Jennifer is a new to me author. I truly did enjoy this book. Plus look at the hot cover.. how could you not want to read it

I requested this several years ago and I don't think it's a book for me anymore. So I will not be reviewing at this time, but if I do read it, I will update this review. Thank you for the opportunity.

I went back and forth between snaughling through this book, then wanting them to get out of their minds! The just needed to get it together and get together!. Get to the making the magic happen!

We are shown once again that firemen are sexy and steamy (see what I did there ;) )

I was happy to have a good fun read that made me enjoy reading!

Her reads are now on my TBR!

BURNING UP is the first book of the FLIRTING WITH FIRE series and was an enjoyable read. Erin and Jake are at the forefront but so are their families, including his daughter and the firefighters Jake works with, one of whom is Erin’s brother. We get to know the characters a little at a time, but I could feel their angst throughout.

Erin was laid off from her teaching job in California and moves home to Oregon for the summer. She doesn’t want to be there and lets everyone know it. Her goal is to get a new teaching job in California and return “home.” Throughout the story it doesn’t seem like she has a lot to go back to but is hell-bent on getting back there. She and Jake connect after she returns to Portland, and she begins to see things through his eyes. His daughter, Bailey, is a tween and keeps Jake on his toes! The interactions between the characters ranged from sweet to problematic, but the reader gets to know them quite well. The descriptions of the downtown Portland area made me feel like I was there.

The way Erin and her siblings were portrayed seemed real, as did her annoyance with her mom one minute then love and acceptance the next. Erin seemed to be pulled in more than one direction, and Jake knew that he had to protect his daughter at all costs. But why did he want to get out of his comfort zone with Erin? The story had a nice flow to it and a happily-ever-after. There was some sizzling loving as well as closure. I was happy to see that the second book in the series, UP IN FLAMES, will be out later this year!

Blackwood is a new-to-me author, and I look forward to reading more of her contemporary romances.

When a book just leaves you wanting more....

I really loved everything about this book, but I mostly loved that Erin and Jake are so respectful of each other and their needs.

They each go into the relationship knowing it can only be what it can be but as they spend more and more time together they each start to develop deeper feelings. I loved that neither tried to push the other in the way that would have made it easier for themselves. They let each other make their own decisions.

Jake has a life and he has to be cautious with his heart and I loved the way he loved his daughter. They have such a beautiful bond!!

Erin is stuck. She’s always run away from Portland but this time around she doesn’t seem to know what she’s running from anymore. She misses her family and her friends and everything about her hometown. She’s afraid to make a leap.

This book kept me waiting till the very last second and I loved all of it!! I loved Jake and Erin together and definitely wish we could have gotten a bit more of them in the end.

Burning Up was an absolute joy to read. The kind of joy that had me waking in the middle of the night, only to hide out under the covers so I could read it until the sun rose. And though I had a few mornings of blurry-eye-syndrome from my lack of sleep, it was so, so worth it in the end.

I adored Erin. She was fun, career motivated, and as sweet as can be. And Jake? Wowzers... The epitome of hot firefighter and sexy single dad. Together, these two characters had an amazing connection, and man did I love how they came to find their HEA.

If you love romantic contemporaries with loads of heart, laugh out loud humor, and some serious bedroom sizzle, then I highly recommend Burning Up. It's phenomenal.

This was my very first Jennifer Blackwood book and I throughly enjoyed it! This story was hot and steamy and entertaining while being at times funny and at time serious.

I liked the characters in this new series from an author also new to me. he chemistry built slowly between the main characters. With an easy writing style, low angst and simmering drama, it all came together for a satisfying, firefighter-filled read.

This was a hot firefighter romance read that I really enjoyed reading. There was definite heat between the two characters that made it an addictive read. I enjoyed this story from start to finish

***3.5 Stars***

Sweet, fun, flirty, but man did Erin and Jake give me whiplash. I got why they both had their hang ups, and quite honestly didn’t blame them in the least, but after awhile it got a little tiring how Jake didn’t want to be in a relationship, not really, and how Erin NEEDED to get out of town and back to her “life”. But outside of that, it was a good read filled with a cast of interesting characters who brought a lot of life and depth to the story.

This book had me laughing out loud from the very first page! Jake and Erin fit so well together and I’m glad they finally got their HEA. I did feel that the story didn’t flow as well in some places and I almost put it down but I’m glad I persevered as it was a sweet story. I did feel that an epilogue would have been nice but it wasn’t essential, just my preference. Overall I did like this read and would read more in the series.

Burning Up is the first novel in the Flirting With Fire series by Jennifer Blackwood. This novel revolves around a free spirited woman and one grounded firefighter who also happens to be a single father. This is also the first novel I have read by Jennifer Blackwood. As you all may know, I love finding and experiencing new-to-me authors! It's like christmas morning, you never know what you're going to get when you first dive into it.

Erin Jenkins is a free spirit with dreams of getting out of the small town life she calls home, so that's what she does after high school. She hightails it out of there. Now she's back home after getting cut from her teaching job.

Jake Bennett doesn't need anything in his life but his daughter, his family and friends, and his job. So when a blast from fantasy's past comes blowing back in town, Jake does everything he can to dampen down the rising emotion. He's always been attracted to Erin but given the fact that she's his best friend's younger sister, he knows not to screw around with Bro Code..... or does he.

My Thoughts:

Okay, let's start off on an honestly note.... I liked Erin and Jake's story but I felt the chemistry and overall relationship could have been stronger. When I started Burning Up, I was grinning from ear to ear. I'm a new fan to the 'firefighter' trope, and one thing I love about this trope is the majority of these men are strong alpha studs. They get shit done, and aren't about to let anything like a little fire and heat stop them. There were moments in this novel where I saw Jake's alpha vibe shine bright, and I freaking loved those moments. I loved when he thought Erin was hurt and moved heaven and hell to get to her, only to discover the emergency call wasn't her. Those moments I saw truth and emotion. I saw a man caring and doing everything in his power to rescue the woman he 'unknowingly' loves.

There were also moments where I squealed due to Jake's dad roles. I loved the fact that he cared so deeply for his little girl and pushed his life to the backburner in order to play the role of both mother and father.

But then there were moments where I was annoyed....and those moments....revolved around Erin and Jake's actual relationship. It was to the point where I was seriously, mentally and emotionally, frustrated with the back and forth. Jake needed to make up his damn mind. Either you want to bonk each other or you don't...I felt sorry for Erin and the back and forth signals Jake was sending her way. Burning Up brings a whole new meaning to the phrase SLOW BURN.

Now the question of if I recommend this book or not???

If you are into Slow Burn romances where the slow is extremely slow and the buildup is basically ancient, then you would probably love this novel. But if you are like me and think there is an exception to the term slow burn and if the couple doesn't at least engage in a little romp time by the forty percent mark, chances are you probably won't care to much for this one. The choice is in your hands. It's a cute novel, I was just expecting a little more from this one due to the blurb.

This is my first read from Jennifer Blackwood, but it certainly won't be the last.

Burning Up had me burning up. Jake and Erin had a chemistry that was off the charts hot. Despite the fact that they resisted each other for as long as they could, at a certain point they just couldn't hold off their attraction for one another any longer.

My heart swooned when I saw Jake with Bailey. He is such an amazing single father, that you can't help but smile, and fall in love with him, and all the things he does for his daughter.

One thing that did annoy me with this novel, was all the back and fourth action. Yes, it did add to the tension and spark between the characters, however, at a certain point, it just got a little much and I could have done without some.

I cannot wait to see what Jennifer has in store for book 2. It is bound to be just as smoking hot!

4/5 Stars!

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I am looking forward to reading other books by this great author.

This is Book #1 in the Flirting with Fire series. Erin was definitely flirting with Jake at his sister's wedding, but he would not across the bro code. Her brother is his best friend. They had combustible chemistry!

This is my first book by this author and it won't be my last. I can not wait to read Book #2.


☆☆☆☆
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommend this book? Yes! Author? Yes!
Read more from this author? Yes!

Happy Reading!
Melissa

I was looking forward to reading Burning Up as it sounded very interesting. However, the writing and characters were tough for me to get into. At this time, I'm setting aside the book.
Thanks to the publisher for considering me for a review copy.

Ohhhhh Jennifer Blackwood, you master of the words, you. I. Freaking. Love. Firefighters. And SWEET MOTHER OF GOD, this book is H.O.T. and I was on fire in the most delicious way possible. Perfect, incredible, fantastic!

Burning Up is the first novel I've read by Jennifer Blackwood and it was enjoyable read, not at all what I expected from the title, and although I liked it, I didn't love it, so it gets 3 stars from this reader.

The plot (what there is of it) is rather simple, and follows the usual brother's best friend trope. Erin Jenkins has been in lust with Jake Bennett, her brother's best friend, since grade school. Reece and Jake are firefighters and working out of the same firehouse in Portland, Oregon. Erin, who has been living and working as a middle school science teacher in California is back in Portland under duress, her mother was ill and she was needed at home, the home she left behind her when she escaped at age 18. Her annoying mother and her siblings, as well as the family peanut butter sandwich truck are the reason she left Portland to begin with. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts, she was laid off, and since she was needed at home, is spending the summer in Portland, and slowly being driven crazy by the proximity of her family.

While stopping at a favorite bakery, Erin runs into Jake, who is there to pick up his daughter's favorite bagel, except that Erin had picked up the wrong bag and was already eating said bagel. These two have a very strong mutual attraction, but what always kept them in the friend zone was simple--she was his best friend's sister and therefore off-limits. Jake is now a single dad to his 12-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey's mom left without so much as a warning when Bailey was 3 months old and hasn't been seen or heard from since, leaving Jake with a baby to raise and little trust of women in general.

Erin has been desperately trying to find another teaching job in California before summer ends, and makes no secret of the fact that she isn't moving back home to Portland. Reece adds to this by pointing out to Jake that his sister is always running away, and since Jake has been left in the lurch before, he isn't eager to pursue Erin and expose his daughter to the heartache Erin's leaving would cause, but neither character can fight the attraction they feel for one another for long. When Jake realizes that he needs a last-minute date for a wedding, he asks Erin to accompany him. You already know what's going to happen, don't you?

As stated, there's nothing new to the plot of this book, although there is some snarky banter, some pretty funny scenes and certainly a bit of heat that really isn't over the top. From the title, I was expecting more firehouse activity, but aside from one scene, it's just not there, and neither is there anything new or different about this novel to set it apart from every other brother's best friend novel I've read. The novel is fairly well-written and the characters are likable, but for this reader, the novel lacked originality, forward momentum, and certainly some drama. All in all, it was a pleasant read, but not a great one.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

This book was just okay. I have to admit that I was a bit turned off by Erin, the female lead, from the first scene. She had to pick up several things, “Depends, bunion pads, hemorrhoid medication, and age-defying wrinkle cream,” at the grocery for her mother, who had just had surgery, and was embarrassed to be buying them. That seemed pretty silly for a grown woman. Then she was rude to the kid checking her out, talking on her phone and yelling at him. I tried, but that first impression kind of sunk the book for me. It also didn’t help that there seemed to be more time spent with the characters individually than as a couple. This is the first in a new series, but I don’t think I’ll be checking out any more.

He was her brother’s best friend and the star of her teenage fantasies. Returning home she focuses on finding a new job and taking care of her mother. Meeting Jake again led to returning a favor leading into so much more. Unleashing their desires is something that will not be contained but can he keep the promise he made to her brother ten years ago? The chemistry between them threatens to burn them alive. Great story