Eve Gaddy

Eh. It's a perfectly good romance that follows several lines I don't much like - insta-lust (though they do actually control it, that's a point in its/their favor), mostly. I like amnesia romances, though this one's odd for that - we, and those around her, all know who she is, she just doesn't remember. And it avoids several tropes I dislike - distracted bodyguard, for one, or "oh he/she's hurt, I know I love him/her..." for another. Part of the problem is that I'm reading it immediately show more after reading two romances by my favorite romance author hands down (Justine Davis) - so it pales in comparison. The sex scenes, when they come, are just a trifle too clinical for me; not terrible, but not wonderful either. It's fine, but doesn't particularly draw me to read even more of this series, let alone other books by this author. I won't avoid her, but I won't seek her out, either. Yeah, my first word sums up my reaction - eh. show less

Dr. Eric Chambers is on a mission. A mission to find the herbalist who has been treating his patients behind his back. But when he arrives at a farm in the middle of nowhere – Single mother Piper Stevenson is not quite what he has expected. There’s sexual tension between the two from the get-go but both are slightly damaged from their pasts and suspicious of relationships. Piper especially has some history with doctors and everyone in town knows it. In addition to wanting to berate the show more herbalist, Eric wants the secret formula to what she gave his patient – it could be the cure to mail infertility that would rival Viagra – but Piper won’t give it to him. Firstly she hasn’t given his patient anything. All she has done is given some skin lotion to the patient’s wife. And secondly, she can’t risk the media attention that a discovery like this could bring. She needs to protect her six year old son, Cole.This is a sweet story that is a light hearted read – just what I needed in between some rather heavy novels I’ve been reading lately. It’s romantic and has a happy ending. The only thing is… I had some issues with Dr. Eric. He’s incredibly rude to Piper at the start. And whilst he does change as the novel goes on, I found myself holding a grudge against him.But Piper was delightful and I enjoyed her son and grandfather’s antics. I’d recommend this one for anyone that enjoys quick reads that are interesting and have plenty of hot moments.Rating: 3 out of 5 show less

Tobi reconnects with high school friend Travis upon returning to her hometown. Despite the fact that she has intimacy issues and a serious phobia about planes and flying, Tobi immediately falls into a relationship and bed with pilot Travis who seems to have no issues at all. A hot mess and the perfect guy-- not the best recipe for a solid relationship. I have a problem with a smart professional woman not dealing with her serious issues until "Mr. Right" swans into the picture and rescues her show more This was a pleasant enough romance but not enough for me to consider reading further in the series. show less

It's been two years since Callie watched her fiance die in a wildfire, but her heartache began long before then. Now time has caught up with her, and her past looks sexier than ever in the form of her first love, Rick Montana. Both of them are harboring secrets, but she won't listen to his reasons for ending their engagement all those years ago. Rick wants a second chance with her, but with the rumor of a serial arsonist on the loose, one who may have been responsible for the death of her show more fiance, she's determined to find the truth before she thinks of giving up her ghost. Secrets are uncovered and a colleague is murdered. Who has it in for her, and will she lose Rick before it's too late?

Who doesn't enjoy a story about reunited lovers and second chances? I was Fully Engaged from the first page. A fast paced plot, action, a wealth of drama, suspense and heartache were all wrapped up in this story surrounding the wildfire firefighters, the Los Lobos Hotshots. At first I loved the character of Callie. Her job was tough, yet she was taken seriously by her colleagues. I got the feeling there was trust and mutual respect there. She could spar verbally with the best of them, and she had a fiery temper that made her seem...cute. But as the story went on, I lost that connection to her. I attribute that to the fact that Callie didn't fully let go of Johnny until the 96% mark. I didn't know that much about her aside from her Olympic aspirations during college, then the brief moment of her happiness at the very beginning of the book. The rest of the time she was defensive, competitive, in denial and stubborn. Rick on the other hand was cocky, loyal, a smart cookie and had a soft spot for animals. He had a lot more facets than she did.

Rick was an utterly loveable hero. A man who has spent years pining over the one he let get away, and doing everything he could to help her solve the mystery of her fiance's death...it doesn't get sweeter than that. But talk about an uphill and almost fruitless battle. Just when I thought he was making progress, Callie turned aggressively defensive. All I could do was feel sorry for him. I wanted to shake Callie but telling her to let go of Johnny even after two years would have been like telling a child that Santa didn't really exist. Talk about being in serious denial.

This story had a lot of layers that all seemed to come together in the end. I also love a mystery where you can't easily pin-point who the bad guy is. I was taken completely by surprise. Twice. Needless to say, I never saw it coming.

Aside from a couple of spelling mistakes, I noticed that the letter L was missing from a lot of the words, i.e. ful, al, wel, etc. It got progressively worse towards the end of the book, but maybe I received a faulty review copy?

Overall, I would definitely recommend this story if you love firefighters because it was exciting and sexy to read. The ending definitely made up for Callie's stubbornness. At least for me.

Final rating: 3.5 rounded up to 4.

Disclaimer: I received a review copy from Bell Bridge Books via NetGalley for the purpose of an honest review. show less