Meet Zack Knight, firefighter and paramedic— the handsome genius of Station Five. He can take on any blaze, but needs a certain kind of woman…

This is book #2 in Jo Davis' sexy Station 5 firefighter series, and one of my most anticipated reads of 2009. I was so enamored of Howard in book #1, and I couldn't wait to dive into the rest of the series. Bonus - Howard makes several appearances in "Under Fire", and it's always such treat to spend time with him. (Alert: READ AT YOUR OWN RISK AS SPOILERS MAY APPEAR).

The issues (beware of spoilers):

Poor Zack! For once we see a real life hero risking his life and almost not making it through a very dangerous situation. Now Zack does what he's trained to do, and he does it alongside some equally trained and reliable firefighters, but even under the safest conditions, things can go wrong and not everyone makes it in the end. (At this point I had to email Jo and tell her she's making me cry over Zack, and of course she was very happy to hear this LOL). But this is not the end of trouble for our resilient hero. The shy and private firefighter is already suffering something fierce when we first meet him, due to dire circumstances out of his control, so as you can imagine, I'm immediately hurting for the poor guy. But then in a short timespan, he nearly dies saving someone, almost succumbs to pneumonia , gets shot at, is left for dead, gets beat up and tortured until finally you're sure that can't be anything left of him. I just didn't see the need for him to suffer as much as he did. Zack was our hero, a good guy, and I had to walk away a time or two to catch my breath, thinking "not again". Jo sure knew how to turn those screws. Just a bit too tightly.

The other thing that bothered me was the whole situation centered around Zack's troubles. He was stuck with a overwhelming burden that he had absolutely nothing to do with, but it became his sole responsibility anyway, one he was completely drowning in. It was such an unfair situation. Yet almost as frustrating as what he was suffering through was the obvious and tidy resolution to that very problem. It just didn't ring true that it would be solved so easily. I'm all for the HEA in all things, but I need it to be more believable.

The good stuff:

*Zack. Sexy, shy, virginal, though not because he couldn't get a date, but because he was waiting for someone reeaaaallly special to do the deed with. A woman who not only revved his engine but engaged his heart. True it seems a bit corny in this day and age, but also kinda sweet. I liked Zack a whole heck of a lot, and though I thought he took on a burden that didn't belong to him, I couldn't help but admire him for it. I can't say the same about his stubborn decision not to ask for help, because that sure got him into a lot of trouble, but he did what he felt he had to do - that was just his way.

*Corrine. I mentioned earlier that I wasn't sure I was going to like Cori, but she managed to change my mind almost immediately. As I got to know her, I thought she was the perfect partner for Zack, and not just because she was beautiful and experienced. But because she was also smart, hard-working, compassionate, and she truly cared for Zack. He needed someone like her in his life, someone who looked after him for a change.

*The hotties. And lo and behold, we get to see the other firefighters again, including the unforgettable Howard. I can't wait to find out more about each and every one of them. These guys are true heroes, but some of them are having a tough time of things, and one especially is suffering greatly from a horrific tragedy. Here we see even more bits and pieces of their stories, tantalizing glimpses of what drives them. Jo sure has her work cut out for her with this bunch.

UF isn't a bad book, but it doesn't hold a candle to "Trial By Fire". Part of what makes it special though, is the relationship between Zack and Cori. At first I didn't like Cori; she comes across as being one of those annoying women who are supposed to come across as being all tough and independent when really they are just rude and bitchy. But when darling Zack saves her life and nearly dies in the process, well, it's pretty obvious she has a bit of a wake-up call, and becomes a much more likable person. More like the type of woman I could believe Zack would fall in love with if he were to have his choice of any woman.

And I did enjoy visiting with the other fine men (and one woman) of Station 5, and am insatiably curious about their HEAs. Next up is Julian's story, "Hidden Fire", to be released December 1st. And yes, I admit, I will be grabbing that one up.

Labels: firefighters, Jo Davis

Labels: Jo Davis

Labels: Jo Davis, Michelle Buonfiglio, Unleash Your Story

Labels: blog contests, Jo Davis, winner

• I'm going to ask you 3 questions, and if you get at least one of them correct, you will get an entry into the contest.
• If you get all 3 questions correct, you get 3 entries.
• In addition, there will be a bonus question (with no right or wrong answer) that will give you another chance to win the book (giving you up to a total of 4 tries).
• So basically, even if you just answer the fun bonus question, you'll get at least one entry in the drawing to win a copy of the book.

1. On page 121 of "Trial By Fire", Howard and Kat have sex for the first time, and it's really quite hawt and exciting and erotic. If Jo Davis could live out page 121 with any celebrity on the planet, who would it be?
2. How many full-length manuscripts did Jo write before she sold?
3. Which publisher did Jo sell to, and what was the name of her story?
4. Bonus question: which celebrity would YOU want to live out page 121 with???

('Course if you already own a copy of the book and just want to answer #4, please feel free *g*)

Just leave your responses here in comments, and a winner will be chosen no later than noon CST on Monday, September 1st.

Mark your calendars: Be sure to stop by my pal Michelle Buonfiglio's "Romance B(u)y the Book" on Thursday, September 11th, when Jo will be the special guest blogger, and the Bellas are all very excited about that. You can check out Michelle's thoughts on "Trial By Fire" here.

GOOD LUCK!

Labels: contest, Jo Davis

• 
  
  Howard. OMG. Yeah, the name is not one that immediately comes to mind when you think of a sexy, brawny, virile lover, but Howard is all that and a whole lot of decadent pleasure thrown in. AND he rides a motorcycle (swoon). So after awhile, his name was just who he was, but it didn't define him. What made him so appealing is that he was incredibly gorgeous, the stuff of women's fantasies, and he has absolutely no clue, so when he's with Kat, he's always wondering if he's doing or saying the right thing, but not in a lame kind of way. Instead, he's all about respecting her, but also letting her know that he finds her beautiful and sexy and he really wants to be with her in the most basic, primal fashion. He knows in his heart that Kat is not a temporary fling. She's the real deal.


• 
  
  Kat. She's a voluptous blonde with a sense of humor and no desire to exercise. I loved her right away for that. There was no shame radiating from her about the fact she was bigger than a size two. To Kat, she was who she was and made no apologies that she didn't spend half her time at the gym and the other half avoiding food with calories. I liked how affectionate she was with Howard, always touching him and letting him know she found him attractive, but also teasing him and having actual conversations with him. She called him on it when he tried to avoid the issue, because she knew they could have something really special if he let himself trust her, as she trusted him. Kat wanted the real thing and she wanted it with Howard.


• 
  
  Howard and Kat together. Explosive. Howard was a very earthy, sexual man who has his dominant ways in the bedroom, and they all resulted in Kat's pleasure. Their scenes in bed were smokin' hawt, and could be summed up in this one simple sentence that seems so basic and obvious and yeah, it totally worked for me: (Howard to Kat on page 121:) "You need me to fuck you hard, don't you?" This excited Kat (and the reader) to no end. Howard tapped into Kat's hottest fantasies in a way no other man ever had, and because he cared for her, it made it even more explosive.


• 
  
  The villain. Pure, unredeemable evil. That's what made the tragic fires and deaths so frightening: the killer had an agenda that he was going to carry out at all costs, and didn't care who was sacrificed in the process. This monster had no regard for human life, and actually took pleasure from the pain and torture and horrors he committed. He was truly sick and twisted, and it upped the ante on the risks Howard took, and the danger Kat was in.


• 
  
  Howard's past. Another element that made this story more emotional and raised the stakes between him and Kat. Howard had an incredibly abusive childhood, one that haunts him to this day, and one that sadly left permanent scars. Howard is afraid to share his pain with the woman he loves, and this stubborn decision could push away the one person he cares about more than anything. Howard has to come to terms with past if ever he's going to have any kind of a happy future.


• 
  
  The other firefighters. This is book one in a series, and I believe there are four more after about the special firefighters of Station Five. I fell for these heroes right away, and look forward to learning more about them and discovering their HEA. Each character has their own appeal, and I'm just as curious about them as I was about Howard and Kat. And if their stories are anything like "Trial By Fire", then I am so there.

So there you have, the magic that is "Trial By Fire". It has all the elements of a keeper romance: deep emotion, hot sex, likeable characters a reader can relate to, believable conflict, and everyday heroes/heroines living their lives while protecting others. I highly recommend that you stop what you're doing right now and GET THIS BOOK.

Rating: **** 3/4 out of *****

Labels: firefighters, Jo Davis, reviews

Labels: current reading, Jo Davis