Dinca’s review of Flashpoint by Jill Shalvis
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Blaze 1 Jul 08

Jill Shalvis defiantly lights a fire with this one. The sparks are flying from page one. I can’t believe the hammock the hero is lazing in doesn’t go up in flames when the heroine’s gaze lusted upon him. Talk about hot stuff.

The story is about Brooke O’Brian, who takes a temp job as an EMT with the Santa Rey Fire Department where Zack Thomas also works as a firefighter. The camaraderie and friendship are strong. The place runs like a winning team with all the players functioning at their best during an emergency call. But around the firehouse it’s more like an elementary school yard. They even give Brooke a nickname and refuse to call her anything else except ‘New Hire’.

Brooke has inherited a house from her grandmother she had never met.  Her six-week temp job allows her the time to pack it all up before putting it on the market and moving on. During the packing up she runs across some old diaries of her grandmother that has her wishing she had known her. Since she’s never lived long in one place compliments of her wanderlust mother,  she wonders what that would be like, to fit in and belong somewhere. More than the house and the diaries are making her feel that way. Zack is taking hold on her as well.

Zack Thomas does not do commitment. He doesn’t even know what it is when it comes to personal relationships.  He’s committed to his job and his coworkers/friends. That’s all he knows. His parents died in a fire when he was young and his brother raised him until he turned eighteen, and then he moved to L.A. Since then he’s been on his own with no family ties.  No commitments. He knows he wants a taste of Brooke, but will one taste be enough?

Zack suspects arson in several of the fires throughout the book. He thinks it’s a coverup and starts investigating on his own. The fire inspector, who Zach feels knows his job, keeps telling him to butt out. His boss also tells him the same — or his job is on the line. In every chapter I’m thinking it’s a different person, so I will let you wonder as I did. I was truly surprised at the ‘who done it’ in the end.

Ms. Shalvis has written a wonderful tale and I am glad I had the opportunity to read her work. This is my first of her books, but I can assure you I will look for the opportunity to read her work again.

Grade: A

See Sandy M’s review and Holly’s review.

Summary:

Zach Thomas risks his life battling flames every day. But since sexy EMT Brooke O’Brian joined the crew, he can’t resist playing with fire. Brooke is feisty, a little uptight…and sexy as hell. And as Zach soon discovers, she’s definitely hot stuff between the sheets. Still, every firefighter knows that the hotter the blaze, the faster the action’s over….

After the whirlwind ride Zach’s been taking her on, Brooke is ready to do anything for this man in and out of bed! But she knows footloose and fancy-free Zach doesn’t do commitment. So she plans to build up a five-alarm fire between them. The kind he won’t ever want to put out…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Holly‘s review of Flashpoint (American Heroes: The Firefighters, Book1) by Jill Shalvis
Contemporary erotic romance published by Harlequin Blaze 1 Jul 08

I have to be honest and admit the only reason I wanted to read this book is because of the cover. It’s hot. Seriously hot. After I read the back blurb I was a little bit leery, because it’s about a firefighter and an EMT. Although limited, my past experience with firefighters and EMTs hasn’t been favorable. I think too often authors aren’t able to find a good balance between the technical aspects of firefighting and the personal relationships they have. In this case, however, my past experience meant nothing. Jill Shalvis did a credible job of writing wonderfully flawed characters without bogging the story down with the technical aspects.

Both Brook O’Brian and Zach Thomas are no-strings type of people. Brook grew up in a million different place as she was drug around by her bohemian mother. She wasn’t given much opportunity to create lasting relationships. Zach’s parents were killed when he was a child and as a result he doesn’t like to let people get close. Although both characters had past baggage, I wasn’t turned off by either of them. Their issues were real and believable and worked well within the context of the story.

Zach was very much the laid back surfer boy, content to stroll through life. I think he was a good contrast to Brook, who was more uptight. The sexual tension between the two fairly sizzled off the pages and when they finally got around to doing the deed it was smokin’ hot. But beyond that, the emotional connection they had was very much in evidence. I really felt there was a good amount of intimacy between them, besides just the sexual.

There’s an underlying plot about some fires being investigated as arson, and I thought that was well done also. The direction in which the story arc moved was interesting without overwhelming the love story and really worked for me. It turned out to be much more emotional than I expected.

Overall the story was well paced with excellent sexual tension, wonderfully drawn characters and an interesting plot.

Grade: A

Click on the Flashpoint tag below to see more reviews and information about this book.

Summary:

Zach Thomas risks his life battling flames every day. But since sexy EMT Brooke O’Brian joined the crew, he can’t resist playing with fire. Brooke is feisty, a little uptight…and sexy as hell. And as Zach soon discovers, she’s definitely hot stuff between the sheets. Still, every firefighter knows that the hotter the blaze, the faster the action’s over….After the whirlwind ride Zach’s been taking her on, Brooke is ready to do anything for this man-in and out of bed! But she knows footloose and fancy-free Zach doesn’t do commitment. So she plans to build up a five-alarm fire between them. The kind he won’t ever want to put out…

Read an excerpt here

Sandy M’s review of Flashpoint (American Heroes: The Firefighters, Book1) by Jill Shalvis
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Blaze 1 Jul 08

Going up in flames.  Burning up.  Light your fire.  Sizzling.  Hot, hot, hot.   Jill Shalvis makes you feel every one of these and then some with her American Heroes series, The Firefighters.  Of course, a lot of great adjectives can also be used to described these books.  Sexy, sensual, lusty, handsome.  You get the idea.

The hero and heroine in this book are two lonely souls who have different ways of dealing with their loneliness.  Brooke still moves around from town to town, job to job, continuing what her mother started after Brooke’s father passed away  She couldn’t seem to settle anywhere once she was on her own, so she carted young Brooke all over kingdom come while dealing with her dissatisfaction in life.  Once Brooks breaks away from her mother to live on her own, she follows the same path, can’t stick around long enough to make new friends no matter where she is, keeps everyone at a distance, and definitely keeps love at bay.

But when she takes a temporary EMT position in Santa Rey, a small, quaint beach town in California, her outlook begins to change.  She starts to feel she’s part of something with those she interacts with at the firehouse. Especially Zach Thomas.  She feels a zing, a spark with every little touch and she can’t keep her eyes off the man whenever she’s near him.  Her excuse for holding him off, though, is she’s only in town for six weeks, long enough to sell her grandmother’s house for a nice nest egg to get her to next destination. But that doesn’t keep the feelings and emotions from growing, making her want more than she’s ever wanted before.

Since he lost his parents in a fire years ago, Zach hasn’t allowed himself to love, really love, anyone.  His brother took off when Zach turned 18, done with his responsibility of raising Zach.  So why get all mushy and emotional when people only leave you?  His closest friends are his brothers at the station and that’s all he needs.  Until he meets Brooke.  But he still fights the feelings he has for her.  Even after making love to the woman, he can’t make himself give her more.

On top of all of this, Zach’s job is on the line because he can’t let go of several fires that have occurred lately, fires he knows are arson, and the investigator in charge refuses to listen to reason.  That leads Zach to doing some investigating on his own, which makes the powers that be very unhappy with him.  The only person to believe him and believe in him is Brooke, the one he wants but the one he can’t have.

I really enjoyed these two.  Zach teases Brooke about being uptight, that she needs to let loose.  She eventually takes him at his word and, boy, when she decides to let loose, she goes all out.  The ensuing love scene between them is hot and sizzling and all those words I threw at you earlier.

I also liked the secondary characters at the fire station.  The camaraderie among the firefighters and medical person is fun and teasing, but they all take their jobs seriously and back each other up, both professionally and as friends. Zach’s relationship with the elderly Phyllis is quite special, showing us a softer, sensitive side of the man.  The developing mystery that leads to Zach’s hunt for the arsonist is done well and adds a nice flavor to the story.  And although we find out the answer to that mystery, we’re left with a whole new one at the end of the book so you’re sure to pick up the next one in the series!

Grade: A

Summary:

Zach Thomas risks his life battling flames every day. But since sexy EMT Brooke O’Brian joined the crew, he can’t resist playing with fire. Brooke is feisty, a little uptight…and sexy as hell. And as Zach soon discovers, she’s definitely hot stuff between the sheets. Still, every firefighter knows that the hotter the blaze, the faster the action’s over….

After the whirlwind ride Zach’s been taking her on, Brooke is ready to do anything for this man-in and out of bed! But she knows footloose and fancy-free Zach doesn’t do commitment. So she plans to build up a five-alarm fire between them. The kind he won’t ever want to put out…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Ever have one of those days when nothing, not a damned thing, goes right and then to top it all off, something really stupid, irritating, outrageous and any other word you want to toss in there happens??  That happened to me just a few days ago. I was even relaxing at the time, trying to slough everything off and enjoy a good book while having dinner. And even though I pretty much laughed off the pinnacle of the bad day at the time, later I was just plain old ticked off. 

What could have happened you ask? Every time I turned around, it was something. First I had to wrap up a few books I was going to mail out to some friends. I love to share my pastime when I can.  But do you think I could find all of them on the first go-round of looking for them on the shelves, in the boxes, in the cupboards, or stacked on the desks and wherever else I have to stash them in this small townhouse? No. Of course not.  Why should something so darned easy be easy?  I go through every box before I find a couple of them, then through three cupboards to find a few more, a stack on the desk falls over when I go through those books.  I trip over the stupid flap of a box I left out the night before.  At least I didn’t fall on my ass, but it ticks me off even further just because.  After a lot of cursing and muttering and yelling, I eventually found all the books, got them wrapped up and put in my nifty little American flag tote, and was finally ready to head out to do errands.  Now, in Central California in the middle of August, it gets hot.  Very hot.  Sunshine galore.  115 degrees in the shade hot. This doesn’t bode well for running around doing errands.  You end up drenched and tired as all get-out when you’re done, so you probably should have stayed home anyway.

Do ya think that even crossed my mind this particular day?   You guessed it.  And because I’m one who doesn’t want to make two or three trips to the car in my detached garage here in the complex, I load myself and my handy-dandy rolling thingamajig up and lug everything I’m going to need in one all-inclusive trip.  It’s only 10 a.m.  I’m already dripping just halfway to the garage.  But I get the car loaded and am ready to take off.  Then I remembered.  I forgot something.  In the house.  So I trudge all the way the back, continuing to mutter that string of swearing I had started earlier.  And adding a few extras for good measure.  At last I’m in the car and I crank the air conditioning to high.  Oh, that felt so goooooood!  So good that I decide to start with my errand that’s furthest away, giving myself time to cool off and then later in the day when I’m finished with everything, I won’t be too far from my nice air conditioned home.  A darned good plan if I do say so myself.  My optimism, which I haven’t seen much of so far, is finally rising.  You know the old saying I spoke too soon?

I actually thought things were going well after I got on the road and got the first few errands under my belt.  Of course, if I was one to make a list of things I need to do I probably wouldn’t forget one or two.  And drive right past where I need to be.  So I cussed a little more after realizing I missed a stop.  I heaved a big old sigh and decided to heck with it, I’ll just do it next week.  By this time I expected my car to start smoking or just come to a chugging halt all together.  It was one of those types of days.  I hadn’t yet had lunch, so I was hungry on top of the irritation, which didn’t help one iota.  One more final decision.  Get the last couple of errands completed and then stop at my favorite Mexican place for my plate of taquitos to enjoy while I get back into Jill Shalvis’ book, Flashpoint, the new Harlequin Blaze I got when I met her at the RWA conference in San Francisco.   I’d started it the night before, was really enjoying it, so figured this would be a nice way to end a really shitty day.  Or so I thought.

I ordered my taquitos, my diet Pepsi, had my bowl of chips and salsa at the table, which I was thoroughly enjoying.  Had my Shalvis propped open with my weighted bookmark (an absolute wonderful invention for readers!) and got lost in the story until my food came to the table.  A good book, good food in an air conditioned place away from home for a couple of hours.  Finally the day was coming to an enjoyable end.  Then I picked up my diet Pepsi.  You know what happened, dontcha?  I grabbed in the wrong spot, the lid wasn’t on it tight, whatever the reason, the entire soda went all over everything.  Including me.  Including my autographed copy of Flashpoint.  Of course, that was the first thing I saved!  Forget my purse.  Forget the food.  I had to save my book.  But it was too late.  I could see the pages already warping, even though it was still wet.  I knew what it would look like later when it was dry.  So I took the towel the gal at the restaruant offered me, dried the cover of the book, dried the inside and outside of my purse, took everything to another table and waited for the new plate of food she kindly offered.  Then I started to laugh.  What else could I do?  I opened my wet book, continued to read about a handsome hero and his beautiful heroine, eventually enjoyed my taquitos, and that was the end of my lousy day from hell.  Thank god.

I’ve since finished Flashpoint.  Enjoyed it a lot.  Reviewed it and you’ll see it here tomorrow.  My now crinkled copy of the book sits here next to me and sometimes I smile, sometimes I don’t.  But it defintely reminds me how wrong things can go, whether you’re ready for it or not.  What about you and that day you thought would never end?  Do you have any reminders that will suddenly bring it back and make you glad it’s all over with and you hope to never see another day like it any time soon?  Or do you laugh instead?  Sometimes when I do happen to glance at my once-wet book, I get that irritated feeling at having lost it that way and I’m still pissed off!