USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Blackwood fans the flames of desire in her smoking-hot series about firefighters and the women who want them… by escaping to the ice-cream aisle. But when the opportunity arises for her to accompany her brother’s best friend—her lifetime crush—to a wedding, summer gets a whole lot more interesting.
Firefighter and single dad Jake Bennett has built a nice, safe wall around his heart—no romance, no getting burned. That doesn’t mean he’s ruling out a fling. Considering Erin’s visit is temporary, they’re the perfect fit for a scorching no-strings one-night stand. Or two. Or five. Until the worst thing happens: Erin and Jake are feeling more. Damn that four-letter word.
Now their hearts are on the line, and when their smoldering summer comes to a close, it’s going to be harder than ever to put out the fire.
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This read left me with a big smile on my face. I love Blackwood’s quirky humor
I bought this book years ago…I don’t remember why (it was probably very very cheap). Having finally read it, I could’ve skipped this one.
Everywhere I looked, it came up lacking. The characters are very one dimensional and end up getting incredibly annoying towards the end. It kills any possibility of a connection with them. And some of them are a bit caricature-ish.
The plot is pretty flat and lackluster, too. It’s almost like two different authors handled its execution: one for the wedding and everything before, and one for everything after. Because that’s when it took a nosedive and started to feel like a slog. I skimmed the last 20% (yes, PERCENT) of the book because I just needed it to be over. The plot felt like quicksand; there’s no getting out of it and you can’t fight it, but it all looks the same, too. It isn’t like the ending was going to be a surprise, anyway. This had HEA written all over it.
The dialogue was often stilted and weird. The parts during the wedding were steamy but the parts after were missing something. Sometimes scenes seemed to lose their sense of blocking and suddenly characters would be elsewhere or in a different position that the paragraph before, without having moved (or the illusion/implication of movement).
And may I just take a moment to complain about the cover? It looks pretty good until you learn that Jake has half-sleeve tattoos. Massively missed opportunity there.
All in all, a pretty disappointing introduction to this author.
This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased, honest opinion.
So, something happened while reading this book that has never happened to me before. I liked the book but didn’t like the couple….so weird right?! I didn’t even think this was possible while reading a romance. How can you enjoy a book but not like the couple?! That’s exactly what happened though. First time for everything I suppose.
First off, I don’t think these two are a good match. I didn’t feel the chemistry between them. I think they are on different paths in life and just not a good fit. Erin doesn’t know who she is. She doesn’t know what she wants. Jake is the complete opposite. He has his daughter, his career, his friends, etc. He just needs his other half to share his life with. Erin doesn’t know where she wants to live, she doesn’t know how she feels about her family, she second guesses every decision she makes etc. Erin just isn’t ready for the life Jake is living. They also gave up too easily when things got hard. I think if this is true love and the person you are truly meant for….it wouldn’t be that easy to let it walk away.
I did really like the town and the secondary characters in the story. It was so much fun seeing Jake’s sisters running around and interacting with Bailey. The families on both sides were just awesome. I’d take either one of them honestly. I also loved the small town vibes this town had. Every time they mentioned the bakery, I could almost smell the baked goods through the pages. Also, the story was really well written. I was impressed that an author could make me smell baked goods from printed pages lol. I did enjoy the story overall but just couldn’t get into the couple. Luckily, this is a series and I will definitely be continuing on with it. I cannot wait to see whose story is up next.
Burning Up by Jennifer Blackwood is the first book in her brand new Flirting With Fire series. Told in dual POV between the prodigal daughter returning home to Portland for the summer and her brothers’ best friend, firefighter and father of a twelve year old, Jake.
Erin has crushed on Jake Bennett for what feels like forever, and the ten years she was gone have done nothing but make him even better looking and more attractive. But will this even work? He doesn’t want to get involved in anything serious and cause problems with his daughter and Erin is leaving as soon as she can find another job back in San Fransisco. But is Portland really that bad? Does Erin really have to run off again to not be heard from for another ten years?
Jake refuses to bring his love life around his daughter – anyone he sees knows off the bat that it’s not serious and not permanent. So when Erin comes home looking sexy and delicious he knows he should stay away. One, it’s his best friends little sister. Two, she isn’t staying around. But the heart wants what the heart wants and his heart (and libido) want Erin!
Well-paced, well-written and humorous and sexy this was a wonderful read. Enjoy!
This is my first time reading this author, but I hope it won’t be the last! I really enjoyed this story!
What lost the book a star for me was Erin’s stubborn belief that she had to return to California. It monopolized too much of the book to me, when there were lots of things that she could have done to accept that her life hadn’t gone according to her plan. The reason for this wasn’t readily apparent to me, but there were hints at it, and I hope it will be fully explained later. Ignoring that part of her nature gave me a character that I found both endearing and easy to relate to. I liked Jake as a hero, and especially loved how he took to raising his daughter! Being a firefighter, I liked that he wasn’t over the top macho about it, but was really just a normal everyday guy that has a dangerous job. I found that rather refreshing!
The plot was engaging and engrossing, making the book an easy read. I can’t wait to read more of the series!
What a fun enemies to lovers book! I loved Sloane and Reece from the beginning! They were so snarky with each other, it was witty and spirited!
Sloane aims to get back at Reece by purchasing Reece on the charity firefighters annual auction! He has four weeks to do four tasks of Sloane’s choosing. She intends to make his life hell for a little while, but things go in a vastly different direction!
Reece knows this month is going to be sheer hell! How can he be close to Sloane for a whole month and not get burned??
I really enjoyed this journey! These two have been circling each other for years! I loved to see how things start to change when they were forced to be with each other. You could feel the sexual tension in the air throughout! We know how this is going to go, but I definitely enjoyed the rollercoaster of a ride to get there!
Jennifer Blackwood has a certain writing style which I wholeheartedly embraced! Pick this one up! I guarantee it’s a good time!
I love a good enemies to lovers, best friend’s older brother story line and this book didn’t disappoint. Reece and Sloane were friends before a misunderstanding a year ago now Sloane really really doesn’t like Reece. Sloane never told her friends what happened between her and Reece so they don’t understand the animosity between them. But the chemistry is still there when they are together even when all they do is throw little digs at each other and try to be the last with the comments. Luckily they are able to finally get past their issue and finally come together until another drunken mistake possibly rips them apart. I enjoyed this book and was so happy when they finally got past their disagreement or I should say when Sloane was finally able to get past what Reece had done.
What an amazing book. If you are looking for a book with a hot single dad and a woman who gets past his defenses than this is the book for you.
Jake lives for two things – his job and his daughter. He just wants to be a good dad and being a reliable and trusting firefighter next to the men he calls brothers. Anything other than that is a distraction and he avoids. This works for him until his best friends sister comes home and he starts feeling things he doesn’t think he should.
While Jake was easy to figure out, Erin was a little more of a mystery. Erin left home for college and couldn’t wait to put distance between herself and her family. She seems to be on the move a lot. She claims it’s because of her job but I’m not too sure. Once she comes home and things start to heat up with Jake, he starts wondering if running is the best option.
Watching the two banter was really fun to read. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait for book two.
Reunited … and wow, it felt SO good! Sweet, sexy and irresistible would be the perfect way to describe firefighter Jake. He’s a fun dad, a nice guy and sexy as all get out. I liked him a lot … and Erin irritated me on occasion, but overall I liked them together. Fast paced, lots of humor laced in and an entertaining read all the way around.
Firefighter and single dad Jake Bennett found out long ago that he wasn’t cut out for relationships. If he can have the fun without he pain, he’ll take it any day of the week, but no more setting himself up for heartache! The stress of finding a “plus one” to his sister’s wedding before his mother sets him up with someone is on … but his luck is changing when his best friend’s sister happens to be in town and just the person he needs to take along!
Erin Jenkins has crushed on Jake all of her life, but his life went on without a problem while she pined away. She’s returning home to Portland for the summer just to help her mom out while she recovers from some surgery, but getting into a fake relationship that leads to more with Jake, might be just the kind of distraction she needs while she’s in town! When real feelings start to flare and endanger her ability to leave when shes’ ready, she not so sure she’s ready for that!
This is the first book by this author that I have read and because it checked everything that I like in a book, it won’t be my last! I won this book in a Goodreads contest and in return I promised an honest review.
Burning Up is the first installment in the Flirting with Fire Series, it’s the story of Jake and Erin. Each book is a stand alone romance and they do not have to be read in order. It has no angst, little drama, told in the 3rd person, dual POV and the humor is off the charts with the wit throughout the book. You will fall in love with all the wonderful characters and the HEA does sneaks up on ya. From the first word it grabbed my attention and I just could not put this book down. Got To Be The Best Book I’ve Read This Year!!! I recommend this 5 star book to all who enjoys a multi-genre book.
Well I mainly requested this book for two reasons. One because I love books about firefighters and two because I also love books about single parents and this book combined these two themes so I hoped I’m going to love it. Unfortunately, this book disappointed me big time.
The book itself wasn’t long around 250 pages but by the time I finished it I felt I was reading forever. There was a heaviness and stuffiness to the writing and formatting of it that just weighted down the whole thing in my opinion. The delicate balance between dialogues and monologues was pretty off kilter and for me it was just hard to read. There was something missing from the dynamism of it that would have make the flow more natural.
Then there was the fact that the despite one of the main characters being a single father firefighter there wasn’t much about either aspect of his life in the book. I mean there were 2 cases where we saw him working and his kid was sent away to a campo almost at the beginning of the book so we don’t see a lot of interactions between them.
Apart from this, I found the plot a bit dragging and I can’t say that I like either of the main characters.
First there was Erin, who constantly tried to find a job far-far away from her childhood home while pursuing a relationship with a single father. Inconsiderate much?? Also I wouldn’t have any problem with her wanting to live her life separate from her meddling mother, but she acted as if she it was a life or dead situation to get away from them but there was not one mention of her reasons for running. She was a bit selfish in parts of the book and a bit unreasonable as well.
Then there is Jake, who played this back and forth game with Erin. I understood his reasons to being a bit cautious when it came to dating but honestly he was leading on Erin. So yes neither of them were my favorites and while there was definite chemistry between them, they won’t be my favorite couple ever.
Sorry but this book just wasn’t for me.
Everything about this felt average to me. I couldn’t really connect with the characters, especially Erin. I never really understood why she ran from her family. Her reasoning seemed lame. Her mother wasn’t that overbearing, her siblings were ok and there was no great trauma. And Jake, dude, you’re both adults now. Both able to make decisions about you’re own relationships. I don’t think at that point a brother has much say. Especially since you’re not a “player”.
*3.5 stars*
Sweet….
Erin is back, kicking and screaming, as she helps her family while looking for a job that will take her back out of her hometown. Jake is happily working and single-parenting, not looking for any complications in his full to the brim days. Things change though when Jake and Erin attend a wedding together. What started off as matchmaking avoidance suddenly achieves the opposite…
“The guilt-trip ship had sailed years ago, and now was left with a vessel named the Zero-S**ts-Given.”
I liked the characters in this new series from an author also new to me. Job struggles, parenting issues, family pressure – they were dealing with everyday things we can easily recognize. Well, the hotel room/porn station was definitely unique – and brought even more humour to Erin’s wry take on her situation. The chemistry built slowly between the main characters with Erin insisting she was leaving the moment she could and Jake equally insistent he didn’t want long-term.
With an easy writing style, low angst and simmering drama, it all came together for a satisfying, firefighter-filled read.
**Reviewed for 1-Click Addict Support Group
Hot, hilarious and heart-warming
A new-to-me author, I picked this up because I love first responder/military stories so a hot firefighter is always a draw. Jake had an additional attractiveness being a single father, and boy, he managed to live up to the promise.
Professional and caring, Jake has held himself aloof from getting involved with a woman after he and his infant daughter were abandoned by his daughter’s mother. But then his friend and teammate’s younger sister is back for the summer. She should be off-limits, but as a last minute wedding date, she proves all too tempting. Erin is only back for the summer after losing her job as a teacher. She’s determined to return to her life in California, no matter how drawn she is to Jakr, the guy she’s had a crush on since she was a kid.
Watching the two of them fight their mutual attraction due to their individual fears was both hilarious and touching. A fast, enjoyable read for me, I’ll definitely be checking out more from this author. 5 stars
Erin Jenkins left her hometown a decade ago to go to college and make a life away from her family. Suffocated by her overbearing mother, Erin was happy to stay away until a change of luck and her mom’s recent surgery had her return home for the summer.
Jake Bennett has his hands full with his firefighter job, his tween daughter and his sister’s upcoming wedding. When his mother threatens to set him up with the neighborhood’s cat lady unless he finds a date on his own, he’ll find himself asking the one woman he never expected to find in back in town.
Erin is completely lost in her mindset that she doesn’t want to be close to her family and Jake is bound by a promise made to his best friend years ago. Still, their mutual attraction is too powerful to ignore and throwing caution to the wind will seem like a good idea until reality comes crashing.
This was my first read by Ms. Blackwood other than her recent co-written story with RC Boldt, Tap That and I really enjoyed it.
The story is well written, fun and heart touching. I loved the characters, especially Jake. Mama Jenkins is definitely a fun one and you can see the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree with Erin’s inner musings. At times, I hated her inability to commit and understand what was going on with the people around her, but her flaws make her who she is and she owns it. Got to love that!
A friends to lovers tale with a sentimental twist, Burning Up is a great read and I’m looking forward to more reads by Ms. Blackwood.
4 stars
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Avid Reader –
M/F Romance
Erin is out of work due to her school’s budget cuts. It comes at a time when her mom needs her back in Portland to help after surgery, so Erin reluctantly heads home to Portland for the summer. Despite loving teaching, she’s worried that she will get stuck at home. Erin has been running from home for a while but doesn’t truly know why or what she’s running from.
Jake is a firefighter who loves his job. While he knows that this is what he was meant to be, he also has been struggling a little in his personal life. Being a single dad isn’t easy, but his daughter always has and always will come first. Now that she is headed into the dreaded teen years, Jake will take all of the help he can get from his buddies.
Erin and Jake have a history simply because Jake and her brother are very good friends. She has had a crush on him since forever and even though they are now adults, she can’t help but feel that pull.
These two dance around their attraction a lot and it was somewhat slow in getting to their actual relationship. Despite that, it was a story more about finding yourself and doing what makes you happy – being flexible enough to not walk away from a good thing. I can’t wait to see who gets the next story.
Sarah –
This is a sweet and simple romance between a teacher and a firefighter. Erin returns to Portland after losing her job in California and runs into Jake, a childhood family friend.
There isn’t a whole lot of plot holding this story together. Erin reestablishes herself with her family and childhood friends while job hunting. Erin’s story is so ordinary that I found my mind wandering at times.
I didn’t have a great deal of empathy for Erin. She feels young and whiney and I really didn’t get the resentment she feels towards her family. Jake could be a more likeable character, but he is really only sketched in and we don’t necessarily get to know much about his motivations.
There is some heat in this book but it is usually overshadowed by angst and guilt. There is a little bit of relationship and character development at the end of the story but most of the book is pretty slow.
Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Burning Up (Flirting with Fire #1) by Jennifer Blackwood to read and review for Wicked Reads.
3.5 stars–BURNING UP is the first instalment in Jennifer Blackwood’s contemporary, adult FLIRTING WITH FIRE romance series. This is middle-school teacher Erin Jenkins, and fire fighter/ single dad Jake Bennett’s story line.
Told from dual third person perspectives (Jake and Erin) BURNING UP follows the building relationship between middle-school teacher Erin Jenkins, and fire fighter/ single dad Jake Bennett. Erin Jenkins is home for the summer holidays having lost her teaching position in California to attrition and a lack of school board funding. Hoping to find something quick, Erin heads home to Portland in an effort to reconnect with family and friends, never thinking about the potential of falling in love. Enter her brother’s best friend and fellow fire fighter Jake Bennett. An offer of Jake’s plus-one for his sister’s wedding slowly begins to blur the lines between friendship and more. What ensues is the building romance and love between Jake and Erin, and the potential fall-out as Erin’s time in Portland comes to an end.
Erin Jenkins has no plans to stay in her hometown of Portland Oregon. Her life and friends are back in California but her heart will soon belong to a man whose just as lost as our story line heroine. Jake Bennett has been a single father for close to thirteen years, and has never crossed the line by bringing home a woman or fallen in love. Reconnecting with his best friend’s sister found our hero losing his heart to a reluctant Erin Jenkins.
Erin has lusted after Jake Bennett for most of her life but Jake was off limits in more ways than one. With her time in Portland coming to an end Erin hopes to find a new teaching position far from her family and the man with whom she has fallen in love. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text although the palpable sexual energy is more or less absent between our leading couple.
We are introduced to Jake’s fellow fire fighters: Erin’s brother Reese Jenkins, and rookie Cole ‘Hollywood’ Gibson; Erin’s sister Andie and their eccentric mother; as well as Jake’s daughter Bailey, and Erin’s best friends Madison and Sloan.
BURNING UP is a sweet story that introduces the players in the author’s FLIRTING WITH FIRE series. The best friend’s little sister conflict was limited-more of a worry than anything else. There are some funny moments in the hotel at Jake’s sister’s wedding including a family of raccoons who have taken up residence in our heroine’s room. The premise is fun and spicy but predictable; the romance is captivating and emotional; the characters are sassy and energetic.
A new, steamy hot romance series that the first book features a firefighter who is a single dad is just my kind of series. Of course, there is history, there is family meddling, but the steamy hot romance is what won me over. While Jake’s heart is guarded due to his daughter’s mother running out on him when she was just a baby. Then he runs into his best friends little sister, who is so off limits but his heart has other plans.
The instant chemistry between Jake and Erin was perfect. The hints at the flirting that may have happen during high school was fun. I love that there was a history between them and they didn’t hide from it. If anything they embraced it, respected it, and pulled the good from it to make their current relationship ever better.
The secondary characters give the reader a glimpse of potential future storylines and there were a few hints of who may hook-up with whom. I am excited to read more of Jennifer Blackwood’s book and hopefully catch up with Erin and Jake while learning more about the rest of the Flirting with Fire Family.
Well, I haven’t laughed this hard in a while and all I can say is I will NEVER look at cat ears or Harry Potter the same after this story. The concept was amazing and I adored the characters. You have Erin, who is fighting tooth and nail to get back out of Portland and away from everything again. Then you have Jake, who is utter sin on a fire ladder that wants what is best for him and his daughter but cannot fight the attraction he has towards Erin. There are some amazingly hilarious moments with these two as they navigate a relationship and realizing what they both want and who they want in life. There were moments I wanted to smack Erin to open her eyes but she had to get there on her own. I love how Jake was with her. Never holding back but still cautious.
Overall, this is an epic start to a new series by Blackwood. It is passionate, funny and very witty! I could not put it down once I started. The one thing you will also enjoy is the side characters. Between Erin’s siblings and Jake’s coworkers you will laugh a lot. Then you have Erin’s mom. She is in a class allllll on her own! I highly recommend this story as it is scorching hot!
Erin Jenkins is out of a teacher job and back in Portland, her hometown, for the summer. While her mom and friends attempt to get her to stay long term, Erin does what she can to find a new job out of the city.
Jake Bennett is Erin’s childhood crush and older brother’s best friend. Jake and Erin run into each other after years and he asks her to help him out…by being his date to his sister’s wedding. It really shouldn’t be a big deal as they all grew up together and both families know each other, but sparks definitely start flying between Erin and Jake over the course of that weekend.
However, Erin doesn’t plan on staying in town and Jake is busy as a firefighter and a single dad.
I really enjoy a brother’s best friend/childhood crush book and this was a great one! I loved that Erin and Jake seemed to pick up right where they left off and their chemistry was simply amazing.
I also enjoyed the secondary characters, from Jake’s co-workers, Erin’s friends and even Jake’s daughter. They all brought a good spark to the story and made it even more enjoyable!
I’ve only read Jennifer Blackwood one other time and I must say, I am pleasantly surprised. I’ve never read a firefighter romance before but the author most definitely has me looking forward to the next one!