Review: Hotter Than Wildfire by Lisa Marie Rice

Title: Hotter Than Wildfire
Series: Protectors
Author: Lisa Marie Rice
Read copy: eBook
Published: April 5, 2011
Publisher: HarlerCollins Publishers
ISBN: 0062078933
ISBN-13: 9780062078933

The world knows her only as Eve. . . .

Though her songs have sold millions she is an enigma, a bewitching mystery. But to former Delta Force operator Harry Bolt, she is an angel whose sultry, smoky voice brought him back to life after the nightmare of Afghanistan. Nothing else matters.

And now a scared, helpless beauty has walked through the door of his San Diego private security firm, running from something secret, something deadly . . . and Harry knows immediately that this is the woman who saved him. He is the last hope for this intoxicating siren without a past—not even in his hottest dreams did he imagine that the lady Eve could be so tempting, so achingly desirable. But though she burns to lose herself in Harry's powerful arms, Eve is wary of trusting this tough, haunted ex-soldier who promises to protect her. Surrender could mean sweet ecstasy or certain doom. Can she open her heart, even if it means risking her life?

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Review: Blue Smoke by Nora Roberts

Title: Blue Smoke
Author: Nora Roberts

Read copy: Mass Market Paperback
Published: January 1, 2006
Publisher: Piatkus Books
ISBN: 0749936665
ISBN-13: 9780749936662

The blaze that night at her family's pizzeria changed young Reena Hale's life. Neighbors and relatives would help the Hales rebuild. The Baltimore authorities would arrest the arsonist responsible. But as Reena beheld the fire's brutal beauty and destructive power, her destiny began to take shape. She would understand and master its terrible force-and one day become an investigator herself.

But she is not the only one fascinated by the flames. Someone else sees their power-and is obsessed not with conquering the fire but with controlling it, owning it, using it to exact vicious revenge . . .

When Reena finally joins the arson unit, her strength and wits are constantly tested-although sometimes the job seems like a snap compared to her love life. But she can't always blame the men-after all, a soot-caked woman barking orders and smelling of smoke isn't the biggest turn-on in the world. Then she meets Bo Goodnight, who seems different. He's been trying to find Reena for years, and now that she is close enough to touch, he has no intention of letting go.

Nor does the man who has begun to haunt Reena's life-with taunting phone calls and a string of horrifying crimes. And as Reena tries desperately to trace the origins-of the calls, the fires, the hatred aimed in her direction-she will step into the worst inferno she has ever faced.

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Review: Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts

Title: Chasing Fire
Author: Nora Roberts

Read copy: Paperback
Published: April 2011
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
ISBN: 0399157603
ISBN-13: 9780399157608

Little else in life is as dangerous as fire jumping. Flying past towering pillars of smoke, parachuting down to the edge of an all-consuming blaze, shoveling and sawing for hours upon hours, days at a time, all to hold the line and push back against the raw power of Mother Nature.

But there's also little else as thrilling—at least to Rowan Tripp. The Missoula smoke jumpers are among the most exclusive firefighting squads in the nation, and the job is in Rowan's blood: her father is a legend in the field. She's been fighting fires since her eighteenth birthday. At this point, returning to the wilds of Montana for the season feels like coming home—even with reminders of the partner she lost last season still lingering in the air.

Fortunately, this year's rookie crop is one of the strongest ever—and Gulliver Curry's one of the best. He's also a walking contradiction, a hotshot firefighter with a big vocabulary and a winter job at a kids' arcade. He came to Missoula to follow in the footsteps of Lucas "Iron Man" Tripp, yet he's instantly more fascinated by his hero's daughter. Rowan, as a rule, doesn't hook up with other smoke jumpers, but Gull is convinced he can change her mind. And damn if he doesn't make a good case to be an exception to the rule.

Everything is thrown off balance, though, when a dark presence lashes out against Rowan, looking to blame someone for last year's tragedy. Rowan knows she can't complicate things with Gull—any distractions in the air or on the ground could be lethal. But if she doesn't find someone she can lean on when the heat gets intense, her life may go down in flames.

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Review: Love in the Air by James Collins

Title: Love in the Air
Author: James Collins

Read copy: Paperback
Published: August 4, 2008
Publisher: HarperPerennial
ISBN: 0007255829
ISBN-13: 9780007255825

When Peter Russell finally meets the woman of his dreams he falls as madly in love as you can on a flight from New York to LA. Her name is Holly. She's achingly pretty with strawberry-blonde hair, and reads Thomas Mann for pleasure. She gives Peter her phone number on a page of The Magic Mountain, but in his room that night Peter finds the page is inexplicably, impossibly, enragingly...gone.

So begins the immensely entertaining story of Peter and his unrequited love for his best friend's girl; of Charlotte and her less-than-perfect marriage to a man in love with someone else; of Jonathan and his wicked and fateful debauchery; and of Holly, the impetus for it all. Along the way, there's the evil boss, the desirable temptress, miscommunications, misrepresentations, fiendish behavior, letters gone astray, and ultimately, an ending in which every character gets his due.

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Review: Code name: Willow by Paula Graves

Title: Code Name: Willow
Author: Paula Graves

Read copy: eBook
Published: June 17, 2011
Publisher: Smashwords
ISBN: 0013603019
ISBN-13: 2940013603011

To protect a patient from dirty cops, former First Daughter Maggie Stone seeks out former Secret Service agent Jack Bennett, the best in the business. But Jack remembers her as code name WILLOW, a flighty heiress who made his life a living hell. Though she no longer looks the part of the reckless wild child, the story she tells of crooked cops and people vanishing in thin air doesn't do much to inspire confidence.

But when the bullets start flying, old instincts kick in. Once a bullet catcher, always a bullet catcher...

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Review: French Twist by Roxanne St. Claire

Title: French Twist
Author: Roxanne St. Claire

Read copy: eBook
Published: February 9, 2004
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing
ISBN: 0743498593
ISBN-13: 9780743498593

Janine Coulter has just gotten her big chance to prove herself, managing a prestigious exhibit at the Palace of Versailles—and Luc Tremont, the security specialist, is clearly trouble. He's making decisions without her, under-cutting her authority. He's also too smooth, too virile, too dangerously handsome, too...well...French! And Janine has the uneasy suspicion he's not all that he seems.

Luc resolutely ignores the powerful sizzle of attraction he feels when he meets Janine—the quintessential California girl with her blond hair, blue eyes, and legs that seem to go on forever. But when thieves steal priceless treasures from the exhibit, and Luc and Janine give chase across the lush Burgundy countryside, their forced intimacy ignites the passion both have tried to ignore. Luc wonders what will happen when Janine learns his true identity—but with dangerous men pursuing them, they may not live to find out....

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Review: Tropical Getaway by Roxanne St. Claire

Title: Tropical Getaway
Author: Roxanne St. Claire

Read copy: eBook
Published: February 12, 2003
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing
ISBN: 0743478851
ISBN-13: 9780743478854

Ava Santori is cooking up a storm in the family restaurant in Boston's North End when a call from the Coast Guard brings shattering news: her beloved brother was lost in a shipwreck. Determined to find out why the ship was steered into a hurricane, Ava packs her bags for the lush isle of St. Barts—where she puts the blame squarely on the broad shoulders of the ship's owner.

Dane Erikson built the luxurious Utopia Adventures cruise line from the ground up and he's not about to let it sink. Enlisting Ava to help discover the truth about the doomed Paradisio, he finds himself unbearably tempted by this fiery, impetuous woman. And as their investigation causes danger to close in, he and Ava find their hearts leading them to the same place. . . straight into each other's arms.

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