Where There's Heat / Smoking Hot

Good Girl #3

by Karen Kelley

Working the graveyard shift at the sheriff's office is hard work. And Deputy Raine McCandless is busy keeping her dog-knapping grandfather out of trouble all day. So when a sexy intruder claims to be an angel then warns her she's going to die, Raine starts to wonder if she's going off the deep end.

Dillon Taylor isn't exactly an angel--he's a nephilim. He doesn't live by the same rules as angels or humans, but there is one rule he doesn't like to break: never get involved with mortals. But the old man's granddaughter is in danger and it couldn't hurt to change fate just this once...could it?

Genres: Romance, Erotica, Paranormal Romance, Angels, Paranormal

278 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2013

About the author

Karen Kelley always had a secret desire to live the life of a Gypsy. So she and her husband quit their jobs, sold their house, decluttered their lives and moved into their 5th wheel RV. Now they're traveling the United States. She works full time on her writing and spends her downtime walking on the beach or hiking in the mountains. Her motto has always been 'Who says you can't have it all.'

Reviews

[Sarah (is clearing her shelves) · Rating 3 out of 5]

15/6 - I was a little disappointed with this. I was hoping it would be back up to the calibre of the first book in the series, Where There's Smoke, which I gave a solid four stars to, instead it was only as good as #2 Where There's a Will, which only managed a wobbly three stars.

Chance, hero of the first book, played a part in the story on a number of occasions, but not once did anyone mention his heroine Destiny. If I hadn't already read the book I would have thought that Chance's story hadn't happened yet, that he hadn't had, what appeared to be a HEA, that's how not there Destiny was. I'm quite confused by this. Did Kelley forget to write her into the story? Did she die or suffer some other unfortunate occurrence between books that we don't know about, but will one day if we stick with the series?

That was disturbing enough to my enjoyment of the story. Add to that the fact that Dillon has to be the worst, least useful angel in the history of mortal-helping angels (career-wise and when it comes to her standing in the community she would have been far better off if Dillon had left it at that first warning and then left her alone), and I found myself feeling annoyed through much of the story. I was also mildly surprised by the introduction of a scene of threesome/voyeur erotica, since that wasn't a feature in the previous books in the series (not saying they weren't searingly hot, just that there was only two people involved at the one time).

I'll be interested to see if Raine survives through to Hunter's (the final) book, or if Destiny reappears and her absence is explained.

[Angela]

0

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

see separate summart for Where There's Heat...


Setting: Randolph, TX – 122 acre ranch with run down house and barn; alternative plane nephilim’s ranch/sanctuary;

Theme: trust/control; love; righting wrongs;

Characters:
Raine McCandless: gave up job in Fort Worth to return Randolph to care for her grandfather; father Randolph sheriff, until his wife left him, and he turned to drink and died young; growing up, she daily would go to his office after school; given father’s betrayal, and her first boyfriend’s betrayal, she doesn’t do relationships, and likes control when having sex; tired, as works sheriff all night, and ranch much of the day;

Dillon: nephilim, half angel, half man; can blink to transport – can remain invisible to some, seen by others; they’ve decided to answer some prayers – to pass the time; Dillon meets up with Sock – and commits to helping Raine…

Sock McCandless: persistent old coot, prayers reaching Dillon; he wants the best for his granddaughter…

Chance / Hunter / Ryder: plus Dillon; have ranch together in alternate plane; fight demons; susceptible to human weaknesses; Ryder gone – found his true love in another story? Made human and separate from the rest?

Ethan Miles: sheriff; orphan; from another town; condescending with Raine; orphanage patron leaves Ethan some money in his will, and Ethan puts a down payment on a place where he can make his metal sculptures and open a gallery of sorts -

Dwayne Feeman: Raine’s first lover when teens – but he gave her up when school started, and as football star, he started to date a cheerleader; hasn’t aged well, and flirting with Raine;

Tobiah: with orders from ‘management’ they were not allowed to interfere in the lives of their children or women they loved; disregards this now, and counsels Dillon too stay away from the girl… but to make things right for her… in the end, when she can’t put him aside, he grants Dillon human status to be with her…

Summary:
Raine, in answering Sock’s prayer, surprises her in her home… and makes her look silly when she calls for assistance, and he disappears… they think she is seeing things… Dillon warns her that she will intercept bank robbers, and one will kill her if she isn’t careful… she goes into bank, doesn’t put it together, and Dillon takes the bullet for her… again, she calls for help, he disappears, it is unclear what happened… then her notebook and gramp’s hankerchief is found by the vault… so they become suspects…

Dillon shows up to help her navigate her way out, and to catch the real bad guys… but they spend more time in having sex… and in Dillon teaching her to let go (taking her to an angel club where they are voyeurs to 2 women and man having sex – knowing they were being watched), and trust him, and give up control….

They suspect Ethan is the one who robbed the bank (where did an orphan get an inheritance from an uncle)… but it ends up to be Dwayne, pissed off Dwayne got the location he wanted… steals the money, and sets up Raine…

Dillon disappears, Raine is sad… they are finally reunited…

Memorable Scenes:
”There was something about the stranger’s eyes. Such an intense shade of blue. They drew her in and held her captive. One time when she was swimming in the ocean and the tide was going out, she’d gotten caught in the undertow. She struggled to get to shore and finally made it. The intruder had that same kind of pull, almost hypnotic.”
Dilllon’s thoughts immediately turned to Raine. She’d made him feel alive for the first time in a long time.

Dillon wasn’t a real man. He was a nephilim. There wouldn’t be any strings attached. As soon as her name was cleared, he would leave. Sex without worrying about making a relationship work was exactly what she needed right now. Besides, he owed her.

[Proserpine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this well-crafted story filled with action, eroticism and especially paranormal elements! Where There's Heat is the third volume of the Good Girl series and although I have not had the chance to read the first two books, I immediately embark on the plot and I never had the impression of missing something. Aside from the fact that I really want to know Chance' story from Where There's Smoke (Good Girl Series # 1) and Ryder' story from Where There's A Will (Good Girl Series # 2), I loved the that Where There's Heat is really a stand-alone and does not reveal anything significant coming from the previous books.



Rain is quite my kind of female character, she's a very strong-minded woman and she likes to have control. That Dillon, the Nephilim, is attempting to elicit control over Rain; at least in sexual experiences when they have to team up to unmask the culprit of a bank robbery was kind of hilarious at first.

The couple Rain and Dillon is quite tumultuous and exhilarating. I must admit that Dillon has more than one trick up his sleeve to break Rain irrational wishes and those tricks are very sexy!

I loved the humorous aspect of this story, the author, Karen Kelley successes in mixing an interesting plot, humor and sex without falling into stereotypes and clichés.

I personally prefer when the male characters are the tortured and wounded by love style. When they got trust issues. Dillon does not really represent this kind of character, even if he has problems with his father, but I found them smooth compared to the rest of the situation. I got the impression that Dillon didn't really fought for what he wanted and that battle was returned to Rain who had already her hands filled up!

Where There's Heat was my first novel by the author Karen Kelley and I intend to read the first two volumes because Chance and Ryder seems fairly interesting characters!


Page Turner: Yes!

Series: Yes! (Good Girl Series # 3)

Stand Alone: Yes

Hotness: Dillon! Chance sounds too hot, this one goal in Dillon!

Proserpine Recommendation: I recommend this title to Paranormal Romance lovers and fans of steamy and fast-paced scenes! I was even surprised by some elements of the books (I have not included them in the review) that ensures to make this one stands out! Loved every aspect of paranormal from this book! Buy-Borrow-TBR-Pile and Next-To-Buy List!

[Renee Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed at a time when it was titled Where There's Smoke

I love Karen Kelley! This is the second book I have read of hers and I am really enjoying her work.

Where There's Heat is not only full of steamy, curl your toes sex scenes but it also has a hint of crime which I love. And it's not until the very end of the book that we learn of the culprit behind said crimes. You could call it, a guessing game until the end. I know I certainly didn't pick it until it was revealed.

I loved the chemistry between the characters. Whether that be good or bad chemistry, it was easy to identify and more importantly it was believable. There is nothing worse than reading a book that's has characters with no identifiable connection. You don't have to worry about that with Kelley and her books. She has this remarkable ability to create relationships between her characters that almost seem real and the intensity of these relationships is phenomenal. She definitely delivers this talent in Where There's Heat.

Steamy, intense and full of anticipation are all ways I can describe the storyline. It was so easy to read and just flowed. There really isn't much more you could want in a book. I highly recommend you add this to your TBR list.

[Kelly Moran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deputy Raine McCandless is busy keeping her dog-napping grandfather out of trouble and the family ranch from falling apart by day, and trying not to get bored working in her sleepy town by night. But when a sexy intruder claiming to be an angel warns her she's going to die, Raine starts to wonder if she's going off the deep end. Dillon Taylor isn't exactly an angel--he's a nephilim. He doesn't live by the same rules as angels or humans, but there is on rule he doesn't like to break: never get involved with mortals. But the old man's granddaughter is in trouble, and he finds himself breaking all kinds of rules to not only save her, but to have her.

This was a more erotic read than I was expecting, but by no means was I disappointed. Both main characters were lovable an real. The fantasy element of the book was interesting, especially the love scenes, which still has me teetering between "uh, okay" and "that was hot". The setting and secondary characters were perfect. The writing was smooth, the plot stable, and the conflict solid. My only quirk is after the bank-robbery was solved, the romantic conflict resolution felt rushed, including the "ah ha, I love him" moment. Recommended.

[Renee Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Karen Kelley! This is the second book I have read of hers and I am really enjoying her work.

Where There's Heat is not only full of steamy, curl your toes sex scenes but it also has a hint of crime which I love. And it's not until the very end of the book that we learn of the culprit behind said crimes. You could call it, a guessing game until the end. I know I certainly didn't pick it until it was revealed.

I loved the chemistry between the characters. Whether that be good or bad chemistry, it was easy to identify and more importantly it was believable. There is nothing worse than reading a book that's has characters with no identifiable connection. You don't have to worry about that with Kelley and her books. She has this remarkable ability to create relationships between her characters that almost seem real and the intensity of these relationships is phenomenal. She definitely delivers this talent in Where There's Heat.

Steamy, intense and full of anticipation are all ways I can describe the storyline. It was so easy to read and just flowed. There really isn't much more you could want in a book. I highly recommend you add this to your TBR list.

[Alpha Possessive Heroes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a bit hesitant to start this book as this was the third book in the series, but discovered this book can read as a standalone. This is my first read from Karen Kelley and i have to say, I'm fairly impressed!

Smoking Hot is a steamy fantasy read that I thoroughly enjoyed. It started a little slow for me but glad I didn't give up as it gotten better throughout the book. I didn't feel any deep connection with the story or characters but this book was entertaining and an easy read. Funny thing, I ended up having a hard time putting it down. :)

Both main characters have a strong personality. Raine is a strong woman who always wants to be in control and Dillon is a one sexy half angel dominant man. The humor in the story was surprisingly fun and sex scenes are steamy it was like icing on the cake! I recommend this to anyone who's looking for something easy to read with steamy and some mystery thrown in it!

I will definitely read more from this author and intended to read the first and second book of the series!

I received this book from Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

While i did enjoy this book, I felt it was missing the spark of the first two books, the ending was too easy the other two endings made sense, but this one just felt like it was way too easy. The book was also disapointingly short, i expected more from this one just didnt have the same appeal as the first two, hopefully Hunter will be better

[Ibrium]

The writing was just too staccato for me.

"His friend had an odd sense of humor. Dillon's gut feeling was right. He should've kept his distance."

Just when I'd start to think the story flow was improving, good ol' SVO would rear its head. Ultimately, the simplistic sentences kept me from engaging in the text. DNF.

[Deelylah Mullin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It feels like this book is part of a series, but even on the author's website it doesn't mention THIS title being part of a series. Amazon doesn't indicate it's part of a series, either. I feel like I'm missing something.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the old name of the book, its been rebranded, its now called Smoking Hot

[Srishti Ghosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was kind of little boring but still romantic fer Raine and Dillion.