Tag: Shannon Stacey

Guest Review: Holiday With a Twist by Shannon Stacey

Posted December 8, 2016 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: Holiday With a Twist by Shannon StaceyReviewer: Tracy
Holiday with a Twist by Shannon Stacey
Published by Carina Press
Publication Date: November 21st 2016
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Buy on Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
three-half-stars

After a messy breakup, Leigh Holloway is ready to start her life over. Until her parents put the family home on the market and call her back for one final, memory-making Christmas. The last thing she wants to do is deprive her mom of the perfect holiday, so she'll lie her way through the visit and worry about her future in the New Year. Too bad the only bar in town is owned by a guy she seriously wronged in high school.

Leigh's best friend broke Croy Dawson's heart, and Croy knows it was Leigh's fault. They've never liked each other, but Croy isn't cruel: he'd never turn away a pretty woman in need of some family-Christmas fortification. He doesn't expect her to drink just enough candy-cane martinis to tell him her secrets—and he definitely doesn't expect to get caught up in her holiday madness.

Despite the surprising love and laughter, Croy and Leigh can't escape the truth: he can't walk away from his family obligations and she has a life and career to reboot. But anything is possible if your holiday comes with a twist…

Leigh Holloway is back home in New Hampshire for the holidays.  She has a couple of big secrets that she is keeping from her family but with her parents packing up and selling her childhood home and her sister and her baby living with them as she’s getting a divorce, Leigh just doesn’t want to pile one more thing on top of it.  Of course, it’s kind of selfish as well as she’s sure her family will try to talk her into staying in NH and her life is back in Houston.

The first night she’s back in town she heads over to the new restaurant that is owned by the Dawson family.  She’s not sure of her reception as Croy Dawson, the last time they saw each other, was pissed at her.  That was nine years earlier but she’s still wouldn’t be surprised if he refused to serve her.  She’s pleasantly surprised when he is more than welcoming.  They were such good friends growing up but that’s as far as their relationship went back then.  Almost immediately they’re each tamping down the attraction they feel for each other.  They are soon in bed together but Leigh’s only staying three weeks and then she’s gone.  She’s not sure that she can keep her heart out of her relationship with Croy and he’s positive he never wants her to leave.

This was a cute holiday novella.  Leigh and Croy were great together and I loved that since they had been friends growing up they kind of just fell into that again – only deeper.  The story was charming and the holiday aspect was a nice touch.

My main issue with the story was really Leigh and her “secret.”  There were really two but they were related.  The fact that Leigh hadn’t told her mother the main one that had happened two months prior was baffling to me.  I guess I would have understood if it had just happened but it was a major event and she hadn’t shared it with anyone in her family when it happened?  I find that so strange.  She had a good relationship with both of her parents and her sisters so why the secrecy?  I just didn’t get it and then to have Croy keep the secret and have them sneak around because of it didn’t set well with me.  That was my only issue with the story but it was a doozy.

Overall,  as I said, it was a cute story.  I always like Stacey’s novella’s as she packs a lot of fun and love into each one.  This one had a good family feel, a romance, and humor and those things always score well in my book.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

three-half-stars

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Guest Review: Fully Ignited by Shannon Stacey

Posted April 5, 2016 by Judith in Reviews | 1 Comment

Guest Review: Fully Ignited by Shannon StaceyReviewer: Judith
Fully Ignited by Shannon Stacey
Series: Boston Fire #3
Also in this series: Heat Exchange, Controlled Burn, Heat Exchange, Controlled Burn, Fully Ignited, Fully Ignited, Controlled Burn
Published by Carina Press
Publication Date: March 1st 2016
Pages: 182
Buy on Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
four-half-stars

When Jamie Rutherford takes a temporary assignment as lieutenant of Boston Fire's Engine 59, she doesn't anticipate any problems. She's been in the fire service for a long time and, even though she's fairly new to Boston, she knows how to make any firehouse her home. What she's not prepared for is her reaction to firefighter Scott Kincaid.

Scott is looking for a wife. It's been a fun ride as a single guy, but he's tired of being the third wheel, and nearly losing his brother-in-law finally made him realize just how much he wants a family of his own. When the new guy at the firehouse turns out to be a capable, confident and very attractive woman, his plan is completely derailed.

Hooking up with a fellow firefighter has never been part of Jamie's plan, but she's tempted by Scott—even though getting involved with him could tarnish the reputation she's worked so hard for. And Scott can't stop thinking about Jamie, despite the fact that she's his superior and not sticking around. Chemistry can crush the best-laid plans, though, and while Jamie and Scott might not be each other's future…there's no resisting the right now.

This is the third and final novel in the Boston Fire trilogy and once again Ms Stacey had blessed her fans with a novel that is filled with wonderful characters, some hot loving, tension in relationships and a look-see into the lives of firefighters and the ups and downs of their professional lives.  We also see into the life of a woman who always wanted to be a firefighter but who knows the unique challenges that come from being a woman in a man’s world, especially a world that relies greatly on physical strength and quite simply, body mass.  Jamie Rutherford knows she has to prove herself every single day, she has to make sure that no one ever sees anything in the discharge of her duties that can be interpreted as weakness.  So getting involved with another firefighter is way up at the top of the “no-no” list.

Scott wants a permanent relationship but NOT with another firefighter.  How can he live with a woman who puts herself in danger daily?  How can he have children where their mother might lose her life in a fire storm?  Somehow he thought that was vastly different than asking the same questions of him as a husband and a dad.  Nevertheless, Jamie and Scott are instantly drawn to each other and figure that since Jamie is a temporary sub for their injured lieutenant, any fling will just go away when she is transferred.  This thinking comes under the heading of “best laid plans of men and women.”

This is a story that makes the reader anxious as there is so much here that is temporary.  The reader knows that Jamie is only assigned to the company for a short stint.  The reader knows that Scott has walled off his emotions so that he and Jamie are just having fun together.  Throughout their affair the thought of a longer term relationship rears its head from time to time, but both are uneasy with this for a bunch of reasons.  Doesn’t look like there will be a HEA for them.  And even though we are hoping against hope that these two make it, the author keeps throwing in the literary wrenches in the works and the tensions get more and more intense.  Friendships and old loyalties are wonderful but even they can be negative forces in the situation in which Scott and Jamie find themselves.  It’s the kind of story that kept my eyes glued to the pages.  I read this one straight through and will probably find myself doing that again soon.

It’s another winner, and although I didn’t read the first book in the trilogy, I have no trouble believing that it, too, will be a wonderful reading experience.  This book was just released and you will do yourself a favor to latch on to it and spend the time to enjoy it.  I give it a rating of 4.5 out of 5.

You can read more from Judith at http://www.drjsbookplace.blogspot.com.

Reading Order:

Heated Exchange
Controlled Burn
Fully Ignited

four-half-stars

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Guest Review: Controlled Burn by Shannon Stacy

Posted April 4, 2016 by Judith in Reviews | 1 Comment

Guest Review: Controlled Burn by Shannon StacyReviewer: Judith
Controlled Burn by Shannon Stacey
Series: Boston Fire #2
Also in this series: Heat Exchange, Controlled Burn, Heat Exchange, Controlled Burn, Fully Ignited, Fully Ignited
Published by Carina Press
Publication Date: November 25, 2015
Pages: 384
Buy on Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
four-stars

Rick Gullotti lives the good life. He fights fires, dates beautiful women—though none long enough so they cast wistful glances at jewelry stores—and has great friends. And thanks to helping out the elderly couple who own his building, his rent is low. But when concerns about their health lead him to contact their only son, his life starts getting away from him.

Jessica Broussard has no interest in leaving sunny San Diego or her cushy corner office for Boston, but her father—who happens to be her boss—dispatches her to deal with the grandparents she's never met. She's unprepared for the frigid winter, loving relatives who aren't the monsters she's been led to believe, and the hot, scruffy firefighter who lives upstairs.

At first, Jessica is determined to get back to her comfortable life as quickly as possible. All she has to do is talk her grandparents into selling their monstrosity of a house and moving to a retirement community. But she underestimates Rick's dedication—and his considerable charm. Nobody's taking advantage of his friends on his watch, even if that makes the tempting southern California girl with the long legs his adversary. Unfortunately for them both, the only thing more urgent than the matter at hand is their sizzling chemistry, and it's quickly becoming too strong to resist.

Anyone who is a serious consumer of romance fiction is familiar with Shannon Stacey and her wonderful stories.  This is the second book in her Boston Fire series and as I have found to be the case, her characters are strong and often unusual and therefore they pique the reader’s interest right from the start.  This book is no exception.

Nothing unusual about Rick and his free for all lifestyle.  He loves what he does, he loves the ladies–lots of them–and he loves the elderly folks over whom he keeps watch, almost as if they were his own grandparents.  He’s a genuine caring man who has not yet decided to settle down with a family of his own, but that doesn’t keep him from caring deeply about this couple who have mourned the estrangement between them and their only son.  Now they are beginning to show signs of serious problems related to aging and Rick knows that family needs to step in.  His contacting their son has an unusual effect:  it brings their granddaughter–a woman they have never met–to Boston.  She has her marching orders from her dad, but when she encounters Rick and begins to get to know her grandparents for who they are and not the people she believes them to be, her marching orders get laid aside.

This is a very emotional story as their is lots of hurt here, lots of tension that comes from bad communication, old wounds, misunderstanding, time, and long distance.  There is also deep caring, the kind of concern that puts one’s own interests aside, and people who are willing to acknowledge that they have been apart way too long.  Add in that this is a love story between two people who would have initially preferred to be the metaphorical two ships in the night, maybe hooking up and then moving on.  Fate or life or chance had different plans, and as their story develops, the heat of loving, the warmth of caring, and the emotions of becoming involved in one another’s lives ramps up the heat and emotional content.

I enjoyed this book a whole lot, but then again, I don’t remember a Shannon Stacey book I didn’t like.  I was such an absorbing story, one that just grabbed my feelings deep down, possibly more than some I have read recently.  It is well written and edited, put together in a skillful way, and is a great addition to Ms Stacey’s writing resume.  She has given us a good one here, folks.  It is well worth the time and effort to read and enjoy.  I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.

You can read more from Judith at http://www.drjsbookplace.blogspot.com.

Reading Order:

Heated Exchange
Controlled Burn
Fully Ignited

four-stars

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Review: Fully Ignited by Shannon Stacey

Posted March 17, 2016 by Rowena in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Fully Ignited by Shannon StaceyReviewer: Rowena
Fully Ignited by Shannon Stacey
Series: Boston Fire #3
Also in this series: Heat Exchange, Controlled Burn, Heat Exchange, Controlled Burn, Fully Ignited, Controlled Burn
Published by Carina Press
Publication Date: March 1st 2016
Pages: 182
Buy on Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
three-half-stars

When Jamie Rutherford takes a temporary assignment as lieutenant of Boston Fire's Engine 59, she doesn't anticipate any problems. She's been in the fire service for a long time and, even though she's fairly new to Boston, she knows how to make any firehouse her home. What she's not prepared for is her reaction to firefighter Scott Kincaid.

Scott is looking for a wife. It's been a fun ride as a single guy, but he's tired of being the third wheel, and nearly losing his brother-in-law finally made him realize just how much he wants a family of his own. When the new guy at the firehouse turns out to be a capable, confident and very attractive woman, his plan is completely derailed.

Hooking up with a fellow firefighter has never been part of Jamie's plan, but she's tempted by Scott—even though getting involved with him could tarnish the reputation she's worked so hard for. And Scott can't stop thinking about Jamie, despite the fact that she's his superior and not sticking around. Chemistry can crush the best-laid plans, though, and while Jamie and Scott might not be each other's future…there's no resisting the right now.

When we first meet Scotty Kincaid, he was a hot head that went about his business fists flying. Two books later and he’s working on his anger issues and making changes in his life because he’s decided he wants to settle down and not bang a new woman every week. He wants something more stable, he wants to start a family soon and he can’t do any of that living the way that he’s been living.

He wasn’t expecting the fierce attraction that came on when Jamie Rutherford started work at his fire house.

Jamie Rutherford is on a temporary gig in Boston, filling in for an injured firefighting officer and it’s her job to run herd over Danny Walsh’s team and make sure everything is running smoothly until he gets back. Everything is going well until she meets Scotty Kincaid and the strangest thing happens. For the first time in her career, she’s attracted to someone she works with. So this should be interesting, right?

Right.

Scott was everything I hoped he would be by the time we got to his book. On top of being smokin’ hot, he was a family man and I really dug that. I loved the way that he was with his sisters and his brothers in law. He had a good relationship with everyone in his family and I adored the dynamic in their family. They were a close family that joked around with each other, made each other mad but loved the hell out of each other at the end of the day. Seeing Jamie accepted and pulled into their family was sweet too.

Jamie was a great heroine, probably my favorite of the bunch. She was independent, strong and she had a good head on her shoulders. I liked that even though she was the only woman working in an entire fire house of men, she didn’t mother hen anyone around and she wasn’t portrayed as stubborn and didn’t have that my way or the high way attitude. She fit right in at the fire house and I liked seeing her grow closer and closer with each guy in the house…even Danny.

There were times that I wanted to bean Scott in the head for being dumb and there were only a handful of times when I wanted to pull Jamie’s hair but overall, this was good reading.

The romance between Scott and Jamie was sweet and it wasn’t complicated, which I appreciated. It was a straight contemporary romance about two people who met, fell in love and then figured out how to be together. The cast of characters were fun to get to know, the romance was pretty steamy and the two main leads were likable characters.

I liked that this wasn’t one of those drag you through the emotional mud kind of romances. I liked seeing two characters fall in love and figure their shit out together. It didn’t take itself too seriously and sometimes, you just need that kind of romance. This was perfect for that.

Grade: 3.5 out of 5

three-half-stars

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Guest Review: Fully Ignited by Shannon Stacey

Posted February 5, 2016 by Tracy in Reviews | 1 Comment

Guest Review: Fully Ignited by Shannon StaceyReviewer: Tracy
Fully Ignited by Shannon Stacey
Series: Boston Fire #3
Also in this series: Heat Exchange, Controlled Burn, Heat Exchange, Controlled Burn, Fully Ignited, Controlled Burn
Published by Carina Press
Publication Date: February 23rd 2016
Buy on Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
four-stars

When Jamie Rutherford takes a temporary assignment as lieutenant of Boston Fire’s Engine 59, she doesn’t anticipate any problems. She’s been in the fire service for a long time and, even though she’s fairly new to Boston, she knows how to make any firehouse her home. What she’s not prepared for is her reaction to firefighter Scott Kincaid.

Scott is looking for a wife. It’s been a fun ride as a single guy, but he’s tired of being the third wheel, and nearly losing his brother-in-law finally made him realize just how much he wants a family of his own. When the new guy at the firehouse turns out to be a capable, confident and very attractive woman, his plan is completely derailed.

Hooking up with a fellow firefighter has never been part of Jamie’s plan, but she’s tempted by Scott—even though getting involved with him could tarnish the reputation she’s worked so hard for. And Scott can’t stop thinking about Jamie, despite the fact that she’s his superior and not sticking around. Chemistry can crush the best-laid plans, though, and while Jamie and Scott might not be each other’s future…there’s no resisting the right now.

Jamie is a woman in a man’s world. There are so few female firefighters and when she heads to Engine 59 in Boston to cover for the Lieutenant who is hurt she’s not sure what to expect. What she finds is a well-run station with men who are understanding of her personal space and respectful of her and her position. What she doesn’t expect is the incredible attraction she has to one of Engine 59’s men. She knows that she should stop thinking about Scott but she finds she just can’t.

Scott knows it’s a bad idea for him and Jamie to get involved but they go about it with the thought that it will only be for fun and end when she moves on to her next assignment. Neither of them plan on having feelings for the other but it’s their connection to each other is truly undeniable. There’s problems, however, in that neither wants to speak of a future first and Scott has issues with the danger Jamie is in on a daily basis. He knows she does her job well and is incredibly safe but for a man who lost his mother when he was young he knows that any kids he has he doesn’t want growing up without a mother. How can he go into a relationship with Jamie knowing that her chances of getting hurt are huge? It’s an issue and one they might not be able to a solution for.

I really like the Boston Fire series. The guys in the station are awesome and crazy and funny and, and, and… I could go on but suffice it to say they are guys I like reading about. When it came to Scott I loved reading his story. He was so set on the kind of woman he wanted based on his own life and growing up without a mother and that idea was just turned completely on its head after meeting Jamie. He was so into her and I loved how he treated her and generally their whole relationship.

Jamie was incredible as well. A strong woman who knew what she wanted in life and wasn’t willing to compromise. I loved how tough and strong she was but that she wasn’t a ball-buster. She was obviously the minority in the station but she did her job and did it well. Her relationship with Scott was sweet and I admired her for sticking to her guns with him despite it breaking her heart to do so. I was really happy when they finally got their HEA.

Like I said I really like this series so far and hope there’s more in store for us in the future.

Reading Order:

Heat Exchange
Controlled Burn
Fully Ignited

Rating: 4 out of 5

four-stars

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