One shared look across a crowded club, and their worlds collided.Their attraction had been instantaneous and hotter than the fire burning in his soul.But Blake Stone didn’t do relationships. Relationships meant emotions, and he didn’t have the kind a woman would want.Or need.Anger, greed, lust, bitterness, hatred—he had in spades.But a woman like Gwen, she would want more. And if he wanted to … Gwen, she would want more. And if he wanted to keep her, he’d need to reveal his secrets.
Secrets that could send her running.
Because she’s playing with fire, and he knew damn well how badly it burned.
FIRE is a full-length, standalone, contemporary romance with a HEA. * Contains sexual situations, violence, sensitive subjects, offensive language, and mature topics.* Recommended for age 18 years and up.
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Blake and Gwen, the main couple, set the pages on fire in this smoking hot new release by Sarah Curtis. What you also get here is loads of back and forth relationship angst, where the finger of blame seems to point solely at one person.
Since I know love can be a battlefield in romantic reads, I can usually roll with the punches when necessary, even it it means taking a sucker punch hit or two to the heart. In fact, I’m kind of a sucker myself for that type of scenario. Mainly because I know everything is eventually going to work out and be fully explained. With that said, some readers may have a hard time with some heart stomping that goes on here. Keep in mind, it was done with thoughts of a greater good, and you will be rewarded with groveling and an explanation later on. The trade off is Blake is an OTT alpha protective, possessive leading man, who from first glance has a laser like focus on wanting Gwen in his life. Yeah, there is pushing away on both sides, but thankfully no OW drama scenes.
Gwen knows clothes. As a fashionista personal shopper at an upscale store, she’s the go to girl for the rich when they need to look their best. She didn’t know the heartache she was buying into when she fell for this handsome, broody nightclub owner. Gwen was the unexpected gift life seemed to hand Blake. Honestly, he didn’t seem to know what to do with it. Given his former manho reputation, Gwen tried not to get her hopes set to high. She got a couple of, “You, go girl!” from me when she made it clear she wasn’t going to be like the other women he’s been with. In fact, this girl used her high heeled boots for walking away from him more than once.
I must say when I found out Blake’s big, dark, hidden secret it was a “Say, what??” moment for me. I just have a hard time wrapping my mind around that type of scenario. Learning what he was still dealing with was tied to this bizarre past. Though both set the stage to finally show us this guy had some serious baggage and wasn’t as heartless as even he had pegged himself. It did cause me to lower my star rating by one. I would have preferred something more realistic.
Overall, I enjoyed seeing this couple get their HEA. As usual, this author’s writing flows and kept me engaged. Here’s to hoping my review has been helpful enough to help you decide if this book is a good fit for you.
P.S. This book was available via Kindle Unlimited on release day (5/6/19), likely for a limited time.
Title: Fire, Author: Sarah Curtis, Pages: 303, stand-alone, 18+ older readers only, very graphic steamy scenes, lusty language, bizarre/violent tortured childhood past, sweet, beautiful fashionista heroine, no cheating, no love triangle, No OW drama, OM wants to date her, attempted sexual assault, back and forth relationship angst, some pushing away.
(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review, nor is there any affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author/publisher/PR firm.)
This book gave me all the feels! I was happy, sad *I even cried but.. That’s just because I’m an emotional reader* angry and back to being happy! Gwen and Blake are just perfect together. They’re love and chemistry was definitely Fire!
Who doesn’t love an incredibly intense, somewhat aloof man who’s willing to break his own heart to keep someone else safe in life? Blake is a man used to being alone, until he meets Gwen. Heck, not just meets. SEES Gwen. He insists that he’s damaged and not able to change, but proves over and over during the wooing and winning of Gwen’s heart that he not only can change, but that he’s been waiting his whole life for the right opportunity to do it. This story was a perfect match of unbending male ego meets woman who’s strong enough to have his back in every way. And those dad jokes? Comedy GOLD. Because we all know a man who tells them with zero irony, now, don’t we?
Gwen and Blake almost break themselves apart along the way to their HEA, but it all proves to be well worth the pain in the end. Their story didn’t have unnecessary drama and did have love, pain, humor, and proof that trust in the right person can make life sweet beyond belief.
Fire, by Sarah Curtis, is a full length, stand alone romance. For me, writing a review for a book that just blew me away, that hit me like a hurricane, that stole the heart right out of my body, is hardest of all. I worry, what if I can’t say the right things to convince everyone of this book’s awesomeness? What if my words aren’t enough? That is the case with this book. Because Blake and Gwen were everything. I hope you’ll read on and let me tell you about them.
Gwen Butler is almost twenty eight years old, works as a personal shopper for Coleman’s Department Store, and lives with her best friend, Allie. Gwen has a natural sense of style and loves her job. Most of the time. Gwen also believes in love. She wants the whole package. A man who makes her feel all those things you read about in romance novels, who loves her as much as she loves him. She’s dated. But no one has been the right fit. But then she sees him! On a night out with Allie, they go to a club they’ve never been to before, Fire, and she sees him across the room, their eyes meet, and she feels it all the way down to her toes.
Blake Stone, my dark, broody, broken, beautiful Blake. Notice the word ‘my’ here. Blake who has so many secrets. Who doesn’t do more than one night with a woman. Who doesn’t do feelings or romance. But when Blake was standing in his club and saw the woman across the room, he knew he had to have her. He didn’t know why, only that he wouldn’t be able to think straight until he had his hands on her.
“I want you, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get you.”
And so it begins. If there was a way of messing up in his pursuit of Gwen, Blake found it. He knew she was different, that he needed her in his life for however long he could keep her there. He knew in the end, he’d have to let her go, though, because he couldn’t be what she needed or deserved. But for now, she was his.
“Dive into the deep end with me.”
“What if I drown?”
“You’ll have to trust I’ll keep you afloat.”
Now let’s talk about how strong and amazing Gwen is. Blake hurt her time and time again. But she understood that this was all new to him. She let him know what was and wasn’t acceptable. And she gave him her heart, even knowing that he might break it in the end. Because he made no promises. But to her, it was a risk worth taking. Because having Blake in her life for however long she could have him, was worth it!
Gwen can see a future with Blake. But he keeps himself closed off from her. She knows he has secrets, and unless he is willing to let her in, how can they move forward together? Blake will frustrate you, and make you love him at the same time. He is every bit a jealous/possessive alpha hero that had my heart from the first time he graced the pages of this book. I couldn’t put the book down. I think I was as obsessed with Blake as he was with Gwen.
All I can say in closing is that you need to read this book. That both Blake and Gwen are the kinds of characters I am always searching for in my reading. Don’t put this on your tbr list and forget about it. Read it now. I really think you’ll be glad you did. I do hope that you love them as much as I did. Thank you so much, Sarah, for these two. I can’t wait to see who you introduce me to next.
“She’d stolen his heart when he thought there wasn’t one left to take.”
This one was a bit different to what I am used to from Sarah Curtis but I enjoyed it! Blake is hot, broody and a bit broken and their chemistry is scorching! An enjoyable read.
She’s too good for him, but at least he admits it…
A sign that I’ve read a good story is when I’m able to love a hero after he’s been a complete DOUCHWAFFLE. While I’m in the moment, he’s doomed and I’m convinced there’s no way I’ll forgive him. But, give me a good reason for acting like a tool, admittance of guilt, mixed with a substantial grovel, I can be persuaded to give them a second chance. If that grovel includes a declaration (one of the L’s – like, love or lust, I’m not fussy) and a token of affection, you may even get a sigh of contentment.
Blake, the hero of the story, has had a pretty messed up childhood and bears the scars to prove it. To protect himself, Blake does not have relationships or give his hook-ups any indication that he’s looking for more than sex. He has no problems getting his needs met considering he owns a nightclub, is rich and handsome, but there is very little happiness in his life. Blake doesn’t plan on finding his happily ever after, but sometimes fate has other ideas.
Gwen is out with her best friend, Allie, when a very sexy man catches her eye. She can’t forget him, and when another opportunity drops in her lap to visit the nightclub again, she’s hoping for another glimpse. Imagine her surprise when he walks straight up to her and demands her attention. She hesitates but can’t resist his allure.
He’s keen, she’s keen and things are getting HOT!! Unfortunately, Blake has a lot to learn about treating his dream woman right. There are a few false starts before Blake and Gwen finally are on the same page. Blake’s strong personality makes him demand control and Gwen is quite happy to follow his lead. But, it’s not long before things start to go a little pear-shaped. Blake’s keeping secrets and they may ruin his only chance at happiness.
I’m not adverse to a hero admitting that the heroine is too good for him, especially after he has messed up. It takes a wee while before we get the full story of why Blake is the way he is. It’s heartbreaking and I’m not sure I would have been as strong as Gwen was in dealing with it all. I was even at times thinking that Gwen acted like a doormat and I hated that she kept going back for more. By the end though, she cracked through his barriers and I was convinced they were on the right path to happiness.
I really enjoyed reading Fire and loved seeing Blake and Gwen find their happiness together. There are plenty of sexy times to get the heart pumping and by the end, their connection jumped off the pages. There are times when I felt extreme frustration that Gwen allowed Blake back in after he’d hurt her, but their happiness together at the end made it all worthwhile.
If you’re a Sarah Curtis fan you will not be disappointed. Fire was an entertaining and sexy story and left me with a big, goofy smile on my face.
Stacey is Sassy, received an advanced copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.