Publisher: Samhain
Publish Date: August 6th
How I got this book: eARC from publisher
Fire Captain Bracken Elliot knows how fragile life can be. Ever since a terrible tragedy tore his life apart, he’s played strictly by the rules. But his whole existence has just been turned upside down.
Not only has his sixteen-year-old son been kicked out of school, but the newest member of his fire and rescue team is an ex-Coast Guard diver whose one passion seems to be ignoring every order she receives and driving him to distraction.
So, Captain Stick-Up-His-Ass doesn t like the risks she takes? Tough shit, as far as Abby Burke is concerned. Of “course” ignoring Brack’s orders is easy. Ignoring her attraction to him? Impossible. Too bad staying in one place isn’t her forte.
When Abby takes one chance too many, Brack’s anger lights the kind of fire neither one of them wants to put out. Their night together is hot, intense, perfect and Abby knows it can never last. Because there’s not a chance in hell her past won’t catch up with her.
Warning: With a controlling fire captain, and a wild ex-rescue diver with a chip on her shoulder, the sparks are molten when these opposites attract.
*Blurb from Goodreads*
This was my first time reading a book from Wall, and I will be looking forward to more in this series.
Abby is always on the move, as her past constantly catches up with her. But now that she’s landed in Maine, Abby is finding for the first time, she doesn’t want to leave. She has a great job working with Jonathon, a deaf high school student that is glowing under her tutelage. The new fire and rescue squad she is on is not only a great team, but they are also run by the sexiest man she’s ever laid eyes on.
Brack and Abby clashed from the get go. She charged into his world and flipped it upside down and out of control. But their anger leads to steamy attraction as well, and they will find that together, they can overcome all the horrible memories of their past if they can stop arguing long enough to figure it out.
This book was full of sexual tension between Brack and Abby, and at times it was angry attraction. I love the frienemies trope in romance, and don’t think it’s as widely used as it should be. There is something just so fun about reading two characters who push each and every button the other has, rile them up completely, and yet can’t fight the attraction that is continuing to pull them together. For me, it just provides for fun and sexy reading times!
While I understood Abby’s shame over her past and current predicament, I also hated the fact that she continually cut herself short on life. I loved the way Wall portrayed Abby’s mother’s mental illness, and thought she did a good job of showing just how real it can be. I was glad to see that Brack was willing to do anything, deal with anything for a chance to be with Abby, however I wanted him to go after her sooner.
That being said, I also loved the way that Abby’s disappearance helped bring Brack and Jonathon closer together. I could see how easily it was for the two of them to lose sight of each other and their broken family. One of my favorite aspects of this book was watching them figure out how to be a family again. How to talk to one another, relate to each other, and find common interests once again. It was a wonderful aspect to the story.
All the secondary characters in this book were wonderful as well. I loved the other members of the rescue squad, especially Brack’s brothers. They were such fun to read, and I hope that Wall will tell their stories in future books.
All in all I really enjoyed my first Wall book. The romance was different and fun and sexy, while the plot took on some serious issues and made them realistic and an integral part of the story. I am looking forward to more from Wall in the future.
I give Stay a B