REVIEW: Hotshot Hero in Disguise by Lisa Childs

Hotshot Hero in Disguise by Lisa Childs is the eighth book in the Hotshot Heroes series. I’ve only previously read book six in the series, and part of the issue I had with that book was that I felt like I was dropped into the middle of several things going on that I didn’t understand because I hadn’t read the previous book in the series. That isn’t the case with this one. Yes, the sabotage of the firehouse is still ongoing and unresolved, but everything else works as a standalone. If you’re jumping into the series here, while you may feel like you’re missing the background about what’s happening at the firehouse, but not anything regarding Ethan and Tammy.

After several attempts on his life, Jonathan Canterbury IV took over the identity of another hotshot, Ethan Sommerly, after he was presumed dead after a plane crash. When an explosion at the firehouse leads Ethan to Tammy’s salon to try to get his beard fixed, Tammy figures out who Ethan really is. She’s always been attracted to him, but now she doesn’t know what to think. Then a reporter comes to town and reveals Ethan’s true identity, and the attempts on Ethan’s life escalate. Is the person who’s sabotaging the firehouse? Or is it someone from Ethan’s previous life trying to finish what they started years earlier?

I honestly couldn’t understand Tammy’s insistence that she didn’t want a relationship when she clearly did. Her reasoning for wanting to be alone didn’t make much sense. I understood she wanted to be independent and make her own decisions, but not once did Ethan make it seem like he would ever not give her a chance to make up her own mind about things. She just makes assumptions about him without discussing her concerns with him. Ethan’s own actions regarding taking someone else’s identity were questionable, and I was left wondering how he didn’t get in trouble for it. It definitely didn’t seem to be legal but that aspect of it was never addressed.

The reporter who broke the news about Ethan has a tie to one of the hotshots, unbeknownst to the rest of them, and there’s another hotshot who has secrets that only Ethan knows and weren’t revealed. It’ll be interesting to see how those turn out. As I mentioned earlier, there’s still the sabotage going on at the firehouse, which seems like something that should have been resolved already. It makes the hotshots and the police in town seem inept at their jobs, as this has been going on for so long.

There are still issues with the characters and their actions and behaviors, but I found this book to be a more enjoyable read than the previous one I read. It also redeemed the hotshot team, as I wasn’t left with a very good impression of them after book six. They seem to be closer than they were previously; I’m not sure what happened between book six and eight to make that happen, but I liked the change.

This book would be for readers who enjoy romantic suspense or books involving firefighters.

Book Info:

Publication: February 21, 2023 | Harlequin Romantic Suspense | Hotshot Heroes #8

After an attempt on his life, Jonathan Canterbury IV chose to let the world believe he was dead. Then Tammy Ingles discovers that the firefighter she knows as Ethan Sommerly is really the heir to an epic fortune. He doesn’t know what scares him more: the fact that his new lover can expose his secret, or the intensity of his need for her…