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Chasing Fire
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Romance (2011)Rowan Tripp is addicted to danger. Ever since she turned eighteen, Rowan has been a 'smoke jumper', fighting back the ferocious forest fires that sweep through the Montana mountains each year. She can read a wildfire like no one else - and is prepared to put her life on the line again and again to save others. But now Rowan is mourning the death of her good friend and partner, Jim - haunted by the belief that she could have saved him.Determined to carry on, Rowan throws herself into training the new recruits to the smoke-jumping team - not realising there is a different kind of danger waiting for her. When it becomes clear that someone blames Rowan for Jim's death, and is determined to get revenge, Rowan realises she must learn to ask for help as this is one fight she can't win on her own ...'Sheer entertainment'Guardian'The most successful author on planet earth'Washington Post
477 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 12, 2011
3385 people are currently reading
15127 people want to read
About the author
Nora Roberts
1,217 books60k followersNora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Hideaway, Under Currents, Come Sundown, The Awakening, Legacy, and coming in November 2021 -- The Becoming -- the second book in The Dragon Heart Legacy. She is also the author of the futuristic suspense In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,459 reviews
April 25, 2011
WARNING: This review may prove to be dangerously combustible!
Protection of Endangered Species: Fireman in the Wild
So after a long dry spell, (heh heh) Nora Roberts is ON FIRE!!! (I'm SO punny!) Okay, I'll stop now.
I've mentioned this before, and I'll say it again, Nora Roberts' characters have the BEST careers ever. Whether she's writing about a pastry chef, or a journalist or wildfire fighter, you always feel like you're standing right there with them, seeing how they go about their lives, and learning the ins and outs of each career.
Now to be honest, I'm not very domestic, so the florist and pasty chef, while interesting, weren't really anything to go 'WOW' about! On the other hand, Chasing Fire totally gripped my attention.
Rowan Tripp is a senior fire fighter for the Missoula A. Zulies fire fighting team. She's been working as a wildfire fighter since she was eighteen, helping to control and put out forest fires across Western United States. She lost her partner the season before, and she's still haunted by the memory of his death. However, despite the tragedy having been ruled an accident, someone's not satisfied with the resolution of the matter, and is taking it into his or her own hands.
Along with Gulliver Curry, a rookie who's steadily working his way into her hitherto impenetrable heart, Rowan must fight fire on several fronts - from the wild, uncontrolled blaze of forest fire, to the sneaky, malicious spark that might be growing within her own team.
The suspense part of this story is fairly straight forward. If you're looking for a truly twisty murder mystery, this is not the book for you. It's obvious almost from the beginning who the rotten apple is, and in truth, the mystery sort of takes a backseat to the awesome battle between man and nature. This book clings very tenuously to the title of 'romantic suspense'. It is more of a general fiction book, dealing with the lives of smoke jumpers.
The vivid descriptions of wildfire suppression are trademark Nora. You get drawn into the world of the smoke jumpers, a harsh, taxing life where one is always on the alert for the warning siren to sound; where suppression means twelve-to-thirty hours stints in the middle of a wildfire. The smoke jumpers take their lives in their hand every time they jump out of a place and face Mother Nature in all her glorious fury.
The romance, too was trademark Nora, sweet and appealing, without getting sappy. I'm a little in love with Gull... *sigh* Rowan is smart, and tough and aggressive. She knows what she wants, and she can't be dominated. Gull is warm and sweet and funny, willing to take orders from Rowan and confident in his masculinity. The growing affection and trust between the two romantic leads, interspersed with glimpses of their interaction with the rest of the close-knit smoke jumpers, and a parallel love story involving Rowan's father, comes together beautifully.
I was a little disappointed with Nora's last two offerings, Black Hills and The Search, so I'm glad to see that this book brings back the magic that characterizes Nora books for me. This is actually a tight-paced, well-written book that I would recommend to anybody - even people who aren't generally fans of romantic suspense. Go read it, guys, it's awesome!
Protection of Endangered Species: Fireman in the Wild
So after a long dry spell, (heh heh) Nora Roberts is ON FIRE!!! (I'm SO punny!) Okay, I'll stop now.
I've mentioned this before, and I'll say it again, Nora Roberts' characters have the BEST careers ever. Whether she's writing about a pastry chef, or a journalist or wildfire fighter, you always feel like you're standing right there with them, seeing how they go about their lives, and learning the ins and outs of each career.
Now to be honest, I'm not very domestic, so the florist and pasty chef, while interesting, weren't really anything to go 'WOW' about! On the other hand, Chasing Fire totally gripped my attention.
Rowan Tripp is a senior fire fighter for the Missoula A. Zulies fire fighting team. She's been working as a wildfire fighter since she was eighteen, helping to control and put out forest fires across Western United States. She lost her partner the season before, and she's still haunted by the memory of his death. However, despite the tragedy having been ruled an accident, someone's not satisfied with the resolution of the matter, and is taking it into his or her own hands.
Along with Gulliver Curry, a rookie who's steadily working his way into her hitherto impenetrable heart, Rowan must fight fire on several fronts - from the wild, uncontrolled blaze of forest fire, to the sneaky, malicious spark that might be growing within her own team.
The suspense part of this story is fairly straight forward. If you're looking for a truly twisty murder mystery, this is not the book for you. It's obvious almost from the beginning who the rotten apple is, and in truth, the mystery sort of takes a backseat to the awesome battle between man and nature. This book clings very tenuously to the title of 'romantic suspense'. It is more of a general fiction book, dealing with the lives of smoke jumpers.
The vivid descriptions of wildfire suppression are trademark Nora. You get drawn into the world of the smoke jumpers, a harsh, taxing life where one is always on the alert for the warning siren to sound; where suppression means twelve-to-thirty hours stints in the middle of a wildfire. The smoke jumpers take their lives in their hand every time they jump out of a place and face Mother Nature in all her glorious fury.
The romance, too was trademark Nora, sweet and appealing, without getting sappy. I'm a little in love with Gull... *sigh* Rowan is smart, and tough and aggressive. She knows what she wants, and she can't be dominated. Gull is warm and sweet and funny, willing to take orders from Rowan and confident in his masculinity. The growing affection and trust between the two romantic leads, interspersed with glimpses of their interaction with the rest of the close-knit smoke jumpers, and a parallel love story involving Rowan's father, comes together beautifully.
I was a little disappointed with Nora's last two offerings, Black Hills and The Search, so I'm glad to see that this book brings back the magic that characterizes Nora books for me. This is actually a tight-paced, well-written book that I would recommend to anybody - even people who aren't generally fans of romantic suspense. Go read it, guys, it's awesome!
April 7, 2017
This was all new territory to me. I had never come across Smokejumpers before so I guess we do not have them in Australia. Maybe, although our bush fires are savage, they have some basic difference to American wildfires. Anyway, as I said, smoke jumping was new to me and all very interesting.
As usual Nora's characters were well drawn and entertaining. She always writes witty dialogue and manages to keep her romances very romantic and down to earth at the same time.
The story was good if a bit over padded with technical stuff from time to time, and I came no where near working out who the murderer was until he outed himself towards the end.
A good, clean, comfortable, fun read.
As usual Nora's characters were well drawn and entertaining. She always writes witty dialogue and manages to keep her romances very romantic and down to earth at the same time.
The story was good if a bit over padded with technical stuff from time to time, and I came no where near working out who the murderer was until he outed himself towards the end.
A good, clean, comfortable, fun read.
December 28, 2012
5 Blazing Stars! I loved everything about this book…and then some!!
So much to love about this story!! First and foremost…Gulliver Curry! I really enjoyed his character. He wasn’t always front and center in the plot, but he had such a strong presence, that he carried a lot of the book. He handled Rowan with ease, and she was not an easy woman to handle. His determination to be with her was so sexy, he was dominant, but not in a demanding way. He set his sights on her and wormed his way into her life, she didn’t even know what hit her. Hard for me to explain what it was about him, but he is now one of my favorite heroes. Rowan was a tenacious woman, and I loved the fact that she was not only a smoke jumper, but a crew boss, and a damn good one at that. It’s amazing what these men and women do, and the risks that they take to preserve the forests, wildlife and humanity.
It’s not often that you get two good romances in a book, but also one that involves an older couple, and which I found to be as intriguing and sensual as Rowan and Gully’s relationship. Lucas “Iron Man” Tripp is Rowan’s 60 year old father and a legend amongst not only the Missoula smoke jumpers, but in the fire-fighting community. He runs a jump school and meets Ella, who has come to cash in on her birthday gift, a tandem jump. The chemistry between these two was HOT!! It really added another layer to this already incredible story! Their relationship brought a huge smile to my face, maybe it has to do with my age, but I thought it was just lovely!
There is a host of wonderful secondary characters, but the one that stuck out for me was a smoke jumper named Dobie. A good old Kentucky boy, whose down home personality and way with words added some charming humorous moments. I adored him. I would love to read a book about Dobie, do you hear me Nora Roberts??
The mystery surrounding the deaths and arson was pretty easy to figure out, but it didn’t take away from the suspense, or my interest in the read. Nora Roberts wrote a well-rounded story, made all the more interesting with the Missoula smoke jumpers as the focus of the story line.
Rebecca Lowman’s narration was quite impressive; she let the reader experience the book, giving each character a distinctive voice. So much so, that I could tell immediately whose dialogue it was without any names being mentioned. I felt every emotion they did and Ms. Lowman brought excitement, calm, pain, sadness, joy, and sensuality into the read at just the right moments. She was spot-on with each character, especially Dobie. Truly amazing!
This along with The Witness, are my two favorite Nora Roberts books, and I highly recommend both of them.
Jumping into danger! One wrong move or shift of the wind, can mean a fiery death!
So brave!!
March 23, 2022
This was an exciting, well-plotted firefighter romance and arson/murder mystery. Rowan and Gull are both firefighters out in rural Missoula, jumping out of planes and spending days at a time cutting down trees and creating fire breaks to stop forest fires. Rowan’s father was a “jumper” as well, and she has sworn not to date one of her colleagues. Naturally, Gull is different.
Last season, Rowan lost one of her teammates, and is haunted by his death. But when accidents and attacks start happening on base in connection to her, and her fallen comrade, things start getting real. I loved the way this one kept me guessing until the very end!
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader
Last season, Rowan lost one of her teammates, and is haunted by his death. But when accidents and attacks start happening on base in connection to her, and her fallen comrade, things start getting real. I loved the way this one kept me guessing until the very end!
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader
January 5, 2015
★★★★½ (Review of audiobook.) It is one thing to fight a forest fire and another thing all together to parachute into one; however, that is exactly what the Missoula Smoke Jumpers do. Nora Roberts has decided to write a story that follows several storylines of these select heroes and manages a murder mystery to boot. Rebecca Lowman does an excellent job of narrating this one, keeping the voice inflections varied enough for me to differentiate the multiple characters.
I enjoyed Rowan Tripp and Gulliver Curry's love story – all fifteen hours and ten minutes of it. Yep, at 472 pages, it’s what you call a “chubby chunkster”. I loved the bantering between these two, and the way Rowen, a veteran of these elite Smoke Jumpers, resisted getting involved with an experienced firefighter – now cast as a ‘rookie’ jumper. Of course, Gull, our hero, not only sets records in training camp, he overcomes Rowen’s resistance to his charms; it is inherently a romance. It was also realistically pleasant to see this kick-ass heroine be less than perfect when her father, a Smoke Jumper legend himself, finds love too.
There are several compelling characters in this fictional account of this small western Montana community, from the firefighters, to the ancillary staff, to the police detectives investigating the murder. There’s plenty of grief, and the ending is brutal; but, there are also precious moments, laughter and love. Some readers felt it had too much firefighting throughout, but I loved hearing about how these daredevils fight the “dragon”. I definitely recommend this read – or listen!
September 23, 2021
This would be an awesome movie...
I absolutely loved my re-read/listen of Chasing Fire. While I really loved the heroine, Rowan, it was all about Gulliver for me. Rich, handsome, accomplished, and a complete romantic. He meets Rowan for the first time and he's instantly smitten and determined to know her better. Rowan played a little hard to get but as the story progressed, you could see her defences slipping.
Chasing Fire was the kind of story where you constantly feel heated. If it wasn't the intense scenes where a fire could gobble you up whole, it was the very HOT sexy times.
I loved this story from start to finish and I am so glad that I got the chance to listen to it. The narrator, Rebecca Lowman, was awesome. I found her easy to listen to and she brought each character to life. I'm in awe of narrators that can easily slip from male characters to female and do both convincingly. I will definitely be looking for more stories narrated by Ms Lowman.
Before I read this story, I had never heard of Fire Jumpers. Now revisiting, I've been reminded how fascinated I am by these brave and fearless men and women. With our world on fire, I'm sure it won't be long before we're hearing more about them.
The storyline was captivating, the mystery (even though I've read it before) had me questioning, *Who Did It?* and the love story was intense. I would LOVE to see Chasing Fire made into a movie, but I think it would also be an excellent series too.
If you haven't read a Nora Roberts story, and you enjoy intense romantic suspense, I would highly suggest giving this one a try.
I absolutely loved my re-read/listen of Chasing Fire. While I really loved the heroine, Rowan, it was all about Gulliver for me. Rich, handsome, accomplished, and a complete romantic. He meets Rowan for the first time and he's instantly smitten and determined to know her better. Rowan played a little hard to get but as the story progressed, you could see her defences slipping.
Chasing Fire was the kind of story where you constantly feel heated. If it wasn't the intense scenes where a fire could gobble you up whole, it was the very HOT sexy times.
I loved this story from start to finish and I am so glad that I got the chance to listen to it. The narrator, Rebecca Lowman, was awesome. I found her easy to listen to and she brought each character to life. I'm in awe of narrators that can easily slip from male characters to female and do both convincingly. I will definitely be looking for more stories narrated by Ms Lowman.
Before I read this story, I had never heard of Fire Jumpers. Now revisiting, I've been reminded how fascinated I am by these brave and fearless men and women. With our world on fire, I'm sure it won't be long before we're hearing more about them.
The storyline was captivating, the mystery (even though I've read it before) had me questioning, *Who Did It?* and the love story was intense. I would LOVE to see Chasing Fire made into a movie, but I think it would also be an excellent series too.
If you haven't read a Nora Roberts story, and you enjoy intense romantic suspense, I would highly suggest giving this one a try.
September 1, 2016
DNF at 32%, which is about 4+ hours of listening.
I'm super bummed that I didn't like this one. I'm a big fan of the audio narrator, Rebecca Lowman, who killed it in her narration of Landline, so I had high hopes for this one. Again, Rebecca Lowman delivered a great performance. Her male voices were raspy and sexy and her female voices were also pitch perfect. However, even an awesome narration couldn't save this one for me.
For some reason, even 4 hours in, this book just had no plot. I mean, the people jumped into fire and ate and slept and flirted, but there was NO structure! Nothing really happened, and I got tired of waiting for something exciting to start. This was a really different experience for me than my other Nora Roberts book, The Witness, which made my favorites list. I was so hoping for a repeat performance but I couldn't even muster the energy to finish this one.
Stinker.
March 17, 2023
En realidad 3'5 Estrellitas. Me ha gustado y bastante, pero no me ha encantado. Puede deberse a que no he tenido una buena semana, ni tiempo y es un libro larguete. También, a que el suspense no es mi fuerte y aquí ha habido más suspense que romance.
Nora Roberts es una maestra en lo que hace, escribir. Eso es indiscutible. Si algo me gusta, es que en sus miles de libros se mete de lleno en las profesiones de los protagonistas y no sé hasta qué punto es todo verídico o todo ficción. Pero en éste libro la autora nos presenta a los protagonistas como unos superbomberos de élite, unos expertos paracaidistas que bajan al fuego para acabar con él.
Rowan está en uno de esos equipos de bomberos paracaidistas cuya base está en Montana. Rowan está pasando una mala racha debido a la muerte accidental de su compañero de salto, Jim. Debido a la vida de riesgo y peligro que vive, no se permite tener ninguna relación seria o duradera, y menos con otros compañeros de trabajo. Hasta que conoce a Gulliver Curry.
Gulliver Curry es un californiano dueño de un salón recreativo, pero durante los veranos se ha apuntado siempre en el parque de bomberos, hasta que ve una oportunidad en el riesgo de convertirse en bombero paracaidista en Montana, y allí se traslada la próxima temporada.
Gull es un hombre seguro de sí mismo, uno de los macho alfa de Nora Roberts, y donde pone el ojo, pone la bala. En cuanto Gull conoce a Rowan sabe que la hará suya. El problema es que el cortejo ha quedado en éste libro en un segundo plano. Para no querer Rowan relaciones, me parece que empiezan pronto y hay poco tira y afloja.
El peso de la historia se lo ha llevado la trama de suspense. Desde la muerte de Jim, han estado ocurriendo cosas extrañas en la base, y cuando una serie de asesinatos y fuegos que parecen intencionados pongan en alarma a los protagonistas, sabrán que algo o alguien va contra ellos. Cuando todo parece evidente, no hay nada seguro, y el caso es que alguien está muy cabreado contra los bomberos de Montana.
Básicamente ha sido esto, tanto el romance como el suspense. En el fondo el libro está muy bien, y sobre todo muy bien escrito. Pero sinceramente, la trama no me ha dicho mucho, así que esto último puede ser culpa mía, y no por ello dejaré de leer a Nora Roberts. Lo que sí que me ha gustado es el romance secundario, ha ocupado lo justo, es bonito, es sincero y tanto el padre de Rowan, Lucas, como Ella me han gustado un montón.
De momento, seguiré leyendo a la autora con otra de sus series, pues sus historias independientes las voy leyendo a cuentagotas.
Nora Roberts es una maestra en lo que hace, escribir. Eso es indiscutible. Si algo me gusta, es que en sus miles de libros se mete de lleno en las profesiones de los protagonistas y no sé hasta qué punto es todo verídico o todo ficción. Pero en éste libro la autora nos presenta a los protagonistas como unos superbomberos de élite, unos expertos paracaidistas que bajan al fuego para acabar con él.
Rowan está en uno de esos equipos de bomberos paracaidistas cuya base está en Montana. Rowan está pasando una mala racha debido a la muerte accidental de su compañero de salto, Jim. Debido a la vida de riesgo y peligro que vive, no se permite tener ninguna relación seria o duradera, y menos con otros compañeros de trabajo. Hasta que conoce a Gulliver Curry.
Gulliver Curry es un californiano dueño de un salón recreativo, pero durante los veranos se ha apuntado siempre en el parque de bomberos, hasta que ve una oportunidad en el riesgo de convertirse en bombero paracaidista en Montana, y allí se traslada la próxima temporada.
Gull es un hombre seguro de sí mismo, uno de los macho alfa de Nora Roberts, y donde pone el ojo, pone la bala. En cuanto Gull conoce a Rowan sabe que la hará suya. El problema es que el cortejo ha quedado en éste libro en un segundo plano. Para no querer Rowan relaciones, me parece que empiezan pronto y hay poco tira y afloja.
El peso de la historia se lo ha llevado la trama de suspense. Desde la muerte de Jim, han estado ocurriendo cosas extrañas en la base, y cuando una serie de asesinatos y fuegos que parecen intencionados pongan en alarma a los protagonistas, sabrán que algo o alguien va contra ellos. Cuando todo parece evidente, no hay nada seguro, y el caso es que alguien está muy cabreado contra los bomberos de Montana.
Básicamente ha sido esto, tanto el romance como el suspense. En el fondo el libro está muy bien, y sobre todo muy bien escrito. Pero sinceramente, la trama no me ha dicho mucho, así que esto último puede ser culpa mía, y no por ello dejaré de leer a Nora Roberts. Lo que sí que me ha gustado es el romance secundario, ha ocupado lo justo, es bonito, es sincero y tanto el padre de Rowan, Lucas, como Ella me han gustado un montón.
De momento, seguiré leyendo a la autora con otra de sus series, pues sus historias independientes las voy leyendo a cuentagotas.
September 2, 2012
This was another really good romance suspense done Nora Roberts style. In all of her books she infuses so much about the characters life to paint a vivid picture of how they live and think, a device that can works great but sometimes consumes the story too much. In Chasing Fire the details about smoke jumping were fascinating, relevant, and not over done.
The heroine is the captain of a smoke jumper squad, a tough lady who takes her job of protecting her crew seriously. When a tragedy occurs, it begins to haunt her.
The story takes place a year later, when a hot new smoke jumper joins her team. He is fascinated by her, but respectful of her boundaries. They build a professional friendship, but there is no mistake that both want more. The romance had a nice, slow build up. so believable!
The suspense aspect was interesting, but highly predictible. Still, the story and characters were so engaging I didn't really mind. Someone was sabotaging the equipment of the jumpers, destroying property, and even commiting murder. As a reader, I thought it was easy to identify the bad guys, but I enjoyed how H/h put the pieces together to finally nail the perp. It was well thought out, and didn't rely on dumb luck.
There was also a sweet secondary romance with her dad, I liked him a lot so was happy for him to find love too.
The audiobook was well narrated too! I enjoyed listening to this narrator. If not for the predictibility of the bad 'guy', I would have rated this a bit higher.
The heroine is the captain of a smoke jumper squad, a tough lady who takes her job of protecting her crew seriously. When a tragedy occurs, it begins to haunt her.
The story takes place a year later, when a hot new smoke jumper joins her team. He is fascinated by her, but respectful of her boundaries. They build a professional friendship, but there is no mistake that both want more. The romance had a nice, slow build up. so believable!
The suspense aspect was interesting, but highly predictible. Still, the story and characters were so engaging I didn't really mind. Someone was sabotaging the equipment of the jumpers, destroying property, and even commiting murder. As a reader, I thought it was easy to identify the bad guys, but I enjoyed how H/h put the pieces together to finally nail the perp. It was well thought out, and didn't rely on dumb luck.
There was also a sweet secondary romance with her dad, I liked him a lot so was happy for him to find love too.
The audiobook was well narrated too! I enjoyed listening to this narrator. If not for the predictibility of the bad 'guy', I would have rated this a bit higher.
May 13, 2011
Could I be growing bored with Ms. Roberts? I didn't love the Bridal series, so I have been looking forward to this book. For me, it fell short of my hopes and expectations. As always, the characters were amazing, the detail provided about the job of the jumpers was exquisite, the plot just didn't pull me in. All in all, it was a fun read, the sort of book to take to the beach, it just didn't feel like the Ms. Roberts that I adore, such as Carolina Moon, Black Hills and The Search.
June 15, 2015
Why do I keep reading Nora Roberts? Her characters have become stilted, predictable, and none too personable.
Chasing Fire is about a female fire jumper, a murder mystery, and a romance with a rookie fire jumper. You'll figure out the murderer quickly so don't read it from a murder mystery standpoint.
This book missed the mark. Maybe I'm stereotyping, but I would think that a female fire jumper is a bit of a rarity. You wouldn't know it to read the book. Struggles related to fire fighting are there, but never really felt by the reader. The protagonist is another one of those "do it all" characters that are so prevalent in fiction right now - beautiful, a lead trainer for fire jumpers, and can throw a punch that takes a man to the ground. As with all of Roberts' characters in the last 20 books or so, the character is frank to the point where you really won't care for her. The dialogue follows the same patterns as Roberts' other books of late.
Maybe when you are as prolific a writer as Roberts, it's hard to have originality. All I know is that I used to like Roberts' books, but now I read them out of habit and am always disappointed.
Chasing Fire is about a female fire jumper, a murder mystery, and a romance with a rookie fire jumper. You'll figure out the murderer quickly so don't read it from a murder mystery standpoint.
This book missed the mark. Maybe I'm stereotyping, but I would think that a female fire jumper is a bit of a rarity. You wouldn't know it to read the book. Struggles related to fire fighting are there, but never really felt by the reader. The protagonist is another one of those "do it all" characters that are so prevalent in fiction right now - beautiful, a lead trainer for fire jumpers, and can throw a punch that takes a man to the ground. As with all of Roberts' characters in the last 20 books or so, the character is frank to the point where you really won't care for her. The dialogue follows the same patterns as Roberts' other books of late.
Maybe when you are as prolific a writer as Roberts, it's hard to have originality. All I know is that I used to like Roberts' books, but now I read them out of habit and am always disappointed.
December 1, 2024
5 fire-jumping stars!!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
“Believe me, I’m no prize”
“You’ve got hair like a Roman centurion, the body of a goddess, and the face of a Nordic queen. That’s a hell of a package”
“The package isn’t the prize.”
“No, it’s not. But it sure makes me want to open it up and see what’s in there.”
Hot-damn, this was such a solid book! Thankful to friend reviews that encouraged me to give this a go ❤️🔥 let me count the ways:
-A+ banter, chemistry is flying off the page but it still felt real, and made me smirk, purse my lips and smile so much
-our FMC, Rowan is strong, doesn’t take anybody’s shit but she’s a caring person with faults and she is part of a family of fire jumpers. They jump out of planes into the worst of forest fires and work grueling days beating them back to save the wilderness and people’s homes and livelihoods. It was fascinating to read about. Her relationship with her dad was so special. I loved that she was tall and curvy and within a few inches of the MMC. No “little one” vibes here.
-Gulliver our MMC just rode the wave with her but knew when to tease and when to draw her out. He’s confident and funny and the first guy that really turns her head as she’s sworn off fraternizing with any other “zulies”.
-you could just viscerally feel how much they loved the wilderness and delighted in it and why they do what they do
-no third act breakup! Just good enjoyable writing.
-did a hybrid read and loved how dynamic the audiobook was. Usually have a hard time following along on audio but the narrator did a great job.
-now I need to go find some more NR books to read, I didn’t want this to end.
“Believe me, I’m no prize”
“You’ve got hair like a Roman centurion, the body of a goddess, and the face of a Nordic queen. That’s a hell of a package”
“The package isn’t the prize.”
“No, it’s not. But it sure makes me want to open it up and see what’s in there.”
Hot-damn, this was such a solid book! Thankful to friend reviews that encouraged me to give this a go ❤️🔥 let me count the ways:
-A+ banter, chemistry is flying off the page but it still felt real, and made me smirk, purse my lips and smile so much
-our FMC, Rowan is strong, doesn’t take anybody’s shit but she’s a caring person with faults and she is part of a family of fire jumpers. They jump out of planes into the worst of forest fires and work grueling days beating them back to save the wilderness and people’s homes and livelihoods. It was fascinating to read about. Her relationship with her dad was so special. I loved that she was tall and curvy and within a few inches of the MMC. No “little one” vibes here.
-Gulliver our MMC just rode the wave with her but knew when to tease and when to draw her out. He’s confident and funny and the first guy that really turns her head as she’s sworn off fraternizing with any other “zulies”.
-you could just viscerally feel how much they loved the wilderness and delighted in it and why they do what they do
-no third act breakup! Just good enjoyable writing.
-did a hybrid read and loved how dynamic the audiobook was. Usually have a hard time following along on audio but the narrator did a great job.
-now I need to go find some more NR books to read, I didn’t want this to end.
June 19, 2019
Este libro entra de cabeza a la categoría de "Mis Favoritos".
Nora Roberts, como siempre, ha estado sublime.
Esta novela es un vivo retrato de los zulies y el arduo trabajo que realizan, desde su preparación y mantenimiento físico constante hasta su actuación en el propio terreno: el fuego.
Descripciones precisas, extensa elaboración de investigación, realidad expresa... En fin, era como estar viviendo en primera persona cada una de las escenas. Realmente fantástico.
Es cierto que la parte romántica queda un poco relegada a un segundo plano, pero me parece un trabajo espectacular el que Roberts hace con la fusión de acción y romanticismo.
Por otra parte, Gull, el protagonista masculino, es un cúmulo de muchas facetas que -en suma- crean a un personaje casi perfecto: inteligente, guapo, fuerte, audaz... ¿Quién no quiere uno así para llevar a casa?
Rowan, a su vez, es la versión femenina del cliché de un personaje principal masculino: independiente, guapa, en perfectas condiciones físicas, jefa de un grupo de bomberos paracaidistas... En fin, ¿qué le falta a esta mujer? Desde luego, es menos perspicaz que Gull, pero supongo que también influye el corazón, lo que demuestra que Roberts ha tenido en cuenta que el personaje principal es femenino y, aunque suene a tópico, en general somos más emotivas que racionales, lo que se demuestra a lo largo de la historia.
Gull, por contrapunto, demuestra ser mucho más racional, y eso que se enamora de ella desde casi el primer momento en que posa sus ojazos verdes en ella (ojazos porque me los imagino así, que conste).
Una novela que releeré seguro meses más adelante. ¡Me ha encantado!
Nora Roberts, como siempre, ha estado sublime.
Esta novela es un vivo retrato de los zulies y el arduo trabajo que realizan, desde su preparación y mantenimiento físico constante hasta su actuación en el propio terreno: el fuego.
Descripciones precisas, extensa elaboración de investigación, realidad expresa... En fin, era como estar viviendo en primera persona cada una de las escenas. Realmente fantástico.
Es cierto que la parte romántica queda un poco relegada a un segundo plano, pero me parece un trabajo espectacular el que Roberts hace con la fusión de acción y romanticismo.
Por otra parte, Gull, el protagonista masculino, es un cúmulo de muchas facetas que -en suma- crean a un personaje casi perfecto: inteligente, guapo, fuerte, audaz... ¿Quién no quiere uno así para llevar a casa?
Rowan, a su vez, es la versión femenina del cliché de un personaje principal masculino: independiente, guapa, en perfectas condiciones físicas, jefa de un grupo de bomberos paracaidistas... En fin, ¿qué le falta a esta mujer? Desde luego, es menos perspicaz que Gull, pero supongo que también influye el corazón, lo que demuestra que Roberts ha tenido en cuenta que el personaje principal es femenino y, aunque suene a tópico, en general somos más emotivas que racionales, lo que se demuestra a lo largo de la historia.
Gull, por contrapunto, demuestra ser mucho más racional, y eso que se enamora de ella desde casi el primer momento en que posa sus ojazos verdes en ella (ojazos porque me los imagino así, que conste).
Una novela que releeré seguro meses más adelante. ¡Me ha encantado!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2011
Still a bit on the fence about this book. The hero is legend (I found Simon, the hero in NR's previous offering, The Search, to be a bit of a wanker): he's a bit alpha but not overbearing, he's sweet & romantic and not ashamed to admit it, he's funny & witty, and he knows what he wants; the heroine is strong & confident & kicks major arse (albeit she has some mummy abandonment issues); and the dialogue between them is excellent and really cracked me up. The supporting characters are well developed and endearing, and the world of the Missoula Smokejumpers was clearly very thoroughly researched. BUT NOTHING HAPPENS for most of the book. Yes, we learn about the minutiae of life on the base, and everything that jumping (& suppressing) fire entails. Okay, there's a couple of murders here and there (I guessed the perpetrator straight off; go me!)... but it's mostly about the fire.
It was interesting, and entertaining, and well-written (because that's what NR does), but it lacked the grab-me-by-the-throat-and-make-me-stay-up-all-night-reading-because-I-want-to-know-what-happens-and-who-cares-if-I-have-to-do-experiments-on-zero-sleep-because-it-was-absolutely-worth-every-hour-I-spent-awake-reading-this-book punch of most of her other books that I have read. Or maybe it was just my mood when I started reading it. I do, however, kind of want to skydive now... but you'd have to forcibly shove me out of the plane because I'd take one look out of the plane and be "Hell no. My feet are staying solidly planted in this plane". I'm sure I'd enjoy it once I was actually free-falling, but getting from plane to sky would require physical force.
It was interesting, and entertaining, and well-written (because that's what NR does), but it lacked the grab-me-by-the-throat-and-make-me-stay-up-all-night-reading-because-I-want-to-know-what-happens-and-who-cares-if-I-have-to-do-experiments-on-zero-sleep-because-it-was-absolutely-worth-every-hour-I-spent-awake-reading-this-book punch of most of her other books that I have read. Or maybe it was just my mood when I started reading it. I do, however, kind of want to skydive now... but you'd have to forcibly shove me out of the plane because I'd take one look out of the plane and be "Hell no. My feet are staying solidly planted in this plane". I'm sure I'd enjoy it once I was actually free-falling, but getting from plane to sky would require physical force.
November 7, 2018
3.5 stars. The solution to the puzzle was predictable but oh, I felt for the smoke jumpers. The setting is truly immersive, the heat, the danger, the camaraderie. The female lead in particular is well-rounded and interesting and both storytelling and prose are good. A pleasant read.
He looked at her as they crossed to the trailhead. “I’m all about equal pay for equal work. A firm believer in ability, determination, brains having nothing to do with gender. I’m even cautiously open to women players in the MLB. Cautiously open, I repeat. But there are lines.”
“Carting a picnic hamper is a line?”
“Yeah.”
He looked at her as they crossed to the trailhead. “I’m all about equal pay for equal work. A firm believer in ability, determination, brains having nothing to do with gender. I’m even cautiously open to women players in the MLB. Cautiously open, I repeat. But there are lines.”
“Carting a picnic hamper is a line?”
“Yeah.”
October 4, 2018
I can't go wrong with Nora Roberts, I enjoyed most of her books and she is definitely one of my favourite authors ever.
Unfortunately, this time I wasn't in the mood to read anything, so I struggled even with this book. As much as I enjoyed the story and the characters, this book didn't grab me as much as some other ones from Nora Roberts. And I'm not sure if the reason was my lack of enthusiasm about reading anything or maybe the story is not as good as some others. I believe the reason is mostly my reading wall.
I really liked the main idea of the story about the smoke jumpers and the glimpse into the world I even didn't know exists. That was exciting. Also, Nora Roberts is great in making her characters not only likeable but completely three-dimensional. Rowan and Gull are not an exception. I also enjoyed the background romance part which is quite sweet. The suspense part is highly entertaining, however I found the final answer a bit too easy regarding all the previous events.
This is probably not the best book by Nora Roberts I have read but still a really nice one.
Unfortunately, this time I wasn't in the mood to read anything, so I struggled even with this book. As much as I enjoyed the story and the characters, this book didn't grab me as much as some other ones from Nora Roberts. And I'm not sure if the reason was my lack of enthusiasm about reading anything or maybe the story is not as good as some others. I believe the reason is mostly my reading wall.
I really liked the main idea of the story about the smoke jumpers and the glimpse into the world I even didn't know exists. That was exciting. Also, Nora Roberts is great in making her characters not only likeable but completely three-dimensional. Rowan and Gull are not an exception. I also enjoyed the background romance part which is quite sweet. The suspense part is highly entertaining, however I found the final answer a bit too easy regarding all the previous events.
This is probably not the best book by Nora Roberts I have read but still a really nice one.
September 6, 2012
I loved this one! My faith is officially renewed in Nora's Romantic suspense. This was an INTENSE read. The smoke jumping firefighting scenes were simply amazing. The research that Nora puts into her books just blows my mind. I swear, I was jumping out of planes and sweating it out on the ground. My heart was racing, adrenaline pumping...simply awesome, says I!!!
Rowan is more of a tough chick than I normally like. She's living in a man's world, after all. But I never felt as if she got over the top feminist. No unneccessary anger, no girlie fits of outrage. She could take a joke at her own expense and roll with it. That's the kind of tough girl that I like to read about. She gave as good as she got. Of course, she doesn't want the relationship that seems to be forming with the rookie jumper Gulliver Curry. But Gull weasels his way into her heart, little by little. Sarcastic and witty, the banter between these two kept me on my toes. There is an easy, comfortable feeling between the two that makes their relationship feel very natural. I loved them together
There is another romance going on between Rowan's long single father and a woman who comes to sky dive tandem at his business. I like that this middle aged coupld got to have their own giddy, sexually frustrated, beautiful romance blossom. Age is just a number, after all. And their age only showed when their maturity level led to an angst-free affair. Every time they were together, my heart got all mushy and happy.
The suspense was not overdone...more of a constant behind the scenes darkness that occasionally came forward to remind me that something nefarious was in the works. (He,he, cue evil laughter) In fact, I didn't figure out whodunnit at all, until the name was revealed. Maybe I'm just slow like that :)
Overall, this was a classic, awesome Nora Roberts. I loved it!!
Rowan is more of a tough chick than I normally like. She's living in a man's world, after all. But I never felt as if she got over the top feminist. No unneccessary anger, no girlie fits of outrage. She could take a joke at her own expense and roll with it. That's the kind of tough girl that I like to read about. She gave as good as she got. Of course, she doesn't want the relationship that seems to be forming with the rookie jumper Gulliver Curry. But Gull weasels his way into her heart, little by little. Sarcastic and witty, the banter between these two kept me on my toes. There is an easy, comfortable feeling between the two that makes their relationship feel very natural. I loved them together
There is another romance going on between Rowan's long single father and a woman who comes to sky dive tandem at his business. I like that this middle aged coupld got to have their own giddy, sexually frustrated, beautiful romance blossom. Age is just a number, after all. And their age only showed when their maturity level led to an angst-free affair. Every time they were together, my heart got all mushy and happy.
The suspense was not overdone...more of a constant behind the scenes darkness that occasionally came forward to remind me that something nefarious was in the works. (He,he, cue evil laughter) In fact, I didn't figure out whodunnit at all, until the name was revealed. Maybe I'm just slow like that :)
Overall, this was a classic, awesome Nora Roberts. I loved it!!
April 21, 2011
I have to say I loved this one. I wouldn't recommend the audio, but when I switched over to paper, I flew through it. This is Nora Roberts romanctic suspense of old. As is habit with NR, there was a little too much detail and a little too much time spent on fighting fires, jumping out of planes, organizing equipment--time that could have been cut out or spent on the story. But anyone who's read an NR book expects that I suppose.
I loved the lead characters. Rowan Tripp is smart, tough, witty and female. She somewhat reminded me of the heroine from Blue Smoke or even High Noon. Gull Curry reminded me of Cam from Sea Swept, Cal from The Hollow and a little of Cade from Carolina Moon. He's strong, sexy, confident and totally comfortable in his own skin.
The story moved at a quick pace, and while I had no trouble figuring out the "whodunnit" I loved the ride just the same. THese are the kind of characters NR is strongest with and, in my opinion, the kind of story she rocks.
There's a side romance invovling Ro's dad and that was fun to read as well.
Highly recommended for Nora Roberts fans.
I loved the lead characters. Rowan Tripp is smart, tough, witty and female. She somewhat reminded me of the heroine from Blue Smoke or even High Noon. Gull Curry reminded me of Cam from Sea Swept, Cal from The Hollow and a little of Cade from Carolina Moon. He's strong, sexy, confident and totally comfortable in his own skin.
The story moved at a quick pace, and while I had no trouble figuring out the "whodunnit" I loved the ride just the same. THese are the kind of characters NR is strongest with and, in my opinion, the kind of story she rocks.
There's a side romance invovling Ro's dad and that was fun to read as well.
Highly recommended for Nora Roberts fans.
June 7, 2012
All in all, I'd give it 2.5 stars. I liked it better than okay, but not enough to merit 3. The thing that bothered me most was the sentence structure. It was terrible. "Gibbons came to stand behind her, gulped coffee." Let me just say that a comma is NOT a substitute for a conjunction, subject and predicate. I could accept if she used this sentence style sometimes, as a change up in dialogue, but they just permeated the narrative. It felt like Roberts wrote the book in a hurry but never came back to flesh out the sentences, and it detracted from the story. I had to read and reread sentences to find the subject or the verb, and more often than not, there wasn't one.
The second thing that bothered me was the deplorable predictability. Not even 200 pages in, with almost 250 left to go, and I already knew whodunit. I hate to sound like a know-it-all, but it was really just too obvious, and the lack of suspense made the rest of the read that much more tedious.
The third and final point on my rant list is the love interest. A Mr. Gulliver Curry. Gull is everything a woman could ever fantasize over, and then some. He's witty, funny, brainy, seductive, ridiculously attractive, good in bed, thoughtful, and caring. Oh and let's not forget rich, the voice of reason, incredibly fast, insightful, protective, and a real live romantic. He's got Tony Stark's car, a great bod, and a penchant for big words and Shakespeare references. I wouldn't have been surprised if he started to sparkle and called himself Edward Cullen. Don't get me wrong, I love a fantasy guy as much as the next person, but come on. She didn't even try to make him realistic; the guy's flawless.
Despite my hateful ranting, there were bits that I liked. There were quite a few witty parts that had me chuckling to myself. And Gull may be too perfect, but that doesn't stop giving a girl flowers in a bottle from being adorable. Rowan is a great character, a take-charge, kick-butt woman with zero tolerance for nonsense; I love her spark, no pun intended. (Okay, maybe a little bit intended.) The supporting characters were lovable and engaging. Most of all, I liked the fire jumping. It's exciting, intense, and not something I've read about before, so I found it really interesting.
But that's as far as the praise goes, so we're left with 2.5 stars. Good enough to take up some time, but don't expect fireworks.
The second thing that bothered me was the deplorable predictability. Not even 200 pages in, with almost 250 left to go, and I already knew whodunit. I hate to sound like a know-it-all, but it was really just too obvious, and the lack of suspense made the rest of the read that much more tedious.
The third and final point on my rant list is the love interest. A Mr. Gulliver Curry. Gull is everything a woman could ever fantasize over, and then some. He's witty, funny, brainy, seductive, ridiculously attractive, good in bed, thoughtful, and caring. Oh and let's not forget rich, the voice of reason, incredibly fast, insightful, protective, and a real live romantic. He's got Tony Stark's car, a great bod, and a penchant for big words and Shakespeare references. I wouldn't have been surprised if he started to sparkle and called himself Edward Cullen. Don't get me wrong, I love a fantasy guy as much as the next person, but come on. She didn't even try to make him realistic; the guy's flawless.
Despite my hateful ranting, there were bits that I liked. There were quite a few witty parts that had me chuckling to myself. And Gull may be too perfect, but that doesn't stop giving a girl flowers in a bottle from being adorable. Rowan is a great character, a take-charge, kick-butt woman with zero tolerance for nonsense; I love her spark, no pun intended. (Okay, maybe a little bit intended.) The supporting characters were lovable and engaging. Most of all, I liked the fire jumping. It's exciting, intense, and not something I've read about before, so I found it really interesting.
But that's as far as the praise goes, so we're left with 2.5 stars. Good enough to take up some time, but don't expect fireworks.
July 21, 2025
I barely finished it😐
I've only read 3 of Nora Roberts' books so far, and she has the same 3 major components to her romantic suspense books: the unique job setting, the suspense/mystery part, and the romance. And I found all three of them lacking🙈😭
Smokejumping as an occupation subplot was interesting enough as a subject matter. I knew next to nothing about it prior, since it only exists in 4 countries in the whole world. My country excluded. But after a certain number of pages, all the descriptions became tedious and too routine. For the good third of the book, smokejumping was the only plotline, and it couldn't stand on its own.
The mystery-suspense element was a joke 🤡 It was both predictable and idiotic at the same time. The amount of plot holes and lack of believable actions...Sure, let's just roll with it.
The romance part was saved by the hero: he carried the relationship on his back💪👑 he was funny, logical, easy-going and rolled with the punches. He's protective yet respectful, and generally a great partner to have.
Sadly, the same can't be said about the heroine👉👈 At first, I thought she's just not relatable. From her occupation, to her manner of conversing, to her outlook on life etc. But then it occured to me, that she was written in a weird Mary-Sue kind of way, where she was beautiful as "a Goddes" 🤦♀️, had the body of "an Amazonian", the brains and heart to boot. She was successful at her job seamlessly and had a leading position just because. Every colleague LOVED HER and would cut a bitch for her. Every guy was salivating at the mouth for her... You get the gist of it.
Then, came the unforgivable slut-shaming done by heroine to another woman. I get it, Dolly was a bad person. She was lying, manipulative and to have such a person in your life was fucked up. But also fucked up was the way Rowan, the heroine, judged her constantly for sleeping with a lot of men on their base, meanwhile she didn't judge ONCE all those men who slept with Dolly 🆘🤬 Some of them were either married or in commited relationship/ Yet, somehow it was the woman's fault for seducing them, when they were "pumped on adrenaline and in need of some release" 😐🛑👀💀 And Rowan called Dolly "pathetic", while considered all of those men her family 😬
I've only read 3 of Nora Roberts' books so far, and she has the same 3 major components to her romantic suspense books: the unique job setting, the suspense/mystery part, and the romance. And I found all three of them lacking🙈😭
Smokejumping as an occupation subplot was interesting enough as a subject matter. I knew next to nothing about it prior, since it only exists in 4 countries in the whole world. My country excluded. But after a certain number of pages, all the descriptions became tedious and too routine. For the good third of the book, smokejumping was the only plotline, and it couldn't stand on its own.
The mystery-suspense element was a joke 🤡 It was both predictable and idiotic at the same time. The amount of plot holes and lack of believable actions...Sure, let's just roll with it.
The romance part was saved by the hero: he carried the relationship on his back💪👑 he was funny, logical, easy-going and rolled with the punches. He's protective yet respectful, and generally a great partner to have.
Sadly, the same can't be said about the heroine👉👈 At first, I thought she's just not relatable. From her occupation, to her manner of conversing, to her outlook on life etc. But then it occured to me, that she was written in a weird Mary-Sue kind of way, where she was beautiful as "a Goddes" 🤦♀️, had the body of "an Amazonian", the brains and heart to boot. She was successful at her job seamlessly and had a leading position just because. Every colleague LOVED HER and would cut a bitch for her. Every guy was salivating at the mouth for her... You get the gist of it.
Then, came the unforgivable slut-shaming done by heroine to another woman. I get it, Dolly was a bad person. She was lying, manipulative and to have such a person in your life was fucked up. But also fucked up was the way Rowan, the heroine, judged her constantly for sleeping with a lot of men on their base, meanwhile she didn't judge ONCE all those men who slept with Dolly 🆘🤬 Some of them were either married or in commited relationship/ Yet, somehow it was the woman's fault for seducing them, when they were "pumped on adrenaline and in need of some release" 😐🛑👀💀 And Rowan called Dolly "pathetic", while considered all of those men her family 😬
September 21, 2022
Uau!!! Que livro mais espetacular. Não acredito que, há 2 anos atrás, o comecei e desisti. Agora, agarrou-me com unhas e dentes logo no início, mesmo desde o primeiro capítulo. Como as coisas são. É bem verdade que há uma altura certa para cada livro e 2022 tinha de ser o ano para eu me voltar a apaixonar pelos livros de Nora Roberts e por este Coração em Chamas, Gull, Rowan e os outros personagens maravilhosos.
Adorei o casal protagonista e o convívio entre os bombeiros-paraquedistas. Aliás, adorei conhecer este grupo de bombeiros, que são uns verdadeiros heróis - refiro-me a todos os bombeiros, no mundo inteiro, não só aos bombeiros-paraquedistas. O relacionamento de Rowan com o pai (que eu imaginei sempre como o ator Rob Lowe na série 9-1-1 Lone Star) era muito engraçado e gostei muito do romance de Lucas com Ella.
Houve algumas descrições de combate a incêndios longas demais, mas não me afetaram nada.
Todo o mistério que houve foi muito bom. Eu estava sempre naquela expetativa de: o que vai acontecer a seguir?
Quanto ao culpado, bem, não é para me gabar mas assim que ele apareceu pela primeira vez eu pensei: é este! Juro! Confesso que houve alturas que vacilei nesta convicção mas nunca a larguei.
Como é habitual nos romances de Nora Roberts, faltava ali um epílogo jeitoso, só para mostrar um vislumbre das coisas uns dias mais tarde.
***
Em 18-09-2022:
Segunda tentativa em setembro 2022. A ver se desta vez corre melhor.
***
Em 09-08-2020 comecei este livro mas, olhem, não me puxou o mínimo interesse logo desde o início. Ao fim do 3º capítulo já não consegui forçar-me mais a continuar e desisti.
Adorei o casal protagonista e o convívio entre os bombeiros-paraquedistas. Aliás, adorei conhecer este grupo de bombeiros, que são uns verdadeiros heróis - refiro-me a todos os bombeiros, no mundo inteiro, não só aos bombeiros-paraquedistas. O relacionamento de Rowan com o pai (que eu imaginei sempre como o ator Rob Lowe na série 9-1-1 Lone Star) era muito engraçado e gostei muito do romance de Lucas com Ella.
Houve algumas descrições de combate a incêndios longas demais, mas não me afetaram nada.
Todo o mistério que houve foi muito bom. Eu estava sempre naquela expetativa de: o que vai acontecer a seguir?
Quanto ao culpado, bem, não é para me gabar mas assim que ele apareceu pela primeira vez eu pensei: é este! Juro! Confesso que houve alturas que vacilei nesta convicção mas nunca a larguei.
Como é habitual nos romances de Nora Roberts, faltava ali um epílogo jeitoso, só para mostrar um vislumbre das coisas uns dias mais tarde.
***
Em 18-09-2022:
Segunda tentativa em setembro 2022. A ver se desta vez corre melhor.
***
Em 09-08-2020 comecei este livro mas, olhem, não me puxou o mínimo interesse logo desde o início. Ao fim do 3º capítulo já não consegui forçar-me mais a continuar e desisti.
August 15, 2019
"Um fogo pequeno rapidamente se abafa com os pés; Se se deixar crescer, nem os rios o apagam" Shakespeare
June 12, 2017
This is the story about a fire jumping unit that is experiencing a really rough season following a tragic death the season before.
The heroine is name Rowan Tripp and is the only daughter of famous fire jumper Lucas "Ironman" Tripp. She is a woman who is very independent and very stubborn. Someone who resits change and avoids long term relationships. She is very good at her job though and it is one very important to her.
The hero is Gull(Gulliver) Curry. He was a firefighter and is now a new recruit for the fire jumpers. He also owns kid arcade. He is someone that is very good at what he does when it is something he wants to pursue. An intelligent and very sensible man who looks at all angles when dealing with a situation and is laid back and gets alone with everyone.
Gull pursues a relationship with Rowan even though she resits at first. But has more things happen they become close and often relay on each other and their friendship and relationship grows. Gull also helps Rowan in many personal things she goes through outside of the unit issues.
A secondary relationship between Rowan's Dad Lucas and a woman named Ella. Lucas meets Ella when she does a sky dive through his Sky Dive business. It is really lovely to see a relationship development between these two. Ella is really open and kind. Lucas is really kind but is often shy.
The suspense comes from the team fighting fires, murders, and accidents that happen on the job.
Why not a high rating? I actually really enjoyed the story but I often had a hard time with Rowan in that I felt she could be extreme difficult and childish. She had issues growing up with her mom and it carried over even though she didn't want to admit it. She does grow so this helps and I really loved the Gull, Lucas, Ella, and many other characters as well.
The heroine is name Rowan Tripp and is the only daughter of famous fire jumper Lucas "Ironman" Tripp. She is a woman who is very independent and very stubborn. Someone who resits change and avoids long term relationships. She is very good at her job though and it is one very important to her.
The hero is Gull(Gulliver) Curry. He was a firefighter and is now a new recruit for the fire jumpers. He also owns kid arcade. He is someone that is very good at what he does when it is something he wants to pursue. An intelligent and very sensible man who looks at all angles when dealing with a situation and is laid back and gets alone with everyone.
Gull pursues a relationship with Rowan even though she resits at first. But has more things happen they become close and often relay on each other and their friendship and relationship grows. Gull also helps Rowan in many personal things she goes through outside of the unit issues.
A secondary relationship between Rowan's Dad Lucas and a woman named Ella. Lucas meets Ella when she does a sky dive through his Sky Dive business. It is really lovely to see a relationship development between these two. Ella is really open and kind. Lucas is really kind but is often shy.
The suspense comes from the team fighting fires, murders, and accidents that happen on the job.
Why not a high rating? I actually really enjoyed the story but I often had a hard time with Rowan in that I felt she could be extreme difficult and childish. She had issues growing up with her mom and it carried over even though she didn't want to admit it. She does grow so this helps and I really loved the Gull, Lucas, Ella, and many other characters as well.
November 20, 2015
4,5⭐
️Me ha tenido enganchada a sus páginas y me ha dejado con un buen sabor de boca estupendo. Excelente equilibrio entre la historia romántica y el suspense.
Tiene un argumento sólido, coherente y atractivo.
Romance realista y bonito.
Enamorada de los personajes :
Rowan es una mujer atípica, fuerte, independiente, tenaz y con las cosas muy claras. Es una excelente profesional.
Gull es el hombre ideal: seguro de sí mismo, encantador, divertido, paciente, juguetón...
️Me ha tenido enganchada a sus páginas y me ha dejado con un buen sabor de boca estupendo. Excelente equilibrio entre la historia romántica y el suspense.
Tiene un argumento sólido, coherente y atractivo.
Romance realista y bonito.
Enamorada de los personajes :
Rowan es una mujer atípica, fuerte, independiente, tenaz y con las cosas muy claras. Es una excelente profesional.
Gull es el hombre ideal: seguro de sí mismo, encantador, divertido, paciente, juguetón...
May 28, 2024
Re-read.
Original Review Still Stands: I learned so much about smoke jumpers - what they do, what they go through, their dedication to their work, how they put their lives on the line every time they jump to help put out a forest fire. That backdrop made for a thrilling story. The romance was as hot as the fire! And, that ending! Yes, another winner from Nora Roberts. :)
Original Review Still Stands: I learned so much about smoke jumpers - what they do, what they go through, their dedication to their work, how they put their lives on the line every time they jump to help put out a forest fire. That backdrop made for a thrilling story. The romance was as hot as the fire! And, that ending! Yes, another winner from Nora Roberts. :)
March 20, 2020
Το σύγχρονο αισθηματικό σίγουρα δεν ανήκει στα αγαπημένα μου λογοτεχνικά είδη. Διαβάζω μονάχα λίγες εξαιρέσεις του: κάποια βιβλία φίλων Ελληνίδων συγγραφέων, κάποια (ελάχιστα) βιβλία ξένων συγγραφέων που μου τραβάνε την προσοχή για κάποιο λόγο και τα άπαντα της Nora Roberts. Ό,τι δικό της κυκλοφορεί, θέλω να το διαβάσω οπωσδήποτε. Αγαπώ και ξεχωρίζω την πένα της εδώ και πολλά χρόνια, από τα "αλησμόνητα" χρόνια των Plaza και της εφηβείας μου.
Το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο δεν με ενθουσίασε, όταν έφτασε στα χέρια μου. Η περίληψή του, δηλαδή. Όμως, είπαμε, είναι της Nora Roberts. Τελικά, το άτιμο το ένστικτο δεν με διέψευσε. Το διάβασα, χάρηκα που είχα τη δυνατότητα να το διαβάσω, το βάζω στην άκρη, δεν το ξαναπιάνω ποτέ, τέλος, σε μια βδομάδα θα το 'χω ξεχάσει μάλλον.
Δεν με απογοήτευσε η γραφή της, ούτε η πλοκή, ούτε οι ήρωες. Μόνο την πρωταγωνίστρια δεν μπόρεσα να τη συμπαθήσω. Πολύ "μπρουτάλ" και απότομη για τα γούστα μου. Πολύ ισχυρογνώμων. Συμπάθησα όμως τον πρωταγωνιστή και το υπόλοιπο τιμ της ομάδας των πυροσβεστών, που πλαισίωναν το κεντρικό δίδυμο.
Εντυπωσιακές οι περιγραφές που αναφέρονται στο επάγγελμα του δασοπυροσβέστη, στις φωτιές, στη διαδικασία που ακολουθείται πριν, κατά τη διάρκεια και μετά την κάθε πτήση και κατάσβεση. Προσεγμένη έρευνα στην ορολογία, τις συνήθειες, την ψυχολογία αυτών των ανθρώπων. Καλοπλασμένοι χαρακτήρες και ρεαλιστικές καταστάσεις, χωρίς πολλές καρδούλες και λουλούδια. Στη συγκεκριμένη ιστορία, με το συγκεκριμένο backrground και τους συγκεκριμένους ήρωες δεν θα ταίριαζε με τίποτα ο πολύς ρομαντισμός, ούτως ή άλλως. Απλώς, εμένα δεν με κέρδισε όλο αυτό.
Aυτό που με χάλασε περισσότερο ήταν το γεγονός πως η ταυτότητα του "κακού" της υπόθεσης ήταν ολοφάνερη εξαρχής. Φως φανάρι ποιος ήταν, τολμώ να πω ακόμα και για τους μη υποψιασμένους αναγνώστες. Πόσο μάλλον για όσους αγαπούν τα αστυνομικά μυθιστορήματα κι έχουν διαβάσει έναν σεβαστό αριθμό τέτοιων. Η επιβεβαίωση απλά έρχεται στο τέλος και, παρόλο που κι εκεί ακόμα η ίδια η γραφή και οι περιγραφές δεν χάνουν τη δυναμική τους, απλά επιβεβαιώνεις πως είχες πετύχει διάνα από την αρχή ακόμα. Ε, κι όσο να πεις, αν χαθεί το σασπένς και το μυστήριο, τι απομένει πια; Το happy end των πρωταγωνιστών είναι -με τον έναν ή τον άλλον τρόπο- αναμενόμενο στην πλειοψηφία των βιβλίων του είδους.
Όπως και να 'χει, το διέγραψα κι αυτό από τη λίστα μου και πάμε παρακάτω. Αν δεν είστε φανατικοί αναγνώστες της Roberts όπως εγώ -να θέλετε δηλαδή σώνει και ντε να διαβάσετε ΟΛΑ της τα βιβλία- σίγουρα μπορείτε να βρείτε και πολύ καλύτερα από το συγκεκριμένο. Από κει και πέρα, περί ορέξεως, που λένε...
Το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο δεν με ενθουσίασε, όταν έφτασε στα χέρια μου. Η περίληψή του, δηλαδή. Όμως, είπαμε, είναι της Nora Roberts. Τελικά, το άτιμο το ένστικτο δεν με διέψευσε. Το διάβασα, χάρηκα που είχα τη δυνατότητα να το διαβάσω, το βάζω στην άκρη, δεν το ξαναπιάνω ποτέ, τέλος, σε μια βδομάδα θα το 'χω ξεχάσει μάλλον.
Δεν με απογοήτευσε η γραφή της, ούτε η πλοκή, ούτε οι ήρωες. Μόνο την πρωταγωνίστρια δεν μπόρεσα να τη συμπαθήσω. Πολύ "μπρουτάλ" και απότομη για τα γούστα μου. Πολύ ισχυρογνώμων. Συμπάθησα όμως τον πρωταγωνιστή και το υπόλοιπο τιμ της ομάδας των πυροσβεστών, που πλαισίωναν το κεντρικό δίδυμο.
Εντυπωσιακές οι περιγραφές που αναφέρονται στο επάγγελμα του δασοπυροσβέστη, στις φωτιές, στη διαδικασία που ακολουθείται πριν, κατά τη διάρκεια και μετά την κάθε πτήση και κατάσβεση. Προσεγμένη έρευνα στην ορολογία, τις συνήθειες, την ψυχολογία αυτών των ανθρώπων. Καλοπλασμένοι χαρακτήρες και ρεαλιστικές καταστάσεις, χωρίς πολλές καρδούλες και λουλούδια. Στη συγκεκριμένη ιστορία, με το συγκεκριμένο backrground και τους συγκεκριμένους ήρωες δεν θα ταίριαζε με τίποτα ο πολύς ρομαντισμός, ούτως ή άλλως. Απλώς, εμένα δεν με κέρδισε όλο αυτό.
Aυτό που με χάλασε περισσότερο ήταν το γεγονός πως η ταυτότητα του "κακού" της υπόθεσης ήταν ολοφάνερη εξαρχής. Φως φανάρι ποιος ήταν, τολμώ να πω ακόμα και για τους μη υποψιασμένους αναγνώστες. Πόσο μάλλον για όσους αγαπούν τα αστυνομικά μυθιστορήματα κι έχουν διαβάσει έναν σεβαστό αριθμό τέτοιων. Η επιβεβαίωση απλά έρχεται στο τέλος και, παρόλο που κι εκεί ακόμα η ίδια η γραφή και οι περιγραφές δεν χάνουν τη δυναμική τους, απλά επιβεβαιώνεις πως είχες πετύχει διάνα από την αρχή ακόμα. Ε, κι όσο να πεις, αν χαθεί το σασπένς και το μυστήριο, τι απομένει πια; Το happy end των πρωταγωνιστών είναι -με τον έναν ή τον άλλον τρόπο- αναμενόμενο στην πλειοψηφία των βιβλίων του είδους.
Όπως και να 'χει, το διέγραψα κι αυτό από τη λίστα μου και πάμε παρακάτω. Αν δεν είστε φανατικοί αναγνώστες της Roberts όπως εγώ -να θέλετε δηλαδή σώνει και ντε να διαβάσετε ΟΛΑ της τα βιβλία- σίγουρα μπορείτε να βρείτε και πολύ καλύτερα από το συγκεκριμένο. Από κει και πέρα, περί ορέξεως, που λένε...
May 31, 2020
Wildfire season is just beginning and Rowan Tripp has returned to her job as a fire jumper after a tragedy last season killed her jumping partner. Rowan's job between fighting fires is to help train the new recruits. One of the rookies, Gulliver Curry, keeps asking her out. Rowan is attracted to Gull; but has a policy that she does not hook up with her co-workers. That doesn't stop Gull from trying to change her mind. As the season begins, Rowan finds a charred body while fighting a forest fire. The identity of the body is someone who once worked at the firefighter's compound...someone who had a huge fight with Rowan only days before dying.
This book had pleasant characters who worked in a unique profession. I had never read about fire jumpers before, but I learned a lot reading this story. It was billed as a romantic suspense novel. I was entertained by the romance between Rowan and Gull. There was no angst or misunderstandings between them. There was also a secondary romance in the book that was thoroughly enjoyable. The suspense portion of this book was very light until the end of the story. I wish there could have been more balance between the romance and suspense in the book. My rating: 4 Stars.
This book had pleasant characters who worked in a unique profession. I had never read about fire jumpers before, but I learned a lot reading this story. It was billed as a romantic suspense novel. I was entertained by the romance between Rowan and Gull. There was no angst or misunderstandings between them. There was also a secondary romance in the book that was thoroughly enjoyable. The suspense portion of this book was very light until the end of the story. I wish there could have been more balance between the romance and suspense in the book. My rating: 4 Stars.
April 16, 2011
3.5 stars.
Liked this one quite a bit. Loved the camaraderie NR created with the smoke jumpers. She did a great job of creating different personalities amongst all the characters complete with realistic quirks. Nice amount of everday humor.
In contrast to her last few stand-alones, I actually liked this heroine as much as I liked the hero. Rowan was earthy, a little bawdy, knew her job, and was incredibly competent. I didn't feel disconnected from her like I have from some previous NR heroines.
Gull was a great hero. he falls right in line with recent NR heroes who have been funny, charming and a little bit beta with unusual professions.
I also liked the b-romance with Rowan's Dad. Now that was an utterly charming romance especially because this guy, a legend in the forest firefighting circles known as Lucas 'Iron Man' Tripp, a big strong, brawny handsome man, was a complete goober around the lady he liked. It was sweet and lovely to read.
The suspense element was integrated into the story strongly. NR did a smart thing by allowing us to know and get invested in all the characters, and giving them all traits and personalities that made them 3-dimensional. So when it becomes evident that the villain of the story is part of the 'family', the reader begins to get nervous that it isn't someone you like.
I have to take a few points off the story though. A reader new or fairly new to NR won't notice, but she definitely has some writerly ticks. One thing that took me completely out of the story was when Ro and Gull were talking about the possible suspects. The conversation, the cadences, the rhythm of the dialogue, the word choices -- it all sounded like it was coming straight out of Eve Dallas' mouth. It was disorienting.
But that is a minor nit. All in all this was a nice page turner.
Liked this one quite a bit. Loved the camaraderie NR created with the smoke jumpers. She did a great job of creating different personalities amongst all the characters complete with realistic quirks. Nice amount of everday humor.
In contrast to her last few stand-alones, I actually liked this heroine as much as I liked the hero. Rowan was earthy, a little bawdy, knew her job, and was incredibly competent. I didn't feel disconnected from her like I have from some previous NR heroines.
Gull was a great hero. he falls right in line with recent NR heroes who have been funny, charming and a little bit beta with unusual professions.
I also liked the b-romance with Rowan's Dad. Now that was an utterly charming romance especially because this guy, a legend in the forest firefighting circles known as Lucas 'Iron Man' Tripp, a big strong, brawny handsome man, was a complete goober around the lady he liked. It was sweet and lovely to read.
The suspense element was integrated into the story strongly. NR did a smart thing by allowing us to know and get invested in all the characters, and giving them all traits and personalities that made them 3-dimensional. So when it becomes evident that the villain of the story is part of the 'family', the reader begins to get nervous that it isn't someone you like.
I have to take a few points off the story though. A reader new or fairly new to NR won't notice, but she definitely has some writerly ticks. One thing that took me completely out of the story was when Ro and Gull were talking about the possible suspects. The conversation, the cadences, the rhythm of the dialogue, the word choices -- it all sounded like it was coming straight out of Eve Dallas' mouth. It was disorienting.
But that is a minor nit. All in all this was a nice page turner.
August 8, 2012
I liked this book well-enough, though a lot of its elements aren’t really that interesting to me. As is common for Roberts’ books, the details of those things outside of common experience are researched well enough that they feel real in the lives of her characters. I’m not a fire jumper and I don’t know anybody who is, so I can’t speak to how accurate they may be by themselves. But as part of the story they feel integral and important in ways that would be hard to pull off without a great deal of effort. And Roberts weaves those things in so seamlessly that most readers probably don’t even notice how hard that really is.
Anyway, I have little interest in fire jumpers and people who live that lifestyle are pretty far outside of my actual (i.e. non-cinematic) experience. So I didn’t connect especially well to Rowan or Gulliver. And for all the murder and sabotage (and, ugh, stupid episodes from an evil sicko’s perspective), it doesn’t pull the mystery strings, either (it was kind of easy to figure out who was behind it all and what red herrings were thrown in were weak-sauce enough that you’d only really give them credence if this were an actual mystery and the author was playing with you). So while I liked the story and kept it queued up on my audiobook delivery device, it wasn’t terribly compelling to me personally. If you like any of these actiony elements, or suspect that you may, your enjoyment will likely be greater than my own.
A note about Steamy: This was a middle of the road steamy level—a couple of explicit scenes and not too long or detailed at that. You get some risqué talk in the macho atmosphere of the fire jumpers, but that feels more authentic than it does gratuitous, and it was probably milder than strictly realistic if I think about it.
Anyway, I have little interest in fire jumpers and people who live that lifestyle are pretty far outside of my actual (i.e. non-cinematic) experience. So I didn’t connect especially well to Rowan or Gulliver. And for all the murder and sabotage (and, ugh, stupid episodes from an evil sicko’s perspective), it doesn’t pull the mystery strings, either (it was kind of easy to figure out who was behind it all and what red herrings were thrown in were weak-sauce enough that you’d only really give them credence if this were an actual mystery and the author was playing with you). So while I liked the story and kept it queued up on my audiobook delivery device, it wasn’t terribly compelling to me personally. If you like any of these actiony elements, or suspect that you may, your enjoyment will likely be greater than my own.
A note about Steamy: This was a middle of the road steamy level—a couple of explicit scenes and not too long or detailed at that. You get some risqué talk in the macho atmosphere of the fire jumpers, but that feels more authentic than it does gratuitous, and it was probably milder than strictly realistic if I think about it.
March 22, 2017
I've been on a re-reading spree recently, anyone else try something familiar?
Nora Roberts explores new territory with this one. She introduces you to the brave, dangerous world of smoke jumpers and you can see the action unfold.
Rowan was tough, loyal and guarded.
Gulliver Curry was charming, clever, strong with bottomless patience. And romantic.
Somehow he made me think of gentle giants, instant noodles and spicy food.
The murders in this book were, personal, brutal and the crew was full of unlikely suspects and close friends.
If you are an avid Nora Roberts fan, you can guess how the process of elimination worked but it still engages your curiosity.
Overall, a nice stand alone title.
Nora Roberts explores new territory with this one. She introduces you to the brave, dangerous world of smoke jumpers and you can see the action unfold.
Rowan was tough, loyal and guarded.
Gulliver Curry was charming, clever, strong with bottomless patience. And romantic.
Somehow he made me think of gentle giants, instant noodles and spicy food.
The murders in this book were, personal, brutal and the crew was full of unlikely suspects and close friends.
If you are an avid Nora Roberts fan, you can guess how the process of elimination worked but it still engages your curiosity.
Overall, a nice stand alone title.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,459 reviews