Review: Hot as Sin by Bella Andre (Hot Shots #2)

Publisher - Rouge Romance (Website)
Publication Date - 14th October 2011
Genre - Romantic Suspense

Source - Received from publisher for review

Rating - 2.5 out of 5: I liked it

Book Info - Sam MacKenzie is a fire fighter who knows no fear. There's no one waiting for him at home, no reason not to risk it all. Out of the blue, the only woman he's ever loved - the same one who ground his heart to dust ten years ago - shows up begging him for help. Dianna's sister is in big trouble somewhere in the rugged Colorado Rockies, and he's the only person Dianna knows with the skills to track her sister down.Working together on their quest, they soon realise there's a killer on the loose and his true target isn't Dianna's sister...it's Dianna herself. Using his extreme outdoor skills, Sam needs to track down the killer, before he loses the woman he loves forever.

My Thoughts - This is another hot and steamy fireman romance from Bella Andre! I enjoyed the first book in this series very much, but Hot as Sin was not as good in my opinion.

I really enjoyed the fast paced plot involving Dianna and her sister who has been kidnapped. Dianna must find her sister, therefore putting herself in danger as she is the kidnapper's intended target. Although the reader knows right from the start who has taken her sister, this does not detract from the story in any way. In fact we get to learn more about the kidnapper and his motives than we would do ordinarily and this makes for interesting reading.

There is a lot of chemistry between Sam and Dianna and this leads to many steamy scenes between the two of them. I loved the background story between the two characters. They were together ten years ago but their relationship breaks down after Dianna suffers a miscarriage. They both feel a lot of hurt over past events and I loved watching them open up to each other about how they felt after their miscarriage and watching them trying to regain each others trust.

However, what made me  have difficulties with this book is that I didn't particularly like Dianna or Sam and as a result of this I found it really hard to connect to either of them. Of course, this is just my personal opinion and other readers may not feel the same way at all. I found Dianna to be very judgemental of others, despite the fact that she is working hard to hide her trailer park background in case she herself gets judged. And Sam comes across as being quite controlling and I didn't like the way he spoke to Dianna at times when he was ordering her around. They were not like this all the time, and there are some very sweet and tender moments between them, but it happened enough for it to bother me.

Summary - An interesting premise to the story, with a lovely romance between Dianna and Sam. I just wish that I had found them to be more likeable. However, if you are a fan of sexy firemen then I would definitely recommend this series to you.

Other books in this series:
1. Wild Heat
2. Hot as Sin
3. Never Too Hot

Other reviews of this book:
All About Romance / Smitten With Reading
(If you would like your review of Hot as Sin included here, please leave a link to your review in the comments and I will be sure to add it)

Review: Wild Heat by Bella Andre (Hot Shots #1)

Publisher - Rouge Romance (website)
Publication Date - 29th September 2011
Genre - Romantic Suspense

Source - Received from publisher for review

Rating - 3 out of 5: I liked it


Book Info - Maya Jackson doesn't sleep with strangers. Until the night grief sent her to the nearest bar and into the arms of the most explosive lover she's ever had.  Six months later, the dedicated arson investigator is coming face to face with him again. Gorgeous, sexy Logan Cain. Her biggest mistake. Now her number-one suspect in a string of deadly wildfires.

As leader of an elite fire-fighting crew in Tahoe, Logan won't back down from a blaze - or a woman. Maya Jackson may have seduced him with her tears and her passion, but it'll be a cold day in hell before Logan lets down his guard again. Until Maya's life is threatened and with his natural-born hero instincts kicking in, Logan vows to protect the woman sworn to bring him down. And as desire reignites, nothing - not the killer fire or the killer hot on their trail - can douse the flames...

Review - I have been very interested in trying a romantic suspense for a while now so I was very eager to make a start on this once I received my copy. I am glad to say that I was not at all disappointed by this new-to-me genre. It is full of intrigue, romance and very sexy firemen!

One of my favourite things about Wild Heat is the characters and the way the author is so easily able to portray their emotions. When we first meet Maya at the start of the novel, it is only a few days after the death of her brother and her grief is so well-written that it made me feel slightly uncomfortable to read it - almost as if I was witnessing her grief, and the crazy things it is making her do, first hand. Six months after the death of her brother, Maya is obviously still grieving for him but she is beginning to move on with her life and she is determined to find the person who started the fire that killed him. She is strong, couragious and more than a little bit stubborn - just the kind of heroine I love!

And as for Logan *sigh*. What's not to love about a sexy fireman who is strong, fearless and the type of man who can't help but protect everybody around him. Maya and Logan are very similar in a lot of ways but they compliment each other well as a couple. And there is a LOT of chemistry between the two of them! So much so I thought the screen of my ereader was going to start steaming up!

The story does start off quite slow as the author sets the scene for the reader, but once the killer starts to set their sights on Maya and Logan things really pick up speed and I couldn't put it down. There is a very good twist at the end when the killer is finally revealed but I have to say I was slightly disappointed in the final showdown. The killer just seemed a little bit too over-the-top crazy for my liking and this ended up making their revelations all seem a bit too forced and unnatural.

Summary - A very enjoyable read that had me on the edge of my seat for the entire second half of the novel. I was pleased with my first journey into the world of romantic suspense and I am planning to revisit again very soon, with my copy of book two of the Hot Shots series - Hot as Sin.

Other books in this series:
1. Wild Heat
2. Hot as Sin

Other reviews of this book:
Book Binge / Romance Reviews Today / Smitten with Reading
(If you would like your review of Wild Heat included here, please leave a link to your review in the comments and I will be sure to add it)