~REVIEW of Jo Davis': HIDDEN FIRE~



Hidden Fire (Firefighters of Station Five, #3)

Opening Line: "Julian Salvatore sprayed a steady stream of water at station five's ambulance, rinsing off the soapsuds and gyrating around the vehicle to "Life in the Fast Lane" blaring from the radio just inside the bay.

Hidden Fire is book #3 in the romantic, suspenseful and sexy firefighters of station five series. This time we get bad boy Julian Salvatore’s story. Often excluded by his fellow members in ‘A’ shift because of his aloof attitude and man-whore reputation, in actuality Julian’s hiding a terrible secret from his past and wants desperately to fit in with his crew. He’s also in love with a woman he met 2 books ago TRIAL BY FIRE A beautiful yet icy defence attorney who won’t give him an inch.

So far I’ve really enjoyed this series, I mean how could you not? With hard bodied firemen heroes, smoking hot love scenes, and exciting action-suspense storylines it’s always a great ride. Part of the fun in reading these books is also the anticipation of how many concussions/trips to the hospital/shootings/stabbings/drownings our heroes will have to endure before they get the bad guy and win the girl. Jo Davis just loves to beat up her men and it’s become a bit of a game for me counting the injuries. I also like how all the books are slightly connected with updates from past characters and continuing story arcs. Here we get to catch up with Howard, Zach and fan favourite Captain Sean’s ongoing struggle with the bottle.

Grace McKenna’s been trying to avoid Julian’s irresistible Latin charm and ongoing advances, yet despite her all work no play attitude she can’t seem to stop thinking about him. After witnessing his almost frantic reaction to her latest client Grace finally concedes to a date, realizing that theres more to this sexy stud muffin then meets the eye. Julian is of course thrilled however this former ladies man has just fallen for a commitment-phobe and its going to take a long time for her to return those 3 little words he's dying to hear.

Of course while this romance is taking place theres also a serial killer on the loose, with violent ties to Julian’s past and now it appears a hold on his future as well as he’s set his sights on Julian as his next victim. As much as I enjoyed the romance here I also really liked this chilling suspense storyline which was frightening, thrilling and in the end, with the disclosure of the killers identity, urprising too. We’re also introduced to police detective Shane who I’m hoping to see more of in future books.

My only real issue here were the love scenes which tended to read more like erotica then romance. I’m not complaining, they’re hot but they tended to also feel gratuitous and slightly out of tune with the general feel of the book. Grace receiving oral sex on the couch before they’ve even been on a first date was strange and came (pardon the pun) out of nowhere. Then they decided they were just going to be friends. There was also Julian’s weird domination/anal play issue. This just felt out of character for him especially since it was their fist time together and he had been all soft and lovey-dovey moments before. Anyways…

There are still a couple of hot firemen waiting to have their stories told, LINE OF FIRE is up next in this recommended series.

~REVIEW of Jo Davis' TRIAL BY FIRE~

~WELCOME TO THE MEN OF STATION 5~

 Trial by Fire (Firefighters of Station Five, #1)

 

Opening Line: "Lieutenant Howard Paxton gritted his teeth against the burn, every muscle straining as he pumped three hundred pounds of iron from his bare, sweaty chest."

Howard "six-pack' Paxton loves being a fireman, in his down time this confirmed bachelor lifts weights (to perfect the six-pack) rides his Harley and hangs out with the other members of station 5. Everything changes however the night A' shift responds to a house fire and Howard finds himself administering first aid to the curvaceous Katherine McKenna. She has literally fallen into his arms suffering from smoke inhalation and once she opens her eyes the sparks fly. This pair can't deny their attraction to each other and even though Howard has sworn off woman (because he's tired of being used for his body and wants more out a relationship than just sex) he's willing to make an exception for the beautiful, blonde schoolteacher. Just as their relationship starts to smoulder an arsonist makes himself known and tangles Howard up in his demented plans of vengeance. Now those closest to him are in danger of becoming the next potential victims as a ruthless string of fires roars closer and closer to home.

TRIAL BY FIRE was a surprisingly great read full of action and suspense, smoking hot love scenes and a complex yet tortured hero. The multi-layered plot kept me guessing throughout and the antagonist was genuinely evil. However the first few chapters are really silly and after having it pounded into my head every few pages just exactly how good looking, muscular, strong and enormous (6'6 240) Howard is and listening to internal dialogue with the words "Shazaaam and Ka-pow" I then had to wipe away the tears of laughter at having his man-bits described as among other things; a divining rod and renegade (there is also mention of Mt St Helen's) before resigning myself to just sitting back and enjoying a complete cheese-fest.

However it's at this point that author Jo Davis confused me by writing a great story with an actual plot. Somehow she's managed a perfect mixture of corny fun with thrilling action and heartbreaking post traumatic stress. It's also obvious that Davis has done her homework here and spent time within a fire hall and with real firefighters because her technical descriptions as well as those of life in the `house' and the feeling of brotherhood among the men are spot on. I also enjoyed the relationship between Kat and Howard and loved the fact that Kat embraced her curves and had no desire to be a size 2. Her struggle to get Howard to open up about his nightmares and abusive past without shutting down and pushing her away were well done and their relationship as a whole was believable.

My only real problem was with Howard's abrupt change in character whenever he got his freak on. Outside of the bedroom he never swears and is a giant teddy bear of a man however get him between the sheets, against a wall or in the hot tub and he turns into a sexual dominant with a nasty mouth. Thankfully we have also been introduced to the other hard-bodied men of station 5 and I can't wait to read their stories. UNDER FIRE, is next up in this scorching new series. Cheers.

~REVIEW of Jo Davis' LINE OF FIRE~

 

Line of Fire (Firefighters of Station Five, #4)

stars

Opening Line: “Go wide! Go wide! Come on Skyler pass the ball!”

Line Of Fire is book #4 in in the romantic, suspenseful and sexy firefighters of station five series. This time through we get apparent Brad Pitt lookalike Tommy Skylar’s story. At 23 he’s the youngest member of ‘A’ shift, a former star quarterback, Tommy had dreams of going to the NFL until the death of his brother in Iraq changed everything. Striving to make his parents proud Tommy joined the Fire Dept but still isn’t sure it’s where he wants to be.

So far I’ve really enjoyed this series, I mean how could you not? With hard bodied firemen heroes, smoking hot love scenes, and exciting action-suspense storylines it’s always a great ride. Part of the fun in reading these books is also the anticipation of how many trips to the hospital our heroes will have to endure before they get the bad guy and win the girl. Jo Davis just loves to beat up her men and it’s become a bit of a game for me counting the injuries. I also like how all the books are connected with updates from past characters and continuing story arcs. Here we get to catch up with 6-Pack, Zach, Julian and their Captain Sean’s ongoing struggle with the bottle.

 ER nurse Shea Ford has been trying to avoid Tommy’s irresistible charm and ongoing advances. She thinks that he’s way too young for the strong feelings he brings out in her and that she’d be much safer dating Prescott, a boring city planner. After Tommy lands in her ER (the 1st time) Shea finally concedes to a date and the two fall for each other pretty quickly after that.

Of course while all the romance is taking place we also have an arsonist on the loose and while I didn’t find his POV particularly interesting, his bad guy antics do enable Sean to finally hit bottom and land Tommy in the hospital again, this time with surprisingly devastating injuries. Ironically I had just been saying to myself; Davis is taking it easy on her hero when whammy a burning building collapses on him, changing his future forever.

All in all a pretty good read although I have to admit it’s my least favourite from the series. I had a tough time feeling the connection between Tommy and Shea or believing that he was ready for a HEA at 23 especially when he read like such a mama’s boy. And then there was the gratuitous anal sex scene at Tommy’s parents house which I suppose was meant to show the depth of their love (?) in a Lora Leigh sort of way however I found it unnecessary and weird especially considering Shea‘s dark secret. A lot of times this just felt like Davis was going through the motions with stilted, fluffy dialogue and an almost repetitive story line. Still I can’t wait to read Sean’s conclusion to this series next in RIDE THE FIRE.

~REVIEW of Jo Davis' RIDE THE FIRE~

~FINALLY, CAPT'N SEAN'S STORY- GREAT CONCLUSION TO A HOT SERIES~

(Firefighters of Station Five, #5)

Opening Line: “On the night the world ended, Blair Tanner had told her husband to go to hell.”

Ride The Fire is the final book from the suspenseful and oh-so-sexy Firefighters of Station Five series and here, at last we get Sean Tanner’s story. Like everyone else I’d been anxiously waiting for him and fellow firefighter Eve to get their groove on -I mean this is a guy that really deserves a decent HEA, after losing his wife and children and then battling the bottle for the entire series. So I’m happy to say that despite a few silly moments Davis does our boy justice, sucking me in completely with this exciting and romantic story.

 With another action-packed storyline, some fun moments (hello fireman auction) and her usual flair for the scorching love scenes Davis also provides a worthy adversary from Sean’s past to beat him up, blow him up and generally make things interesting. I also appreciated her somewhat bittersweet ending, learning the future of all of our Station 5 team while opening up a possible window (?) for another series with the introduction of several hunky police officers.

As a whole this is a fantastic series that I’ve really enjoyed, I mean how could you not? With hard bodied firefighter heroes, erotic love scenes and exciting storylines it’s always a great ride. And while Davis takes it pretty easy on Sean here (she may have felt he’d suffered enough already) Part of the fun in reading these books is also the anticipation of how many trips to the hospital our heroes will have to endure before they get the bad guy and win the girl. Jo Davis just loves to beat up her men and it’s become a bit of a game for me counting the injuries. I also like how all the books are connected with updates from past characters and continuing story arcs. Here we get to catch up with all the boys and girls from “A’ shift with special mention given to my still favourite, Howard “6-pack”yumminess.

Fresh from rehab Captain Sean Tanner is just learning to live without the crutch of alcohol that has kept the heartbreak and nightmares of losing his family at bay. He’s also trying to regain the trust of his team after almost killing one of them. The last thing he needs now is to get distracted by a woman especially one that he works with. But how has he never noticed fellow firefighter Eve Marshal before? And as her boss how can he avoid her?

We’ve all known that Eve’s been in love with Sean since the very beginning and watching these two finally get together was explosive to say the least. Their first night is just Wow. Can you say pent up passion. Of course this little tryst is bound to get found out by the guys at the station and then it’s going to cost one of them their job. That is if Sean doesn’t pull a runner first, because he’s still a mess and convinced Eve would be better off not getting involved in his chaotic life. And then of course we have the terror from Sean’s past coming back to haunt him in the form of an old Military “pal” Jesse Rose. Best friends since childhood Jesse and Sean served in the Marines together, until that fateful night. Now it seems Jesse is back with an agenda and Sean’s past is about to catch up with him. Cheers people.

~REVIEW of Jo Davis' UNDER FIRE~

RETURN TO THE MEN OF STATION 5

 

Under Fire (Firefighters of Station Five, #2)  Stars

Opening Line: "The back end of the SUV filled Zack Knight's windshield before his exhusted brain jolted to awareness, screaming the belated message to slam on his brakes." 

Zack Knight loves to save lives and fight fires along with the other members of his `family' at Station Five yet outside the firehouse his private life has hit rock bottom. In trying to pay off his ailing fathers gambling debts he's managed to lose his house, his life savings and with this latest instalment he's also going to lose his baby, a 1967 silver Mustang. Its while pondering the loan sharks increasingly hostile demands that Zack rear ends Cori Shannon in what will become the first of many accidents he suffers throughout this book. The beautiful exotic dancer wants nothing to do with Zack or his crumpled Mustang and succeeds in destroying what's left of his pride before she leaves too.

With Zack's job on the line for being late, A shift's first call takes them to an MVA on Sugarland bridge. A car is teetering on the guard rail, precariously close to falling into the violent waters below. A car that contains one terrified and somewhat familiar exotic dancer. Zack makes it his personal mission to rescue Cori, climbing into the back and urging her forward to safety just as the car topples over the edge taking Zack with it.

The opening of UNDER FIRE is super exciting and I can't remember ever reading a romance where the author actually kills the hero within the first few chapters. (Okay it was only for a few minutes but still) Jo Davis just loves to torture her men and by the end I truly felt sorry for Zack; he drowns, gets pneumonia, is shot, drugged, stabbed, tortured and hit in the head with a 2x4. It's exhausting. Through it all Zack maintains his nice guy persona and between hospital visits even manages to lose his virginity (I know sweet right, he was saving himself for the right girl)

               

 His `right girl' is very likable, feisty, and independent plus she made me laugh with her sassy comments. Cori is also older than Zack and no virgin which was an interesting dynamic. Together they both have a ton of secrets and I kept waiting for the inevitable explosion of truths, particularly after Cori's crazed stalker entered the scene.

This is a great read full of action, suspense and hard-bodied men. Although the love scenes here aren't as scorching hot as (TRIAL BY FIRE) Zack makes up for it in sweetness, solo shower scenes and role playing games, yeah he's a keeper.

Thankfully there are still several hot team members waiting to have their stories told, (HIDDEN FIRE) is the next instalment. Cheers!