Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Sizzling Seduction (Hightower Honors #4) by Gwyneth Bolton
Contemporary romance released by Kimani Romance 01 Oct 09

I play fairly fast and loose when it comes to picking out category romance titles to read.  I’m always willing to try a new-to-me author, and I tend to blindly choose books based on the back cover copy.  It’s really no surprise I picked up Bolton’s latest.  Hunky firefighter hero?  Single mom school teacher heroine?  Seriously, it’s got Wendy written all over it.  Unfortunately it stumbled a bit in execution.

With his three younger brothers happily married, one would think Patrick Hightower would be jealous of their bliss.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  He’s happy for them, but not so happy that he’s ready to take trip number two down the aisle.  He caught his first wife in bed with another man, and the divorce practically ripped his heart out.  No thank you.  He has learned his lesson.  That is until Aisha Miller shows up at his fire house with her kindergarten class ready for a tour.  He takes one look at the sexy single mom and he’s sunk.  Hook, line, sinker, wham-o!  Now all he has to do is convince the gun-shy Aisha to go out on one measly date with him.

Aisha has an incredibly horrible track record with men.  Her father is an emotionally abusive asshole, and then she got married at a very young age to her emotionally abusive ex-husband.  She ultimately divorced her husband, finished her college degree in education, and is making a home in a small apartment with her ten year old son Dillon.  The last thing she wants or needs in her life is another man.  But dang, that sexy Patrick Hightower is nothing if not persistent.

I wish Harlequin would do a better job of spotlighting series books in their Kimani Romance line.  A sub-title or cute little graphic on the front cover would make me one happy girl.  This is the fourth book in the author’s series about the Hightower brothers, and while it stands alone fairly well, there is a fair amount of info-dumping early on in the book.  It didn’t always make for a smooth read, and it wasn’t until after the first few chapters that I really started to settle into the story.

The conflict from the standpoint of Aisha’s past makes for the most compelling reading.  It’s hard not to admire a woman so determined to finally break out of the cycle of abuse that has plagued her all her life.  She wants better for herself, and her son, and I could easily understand why she didn’t fall all over herself accepting a date from Patrick – hunky firefighter or not.  What didn’t work nearly as well was the conflict surrounding Patrick.  His crazy, cheating ex-wife is trying to lure him back into her bed, and she’s being egged on by his vile Aunt Sophie who has some long-standing vendetta against his mother.  I’ll be honest, I found Aunt Sophie to be a huge, pointless distraction.  Especially since the conflict surrounding Aisha was much more compelling.

All this being said, I suspect that fans of this series will happily be gobbling up this installment – especially since they very likely got tantalizing glimpses of Patrick in the earlier books.  Also, they’ll probably be more tolerant of Aunt Sophie, who from what I can gather, was a source of conflict in the previous stories as well.  However as a newcomer to the series, I couldn’t help but wish the author had spent more time on Patrick, Aisha, their growing attraction, and Aisha’s past – kicking the Hightower family drama to the curb.

Grade: C

Summary:
Firefighter Patrick Hightower will take any risk in the line of duty. Risking his heart again? That’s something he’s vowed never to do. He prefers scorching affairs—the briefer, the better—though he might make a temporary exception for smart, sexy teacher Aisha Miller. But Aisha isn’t interested in exploring their instant, searing connection-no matter how much she feels the heat.

Aisha has had enough of dominant men trying to control her life, and the gorgeous firefighter who visits her kindergarten class is alpha male through and through. Yet the gentler side Patrick shows, especially around her young son, gradually melts her reserve. As shadows from Aisha’s past resurface, she’ll discover just how far Patrick will go to prove she’s found her real-life hero.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: