Smolder

MetroGen Scandals #1

by Carina Alyce

I am the Boss. I am the Iceman . . . and she's setting me on fire.

Fire Chief Noah Baker has given up everything— friendships, relationships and love to earn his spot as the city’s youngest fire chief. If that makes him a cold, calculating grump, that’s the price he will pay to keep the city safe. He turned off his feelings to rebuild his department, and no-one will dare disrespect him in his own house.

Until the beautiful rookie with a smart mouth challenges his ice cold rule… in public. Erin Hudgens tests not only his patience but his control because every time she opens her gorgeous mouth he wants to shut it with his own. No one has ever made the Chief this hot and bothered, but she’s a complication he can’t afford.

He's gonna need a cold shower STAT before he has to call a five-alarm fire on himself because she just asked him out . . .


Author's warning: This hot grumpy boss romance mixes the drama and high-adrenaline of Chicago Fire with dirty scenes worthy of Fifty Shades. One-click for a scorching first responder romance with real heart-pounding fire, and medical scenes - written by a real-life ER doctor.

Genres: Contemporary, Romance

282 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 21, 2021

About the author

Need Grey's Anatomy + Chicago Fire + more heat written by a real doctor? Then you need some MetroGen STAT!

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Grumpy sunshine heat when good girl nurse is forced to room with the surliest deputy in a small town!


Carina Alyce is the pen name of the Amazon best-selling author and full-time triple board-certified physician who started writing dramatic medical romances after twenty years in the trenches of health care. She promises she never had sex in a call room – the mattresses are not comfortable – or had a fistfight with a patient – though she did work as a fight doc at the Octagon. Her MetroGen romances are sexy, snarky, and real with all the heat and drama of the lives of our first responders.


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She writes the MetroGen Downtown series that tackles the personal and professional challenges facing our front line providers. Her stories have the drama of Grey’s Anatomy, the comedy of Scrubs, the sexiness of Outlander, and the medical details of Forensic Files. They feature fast, witty dialogue, strong women with goals, and quirky ensemble casts because the hospital is full of smart weirdos who are willing to save your life.

When not working or writing, she is a brown belt in judo, an avid reader, and an attending surgeon in stuffed animal veterinary medicine for her six kids. (No one trusts her husband’s medical skills because he’s just a lawyer.) You can join her Prescriptions for Love Newsletter here!

Reviews

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book one in The Metrogen Downtown Forbidden Love Series and it is Erin and Noah's story and what a brilliant start to a new series. Erin and Noah first meet at a yoga class not knowing that they were going to meet each other again in a work capacity. Noah is the first chief and when he did a debrief that is when he saw Erin again and all he could think of is how beautiful she is and how.he nearly missed her when they got locked in a storage cupboard at there yoga chance. Erin is a foreigner and she was shocked when she walked into the room only to find out that the new fire chief was the man that she had the hots for and nearly missed but he didn't show that he had already met her. Erin and Noah's chemistry between them was so strong and instant and you could feel it sizzling of the pages of this book but with them butting heads all the time will they act on there chemistry or will they keep there distance because of working together. I absolutely loved this book with all its twists and turns along the way and I couldn't put it down as I wanted to see what would happen next between Erin and Noah. I really look forward to reading more books by Carina Alyce as this books was so well written and definitely worth reading.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noah and Erin's Story . . .

Erin Hudgens met hunky Fire Chief Noah Baker in a yoga class, although neither knew the other’s name or that they would be co-workers shortly. They had both volunteered to get water for the yoga students but the door closed and they were stuck inside. They were just about to kiss when someone rescued them from the closet.

Both Erin and Noah, although surprised to see each other at the firehouse debriefing, handled themselves professionally as expected. Erin has a bold personality and wasn't afraid to stand up for her team. Fraternization was frowned upon, but their strong attraction wore them down. However, for them being together, it seemed to work. Both held respect for each other and professionalism in doing their jobs. But will his role as chief undermine their relationship eventually? Can they make it work while still not compromising on the job?

The story was good and the characters very realistic. I think there was too much technical jargon (I also am a member of a fire department, so I understood it but thought it a bit too much for a love story). Regardless, I enjoyed Noah and Erin’s story.

[Hawkeye K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firehouse 15 is under investigations for an incident that went against standard protocol causing them to lose a fire engine and placing one of their own in a precarious situation. Erin Hudgens is a firefighter who cares greatly for the men and women of Firehouse 15 and when called in for questioning about the fire emergency discovers that the man she almost kissed from Yoga class is the new Fire Chief. Battalion Chief Noah Baker is promoted to Fire Chief of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County when the previous Fire Chief who was not up to the task leaves. With the help of Chief Leslie McClannis, the only woman Chief, he hopes to bring about change in many areas of the fire department especially more diversity. His problem, how to keep his feelings for Erin at bay. Their union would cause more problems than he needs in his life at this time, but what the heart wants may be a different matter. You get to watch two strong will people fight their desire for each other while fighting for what they believe in. Then see how they navigate the complex road to a relationship that they find themselves in while dealing with their personal views on how the departments and units should be run. There were details in this story that made it feel real even though having lived in the county at one time I knew this was a work of fiction but a nice shout out to Cleveland and the surrounding county.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ljay · Rating 3 out of 5]

***3 1/2***

It wasn't a sappy romance, but it was good/mature romance. I liked Erin and Noah. Their personalities didn't seem like they'd click beyond the physical, but it worked. Erin was a strong woman who wasn't afraid to stand up for herself and her team when things went sideways. Noah was a bit of a buttoned up, serious guy. Workplace relationships can be tricky, but I liked that they tried to handle it in a mature, realistic manner that worked for them. I really liked that Noah showed more of himself with Erin since he was so serious; and she with him. I think they came to understand each other, personally and professionally. He respected her mind and she respected his character.

There were lots of moving parts with other work relationships/personalities/situations that were interesting; and some serious things going on there with that. All the firefighter stuff with that.

It's a bit of a read, but I liked it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[CLorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is the first one I have read by this author. Erin meets hunky Fire Chief, Noah, in a yoga class. They flirt without knowing that they will soon be working together. Erin is a part of a low performing but diverse firehouse. The pair acknowledge that sparks are flying but know that fraternization could lose them their careers. However, the attraction is too hard to fight and they embark on a torrid affair. Will his job as chief and his decisions derail what could be a combustible love story? This book was very technical as it discusses firefighting protocol and issues. In addition, it was a great read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Yvonne Amarh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from Booksprout.
Erin is an excellent firefighter and while she was in yoga class to help her relax, she ran into a hot, sexy man in her class. Both Erin and the sexy man were asked to get some water for the class in a closet where they keep their water. The two were locked in the closet and nearly kissed when.the door was finally opened. When Erin returned to work the next day, she was surprised to see that, he sexy man was actually her new fire chief. Will these two try and forget what happened the day before, or will they try and pursue this and see where it leads them.

[Jerrica (Mrsmar10Reads) Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was Noah and Erin fighting attraction until they couldn’t fight anymore, and then it was literally full steam ahead. This book got really hot in more ways than one, I mean when Erin wasn't putting out fires...her and Noah were burning up sheets and available surfaces. The problem with the coupling is he’s the county’s fire chief and she’s a female, black firefighter on the rise. Her station house is also in trouble and there’s a lot going on. They are keeping their affair under wraps because he's her superior and she's really got a chance at a promotion, plus optics would look really bad as he's trying to get more women on the CFFD. The characters all have a story and getting a glimpse into their lives is intriguing. I wish we could get the conclusion to Noah and Erin’s story next and everything Ladder 15, but I’ll pout and just read Angela and Michael’s story.

[Pam Santel]

Totally Excellent!

Smolder by Carina Alyce was wonderful! A steamy romance about the inner working of firefighters in their station house, it gave me a glance about what they're up to in their daily work. I know it's not exactly like what goes on, but it gives the reader an overall perspective of what firefighters do during their work days! Everyone should read This book!

[Kathleen Bradbury (Bulfon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action packed, sexy, fun, engaging and emotional adventure filled with danger, suspense, and undeniable passion... an edge of your seat read from beginning to end and so hard to put down. Really enjoyed the characters I got to know on this journey.

[Niki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is best describe as a forbidden romance between Noah and Erin, he is her boss but that has not stopped him form wanting her. Erin has worked hard to get where she is a a firefighter, however her boss makes her want to break the rules.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon & on Apple iBooks today (1/7/2022)! 🎁

[Susan F. · Rating 1 out of 5]

So much wrong with this story and ebook. It looks like this is just a redo copy of the author's same book titled Ignition under a new name which seems like a way to try to money grab readers and all the poor reviews under that previous title I agree with and are still applicable here because it's the same book. This seems shady. I wouldn't be surprised if this is a book mill scam.

Clumsy writing. Awful, unlikeable heroine ("strong woman" does not have to equal nonstop abrasive and constantly in-your-face. The author is constantly banging you with the message that her heroine is really, really "powerful." As if the reader has to be hit over the head with it and is too stupid to get it. So many strong heroine books get it right and don't need to do this.

Also obviously ripping off a popular "medical drama TV show" to the point of where I would not be surprised if it used to be about the TV show. I am also not great at grammar but saw so many errors in this book, which makes me think the book mill thing.

What a shame I was really hoping this was something new and exciting, but after some looking into the rest of the books I would not be surprised that the others are rehashes or tv show copies.

[Coffee Chat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It's a good storyline that is well written. The characters are captivating and well developed. The story is intriguing and will keep your interest until the very end.

[Carina Alyce]

Smolder: A Steamy Forbidden Boss Firefighter Romance (MetroGen Forbidden Love Duets #3

Kissing her fire chief boss was the BEST BAD idea ever.

Firefighter Erin Hudgens was ten seconds from living out her 'trapped in a supply closet with a hot guy who would perform acts of unspeakable pleasure to her willing body.'


Oh, no, that sexy guy is her no-nonsense fire chief, Noah Baker, who just put her firehouse on probation. Kissable as he may be, he’s not in play and is treating her with kid gloves, lest they succumb to temptation and take their mutual attraction further . . . even if it's spontaneous combustion hot.

But after one kiss, the gloves and the clothes come OFF . . .

WARNING: This steamy romance starts out as slow burn and may lead to actual smoldering when you get hot and bothered after it ends in a HFA since the sexiness continues to a second book. You should only read if you wish Grey's Anatomy and Chicago Fire featured a shirtless fire chief who can paralyze you with the power of his eyes . . . and abs.

*****Start the steamy series for FREE!*****




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*****Keep reading for a sneak peek!*****

Erin was waiting outside of his SUV with a large cake box. She wore skinny jeans and a bright yellow shirt. The biggest change was her hair though. She had completely freed it, allowing it to spread out in all of its curly, ebony glory. Every other time, it had always been restrained, from the messy bun to the tight braids of work.

Except they weren't going to be at work anymore.

They were leaving Kansas en route to Oz.

She bit her lip nervously. “So, are we still on for coffee and cake? Or coffee?”

“Coffee,” Noah agreed. “Panera's next door.”

“Could we not pick there? Because if we happened to grab coffee at the same time, it shouldn't be right across from the firehouse.”

She had quite the point. “You want to find a Starbucks?”

“Or you could drive me home first. I walked, and Kevin never wants to see this cake again. So it's all mine.” She hefted the box jovially.

“Okay,” he found himself agreeing to drive her home in his official vehicle.

Not a problem. He was giving another firefighter a ride home.

She situated herself in the passenger seat, setting the cake box between them on the center console, which contained his radio and GPS.

“Where to?” he asked, starting the engine.

“Doctor Row,” she answered. “I have a one-bedroom there, six blocks from the firehouse and keeps me from being late. You don't like late.”

“Not so much.” He shifted into gear.

He didn’t remember six blocks taking this long.

Should he say something? He ought to compliment her outfit or hair.

“So maybe we should think about coffee and cake at the North Star,” she said. “I don't think anyone we know would be there. At least one of them is calling Charlie, and I think Luna is somewhere with Elias. Drew doesn't work at the North Star.”

“It's only coffee,” he said. He’d finally made a move, and she almost sounded like she was trying to talk him out of it.

“Yeah, it's coffee. Nothing committed. I’m overthinking.” She started twisting a lock of hair in her hands. “Sorry, when I get nervous or flustered, I start talking, and I don't stop talking, and you've totally noticed that because you've been around me a couple of times now, and I can't stop. Tell me to stop. If you don't tell me to stop, I won't stop talking, and it will go on and on and on—”

“I told you, it’s refreshing,” He tried to control his own emotions. Somehow, this gorgeous girl was nervous around him, when her siren song drew him to her unerringly.

“You know… I have a coffee machine in my house. And we have a cake right here,” she suggested.

He almost drove off the road.

Had she proposed skipping all the preliminaries and getting right to the physical?

“Too much? I said too much. I take it back. North Star is a good idea.”

Noah placed his hand on hers. The tiny brush of his fingers on her warm hand froze her words. “Your place is fine, Erin.”

She inhaled deeply at the sound of her name on his lips. “Okay. My place.”

He drove behind an end row-house on Doctor Row.

She manually opened up the garage door, and he pulled inside the empty garage. “Where's your car?” Noah asked, turning off the GPS. He wasn’t on duty, and he didn’t want a curious soul at HQ to decide to track him. They could call him if they needed him.

“Around.” She hefted the cake box.

“Do you own a car?”

“Yes, I own a car. It's at Theo's.” She headed to the door.

“Why there?” He was the nervous one now. He’d entered her personal space, the most uncharted territory of his career.

“Because we carpooled to the leadership training, and I didn’t bother to get it back. Is this Twenty Questions about my environmental conscious transportation options, or should you be excited there was a place to put the Chief’s Car?” she asked, getting to the point.

“I shouldn't be looking a gift horse in the mouth.” His eyes traveled down her body, allowing his admiration to be evident for her. She was tall, but not too tall, slim, and muscular.

“Not when you should be doing other things with that mouth.” She popped her head on his shoulder and whispered, “I bet B-shift would notice if the Chief Car stayed at 15. You didn’t ask to park outside.”

“Your neighbors might wonder,” Noah mumbled, trying to refrain from pinning her to the wall in her garage.

“I doubt it. My doctor-neighbor, Angela Some-thing-or-other, is a resident or fellow hermit. When I see her, she’s sleepwalking her dog. Theo might drive by though, and he would notice.” Erin handed him the cake box while she unlocked the door. Practically dancing, she winked at him over the box. “So, coffee inside. And cake?”

Given that question, she offered him one last chance to back out. A good honorable man should have been a gentleman, given her the cake box, and walked away.

He wasn't going to be that good, honorable man today. “Coffee sounds good.”

“Then come in.”

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Smolder: A Steamy Forbidden Boss Firefighter Romance

[Alexandria Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of Firefighting

*****Spoilers*****

This book was different and because of that difference, it took me longer to appreciate it. It's very heavily inclusive of details in the life of a firefighter in a way I wasn't expecting and was at first frustrated with. It wasn't until about 30% of the way through the book that the other pieces were more prevalent giving the story between Noah and Erin. They meet at a yoga studio and almost kiss before going their separate ways. Turns out, Noah is the new fire Chief over several fire stations and Erin's superior which also means anything they might have is off limits. Noah being straight-laced and big on following the rules, resists Erin for some time. Erin by contrast is willing to overlook those rules for what she wants and that's Noah. After he rebuffs Erin multiple times, Erin gives up but Noah picks up the slack where she left off and they start something. In between their incredibly busy lives, Noah and Erin manage to see one another outside of work and on the low infrequently but it's enough to where they eventually make things secretly official. There's a breakup and get back together part but it was easy to mend as portrayed in the book though their relationship issues are far from resolved by the end of this one. Looks like there's at least another in the series but I find that I'm okay with the idea that Noah and Erin eventually figure it out so I'm not curious for the next.

Although I felt at times like I could spew firefighter facts like a pro after reading, those details as well as the various relationships between the firefighters felt genuine. I'm no expert on what that life is like but it was well done in that way. I did wonder though at the calamitous nature of the accidents that happened at station 13, one person after another going down until the station was so short staffed it had to be temporarily shut down.

[Ashley Silva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire…But this…

I don’t necessarily love reading in third person but I still tolerate it. Thought this would be different but it read just like a TV show’s first 1-2 seasons. I just didn’t feel the heat in this book. It felt like it followed too many characters and sometimes it took a few paragraphs to realize who I was reading about (sometimes it wasn’t even the main characters but looking in at a side character). I can tell a lot of research went into it but it also felt too technical, explaining in great detail training exercises that probably could have been left out. There were a ton of grammatical errors and misspelled words, even down to the characters’ names, as though it wasn’t proofread/edited. I typically stop reading a book if there are too many errors but felt I should try to finish it. The opening promised a steamy romance but this felt very lacking.
**Possible spoilers ahead for the spicy or HEA readers**
It was 90% complete before the characters even kissed. If you’re looking for something spicy, this first story isn’t it. This particular story doesn’t end on a cliffhanger but it does in a way (if that makes sense). You’d have to keep reading the other books to find out how the relationship really plays out since they barely got together at the end.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good read, interesting insight into the life of a fire fighter and the protocols they have to learn and adhere too. I did have to re-read the first two to three chapters over again to understand and remember all the different characters who were introduced very quickly at the beginning. Enjoyed the slow burn and conflict between the main characters even through the story actually involved more than one couple. Noah and Erin are both very likeable characters and I particularly enjoyed the team building exercise they participated in. The story was well detailed but I did find a number of typos which was sad, as the author is clearly a very talented writer. I would like to read more in this series.
I received a free copy of this book.

[Christine Biesheuvel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome and hot!
The love affair between Noah and Erin spins on through four books, this is the first one. Even though Noah appears more or less through many of the other books, we really get to know him as a person and as the Fire Chief. What a wonderful character! Married to his job, with long term visions how the Fire Department should look like and knowing how to play the political game to get there.
Comes in a tornado of a woman, who throws it all in chaos. Attraction is not to be denied.
I really, really loved these books about this couple. Chemistry is off the charts and it made me smile and grin and laugh. Highly recommended. <3

[Janice Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Smolder

This is a good read about n the complicated and secret relationship between a tier chief and one of his female firefighters. The flow between them was Smooth, it shows the complications of sleeping with you boss. Although he was not her immediate supervisor there are always things to consider when sleeping with your boss or a subordinate. Chief Baker had some plans to revamp the card and line up some allies in his corner to help with the transition.This is my first book by this author but you can best believe I will be reading more from her.

[Mari-Liis Luukas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smoldering

Like the title says, the novel smolders, not that high heat you'd catch fire unexpectedly. I liked that the story takes place over months, as it makes sense when the relationship is between fire chief and one of his firefighters, not easy to indulge. This is more about the other plot and less about romance, so their relationship is pictured in next novels. While the writing was better than average, the tempo was quite slow, so I'm not entirely hooked in continuing to read the next one in the series.

[Andi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couldn't Put it down

I must admit that it took me a chapter to really get into this book as it felt like a guide to firefighting. But, as I continued to read... WOW I couldn't put this book down. Great development of characters, great storyline and romance. Love how Noah & Erin's sexual chemistry develops into love. The ending felt like a cliffhanger, but I guess its to be continued in the next book.

[Tatetwo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book because I just love a good firefighter romance. From page 1 to 31, the word "yoga" was repeated 17 times. That much usage of one word makes my eyes glaze over and wish I could read descriptions that weren't quite so repetitive. Too many firefighting terms and too many characters to try to keep them all straight made me skip through so much I might as well have put the book down. Parts of the book reads like a technical manual and was very dry.

[Barbara Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was different. Much more of a slow burn 🔥.
The focus of the fire department drama and even the protocols was actually interesting. Because I use speechify it was sometimes difficult to tell who was carrying the dialogue and I would have to backtrack because I would get confused about who was talking. There were a lot of things I liked about both main characters especially Erin, who was hilarious.

Firehouse Romance 🚒
spicy 🥵
Slow burn 🔥
Age gap
Workplace Romance

[Anita Salonger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this novel for my true and honest opinion. The first 60% was soooo boring. To much description of the fire department and how it is run. The last 40% was wonderful. I really enjoyed reading the last part. If I had not promised to review I probably would have stopped reading the book.

[Marie Vayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

good story but way to slow

I enjoyed the over all story line, made it to 50% then started skipping pages. So slow and dry. Read a chapter here and there but skipped more. Even at the end.. this book was left open and hanging but the next book was started…. Wont be reading the rest of the series. Thankfully it’s KU

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where there's smoke, there's fire...

This was my first time reading this author. I was not disappointed. I enjoyed the realism and details of the story. Carina takes her time to develop her characters and they "Smoldered". An enjoyable read, that I recommend to hopeless romantics.

[Susan Murray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Smolder

This book was a lot of fun in parts as the fire fighters played pranks on their new captain. The combined Police and Firefighters scenario was laugh out loud.
While they do get together at the end it was still a bit of a cliffhanger.
Not sure if it was good enough to need to read the next one.

[M.O. Kenyan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't like he in the end.

[Angel Graham · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was good, but honestly far too long.

The ending isn't a cliffhanger, exactly, but very close to one.

[Deanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Took me until chapter 16 to really understand this book, I did not care for the slow pace, the lack of information this far into a story.