Cocktails and Books
Written on May 17, 2012
Ryan, being the thrill seeking, over eager firefighter that he was, made a bit of a mistake when he disobeyed a standing command and ran off on another call when he had no back up and that recklessness results in a civilian being injured and Ryan being forced into an leave of absence. When we catch up with Ryan eighteen months after those events, he is most definitely a different man than the one we met in book one. He's more reflective and cautious and trying really hard to control the impulses that got him in trouble in the first place. We find out there is much more to Ryan. He's a man that needs to have a sense of family and people around him that he can love and protect.
When Katie Dune meets Ryan Blake, it's as he's coming to the rescue of her family's faltering bar's bouncer. She's rubbed the wrong way by him because of his overly friendly nature, but she's also drawn to him (and not only for his gorgeous face). When he hops behind the bar to help her, she agrees to hire him, but she didn't know that Ryan would thrown her entire world out of whack (more than it already is). As Katie tries to come up with ways to get the money the bar needs to stay afloat, Ryan is right there helping her at every turn and working his way into her heart.
Ryan and Katie were a case of opposites attracting. He being the type of person show doesn't mind being the center of attention (whether it be brother in arms, 50 women cutting loose at a bachelorette party, or a cute four year old) while Katie has a hard time dealing with people one on one, let alone en masse. But they balance each other out, just like a good couple should. Where they have a similar trait is being able to share their feelings with someone else, but they manage to get that right eventually.
This was a fun read, mainly because of Ryan and the winks and comments he would use on Katie just to throw her off. His fun-loving persona was enough to counteract Katie's uptight nature and loosen her up a bit.
If you're wondering about their heat, they are hot. Hot in a "I can't wait to get you some place decent so let's pull off in the wooded area so I can have you" kind of way.
If you read The Fireman Who Loved Me, you will most definitely enjoy this next installment in the series. If you haven't, you'll still be able to pick this up without missing a beat.