Publisher: Avon
Publish Date: Out Now
How I got this book: Edelweiss
Ryan Blake got suspended from the San Gabriel firefighters a year and a half ago for a daredevil act that nearly killed someone. Now he’s back in San Gabriel, fighting to return to the force. He takes a job at a local dive, the Hair of the Dog, while he studies for the test that will get him his job back.
But the real test comes in the form of Katie Dane, bar manager. Katie got stuck running the family bar when her father had a heart attack. The place is losing money like crazy and the insurance is about to lapse. Her desperate solution? Burn the place down, collect a million dollars. The only problem–little does she know, her new bartender is actually a firefighter.
Can a professional fireman and a wannabe firebug ever manage to get along? More importantly, can they stay away from each other and/or keep from ruining each other’s careers? Not likely. This is San Gabriel, after all.
*Blurb from Goodreads*
I really liked Ryan after reading the first book in the series, so although the blurb had me kinda worried, I decided to take a chance.
Ryan is coming off a year long suspension, and desperately wants his job back as a San Gabriel Firefighter. But in order to get back on the force, he will have to take a test. So in the meantime he takes a job as a bartender at a hole-in-the-wall dive bar only a few blocks from the station. Ryan actual enjoys working at the bar, especially since he can tease his manager Katie all day long.
Katie is helping her folks out by running the family bar. She doesn’t know what she is doing, doesn’t know how to pay the bills, and is at a loss for what to do. When she realizes a fire would pay out their insurance money, she decides that might be the best course of action. But Ryan is there at her every attempt. But despite her fire-starting tendencies, Ryan is attracted to her, and the fire between them heats up to dangerous levels.
I love fireman, but for some reason this book did not work for me. I had a lot of issues with it that only seemed to escalate as the book went on. The biggest problem in this book for me was the whole drama surrounding the bar, and Katie’s desire to torch it. Call me crazy, but I would think MOST people would know that Insurance companies take arson very seriously, and an insurance payout in those cases don’t come easy. In my opinion, Katie thinking she could burn the place down and not only NOT get in trouble, but also get a full insurance payout is just ludicrous. Then the lengths that she goes to, just seemed to ridiculous and over the top to the point that it pulled me out of the little bit of enjoyment the story was holding.
I did like Ryan’s character. I thought we got a great look at his history, what makes him tick and has made him the man he is today. I enjoyed getting to hear more about his father and see him with Brody’s young daughter. Ryan was the one and only reason that I continued to read this book through the finish. Unlike Ryan, I didn’t feel any kind of connection to Katie, while she was sweet in doing a favor for her family, I also felt as if she let them walk all over her, and whined about her situation instead of actually doing something to fix it. I wanted more from her character, and felt as if she was a somewhat hollow character.
In addition to that, I didn’t understand their romance either. It was obviously stated they were attracted to one another, but I never really felt their relationship come through. I never really understood WHY they were attracted to one another, and had a difficult time really becoming invested in their relationship. That being said, there were a few scenes that I did enjoy reading: namely the fireman stripping scene. That was great!
All in all I wasn’t impressed with the second installment of the Bachelor Fireman of San Gabriel series. I thought the whole plot surrounding burning down the bar was poorly done and too over-the-top for me to actually enjoy. Had it not been for my love of Ryan, I would have quit reading in the middle of the book.
I give Hot for Fireman a D
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zomg. I was waiting for a review of this book because book one didn’t work for me. The plot in this one? Really? She wants to burn down the bar… *bangs head*
Pass.
@Mandi: I don’t blame you. As much as I love firefighters, and enjoy the heroes of the books, I might have to pass on the next one as well. 🙁
😛 I had issues with the first book which was mainly about the annoying side characters – I enjoyed the romance and the author’s voice but this sounds elements which was problematic carried forward here 🙁
What?!
I have no words. Pass as well.
Wow. We now have heroines who think it’s a good idea to break the law? Even for the best reasons. This is a first for me. I love firefighters too and Ryan sounds great but big fail on the heroine.
@Has: Yeah, I held out hope since I liked the first book more than you. But after this… not much hope left.
@Heller: I don’t blame you!
@Cassie: It was a very heroine fail book. 🙁 Which sucked, because without the whole storyline, I think it could have been really good.
Not an attractive premise. It’s hard to get enthusiastic for her HEA. If I can’t get behind the premise of a book, I can’t care enough to finish it. So I don’t think I’ll try this one.
@Kaetrin: Yes, it’s very hard to read and enjoy something if you don’t like the setup. 🙁
That cover did look familiair. Shouldn’t there be a dog standing on the helmet? Sorry you are disappointed by the book. I have to admit, I don’t like the title as I feel it should be firemen or a fireman. And well, torching the place that belongs to your family? Really?
@aurian: I think you are thinking of a Kristian Higgins book…. but yeah…… 🙁