When their career paths bring two high school sweethearts together again, the forest isn’t the only thing ablaze…
Fire behavior specialist Luis Riviera goes where his job takes him. But when he’s assigned to an arson investigation in Central Oregon—the place he left his broken heart twenty years ago—he’s afraid of being burned all over again.
Tucker Ryland had planned to join his first love, Luis, in LA after high school graduation, but life got in the way. Now a fire management expert and a divorced father of teen twins, Tucker’s thrown for a loop when he finds himself working side by side with his Luis, now all grown up and more intriguing than ever.
Though consumed by a grueling fire season and family responsibilities, the two men discover their bond has never truly broken. Tentative kisses turn to passionate nights. But smoking sheets aside, old hurts and new truths stand in the way of this time being the start of forever.
Danger lurks everywhere for Central Oregon’s fire crews, but the biggest risk of all might be losing their hearts.
Amazon
Audible
Carina Press
This is book number 3 in the Hotshots series, and definitely centers around the firefighters and their tough fire seasons. A second chance romance, it’s about two men who were each other’s first loves. Separated by life, they had moved on, but brought together by a series of arson fires in their hometown, where Tucker still lives with his teenage sons.
While it didn’t take long for these two men to find their way back together, what I loved is how it became about family. Tucker has two sons who are his world, but also his ex-wife and her husband and even a little sweet girl who clearly was the apple of the entire mixed family’s eyes. In addition, while these men had had a past together, the fact that Tucker was demisexual meant that really did need to re-establish that bond together before any sexiness was to occur, that was honestly perfect to honor his character.
Meanwhile, Luis, after having moved away with his family, had not returned to Oregon, and once he did, realized that not having Tucker in his life was a mistake not to be made twice. He even connected with Tucker’s family, which made it all the more special.
This was absolutely a love story, between two men. But it was also a love story about a family, one that was mixed (which I have a big heart for, because my family is similar, and it just works so well!), but full of love and respect for each other.
The ending was really a bit of what I was hoping for, even if I didn’t expect it. Teaching you that it’s never too late to live your dreams out, even if they are derailed for a few…or 20…years.
Definitely recommend!
4 pieces of eye candy