REVIEW: So This Is Love by Barbara Freethy

In So This Is Love (Callaways #2) by Barbara Freethy, Emma Calloway is a former fire fighter, now fire investigator. She loves what she does and she is good at it! When Max Harrison, a homicide detective, starts showing up at ‘her’ scenes, she is very annoyed even if she is secretly attracted to him.

“Their meetings were always tense, the mix of anger and attraction between them making most of their encounters awkward and uncomfortable.”

Emma is a few months out of a relationship, not looking for another one, and Max considers himself not a relationship guy. Both of them are afraid of love, and on the surface two very different people. Emma is an optimist, her glass is always half full. Her family is big, nosy, and loving. Max’s glass is always half empty and he has some problems with his family that he needs to work through. He also thinks he and Emma are too different to work…

“He didn’t know how to be as happy and as free spirited as she was. He was practical and cynical and while she saw the good in people, he saw the bad.”

Some day Emma wants to have a family of her own, Max has no desire for that.

Between multiple arson’s, a missing person and a body, Emma and Max end up working together far more often than either of them wants to. Soon they find they work really well together…in fact they do a lot of things really well together! Both are determined not to let things get serious, especially since they have to work together…but will they really have a choice? With Emma as the common demonimator in the arson’s, then threatened, Max wants nothing more than to keep her with him and safe.

The sparks are flying and not only at the fires Emma goes to investigate! Neither of them expected the spark between them to flame into something much more…but is there any chance a relationship between them can work out? Can Max admit to himself and to Emma before it’s too late how he feels?

I loved this second book in the Calloway series by Barbara Freethy! Emma and Max’s story is a hot, romantic read that will really make you feel for the characters, especially Max. Honestly I loved Emma and Max, they were people with real emotions and real issues. I also really like that they are mature, with some life experience behind them to (hopefully) grow from.

Once again Barbara gives us an excellently written peek into the Calloway family (who I love!)! While Emma and Max are the focus of So This is Love, it was great to catch up with Sara and Aiden as well as other family members. The other family members weren’t as prominent as they were in On a Night Like This (first book in the Calloway series), but we still got glimpses of them and what’s to come!

I also really like that Barbara finishes Emma and Max’s story, but leaves us enough mystery and intrigue with the rest of the family that we’re satisfied, not left hanging, but rather eagerly anticipating her next Calloway book. Barbara manages to weave a perfect romance filled with laughter, love, a lot of heat, and just the right amount of suspense.

I highly recommend So This is Love to anyone looking for a sexy romance with characters you will love!

Book Info

Emma Callaway, a hot fire investigator clashes with Max Harrison, a cool homicide detective in SO THIS IS LOVE, the second book in the Callaway Series, by #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Barbara Freethy For Max Harrison, love seduces and then destroys. His brother went to prison for love. His father left his family for love. And Max is determined not to follow in their footsteps, until he meets Emma… Emma runs into burning buildings without an ounce of fear and embraces life as if every day is a new adventure. But while she’s fearless on the job, Emma is a coward when it comes to love. Betrayed by an ex-boyfriend, Emma has no intention of putting her heart on the line again, until she meets Max… As the fires around the city rage, the heat between them ignites in a blaze of passion that’s far more dangerous. Will it destroy them or will they finally get everything they ever wanted…