Showing posts with label family drama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family drama. Show all posts

Monday, October 14, 2013

How to Tame a Wild Fireman by Jennifer Bernard


The Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel have a rebel among them, and there's only one woman who can put his flames out.

Firefighter Patrick "Psycho" Callahan earns his nickname every day. Fast, fit, and a furious worker, he thrives on the danger which helps him forget a near-tragedy that changed his life forever. But when his off-duty carousing gets out of hand, Patrick is sent back to Loveless, Nevada, where the wildfire threatening his hometown has nothing on sizzling Dr. Lara Nelson.

Lara would rather be thought of as the physician who returned to Loveless than as the misfit brought up at a hippie New Age commune. But right now she's focused on her job at hand, patching up injured firemen...until the past hits her in the hard-muscled, blue-eyed form of Patrick Callahan. Now, the embers of their decade-old attraction have ignited into a full-on inferno, as the bad-boy firefighter and the good doctor take a walk on the wild side they'll never forget.

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Romantic, Passionate, Poignant and Engaging!

How to Tame a Wild Fireman is the fourth book in Jennifer Bernard’s totally awesome The Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel series. All the books are fun, sexy, romantic… but there’s always a level of poignancy that brings out the “need to take him home and love him all better” in me.

The Story:

This time the man in need of my tender loving care is Patrick “Psycho” Callahan. For ten years he’s been blaming himself for an accident that almost took the life of his mildly autistic, deaf brother. As the older, more mature sibling, he's supposed to be watching after Liam, not getting him into dangerous situations, and if Patrick had been doing his job, the accident would never have happened. Or so Patrick keeps telling himself. And to further prove his fault, Patrick’s dad, ex-governor of Patrick’s home town of Loveless, Nevada, is an arrogant, blow-hard of man who tosses Patrick not just out of the family home, but out of the family, period. With nothing to lose, thinking there's no one who cares, Patrick has more than earned his “Psycho” nickname. After one stunt too many, Captain Brody gives Patrick just what he needs - a chance to burn off some steam - by sending him to Nevada to help with the out of control fires that are threatening Loveless.

Lara Nelson grew up in Loveless, best friends with Liam Callahan. As Patrick’s younger brother, and always under Patrick's watchful eye, the three of them spent a lot of time together until the accident changed everything. She doesn’t totally understand why Patrick left the family the way he did, but it is what it is, and what it isn't is her business. Ten years have past since the accident, and Lara is settled, practicing Family Medicine at a San Diego hospital. Her life is right on track, but she gets a call that the aunt who raised her has passed away and, much to Lara’s chagrin, she’s the heir to all of Aunt Tam’s worldly goods.

Having no choice, Lara returns home to settle the estate, then jumps right into the thick of things, lending her medical expertise to helping care for injured firefighters working the blazes threatening Loveless. But working this closely with Patrick, Lara finds herself in a whole different kind of “thick of things.”

My Review:

Like I said, I really love these books. They’re not just sexy, they’re truly engaging stories. The characters… their lives, their loves, their trials and their triumphs… every one of these “cursed” firemen are amazing, tormented, lovable people in need of women strong enough to put up with them. What? It’s true! These guys aren’t perfect, but they’re close enough for me! And the stories are always entertaining without being too fluffy or over-the-top dramatic!

Ms. Bernard is one talented author and, lucky for us, she puts that talent to work giving us stories we can get lost in and happily ever afters we can believe in.

My thanks to Avon Book and Edelweiss for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Shades of Honor by Wendy Lindstrom, Narrated by Julia Motyka



Former Union soldier Radford Grayson returns to his small hometown, looking for a stable and comforting place to raise his young, motherless daughter. Despite his troubled past, his hopes are to reconcile with his family and put his dark secrets behind him. But he doesn't count on falling in love with Evelyn--his brother's financee...

When Evelyn Tucker accepted her childhood friend Kyle Grayson's marriage proposal, she thought it was the best way to make her ailing father happy. But after Radford arrives home, the fiery and independent Evelyn realizes that the comfort and friendship Kyle gives her will never hold a candle to the instant, undeniable passion she feels for Radford. Now their forbidden desire threatens to shatter family ties and destroy newfound dreams--unless their love has the power to overcome all obstacles...

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Fredonia, New York, August 1870

He always knew he’d come back. Everything he’d ever wanted was here.

Shades of Honor is the first book in the Grayson Brothers series. It’s a post Civil War romance, this first book being the eldest brother’s story. Radford is tired of running from the nightmares of death, pain, and destruction, and returns home to work with his brothers at the family’s lumber mill. But he arrives to find that running kept him away too long and he may no longer be welcomed home.


I’ve seen these books popping up here and there in friends reviews and had been planning to read them one day. When the author contacted me and asked if I’d review her audio book, I was more than a little excited! I’m going to break my review down by the actual story, and then the audio book.

The Book:

The Grayson world in Freedonia is lovely. Such a peaceful post war time when things and families are returning to normal again. The characters Ms. Lindstrom has given us are honorable, hard working, passionate people. They've known great loss but they have hopes and dreams and refuse to give up. They keep going, heads held high, always striving to do the right thing.

Pre-, Post-, and current Civil War is one of my favorite time periods to read about in my historical romance novels. There’s something about the era – the plantations, the gentility of the South… it’s such a romantic setting. However, Shades of Honor is not set in the South, there’s nothing to speak of money, no balls or Scarlet O’Hara dramas - overmuch, but I did enjoy it. It’s a very sweet, slow paced, day-in-the-life kind of story about finding that yes, you can go home again, but it might not be on your own terms.

The Audio:

The Grayson Brothers series is being narrated by Julia Motyka, and I’ll say this right up front: She has a beautiful voice! It’s clear, passionate, and captures perfectly the deeply emotional side to the story. The only problem I have with Ms. Motyka’s narration is that sometimes I felt there was too much of a dramatic voice given to certain scenes. There were poignant moments brilliantly read where Ms. Motyka had me fighting back the tears, but for the most part I think she could have taken it down a notch without taking away from the overall emotional depth of the story.

The Bottom Line:

Though not without some flaws, Shades of Honor is an uplifting, entertaining read. If you enjoy charming, romantic, passionate stories with emotionally scarred heroes looking to find ‘home’ again, this might be right up your alley.

My sincerest thanks to Wendy Lindstrom for providing me with a copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review.


The ebook format of Shades of Honor is currently free for Kindle at Amazon: