Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Early Review of Hot for Fireman (The Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel #2) by Jennifer Bernard



And another one bites the dust...

"I suppose I could use a hand"...Katie knew it was a mistake as soon as the words left her mouth. A whole night of working side by side with a man with such devastating good looks, the kind of looks that belonged on a movie screen where they could remain a fantasy, would lead to nothing but trouble.

Katie Dane had been asked by her parents to watch the Hair of the Dog, her family's pub. Her dad had suffered a stress-induced heart attack and was attempting to take it easy by going on an extended vacation. Shortly after taking over the care of the bar, she understood why her father's life had been so stressful. She was having a tough time trying to break even and pay the bills that kept rolling in every week. Desperate for escape from the family money pit, she comes up with a plan, albeit a bad one, to burn the place down and cash in on the insurance policy.

Ryan Blake, a former San Gabriel fireman, had gone on an extended leave of absence a year and a half ago after an incident in which he didn't follow the department protocol. The incident had nearly cost a woman her life and had almost ended Ryan's career. If Ryan hadn't rushed out alone to take the call, things would have ended differently. Prior to that he'd been the department's wunderkind, one of the department's youngest and most successful firefighters beginning his career at the age of 19. He'd been deemed a natural. After taking time to reflect upon what happened and wrap his head around it, he was finally back in San Gabriel looking to get his job back.

When Ryan walked into the Hair of the Dog, he wasn't looking for a job, and Katie wasn't looking to hire. Sometimes things just have a way of happening.

This was such a fun story. I was laughing, shaking my head, and grinning from ear to ear. This is a very lighthearted read. If you're looking for a little pick me up, then you might want to pick up this book.

Katie is a straightforward type of person who speaks her mind. She also has a soft spot for her family and can't seem to tell her parents she really doesn't like nor wish to take over the pub for them. At times I wanted to figuratively knock some sense into her, like when she devised her scheme to set the bar on fire. I guess her mother never told her not to play with fire?

Ryan was a great character. Loyal and big-hearted, he just kind of steals your heart as the story progresses. His plan to help the bar was my favorite. Just a hint--it involves fireman and not much else. *grin* Oh, and it   involved a bachelorette party.

I loved the way the relationship between Ryan and Katie mimicked the four stages of a fire. It started slow with an incipient attraction--there wasn't much to detect just a little heat. Then things started to smoulder between them. Eventually, the relationship became flammable with visible flames. Finally, heat erupted between the two as they became engulfed in their feelings. All right, there was a point at the beginning that saw a spike in heat, but isn't that still consistent with a fire? When you light a fire with a match, for instance, there is that initial flame you get from the chemical reaction sparked on the match head. Hmmm...could the author have done this on purpose??? I wonder. On, the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one gets a STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed.

Where did the series get it's name? I believe from the following:
"According to firehouse legend, Virgil Rush, a volunteer fireman from the 1850's, had been heartbroken when Constancia B. Sidwell, his mail order bride, had run off with a robber on her way West. The other firemen, always quick to tease, tormented him so much he laid a curse on the town vowing that the firemen of San Gabriel would have as much trouble finding love as he had. Ever since then, the firehouse had possessed an unusually high number of bachelors."

Song that played in my head while reading this one--'Light My Fire' by the Doors. lol It should be noted there were many songs referred to in this one. The author could probably create a playlist for it if she hasn't already.

Overall, I gave this one 4 out of 5 roses. It was a lighthearted, smile earning, and a laugh evoking read. I only wish I was able to get my hands on the first book of the series before reading it.

Notes to keep you in the know:
According to http://safetyguide.web.cern.ch/SafetyGuide/Part3/38.0Fire.html - A fire develops typically in four stages, and fire detectors are designed to detect some characteristic effect of one or more of these stages:
- Incipient stage. No visible smoke, no flame and very little heat. A significant amount of invisible (but -sometimes smellable) combustion particles may be created. This stage usually develops slowly.
- Smouldering stage. Smoke, but no flame and little heat.
- Flame stage. Visible flame, more heat, often less or no smoke, particularly with flammable liquids and gas fires.
- Heat stage. Large amounts of heat, flame, smoke and toxic gases are produced. The transition from the previous stage can be very fast.

Order of Series:

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