“A poignant, sexy and satisfying romance featuring likeable, complex characters whose intense emotional connection leaps off the page.” —All About Romance When their career paths bring two high school sweethearts together again, the forest isn’t the only thing ablaze… he’s assigned to an arson investigation in Central Oregon—the place he left his broken heart twenty years ago—he’s afraid of being burned all over again.
Tucker Ryland had planned to join his first love, Luis, in LA after high school graduation, but life got in the way. Now a fire management expert and a divorced father of teen twins, Tucker’s thrown for a loop when he finds himself working side by side with his Luis, now all grown up and more intriguing than ever.
Though consumed by a grueling fire season and family responsibilities, the two men discover their bond has never truly broken. Tentative kisses turn to passionate nights. But smoking sheets aside, old hurts and new truths stand in the way of this time being the start of forever.
Danger lurks everywhere for Central Oregon’s fire crews, but the biggest risk of all might be losing their hearts.
Hotshots
Book 1: Burn Zone
Book 2: High Heat
Book 3: Feel the Fire
Book 4: Up in Smoke
Also by Annabeth Albert:
Out of Uniform
Book 1: Off Base
Book 2: At Attention
Book 3: On Point
Book 4: Wheels Up
Book 5: Squared Away
Book 6: Tight Quarters
Book 7: Rough Terrain
more
Feel the Fire is the third book in the Hotshots series by Annabeth Albert. You’ve already met Tucker in a previous book but there is sooooo much more to Tucker than the surface reveals. There is more to the story than the second chance that is so quickly revealed. It is a beautiful love story about time, second chances, compromise, self-acceptance and letting go. Both Tucker and Luis have pasts to be examined and a life that is seemingly to difficult to let go of and both must decide if the other is worth making the changes and taking the chances that being together would entail.
4.5 Stars
This is the third book in the Hotshots series. I have really enjoyed this series and this installment did not disappoint. The characters were complicated and very interesting. The storyline was really interesting bringing in arson with wild fires. It was another learning experience for me on what is involved in combating wildfires. I can’t wait for the next installment.
Feel the Fire is book three in the Hotshots series by Annabeth Albert. This is a M/M second chance romance. Teenage love given a second chance twenty years later.
“How many chances in life did a person get to have what they truly wanted?”
Luis Riviera is thirty five years old and is a fire behavior specialist in Los Angeles, CA. With the current hiring freeze, it’s not unusual that Luis get loaned out to other agencies if they are in need. But when his boss told him that there was a suspected arsonist setting wildfires in Painter’s Ridge, Oregon, the town where Luis lived as a teen, he was less than happy about the assignment. It was where Luis first discovered he was gay, and it was where he first fell in love. Only it ended in heartbreak when Luis’s family moved to California and the boy who had his heart, also broke it twenty years ago.
Tucker Ryland lives in the same town he grew up in but is now a divorced father of twin seventeen year old boys. Tucker is a fire management expert and loves his job. When his boss told him they were bringing in someone to help with the arson investigation, he was surprised, but when he saw just who it was, he couldn’t believe his eyes. After all these years, the boy he had once given his heart to was standing in the same office as he was.
“He might not be the same boy anymore, but he was a man, and that was possibly more devastating to Tucker’s sanity.”
As Tucker and Luis work together, they also get the opportunity to finally clear the air between them. Then, as they get to know the men they have become, they also develop a deep respect for each other and the lives they live. Of one thing they are both certain, what was once between them as boys, is still there now, even after twenty years. But it is now something bigger, something better. Only Tucker’s life is in Oregon, his kids, his job, his friends. Luis’s is in Los Angeles. Their time together has an expiration date, or does it?
“He wanted everything. And now the only question was how on earth he was supposed to get it.”
This was a well written, very sweet and sexy story of second chances and of following your dreams. First, I want to say how much I love the covers of all three of the books in this series. This is a pretty long book and for some reason, I just couldn’t find my groove. Luis and Tucker were clearly perfect for each other but I couldn’t feel their connection. Tucker was a fantastic father to his boys. I loved the open way he was with him and the relationship he had with his ex-wife. And it’s obvious that the author did a lot of research for this. I just didn’t feel their love the way I wanted to. I hoped the arson aspect of this would be a little more suspenseful. All in all, though, it is a sweet story with a gratifying Happy Ever After.
Feel the Fire by Annabeth Albert is the third story in her Hotshots series and features a second chance romance between Luis Riviera and Tucker Ryland. When they were younger, they shared a deep connection, but when life interfered, they found themselves going separate directions. Now they are temporality working together and finding the attraction and connection they once shared is still there and as strong as ever. But nothing can come from it, right? They lead separate lives in different states.
Feel the Fire by Annabeth Albert was a sweet story about second chances. Luis and Tucker had great chemistry and I loved how they were honest with each other. I also loved the supporting characters and how they were there for each other. Another great addition to this series.
Feel the Fire is the third stand a lone in Annabeth Albert’s Hotshots series. A second chance contemporary romance between Wildfire Firefighters.
Tucker and Luis we each others first love when they were teens but when Luis’ family moves from Oregon to California their young love doesn’t survive the move. Now decades later Luis is and Tucker are thrown back together when he’s called in to consult on a string of fries beloved to be arson in Oregon. After they forgive and mend the past between them, they risk getting close even though Luis stay is temporary. They will each have to decide what they are willing to compromise in order for them to have a future.
Feel the Fire is a low drama second chance romance. I have to say my favorite part of the story was the demisexual representation. It wasn’t just slapped on Tucker as a label, it wasn’t an afterthought. It fully affected his relationships with both his ex-wife and Luis. He acknowledges throughout that his connection and closeness to Luis heightens his sexual reaction to him. Coming for the other angle, Luis was a sweetheart and always asked permission when it came to doing things physical with Tucker and never pushed for more. He was more than satisfied just holding hands and kissing if that’s all Tucker ever wanted to do. Both men were well-rounded characters and level-headed, they balanced their personal relationship perfectly with work and Tuckers responsibilities as a parent.
Feel the Fire was an overall pleasant read, while I did feel it dragged a time or two, it left me with a warm happy feeling. A mm romance filled with first times, meddling sons, family bonding, compromises and a grumpy cat.
Fantastic Story, Great Audiobook
I have loved all of the books in Annabeth Albert’s Hotshots series but this one features one of my all-time favorite romance tropes – reunion/second-chance, and it’s now tied with book two, High Heat as my favorite in the series.
I received a review copy of the ebook from the publisher but then I also got an advanced copy of the audiobook from the audiobook publisher. So, I got to read the story and then listen to the fantastic Iggy Toma perform the book for me. He’s now done all three of the audiobooks in this series and I absolutely love his performances. I listened to it straight through because I just couldn’t put it aside, the same as I couldn’t put the ebook down when reading it.
The blurb is pretty detailed so I won’t try to restate it. What it can’t convey is the depth of feeling the characters had for each other. Their reunion, after many years apart, wasn’t all hugs and kisses; just the opposite in fact. Both Tucker and Luis had bad feelings about how their high school relationship ended when Luis moved away. When they are reunited due to their jobs, they were both angry.
Luis doesn’t want to get involved with Tucker and have his heart broken again. But the same pull that was there between them all those years ago still exists and neither of them can resist. Tucker has shared custody of his twin sons and they have to be his first priority but he wants Luis. The strong emotional connection he feels for Luis isn’t something he’s really felt before and he doesn’t want to lose it.
Like every book I’ve read by Annabeth, and I’ve read nearly all of them, this one really had my emotions all over the place. There is sadness at times but there are even more happy times. Tucker’s sons provide several entertaining moments. I loved the way that Tucker handled one of his sons concerns about his relationship with Luis and the son’s relationship with his girlfriend. Every kid should be so lucky to have a dad like Tucker.
I could go on and on but this review is already too long. If you enjoyed Annabeth’s Out of Uniform series you don’t want to miss reading all of the Hotshots books.
A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.
A copy of this audiobook was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author or narrator.
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***
Feel the Fire by Annabeth Albert
Hotshots #3
Young love, distance and life got in the way when Luis’s family moved back to Los Angeles leaving Tucker behind in Bend. The two have two decades of life between them and both are now men that have grown and changed but seem to still feel the chemistry they felt in high school. Whether this time will see them finding their HEA or not is up in the air for awhile BUT as Carina Press promises…every story they publish has a HEA or HFN ending.
What I liked:
* The family element and how both men loved their families
* Luis: knowledgeable, excellent in his profession, has experienced love in the past, knows what he likes, is open and communicates well. He is perfect for Tucker
* Tucker: a great father, does well at co-parenting with his ex-wife, great at his job, rooted in his community, makes long strides in getting to know what is truly values for his future. He is perfect for Luis.
* Walker and Wade: Tucker’s twin sons heading off to college in a year. Their lives are ahead of them and they have big decisions to make.
* Getting to see the two couples from the first books in the series
* Hearing about the arson investigation – and that they arsonist was caught though not much was said about the arsonist.
* Blaze: a cranky cat that had a lot of personality
* That the story was complete in and of itself.
What I did not like:
* I can’t think of anything except that hearing about the fires made me think of the horrendous fires in the USA this year.
Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series/by this author? Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.
4-5 Stars
This series is amazing! Feel the Fire is a must read, it’s a second chance romance with Tucker and Luis! Nothing is easy, moving away in high school, making promises for the future that don’t work out the way you wanted Several years later Luis is ask to help out with a fire investigation where he grew up, and there he was, Tucker, his first love. Neither are happy to see each other, but maybe time to put away the blame and become friends again. Though the spark between them is so much more than friendship! There’s so much to this story, friendship, romance, learning each other again, dealing with twin teenagers trying to figure out life after high school, a cranky cat, an arsonist, and the long distance between them once the investigation is over, it’s time to make big decisions on jobs, life and love.
A beautiful story with laughter and love, feelings old and new, building a strong relationship better as adults than kids. It’s a fantastic read!!
Feel-Good Finale. This second-chance romance tale, seemingly the last book of this year’s Hotshots series, was a solid way to go out. It is *very* loosely coupled with the previous two books – both prior couples make cameos – but can largely be read as a standalone. Fans of the MM genre will like this one, as it contains pretty well all of the standard elements of the genre. But that actually gets to one of my quibbles with the book. One of the guys here is alternatively described as both demisexual and asexual – which are both elements of the spectrum that don’t get mentioned as much, and thus it is always awesome to see. Yet in playing too much into genre expectations, to me it felt like Albert did the asexual aspect a disservice in almost making it seem that an asexual may just turn out to be a horn dog… with the right person. Similar to a character described as being comfortably childfree winding up with a kid at the end of the tale. (Note, that is just an example – in this particular tale one of the two is actually already a father.) The other quibble? Not enough actual firefighting in this book, particularly relative to the other two books in the series. Though the jobs here are actively away from the front lines, and for what they are, the jobs seem well represented in and of themselves. Still, a solid tale and a satisfying conclusion. Very much recommended.
This was a second chance romance. Luis hasn’t seen his first love Tucker since it all fell apart when they were teens. And they get thrown together for their jobs. Well the epic misunderstandings from back then and hurt feelings got resolved pretty quickly, making for a mostly low angst love story.
Except for the fact that they live in different states and are only working together for a short bit. But they can worry about that later. And they definitely waited until the last minute to discuss that.
I like Tucker- how he is with his family (he’s a single dad who is also close to their mom). I like the things he values in relationships. And Luis with his snooty cat, he’s sincere and serious and thoughtful. The only downside is I kept walking away from it to do other things. I can’t put my finger on why, but though I liked the story and this couple, book one was the best.
This was a good second chance romance for Tucker and Luis. The pair had a the beginning of a young love relationship in their teens when life circumstances and a young lack of communication prevented them from pursuing more with each other. Fast forward about 20 years and they are brought together again in a professional setting when Luis is brought in to investigate a series of fires. The pair explore their feelings after clearing the air with one another to almost end back up where they started from only while also realizing that they have true feelings for each other. The fire fighting aspect of this book was a secondary to the rekindling of a past relationship and I wish that there was more that was revealed involving the purpose of Luis being brought back into Tucker’s life.
Overall, this was a good read that I enjoyed. The plot moved along well and kept me interested in the story from start to finish. I would recommend this book to others.
No one believes that falling in love when you are a teenager is love that can last, so when Luis and Tucker’s relationship ended due to Luis’ family moving away the love that they shared was destined to end. Flash forward to present day and feelings and emotions are the first things that are felt when the two reunite. But Luis is only there for a short time to do a job and then return to California. Is there enough time to rekindle the old flame? Or will the two only embark on a professional reunion? I loved the rekindling of the spark between Luis and Tucker but it is the family dynamic that Tucker finds himself in with his ex-wife and twin boys that steals the show. I would love for all blended families to take notes from them. Beautifully written.
Tucker and Luis made promises to each other when they were separated in high school. Life threw curves which it often does and they didn’t see each other again for years, but that’s not to say they forgot each other. When fate brings Luis back to Oregon to help with a possible serial arsonist Tucker just happens to be his welcome wagon. The chemistry explodes and before long they are rediscovering each other and remembering how sweetly hot it was between them.
This was sorta instalove because of the past. I definitely enjoyed them relearning each other.
The author puts a lot of research time in on her books so I have no doubt the book is as authentic as she could make it. The characters, including Tucker’s twins, were great and gave some comic relief from the intensity of Luis and Tucker’s feelings.
Writing was good and this could probably be read as a standalone.
Fire specialist Luis Riviera is being sent on an assignment from California back to Oregon where he spent his teen years. But he is worried about the memories he might encounter.
It seems much worse when he is reunited on the job with the boy he loved and lost twenty years ago, Tucker Ryland. They were best friends and first loves, but got separated due to no fault of their own. But long-distance, lack of control, and choices broke their hearts and they have not communicated since. But now Luis and Tucker will be working closely on a rash of arson fires.
Tucker cannot regret one choice he made because it gave him his teenage twin sons. And the choices he has made since mostly have had their well-being in mind. He works in a safer, more stable area of fire fighting in fire management in his small hometown in Oregon. He is divorced, but still co-parents. He has admitted his demisexuality to his family but has kept it private at work.
Luis is doing what he loves as a fire behaviorist, but still lives a pretty solitary life despite his family living in California as well. He has loved and lost and does not think he will get serious again.
These two have a lot of unresolved feelings, past pain, resentment, and regrets. But once they finally start clearing the air, they also remember all the good in their history. And now as fully grown, mature men they find even more attraction and passion.
I loved these two together. Tucker is inexperienced but ready to enjoy Luis’ guidance and explore new things. They have chemistry and this bond that seems to click right back into place. I loved how understanding and patient Luis was with Tucker, and how willing Tucker was to try and include Luis into his daily life. But they have a big time stamp overshadowing their happiness as well. They know time is limited and there will be no easy way to end it without getting hurt and ending up right back in the same situation as before.
This is a sweet, sexy, emotional, inspiring, first love, second chance, M/M love story about finding a soul mate, choices, and following your dreams. Even though the arson investigation is part of the story, this is more about their relationship and lives rather than actually fighting fires. I liked that they were mature, had life experience, and could communicate. And both Luis and Tucker had opportunities for growth and had their own choices to make. These two had deep roots in their locations and people depending on them, but it will come down to either sacrificing their own needs or being willing to make other sacrifices in order to fight for the other person.
I enjoyed seeing glimpses of other characters from this series, but it can be read as a total stand-alone. I adored Tucker’s teen sons, Walker and Wade, and how their stories and advice also had an effect on how Tucker and Luis viewed their situation. The whole family aspect of this one made it feel more real, but also added complications. But I totally fell for these guys and I was rooting for them to find an answer that would finally give them both their well deserved happy ever after.
Fire behavior specialist Luis Rivera has been assigned to an arson investigation in Central Oregon. Unfortunately this is where he had his heart broken 20 years ago and knows that the man who broke it is still there. Tucker Ryland is nothing like the boy he remembered and is even hotter than before. It’s going to take all Luis’s control not to fall for his childhood crush all over again.
Twenty years ago, Tucker promised he would move to LA with Luis so they could have a life together, but life got in the way. Now he is a divorced demisexual father to twin boys who are preparing for college and is struggling to deal with them leaving. I really loved Tucker and his sons. Tucker was so sweet and caring with Luis that he just melted my heart with every interaction. His sons were surprisingly great side characters. They were supportive and encouraging of his choices, even when they struggled to deal with all the changes going on in their lives.
Luis loves Tucker but struggles to get over their past break up. It takes some heartbreak and some words of wisdom to get him to realize he can’t give up the one person who is ment to him. I loved that this book shows how important compromise is in a relationship. You have to be willing to give up everything sometimes to find true happiness.
I really enjoyed this book. I can always count on Albert’s to create an emotional and moving story. I loved that this book featured a demisexual because it was a first for me. I love that she tries to write all spectrums of the LGBTQ community. Overall I really enjoyed Tucker and Luis’ story. They had a steamy and emotional relationship that I just loved. I also loved the little glimpses of previous couples from this series.
*ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.*