This book surprised me – in a good way! I was anticipating macho, alpha-male firefighter and damsel in distress, but that isn’t what this book is at all. And that made me SO happy.

Gavin and Cait meet on the job. He’s with the Boston Fire Department, and she’s an EMT. Their paths have crossed multiple times in the past several months, but a misunderstanding between them has them both thinking the wrong thing about each other. But their chemistry is strong, and when Cait decides to make a gesture of goodwill towards Gavin, the door to friendship is opened between them.

But the road to happily-ever-after is seldom a smoothly paved road. Cait has a difficult family situation that prevents her from freely walking into a relationship with Gavin, and Gavin’s patience starts to wear thin.

There were so many times this author could have taken the cliched route. You expect a firefighter to be a big, tough, bossy, macho man. And while Gavin was definitely manly, he wasn’t any of those. He was kind, and thoughtful, and had no problem letting Cait do her thing when they were at work. There was none of this “I need to protect you from dangerous situations” – yet, he would walk her to her car at night and have her text him when she got home so he knew she made it safely. When things went south for Gavin and Cait, in this type of book (and with their professions), I was anticipating some life-threatening situation to cause the “grand epiphany” – and that didn’t happen. Instead, we get two people doing some honest evaluation about their life and what they want. There was no other woman/other man drama, no ridiculous storylines. Just a really nice story about two people who meet, discover the other is not who they thought they were, and fall in love after getting to know each other. I liked how they actually talked to each other and that not everything between them revealed through inner monologue.

A couple of things kept this from getting a higher rating from me. First, the author never gave us Gavin’s or Cait’s ages, which isn’t a problem per se, it just makes me feel like I don’t know something important about the characters. It makes it difficult for me to relate to them and get a handle on how I think they should be behaving. Thankfully this book wasn’t wrought with immature antics, so that was a big plus, but it was hard to pin down how much of a hurry they might be in to have a serious relationship and start a family. At one point I even thought this was going to be a younger man/older woman story, but that never materialized. Also, this was just a nice story. I enjoyed it. But not a whole lot happened – I wouldn’t describe it as compelling or heartfelt. I enjoyed Gavin’s and Cait’s dialogue, I was entertained by the banter with Gavin’s fellow firefighters, and appreciated this was a story about normal, realistic people with realistic issues to work through.

Having never read a book by Shannon Stacey before, I didn’t know what to expect. After what seems like a bunch of lackluster books, it was nice to finally read one that had good writing, and a solid plotline, without all of the ridiculous things that make my eyes cross. I was pleasantly surprised, and will be looking forward to the next two books in this series!

* thank you to NetGalley and HARLEQUIN – Carina Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Shannon Stacey always writes books with heart, depth and passion that are highly addictive but this one was especially fantastic. The characters were remarkably, relatable and loveable and really made the story come to light. There was some surprises thrown in to this book that gave it twists that really surprised me. I never knew what was going to happen next and kept me on the edge of my seat. I love it when a book does that to me. I would absolutely recommend this book to all book lovers out there.

She didn’t have the greatest first impression of Gavin. Constantly being thrown together at work the attraction he felt towards her was undeniable. At a rough point in her life due to family commitments she needed time for herself and Gavin provided the perfect way to unwind. Their chemistry could be felt with shared laughter and the ability to talk for hours. Great story on how finding the one who complex you in every way can make you feel life is finally doing something right.

Cait Tasker is not the type of woman Gavin Boudreau is attracted to, but after a particularly unforgettable run-in, she's taken up residence in his mind. But there's more than meets the eye where Cait's concerned, and Gavin has to be sure that he's all in before risking their new relationship for nothing.

Cait has a lot going on, and the sexy firefighter that seems to always rub her the wrong way isn't helping... Until he is. Soon, things are heating up fast, but will she take the final steps to ensure her happiness, as well as his?

This is a pretty good romance with a good level of heat, drama, love and even humor mixed in. It's the first in this series, and the first book by Shannon Stacey I've read, but on those both counts, it won't be the last.

I voluntarily read & reviewed an ARC of this book.

4 Stars

Hot Response is the fourth title int he Boston Fire series, but was my first time reading Shannon Stacey's work and I wasn't dissapointed.

I quite enjoyed Cait and Gavin's story. Cait, is a loyal, compassioante and a care giver by nature. She works in a profession where she is often surrounded by males, and is not afraid to stand up for herself, and give as good as she gets. She has a very hectic, busy life and struggles with letting others in and giving up control.

Gavin is not afraid to admit he likes women, he's charasmatic, fun and cheeky. But there's more to this sexy firefighter than a womaniser, he's thoughtful, loving, considerate and will do anything for those he cares for most.

If you like a sweet, emotional contemporary romance with endearing, and relateable characters then Hot Response may just be the title for you. I look forward to reading more of Shannon's work in the future.

I’ve been a fan of Shannon Stacey since discovering her Kowalski series long ago. Hot Response is the latest in her Boston Fire series and a completely enjoyable addition at that! It follows Gavin and Cait, a firefighter and EMT that seem to push each others buttons. But when Cait finally realizes that the cocky firefighter is not what she assumes, and Gavin realizes that Cait doesn’t hate him for breathing- well things definitely start to get heated. I enjoyed the family dynamics, because sometimes those create relationship obstacles and it felt realistic. The firehouse camaraderie was both amusing as well as moving, because these guys may dish it out but at their hearts they are loyal and supportive. Gavin and Cait balances each other well, they just needed to get out of their own way to find happiness.

4 Stars

I loved Hot Response by Shannon Stacey.
From the first few pages I was hooked and couldn't put it down.
The writing is well done, the storyline is enjoyable all throughout the book and watching Gavin and Cait come together and fall in love made me a very happy girl.
This was a beautiful and heartwarming read and I highly recommend it.

*Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the advance copy.*

3.5stars
Another story from Boston firefighter, this one is about Gavin and Cait. A story with a lot of family drama, tenderness and slowly falling in love. Bot Gavin and Cait are great characters. I really liked Gavin he had a good personality is a really caring person, I liked his way of thinking and the way he acted toward Cait, how he treated her. Cait was also carrying person maybe too much, that she forgot to care for herself, and that was in the end problem and almost the end between them.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgelly.

We all have those authors that we love to read and we find them so easy to get into. For me one of those authors is Shannon Stacey. I always enjoy her characters and love her stories.

Hot Response has to be one of my favorite so far in this series. I sort of afraid I've said that about the prior ones but what the heck, I'll say it again. I really did enjoy Cait an Gavin. I loved their interactions and more then once found myself either chuckling or saying out loud...what! Cait at times was a little mean, but not so much that I didn't like her. I love when characters make me want to interact with the story and give my two cents.

These two are perfect for that. I think it worked so well because of the fact that the were opposites. If they had been to much alike it wouldn't have been such a good story.

I also liked all the joking the boys did together. You can feel their friendship. It's what for me makes this series so good. The connections. You get plenty of them with this series. Do yourself a favor and read the books in order, they work much better that way.

Gavin may be the youngest guy on the squad, but he is far from a baby or irresponsible. Sure, he likes to have fun and may occasionally take joking a little too far in his desire to lighten the mood, but he was raised to be a gentleman and to have respect. When he showed that respect by calling Cait "ma'am" one day, she took offense to it thinking he saw her as old. Rather than calling him on it, she decided to stew on it and nurse a completely uncalled- for grudge against him.

Cait is definitely one tough cookie to crumble. She has a lot on her plate right now between the things she sees on the job every day and her very needy mother and little brother, but she is an independent woman and she can handle anything on her own... in her mind. She shouldn't let Gavin get under her skin as much as he does, but it galls her that she finally worked up the nerve to ask him out and then he called her ma'am which put her off. The responsibility of taking care of her mom who was on the verge of depression after the death of Cait's stepfather and dealing with the teenage attitude of her 16 year old brother is bad enough without being reminded that she barely has time to sleep, much less date.

Most of the time, I actually felt bad for Gavin as I was reading this story. He is undoubtedly sexy with a cocky smile that can get ladies to drop 'em in seconds, but he is also a genuinely good guy with a great heart who is dedicated to any and all that he loves. He is a bit clueless when it comes to an actual relationship but he gives it his best effort despite putting his foot in his mouth a few more times along the way. Once Cait finally lets down her guard to let him into her life a little bit, things get interesting- and steamy- but letting him into heart completely gives him too much power to hurt her. He has his work cut out for him if they stand any chance at a future.

As you can probably tell from my comments, I had a difficult time liking Cait. Fortunately I loved Gavin and the rest of the Boston Fire crew. They are one big family, and as much as may love to tease each other and joke around, they also all come together in support of each other especially after a really tough day on the job. I am enjoying this series so far, and I am looking forward to finding out more about Gavin's best friend and teammate Grant's seemingly challenging love life in the future!

Anyone seen a sexy fireman because it is getting hot in here. (Cue Nelly's It's Getting Hot In Here) Whoa! I'm surprised my kindle didn't com-bust. When you read my next few reviews, you'll see why I'm glad it didn't. However, I'm very much encouraged by the fact that there is the possibility, should I need rescuing, my savior could be someone compassionate and very pretty to look at.

This is the first Shannon Stacey book I've read, but not going to be my last. Definitely will be on the lookout for her books on my next trip to Barnes & Noble. Yep, you guessed it. They are definitely worth being added to the paperback library. Having received a copy of this ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review, I can say I definitely recommend this read, but it is indeed for 18+ readers.

Prepare to feel the burn. Stacey ignites the pages with a HOT firefighter and a fiery EMT. Lust runs rampart with this scorching duo. However, there's more to the attraction than hormone overload. There's heartbreaking tragedy, dangerous scenarios and a chance at emotional maturity. The sizzle is abundantly obvious, but the emotions run deep.

5 minutes ago
35287623 #netgalley #hotresponse #shannonstacey
I truly loved this story. I liked that the story talked about mental illness and shared that it's ok to ask for help. I enjoyed the humor and I did LOL. That got me a couple of stars from my family. Cait and Gavin's story was really good, sexy, hot. I look forward to more books. Shannon Stacey's books are amazing

Where has this series been all my life? ;)

I loved Gavin and Cait's story! There were so many LOL moments (that Snapchat pic! It just won't go away...) mixed in with the tender ones, not to mention the hot-as-heck ones--plus, can I just say, a firefighter and an EMT? Does it get any better than this? Especially when it's a firefighter who'll let the EMT take charge when she's the one with the expertise in a situation, even when they're not technically at work...yeah, that worked for me in all kinds of ways. Let's just say that seeing more of Cait and Gavin won't be the only factor in me anxiously awaiting more from this series, but it will definitely be the cherry on top of an extremely tempting Boston Fire sundae.

In the meantime, I do have three earlier series titles to enjoy, so that's something too :)

Gavin and Cait's story started out as a bit of an enemies-to-lovers one, though Gavin was at first completely clueless about the reason for her animosity. Though I get why she was initially upset with him (when they met, she was just working up to asking him to go for coffee when he ma'am-ed her and she assumed he thought she was old instead of it being a polite reflex) I appreciated that they didn't drag her resentment out overlong, instead letting them get down to the business of starting a relationship and the real conflict of Cait's family drama. In fact, everything about this book felt real--the progression of their relationship, the responsibility Cait felt for her family, and Cait's mother's struggle with her second major life loss and the barrier it threw in the way of Cait and Gavin's relationship moving to the next level--and it was next to impossible to put this book down until they were able to find their HEA.

Plus, I was dying to see where else that Snapchat pic was going to turn up...and I wasn't disappointed when it did! :)

Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

This was a good story that grabbed my heart, but it was also light and fun. There was good humor in this one. One of my favorite parts of the book. You get the sense of the close knit/family atmosphere that the fire stations have. I really enjoyed reading Cait and Gavin's journey. They were perfect for one another though they don't see it at the time. Watching Cait and her family finding their new normal broke my heart, but it's also beautiful to see them find their inner strength. The epilogue was definitely the icing on the cake for this book.

This was a first for me from this author, and she grabbed my attention right from the start. The writing flowed well, and I thought that Gavin and Cait were great together. Their chemistry was good, and I liked that they fit well into each other's lives. The secondary characters were developed nicely, and even though I haven't read the other books in this series, I was wasn't lost in names with no back story. My only complaint with the book was Cait with her family. She was enabling her mother and her brother, and they never had to start the healing process if they had her as a crutch. I've never went through a loss like that, but I do know, especially with kids, that life goes on. You can't lay down and not do anything. You have to keep going. It was frustrating to see Cait put herself in that position, and not see a problem. Gavin might have went about it the wrong way, but I agreed with everything he said. I loved the ending, it was perfect for these characters.
I voluntarliy reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.

Hot Response is the fourth book in the Boston Fire series. I read the first book, Heat Exchange and was not nearly as impressed as I expected to be. But I’m happy to say that Hot Response reminded me of all the reasons that I loved this author’s earlier series. Multiples of them. To the point where I’m thinking about going back and seeing where I left off.

The Boston Fire series, unsurprisingly considering the title, is centered around the men and women who make up one shift at one particular firehouse in Boston, as well as the people who are part of their lives, usually in multiple ways, between the firehouse and their regular bar, Kincaid’s. After all, Kincaid’s is owned by a retired member of their company and the owner’s son is a member of their team. There are a lot of ties, including family ones.

The tension that makes this particular romance so fraught and so realistic at the same time is also about family ties. Particularly about the difference between the ties that bind and the ties that strangle.

Our hero, Gavin Boudreau, is a member of Ladder 37. He grew up in the neighborhood and is regularly on call for his parents and his nearby siblings. But for Gavin, it’s a two-way street. Sometimes they need him, and sometimes he needs them, and what goes around definitely comes around, all of it good.

Cait Tasker, on the other hand, seems to be on a one-way street with her family. She gives, and they take, and take, and take. The reasons for it make complete sense, but the result isn’t actually working for anyone, and particularly not for Cait. Her stepfather died suddenly, her mother couldn’t get herself out of the well of depression after losing a husband to early death for the second time, and Cait’s 16-year-old half brother is rightfully frightened but not able to keep his mother going on his own. And he has his own grief to process along with all the normal teenage angst and hormones and attitudes. Cait came home to help out, and she’s still helping. But she’s also helping to keep her mom and her brother from learning to stand on their own two feet. Or their own four feet together. Meanwhile, Cait’s older sister is far away and wants absolutely nothing to do with this mess until it’s fixed. And I can’t blame her. In this scenario, I’d probably BE her.

The last thing Cait needs in her life is a relationship. But it’s also the thing she needs most. Getting involved with Gavin is the first time since she came home that she’s done anything besides work, mediate between her mom and her brother, and crash. Especially since as an EMT she really can’t afford to crash.

The deeper Cait and Gavin get into their relationship, the happier they both are. At least until Gavin delivers some home truths that Cait just isn’t ready to hear. He may not want to make her choose between her family and their relationship, but he’s right that she needs to make some choices of her own. Is she propping up her family because they need her to keep doing it, or is she propping up her family because she’s afraid of what will happen if she lets go?

And is Gavin willing to wait for her to figure it out?

Escape Rating B+: First of all, I liked Hot Response a whole lot more than I did the first book in the series, Heat Exchange, a few weeks ago. You could say I had a much hotter response to this one, especially considering that my feelings about Heat Exchange were lukewarm at best.

One of the things I always loved about this author’s earlier series, something that was missing in Heat Exchange, was the way that the dramatic tension in her romances felt real and not contrived, and that was also true in Hot Response.

Cait and Gavin have chemistry together from the very beginning, even if Cait is trying to pretend it isn’t there.

But as strong as their pull towards each other are the forces that are keeping them apart – even when they’re together. It’s unfortunately all too realistic that the issue between them isn’t really between them so much as it is between Cait and her family and Gavin’s eventual loss of patience with the way things are. And not because anyone is a terrible person or because of anything evil, but just because Cait as well as her mother and brother, are just plain too scared to let go of each other – even when they should.

Both Gavin and Cait are interesting characters with high-pressure and occasionally dangerous jobs who are fun to watch and certainly deserve their fair share of happiness. I think it’s fair to say that they are likeable people who would be fun to hang out with, and we want to see them get their HEA. The things standing between them and that HEA feel all too real, situations that could happen in anyone’s life no matter how much they might wish differently.

Cait’s fear for her mother is understandable, as is Gavin’s decreasing level of patience in the way that Cait deals with that fear. This is one of those stories where the real-life answer is probably counseling for everyone, but that can’t happen until the “everyone” in question is ready for it. And Gavin is correct that they all seem to be holding each other back from reaching for the future by holding on too tightly.

In short, I really liked the hero and heroine, I “bought into” both their relationship and the reasons they had problems in their relationship, and was happy for their HEA. I’ll be looking forward after all to the next book in this series, Under Control, because I bet the situation will be far from under anyone’s control. That always makes for great reading!

Shannon Stacey is one of those contemporary romance authors you can pretty much always count on for a darn good read. I love that her stories are populated by actual grown ups whose conflicts come from ACTUAL conflict, and not just a bunch of childish information withholding. HOT RESPONSE is no different, and I enjoyed this as a low-key, low-angst love story. I do think there were some pacing issues at the beginning which made this book a little hard to get into, but bravo to Stacey for continuing to give us loveable characters who feel like actual human beings. I really enjoyed my time with Cait & Gavin

Hot Response is a contemporary romance set in Boston with two first responder main characters. Our heroine Caitlyn is an EMT, while our hero Gavin is a firefighter. They know each other through work, as usually EMTs and firefighters show up at the same incidents.

Caitlyn has moved in with her recently widowed Mother, and Carter, her teenage half-brother, to help them recover. So she is pulling double duty, rescuing people both at work and at home. She is burning herself out with all that taking care of others. So when Gavin offers her the use of his apartment for some alone, self-care time, she takes him up on the offer.

Gavin is supposedly a playboy, which does not come across too strongly in this book. Although, because this is book four in a series, his personality may have been more defined in previous books. He is believably written as a 'guy': at times goofy and immature, and at other times respectful and considerate. He is having pants interest in Caitlyn, but, for plot reasons, avoids trying for his usual 'short, superficial and sexual' modus operandi with her.

The romance is set amid the intensity of their careers. There are several mildly descriptive scenes of accidents, fires and car crashes, which just made me uncomfortable, but are probably par for the course in this genre. The major conflicts seem to be a mutual fear of <i>“the L-word”</i>, and differing feelings about the dependency of Cait’s family, and her obligation to them.

Contemporary romances are not a favorite of mine, neither are romances with first responder main characters - all of that fictionalized trauma drama hits way too close to home. It is not a genre that I read for enjoyment. And there were some things in the book that I disliked:
-Referring to people who have accidents as idiots.
- The tickling thing. Ick. I did not like that during intimate moments, Gavin would happen on a ticklish spot and then force the Cait to endure tickling while she “had to settle for pounding her fist on his shoulder, trying to make him stop.” The overpowering and tickling showed up during several different sexy times. It was jarring, especially because of the author's wording: “torturing,” “couldn’t get away from him,” “tried to pull free,” and “holding her down,” and having the heroine feel it necessary to “scramble away” and then have an “ensuing wrestling match.” It did not come across as a playful, 'oops, touched your ticklish spot, tickle tickle giggle move on,' but more like a dominant power play, without any encouragement or sign that it would be welcome by Cait.

SPOILER!!!!!!!!
The reaction, on both sides, to the ‘accidental’ heart emoji, which seems overblown in a book with the line “That right there is sketchy enough. How many women don’t have a Facebook account?” That seems like a dated sentiment for people in their late twenties / early thirties.

Also, the part about saying 'I love you' for the first time while sleeping I found a bit too cliche.

SPOILER ENDED

So aside from creeper tickling and emoji drama, the story is written well, usually with compassion and respect towards people. The way that author Stacey has portrayed the characters’ instant ability to go from relaxed and off duty to calm, focused high alert is accurately representative of first responders.

Recommended for readers who enjoy spicy, low-angst, contemporary romances with firefighter or cop heroes and/or heroines.

Shannon Stacey’s Boston Fire series takes an in-depth look at the lives and loves of those who work for the fictional fire department, Ladder 37. I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed the previous books in this series and like how the author has balanced the seriousness of the vocation with the less intense and fun side of falling in love. In Hot Response we get a genuinely nice guy hero who crosses paths with an (at first) prickly heroine. That initial friction serves to heat things up in this emotional and ultimately quite lovely romance.

Cait Tasker is competent and no-nonsense when it comes to her job as an emergency medical technician. Trained to respond quickly to emergency situations, she’s adept at providing immediate life-saving care on the scene. What she can’t fix is her family. With her mother’s second husband having recently passed away, Cait has moved in to help her mom and her teenaged half-brother cope with the loss.

When the 911 calls come in, it’s common for Cait and her partner Tony to cross paths with the team at Ladder 37. Gavin Boudreau is one of the youngest members of his fire department, but he’s just as skilled as the rest of the team and very confident. He’s not sure what he said to rub Cait the wrong way on their first meeting, but she clearly isn’t impressed with him. That changes when they are both at the scene of a house fire where they get trapped together briefly while rescuing a child. It shows Cait that her impression of Gavin as a cocky playboy is wrong. Feeling the need to apologize, she asks him out for breakfast, which he is happy to accept, hoping to put the tension between them to rest. Indeed Cait feels kind of foolish at realizing that what had initially upset her – Gavin calling her ‘ma’am which she believed was a reference to her being a few years older than him – is in fact just an example of the manners with which he was brought up.

With their truce established, a hesitant friendship starts, and then more. With both of them working shifts, they spend time together when they can. But Cait feels that her responsibility to her mom and her brother is too great to commit to a full time relationship. Will her reluctance to move forward out of concern for them ruin her own chance at happiness?

There’s a really funny set of scenes that evolve from a chance meeting of Cait, her brother Carter, and Gavin in a grocery store. It’s what sets off the knowledge that there might be something more to their friction than dislike and truth be told, made me laugh out loud. It also leads to some sweetheart moves from Gavin that cement him as a bona fide hero. Cait is pretty stressed out about her home situation, with her mother’s constant depression and the effect it has on her younger brother and their mother-son relationship. When she confides this to Gavin, even though he doesn’t know her very well at this point, he offers her the use of his house to have a private evening on her own. She can treat his house like a hotel and he’ll vacate to stay on a friend’s couch. It’s such a wonderful offer that Cait is taken aback by his generosity, especially after she had not been treating him nicely. But she accepts, and in the morning when he returns, they come to a mutual agreement that they want to explore the mutual attraction they feel. Gavin had been adamant about not doing anything to make Cait feel obligated to return his favor, and insists that they first go out for lunch so that anything that happens between them is separate from her staying overnight. But hoo boy, when the gloves are off, they heat things up in some pretty sexy scenes!

Gavin shows that sweetheart side in other ways, too. He asks Cait to extend an offer for her brother to join a group of his friends in some pickup basketball games. He brings her to meet his co-workers at their favorite pub and makes sure she meets everybody properly. He insists on walking her out to her car and always seeing her off safely. He is patient and understanding with her need to sometimes break their plans so she can be with her mom when she gets overwhelmed in her grief. From the outside he can see that Cait’s role in her household is holding back her mother from moving on with her life, and when he tries to broach the subject, Cait is not ready to hear it.

Cait has spent the last six months worried that her mother won’t be able to pull herself out of the depths of her grief, yet she is unable to see that her presence makes it easier for her mother to stay dependent on her. Her relationship with her brother is normal for the most part (as normal as one can get with a teenager) but he also feels the effects of that loss. Trying to balance her needs with those of her family is stressful. When she feels pressured by Gavin to start prioritizing her own needs and their relationship, the resulting friction leads to them both assessing whether they should cut their losses or find a way to make amends and get the happy ending that’s waiting for them. Fortunately they choose the latter.

Since both Gavin and Cait are involved in first responder situations, there are some pretty intense and emotional on-the-job scenes in the book. Fires, car accidents, slips and falls all come into play as does the reality of the loss of life that can occur. Gavin and Cait have good relationships with their co-workers and there are some fun and teasing scenes that show this, as well as how they cope with the more difficult situations. But having similar occupations makes them uniquely able to share their experiences with each other and have that extra emotional backup when needed. With its combination of laughs, tears and sexy moments, Hot Response is an excellent addition to the Boston Fire series.

This review has been posted at All About Romance , and a link to the AAR review at Goodreads.