Book Reviews

Book Blurb

When an arsonist targets a kind-hearted park ranger, a firefighter steps up to protect him… and overcome his fear of dating in the process.

 

Park Ranger Troy Hurst has his hands full with a long, hot summer causing fires to break out all over the Sam Houston National Forest, and it looks like the weather isn’t the only culprit. But helping two abandoned teenage boys and facing the memory of his own difficult childhood will require all Troy’s strength and courage—he doesn’t have anything left to deal with the increasingly dangerous fires.

 

Firefighter Jared Winters has never been one to turn his back on those in need, and Troy and his young wards are in more danger than they know. Even though Jared is still reeling from an abusive relationship and Troy’s never acted on his attraction to men, the heat between them is impossible to extinguish, and before they know it, they’re planning to become foster parents—a family.

 

But first they’ll need to find and stop the dangerous criminal threatening homes and lives in Everness.

 

Book Review

Everness, the small town in Texas that has been through a lot of turmoil in the first two books in this series, is still the setting of this third installment, but the stories are not connected. The level of tension is still high, there are as many twists and turns as ever, and there is a mystery to solve as to who is up to no good. The focus is on a park ranger and a firefighter who battle a hot summer, their pasts, personal challenges, and an arsonist who seems determined to let everything go up in flames just to get their way. All in all, the ingredients for an exciting read were well prepared and I was quickly pulled into the story.

Troy is a park ranger who loves the outdoors, is dedicated to his job, and though he is lonely, he isn’t sure whether he will ever meet the one person special enough to want to build a life with. Troy has only ever been with women, so when he meets Jared and suddenly feels pulled toward him, he is surprised. Not sure what to do and how to deal with the situation, he decides to follow his gut and be honest. It was refreshing to see him be mature about what was happening and it made watching him find happiness very enjoyable.

Jared is a firefighter who has moved to Everness fairly recently. He has a big heart, is taking care of his younger brother, and having been kicked out of his home for being gay when he was seventeen has made life hard. On top of that he has been in an abusive relationship, and that has made him very hesitant about opening up to Troy because Jared is afraid of making himself vulnerable again. But how can he resist Troy who is so different from his abusive stalker of an ex?

While the relationship between Troy and Jared is almost instantaneous, they are both clear that the beginning of it is rooted in lust and they proceed accordingly. Jared has been burned before and Troy has only just realized that he is gay, so there are plenty of reasons to be careful. There are a lot of external threats to their relationship and even their lives, and in line with the fast pace of what happens, their feelings develop at an above-average pace. Adding two teenagers in need of guidance to the mix only makes things more stressful, so I wasn’t surprised that decisions were taken sooner than might be considered normal. Sometimes life just happens that way and the author did an excellent job setting the scene and then letting events take their course.

If you like your romances with a touch of mystery and suspense, if you enjoy seeing two strangers meet and fall for each other amid chaos and drama, and if you’re looking for a read that is intense on every level, then you will probably like this novel.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 224 pages/84809 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	21-January-2020
Price	$6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/burn-it-down-by-jess-anastasi-11496-b