REVIEW: Controlled Burn by Shannon Stacey

In Controlled Burn (Boston Fire #2) by Shannon Stacey, Jessica Broussard is used to handling business dealings for her father, but the problem she’s been tasked with at the moment is personal. After receiving a call from her grandparents doctor, she decides to head to Boston. But the fact that she’s never met them before isn’t going to be easy, especially with the plans about their future she hopes they’ll consider when she brings them up.

”I found Jessica outside,” Rick said. “She says she’s your granddaughter.”
Marie gasped, and Jessica felt a pang of concern when she put her hand to her chest. “What? She can’t be.”
“If her hair was short, she’d look just like you did years ago, Marie,” Joe said, and she wished she knew him well enough to know if the rasp in his voice came from emotion or not.
“I can’t believe Davey wouldn’t tell us he had a baby.”
“Davey hasn’t told us anything in almost forty years.”

Rick Gullotti worries about the elderly couple that owns the building where he lives, so helping them out whenever they need something done is never a problem. But now, things are about to become a whole lot more personal, and his protective instincts kick in. When the granddaughter they didn’t even know existed arrives on their doorstep unexpectedly. Certainly, he’s not about to allow her to take advantage of their generosity, and convince them to make decisions without considering all their options.

I absolutely loved the first book in this series by Ms. Stacey, and this second installment of the Boston Fire series was just as good. With a plot that is both enthralling and fast-paced, comprising the mysterious strangers trope, a hero protective of his landlords and a heroine meeting her grandparents for the first time. The moment that Rick and Jessica meet was interesting, as he’s suspicious of why she’s there now and hadn’t come to meet her grandparents sooner.

”So, he’s not a danger junkie, like you?”
There went that damn eyebrow again. “Danger junkie?”
“Don’t you have to be a little bit of a danger junkie to be a firefighter?”
“Or maybe I became a firefighter because I’m a safety junkie.” He took a sip of coffee, his gaze locking with hers.
She wasn’t sure she bought that. “Maybe a little of both.”

Both characters were delightful as was the teasing dialogue between them. However, there was also intense dialogue. As both try to decide if the other has ulterior motives when it comes to her grandparents, the struggles Jessica faces when it comes to the dangers of Rick’s job, and whether a long distance relationship can work between them. Then there’s Jessica’s father that despite how wrong he was about her grandparents, she can’t help but defend him.

Jessica is smart and loyal. Meeting her grandparents and finding out that they’re nothing at all like her dad has told her was a shock. But the way she cares for the elderly couple, and is determined to help them decide, what is best for them in the long run showed how benevolent she is. That she’ll do anything, for those she loves and cares for. While Rick, the heroine is a mystery he wants to unravel in more ways than one, which happens through them getting to know each other. As well as some very sizzling sex scenes that do their intense chemistry justice.

Overall, this author has penned another great story for this series, and I loved how Ms. Stacey revisited the characters from the first book. Lydia and Ashley are good friends to Jessica, and their sage advice about Rick really gives the heroine something to think about. Definitely read this story if you’ve read Heat Exchange, or if you enjoy stories that embrace a hero in uniform.

Book Info:

Publication: November 24th, 2015 | Carina Press | Boston Fire #2

Rick Gullotti lives the good life. He fights fires, dates beautiful women—though none long enough so they cast wistful glances at jewelry stores—and has great friends. And thanks to helping out the elderly couple who own his building, his rent is low. But when concerns about their health lead him to contact their only son, his life starts getting away from him.

Jessica Broussard has no interest in leaving sunny San Diego or her cushy corner office for Boston, but her father—who happens to be her boss—dispatches her to deal with the grandparents she’s never met. She’s unprepared for the frigid winter, loving relatives who aren’t the monsters she’s been led to believe, and the hot, scruffy firefighter who lives upstairs.

At first, Jessica is determined to get back to her comfortable life as quickly as possible. All she has to do is talk her grandparents into selling their monstrosity of a house and moving to a retirement community. But she underestimates Rick’s dedication—and his considerable charm. Nobody’s taking advantage of his friends on his watch, even if that makes the tempting southern California girl with the long legs his adversary. Unfortunately for them both, the only thing more urgent than the matter at hand is their sizzling chemistry, and it’s quickly becoming too strong to resist.