Up in Flames - Jennifer Blackwood

Up in Flames by Jennifer Blackwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, I'm glad I don't live in America. The book opens with the hero attending a fire call and getting shot in the shoulder when he bangs on the door and doesn't stand far enough to one side. His boss, the chief, holds him responsible for this, he should have known better and has only got himself to blame for being injured. What an awful way to live, to have the threat of being shot is so commonplace as to need to have the police attend a call out to keep everyone safe!

Reece Jenkins is the firefighter in question. A modern-day Cassanova, he's slept his way through the local nurse population. All apart from Nurse Practitioner Sloane, who also happens to be his younger sister's best friend. Slone and Reece have a difficult relationship. They have known each other for years and while Reece used to have feelings for Sloane, the animosity between them seems to have killed them off. One drunken night Sloane asked Reece to take her to bed, he rejected her, not wanting to take advantage of her drunken state, but didn't do it in a particularly chivalrous way. She now hates him and is out for revenge.

When Sloane gets the opportunity to extract four favours from Reece, she sets out to get all she can. Of course, the more time that they spend together the hotter things become.

I really liked both Sloane and Reece. There was obvious chemistry between them from the beginning. I did wish that they'd both just talked though. It's one of those catch 22 problems with many romance novels. If the hero and heroine actually just talked, then there would be a lot smoother ride, but of course, there would then be no story.

There is something that almost keeps them apart at the end of the book. I would like to think that he would come around without her fixing things, because it was a mistake, not being malicious that caused it. Everything works out in the end though and we get our happily ever after.

I really enjoyed this book and would be keen to read more in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.


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