Crash and Burn by Anne Marsh

Crash and Burn (The Men of Crash, Fire and Rescue #1)
Grade-C
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-The Men of Crash, Fire & Rescue #1
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
34 pages

I don’t even think you could call this a novella. It was a very short story.

Dane and Laura Jo went to high school together. He was the football hero and she was the girl from the wrong side of the tracks. They slept together and the Laura Jo left town for different life. She became a pilot with the Armed Forces and Dane is a rescue worker. He rescues Laura Jo from a crash and the two reconnect.

This story was okay for a start to a series. I wished there was more to it but it is what it is. Cute premise, a hot sex scene and a great cover. I may read more to the series.

Everything Bared by Kristine Cayne

Everything Bared (Six-Alarm Sexy #2)
Grade-C+
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-Moderate Kink
Series-Six-Alarm Sexy #2
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kate
268 pages

Dani Harris, a firefighter and search and rescue team member, has been part of the Caldwell family since the earthquake.  When she needs a place to stay, she ends up staying with straight-laced William Caldwell, CFO of the family business.  Dani knows she’s William’s opposite in almost every way, but she can’t help but be attracted to him.  Can she trust him with her exhibitionism secret?

Kristine Cayne exceeds at writing strong characters. Dani is a feisty spitfire and William had layers to him that were slowly exposed. I loved both characters and enjoyed watching their story unfold. Many of Dani’s initial conversations with William kept me in stitches.

There was a pony play scene in the book that left me a bit squicked out. I’m not a big suspense reader and there was a small component of suspense in this one that I didn’t enjoy. But it’s not a huge part of the story and not something so suspenseful that it kept me up at night.

The biggest downside for me was that I enjoyed the first book in this series so much that I probably went in with my expectations a bit high. And while this book is a very solid entry in the series, I still liked the first book better. I will be anxiously awaiting the next book in the series because I’ve falllen in love with the way Kristine Cayne writes her characters.

Always on My Mind by Jill Shalvis

Always On My Mind (Lucky Harbor, #8)

Grade: B
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Published: 9/24/13
Reviewed by Anne
254 pages
 
Leah feels like a failure after messing up at pastry school and on a reality cooking show.  She spending the agonizing time until the show’s finale in Lucky Harbor, her home town, running her Grandma’s bakery.  Her best friend Jack is there for her as always.  When the idea that Jack and Leah might be dating cheers up Jack’s mother – who is fighting cancer – Leah runs with the story saying she ad Jack are going out.  Jack plays along and, much to the amusement of everyone else, pretending to date leads to actual dating and falling in love.
 
Jill Shalvis is an amazingly dependable writer!  This is another great story.  There’s tons of humor, along with the Lucky Harbor cast we know and love.  I think this book would stand on it’s own just fine, though.

Leah is a pretty damaged heroine – well, her self esteem is damaged due to her father’s emotional abuse while she was growing up.  I would have felt better if she’d started seeing a therapist during the course of the story – she’s really got issues!  Jack had his own problems, but they never seemed as big as hers.

I loved the set up with the two of them fake dating to give Jack’s mom a little boost.  Everything about that was funny.  The ending was a little over the top, but it didn’t ruin anything, and it left me wanting to know a lot more about Ben and Aubrey!