Burns So Bad

When SEALs Come Home #1

by Anne Marsh

Alternate cover edition - ASIN B00HCTPONK.

ONE JUMP PUTS IT ALL ON THE LINE…
Former SEAL Rio Donovan is one hundred percent pure, sensual trouble. Home from the front lines, he has a new mission: fighting fire as a smoke jumper. He won't back down from the flames or a dare and he loves putting it all on the line when he parachutes into the heart of a wildland fire. When the fire camp gets a much-needed new player, however, Rio lands in uncharted territory. The jump team’s newest member is sexy, strong—and female. She’s supposed to be just one of the boys, but Rio burns to claim her one heated kiss at a time. This jump, Rio Donovan’s putting it all on the line. Body and heart.

INTO THE FIRE… AND INTO LOVE
Kissing a fellow smoke jumper would be career suicide and Gia Jackson has worked too hard and too long to earn her spot on the jump team to jeopardize it all now for a man. The love-em-and-leave-em boys of summer aren’t her type and she’s hiding a few secrets of her own, but, when her chute tangles with Rio’s on a jump, he’s thrown into her arms. Literally. She’s held firm on the fireline for years—but can she hold the line now against Rio’s seductive charm?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Military Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Ebooks, Romantic Suspense, Firefighters

252 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 16, 2013

About the author

Anne Marsh is a sucker for a grumpy hero who falls hard, a sunshine heroine who won't back down, and small towns where everyone knows your business (but shows up with casseroles anyway).

A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with 30+ romance novels, Anne writes contemporary and paranormal stories full of banter, steam, heroines navigating real challenges (chronic illness, anxiety, all the messy parts of being human), and happily-ever-afters you can believe in.

Perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood, Talia Hibbert, and Olivia Dade.

Anne lives in rural North Carolina with rescue cats who barely tolerate her and neighbors who are real-life heroes—fixing cars, hauling mulch, pulling you out of ditches without even being asked. Her books are love letters to small-town kindness and big-hearted romance.

COMING SOON: Hot for Preacher (Harlequin Afterglow) - February 24, 2026
Grumpy preacher. Sunshine country singer living with rheumatoid arthritis. Second chances. Small-town meddling. So. Much. Heat.

Newsletter: https://anne-marsh.com/newsletter/ (join for bonus scenes, early covers, and book news)

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TikTok: Coming soon!

Reviews

[Catherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book made my head spin, and not in a good way. WAY too much going on all at once, and nothing is expanded on or even really finished.

For example, Gia's medical condition which she actively concealed from her employer and jump partner. Rio is (quite rightfully ) pissed about this for about two minutes ("Put yourself at risk!" "Put US ALL at risk!" "In the middle of a fire is a bad place to need your medication, idiot!") and then HE DROPS IT and it's all sexy-times, baby. And it's never brought up again. Umm. What? So, I guess Gia's irresponsibility to the point of negligence is just fine now? OK, then.

Oh, and the medical thing is just one piece of this messy plot. Smoke jumping drama! Sex! V-card! Drug growers! Former SEAL back story (never fully explained, but then again, nothing is, so just roll with it)! Gia being targetted by said drug grower baddies! Some talk of the hero's 'dominance' in the bedroom (strong hints of BDSM proclivities, but nothing to reflect this alpha-male sex god thing in the love scenes, so why even bring it up?)! Car crash! Unplanned pregnancy! Tragic childhood for the hero (no details... boo for you if you want some)! All this happens in a week!

Truly, it just feels like the author threw a whole bunch of hot button romance themes at a wall and prayed to Christ that something would stick. Big, big mistake, as what she delivered was a messy, half-baked lump of blah. Shame, as I think the woman can actually write.

Marsh should either have dropped 3 of the above mentioned themes ( I refuse to call them story lines, they were barely plot points), OR expanded the book by a good 120 pages and explored them all fully, and allowed for them to develop naturally and over time.

[Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the read, but there were some areas that could have been improved upon. Catherine pretty much mentions all of these in her review so I won't go into too much depth, but these basically consisted of:

- hints about MC being into kink which was never actually shown
- the girl that tames the bad boy - and in, what, a couple of weeks? Massive cliche.
- some vague hints about MC being troubled - which would make sense given his background but didn't actually tie in with his character and felt like they were just tossed in for some obligatory angst
- the chase and dramatic rescue used as an excuse to trigger declarations of eternal love
- Gia putting other people's lives at risk. I mean... I understand. I get that she wanted to live her life regardless of any disabilities or whatever. But still, I felt like not enough was made of the fact that she was potentially putting other people in danger.
- And, the biggest issue of all: the accidental pregnancy. Like anyone who has ever tried to conceive - not to mention anyone who knows anything about biology plus quite a few other people besides - will quite likely tell you, getting pregnant even when everything is at exactly the right timing is not often that easy. Sure, it can happen... but when the man didn't even come? The odds are pretty small. It's not like omg sperm within ten feet of a woman = insta-baby. Especially as, to be indelicate, there was minimal sperm involved.

Even less likely that a pregnancy test will show positive so early or that a woman can "just know" or "feel a twinge" or whatever. To crack out a tiny bit of A-level bio here (sorry, but it aggravates me when these things are incorrect!) implantation doesn't even occur until 6-12 days after conception (mostly about 8) and until that point you are not pregnant. So... all this knowing and picking up library books on pregnancy and crap is just... stupid. It's too early.
- Now I've got that little rant off my chest, let's end with yet another cliche romance novel ending: they get married at the end! Even though as the bump is barely showing, it's clearly been, what, max about 4 months. Ridiculous.

But don't take this to say that the novel is terrible. It isn't. I had some quibbles, but overall I enjoyed it. For once we had a male MC who wasn't irritating or a waste of space and a female MC who had a brain and a personality and drive... and was basically just awesome. That made it worth the read regardless of any issues.

Marsh could do with tidying up her storylines but her writing itself is decent and she's not without promise.

[Kimme · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well.

This is not the series for me. Too sticky sweet. The lead characters bore me. The story is not what I prefer.

[Dasha · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 estrellas

He tenido que leerlo por encima para recordarlo. Ella virgen a los 24, él muy experimentado. Lo mismo de siempre. Aún así llamó lo suficiente mi atención como para que siguiera leyendo la saga.

[Jo-Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about Rio Donovan and Gia Jackson who are smoke jumpers. Rio is a former SEAL who owns Donovan Brothers smoke jumping business along with his two brothers. Gia is Rio's jump partner. She is a Grad student who is spending the summer fighting fires as a smoke jumper. They have very dangerous but exciting jobs which they both love.

The main characters in this novel are just fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them.

Gia is the only female smoke jumper at Donovans and is treated like one of the guys. She likes it that way because she is a very strong woman who is determined to handle everything on her own and never ask for help.

Rio is now a smoke jumper who had a very rough childhood. Lucky for him he and two other boys were taken in by Nonna who raised them right. Rio was a highly trained SEAL who worked undercover in third world countries, finding and eliminating drug grow ops.

I felt sorry for Gia and Rio because they are attracted to each other but feel they can't do anything about the attraction since they are jump partners and Rio is technically Gia's boss.

What a captivating tale. Ann paints her world before the eyes of her audience. She brings this entire story to life in a 3D manner that allows you entrance into its deepest, darkest points. This was fascinating but so realistically written that it was scary at times.

I highly recommend this exciting story.

[Cheryl Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start off by saying WOW! This is the first time I've read about smoke jumpers and Anne Marsh made it memorable for me. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and had a difficult time putting it down. Rio Donovan is delicious! I could not have imagined a better match for Rio than Gia Jackson. The chemistry between them was off the charts! The smoke jumping was exhilarating! The
adrenaline rush from the excitement and danger was amazing. Pair all that with a great story line and you get an awesome 5-Star review from this very happy reader. I can't wait to read more about these amazing, sexy smoke jumpers! Thank you Anne Marsh for introducing me to a whole other kind of man in a uniform. Awesome!

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fitting book for the third of the Donovan brothers. All three of the Smoke Jumpers books were good. However, this third volume had some serious issues with proof reading that took me out of the story a bit. There were many misses on words such as created a road when they actually crested a road and changing tenses in the same sentence. It seemed to get worse toward the last third of the book. I got distracted when this didn't happen in the first two books. I loved the stories, though, and will be getting the rest of the series as well as the Hot Shots. I give this a 4 for the story but 2.5 to 3 for the proof reading/editing.

[Angela]

24 December 2014: $0.00 FREE on Kindle

[Shim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good book well written.
but it left too many unanswered questions...I felt too many things issues were left half way.... The drug gang? her health? her family? his troubled past? ...

[Avidchic reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

oh my goodness,Riley Edwards you are a superstar this is one of your best books yet I absolutely loved Vivi and chasins story.
you managed to catch depths and pain in what I think a superstar would experience. I know there are a lot of celebrities that just roll with the cash and the notoriety but I also know there are a lot of grounded humble famous people out there and it was good to see your take on one of those types.
Genevieve started off much like silver and Macy and I thought oh no we're going to get another stubborn heroine but it was just a matter of breaking through some walls that were different to Silver's and different to Macy's.
the overall tone to this romance was a little different too and it was nice to have an alternative take on a relationship.
as for the narrator's.... what can you say about perfection . Joe Arden is his awesome self as usual and Erin mallon you, you wonderful person are so fast becoming my favourite narrator I absolutely enjoy listening to your voice when you sang, it surprised me as it was the first time that I've actually heard you sing in a novel.
as for Riley you're absolutely fabulous you're right up there with Susan Stoker and kris Michaels... I just love all your books that are on audible I just wish the next generation would come to audible in a hurry and of course I'm looking forward to and Jonnys story.
I expect Holden is going to be a tricky character to write as he is carrying on an eight-year heartache and that is not going to be an easy fix so in saying that I think the heroine is going to be one feisty lady.
so excited can't wait.
I'm also hoping audible brings another of your series to the table..." the next generation " so looking forward to listening to that series and their alphas andbheroines.
thank you for a great great story.....

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gia Jackson is a smoke jumper and she's fought hard to make it there. She's not going to let her attraction to Rio Donovan mess up her standing with the team. But their chemistry ignites whenever they are close.

Unbelievable parts: 1. Rio is a former SEAL who quit to become a smokejumper. No reason given. 2. Gia has a heart arrhythmia, is still a smokejumper and has told no one. Don't they have to do physicals? 3. Smokejumpers as private contractors. The Donovan brothers own the company that Gia works for... not the U.S. Forrest Service. 4. The romance itself, was all keep away, keep away, come here, come here.

[Will Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the entire concept of this story, but there are a lot of errors that needed overlooking. Being intimately familiar with the Forest Service and fire contractors, I found myself rolling my eyes a lot. Yet, the love scenes were well choreographed, the characters with all their flaws were believable, and the terrain vividly painted. The ending however, was cheesy cliche.

[Janet D. Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Burns So Bad

Bad boy Rio and handful Gia were perfect for each other . Both Smoke Jumpers in the same team. Rio owner\boss and Gia employee both knew neither could cross the line or could they? Gia was a handful that Rio never expected and one he didn't want to let go and that surprised him.

I enjoyed the book a few editors errors but overall it was good.

[Anima · Rating 3 out of 5]

The suspense was there and the chemistry between our characters was sparking. However, the cover has been redone many times but it needs major editing work. Missed words, added words and the story didn’t flow easily.

[Teresa Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the storyline and I loved the characters. I love reading this type of book.

[Lilia Graham · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was one of the books that you want to drop after reading the first chapter. I have finished the book - it didn't get any better.

[Raine · Rating 2 out of 5]

So much potential

Lots of continuity errors, potentially great story but just too many large editorial errors with organization, little to no research done on the topics

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good writer, good story, good narrator. Just not a lot of depth.

[Elly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I likes Rio but i spent most of the book wanting to change gia's personality.

[Oshrit]

dnf 49%

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Missed the first 2, but this was good.

[Debra Johnson]

Purch Amazon Feb 20, 2018

[Merilyn F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these books about fire jumpers. Well written and holds your attention throughout

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I. Have. No. Words.

The style of this book was extremely reminiscent of Fifty Shades. It wasn't as bad. In a way it wasn't as good because I wasn't laughing as hard.

I have no one to blame but myself for the time I wasted reading this. I knew it was probably self published (seeing as it was a free download). I knew there would probably be some typos, bad grammar, etc. Things I can forgive in a self-published book.

But for the life of me I don't know why I keep hoping these free romance novels I download will be better than they are. I read mostly two genres of books- horror/paranormal and romance. It's not on my good reads list but I've read the vast majority of Laurell K. Hamilton's work. I'm not holding her up as a shining example of what a novel should look like- I have issues with some aspects of her work too. (Seriously- I love 90% of Anita Blake's world but the huge orgies every other chapter have got to stop.)

Yet I go on downloading these free e-books and suffering through them because I'm holding out hope that someone will prove me wrong.

Okay- on to the book. Rio wasn't a bad character and he was pretty lovable in a puppy dog kind of way. He was a little over the top. An ex- SEAL, firefighting, parachuting "bad boy". I use the term bad boy loosely because Rio never does anything to show he is one. The second chapter in the book has Rio line dancing in a bar that seems to have a country style and because the author had failed to really describe how he looks all I could picture was a six foot tall, shaved head under a ten gallon hat, in tight, faded jeans topped off with a giant belt buckle and button down shirt. That image didn't go away for a LONG time.

Gia- I liked her sometimes and hated her at others. I started out liking her. Then she had to tell campfire stories and made up some story about how she moonlighted as a stripper. This is in front of a bunch of men. Two paragraphs prior to this the author was saying Gia is trying to earn the respect of said men and be treated like one of the boys. My train of thought is- making up a story about being a stripper isn't at all how I gain the respect of men. Later in the book Gia experiences like 50 pages of demanding that Rio stop giving her orders. Even though she took orders fine in the beginning of the book. This didn't make sense to me and was annoying to read.

The author often references how extraordinary the love is between Rio's brothers and their fiancées. I kept thinking this was some plugged reference to other books she wrote (which I also would have been okay with- kind of helps to build the world they live in). However, I tried to find them as subjects of other books and didn't find any mention of Jack or Evan so it just felt odd and out of place.

At one point the mother, Nonna/Mary Ellen, refers to Rio as sensual and Alpha, and a few other off color sexy type descriptors. It just felt so wrong.

The story is told from multiple view points in third person, but it often felt like it was flip flopping between paragraphs. Which made it very confusing to read. This confusion is laid over other confusions. One chapter ends with Rio jerking off to the scent of Gia in his bed, the next they are in a high speed car chase in different cars. It never even explains why they were in the car or where they were going or why a bunch of smoke jumpers are packing heat. Isn't Gia supposed to be resting her ankle? Why is she in a car with Joey and not Rio? Why is the DEA following them? Was this a set up to bait out the drug growers? I still don't fucking know. I re-read it several times.

Then there is the whole completely unbelievable pregnancy. The completely unbelievable "I love you" after the couple's first date (I guess it's okay because you know they'd already slept together all of twice).

The nail in the coffin though, was when a 4 months pregnant Gia jumps out of a plane with her doctor's blessing....

I just don't believe it. I don't care how much of an expert you are. This is just.... No.

There's several other plot points that bothered me, but I won't keep naming them. I do think there is a good book to be made here which is why I gave it 2 stars instead of one, but it needs several beta-readers and the proverbial red pen first.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Info
Paperback, 300 pages
Published December 24th 2013 by Anne Marsh (first published December 16th 2013)
ISBN 0991097416 (ISBN13: 9780991097418)
edition languageEnglish
series Smoke Jumpers #3
other editions (1)
Source:PB copy from Author

Book Buy Links
AMAZON
B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS

ONE JUMP PUTS IT ALL ON THE LINE…
Summer is heating up in Strong, California. The jump team’s bad boy, Rio Donovan is one hundred percent pure, sensual trouble. He never backs down from a fire or a dare and he loves putting it all on the line when he parachutes into the heart of the fire. When the fire camp gets a much-needed new player, however, Rio lands in uncharted territory. The jump team’s newest member is sexy, strong—and female. She’s supposed to be just one of the boys, but Rio burns to claim her one heated kiss at a time. This jump, Rio Donovan’s putting it all on the line. Body and heart.

INTO THE FIRE… AND INTO LOVE
Kissing a fellow smoke jumper would be career suicide and Gia Jackson has worked too hard and too long to earn her spot on Strong’s jump team to jeopardize it all now for a man. The love-em-and-leave-em boys of summer aren’t her type and she’s hiding a few secrets of her own, but, when her chute tangles with Rio’s on a jump, he’s thrown into her arms. Literally. She’s held firm on the fireline for years—but can she hold the line now against Rio’s seductive charm?

My Thoughts

Evan, Jack and Rio Donovan are brothers by choice and each one of these alpha male adrenaline junkies lead life to the fullest. Currently as the owners and driving force behind a top team of Smoke Jumpers these bad boy firefighters live in Strong California and let us just say that life never gets boring for these three whether it be while out at the fire camp training, jumping from the belly of a plane into the landing zone of a wildfire or hanging out at the local bar unwinding with friends.

Rio has long had the reputation of love-em and leave-em but much to his surprise that all changes once he finds out just how hot Gia Jackson makes him burn, both in bed and out!

Gia Jackson is a new member of the Donovan jump team, her aim in life is to live it to the fullest as for years her secret medical condition has made her very aware that living safely is not very fulfilling to her.

Starting out with the jump team being deployed to a wildfire and having Rio end up being saved by Gia when his parachute fails to open will start your heart pumping and as the story progresses the adrenaline really never subsides as we follow the pair from adventure to adventure.

Rio's tale upped the stakes and changed the game, brothers by choice not by blood but Evan Jack and Rio are bonded in ways that make them a family force to be proud of. Strong California once again was an action packed place to visit, especially now that Gia has made an honest man out of playboy Rio.

As with each of the books featuring the heroic firefighter characters that Anne Marsh so lovingly creates for us my admiration and respect for the work that they do increases, as does my enjoyment with each new romantic pairing!

Looking forward to more in the series !

[PB copy from Author in exchange for honest review]

[Margreet Asselbergs · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://ripeforreader.blogspot.com/201...



My Rating: 4.5 of 5 ⭐️

Smoke jumper on the Donovan Brother's jump Team, Rio Donovan has a reputation of a love them and leave them kinda guy. His two brothers already solidly committed in loving relationships, Rio couldn't see himself going down that risky path. Normally one to face any challenge, give him a raging forest fire and he would be front of the line to jump out of the plane, anything long term when it comes to relationships seemed too much of a hassle. That is, until his new jump partner showed up earlier in the summer.

Her second summer jumping, but first time with the Jordan Brother's team, Gia Jackson put her heart and soul in her work. She was determined not to let the fact she was female distract from the fact that she could perform as well as any other guy out there and despite her family's concerns about her health, she was managing just fine. If only she could stop herself from being too distracted by her boss and jump partner. But when she ends up with Rio in her arms on one jump that almost goes horribly wrong, all bets are off.

Celebrating the successful conclusion of what could have been a disastrous call, Gia and Rio find themselves high on life and a bit of alcohol, kissing outside Gia's door. One taste turns out to be not enough for either, and despite concerns around mixing professional and personal involvement, keeping their hands off each other turns out to be impossible.

When during a jump, Rio and Gia are first down, trying to get out of the way of the fire, they bump into some illegal activities on the mountain, they are now not only chased by the fire, but by criminals as well. Their precarious situation as well as the discovery of a secret Gia had kept to herself, has brought out every protective instinct Rio possesses. He will do everything to keep what is his safe....

******

A smoking hot jumper and a kick-ass heroine!!!!

Anne Marsh knows what she is doing!! Another excellent novel, opening with a great first chapter, already high on the thrill scale, to pull you right into the story and the personalities of the characters.

This is the third book in the Smoke Jumpers Series, but can be read as a standalone novel. Of course it is always helpful if you have had a chance to read the previous books, simply because some if not all of the characters re-appear. You will, however, not miss any significant details of this story should you have missed them.

With a less than perfect childhood lived on the streets, and working special ops for Uncle Sam, Rio is by no means a choirboy, but he is a decent man at the core. Loyal to his foster mother and his brothers and a with sense of responsibility a mile long, gives everything his full 100%. He never expected himself to fall hard like his brothers had, but when he did, he did so with everything he had.

A little more hesitant in her approach, Gia prefers to keep some emotional distance. She already has her family all up in her business and had to remove herself from them in order to make her own decisions in life. Her condition also brings with it some insecurity and so control, any control, she will hang onto. But hanging onto your heart to avoid someone else maybe breaking it, only lasts so long.

Fantastic balance between suspense and hot romance, keeping you on the edge of your seat for more than just one reason! Luscious, sexy chemistry between a strong, highly capable but cautious heroine and a fierce, protective and territorial hero.

✨A fiery, enticing and potent story of circling the fires.✨

**ARC provided in return for an honest review.**

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Star Rating

This book is listed on Amazon as Book 1 in the "When SEALs Come Home Series." However, it is listed as Book 3 on Goodreads in the "Smoke Jumpers Series." After doing a little research, it appears that Goodreads is correct. Not to mention, as I was reading this story, it became obvious that the brother's stories has already been told. It didn't cause any problems in understanding this story, I just like to read my books in order if they're part of a series. That being said...

Rio Donovan is a member of a fire fighting jump team. Up until recently, it was an all male team. Rio's new partner Gia Jackson is definitely all female. Rio knows that she should stay in the hands off category, but he finds himself more and more obsessed with her. Gia loves the jump team and knows that in order for everyone to take her seriously, she cannot act on the feelings she has towards Rio. Besides, from what she's heard, he's not the type to settle down.

During a jump, Rio's chute malfunctions and Gia is able to swing towards him so he can grab on to her and safely make it to the ground. Both are shaken by the incident, but both are finding it harder to resist the other. After a night of celebrating, Rio drives a slightly drunk Gia home and they share a heated kiss where Rio makes his intentions known. They finally give in to the temptation, only Gia wants to keep it a secret - even though it's obvious to everyone that Rio has feelings for her. When the two get stuck in the middle a windy wildfire, they'll have to walk to safety. Gia gets hurt, they run into some drug growers and they have a little accident with a condom. Things just aren’t going their way.

I loved Rio's character. He had just the right amount of macho protectiveness and sweetness mixed in. He had a difficult youth, so loving someone is not something Rio does easily. He obviously cares a lot for Gia, but she constantly pushes him away. Pushes him to the point that it gets very annoying. And if she's not pushing, she's fighting him. She's so busy trying to prove that she can do stuff because she's a female, that she often misses when someone is only trying to help her or is making a suggestion that actually make sense. I struggled with my feelings towards her and found her difficult to like as a leading lady.

Overall, the book was good. We get both Rio’s and Gia’s POVs and the ending is a happy one. I’ll probably go back and read books 1 and 2, since I liked both Jack and Evan.

[BBMoreB ~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Burns So Bad (Smoke Jumpers #3), author Anne Marsh parachutes readers directly into the middle of the action. This fast pace tale never ran out of fuel. The simultaneous ignition of romance and suspense 19542263made the prefect flashover.

Rio Donovan is known around Strong, California for his playboy ways. He lives for the adrenaline rush his next jump will bring. He is completely satisfied with his life…well may be it has been too long since he last got laid – considering his sudden attraction to his new jump partner, Gia. He knows that she is off-limits but, he also never backs away from what he wants.

Gia Jackson is the first female smoker jumper to work for Donovan Brothers. Her family thinks she is incapable of enduring the daily rigorous tasks associated with her job. Gia is determined to prove her family wrong; she is here to do a job and she will not stand-down.

However, the risk of firefighting just got more treacherous – it seems that Rio has set his sights on her. She is unwilling to jeopardize the respect of her teammates, even for a tumble in the sheets with Rio.

Things heat up quickly between Rio and Gia. I would have appreciated if the author had included more of their backgrounds. It would have given the characters a better foundation.

This is the third book in the smokejumpers series but, can be read as a stand-alone.

This review also appears on Harlequin Junkie

Disclosure: This ebook was provided to me free of charge for the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments, and ratings are my own.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did like this book. However, I felt like there was too much happening all at once. Way too many plot turns made it sort of a mess. It was definitely follow-able, but made me shake my head more than once. I also checked a few times to make sure this was, in fact, book 1. The other characters (the brothers of this books hero) seemed to have "stories" of their own, but as they're already paired up, I guess the author doesn't plan to tell those stories. It just seemed odd, though, since most authors would take 3 brothers and start a series with them. In this case it seems like the next book is just about another random person. I guess I just don't get why the author wouldn't just use what she's got - we've already been introduced to these guys and their family - wouldn't it make sense to continue from there? Anyway, maybe she thought that was too played out for her, but it made the introduction of this whole family seem really odd. Overall, I guess it was a quick fun read, but I have absolutely no interest in reading any more of the series.

(ETA: Apparently this is book 1 of When SEALs Come Home but book 3 of Smoke Jumpers which explains a lot. I wish the author hadn't done that, as it made it really confusing to start in the middle of a series because it was listed as book 1...)

[ButtonsMom2003 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Rio’s story and it’s my favorite so far. Each book stands alone – no cliffhanger.

I loved this book. In the previous books Rio is a bad boy – no commitments, love ‘em and leave ‘em – and loves the ladies. Things really change in this story. The book starts out with a heart pounding sequence with Rio in real danger. That really got my attention and the book was pretty much non-stop action of one sort or another from then on.

Gia Jackson is a new addition to the Donovan Brother’s smoke jumping team. She is very capable but is careful to keep everyone thinking she is one of the boys. Rio is making that difficult for her; she wants him. Gia also has a couple of secrets but one of them didn’t factor into the story quite as much as I thought it might.

There are major sexy times in this book so if hot stuff and somewhat liberal use of f**k bother you, you might want to skip this one. I don’t feel the language was inappropriate. These books are about men who work hard, play hard and love and protect their women.

If you like reading about hot, sexy fireman and their families you should really enjoy this book.

I was not compensated in any way (no ARC received) for this review.