Reviewer: Rowena Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts
Publisher: Piatkus
Publication Date: April 14, 2011
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: No
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 477
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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 one of the most exclusive fire-fighting 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 among 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 kid's 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.
It took me a while to read this book. It started off pretty great but as the book wore on, I found myself wanting to move on to the next book already. That bummed me out because I love Nora Roberts. She always has the ability to make any occupation under the sun seem so hot dang interesting. I’ve never thought about fire jumpers but holy goodness, are they intense or what? I couldn’t imagine myself jumping out of planes into the thick of roaring fires to try to contain them. I couldn’t imagine having a loved one be part of this occupation either, those long nights when they’re out on a fire and waiting to hear back from them to make sure they’re alright.
This book tells the story of how Rowan Tripp and Gulliver Curry fell in love. Rowan is a seasoned fire jumper and Gulliver is a rookie fire jumper. Gulliver likes what he sees whenever Rowan is around and his flirty attitude and general hotness are totally wearing Ro down. There’s a crazy person out to get the fire jumpers and all fingers seem to be pointed at Dolly, the ex-girlfriend of a fire jumper that died a year or so ago. She blames the fire jumper crew, especially Ro (who was Jimmy’s partner) and she’s done a bang-up job of telling them (Ro) exactly how she feels about them (her).
Nora Roberts writes a lot of fantabulous books and while I did start off enjoying the heck out of this book, overall this story dragged for me. There’s a lot of unnecessary information going on in this book. Lots of things going on as well and while it usually works for me, the secondary romance between Ro’s father and one of his customers didn’t really get me excited to continue reading the story.
The romance between Ro and Gully showed such promise in the beginning but teetered off somewhere in the middle. Ro’s trust issues and all the craziness that comes with all of the drama at work (Dolly destroying Ro’s room, the destruction of the room, etc…) should have made this book more interesting but for some reason, it just wasn’t. The book isn’t bad, it’s just not in your face exciting either. The characters, the story, the setting, it’s all painted with such pretty words but that’s about it. The book has great imagery when it comes to the actual fires and what goes down at the firehouse but other than that, things were just okay.
I enjoyed getting to know everyone in the story but I can’t honestly say that these characters will stay with me the way that other books by Nora Roberts have.
3 out of 5
Row,
I started this one and didn’t finish it. Same thoughts. Now I’m glad I went with my instinct. Hoping for another NR paperback trilogy soon … those are my faves.
LindaLou
I read your review with much interest. This one has been sitting on my TBR for awhile and I haven’t even cracked the cover yet.
I’ve long been a fan, used to be a moderator on her board, own everything she’s written as La Nora (I don’t do J.D. Robb), including the elusive Promise Me Tomorrow. And yet, Chasing Fire sits.
Her last couple of STs have been “meh” at best for me which may explain my lack of interest in this one.
I know I’ll pick it up…someday
I agree with your review. This book dragged a bit and the relationship between Ro and Gully was merely average. It also read more like a primer on fire jumping than a romantic suspense. To top it all off, the killer wasn’t much of a surprise.
I laughed, I cried, I got the well written story i’d expected. Did I pay too much, as another review implied? Possibly. Was some of the firefighting imagery a bit heavy and tedious? Possibly. But I enjoyed the characters, wanted the story to continue, and loved working to solve the mystery. There is a scene in which Gull takes a couple of pictures, two ends of the same rainbow.
I’ve read almost all of Nora Roberts’ books (including this one); however, details of this book are eluding me. My favorite Nora Roberts’ book that deals with fire is Blue Smoke.
This doesn’t read like a Nora Roberts book. It just seems like someone went through it and added a million commas and changed words to ones that mean the same but are not normally used. I have read almost all of her books and this one just did not muster up to her usual writings.
I enjoyed “Fire” for its well-written characters, compelling plot, and romantic elements. Nora Roberts is known for her strong characterization, and “Fire” is no exception, with both Rowan and Gulliver being well-rounded and likeable characters. The romantic tension between them is also well-done, with some readers finding their connection to be both steamy and touching.
However, some readers have found the plot to be predictable and the romantic elements to be clichéd. Additionally, some readers have felt that the book’s pacing was slow, making it difficult to stay engaged with the story.
Overall, “Fire” is a well-written romance novel with a suspenseful twist that will appeal to fans of Nora Roberts and the romantic suspense genre. However, opinions on the book can vary greatly, so it’s always a good idea to read multiple reviews before deciding if a book is right for you.