Review: Body Heat by Katherine Garbera

Publisher - Kensington Publishing
Publication Date - 20th March 2006
Paperback - 288 pages
Genre -  Romantic Suspense

Source - Library

Rating - 3 out of 5: I liked it.

Reviewed by - Chrissie

Book Info - Andi O'Roarke is a fire chief and a darned good one - one of only a handful of women in the US to make it. Raised in a family of firefighters, she's a natural, barking out orders and keeping her guys safe at the same time; and her big, tough guys respect her, treating her just like one of them. Away from her job, though, Andi doesn't have a clue how to handle herself with men. That's why arson investigator Tucker Fields is so dangerous... and so tempting. Tucker is no slap-you-on-the-back kind of guy; he's all man. A man who makes Andi feel sexy, alive, desired...

Tucker likes what he sees in Andi. He loves her passion. Her strength. That sizzling sexuality she tries to hide. He sees the ribbing she takes from the guys if she even puts on lipstick. To prove herself in a man's world, Andi has had to fight being a woman. But she's not the only one who knows how to give orders. As they spend days and nights on his investigation, Tucker's determined to start a fire of a different kind, releasing Andi's every inhibition and enticing her into losing all control as he shows her just how delicious being a woman can be... and how good love can feel...

My Thoughts - The first thing that I would like to say about Body Heat is that Tucker is HOT! He is a definite alpha male who is not afraid to take charge - who, in fact, loves to be in charge *swoon*. I loved the way that he is able to see beyond Andi's tough appearance and see her for who she really is. And it is because of Tucker that Andi is finally able to allow her feminine side to be unleashed.

Andi is a likeable enough character, but I wouldn't say that I fell in love with her. She is strong, dependable and never lets the guys on her team down. But she is so afraid to be a woman that I felt a little sorry for her. She's always grown up around men and they have all expected her to be successful in a very male-oriented world. Her family seem to have completely forgotten that she is a woman at all. But I loved watching her discover her feminine side with Tucker.

The chemistry between the two of them was sizzling and a lot of fun to read about. My main problem with the book though was the constant power struggle between Tucker and Andi. It seemed as though they were each always fighting to have the upperhand in the relationship and after a while it became pretty irritating. I could understand that they both have very dominant personality types and that this would cause problems, but it turned into a bit of a contest between them in the end and I just wanted to bang their heads together and tell them to start behaving like adults.

Also, I would have liked a bit more focus on the suspense side of the story. The arson investigation takes a definite back seat in Body Heat and is used more of a means to bring the two characters together, rather than to add any mystery.

Summary - Body Heat is a quick and sexy read with a seriously hot hero, however, it does lack slightly in the romance and mystery departments. But well worth a read anyway if you are a fan of romantic suspense novels.

This book counts towards the following challenges:
Book #2 for 2012 Mystery and Suspense Reading Challenge
Book #31 for 2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge