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Edge Of The Heat #1
Edge of the Heat 3 (Volume 3) by Lisa Ladew
Emma Hill had been off the dating scene for 7 years, thanks to her crazy ex-husband. But then she falls off of a building and has a vision of the man who will change all of that. Too bad it happened just before a man who seems to be perfect for her in every way (but can't be the man in the vision) comes and sweeps her off her feet. Craig Masterson is only supposed to be in town investigating murder and corruption at the highest levels. Only after he falls for Emma does he find out she used to be married to the dirtiest cop on the force.
Unknown Binding
First published January 9, 2014
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About the author
Lisa Ladew
80 books901 followersI'm working hard on One True Mate 11. I hope to finish it by the end of the year.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews
did-not-finish
December 12, 2023Earliest DNF for me ever I think.
2%
The prologue traumatized me, literally what the fuck was that?? A man has a 15 yr old pregnant runaway that he intends to kill with warfarin for reasons I will never know.
I’m traumatized.
2%
The prologue traumatized me, literally what the fuck was that?? A man has a 15 yr old pregnant runaway that he intends to kill with warfarin for reasons I will never know.
I’m traumatized.
April 4, 2016
By Toutatis! This was so bad. I'm sorry, but Ms. Ladew is a terrible writer. She has no concept of what to tell readers, and what not to. She's never read grammar in her life, and if she thinks women like Emma are endearing to readers, someone needs to admit her to an asylum. Assuming (rightly, I hope) that no one here is going to read the book, I'm not going to bother with spoiler alerts. I wanted this review to be an argument between stupid and rational Anuradha, but I'm not going to waste precious time on that.
Okay, so I'm having a hard time deciding what I'm going to diss first. Let's see; this book had the trifecta - juvenile, terrible writing, atrocious grammar, and characters I want to stab. Actually, I want to lock the MC in my basement and conduct experiments on her. The painful kinds. So the characters in the book are paramedics and firefighters and other such servicemen. And here I am praying to all my gods that paramedics and firefighters in real life are nothing like the characters in this book, because that would lead to mass extinction of our race. You must be exaggerating, Anuradha. They can't be that bad, you say. Well yeah, they aren't that bad. They're worse (I live for cliches like this). Let me give you a for instance. So there's an emergency call that these guys have to attend, but the door is some reinforced steel, fitted with a deadlock crap. So, these guys wait for the cops. Wait for the firemen. Then ogle at each other. Chit chat. Talk about the weather. And after the next ice age, finally get the door open to tend to the patient.
Our MC, Emma is a paramedic and a firefighter. And she has to be the stupidest bimbo I've had the displeasure of reading of. I know I say this a lot, but it seems like every woman I read about in these er, books is worse than the previous one. It's almost as if the writers are competing with each other to produce the most incompetent nincompoop the world has ever seen. And if it is a competition, I must say, with Emma, Ms. Ladew takes the lead. Emma is a total bimbo. So she has this life changing fall from a four-storey building, and sees this 'vision' (yup, bitch just went all Medium on me) of some future husband of hers. And she buys into it. Like she's a thirty year old woman, who's supposed to be responsible for saving lives, and she believes in visions. I would not feel safe with her. Like ever. "In the vision, tingles danced up and down her spine, radiated outward along her back, and wrapped around her body." I don't even know what the fuck tingles means. And she says she couldn't recreate the tingles. Like, what? She's super obsessed with that shitty vision of hers, and says about her near death experience, "If I had not almost died, I would not have had my vision. This IS important. I can't let my shame cloud this. I was meant to fall off that roof. I was meant to see those things. I know what it means. It means ..." And they let her work with dying people? Has she had her psych evaluation? Like ever? So anyway, I'm going to tell you more about her fucking vision because it goes on for pages. And pages. And pages. So after she recovers, she meets this kinda okay guy, I guess. I mean, she called him perfect, and he was really sweet to her, so when he asks her out, one would think she'd be happy, right? Of course not, you silly person. The man in her vision was dark, and this guy is not.
So... what she does is go out on a date with this guy called Dr. Reece Mishra, who is a complete dickhead. I mean, he brags about himself; sure all doctors are arrogant, but, this man is like Zeus or something when it comes to the arrogance part. Let me tell you everything our darling Dr. Mishra does, which Emma overlooks, because vision is more important than life itself, right? So when they first meet, Emma and this Dr. Dbag, there's this explosion of ridiculous proportions in the place they're eating at. And like any good paramedic, Emma goes on in to help the injured. But what does Mishra do? He runs his ass away. Yup. People are dying, and a doctor, who could have saved lives runs away. And he's like the Head Trauma Surgeon or something. Being the bleeding heart she is, Emma should have, and with good reason too, got mad at Mishra. But no, she thinks it's okay, because as a doctor, he doesn't see such trauma everyday. And when her partner chastises him for his cowardice, this is what she says. "Some people were the type to drop everything and run into a burning building, and some people weren't, doctor or not. Oh, it gets worse. He takes her out on a date, and takes the liberty of ordering her his favourite wine, because he thinks she'll like it. She doesn't, but she still continues with the date. He never asks her about her life and job, but continues to talk about how important his job is and all that blah. And she gets mildly annoyed, but that's about it, because people not only deserve second chances, they deserve a million. He says things like "Order anything you want, I can afford all the food here." That would have earned him a face full of his expensive wine had his date been me, but then again, I'm not a nice person. Emma is. He takes her to his $350k car, and drives around in it irresponsibly, and when drunk. She goes with the flow because: a) ermahgawwwwd he's hot; b) he doesn't make her stomach roil; and c) VESHUN. I am tired of her stupid vision. If vision were a person, I'd have hunted him down and killed him. He treats the waiters like crap, and addresses the nurses as "You there". He ignores everyone in his immediate presence, and acts like he owns the world. All I see is red flags, but Emma AGREES TO SEE HIM FOR A SECOND DATE. She has the emotional maturity of toilet paper, that one. Anyway, she finally realises he's wrong for her on the second date because HE TRIES TO RAPE HER. Ms. Ladew, shame on you for having trivialised rape and abuse. So Craig, the guy that's nice to her, and that she's in love with rescues her, and calls up his FBI friend to take her statement,because the cops were being too nonchalant about it, and she asks his friend out. Why, you ask? Because friend is half-Turkish and dark. Like the guy in the vision. I mean, seriously you stupid idiot, there is a man baring his heart for you, and you ask his friend out under his nose? I cannot understand how your thought process works. Haven't you read Harry Potter? It doesn't do us good to dwell on dreams and forget how to live. Anyway, she apologises and explains why she did what she did, and her vision comes true, because she had seen him (what is the tense here, because the vision happened in the past, and the incident is going to happen in the future?) all sooty and dirty. Woohoo! The world makes sense again. Not. But still, I don't know what so many men see in her. Her ex-husband (another exemplary human being) is still in love with her, and Craig is smitten. She calls herself an optimist, but in reality, she is stoopid. Dumb. A total nutjob. Foolish. Idiotic. And she makes me mad as fuck. She also may be a psychopath, because she likes reliving the calls she takes. You know, calls where people get injured and sick and she needs to get them to the hospital? Yeah, those calls. Anyway, the psychopath angle is never explored further, so I guess we're done with Emma?
Craig something is your run of the mill hero; tall, muscular, crew cut, beardless. He alternates between acting like a nice guy and a gorilla. He growls and roars a lot, and there's really nothing else that can explain that behaviour. I really don't find his type hot, but Emma does, so that's cool, I guess? He's an undercover FBI agent pretending to be a firefighter to expose corruption in the city, but that point must have been mentioned like twice in the book. Because we need to focus on Emma and her vapid thoughts. Her ex-husband, NormanBates is a dirty cop whose hobbies are, in this order: stalking his ex-wife, fucking women, beating women, and beating women while fucking them. Lovely. His atrocious behaviour is, again, never really explored, and I don't see how a lot of things about him seem to work. I get that we're supposed to hate the bad guy, but this was too effing much.
Oh, and the writing is horrendous. Ms. Ladew just refuses to get to the point. She goes on and on and on about Emma and how she's lying in the hospital half dead while thinking about her vision for about ten pages before she finally gets to the point and tells us who the fuck Emma is and why the fuck she almost died. I had come to the point of sitting around, waiting for the apocalypse before I found out why Craig was snooping around the fire chief's office. I finally found out who her sleazebag ex-husband was in Chapter 9. Because Ms. Ladew is a fucking idiot. I get very brutal in my reviews, but I try not to put the author him/herself down. But I think it is necessary here, because I feel like she really hasn't tried.
"...off of a roof outside a brick tenement seemed ... inconsequential, except that it had given her this vision. I hate it when people overuse the thesaurus. I had a friend's friend email me a document for editing once, and he had used the thesaurus on literally every word, to the extent that 'cold cuts' had become 'chilly cuts'. And here, Ms. Ladew seems to do that. She is also obsessed with certain er... terms. "Mind's eye". "Vision". I swear if I have to read these words again, I will bring about the end of the world. She gets too descriptive in certain places, and a vast many of those descriptions makemy life the point redundant.
...a hard cervical collar would have been put around her neck, then three or four of them would have knelt on one side of her and grabbed her clothes and body. 1, 2, 3 - and they all would have turned her as a unit."
She's a paramedic, I get it. But what is, pray, the point of describing procedure in so much detail? I didn't come here for this. Wait. What did I come here for? Ms. Ladew, like many of her contemporaries doesn't get the concept of showing the readers, and not telling them. She talks about the vision of a man that she goes all affectionate about, and then mentions it to be the vision of her future husband. We get it. We get the fucking point. Why do you waste words, no? An entire page is spent on talking about how Craig got Emma to breathe.
"You were crumpled up with your head tucked forward, laying mostly on your stomach. He put an arm under your armpit, then up your chest so he could hold the front of your face and then his other arm went on your back, holding the back of your head, and he turned you slowly around as a unit till you were totally on your back. He used his legs to move your lower body at the same time."
First of all, that made no sense to me, and secondly, and more importantly, it is fucking redundant. If he's using a password cracking CD, I know he's trying to hack into the network, and he isn't planning on, I don't know, breaking it or something. Oh, and before I forget, the overuse of parentheses grated on my nerves. Everything was explained using parentheses. This is not an exam, Ms. Ladew. Please refrain from using so many parentheses. Her prologue made absolutely no sense. I guess. I'm really not sure if anything made sense, to be honest.
And finally, would you believe after all the time I spent on this, it ended with a bloody cliffhanger? I need to take Ms. Ladew out to lunch for providing me with this wonderful gift.
Okay, so I'm having a hard time deciding what I'm going to diss first. Let's see; this book had the trifecta - juvenile, terrible writing, atrocious grammar, and characters I want to stab. Actually, I want to lock the MC in my basement and conduct experiments on her. The painful kinds. So the characters in the book are paramedics and firefighters and other such servicemen. And here I am praying to all my gods that paramedics and firefighters in real life are nothing like the characters in this book, because that would lead to mass extinction of our race. You must be exaggerating, Anuradha. They can't be that bad, you say. Well yeah, they aren't that bad. They're worse (I live for cliches like this). Let me give you a for instance. So there's an emergency call that these guys have to attend, but the door is some reinforced steel, fitted with a deadlock crap. So, these guys wait for the cops. Wait for the firemen. Then ogle at each other. Chit chat. Talk about the weather. And after the next ice age, finally get the door open to tend to the patient.
Our MC, Emma is a paramedic and a firefighter. And she has to be the stupidest bimbo I've had the displeasure of reading of. I know I say this a lot, but it seems like every woman I read about in these er, books is worse than the previous one. It's almost as if the writers are competing with each other to produce the most incompetent nincompoop the world has ever seen. And if it is a competition, I must say, with Emma, Ms. Ladew takes the lead. Emma is a total bimbo. So she has this life changing fall from a four-storey building, and sees this 'vision' (yup, bitch just went all Medium on me) of some future husband of hers. And she buys into it. Like she's a thirty year old woman, who's supposed to be responsible for saving lives, and she believes in visions. I would not feel safe with her. Like ever. "In the vision, tingles danced up and down her spine, radiated outward along her back, and wrapped around her body." I don't even know what the fuck tingles means. And she says she couldn't recreate the tingles. Like, what? She's super obsessed with that shitty vision of hers, and says about her near death experience, "If I had not almost died, I would not have had my vision. This IS important. I can't let my shame cloud this. I was meant to fall off that roof. I was meant to see those things. I know what it means. It means ..." And they let her work with dying people? Has she had her psych evaluation? Like ever? So anyway, I'm going to tell you more about her fucking vision because it goes on for pages. And pages. And pages. So after she recovers, she meets this kinda okay guy, I guess. I mean, she called him perfect, and he was really sweet to her, so when he asks her out, one would think she'd be happy, right? Of course not, you silly person. The man in her vision was dark, and this guy is not.
So... what she does is go out on a date with this guy called Dr. Reece Mishra, who is a complete dickhead. I mean, he brags about himself; sure all doctors are arrogant, but, this man is like Zeus or something when it comes to the arrogance part. Let me tell you everything our darling Dr. Mishra does, which Emma overlooks, because vision is more important than life itself, right? So when they first meet, Emma and this Dr. Dbag, there's this explosion of ridiculous proportions in the place they're eating at. And like any good paramedic, Emma goes on in to help the injured. But what does Mishra do? He runs his ass away. Yup. People are dying, and a doctor, who could have saved lives runs away. And he's like the Head Trauma Surgeon or something. Being the bleeding heart she is, Emma should have, and with good reason too, got mad at Mishra. But no, she thinks it's okay, because as a doctor, he doesn't see such trauma everyday. And when her partner chastises him for his cowardice, this is what she says. "Some people were the type to drop everything and run into a burning building, and some people weren't, doctor or not. Oh, it gets worse. He takes her out on a date, and takes the liberty of ordering her his favourite wine, because he thinks she'll like it. She doesn't, but she still continues with the date. He never asks her about her life and job, but continues to talk about how important his job is and all that blah. And she gets mildly annoyed, but that's about it, because people not only deserve second chances, they deserve a million. He says things like "Order anything you want, I can afford all the food here." That would have earned him a face full of his expensive wine had his date been me, but then again, I'm not a nice person. Emma is. He takes her to his $350k car, and drives around in it irresponsibly, and when drunk. She goes with the flow because: a) ermahgawwwwd he's hot; b) he doesn't make her stomach roil; and c) VESHUN. I am tired of her stupid vision. If vision were a person, I'd have hunted him down and killed him. He treats the waiters like crap, and addresses the nurses as "You there". He ignores everyone in his immediate presence, and acts like he owns the world. All I see is red flags, but Emma AGREES TO SEE HIM FOR A SECOND DATE. She has the emotional maturity of toilet paper, that one. Anyway, she finally realises he's wrong for her on the second date because HE TRIES TO RAPE HER. Ms. Ladew, shame on you for having trivialised rape and abuse. So Craig, the guy that's nice to her, and that she's in love with rescues her, and calls up his FBI friend to take her statement,because the cops were being too nonchalant about it, and she asks his friend out. Why, you ask? Because friend is half-Turkish and dark. Like the guy in the vision. I mean, seriously you stupid idiot, there is a man baring his heart for you, and you ask his friend out under his nose? I cannot understand how your thought process works. Haven't you read Harry Potter? It doesn't do us good to dwell on dreams and forget how to live. Anyway, she apologises and explains why she did what she did, and her vision comes true, because she had seen him (what is the tense here, because the vision happened in the past, and the incident is going to happen in the future?) all sooty and dirty. Woohoo! The world makes sense again. Not. But still, I don't know what so many men see in her. Her ex-husband (another exemplary human being) is still in love with her, and Craig is smitten. She calls herself an optimist, but in reality, she is stoopid. Dumb. A total nutjob. Foolish. Idiotic. And she makes me mad as fuck. She also may be a psychopath, because she likes reliving the calls she takes. You know, calls where people get injured and sick and she needs to get them to the hospital? Yeah, those calls. Anyway, the psychopath angle is never explored further, so I guess we're done with Emma?
Craig something is your run of the mill hero; tall, muscular, crew cut, beardless. He alternates between acting like a nice guy and a gorilla. He growls and roars a lot, and there's really nothing else that can explain that behaviour. I really don't find his type hot, but Emma does, so that's cool, I guess? He's an undercover FBI agent pretending to be a firefighter to expose corruption in the city, but that point must have been mentioned like twice in the book. Because we need to focus on Emma and her vapid thoughts. Her ex-husband, Norman
Oh, and the writing is horrendous. Ms. Ladew just refuses to get to the point. She goes on and on and on about Emma and how she's lying in the hospital half dead while thinking about her vision for about ten pages before she finally gets to the point and tells us who the fuck Emma is and why the fuck she almost died. I had come to the point of sitting around, waiting for the apocalypse before I found out why Craig was snooping around the fire chief's office. I finally found out who her sleazebag ex-husband was in Chapter 9. Because Ms. Ladew is a fucking idiot. I get very brutal in my reviews, but I try not to put the author him/herself down. But I think it is necessary here, because I feel like she really hasn't tried.
"...off of a roof outside a brick tenement seemed ... inconsequential, except that it had given her this vision. I hate it when people overuse the thesaurus. I had a friend's friend email me a document for editing once, and he had used the thesaurus on literally every word, to the extent that 'cold cuts' had become 'chilly cuts'. And here, Ms. Ladew seems to do that. She is also obsessed with certain er... terms. "Mind's eye". "Vision". I swear if I have to read these words again, I will bring about the end of the world. She gets too descriptive in certain places, and a vast many of those descriptions make
And finally, would you believe after all the time I spent on this, it ended with a bloody cliffhanger? I need to take Ms. Ladew out to lunch for providing me with this wonderful gift.
August 12, 2015
The Prologue ... I'm Interested
Me: Mouth agape and thinking, 'alrighty, that's some seriously batshit crazy f'd up shit' that I can just see Luke Perry and Ariana Grande playing if the book ever goes Lifetime movie.
I'm interested.
Chapter One Starts, and I'm Still Listening, But My Nonsensical BS Radar Is Pinging
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Me: Face scrunched and wondering how'd we go from some teenager being tortured and drugged as she has some murderous perv's baby in the prologue - to- some chick laying in a hospital after falling off a roof?
But, I don't have long to ponder this gigantic leap because I'm given this to cock my head sideways at:
She knew she wasn't paralyzed because in the vision (The Vision of Her Future Husband), she had been standing.
Wait, whhhhhhat? I'm paused trying to understand multiple aspects of wtf "The Vision of Her Future Husband" is and means, including why it's all capitalized. The author kindly answers the latter question immediately:
That's how she thought of the vision - it should be capitalized in writing and spoken in reverential tones if said aloud. Like The Queen or My God. It seemed that important to her.
Hummmm, Ahhhh, Woo ooh, Ehhh, Ah!? Yeah, okay. Good to know! ____Good • to • know!
... She would finally meet her soulmate. The man that would give her children and be her family, and love her forever , and never, ever leave. The man that would make up for a dead mother, a non-existent father, a missing sister, and a stolen childhood.
First time in my history of reading books that I've ever pitied a character before even learning the poor bastard's name that has all this shit to make up for. God help *reverent voice* Him !
Midway Through Chapter One... You've Lost Me!
Vision is of Him *revert voice* saying, "I thought I lost you" as he hugs her and sobs.
She felt ready to explode with love and happiness and ... relief?
If she tried hard she could recreate the tingles, although not as strong as they had felt when she opened her eyes for the first time in four days.
I want to live in that vision forever.
^Okay^
Note to self.. Look into getting a "mind's eye" because it sounds über cool as long as it doesn't betray, clamor, tug at, and shame me like the one the female MC apparently has.
After an extensive play by play on c-spine boards and her suddenly having an epiphany that she could've died from falling off a mfing roof (give the chick a prize) the female MC thinks:
What was important about this?
And the answer is:
The VISION!
If I hadn't almost died, I wouldn't have had my vision. This IS important. I can't let shame cloud this. I was meant to fall off that roof. I was meant to see those things. I know what it means. It means...
Aw.. Shucks, her damn mind's eye betrayed her again, turned inward, and cut off her almost epiphany on what the vision really means. *sad face lip pout*
She felt sluggish, like her brain was filled with sand, and she supposed that was an after-effect of falling four stories and landing on your head.
Touché!! I was just thinking this chick's brain was as empty as the Sahara!
She decides she needs to heal and hurry up and get out of the hospital so she can meet Vision Man *yes, it was reverently typed.* This, of course, cues another near epiphany of:
Wait, what if he is in this hospital? What if he's one of my doctors or nurses and I haven't even noticed him? What if I'm so busy dreaming about the vision I fail to live it?
Omg omg omg.. What to do? He could be anyone? He could've just cleaned her bedpan! Holy shit, literally!!!
Bottom Line
Can there be a bottom line if you only make it to 6%? I dont know?!? But, I do know that I value my eyesight too much to let them continuing rolling out of their sockets:/. Parting is such sweet
July 13, 2017
This book was such a waste of time. I hate writing negative reviews but this read was ridiculous in all ways. The writing style was choppy. The characters were bland. Then, it ends on a cliffhanger. I honestly can't believe this was made into a series. You couldn’t pay me to continue it. My only positive thing to say about it was that I got it as a freebie. Not one I'd recommend and certainly not a writer I will follow.
March 17, 2014
Weird beginning, Emma slightly annoying and couldn't believe she asked out his friend pretty much right in front of him.....it got better toward the end though. Major cliffhanger and I have to know what happens. On to read book 2.
May 13, 2015
1.5 stars Most of this book was read with this look on my face:
Emma had a vision while she was unconscious. In this vision, she's with the "love of her life", who has dark hair and skin, and gives her full-body tingles. Then she meets Craig - a guy with light hair and skin who gives her full-body tingles and she really likes him, but he's not the guy in her vision so she can't fall in love with him. Instead, she accepts a date from a skeevy doctor because he has dark hair and skin. The doctor is a total dick and she is miserable on their date, but she's still all "But he could be The One, so..." Then he tries to rape her and I guess that was enough to convince her that no, he's probably not The One. She calls Craig to save her from Mr. Not-The-One-Cuz-He's-A-Rapist and Craig calls his FBI friend... who happens to have dark hair and skin, so Emma fucking asks him out on a date!
Every other page was DNF-worthy, but Emma's decision-making and logic was so ridiculously bad that I had to keep going to find out who this fucking vision was about. She's basing all her important decisions on it, so it better be DAMN good, right? It's exactly what I thought. I totally fucking called it! But I won't ruin it for you. I should, because this story is a complete waste of time and you shouldn't bother reading it, but I won't. And the CLIFFHANGER ending is rage-inducing. I don't want to read the rest. I'll just assume they live HEA, even though Emma probably doesn't deserve it, and fuck it.
Emma had a vision while she was unconscious. In this vision, she's with the "love of her life", who has dark hair and skin, and gives her full-body tingles. Then she meets Craig - a guy with light hair and skin who gives her full-body tingles and she really likes him, but he's not the guy in her vision so she can't fall in love with him. Instead, she accepts a date from a skeevy doctor because he has dark hair and skin. The doctor is a total dick and she is miserable on their date, but she's still all "But he could be The One, so..." Then he tries to rape her and I guess that was enough to convince her that no, he's probably not The One. She calls Craig to save her from Mr. Not-The-One-Cuz-He's-A-Rapist and Craig calls his FBI friend... who happens to have dark hair and skin, so Emma fucking asks him out on a date!
Every other page was DNF-worthy, but Emma's decision-making and logic was so ridiculously bad that I had to keep going to find out who this fucking vision was about. She's basing all her important decisions on it, so it better be DAMN good, right? It's exactly what I thought. I totally fucking called it! But I won't ruin it for you. I should, because this story is a complete waste of time and you shouldn't bother reading it, but I won't. And the CLIFFHANGER ending is rage-inducing. I don't want to read the rest. I'll just assume they live HEA, even though Emma probably doesn't deserve it, and fuck it.
November 6, 2014
This was not what I was expecting!
I was expecting a romance where the gorgeous guy gets the girl . You run of the mill romance like many others.
I was wrong!
This is much more than that! It is fast pace, dangerous, full of suspense and even some action. There is a real story here that alone would make me love this book but wait! There is also a hot romance! And the two together go really well.
PS I also finish the second book and it is even better and has more of the above! This author keeps getting better!
I was expecting a romance where the gorgeous guy gets the girl . You run of the mill romance like many others.
I was wrong!
This is much more than that! It is fast pace, dangerous, full of suspense and even some action. There is a real story here that alone would make me love this book but wait! There is also a hot romance! And the two together go really well.
PS I also finish the second book and it is even better and has more of the above! This author keeps getting better!
July 9, 2014
I'm annoyed with myself, if I knew this was part of a series and not a standalone I wouldn't have read it. Wish it was one volume!.
Anyhoo, this was an okay read, quite short but as it's part of a series all the questions will be answered in the other books I guess, had the drama, mystery and suspense with a cliffhanger at the end.
Anyhoo, this was an okay read, quite short but as it's part of a series all the questions will be answered in the other books I guess, had the drama, mystery and suspense with a cliffhanger at the end.
February 27, 2014
This is an amazing read. I couldn't get enough of the story. Brilliantly written and a great story line that had me on the edge of my seat at times. I can't wait for more novels from Lisa, a very talented writer in my opinion.
Want to read
September 30, 2025💝 FREE on Amazon today (1/7/2018)! 💝
September 13, 2017
Emma had a sad and unhappy childhood. She was an orphan and was in many foster homes but never found her forever family.
Emma joined the army at 16 and became a paramedic/firefighter. She has a good heart and loves to help people.
Craig is an FBI agent who is working a case undercover. He is assigned to be a firefighter for his current assignment. He is after Norman the current police captain and also Emma's exhusband.
Crazy is crazy about Emma and is not intimidated by Norman or his connections.
Norman is a really bad guy with a lot of connections and very dangerous. Norman has scared off Emma's love interest in the first year they were apart and so much so that Emma stopped dating just because she did not feel that it was worth it for them to run off. It has been 7 years since Emma has been in a relationship or even on a 2nd date. Emma through herself into her job and never looked back.
There is lots of firefighting action and some drama. There is a small cliffhanger at the end leading into book #2.
I like Emma's character except I feel that she seems to cry a lot, however I understand why she cries a lot and being a woman firefighter means being tougher than most. Emma is pretty strong and you do see that in her character. Craig is sweet, kind and protective the perfect man.
Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Emma joined the army at 16 and became a paramedic/firefighter. She has a good heart and loves to help people.
Craig is an FBI agent who is working a case undercover. He is assigned to be a firefighter for his current assignment. He is after Norman the current police captain and also Emma's exhusband.
Crazy is crazy about Emma and is not intimidated by Norman or his connections.
Norman is a really bad guy with a lot of connections and very dangerous. Norman has scared off Emma's love interest in the first year they were apart and so much so that Emma stopped dating just because she did not feel that it was worth it for them to run off. It has been 7 years since Emma has been in a relationship or even on a 2nd date. Emma through herself into her job and never looked back.
There is lots of firefighting action and some drama. There is a small cliffhanger at the end leading into book #2.
I like Emma's character except I feel that she seems to cry a lot, however I understand why she cries a lot and being a woman firefighter means being tougher than most. Emma is pretty strong and you do see that in her character. Craig is sweet, kind and protective the perfect man.
Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
July 8, 2024
The couple: Craig and Emma
Romance trope: law enforcement/firefighter
Series: Edge of the Heat
Length: 216 pages
Plot: Emma is a paramedic recovering from a terrible injury. She meets Craig, the firefighter who saved her life. She immediately feels drawn to him but while injured, she had a vision of her future love, and it wasn't him. He can't take multiple rejections and so breaks things off with her. But her ex-husband is stalking her and Craig's investigation might bring some danger into their lives as well.
Commentary: Low steam (few intimate scenes); the book really functions as exposition for the most part (not that there isn't plenty of action because there is, but there are no permanent connections as of yet because the framework of the series is being developed.
The book ends on a cliffhanger with Emma in the hospital after the fire and Norman going all in on some serious revenge.
Contrarily, the story starts with a prologue that is nearly inexplicable. It is explained - in tiny bits - throughout the first few books of the series, but the reader is left in the dark for quite a while. I mean, I was able to figure some of it out, but it was a little startling and a lot disconnected.
Next book in the series: Edge of the Heat 2
Romance trope: law enforcement/firefighter
Series: Edge of the Heat
Length: 216 pages
Plot: Emma is a paramedic recovering from a terrible injury. She meets Craig, the firefighter who saved her life. She immediately feels drawn to him but while injured, she had a vision of her future love, and it wasn't him. He can't take multiple rejections and so breaks things off with her. But her ex-husband is stalking her and Craig's investigation might bring some danger into their lives as well.
Commentary: Low steam (few intimate scenes); the book really functions as exposition for the most part (not that there isn't plenty of action because there is, but there are no permanent connections as of yet because the framework of the series is being developed.
The book ends on a cliffhanger with Emma in the hospital after the fire and Norman going all in on some serious revenge.
Contrarily, the story starts with a prologue that is nearly inexplicable. It is explained - in tiny bits - throughout the first few books of the series, but the reader is left in the dark for quite a while. I mean, I was able to figure some of it out, but it was a little startling and a lot disconnected.
Next book in the series: Edge of the Heat 2
June 29, 2018
Hmm, really enjoyed the story, but the heroine made soooo many bad decisions that almost lost her the man of her dreams. Not thrilled with the ending since it left on a cliffhanger. Happy reading/listening!
April 6, 2014
*SPOILER ALERT*
Can I just say this cover is absolutely hot. Omg, the things I thought about doing to the cover model who is suppose to be Craig. Yummo doesn't even cover it. I really connected w/Emma in the story. I felt as though she really wanted to find true happiness but often became her own worst enemy. I am going to share some of my favorite quotes from the book between Emma & Craig.
When Emma & Craig had their first kiss this was her thoughts. " he tasted like cinnamon & smelled like hickory wood." Ok that made me want a cinnamon roll & bacon. lol
This is when Craig sees Emma in her kitchen after she invited him over. "Emma, her back to him, in the kitchen smelling like vanilla & strawberries." Can we say strawberry cupcake w/vanilla icing. Gosh, I'm starving for sweets.
"He wanted to walk over & put his arms around her waist & drink her like a smoothie." I must say I wanted Craig doing that to me. I felt involved in this scene very much.
As the story goes on & gets better & better. I find that Emma starts opening herself up to Craig. "Craig, she gasped. I want you. I want you to sweetness. The words seemed inadequate. He wanted to be inside her. To own her body. To be one w/her. To meld their very souls." Who calls anyone sweetness? That to me was the most romantic thing I've ever heard in a story in quite some time. The flow of those sentences made the book ten times more intensifying for me personally.
A wildfire breaks out & Craig is rushing on scene before coming up to the empty tanker truck. When he finds out that Emma was driving his response was so sincere I started to weep. "Emma please just be OK. I forgive you. Please forgive me for being such a jerk. Please be OK. I need you. I'm so sorry."
"It was night-time. Orange light filled the sky from the forest blazing beside them. Craig ran towards her, stopping in front of her. He looked down into her face, his eyes threatening to spill tears. His hair & skin were smeared w/dirt. His strong hands grasped her upper arms almost hard enough to hurt. His voice, husky & strained & weak, not sounding like him, broke & cracked as he said: I thought you were gone. I thought I had lost you. With God as my witness I swear I will never let you go again. He fell forward onto her chest & slid down her body. He grabbed her around the waist & squeezed her into a bear hug. Now his sobs did come. Tingles danced up & down her spine, radiated outward along her back, & wrapped around her body. She felt love & happiness & relief. He had forgiven her. Her own tears slipped down her face & she hugged his head to her middle, loving the feel of him."
The last quote was a long one but it left me blown away. Emma & Craig had such an intensified moment there that words cannot even express. Lisa Ladew if I ever meet u it will be an honor b/c ur characters have left me wanting so much more.
Can I just say this cover is absolutely hot. Omg, the things I thought about doing to the cover model who is suppose to be Craig. Yummo doesn't even cover it. I really connected w/Emma in the story. I felt as though she really wanted to find true happiness but often became her own worst enemy. I am going to share some of my favorite quotes from the book between Emma & Craig.
When Emma & Craig had their first kiss this was her thoughts. " he tasted like cinnamon & smelled like hickory wood." Ok that made me want a cinnamon roll & bacon. lol
This is when Craig sees Emma in her kitchen after she invited him over. "Emma, her back to him, in the kitchen smelling like vanilla & strawberries." Can we say strawberry cupcake w/vanilla icing. Gosh, I'm starving for sweets.
"He wanted to walk over & put his arms around her waist & drink her like a smoothie." I must say I wanted Craig doing that to me. I felt involved in this scene very much.
As the story goes on & gets better & better. I find that Emma starts opening herself up to Craig. "Craig, she gasped. I want you. I want you to sweetness. The words seemed inadequate. He wanted to be inside her. To own her body. To be one w/her. To meld their very souls." Who calls anyone sweetness? That to me was the most romantic thing I've ever heard in a story in quite some time. The flow of those sentences made the book ten times more intensifying for me personally.
A wildfire breaks out & Craig is rushing on scene before coming up to the empty tanker truck. When he finds out that Emma was driving his response was so sincere I started to weep. "Emma please just be OK. I forgive you. Please forgive me for being such a jerk. Please be OK. I need you. I'm so sorry."
"It was night-time. Orange light filled the sky from the forest blazing beside them. Craig ran towards her, stopping in front of her. He looked down into her face, his eyes threatening to spill tears. His hair & skin were smeared w/dirt. His strong hands grasped her upper arms almost hard enough to hurt. His voice, husky & strained & weak, not sounding like him, broke & cracked as he said: I thought you were gone. I thought I had lost you. With God as my witness I swear I will never let you go again. He fell forward onto her chest & slid down her body. He grabbed her around the waist & squeezed her into a bear hug. Now his sobs did come. Tingles danced up & down her spine, radiated outward along her back, & wrapped around her body. She felt love & happiness & relief. He had forgiven her. Her own tears slipped down her face & she hugged his head to her middle, loving the feel of him."
The last quote was a long one but it left me blown away. Emma & Craig had such an intensified moment there that words cannot even express. Lisa Ladew if I ever meet u it will be an honor b/c ur characters have left me wanting so much more.
August 25, 2014
Emma Hill is a paramedic who loves her job and it shows. Paramedic of the month 17 times and counting and presented with and award by President Obama, Emma is the epitome of what a good paramedic should be. Everything is going smoothly for Emma until one tiny mistake almost costs Emma her life.
After falling from the roof, Emma could have been pronounced dead if it wasn’t for hunky firefighter Craig. He did all he could to keep Emma alive, even if it meant putting his mouth on her for breaths without using a guard. Once Emma sees who her savior is, she is immediately attracted to Craig. I mean who wouldn’t be?
He is a hot firefighter, with blonde hair, light eyes and dimples to die for. He is every girls dream. Wrong! While in the hospital Emma has a vision of her soul mate. He is tall, dark and handsome; the exact opposite of Craig, well almost. Will Emma let her “vision” hinder her chances at true happiness or will she see that Craig really is the one for her?
This story had my interest from the beginning, starting off with Emma’s infamous vision. As a reader you will hear a lot about this vision so I thought it was great that the author started the book out with it. I have to admit, the story started out a little slow for me, but once it picked up I couldn’t put it down.
I wanted to see if Emma’s feelings for Craig would develop or if she would try to make something work with Reece, the doctor who fits her vision. We get a glimpse of what a love scene between Emma and Craig would be like but it is over before it even starts, thanks to that damn vision. As a reader you will want to jump through the pages, shake Emma and say, “Forget about the vision, Craig is hot!”
We learn that Craig might not be all what he seems, but his “secret” didn’t make me angry. I did have a feeling that there was going to be something “different” about him. I loved Craig’s character for many reasons, he was a sexy firefighter and he came to Emma’s rescue when she needed him most. I am really looking forward to reading how their story plays out.
If you are a fan of novels that have a little bit of action and suspense, with a little romance thrown in, then this book is for you.
After falling from the roof, Emma could have been pronounced dead if it wasn’t for hunky firefighter Craig. He did all he could to keep Emma alive, even if it meant putting his mouth on her for breaths without using a guard. Once Emma sees who her savior is, she is immediately attracted to Craig. I mean who wouldn’t be?
He is a hot firefighter, with blonde hair, light eyes and dimples to die for. He is every girls dream. Wrong! While in the hospital Emma has a vision of her soul mate. He is tall, dark and handsome; the exact opposite of Craig, well almost. Will Emma let her “vision” hinder her chances at true happiness or will she see that Craig really is the one for her?
This story had my interest from the beginning, starting off with Emma’s infamous vision. As a reader you will hear a lot about this vision so I thought it was great that the author started the book out with it. I have to admit, the story started out a little slow for me, but once it picked up I couldn’t put it down.
I wanted to see if Emma’s feelings for Craig would develop or if she would try to make something work with Reece, the doctor who fits her vision. We get a glimpse of what a love scene between Emma and Craig would be like but it is over before it even starts, thanks to that damn vision. As a reader you will want to jump through the pages, shake Emma and say, “Forget about the vision, Craig is hot!”
We learn that Craig might not be all what he seems, but his “secret” didn’t make me angry. I did have a feeling that there was going to be something “different” about him. I loved Craig’s character for many reasons, he was a sexy firefighter and he came to Emma’s rescue when she needed him most. I am really looking forward to reading how their story plays out.
If you are a fan of novels that have a little bit of action and suspense, with a little romance thrown in, then this book is for you.
July 8, 2016
I have only read two other books by Lisa Ladew and thought that they were pretty awesome, so I was pretty intrigued to see how good her other work is. However after reading the first book in this series I would have to say that I’m still working out how I feel about it, don’t get me wrong I loved Lisa’s writing but I felt at times I couldn’t get into the story. However this doesn’t mean that I am going to give up with this series, I am going to keep going to the end. Personally I still think you should give this a go because we all have different opinions.
Emma Hill is a fully qualified paramedic and firefighter, whilst she is good at what she does she has a near death experience whilst out on a job. Which leads to her having a vision of the future and her being with her soulmate. Emma makes her vision one of her tasks at finding the guy from the vision only to discover that the guy she thinks isn’t him could be. However she realises this when it’s nearly too late. Although this is happening Emma can’t seem to get rid of her ex husband Norman, even though they haven’t been together for 7 years, all the guys that she keeps trying to date they somehow disappear or want nothing to do with her, Emma knows in her gut that it’s Norman who does all this. I really do feel for Emma because she seems like such an awesome character and it’s not as if she is trying to get purposely hurt, I just wish that things will improve for her.
Emma Hill is a fully qualified paramedic and firefighter, whilst she is good at what she does she has a near death experience whilst out on a job. Which leads to her having a vision of the future and her being with her soulmate. Emma makes her vision one of her tasks at finding the guy from the vision only to discover that the guy she thinks isn’t him could be. However she realises this when it’s nearly too late. Although this is happening Emma can’t seem to get rid of her ex husband Norman, even though they haven’t been together for 7 years, all the guys that she keeps trying to date they somehow disappear or want nothing to do with her, Emma knows in her gut that it’s Norman who does all this. I really do feel for Emma because she seems like such an awesome character and it’s not as if she is trying to get purposely hurt, I just wish that things will improve for her.
February 25, 2014
Well I became aware of this book after a mutual follow via Twitter and I thought I'd give it a go when the author described it as romantic suspense.
I'm not sure I'd class as that, though, now I've finished it. It's more contemporary romance with a bad guy in it, but I guess the ending itself was kinda suspenseful slash intrigue-mystery since it left you wondering what's going to happen next.
The beginning (prologue) left me a little confused as I was unable to figure out what it had to do with the rest of the story but since I'm aware the book is in two parts I'm assuming it will all make sense after reading that one.
The characters, for me, were okay. Craig has to be my favourite. Think it was the bum wiggle in the fire-station as he was making a meal that caused that to happen. And then he was just a nice guy all the way through. As for Emma, she did my head in a little concerning the vision. She just seemed a little blind to the good thing she had going on with Craig and I felt like slapping a little sense into her. But it all worked out in the end-ish.
For a first story, it's pretty good but I found it a little stilted in places and the transitions between chapters were a little strange. I felt the previous chapters never had proper endings, they just seemed to stop. And apart from a few minor wording/punctuation errors its good.
I'm not sure I'd class as that, though, now I've finished it. It's more contemporary romance with a bad guy in it, but I guess the ending itself was kinda suspenseful slash intrigue-mystery since it left you wondering what's going to happen next.
The beginning (prologue) left me a little confused as I was unable to figure out what it had to do with the rest of the story but since I'm aware the book is in two parts I'm assuming it will all make sense after reading that one.
The characters, for me, were okay. Craig has to be my favourite. Think it was the bum wiggle in the fire-station as he was making a meal that caused that to happen. And then he was just a nice guy all the way through. As for Emma, she did my head in a little concerning the vision. She just seemed a little blind to the good thing she had going on with Craig and I felt like slapping a little sense into her. But it all worked out in the end-ish.
For a first story, it's pretty good but I found it a little stilted in places and the transitions between chapters were a little strange. I felt the previous chapters never had proper endings, they just seemed to stop. And apart from a few minor wording/punctuation errors its good.
June 28, 2014
I really liked Craig, but Emma not so much. You know right away where the story is going when in the prologue they talk about the girl being so big and they can't figure out the due date and then she goes into labor early. So you pretty much know this is a multiple birth. The only vision Emma has ever had has been about another person, so when she has her vision and sees her "soul-mate" why does she think the woman is her? She knows she has a sister, she knows they are twins so it's possible they are identical. So even though her feelings for Craig are so strong, she sticks to her stupid idea that she should be looking for a dark man. She goes out with the douche bag doctor, who she feels NO connection to just because he fits the looks of the man in her vision. She asks out Craig's friend, practically in front of him because his looks fit the vision, she feels no attraction to him, but does it anyway…oh and he has just been questioning her about her attempted rape?!? Really???? How stupid are you? Even though I wasn't crazy about Emma, I will read the rest of the books because I want to know about Craig, I want to know about the sister and how everything ties in with the corrupt city government.
July 7, 2016
This one was going so good and right at a crucial moment, bam the book ends; I seriously yelled at my phone. The bad thing was, I was sitting at my desk at work. The good thing is they are used to me being a crazy nut job, so nobody said anything.
I really got into this story and was incredibly wrapped up in Emma and Craig. Emma has had such a truly hard life, and all she wants is to be loved and have a family of her own. Yet, the one guy that can bring her that, she almost loses because of her own foolishness. Craig couldn’t be any more perfect; he is sweet, caring, tall, muscled, and HELLO a firefighter. I’ve seen my local firefighters and boy howdy! Oh look I’ve fainted and need mouth to mouth, shall I swoon!
There is also a bigger revolving backstory going on with the corruption in Westwood Harbor, and it looks like 7 books have been written so far. Only Edge of the Heat is on audiobook. I am going to email the author and find out when or if anymore will be made into audiobooks. I hope so; I really loved it and am giving it 5 Boundless Stars....Sara
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I really got into this story and was incredibly wrapped up in Emma and Craig. Emma has had such a truly hard life, and all she wants is to be loved and have a family of her own. Yet, the one guy that can bring her that, she almost loses because of her own foolishness. Craig couldn’t be any more perfect; he is sweet, caring, tall, muscled, and HELLO a firefighter. I’ve seen my local firefighters and boy howdy! Oh look I’ve fainted and need mouth to mouth, shall I swoon!
There is also a bigger revolving backstory going on with the corruption in Westwood Harbor, and it looks like 7 books have been written so far. Only Edge of the Heat is on audiobook. I am going to email the author and find out when or if anymore will be made into audiobooks. I hope so; I really loved it and am giving it 5 Boundless Stars....Sara
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August 15, 2016
Poor English grammar and usage, lame characters, lame plot, not even a decent villain.
I've read better fiction on the walls of bathroom stalls.
I got this free and I feel gypped.
That's time I'll never recover.
Can't I give it a negative number of stars?
For this, I went to the trouble of learning how to delete something from my Kindle library.
Hooray for permanently delete!
I've read better fiction on the walls of bathroom stalls.
I got this free and I feel gypped.
That's time I'll never recover.
Can't I give it a negative number of stars?
For this, I went to the trouble of learning how to delete something from my Kindle library.
Hooray for permanently delete!
July 27, 2014
I loved this now waiting on two and three to get to my kindle
I loved this now waiting on two and three to get to my kindle
loved it I loved this now waiting on two and three to get to my kindle had me from go couldn't put it down thank you for sharing with us
I loved this now waiting on two and three to get to my kindle
loved it I loved this now waiting on two and three to get to my kindle had me from go couldn't put it down thank you for sharing with us
August 11, 2016
Read as part the Buddy Read for April in the group A Little Bit of Everything Hot
March 5, 2014
Cliffhanger. Ugh.
Read
April 29, 2016Please see Boundless Book Reviews for the review, that will post at a later date.
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3...
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3...
July 24, 2020
Emma Hill is an EMT in a corrupt city. She is partners with Jerry and they divide the work pretty evenly between them. Jerry insists he is her best friend. They go out for breakfast at one of their favorite restaurants and suddenly the factory across the street explodes. They move in, finding more than 50 people injured and needing immediate help. From that point, we begin finding out Emma's back story. We find out about her very brief marriage and we find out how corrupt the ex is. We find out about ride-alongs and how one of them messes with Emma's mind. We find out about Emma's mom and how there's no father listed on her birth certificate. We find out how Emma meets Craig and what he means to her. We find out about her vision of her future and how seriously she takes it. This is a very good start to the series, with great characterizations and world building and the excitement of the job. I think you will like this.
October 13, 2019
I really like this story especially Craig. Emma a paramedic who has had a rough life from being raised in a foster home. She had a vision and it has become a nightmare for her. She has made bad choices in the men she dated and her so called man in her vision. Craig is an FBI agent undercover trying to break up a corrupt police and fire department. Anyways Craig saves Emma life and then sparks fly between the two of them. Emma at times seems to be an emotional wreck and she makes bad decisions in her personal life but a hero on her job. The only real frustration for me was the ending which was a cliff hanger and sometimes that frustrates me but in this case I am ok with reading the next book in this series.
May 9, 2024
3.5 stars
The beginning and the end of the book was strange. The male lead was ok the female, Emma is as dumb as a box of rocks. I liked the whole vision thing until she decided it would only happen if she helped it along. When Craig asked his friend from the fbi over to take a statement from Emma and she chases the guy out of the house and asks him out while he was there to take this statement and Craig was inside the house I just about quit reading the book. I really usually like Lisa Ladew and I will read at least the next book in the series, but if Emma is in the next one I do hope the head injury knocked some sense into her brain.
The beginning and the end of the book was strange. The male lead was ok the female, Emma is as dumb as a box of rocks. I liked the whole vision thing until she decided it would only happen if she helped it along. When Craig asked his friend from the fbi over to take a statement from Emma and she chases the guy out of the house and asks him out while he was there to take this statement and Craig was inside the house I just about quit reading the book. I really usually like Lisa Ladew and I will read at least the next book in the series, but if Emma is in the next one I do hope the head injury knocked some sense into her brain.
September 20, 2020
Edge of the Heat
Edge of the Heat Series, Book 1
By: Lisa Ladew
Narrated by: Anya West
Series: Edge of the Heat, Book 1
Length: 5 hrs and 37 mins
I listened to this book at 1.40x
Surprisingly good. Couldn't put down. Very much going on. Firefighting, FBI involved, crooked cops. EMT. doctors.
Looking forward to book 2.
Vocal artist Anya West did a really good job being it to life. But I had to listen to it at 1.40x or 1.50x to make it more exciting.
Edge of the Heat Series, Book 1
By: Lisa Ladew
Narrated by: Anya West
Series: Edge of the Heat, Book 1
Length: 5 hrs and 37 mins
I listened to this book at 1.40x
Surprisingly good. Couldn't put down. Very much going on. Firefighting, FBI involved, crooked cops. EMT. doctors.
Looking forward to book 2.
Vocal artist Anya West did a really good job being it to life. But I had to listen to it at 1.40x or 1.50x to make it more exciting.
July 12, 2017
Okay so this is not Lisa's best work but it's not that bad. Yes there are some problems like Emma's vision and how everyone falls in love in like 2 seconds. The story is convoluted and weird but it's still has some good qualities like Craig. I did enjoy this book and have already read the next two so the story isn't so bad as everyone is making it out to be.
March 11, 2025
I want to read this series, I really do. But this author always uses too many words that we don't need and when that happens I get bored and end up skimming. Unfortunately I can miss important things because of it.
I would have liked this more if it was shorter and the MFC didn't ask out a friend of the MMC in front of him
I would have liked this more if it was shorter and the MFC didn't ask out a friend of the MMC in front of him
Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews