly, even though the circumstances at the time were a little out of the ordinary. I also got a a little frustrated with the lack of concern about Clay and his head injuries. I have known people that have been told to avoid alcohol and change jobs after receiving too many concussions- I would think that Clay would fall in that category by the end of the book. While I enjoyed the read, I was a little annoyed with how little the two discussed anything and how many twists put them in danger and the hospital. 

Face the Flames is a romance that seemed both too easy and too hard to me, but kept me happily reading and entertained for a summer weekend. I think fans of the series will consider this a must read, but those that want more character development might not want to start the series here.