Summary
This firefighter needs a rescue …
I might be a rookie Chicago firefighter, but I’m on top of the world. I’ve just earned my spot on Rescue Squad at legendary Engine 6, can get all the action I want both in and out of the bedroom, and am possessed of an enviable sneaker collection. Nothing can harsh my vibe except her—Cassandra Ferguson, my brother’s sister-in-law, or as I affectionately label her: the blister-in-law. Ever since I met her, she’s looked down her perky little nose at me, never mind that I’m a good foot taller. Apparently, I offended her with a few risqué jokes and an offer for a fun, no-strings night—crimes that have relegated me to lower than dirt in St. Cassandra’s eyes.
These days we’re at a stalemate. Don’t get along, can’t get along. Only when tragedy strikes, we have no choice but to put our animosity aside for the sake of our hurting niece and nephew, who need us now more than ever. As co-guardians, Cassie and I are enemy combatants in an uneasy truce, flailing around in a no-man’s land of grief and lust, forced to work as a team.
Thing is, when Cassie and I team up—when we really work together—the results are explosive. In a sexy way. In an amazing way. Maybe … in every way. But with stakes this high, we can’t get it wrong.
Even though it feels so, so right.
Review
The author usually makes me laugh and writes great banter. There was some of that here, of course, but she also knows how to break a heart. Most of the times, it’s a couple of emotional scenes, and on a rare occasion, she crushes you right from the beginning. This is one of these books.
Well it wasn’t exactly right from the beginning. The book starts lighthearted, introducing the characters and how they interact–with Sam the playboy and Cassie the stuckup and their hostile relationship, but also Jake and Annie the couple goal, and their kids baby Spencer and smart Maya. During a happy family event, we learn about their past, their job, their love life etc.
To better kill you with Sam’s first day on his new job. It was one of the saddest scenes I’ve ever read. Then Sam and Cassie become co-guardians for Spencer and Maya, and have to learn to work together. You can guess that after such a tragedy and the grief they’re going through, it isn’t a fun journey. But they find comfort in each other.
Besides the depiction of various coping mechanisms when faced with the loss of someone dear, the author chose to explore the difference between the facade one shows to the world, and one’s true self. Through a difficult situation, Sam becomes more than a player and a prankster and shows he’s responsible. On the other hand, Cassie re-evaluates her choices and decides not to hide who she is anymore. And since their public persona is what kept them from liking each other, seeing another side of each other brings them together.
I thought the fine line between hate and attraction was well written. Because it’s never really hate, and it isn’t just attraction: the book shows the changes, both in the way they see each other, and in their feelings.
Despite the tough subject and the even tougher scenes at times, this book is no angst fest. It’s the story of two people finding each other in the dark and it’s beautiful.
Quickie
- Series: Hot in Chicago rookies #3 (can be read as a standalone)
- Hashtags: #firefighter romance #enemies to lovers #reverse age gap #opposites attract
- Triggers: death, semi-graphic car accident, grief
- Main couple: Cassandra Ferguson & Samuel Killian
- Hotness: 4/5
- Romance: 4/5
- + all the emotional support they get from the people surrounding them was heartwarming
- – I had a hard time believing that Sam loved her at first sight
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