High Heat: Hotshots Book 2, Annabeth Albert

Imperfectly perfect MC's, fantastically spicy, and endlessly tender.

Garrick and Rain are a wonderful pairing and these men meet one another at the right time in their lives to truly appreciate what each has to offer and for who they've become.  Learning to love someone very different from you is one thing, but adding that to learning to accept who you are with a sudden disability is a whole other basket of almost-too-much.  It'll definitely take some self-realization and swallowing enough pride to lay it all on the line for the two of them to make a forever work together.

There's been a lot dumped onto Garrick in the past year, a new normal that he desperately wants to quickly become his past.  I was glad to have read Burn Zone prior to this so I got a bit of background not only about the cause of his physical trauma, but to see what kind of man we were going to get to know here in High Heat (though it should be known you can totally read this story on its own).  Knowing he was a kind man, one who was open about his personal life without drifting into the oversharing type, someone optimistic and enthusiastic about life, he was someone I genuinely wanted to know more of and to find his own HEA.

Meeting Rain gives him a taste of a life he thinks he's ready for, but with his disability in his way and Rain's youth and professional aspirations as stumbling blocks he may not fight for that future with everything he has.  I pretty much adored how his journey with disability was written.  It was honest, frustrating, disheartening, and very real.  Not everything was bad, but the struggle was absolutely genuine and having watched my father never truly accept his physical limitations due to situations out of his control hurt so I saw every stage he went through as very real-to-life.

Rain was all about Garrick and all the fun they could find together because of and in spite of Garrick's injury.  The way he was so optimistic and upbeat about nearly everything was a bright spot in not only Garrick's life but in the story as well.  His reaction to Garrick's "selflessness" was less than ideal, but it was real and evidence of his age and life experience.  I had a harder time with his realization and then the almost reversal of his intention when he finally made time for Garrick than with his initial overreaction though.  Things worked out in the end, but it was one of the more frustrating moments in the story.

The pacing kept me reading and unable to put the story down.  There were a few laggy bits with some repetition, but the story maintained focus on the most important parts and gave us parallel journeys for both men while simultaneously weaving us a relationship that worked, one that was meant to be.  Rain constantly accepted Garrick in all his ups and downs and Garrick's openness and affection were so steadfast and tender.  With each couple and story improving in this series I absolutely cannot wait to see what we'll get with Feel the Fire!

*$4.99 on Amazon

Smoke jumping is Garrick Nelson’s life. Nothing, not severe injuries nor the brutal physical therapy that follows, is going to stop him from getting back with his crew. But when a lost dog shows up on his front porch, he can’t turn her away, and he can’t take care of her on his own. Thankfully, help comes in the form of his new sexy, dog-loving neighbor. As they work together, trying to re-home their little princess, Garrick can’t resist his growing attraction for the other man, even though he knows this guy isn’t the staying type.

Rain Fisher doesn’t take anything too seriously. He dances through life, one adventure at a time, never settling in one place for too long. When his hot, conveniently buff, neighbor shows up on his doorstep, dog in tow, Rain’s determined to not just save the adorable puppy, but her reluctant owner as well. He never expects their flirtation might tempt him into stay put once and for all...