Fully Ignited by Shannon Stacey Series: Boston Fire #3
Published by Carina Press on February 23rd 2016
Pages: 352
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When Jamie Rutherford takes a temporary assignment as lieutenant of Boston Fire's Engine 59, she doesn't anticipate any problems. She's been in the fire service for a long time and, even though she's fairly new to Boston, she knows how to make any firehouse her home. What she's not prepared for is her reaction to firefighter Scott Kincaid.
Scott is looking for a wife. It's been a fun ride as a single guy, but he's tired of being the third wheel, and nearly losing his brother-in-law finally made him realize just how much he wants a family of his own. When the new guy at the firehouse turns out to be a capable, confident and very attractive woman, his plan is completely derailed.
Hooking up with a fellow firefighter has never been part of Jamie's plan, but she's tempted by Scott—even though getting involved with him could tarnish the reputation she's worked so hard for. And Scott can't stop thinking about Jamie, despite the fact that she's his superior and not sticking around. Chemistry can crush the best-laid plans, though, and while Jamie and Scott might not be each other's future…there's no resisting the right now.
I wasn’t too sure what to expect from the third installment of Shannon Stacey’s entertaining firefighting series, but Scott Kincaid’s story sounded like something I needed to get into from the very enticing blurb.
Sick of relationships that go nowhere, Scott decides that he finally wants what his friends have, except that the woman who barrels into his life isn’t what he’s expecting. Jamie Rutherford’s the unlikeliest choice for a man now looking to settle down, especially since she’s his lieutenant and several years his senior. Her assignment with his company is only temporary and that seems like the natural deadline they’ve got to put on their burgeoning relationship, which was more stress- and angst-free than I thought it would be.
But because of the relatively bump-free ride, the blow-up and the overreaction from both parties after a bad case felt particularly out of character and surprising to boot. The complications of having a fellow firefighter partner do come into play at the end, but it all seemed rather extreme and overly-emotional in contrast to how both the H/hr have been behaving for most of the book. I particularly didn’t appreciate Jamie’s cowardice that popped it head when it mattered most and her own obstinate insistence about putting only herself and her career first didn’t make her an ideal heroine I wanted to get behind. And because I’m a proponent that risk-taking should happen on both sides, having Scott grovel at her feet proved to be the last straw, when it seemed that it was only him who had to make all the concessions.
That being said, the great camaraderie between the guys kept me turning the pages – and may just be the book’s saving grace.
