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Eastwood Fire Department #1
Backdraft
Béatrice Paradis doesn’t want to end up in Eastwood. Her family’s farm is way too far from her beloved law firm in the city. Besides, that small town is as toxic as her past. Too bad it’s the only place where she can hide out while the police figure out who trashed her car and broke into her house.
Colson Allen is a volunteer firefighter who lives to help people. He’d walk through fire to save strangers, so when his longtime crush, Béatrice, comes back into town to hole up at her family’s farm, he knows he has to help her. Even if it’s just to distract her and (maybe, hopefully) convince her to stay.
She has a past. He has a savior complex. When a crazed arsonist strikes, it’ll take more than good humor and intense chemistry to keep them together… and alive.
Colson Allen is a volunteer firefighter who lives to help people. He’d walk through fire to save strangers, so when his longtime crush, Béatrice, comes back into town to hole up at her family’s farm, he knows he has to help her. Even if it’s just to distract her and (maybe, hopefully) convince her to stay.
She has a past. He has a savior complex. When a crazed arsonist strikes, it’ll take more than good humor and intense chemistry to keep them together… and alive.
- GenresRomantic Suspense
244 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 10, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 6, 2026
I'm gonna round up to 3 stars only because the FMC realized she was a huge hypocrite
"I loved my family, but I disliked how they were irrevocably tied to the farm. They could never leave Eastwood. They didn’t seem to mind, but it always chafed me. Being tethered to one place because of a job, because of a building, was suffocating."
Tye FMC had to be FORCED to take a break from her job of 10 years. Talk about being tethered to one place because of a job lol does the author not notice her hypocrisy here?
The amount of times the FMC whines about people being tied to Eastwood and their jobs while simultaneously needing to get back to Ottawa and her job, is astounding. Hypocrisy, thy name is Beatrice
The FMC tells us the twins were 10 when she started high school but then one of them says she was 11 when the FMC left for university at 17. As an Ontarian, we normally have 4 years of high school lol
"“Yeah, but Canadian proms aren’t really like your American ones. It’s a big enough deal but not at all like the movies. We don’t do the whole prom queen thing."
Not only am I Canadian, but I also live in Ontario, we had a Prom King and Queen
I'm not even sure how I feel about the MMC. He gad a crush on the FMC in high school but continued to date her school mate for 10 years and had also lived with the other woman yet never loved her. Basically wasted 10 years of her life because he was too much of a wimp in high school
"Colson was seeing patients until five and wouldn’t get to his place until at least six."
In the same chapter, he arrives home at 7
"I just didn’t appreciate waiting two hours for you to get home.”
He wasn't expected until 6 but she was already pissed off at 6 because she starts counting down the time to us. He was with patients until 5, she saw his truck at the fire station so knew he'd gone on a call. He wasn't even expected until 6 so why was she already so angry. She also acts like she's the only one that was left by her mother and tge only one with an important job. When she had to cancel a date she got mad at Colson for being upset. Then she gets mad at him for saving lives. I honestly don't know what the MMC sees in her. But that could be because hypocrisy is one of my biggest pet peeves
“He left. The pager rang, and he left.”
Her brows shot up into her hairline. “Oh. Wow. Dick move. Did you try asking him to stay if the dumb-dumb didn’t think of it all by himself?”
She leaves him EVERY SUNDAY omfg this is driving me nuts
"You can’t joke your way out of this, Colson. I will not play second fiddle to a fucking fire station.”
While he plays second fiddle to a law firm. At least he didn't just up and leave without a word
“Marie Béatrice Anne Paradis,” Jasmine hissed.
“What are you full-naming me for?”
Her reply should have been, why did you change Jeanne to Anne
Misspelled words seemed to double closer to the end. Like she just gave up caring anymore
This book is 6 years old and there's no Book 2 so hope no one is waiting for Elodies book
"I loved my family, but I disliked how they were irrevocably tied to the farm. They could never leave Eastwood. They didn’t seem to mind, but it always chafed me. Being tethered to one place because of a job, because of a building, was suffocating."
Tye FMC had to be FORCED to take a break from her job of 10 years. Talk about being tethered to one place because of a job lol does the author not notice her hypocrisy here?
The amount of times the FMC whines about people being tied to Eastwood and their jobs while simultaneously needing to get back to Ottawa and her job, is astounding. Hypocrisy, thy name is Beatrice
The FMC tells us the twins were 10 when she started high school but then one of them says she was 11 when the FMC left for university at 17. As an Ontarian, we normally have 4 years of high school lol
"“Yeah, but Canadian proms aren’t really like your American ones. It’s a big enough deal but not at all like the movies. We don’t do the whole prom queen thing."
Not only am I Canadian, but I also live in Ontario, we had a Prom King and Queen
I'm not even sure how I feel about the MMC. He gad a crush on the FMC in high school but continued to date her school mate for 10 years and had also lived with the other woman yet never loved her. Basically wasted 10 years of her life because he was too much of a wimp in high school
"Colson was seeing patients until five and wouldn’t get to his place until at least six."
In the same chapter, he arrives home at 7
"I just didn’t appreciate waiting two hours for you to get home.”
He wasn't expected until 6 but she was already pissed off at 6 because she starts counting down the time to us. He was with patients until 5, she saw his truck at the fire station so knew he'd gone on a call. He wasn't even expected until 6 so why was she already so angry. She also acts like she's the only one that was left by her mother and tge only one with an important job. When she had to cancel a date she got mad at Colson for being upset. Then she gets mad at him for saving lives. I honestly don't know what the MMC sees in her. But that could be because hypocrisy is one of my biggest pet peeves
“He left. The pager rang, and he left.”
Her brows shot up into her hairline. “Oh. Wow. Dick move. Did you try asking him to stay if the dumb-dumb didn’t think of it all by himself?”
She leaves him EVERY SUNDAY omfg this is driving me nuts
"You can’t joke your way out of this, Colson. I will not play second fiddle to a fucking fire station.”
While he plays second fiddle to a law firm. At least he didn't just up and leave without a word
“Marie Béatrice Anne Paradis,” Jasmine hissed.
“What are you full-naming me for?”
Her reply should have been, why did you change Jeanne to Anne
Misspelled words seemed to double closer to the end. Like she just gave up caring anymore
This book is 6 years old and there's no Book 2 so hope no one is waiting for Elodies book
September 19, 2021
Backdraft is a standalone, so it can be read by itself. And it is very much worth reading. I loved everything about it. It involves firefighters, a damsel in distress, family drama, and the eternal debate between small towns vs. the big city. It is emotional; it is intense; and it is steamy. And the dad jokes took it to another level of funny. Seriously, this book is unputdownable.
I loved Colton and Béatrice. Their relationship develops pretty fast, but it doesn’t feel either rushed or superficial, and that’s due to the author’s talent. The buildup is magnificent, you can feel their attraction and their chemistry. It’s so freaking good! The banter, the dad jokes, the character development, everything is outstanding. Béatrice is returning home after basically running away to university and never looking back. There’s emotional family drama, a stalker, and the realization that relationships need work and compromise to blossom and succeed. It is a very well rounded story with lots of high points that make it shine.
Alexa Gregory is an extremely talented writer. I can’t get enough of her words. She excels at many things that I admire in a writer. First of all, the ability to pace a story in a way that makes you not want to stop reading it. Second, her outstanding world building. I just loved it. The way she describes Eastwood and turns it into a small town heaven full of character and with a very appealing atmosphere. It’s fantastic. And last but not least, the way she writes wonderfully complex and flawed and lovely characters. There’s so much depth to them and their journeys. And there’s a whole cast of them you want to get to know. It’s just addicting. Their story arcs and their personalities feel so real. There’s so much depth to them. I love the way she makes you care for them. They grow and evolve, and you can feel their emotional turmoil.
Backdraft is a perfectly woven tale that made me feel so many things. It’s achingly emotional, adorably sweet, and deliciously steamy. There’s intensity and suspense, a wonderful setting, and a delightful set of characters. I really enjoyed reading this book and I highly recommend it.
I loved Colton and Béatrice. Their relationship develops pretty fast, but it doesn’t feel either rushed or superficial, and that’s due to the author’s talent. The buildup is magnificent, you can feel their attraction and their chemistry. It’s so freaking good! The banter, the dad jokes, the character development, everything is outstanding. Béatrice is returning home after basically running away to university and never looking back. There’s emotional family drama, a stalker, and the realization that relationships need work and compromise to blossom and succeed. It is a very well rounded story with lots of high points that make it shine.
Alexa Gregory is an extremely talented writer. I can’t get enough of her words. She excels at many things that I admire in a writer. First of all, the ability to pace a story in a way that makes you not want to stop reading it. Second, her outstanding world building. I just loved it. The way she describes Eastwood and turns it into a small town heaven full of character and with a very appealing atmosphere. It’s fantastic. And last but not least, the way she writes wonderfully complex and flawed and lovely characters. There’s so much depth to them and their journeys. And there’s a whole cast of them you want to get to know. It’s just addicting. Their story arcs and their personalities feel so real. There’s so much depth to them. I love the way she makes you care for them. They grow and evolve, and you can feel their emotional turmoil.
Backdraft is a perfectly woven tale that made me feel so many things. It’s achingly emotional, adorably sweet, and deliciously steamy. There’s intensity and suspense, a wonderful setting, and a delightful set of characters. I really enjoyed reading this book and I highly recommend it.
January 29, 2021
His smile melts more panties than a five-alarm fire!
I really liked Colson and Bea, I like that they are not perfect characters, they have faults and quirks that make them real and relatable. Whilst they may have a rocky start, they do learn to communicate, and you can see they are perfect for each other.
Although I loved the plot and the characters there are two niggles that reduced this to a four star rating. The first, there are a number of typos that have not been corrected, for example: '...crashed it against my sisters head. She immediately went limb' she went 'limp' not limb. There are a number of these types of mistakes.
Secondly there is at least one occasion of time jumping that make no sense, Bea arrives home Tuesday eve, there is arguing, etc but her dad has a physio appointment the next morning, Bea offers to take him. So she takes him to physio...but it is suddenly Saturday! Where did Wednesday-Friday disappear to? It is confusing and makes readers doubt themselves, so you have to go back to re-read...no it still makes no sense....and the flow of the book has been lost. So frustrating!
I read this on Kindle Unlimited, so cost was not an issue and I did enjoy catching up with Moose and Driftwood, but I am afraid the niggles cost this a star in rating.
I really liked Colson and Bea, I like that they are not perfect characters, they have faults and quirks that make them real and relatable. Whilst they may have a rocky start, they do learn to communicate, and you can see they are perfect for each other.
Although I loved the plot and the characters there are two niggles that reduced this to a four star rating. The first, there are a number of typos that have not been corrected, for example: '...crashed it against my sisters head. She immediately went limb' she went 'limp' not limb. There are a number of these types of mistakes.
Secondly there is at least one occasion of time jumping that make no sense, Bea arrives home Tuesday eve, there is arguing, etc but her dad has a physio appointment the next morning, Bea offers to take him. So she takes him to physio...but it is suddenly Saturday! Where did Wednesday-Friday disappear to? It is confusing and makes readers doubt themselves, so you have to go back to re-read...no it still makes no sense....and the flow of the book has been lost. So frustrating!
I read this on Kindle Unlimited, so cost was not an issue and I did enjoy catching up with Moose and Driftwood, but I am afraid the niggles cost this a star in rating.
April 5, 2022
Loved this book
I loved the story of Bea & Colson! Two lost souls who found each other, years after she ran away from all of the hurt she endured in Eastwood. Their attraction was apparent from the start but some hurdles came up that had them both questioning if they could make a go of it. I love all of Alexa Gregory's books!! The characters are real and have real issues to face. What was the life lesson I took away from this book? Love and life are all about compromise.
I loved the story of Bea & Colson! Two lost souls who found each other, years after she ran away from all of the hurt she endured in Eastwood. Their attraction was apparent from the start but some hurdles came up that had them both questioning if they could make a go of it. I love all of Alexa Gregory's books!! The characters are real and have real issues to face. What was the life lesson I took away from this book? Love and life are all about compromise.
December 8, 2020
Good read
Bea and Colson knew each other from school. He had a steady girlfriend who had only recently left. Now that he was working with Bea's father, he had a chance to ask her out. After the first kiss things progressed quickly. The problem was someone was stalking Bea.
Bea and Colson knew each other from school. He had a steady girlfriend who had only recently left. Now that he was working with Bea's father, he had a chance to ask her out. After the first kiss things progressed quickly. The problem was someone was stalking Bea.
November 16, 2020
Backdraft
I have found another new author to read now I'm going to save for some new books to read awesome.
I have found another new author to read now I'm going to save for some new books to read awesome.
November 27, 2020
Good story well written first time I’ve read this author . And I enjoyed this story very much
November 27, 2020
Chandra's Review
I truly enjoyed reading this book it was intriguing, loving, sexy, and full of action! I would definitely recommend this book to read!😁😁👏🏾👏🏾
I truly enjoyed reading this book it was intriguing, loving, sexy, and full of action! I would definitely recommend this book to read!😁😁👏🏾👏🏾
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews