Author:
Annabeth Albert
Series:
Hotshots, #2
Length:
352 pages
Genre:
Contemporary Romance
Imprint:
Carina Press
eBook
On-Sale: July 27, 2020
eBook
ISBN & Price: 9781488057069, $4.99 U.S.
MMP
On-Sale: July 28, 2020
MMP
ISBN & Price: 9781335459510, $8.99 U.S.
Book Description: Annabeth Albert’s Hotshots series continues—the
emotions and intensity of Chicago Fire with the raw, natural elements of
Man vs. Wild.
Smoke jumping is Garrick Nelson’s life. Nothing, not severe injuries nor the brutal physical therapy that follows, is going to stop him from getting back with his crew. But when a lost dog shows up on his front porch, he can’t turn her away, and he can’t take care of her on his own. Thankfully, help comes in the form of his new sexy, dog-loving neighbor. As they work together, trying to re-home their little princess, Garrick can’t resist his growing attraction for the other man, even though he knows this guy isn’t the staying type.
Rain Fisher doesn’t take anything too seriously. He dances through life, one adventure at a time, never settling in one place for too long. When his hot, conveniently buff, neighbor shows up on his doorstep, dog in tow, Rain’s determined to not just save the adorable puppy, but her reluctant owner as well. He never expects their flirtation might tempt him into stay put once and for all...
Danger lurks everywhere for Central Oregon’s fire crews, but the biggest risk of all might be losing their hearts. Don’t miss the Hotshots series from Annabeth Albert: Burn Zone, High Heat, and Feel the Fire.
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Excerpt
Emerging from the bathroom, he pulled up short in front
of the bed where a very happy, very sleepy Cookie was lounging against his
pillows.
“Hey! I thought I told you to lie on your bed.”
Thump. Thump. Wagging
her tail, she gave him a canine grin.
“That’s the people bed. Yours is over there.” He pointed
at her bed. “Go lie down.”
Helpfully, she scooted over about ten inches but otherwise
didn’t seem inclined to budge.
“Five minutes, okay? Five minutes and then you’re going
to your bed.” Sitting next to her, he adjusted the bed’s angle. Replacing his
previous cheap king set with this setup had been a bit of a splurge, but it
beat the rental hospital bed he’d had at his dad’s. He was a big guy. He needed
his space. And he was not prepared to share that space with a stubborn pooch.
“Go lay down,” he tried again after giving her some pats,
but all she did was move to the foot of the other side of the bed. Yawning and
out of energy, he was no match for a stubborn dog. “Fine, fine. Let’s not tell
Rain that you rejected his bed selection.”
Usually nights were hard—his pain
level tended to spike at night in unpredictable ways, his sleep could befitful, and his mind raced through hundreds of dismal
scenarios. He’d never had an anxiety problem before the accident, but lately,
calming down at night was particularly problematic. If he was physically
exhausted, it was easier, but then physical tiredness tended to mean more pain,
which meant more sleeplessness, which meant more time for worries to charge
back up.
But that night he didn’t even need to play on his phone
and was asleep even before he could try again to get Cookie to move. The next
thing he knew it was morning—and not crack-of-dawn morning either, but a sunny
eight o’clock. A banging noise was coming from the front door.
Had to be Rain come to walk the dog. And sure enough, his
phone was full of several missed messages from Rain asking about a time to come
over.
“Coming,” he hollered. Hell. No time to get dressed.
Letting Cookie lead the way, he used the crutches to get as far as the
wheelchair, then switched to the faster method to get to the door.
“Oh, good! You survived the night!” Rain greeted him
cheerily. “And uh—wow. Um. You need me to wait a minute?”
Rain’s gaze was riveted to Garrick’s chest in a blatantly
appreciative way he hadn’t experienced in months. Damn. Felt good. Too good.
And his shorts were hardly designed to conceal his body’s reaction to Rain’s
attention if his dick decided to power up like it had last night. Abruptly, he
spun away from the door. “Come on in. Sorry. We slept late. Like ten hours. I
can’t believe it. That never happens to me.”
“You
must have needed it. Did Cookie stay in her bed all night?”
“She stayed quiet,” Garrick hedged, not wanting to hurt
his feelings by telling him Cookie had rejected the bed but also not wanting to
outright lie either. “She must have needed the rest too. You want to take her
out? I’ll find both a shirt and her medication while you’re gone.”
“Sounds great.” Rain bounced on the balls of his feet
before fetching the leash from the key rack where he’d hung it the night
before. His hair was still up, but messier than the day before, and he was
wearing silver shorts and a close-fitting pink T-shirt with several members of
that pony show Garrick’s sister’s kids liked, and Squad Goals written under the
ponies in swirly script.
“No job interview today?”
“Nope. Didn’t want Miss Cookie feeling bad about being
the only one in pink. I figured we could match. And I told you. I like it.”
Rain’s eyes were defiant, daring Garrick to object.
“Hey,
you wear what you want to wear.” Without coffee on board, he was struggling to
sound supportive and not lecherous, because damn. Rain looked good in
pink, all warm and glowing. It made his eyes more golden, and somehow the
contrast with his sharp jaw did all sorts of interesting things to Garrick’s
insides. While his taste in partners could be eclectic, the one unifying
feature was usually confidence, because there were few things sexier than a
fearless person who knew themselves and what they wanted. He’d already noted
Rain’s innate confidence the day before, and today’s outfit choice only made
him that much more appealing.
“Good.” Rain clipped the leash to Cookie’s collar. “We’ll
be back.”
While
they were gone, Garrick found a T-shirt of his own, black and plain because he
didn’t have the same need for sparkle as Rain, but man, did he appreciate glam
in people who enjoyed it. As he made the coffee, he watched Rain and Cookie
coming up the sidewalk at a decent trot, Rain’s mouth moving like he was
talking to the dog. Cute. So damn cute. And so very off-limits.
Copyright © 2020 by Annabeth Albert
What I thought about High Heat
In this second book in Annabeth Albert's Hotshots series, Garrick Nelson is a smoke jumper recovering from injuries resulting from a horrible work related accident. His goal is to return to work. When a stray dog shows up at his door one day, he appeals to his neighbor for help and ends up meeting Rain Fisher, his neighbor's grandson visiting for the summer.
Rain Fisher is a twenty-something young man with an optimistic attitude and he's more than willing to help Garrick with his visitor. Together they take care of Cookie and become friends. When Rain needs help getting in shape to get a job with the firefighters, Garrick is only to willing to help Rain get physically ready for the job. I adored Garrick. His positive attitude was inspiring and Garrick and Rain's easy friendship is a terrific foundation for their budding relationship. I was hooked on these two early on in the book.
I love stories that focus on relationships that aren't perfect in every way, and Garrick and Rain have some challenges to overcome as they grow closer. Garrick's dedication to his job and his desire to return to work was inspiring, and his physical limitations and challenges were handled with love and sensitivity. I was able to understand what Garrick's life not only physically but emotionally after his accident as he works toward regaining his mobility.
I appreciated that the physical issues between these two are handled with honesty and aren't just brushed away. There's plenty of steamy action between Garrick and Rain -- I especially liked how Rain responded to Garrick's commanding direction in the bedroom!
There are the usual complications between these two, made more significant by the impact on both of them. Garrick's return to work, Rain's temporary summer job all have the capacity to provide the conflict in this story. There's also a great support structure for Garrick between his father and his friends.
So much to love about this story, I have to give it five stars.While High Heat works as a standalone, you'll probably want to read the first book in the series for more info about Garrick's accident, but it's not necessary. I'm looking forward to more in this series.
An ARC was provided. This is my honest review.
About Annabeth Albert
Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer.
Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Annabeth loves finding happy endings for a variety of pairings and is a passionate gay rights supporter. In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two children.
