Burn Zone

I am a big Annabeth Albert fan, and this book is no exception. I love this new series, and I can’t wait to see where she takes it next. This was a terrific and exciting setting for Lincoln and Jacob’s story. I can’t wait to read more.

The last thing Lincoln Reid expects to see in the squad’s new recruits is Jacob Hartman, his best friend’s little brother. Linc promised his late friend that he would stay away from his brother, but that is proving harder than he thought it would be. Jacob is everything he didn’t know he needed.

After reading a few of Albert’s Out of Uniform books, I couldn’t resist requesting this book. Jacob was a man of many layers. He was the perfect blend of youthful excitement with a professional adult. I really liked him. Linc struggles to fight with his feelings for Jacob. He has been pushing him away for years because of his promise to Wyatt but he doesn’t want to do that anymore. Once he had a taste of Jacob he didn’t want to let go, he just had to stop fighting his feelings and admit it before it’s too late. I liked Linc, but his constant self-doubt weighed down the book and messed with the pacing for me. That said, watching Linc and Jacob keep their relationship personal and under wraps was still enjoyable.

Overall, I think this is a great start for a new series from Albert. The relationship was sweet, the romance scorching, and the story was pretty dang good. I look forward to the next book.

*ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.*

RATING 4.5 STARS

Burn Zone is book one in the brand new series, Hotshots, by Annabeth Albert. This is my very first book by Annabeth but she’s long been on my want to read list. This is a M/M romance with two sexy firefighters that bring on all kinds of swoons.

Jacob Hartman is twenty five years old. Years before he came out to his family. He didn’t want to hide who he was. Jacob’s late older brother was a smoke jumper, a firefighter that parachutes into dangerous fires. As is his brother’s closest friend, Linc, who Jacob has had a crush on since he was nineteen years old. But he’s not that nineteen year old kid any longer. Jacob also wants to be a smoke jumper, he’s done everything he could to prepare for this for years. Is it a risk taking a job for the same crew where his brother worked, where Linc still works? Yes. Because that attraction he felt for Linc all those years ago, it’s still there, stronger than ever. And this time, he’s determined to do something about it.

Linc Reid is ten years older than Jacob. Even back when Jacob was nineteen, Linc felt that “something” between them. That pull, that need. But he had made a promise to Jacob’s brother, hands off. Very few know that Linc was gay. But Jacob knew, just as he knew that he was trying to deny his attraction to him. Now Jacob is his partner at work. Now he has to fight his feelings for him every single day. If a man can’t keep his word, what kind of a man is he? He promised Jacob’s brother. But Jacob is nothing if not persistent. Linc can only hold out for so long.

“Need didn’t listen to reason, cared not about well thought out rationale, and need continued to grow, wild and frantic.”

As Linc and Jacob spent time together, both at work, and outside of work, what was once just physical attraction grew, to so much more. They learned each other’s minds as well as their bodies. But their time together had an expiration date. Because Linc couldn’t be what Jacob deserved. He couldn’t let go of the past. He couldn’t give him what he needed. When the smoke jumping season is over, he’s leaving.

I believe as romance readers, we all must believe that there is that “one” person out there for everyone. And that when you meet that person, you feel something different, as did Linc and Jacob, even though you might now understand what you are feeling. But Linc is battling with his own perception of honor, and with his own perception of himself. His heart wants him, his mind says no. There might be ten years between these two but let me tell you that Jacob is so mature. His persistence, his patience with Linc, was a beautiful thing. When Linc let down his guard, these two were so perfect together. I loved them as a couple. They have a bumpy road to travel, though, until they can find their way.

I really did love this book. The only reason it didn’t get five full stars is because I felt like it was a bit slow at times. I’m an impatient reader and wanted things to move along. But, the connection between these two was so beautiful. I felt ALL the swoons. This is my favorite kind of M/M couple, where both men are equal in strength and will, true partners. As I said earlier, I’ve been wanting to try this author for some time now and am so glad I finally did. There will definitely be more books by her in my future. I can’t wait to see what might come next in this series.

“I’m Yours.”
“Jacob. Always Jacob.”

I don’t know how Annabeth Albert does it, but she writes these heart melting, angst filled, sexy romantic books that you just can’t put down! She did it again!! Who doesn’t want a sexy smoke jumper, Jacob at age 19 wanted Lincoln, felt something between them but Linc never let it even start. 6 years later Jacob is back and his chance to join the elite smoker jumpers team, his late brothers team, Linc’s team and he’s ready!! But Linc wasn’t quite ready for Jacob and being so close to him for training and work, his heart wasn’t ready either!

Jacob proposes a “let’s get it out of our system” and be done. Like that was going to work with two hot AF smoke jumpers!! They’ve circled each other for years, both felt but neither acted on it. Now they can’t stop, it doesn’t matter no one knows, not his family, not his friends, no one but accidents during fire season happen and it changes everything.

What I loved about this book was all the feelings, the tension and angst, the sweetness and toughness, the romance, it was fabulous!!

“I’ve crushed on you since I was nineteen, but this time together showed me a different level of how I felt. Deepened it. It’s not just some infatuation now. It’s real all right.”

Hundreds of stars, this is going to be one very interesting, sexy series!! Jacob and Linc – age gap, danger, sexy, family issues, it has it all!!

Burn Zone by Annabeth Albert is the first book in her Hotshots series. If you read my review of High Heat, you know I read Book 2 before Book 1. I do think the books can be read as standalones but, as mentioned in my review, you do meet up with Linc and Jacob in that book and you learn about Garrick’s accident in this book.

Linc and Jacob stole my heart in this book; I think they’re my favorites over Garrick and Rain in High Heat. Linc (full name Lincoln) is a smokejumper along with Garrick and Jacob is Linc’s best friend, Wyatt’s, younger brother.

This book was an emotional rollercoaster ride. Jacob and Linc have been attracted to each other for years but Linc holds himself back due to the fact that he feels like he owes Wyatt and his family. Resigning himself to the idea that Linc would never settle for him, Jacob proposes a temporary fling to work their attraction out of their systems. The more time they spend together, the more feelings start to deepen between the two.

Eventually, Jacob ends up revealing his new feelings to Linc and forces Linc to make a decision. Of course, a firefighter romance wouldn’t be a firefighter romance without the dangers of fighting fires. As Linc comes to a decision, their lives are put in danger by an out of control forest fire. Will they make it out in time? Will Linc and Jacob get their HEA? Pick up this book to find out; available to buy on Amazon and on KU.

Ohmygoodness–loved!

Lincoln is a smoke jumper. His childhood had been rough, and what made it bearable was his best friend Wyatt and his family. Wyatt was there for him at crucial times–he literally saved his life more than once–which made it easier for Linc to excuse his friend’s less admirable qualities, especially his OTT homophobia.

As Wyatt’s much younger brother, Jacob unfortunately saw more of the bigot in his older brother and less of the hero. He chose to become a smoke jumper more in spite of his brother’s legacy than because of it–and that fact that it will bring him closer to Linc, his teenage crush? Could be a plus, or it could be torture. Because Linc made a promise to Wyatt that he’d stay away from his brother…

The push and pull between these two was really something–they were just wonderful together. Linc, though, had all kinds of hangups–technically, he’s still in the closet; his promise to Wyatt hangs over him; Jacob is ten years younger; and they’re coworkers. He has so many reasons to not pursue a relationship, and just one to give it a chance: jacob. Will it be enough?

Of course it will–this is a romance! But how will they get to their HEA? Read Burn Zone to find out!

Burn Zone is the first book in Annabeth Albert’s new Hot Shot series, and does it ever get off to a great start 🙂 I cannot wait for book two! (I will, of course. But that teaser… OMG.)

Rating: 4 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book

The author always seems to be able to pull some intense emotion from me at some point in her books. This one was no exception.

Lincoln and Jacob both have some serious emotional issues to navigate, and their job isn’t going to make the issues easier. Annabeth Albert does a great job of laying out the challenges people who fight fires for a living encounter. The story is a slow burn romance with some intense moments and interesting characters.

The narration was a nice addition to this book the narrator, Iggy Toma is one of my favorites. His character voices are distinct enough that he can narrate a book with two different character narratives without causing any confusion.

3.5-4 stars

I was very excited when I heard this author would be releasing a series featuring smoke jumpers. As expected, the setting and storyline in Burn Zone was fantastic, complete with some great action scenes as well as a glimpse into the harrowing job of wildland firefighters. Overall, I really liked the plot and slow-burn romance, but found some aspects of the characters frustrating to the point that it pulled me out of the story a bit.

Burn Zone keyed in on a number of tropes: best friend’s brother, May-December, hurt-comfort, coworkers, and out-for-you plotlines, making Linc and Jacob’s relationship cumbersome to navigate to say the least. Add in a less that accepting family and the recent loss of a family member, and this couple had to navigate a lot to get to their happily-ever-after. While I liked both main characters straightaway, I did find Linc’s incessant waffling and frequent self-flagellation off-putting. That isn’t to say the characters’ backgrounds didn’t explain their personalities, actions, or hesitation to publicly pursue a relationship, it just got tiring after a while. Similarly, while I fully accept that Jacob’s family’s reaction to his and Linc’s relationship is a reality for many within the LGBTQIA community, I didn’t love its resolution. I wanted better for these two, and it’s always hard to settle for a good-enough outcome to a major conflict.

In the end, though I struggled with some aspects of Burn Zone, I did like the story and will be continuing the series. I think this romance is best suited to readers who love slow-burn romances with a good amount of pining and don’t mind some angst over coming out.

*Received via Netgalley. Reviewed for Alpha Book Club*

3-3.5 stars

I consider Annabeth Alberts one of my go to authors. I really enjoy MOST of her books. I was really excited about this new series! I mean… the cover is everything! I love it! I’ve read a couple of smoke jumper books before… but all have been MF. So, I was super excited that I was going to read a m/m one!

First impression of this book was that it was a slow burn. I had a hard time staying focused. I kept putting the book down. I also want to say I fell madly in love with this book! And that I couldn’t put it down. But I can’t. I struggled with Linc… the main character. He was very hard to connect with. I really didn’t like Wyatt either. But Linc was so wishy washy for most of the book. It was just hard for me.

Their first kiss felt off. There was no build up to it. Especially how it happened. I even reread the page before leading up to the kiss to see if I had missed anything. Because it just felt weird.

Linc’s hot and cold feelings towards Jacob was over the top. It went on for a good chunk of the book. Jacob had a big crush on Linc for years. I felt that played a big part in way Jacob was willing to let his heart get crushed by Linc. He didn’t care how Linc treated him… as long as they could be together. I felt bad for him.

I wish Linc’s frame of mind didn’t last as long as it did in this book. Linc was holding on to this promise he made years ago. And it effected how I felt about him. It was hard for me to fully embrace him. I kinda felt Like Jacob deserved better.

But, I’m happy how it all ended. And somewhere towards the end… I was pulled back into this story. So I am interested to reading the next book in this series High Heat! Hopefully the next book in this series is more my speed.

*ARC provided by HARLEQUIN – Carina Press via Netgalley*

Annabeth Albert’s Hotshots series opens with a bang and doesn’t release the speed or tension until we’re all set with a fabulous HEA. Emotional and intense, Burn Zone offers a gripping romantic read.

Three-dimensional and with unique voices, Albert’s main characters Lincoln Reid and Jacob Hartman, are so easy to fall for and actively cheer on. Their chemistry is visceral, their connection swoon-worthy.

With a well-thought-out plot and strong crafting, readers are introduced to a series that balances heat, romance, and angst superbly. This is definitely a series I’ll be 1-clicking.