Intense and satisfying, these daredevil firemen are a new world for me. ~ Leigh – Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
Synopsis:
Smokejumper Lincoln Reid is speechless to see Jacob Hartman among his squad’s new recruits. Linc had promised his late best friend he’d stay away from his little brother. And yet here Jacob is…and almost instantly, the same temptation Linc has always felt around him is causing way too many problems.
Jacob gets everyone’s concerns, but he’s waited years for his shot at joining the elite smokejumping team, hoping to honor his brother’s memory. He’s ready to tackle any challenge Linc throws his way, and senses the chemistry between them—chemistry Linc insists on ignoring —is still alive and kicking. This time, Jacob’s determined to get what he wants.
Close quarters and high stakes make it difficult for Linc to keep his resolve, nevermind do so while also making sure the rookie’s safe. But the closer they get, the more Linc’s plan to leave at the end of the season risks him breaking another promise: the one his heart wants to make to Jacob.
Hello smoke jumpers!! These daredevil firemen are a new world for me, and a new series for Annabeth Albert, and I enjoyed my first excursion into their hot and hectic lives.
In Burn Zone, we first meet Linc, a seasoned veteran on the smoke jumper team. Continuing to beat himself up over the loss of his close-as-a-brother best friend and work teammate, Wyatt, Linc feels a sense of responsibility when Wyatt’s younger brother Jacob joins the team.
Linc had always been close to Wyatt’s family and watched Jacob grow up. But a promise to Wyatt to leave Jacob alone, a promise he intends to honor regardless of how much he wants Jacob, haunts Linc even after Wyatt’s death. And yet, despite this, there is a growing attraction between the two men. An attraction that Jacob felt as a teenager, and now intends to act on as a grown man.
First of all, I have to say that I absolutely loved Jacob. He was so full of life, energetic, and just an all around good guy. He may have had a carefree past, but he was now focused on what he wanted: to be a smokejumper like Wyatt, and to love Linc. And Linc was an interesting guy himself. He grew his own food and stayed to himself, preferring to spend the time when he was not at work alone with just his dogs, beating himself up over a promise he made to a man that is no longer alive. I enjoyed both of these characters, and the attraction between them was intense and satisfying.
That is not to say that I didn’t have an issue with this story, however.
The main premise of why Linc could not be with Jacob was that he had made a promise to Wyatt. Wyatt had been his best friend, but frankly, Wyatt had seemed narrow minded. I understand how Linc could have had a best friend that didn’t share his same sexual preference. But to have one that looked down upon him for it? Wyatt seemed to have been extremely judgmental, and Linc forgoing a mutual attraction and newfound love for a promise made to a homophobe, a promise that should never have been made, grated at me. As did the reaction of the rest of Jacob’s family. Everyone seemed to be more concerned with their own opinions and prejudices than in the happiness of two people that were genuinely in love.
I was happy that Jacob’s love for Linc was greater than Linc’s hatred for himself because I thoroughly enjoyed these two men, and wanted them to find their happily ever after.
4 stars
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