Firestorm by Radclyffe is the second novel in the First Responders series. The title gives you an idea of the setting, those who fight fires, but it's so much more.
Mallory 'Ice' James is a firefighter paramedic with the United States Forest Service. She's about to spend four weeks getting four rookies up to speed to join her crew of smokejumpers. Ice is all about control, everything in her life needs to be in order, to allow her and her crew to fight and stay safe with the unpredictability of fire. Something she has no control over is the last minute inclusion into her crew, of rookie Jac Russo.
Jac may have gained entry to the crew through her senator father, but she knows she has the skills and knowledge to keep the position on her own merits. After starting off on the wrong foot, she's determined to push herself as hard as it takes to prove herself to Mallory. A life spent in the shadow of politics has meant she kept herself guarded, not letting anyone in. What she doesn't count on is her attraction to Mallory, who slips past her guard without even trying.
I loved Firestorm. When you read a Radclyffe, you know exactly what you're getting. A romance that's heavy on the sexual tension and sex. Which is what actually annoys me about some of her books, way too many pages of sex. (In my opinion on my reading tastes). I often skim those scenes and outright skip them on the re-reads (I know, I know, I'm an anomaly in the lesfic world). I thought Firestorm found a really nice balance with lots of building of the relationship and steamy sexual tension, but enough sex that those who look for that in books will be happy, but not enough to overshadow the story for me. All in all it was a great romance, full of emotions, action and passion.