Flare Up by Shannon Stacey
Boston Fire - Book 6
Publication:01/29/2019
Publisher:Harlequin
Imprint:Carina Press
Genre:Contemporary Romance
Pages:352
ISBN-13:978-1335924599
(Received for an honest review from Carina Press via NetGalley)
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, Book Depository
Books in the series:
1. Heat Exchange (2015)
2. Controlled Burn (2015)
3. Fully Ignited (2016)
4. Hot Response (2018)
5. Under Control (2018)
6. Flare Up (2019)
1. Heat Exchange (2015)
2. Controlled Burn (2015)
3. Fully Ignited (2016)
4. Hot Response (2018)
5. Under Control (2018)
6. Flare Up (2019)
Cover Art:
Excerpt from Flare Up courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature
Synopsis:
Nursing a broken heart while everybody around him seems to be drowning in happiness has Grant Cutter wondering whether staying with Engine 59—or even Boston Fire—is in his future. It’s tempting as hell to pack up what fits in his Jeep and hit the road. But then a 911 call brings the woman who shattered his heart back into his life, and he knows he won’t ever be able to fully leave her in his rearview mirror.
For a few months, Wren Everett had thought the nightmare of her past was behind her and she might live happily ever after with Grant. Until she got the phone call letting her know the time her ex had spent in jail for assault hadn’t cooled his temper or determination that she belonged with him. Cutting ties with Grant was the hardest thing she’d ever had to do, but it was also the only way to keep him safe.
Now that Grant is back, he’s not letting Wren push him away again. And even with the trust issues between them, Wren dares to hope she and Grant might have a future together after all…if they’re willing to fight for it.
Thoughts:
Shannon Stacey returns with the sixth and final book in the Boston Fire series, Flare Up. This is a second chance love story with a hunky firefighter and heroine with plenty of baggage from a previous relationship. Grant and Wren are suddenly reunited during a fire, leaving them both longing to explore their feelings for each other. But is trust something you can earn back in a day or a month? or perhaps never?
What I liked:
There is certainly something to be said for a man in uniform. I don't know about you, but that gets me everytime. The Boston Fire series will definitely indulge that romantic pull. Shannon Stacey shows the wonderful brotherhood and family aspects of a firehouse and the strength and courage of those who serve. This is one of my favorite parts of a series like this.
In Flare Up readers get to revisit the relationship between Grant and Wren. It hasn't been that long since she disappeared from his life and the wounds are still open. When Grant and his fellow firefighters show up to a fire that involves Wren, the sparks start to fly quickly. I thought Stacey did a great job of getting right to the point of their issues with each other. It was nice not to have an author beat around the bush about the real cause of their breakup.
Domestic violence is a very real situation that many people in our country deal with today. I liked that Stacey chose to handle the subject with care and sensitivity. Though many readers may not like Wren's solution to her problems it is probably a common response. Wren obviously wanted to protect Grant and that in itself is a human instinct brought on by her love for him.
Grant was a wonderful hero in my opinion. He was strong and protective and it was easy to see why he chose the career he did. His dedication to his calling was very honest and evident in the way he lived and in the way he interacted with Wren and his colleagues.
What I didn't Like:
This one was a little hit or miss for me. I liked Grant but I still had a bad taste in my mouth over Wren. She hurt him and no matter what her reasons were he was still hurting when this book started. I love an author who make you turn your feelings about a character around, but this time it was still a little hard to accept. Yes, she was afraid. Yes, she wanted to protect him. But Grant was a big boy and he could have handled it. Didn't like how that went down. But that's not the fault of the author.
The one character I felt who needed a much stronger presence in this book was Ben. He was the cause of a lot of the issues between Grant and Wren and he was essentially the bad guy. However, the reader doesn't see much of him and when they do, it's a glancing blow. I wanted to see what was so big and bad about this dude, that our hero couldn't handle. I was a little disappointed to not get that in this one.
The ending felt a bit rushed. Maybe not even that. If felt a little flat. There didn't really seem to be a climax that the story was building too. It just kind of resolved and flatlined. It petered out, so to speak. I wanted more.
Bottom Line:
Not my favorite in this series. But still a book that needed to be included. You can't leave a series with a serious loose end like Grant and Wren. I loved the hero, but had some distaste for the heroine. Wanted more from the bad guy and wanted a more climatic ending. Overall not too bad, not too good.
Flare Up is available NOW from your favorite bookseller
I'm giving this one 3 out of 5 apples from my book bag.
About the Author:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shannon Stacey lives with her husband and two sons in New England, where her two favorite activities are writing stories of happily ever after and off-roading with her friends and family. You can contact Shannon through her website, www.shannonstacey.com, as well as sign up for her newsletter.
Excerpt from Flare Up courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature
Synopsis:
Nursing a broken heart while everybody around him seems to be drowning in happiness has Grant Cutter wondering whether staying with Engine 59—or even Boston Fire—is in his future. It’s tempting as hell to pack up what fits in his Jeep and hit the road. But then a 911 call brings the woman who shattered his heart back into his life, and he knows he won’t ever be able to fully leave her in his rearview mirror.
For a few months, Wren Everett had thought the nightmare of her past was behind her and she might live happily ever after with Grant. Until she got the phone call letting her know the time her ex had spent in jail for assault hadn’t cooled his temper or determination that she belonged with him. Cutting ties with Grant was the hardest thing she’d ever had to do, but it was also the only way to keep him safe.
Now that Grant is back, he’s not letting Wren push him away again. And even with the trust issues between them, Wren dares to hope she and Grant might have a future together after all…if they’re willing to fight for it.
Thoughts:
Shannon Stacey returns with the sixth and final book in the Boston Fire series, Flare Up. This is a second chance love story with a hunky firefighter and heroine with plenty of baggage from a previous relationship. Grant and Wren are suddenly reunited during a fire, leaving them both longing to explore their feelings for each other. But is trust something you can earn back in a day or a month? or perhaps never?
What I liked:
There is certainly something to be said for a man in uniform. I don't know about you, but that gets me everytime. The Boston Fire series will definitely indulge that romantic pull. Shannon Stacey shows the wonderful brotherhood and family aspects of a firehouse and the strength and courage of those who serve. This is one of my favorite parts of a series like this.
In Flare Up readers get to revisit the relationship between Grant and Wren. It hasn't been that long since she disappeared from his life and the wounds are still open. When Grant and his fellow firefighters show up to a fire that involves Wren, the sparks start to fly quickly. I thought Stacey did a great job of getting right to the point of their issues with each other. It was nice not to have an author beat around the bush about the real cause of their breakup.
Domestic violence is a very real situation that many people in our country deal with today. I liked that Stacey chose to handle the subject with care and sensitivity. Though many readers may not like Wren's solution to her problems it is probably a common response. Wren obviously wanted to protect Grant and that in itself is a human instinct brought on by her love for him.
Grant was a wonderful hero in my opinion. He was strong and protective and it was easy to see why he chose the career he did. His dedication to his calling was very honest and evident in the way he lived and in the way he interacted with Wren and his colleagues.
What I didn't Like:
This one was a little hit or miss for me. I liked Grant but I still had a bad taste in my mouth over Wren. She hurt him and no matter what her reasons were he was still hurting when this book started. I love an author who make you turn your feelings about a character around, but this time it was still a little hard to accept. Yes, she was afraid. Yes, she wanted to protect him. But Grant was a big boy and he could have handled it. Didn't like how that went down. But that's not the fault of the author.
The one character I felt who needed a much stronger presence in this book was Ben. He was the cause of a lot of the issues between Grant and Wren and he was essentially the bad guy. However, the reader doesn't see much of him and when they do, it's a glancing blow. I wanted to see what was so big and bad about this dude, that our hero couldn't handle. I was a little disappointed to not get that in this one.
The ending felt a bit rushed. Maybe not even that. If felt a little flat. There didn't really seem to be a climax that the story was building too. It just kind of resolved and flatlined. It petered out, so to speak. I wanted more.
Bottom Line:
Not my favorite in this series. But still a book that needed to be included. You can't leave a series with a serious loose end like Grant and Wren. I loved the hero, but had some distaste for the heroine. Wanted more from the bad guy and wanted a more climatic ending. Overall not too bad, not too good.
Flare Up is available NOW from your favorite bookseller
I'm giving this one 3 out of 5 apples from my book bag.
About the Author:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shannon Stacey lives with her husband and two sons in New England, where her two favorite activities are writing stories of happily ever after and off-roading with her friends and family. You can contact Shannon through her website, www.shannonstacey.com, as well as sign up for her newsletter.
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