Mini Comments

Ok, I confess... I'm feeling lazy and I don't have much to say about these books, so I'll simply write a few lines about each one in my mini comments version of a review, so to speak. 
Both these books have in common the fact they're contemporaries and are installments that belong to series I've started or read previously. More attempts to get books out of the pile... 

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When Lilah Jane Tunkle fled her dull life in Virginia for the bright lights of New York City, she didn’t expect to wind up a nanny to a gorgeous celebrity chef’s ten-year-old son. Working for the delectable Devon Sparks is a sure-fire recipe for disaster, especially after Lilah gets a tantalizing taste of his perfectly seasoned kisses . . .
Devon’s not sure he can handle one more surprise ingredient in his life—he left his popular TV show, his culinary reputation is on the line, and now the son he barely knows is back for seconds. Lilah’s Southern sass is supposed to keep the boy in line, but soon enough she’s teaching Devon a thing or two about homespun food . . . and turning up the heat.

Comment: This book is the second installment in a trilogy by author Louisa Edwards. I had read the first one in 2015 and now I finally got to this one. This is the story of chef Devon Sparks that we briefly met in the first book, and heroin Lilah Jane. They met by chance at a bar near The Market, where both are going to work, but neither knows it before they sleep together. When they realize that, things start a bit awkward but they sort of get along but then, when Devon's 10 year old son shows up, it's chaos.

I was very interested in this book due to its premise, they would bond over food and Devon's son but in reality the romance wasn't that amazing, at least not as special as I imagined. Lilah was a sweet heroine but too cartoonish at times and too focused on sex thoughts and scenes with Devon in others. I just didn't find the balance in their relationship, especially if he is the type of hero who needs redemption and reconnect with his family.

The best part was the secondary tidbits about Frankie and Jesse and some mystery with Grant and Chris. I'm definitely going to read the third book one day just to get closure on these character's fates. As for this story, I wasn't just captivated enough, not like I felt with the first book when I had less expectations.

Grade: 6/10

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A smoking-hot prequel to Jennifer Bernard's fabulous Bachelor Firemen series. If you love the novels

of Rachel Gibson and Bella Andre, then this is for you!
Kirk, a.k.a. Thor, one of San Gabriel's infamous Bachelor Firemen, certainly lives up to his nickname. He's tall and handsome, with a chiseled body worthy of any Viking god. But he'd give it all up for one glance from her.
Sweet, shy Maribel has no idea that Kirk's been pining for her. There's nothing he'd like better than to sweep her off her feet and show her just how exquisite their love could be. But Kirk has a secret, and he won't let anyone get close, least of all the sexiest woman he's ever met.
Can a feisty little dog and an even feistier little boy help these star-crossed lovers find the passion they both so richly deserve?

Comment: This story is actually the prequel novella in the Firemen of San Gabriel series by author Jennifer Bernard, whose 3rd book I've read back in 2014. I was so interested in that book I overlooked it was the 3rd in the series but I got interested enough to try the others. Then I decided to go with the right order and this was first. 

I liked it, it's a sweet story of longing and distanced looks that make protagonists Kirk and Maribel feel close to each other but shy in the others' presence. Things change when Kirk finally decides to move and the plot goes from there. This is a novella, so things happen quickly although we have the notion time allowed them to sort of have feelings for each other before the action starts.

It was ok, not as well developed as the full length book but it had interesting elements. I was probably just put off by how they went from longing to crazy in lust and then love. It could have used some more romance in a way.

I will try to read the other books in the future.

Grade: 6/10

TBR Challenge: Jennifer Bernard - Sex and the Single Fireman

There's a hardnosed new training officer in town, and that's bad news for the Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel . . .
But great news for firefighter Sabina Jones . . . maybe.
The toughest captain on the East Coast, single father Rick Roman has come thousands of miles to San Gabriel to put an end to the "Bachelor Firemen" media hype. But when a stunning woman he nearly hooked up with in Reno turns out to be a firefighter from his new station, Roman realizes it's going to be tough keeping the tabloids at bay.
But there's even more Sabina isn't telling him. Before dedicating herself to battling blazes, Sabina led a very different life, one that made her famous. The last thing she wants is to have her secret exposed. The papers, bloggers, and TV gossips will have a field day with that -- expecially when they sense the obvious sexual heat between Sabina and Chief Roman, who's torn between firing her . . . and falling in love with her!

Comment: It's time for another post for the TBR challenge. This month the theme is contemporary and I've picked a book I had here since last year because at the time the blurb seemed interesting. I wasn't aware this was actually the third in a series, but now that I've read it, I don't feel like going back. I might read the following ones one day, I was interested enough in the characters to do so.

This is the story of Sabina Jones, she liked her job as a firefighter and she loves he idea she's working to help others. Sabina has had a very different life before the anonymity of being just another firefighter and she wants to keep things that way.
Chief Roman comes from New York to help the fire house to deal with the excess media attention they're having lately all due to the amount of times the station has been on the news and not always for work purposes, the thing is, the firemen of Station 1 are well known to be bachelors and when one of them got married, they all got even more popular.
Sabina and Roman meet one day without knowing the identity of the other. They almost made love but Sabina lost her nerve, so it was very funny to see both their faces when Roman was introduced as her new boss the next day. From here on, their relationship changed, developed and their feelings too.

I was sold on this one the moment I saw the two protagonists didn't know the other would be a co worker and how that would stress their professional relationship. I was curious to see how that would happen. After a bump start with a misunderstanding, they got to know each other during a blind dinner let's call it, and the chemistry was obvious. But Sabina thought twice before sleeping with him despite her attraction (smart girl) and she never knew he would be her boss. That scene was funny, when they both saw each other after Sabina left without saying something and by having left only a note under the door. At first they struggled to keep things professional but it got more difficult the more time they spent together and even more so when even in their spare time they run into each other all the time, like in Roman's son baseball practice where Sabina had a "borrowed" sister too, and in the restaurant near their work. All the apparently random meetings only enhanced their attraction and a personal involvement was to be expected.

I liked the protagonists. Sabina was running fro the memories of a past where she couldn't be herself, where others expected something from her and now that she's living the life she wanted, the past is returning. This part of the story provided enough bases to justify Sabina's character and was an interesting opposition to her current life and way of thinking. I thin some situations were exaggerated and in a way I guess it was meant to offer a funnier side of things but I thought that it wasn't that special. I'm glad that it didn't went into stupidity level. The best thing in all the background was that it showed how committed and professional Sabina was about being a firefighter. I liked that she was proud of this side of herself.
Roman lost his wife in the 9/11 and moved to California so his son could join a baseball team and also to help with a famous fire house presenting a more formal identity after all the media apparatus of lately. Things aren't as easy because of several reasons and Roman actually gets to a point where he fears he's made a mistake. But his son's happiness and his growing feelings for Sabina tell him he should give life another chance which he does, even more so than we think at first. The end of the novel is quite the surprise for Roman's character.

My general feelings about this novel are pretty satisfying. The story was solid enough, had good bases and a good enough structure. It's meant to be funny, I did laugh at some scenes and was glad this wasn't meant to be a joke. I think it was serious enough on the right moments and still managed to offer a good image of how to deal with feelings too. The scene where Sabina tells Roman she's in love with him was very cute.

The secondary characters were interesting. The upcoming heroes seem interesting, I hope the settings can still function around the fire house, I think it's one of the things that could add a bit more seriousness to the plot, a bit more scenes within the fire house to present a more complex professional situation. My opinion, of course.

The story isn't perfect, but I enjoyed it and was happy enough with the way things were dealt with. As far as contemporaries go, this wasn't so bad. The characters had reactions believable enough and the chemistry between Sabina and Roman wasn't badly done. I also liked they didn't had sex right after seeing each other again at the fire house. Their relationship developed slowly, giving them time to know each other better until it was obvious they were already feeling something more than lust by the time intimacy happened. The situations outside themselves were done well enough to add some veracity to the demands of life.
All in all, an enjoyable story, good and strong elements, some lack of that extra thing that could put this in perfection level, but certainly a good story nevertheless. Recommended to contemporary fans.
Grade: 8/10