Review: High Heat by Annabeth Albert

High Heat
(Hotshots #2)
by Annabeth Albert
Publisher: Carina Press
Publication date: July 27, 2020
Genre: M/M Romance
Rating:

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…

I am a fan of this author’s work and given that we meet Garrick in the previous book, where he’s severely injured during a jump, I was excited to read his story. Due to the injuries of his jump, he is unable to walk on his own, let alone go back to work. He relies on crutches or a wheelchair to get around, and is kind of down on himself when his story starts out. However, after meeting his neighbor’s grandson, and having him help him out, in exchange for training lessons, Garrick finds something to be happy about.

Like I said, I am a fan of the author’s work, and was really looking forward to this story, but I have to be honest and say that this one just didn’t work for me. It was missing that spark. These characters should have flown off the pages at me, and instead they were just that… characters in a book. I felt no connection to them or their relationship. Which is sad because Rain seemed to have so much personality and flair to him, but it just never went past the superficial for me.

I liked that there were a couple scenes where we got to go on the job with Rain and Garrick. I am a sucker for behind-the-scenes with the characters, however, there wasn’t a whole lot of that since it takes place closer towards the end of the book. I wish we would have gotten more action with Rain on the ground while Garrick was instructing from the sidelines. These guys have very interesting jobs and I just wish we saw more of that.

As a whole, this was an interesting story of self acceptance, and growth. While it may not be my favorite from the author, I can appreciate what she was going for and the fact that she brought a new dynamic of characters to the spotlight.

Favorite quote…

“You should know by now. There’s not much I wouldn’t do for you. We’re totally hide-the-bodies friends.”

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