ARC Review: The Fireman Who Loved Me by Jennifer Bernard

The Fireman Who Loved Me
Author: Jennifer Bernard
Publication: Avon; Original edition (April 24, 2012)

Description: Fearless, smoking hot, and single: meet the Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel. These firemen might be heroes, but it's their bad luck in love that makes them legendary.

News producer Melissa McGuire and Fire Captain Harry Brody couldn't be more different, though they do have one thing in common: they're both convinced they're perfectly wrong for each other. But when Melissa's matchmaking grandmother wins her a date with Brody at a Bachelor auction . . .

Sparks fly. Passion flares. Heat rises. (You get the picture.)

Add a curse, a conniving nightly news anchor, a stunningly handsome daredevil fireman, a brave little boy, a couple of exes, and one giant fire to the mix, and Melissa and Brody's love may not be the only thing that burns.

My Thoughts: This was a fun romance with great characters. Melissa is a news producer who lets herself get pushed around by the very egotistical on-air talent Ella Joy. Her dying grandmother is also trying to manipulate a happy ending for her before her own death. Melissa has come home partly to help out her grandmother and partly because she got her heart broken by a manipulative news director in LA. It takes a while before she decides to stand up for herself and for what she wants.

She first meets Fire Captain Harry Brody at the bachelor auction where fire fighters are being auctioned for a good cause. Her grandmother tricks her into attending and then buys a date with one of the hearthrob firemen for Melissa. But the hearthrob fireman passes off the date to his captain and the grandmother passes the date off to Melissa. At first the two don't seem to have anything in common and spend most of the date arguing. 

Harry is dealing with some issues of his own. His ex-wife left him for a surfer after losing their baby. This just helps reaffirm his belief that his career and romance don't go well together. Harry is an honorable, old-fashioned sort of guy. He is good at protecting his firefighters and good at protecting his heart.

Just when the romance between Melissa and Harry seems to be heating up, his ex-wife shows up pregnant and wanting to start again and her ex-news director shows up to try to lure her back to LA. Neither one has enough confidence in their new relationship to stand up to the pressure. It takes a major act by Melissa's grandmother to show them what they mean to each other.

I loved this romance and look forward to seeing which firefighter gets his romance next. I'm betting on Ryan.

Favorite Quote:

"Is it serious?" Brody didn't answer. He and Melissa had never talked about their feelings for each other, or their future. Maybe it was too soon, or maybe she didn't have any feelings for him. They's gotten so close to each other inside this trailer, but they had never taken their relationship into the real world. They hadn't wanted to. They'd only wanted to stay cuddled in their little nest, talking, laughing, loving.

I received this one for review through the Amazon Vine Program. You can buy your copy here.