Ignite

Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters #3

by Ophelia Sexton

Bear shifter Evan Swanson loves curvy women...but not commitment. When he rescues a woman and her infant niece from a hotel fire, he’s shocked to realize she’s his fated mate. Not only is she his bear’s wet dream, she’s the first woman who’s ever turned him down for a date.

Steffi Tristan has been caring for baby Olivia since her sister and brother-in-law disappeared. When her niece turns into a bear cub before her eyes, Steffi knows it’s time to get help. Evan’s the most attractive man she’s ever met, but Steffi's spent a lifetime in her beautiful sister’s shadow. A man like him couldn't really want her.

When a sinister organization bent on abducting little Olivia follows Steffi to Bearpaw Ridge, Evan vows to protect them both. But can he neutralize the danger, persuade Steffi that he’s serious, and settle down happily with just one woman?

IGNITE is a full-length steamy romance novel with no cliffhangers, no cheating, and a happy ending.

Genres: Shapeshifters, Paranormal, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, Firefighters, Supernatural

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 23, 2016

About the author

Ophelia Sexton is an author of paranormal romance. She has previously published historical romance under a different name, but has always loved reading about were-creatures, vampires, and other supernatural beings. She lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Reviews

[Puna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blah. Immature man whore. Wakes up in bed with an OW, a friend with benefits type.

[Terri Moore]

DNF @ 60%. We first get introduced to Evan as he wakes in bed with his FWB. He’s called to a fire and rescues Steffi, who is so grateful she kisses him and he most definitely returns it. Then the FWB shows up and he kisses her. Later Evan is back at FWB’s house and is up for the benefits but his bear is the one to shoot her down. He then proceeds to stay at the FWB’s house for the NEXT THREE DAYS. Why would he need to do that. Both his mother and his Aunt have said they have plenty of room for Steffi and even an empty freaking house but Evan still needs to stay at FWB’s??? He can’t believe that Steffi keeps turning him down and when Steffi says she saw him kissing FWB...

"Yeah, we’ve got chemistry," she admitted. "But I know you're dating Mary the police officer. Don't you have chemistry with her, too?"
"Mary and I are just friends!" Evan protested. "We've known each other since high school." "That's funny," retorted Steffi. Did he think she was stupid… or blind? "I have friends I've known since high school, and I don't kiss them like the way she kissed you on Friday morning!" Evan huffed in frustration. "Is that why you won't go out with me? She's just a friend, I swear to you. A friend with benefits, sure, but just a friend."

This is not the type of hero I’m interested in.

There’s action and suspense and I enjoyed those parts but by 60% in they are no further along in their interactions than they were at the 15% mark. I loathed Evan’s mother and Aunt. They were both prejudiced and did not hide it. Evans mother talking in front of her grandchild and human daughter-in-laws how she’s disappointed that none of her sons married shifters and Evan’s aunt refusing to meet Steffi’s sister or be there for the birth of her granddaughter because her son married a human. The bad outweighed the good in this one.

[Shelley C · Rating 4 out of 5]

A commitment phobic bear 🐻

Steffi is watching her sister and brother-in-law’s baby, when she receives news no sister ever wants to hear. Unfortunately, things always get worse before they get better and now someone is attempting to kidnap her niece and because things happen in threes, she witnesses something she thought physically impossible wow 😮

Evan is the quintessential ladies man. He’s afraid to commit and would prefer to be with someone for a short amount of time before he tries to extract himself from the situation when it becomes apparent the other person wants more! He meets Steffi with baby Olivia, who turns out to be his cousin’s baby daughter, when they are staying in Bearpaw Ridge at one of the local motels when it becomes overcome with flames 🔥 Evan wants Steffi but she keeps turning him down😢

I really did enjoy this story but one of the things I felt could’ve been touched on was why Evan didn’t want to be in a committed relationship and where this aversion came from. In my opinion it doesn’t show him in as good of a light as a reformed playboy if we knew the reason he was so opposed! I’m currently reading the first volume in this paranormal firefighting series😍

[Jamie Paciorek · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...


Another great read! Sexy as hell bear shifter firefighter, cute as hell little bear shifter baby. This one was funny as hell throughout the book

[Ashley (Red-Haired Ash Reads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok. I liked Steffany and thought she was a great aunt to Olivia. Evan is had some issues with and it prevented me from liking this book more.

So I didn't really like Evan. He was a player who doesn't take the women's feelings into account. He just expects all women to want to go out with him but not make any commitments. Even after he realizes Steffany was his mate he still tried to be with other women. But what made me really not like him was that he knew she was his mate and let her believe it was a fling. Once he mated her he still was talking about ways to get out of it. I just feel sorry for Steffi that she is now stuck with a reluctant mate. Even after he admits his real feelings I couldn't get over how he initially felt and acted.

I feel like this relationship would not be a HEA. They are probably going to need marriage counseling or something in my opinion.

While I didn't not enjoy this book I am going to read the next one because I really like the Swanson family and I want to see ally he brothers mated.

[Izzie d · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't keen on the hero's loose morals. He has a commitment phobia and wonders why the heroine doesn't want to be with him.

[Shauna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf. Hated the hero. He was a man slutt and betrayed his mate

[Pam Louis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephanie is babysitting her nine-month-old niece Olivia for the summer while her sister and her husband were on a dinosaur dig in North Alaska when she got the news their plan had disappeared on the way to the dig.
Soon after that's when people tried to kiddanap her niece so when she got the phone call from her brother-in-law's family asking her to come for a visit she thought it was a great place to hid. Problem was the danger followed her.
The first time she meet Evan ( he is her brother-in-law's cousin and part of the Swanson bear shifter clan.)
He was saving her from a burning building.
Evan is a playboy or bear lol he is a love them and leave them kind of guy with no plans of getting married. Plus he has a friend with benefits deal with a long time friend ; but his bear wants no one else now that he has seen his mate Stephanie and had other plans for his human half.
Danger, drama and spice runs rampant it this story. Great characters and Evan may not have been mate material at first he changed fast. Shifter fans should really enjoy this one it had spice mystery and action
Voluntarily reviewed a copy and I honestly enjoyed it

[Diana Gable · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firefighter Bears are adorable

I like this series for all its many blessings. It's a family of bear shifters which is intriguing and heartwarming. The stories are compelling and leave me wanting to meet the family. If you like shifter stories, this is definitely a good series for you.

[Shayay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this story in the Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters Boxset 1. The set has books 1 Thru 6 in this series.

Narrator is doing good. She sounds clear and she has some different voices for the different characters. Quality performance that I enjoyed listening to.

Still loving the bear shifter aspect and the fun suspense of this series. I also loved that Steffi was a tough lady. I just did not like Evan. In this book, Steffi is caring for her niece when her sister and her sister’s husband go missing, so Steffi needs to care for the baby longer than expected. Which would be fine, but there’s some shady people following Steffi and the baby around. Plus, the baby shifts into a bear cub; Steffi doesn’t know about shifters, so she is definitely surprised when that happens. When she gets a call from Steffi’s sister’s husband’s family in Bearpaw Ridge, she decides it’s a good time to go for a visit. Unfortunately, the danger follows, so luckily Evan is there to help her out. I like how he’s supportive towards Steffi, but Evan is the manwhore type; he’s supposed to be charming and fun, but he came across as slimy to me.

Spoilers for the romance aspect coming up!

He knows Steffi is his mate, but he continues to try with some other woman; a friends with benefits thing, but he stays the night over at her house and they’ve been together a lot, so that seems pretty serious to me. Plus, this other woman wants more with him. He kisses this other woman a couple times after he meets the main love interest too, and continues to stay over at her house after they are no longer sleeping together; yes, it’s in her guest bedroom, but that is just too weird. Especially, since he knows she wants more of a relationship. Even after they aren’t together anymore and he’s with Steffi, this other woman checks out his naked body when he shifts. Soooo awkward! Then the moron wonders why Steffi doesn’t want to date him, and acts like Steffi is the moronic one for thinking he wasn’t available. Unfortunately, Steffi gives in and agrees to a no strings sex romp with Evan; it all felt like she was just so grateful that someone as hot as Evan would want a chubby girl like her. It just comes across as desperate and like she doesn’t know her worth. So, I just didn’t feel the romance in this book; it all felt very unromantic. It felt like he really never wanted to be mated and was just forced into it. Speaking of mate bonding without knowing it. How is it that shifters have been around for a long time and no one mentioned that the mate bond is sealed by being intimate with your mate? Even his brothers knew and never mentioned it.

End of spoilers!

The writing is still good and the story is entertaining, so I still went 3 stars even though the romance wasn’t my thing. I’m still looking forward to the next book in this series.

[Sandra Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an OK shifter romance, with decent editing, but I did have some issues with it. It was not as good as the first two books in the series. It gets 2.5 stars from me, rounded up to 3 stars.

My main issue with this book is the attitude of Evan's mother and aunt toward non-shifters. They are terribly prejudiced against non-shifters, which bothered me -- especially since two of Evan's brothers have mated with humans, and they love them. I really wanted Evan or one of his brothers to tell those two women off. Their attitude toward humans made me really angry, because I detest prejudice in any form.

It also really bothered me that Evan was such a man-wh***. He was fine with getting sexually involved with Steffi, even though he was already in a "friends with benefits" relationship with someone else. And he thought they could just "have a good time together" before she left to go home? I really didn't get why Steffi fell for a playboy who wanted no part of a committed relationship. Even when he realizes Steffi is his mate, Evan still tries to convince his bear that they can just have fun together, and not actually get mated. What a jerk! I did like Steffi, but I wanted her to tell Evan she wanted nothing to do with a playboy like him.

There was one other issue, and this is minor, but it is a pet peeve of mine – the cover of a book should match the description of the characters in the book. Evan is described as having shoulder-length black hair, which he usually wore tied back. Yet the cover shows a man with very short, reddish-brown hair. This may not be the author’s fault, but it still bugs me.

My rating system is below.
1 star -- Hated it, or did not finish. I usually only give this rating if some of the content is truly objectionable to me, like if one of the main characters does something really awful, and gets away with it.
2 stars -- Didn't like it. This rating usually means that I thought the writing wasn't very good, the editing was terrible, I didn't like the characters, or it had other major flaws.
3 stars -- I liked it, but had some minor issues with it. This rating means that there were minor editing issues, the story needed more character development, it was just too unrealistic, or had some other fairly minor issue. The majority of books I read get this rating – I do not consider it a bad rating.
4 stars -- I liked it a lot. This is a high rating for me, and I rarely give a higher one.
5 stars -- I loved it, and will probably read it again. Very few books are good enough to get this rating from me. The ones that do are usually classics.

[Marsha Keeper Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed at Shifter Haven

Steffi has had some major shocks recently. Her sister and brother-in-law are missing after their plane has gone down in the wilderness, their daughter who she’s babysitting while they were gone on a trip has suddenly turned into a bear cub in the middle of lunch and now some crazy woman tried to snatch Olivia from her stroller in the park. What the heck is going on? She needs to get Olivia out of town and find help and the only logical answer lies with Patrick’s family in Bearpaw Ridge – but even there the shocks to the system just keep coming. And in the middle of all this chaos is a hot and sexy fireman who has a real commitment phobia that she’d love to cure him of – if she were brave enough to take that chance.

Evan was quite content with his life. He loves the ladies, had no intention of settling down with just one any time soon and in spite of his family’s meddling he’s planning on sticking to his life as he knows it. Right up until Steffi and Olivia crashed into his life. This intense need to be around her, protect her for ever couldn’t be what he feared it was, right? Getting this human to trust him was going to take some time, but time is something he believes he has plenty of, right up until trouble comes knocking on the door and life could change for everyone.

Ignite is fast paced, intriguing and full of danger as well as those sexy moments for Steffi and Evan. In many ways Steffi is on stress overload, and Evan is in denial of what he feels for her. Getting this couple straightened out is going to take some work. There is an edge to this story, and it’s not all from outside sources – which makes it more interesting. Couples from the previous stories in this series are here as well, and we get another look at their lives now as mates. I enjoyed Evan and Steffi’s story and if you’ve followed this series I believe you will too. I do believe that this is a series that is best read in order. Since this is a large family what happens in one story is referred to in talk or with people in the next, so in order might work best… in my opinion.

If you love Shifter Romance or Paranormal Romance then this is a story and a series that I would recommend. Likable couples, danger and interesting happenings, secondary characters who will get their own story and keep you on your toes.

I read this title through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading the reviews on here prior to listening to this book almost convinced me not to read it. But, as is often the case, turns out the bad reviews are mostly from people who didn't read correctly or didn't finish the book. And so, I'm very glad I kept listening because Evan and Steffie are such a cute couple! And the ending for Olivia was great!

Now to address a few points:
* There is no cheating or "other woman" situation in this book. When on call for the fire brigade Evan stays at Mary's because he lives 20 minutes out of town and she lives 3 blocks from the fire station. After meeting Steffie, Evan moves into the guest bedroom. Being roommates doesn't equal cheating 🤦🏼‍♀️

* Yes Evan has a lot of experience with women, mostly in the form of one night stands and very short flings. That makes him a player, not a manwh0re. Firstly, let's be pedantic: he's not getting paid so he's not a "wh0.re". And second how ridiculously ugly and demeaning to use that sort of word! Imagine the reaction if you'd use that word for a woman. Double standards are still going strong clearly! 🤦🏼‍♀️

* Evan has no intentions of finding a mate or a wife or becoming a dad. He's adamant about it, not interested in it and fully upfront about it. Unsurprisingly he's unaware about what's happening with Steffie to the point Mary has to show him what she suspects (he still doesn't touch her or even kiss her so it's still not a cheating situation.) And he has to ask both of his older brothers to know what's happening. And yes, he does panic and fight it.
Is he an idiot? Yes.
Is he conceited from previous success with women? Yes.
Is he changing from the moment he spends time with Steffie? Yes.
Is he willing to do whatever it takes to be with her and keep her? Yes.

Summary
Rating 3.5⭐
Spice 3.5🌶️
Narration 5🎙️

[Elizabeth Kemper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fate Wins Out

Evan Swanson does not want a mate. He doesn't want his freedom and open life style infringed upon in any way. But with the arrival of Steffi Tristan in his life, complete with a baby niece in tow and kidnappers on her trail, fate has another plan for him. Steffi just signed up to watch Olivia for part of the summer. But her sister and brother-in-law have disappeared, someone has tried to kidnap Olivia, and strange things are happening all around. When her brother-in-law's family, the Swanson's, reach out to Steffi it seems a good idea to seek shelter in Bearpaw Ridge, Idaho and leave California behind. However, trouble follows Steffi and Evan finds he's just the grizzly bear shifter to protect his girls. Besides, Olivia's dad is a Swanson, and they protect their own. Romance, family intrigue and suspense make this book entertaining. The shifter way of life and the loyalty and love it entails makes this a book worth reading.

[Dorri · Rating 3 out of 5]

We've been introduced to the Swanson clan of bears in Bearpaw Ridge, and Evan's story is just as fun as his brothers. It might even be my favorite so far (don't tell Dane!)!

Evan is happy to have his pick of women and be one of the elite firefighters of Bearpaw. But when Steffi and her niece need to be saved, he's shocked to learn that the little human is his mate! But what's he going to do when he asks her on a date and she turns him down flat? See, Steffi has a secret, her niece is a bear shifter too and she's being targeted, by a creepy group who keeps trying to kidnap her. And it's not her or her sister who's a shifter, so she headed to Bearpaw to find her husband-in-law's family. And she's praying they can help her!

Will love and family help unite them? Or will it all fall apart under pressure from outside sources? Keep reading to find out!

[Joetta Spurling · Rating 5 out of 5]

3 books in... Lots more to go.

Ignite: Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters Book 3
By Ophelia Sexton
Kindle unlimited purchase
Steffi watching her niece for the summer gets a call from her father and gets the news that her sisters and brother-in-laws plane went down. Able to work from home she she head back to Bearpaw Ridge, Idaho to be with her parents.
Bradley's mom can't take a hint. He's not ready to settle down. He just hasn't found the right one. The one that is his mate. Its like his bear knows the difference.
I loved this book. I'm a sucker for Second Chance Romance. To seeing your love/crush again after years apart and finding out that the flame is still there. ("Flame" firefighter lol)
This series has over 12 books. Guess I have a lot of reading

[Schellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steffi is now the sole guardian for her young niece Olivia, after finding out her sister & brother-in-law died in a plane crash. Imagine her surprise when Olivia transforms into a bear cub! Then someone attempts to kidnap her as well! Now on the run, she ends up in Bearpaw Ridge, where Olivia's grandmother lives. They end up in a hotel fire & Evan Is on the scene first, climbing the truck ladder to save Steffi & Olivia. Now he & the Swanson family must protect the human woman that Evans bear has chosen as a mate & her young niece. This story had a few twists & turns, people that were after the secrets of Bearpaw Ridge & baby Olivia & finding people once thought lost. This was a very enjoyable, steamy, sweet, slightly suspenseful story!!

[Corinne Kapsner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evan and Steffi are the third couple we fall in love with in Bearpaw Ridge. Steffani may experience many many shocks but she is not one to shy away when the going gets tough. Evan is afraid of commitment but his other half is not. He is all in before he knows it.

I did struggle with the fact that Evan seemed to lack a sense of decency when it came to his relationships with women. However, Ophelia does an amazing job of developing and growing Eva as the story unfolds! I absolutely love when Steffi uses what she knows to her advantage to protect those she loves. The sex scenes are Hot, HOt, HOT as well! Definitely an excellent read!!

[Dianna Hunt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yuck. H is a man whore who knows h is his fated mate and doesn't want "forever"... really? A fated mate is ment only for one, but the immature H doesn't care apparently.
Spoiler kind of:
h gets phone call that interrupts a sexcapade, sister and brother in law likely didn't survive plane crash... hangs up with her father, H asks if h wants him to go and nope, she decides sex is a must. Really? At this point I don't like either of the main characters... ewww. Shallow. I listened on Audible, and fast forwarded through the rest of the story. I hope the next story is better.

[Rosemarie Grainer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pace is picking up!

This story moves faster than the other two did. There is an attempted kidnapping to start it off. Evan is a great hero, even fighting commitment as he was. Steffi is trying to protect her niece. The dog makes a great addition as well.

There is more action in this story, but still good character development and a steamy scenes. If this sounds good to you, I would read boos 1 and 2 and then read this one. Enjoy!

[Patricia H. Phelps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephanie and Evan

Steffi is a young woman who has agreed to take care of her niece while her sister and brother-in-law go to Alaska for a short term project. After an attempt is made to kidnap the baby, Steffi takes her to Meadows Ridge, unaware that it is a shifter town. Although baby Olivia shifter into a bear cub at Steffi's California condo, it happened so quickly. She thought she imagined it did to stress. Lots of twists and turns. A great series.

[Robin Bellows · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed it

I liked this book better than the first .I loved Evan with his dilemma. In my neck of the woods he would have been called a man white. I am not hating on him. I am glad Mary let him have it although, I was surprised that Mary didn't explain to Steffi that she gave the wrong impression of her relationship with Evan especially after Evan explained that Steffi declined a date with him..

[Netta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adventurous and super cute! The action was pretty fast paced and enough to keep me on my toes. The characters are especially sweet. Olivia was may favorite because not only is she adorable but she keeps things interesting by shifting one her own and scaring the heck out of everyone. Love how quickly Evan changed his ways when he met Stephanie and he playing with Olivia in bear form was adorable and made him look even more like a father figure. Beautiful! I loved it!

[Martha Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite. This book had just as much love, sexiness and troubles as the ones that came before but it also had more depth and maturity. I haven't always liked Elle but here we find that deep down under, she is "simply a girl standing in front of a boy asking him to love her". She became more than the one dimensional "mom" that we had seen in the previous books.. On to the next. I borrowed this from KU.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was really hard not to love this one. I really loved how Steffi stepped up to take care of her niece and how she didn't freak out when Olivia's uniqueness shown bright. Of course once it happened around family Steffi could be let in on the secret, making things go so much better for her.

The drama with Steffi's family was crazy! I was glad to see how all of that worked out.

[Lynn Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ignite

Evan was a player, in fact any hint of a relationship made him panic. Steffi was taking care of her niece when word came that her sister and brother-in-law were missing when their plane crashed. Then someone tried to kidnap her niece. She headed to Bearpaw Ridge. Evan's bear is going nuts. He wants Steffi.
Great book. I really love the characters in this series.

[sandy forguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evan and Steffen were a very loving couple Evan wasn't quite sure what was happening to him until his friend Mary knew that he had found his fated mate in Steffen even through he w wouldn't admit it very fast pace and well written story Steffen got her HEA with Evan well written and a author to watch out for the series is very good and would highly recommend:)

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evan & Steffi

I have to admit that I wasn’t a big fan of Evan and his philandering ways. It’s only right that he fall hard and fast and that the one he falls for should resist him. Steffi’s past experiences hurt my heart and really make it understandable why she would resist Evan so hard. I love their story and how much they love each other. Looking forward to more!

[Carol Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome

Another great book. Something is stopping me from rating these books five stars. They are great but something is missing. This is my favorite off the series so far and can't wait till jump into the next one.

[Cynthia Siermienski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ignore (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters Book 3)

Another wonderful story. You have become another of my favorite writers. I couldn't stop reading this book and can't wait to read the next.