I love firemen. Heroic. Selfless. Brave. Not to mention the uniform with those damn sexy pants…I can’t get enough.Imagine my surprise when local fire captain, Chase Matthews, wanders into my yard on moving day. I’ve hit real estate gold. Hot as sin with that all-knowing smirk creates an instant spark. Welcome to the neighborhood never looked so good.But dating a firefighter isn’t all it’s cracked … firefighter isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Chase keeps me at distance even when I attempt to break down his walls. A friendship with the nosy eccentric woman down the street reveals there’s more to Chase than he’s willing to share. I’m playing with fire and bound to get burned.
Secrets unfold.
Truths are brought to light.
Can I handle the heat? Or will my love for this man prove that sometimes even good girls have to burn down the house?
The books in the Caught series are interconnected stand-alone romance novels and can be enjoyed in any order, however the recommended reading order is:
Caught in the Flames
One Hot Night
Caught in the Lies
Caught in the Chase
Caught in Us
more
3.5 Stars
I really enjoyed most of Caught in the Flames. I loved how Callie fell quickly and hard for Chase- and was broken because of him. And then Ash came along… and Callie and he managed to do things the way they were meant to.
This book started out great. It was a little slow in the middle, but I appreciated how that affected Ash and Callie’s relationship. It did pick up closer to the end. The writing was good, and I liked the characters very much, especially the friendship that Callie had with Jill and Alecia, as well as with her neighbor. I will say that I am still puzzling over the connection of Chase’s family…
I will certainly read the next book in this series, and more by Kacey Shea~!
After reading the prequel Caught up I’m Flames, I knew that Caught up in Lies would be a scorcher! Kasey is a new author for me and I’ve quickly become a fan!
Cam and Jill are the older man/younger woman storyline that starts off as just a casual hook up but turns into so much more. These two are hotter than hell and each have secrets that could but the flames out. It’s a book that once I started reading I couldn’t put down! Loved it!
I was not expecting the twists and turns in this book. It certainly kept me on my toes. At first I thought this would be the typical woman falls for firefighter and they ride off into the sunset on a firetruck. I was so wrong.
Callie is set in her job, she works hard, has just bought a new home when she meets Chase, a sexy fireman. He is definitely not who he seemed to be and betrays Callie in the worst way. His family is something he never talked about with her, and kept things from her, important things, and because of that Callie finds herself in some situations that could have been avoided.
She meets a eccentric older woman Kiki whom she becomes great friends with. She helps Callie get through some rough times. Just when Callie has sworn off firemen she meets Ash, who works at the same house with Ash, is actually his boss. Ash and Callie become the best of friends and more. He is everything Chase wasn’t and much more. He too helps her through some rough times, and helps her get over Chase.
I managed to read this in about a day, and couldn’t put it down. Can’t wait for the next book.
Just like the author says in the first line of the blurb for this book, I love firemen. Give me a good romance about strong, brave, muscle-y, sweaty…where was I going with that? Lost my train of thought. But anyhoo, even though this one featured a hot fireman hero, I had to tap out at 12%. Here’s what went wrong for me:
The Prologue:
Yes, that’s right, the prologue was a problem for me. Why? Because the prologue has the heroine running into her burning house to put on a bra so that she doesn’t look bad in front of the firemen who are on their way to put out the fire. I honestly considered DNFing at this point because I HATE TSTL heroines, and running into a burning building to put on a bra is the epitome of TSTL. If she’d run back in to, I don’t know, save a child or a dog I would’ve forgiven it. But for pure vanity? Nope. There’s no excuse for that kind of dumbfuckery. But, for some reason, I persevered and read on.
The I’m-all-tongue-tied heroine:
I’m OK with a heroine who gets a little tongue-tied around a hot guy. I mean, we’re only human, right? But the heroine in this story (I can’t even remember her name, and frankly, I can’t bring myself to care) is consistently tongue-tied around the hero. She can barely string together a coherent sentence when he’s around to the point that I wonder why he’s interested in her at all. I have to assume it’s her cleavage that gets his attention, because it’s mentioned that his eyes stray there. A lot. He’s not attracted to her because she’s a great conversationalist, that’s for damn sure.
There’s also a point when the heroine laments the fact that she suspects the hero might be in his 30’s, because, ew, that’s sooooo old! If I could’ve reached through my Kindle and smacked her little 22-year-old face and reminded her that she wasn’t that far off from her 30’s, I would have. But alas, I read on.
Alphahole alert:
Now, I don’t normally have a huge problem with heroes who can be a little possessive and jealous. I mean, Kristen Ashley heroes can be a little possessive and it doesn’t usually bother me at all. But that whole possessive thing only works in certain circumstances and with certain authors (like Ashley). In this book, at about 12%, the heroine is at the gym with the hero (Chase), and she compliments another guy on his bench press skills and mentions that he might make a good personal trainer. That’s all. There wasn’t any flirting going on. Nothing unseemly about it at all. But Chase orders her to sit (like a dog), and then says:
“The only personal trainer you’ll ever have is me, are we clear? And another thing. If it’s not already obvious. I don’t like to share. Anything. I don’t even share my dessert. If you give me a bag of M&M’s, I want them all. And you…you’re mine. So look at Troy like that again and see what happens.”
It’s important to note that when Chase goes all alpahole and grunts out this Neanderthal speech, he’s only been on 4 dates with the heroine. They haven’t even had a conversation about whether or not they’re just dating or in an actual relationship. So, no, Chase, she’s not, in fact, yours. Not at all. I would’ve throat-punched him at that point, run for my life, and quite possibly filed a restraining order. But what does our intrepid heroine do? She gets turned on. Of course she does. What else would I expect from someone who runs into a burning building to retrieve her bra? (And did I mention that she stopped to put on the bra while the house burned around her? Yeah. I’m not even making that up.)
And don’t even get me started on the fact that the hero wouldn’t share a bag of M&M’s. Some hero you are, pal!
So, I DNF’d at that point because I thought the heroine was a dumbass and the hero was an alphahole of the highest order. Life’s too short and I’m too damn old to tolerate that kind of asshattery.
And don’t forget to check out the Romance Rehab blog for more rants, raves, book lists and other fun romance-y stuff: http://www.romancerehab.com/
I wanted to love this book. I tried so hard but…
I didn’t feel connected to the characters. It felt forced. Once I realized why, I was able to acknowledge it but I still had a hard time connecting. The plot twists are unusual but it felt like grasping. As quickly as I devoured it I feel like I ate all the calories but I’m still hungry.
Kacey Shea sure knows how to suck in the reader with her stories. I flew through the first half of this book. But I will also be completely honest and say that I struggled with this book. I understand the story the author was trying convey with Callie’s character.
I feel like I got two stories in one book. I like how Kacey expertly told Callie’s past to get to her present. I had no idea where this story was going, but a twist got thrown in and I had renewed hopes. Unfortunately it went down hill pretty fast.
Callie is a 22 yr old graphic designer with a big obsession for firefighters. It just so happens when she moves into her new house, she bumps into the sexy, sure of himself fire chief Chase Matthews. From there Callie life goes through ups and downs, heartbreak and growth.
So I’m not gonna beat around the bush. I couldn’t stand Callie. I completely understand she’s a good girl with freakish OCD for order and sticky notes. But I couldn’t get past her naive and childish attitude. Not to mention she’s gullible, insecure, and could be flat out dumb. She made me want to bang my head against the wall. I really tried to like her.
(view spoiler)I really wanted to like this book. I did start to like it once the twist happened. I just couldn’t get with Callie. I think her friends were incredibly messed up too. Although I eventually felt bad for Alicia, but she has issues. Jill is the better friend, but she can’t pick a man either. I completely understand the way Callie was written. I did feel bad for Callie, sometimes bad things happen to good people. A lot of times it leaves room for something great to come along. I will say that Kacey is definitely a great writer and I want to read more books by her in the future. Maybe even books with Jill and Alicia.
Wonderful story!
First, let me say that this book is amazing! The writing is fantastic. The story flows well, has great character development, and nothing is left undone. It’s full of hot firemen, humor, and real life experiences. The prologue immediately drew me in. I really needed to know what happened to make Callie hate firemen so much!
Caught in the Flames is a roller-coaster ride, but oh what a marvelous ride it is! Callie’s journey to her HEA will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page. There were times where I was falling in love right along with Callie then screaming at her for being so accepting and naïve. While reading about the relationship Callie was building with Chase, I had this sense of foreboding early on. Everything about Chase just seemed sketchy to me after the first couple of chapters. I didn’t like all the secrecy and his unwillingness to talk to Callie. I kept anticipating the moment when everything would fall apart, leading me back to the prologue. About halfway through the book, I wanted to throw it out my window and scream at the author for what she was doing to Callie. But alas, redemption was in sight for Kacey Shea. This isn’t your typical romance. Not only do we get the HEA, but we see all the heartache and healing that Callie experiences along the way.
As a side note, I really like her friends. They are like the devil and the angel on her shoulders-one telling her to go for it and screw the consequences and the other wants her to be careful but not over analyze everything. I love Kiki. She’s a great confidant and friend to Callie – no judgement, just wisdom and direction.