Low in action, high in character development.  The second installment in the Hotshots series features dual POV in an age-gap, hurt-comfort romance

Garrick was seriously injured in the previous book.  This is his recovery story with a wonderful young man who knows exactly how to help without getting in the way.

Rain is a lovely young man still looking for his calling in life.  He quickly develops a crush on his handsome neighbor. With the help of a rescued dog, they forge a friendship that becomes so much more to both of them.

This is a slow burn romance dealing with severe injuries for one MC.  It's a heart lifting, feel good story.

3.5 stars

After surviving severe injuries in the line of duty as a smoke jumper, Garrick Nelson is trying to build himself back up to the same strength level as he was prior to his injuries in order to get back to work. Despite needing the aide of crutches or a wheelchair to move around, he's determined to get back to work, and a chance encounter with an injured dog leads him to cross paths with Rain Fisher, the grandson of one of his elderly neighbours. Unable to stop from helping the injured dog, Garrick finds himself taken in by Rain's irrepressible nature and, despite his apparent flightiness, Rain might find himself a place to call home.

Annabeth Albert is always a sure bet for me (and I've reviewed so many of her books now), so it's a no-brainer that I enjoyed High Heat. Sitting down to read one of her books is like coming home - I'm familiar with her writing style, I trust the way she builds relationships between even the most unlikely of characters and I enjoy the emphasis she places of characters' jobs (because that's an important part of many people's lives).

Garrick and Rain are both delightful characters, and this age-gap romance with a bit of kink thrown in for good measure, is a lot of fun, even while it does have some deeper underlying storylines. Garrick is struggling with the new reality of his life, and in denial about how much of a recovery he's truly going to be able to make, and Rain is just so open an earnest - a true grumpy and sunshine character trope. Their relationship isn't easy, and it takes work, but they persist at it because they recognise in each other something that they need in their life.

I liked how Albert spent time unpacking Garrick's injuries and his response to them. Being a smoke jumper was a huge part of his life and being unable to access that anymore meant that he's closed himself off from the people he called friends. Rain helps him to see that he needs those connections with others. Likewise, the focus on Garrick's rehab and the impact it has on him physically is important - and Albert takes something that others might find embarrassing to discuss and lays it out there for what it is without judgement.

It was a great read, and I enjoyed being back in the Hotshots world again.

This is just a case of false advertising as far as I'm concerned. This promised "the emotions and intensity of Chicago Fire" and this book just didn't give me that. It was boring and repetitive, to the point where I felt like I could skip entire chapters and not really miss out on much. I nearly DNF'd this a few times because it felt like a chore to read it.

The characters were interesting at first, but they quickly became rather flat and dull. There was barely any chemistry between them, and the dialogue felt unnatural and stale.

This book also relies heavily on the caretaker trope. For a lot of the story, it felt like Rain's personality boiled down to needing to be needed and wanting to take care of Garrick. I'm sure that appeals to some readers, but for me it was a turn-off.

Dear Annabeth Albert,

High Heat is book 2 in your Hotshots series, set in and around the firefighting/forestry community in the fictional Central Oregon town of Painter’s Ridge. I haven’t read the first book, Burn Zone (it’s on the TBR), but it’s not necessary to have done so to enjoy this novel – it stands alone well.

Garrick Nelson is a “smoke jumper” – the kind of firefighter who jump out of planes in the middle of forest fires. It’s a dangerous, high risk job. A fairly common way smoke jumpers are injured is being “treed”, ie, they become trapped in a tree when they’re parachuting into a fire. Such an incident happened to Garrick about a year before the book begins. He sustained serious injuries, including two broken legs and an incomplete spinal injury. He has been working hard on his rehabilitation and is now able to walk with the use of crutches (though not for long periods and certain terrain is very difficult for him to navigate). He uses a wheelchair the rest of the time. He starts the book determined to return to smoke jumping, the job he loves. No-one thought he would ever walk again and look where he is now? He is motivated and determined and not afraid of hard work. He’s going to make it.

His disability does mean that when a scared stray Rottweiler/Pit Bull/Labrador mix turns up on his front porch, he is unable to reach her without her being scared by his crutches or wheelchair. He goes across the road to his neighbour, Shirley, only to find her grandson, Rain Fisher, who has come to stay with his grandma for the summer. Rain is only 23 and looks younger; Garrick is immediately attracted but thinks he’s too old (he’s in his mid-30s) and he’s also a bit nervous about Shirley’s opinion so he doesn’t really think anything can happen. But Rain loves dogs and offers to help Garrick with “Cookie” the dog who ends up finding a home with Garrick even though it was supposed to be temporary. (We all know how that goes Garrick. It was inevitable.)

Garrick is pansexual and Rain is gay. As it happens, Rain has a thing for very masculine presenting guys and buff Garrick is everything Rain finds attractive. And, Garrick has a thing for confident men who like sparkles and tight t-shirts and short-shorts.

Rain had hoped to join the fire department in Portland but was unsuccessful in his application. He’s hoping to maybe pick up some work in the Painter’s Ridge area and would like to build his fitness to become a member of a hotshot team. Garrick and Rain make a bargain; in return for walking Cookie and taking her out a couple times a day, Garrick will act as a personal trainer for Rain to improve his fitness to try out for a hotshot team. (Their fitness requirements are extreme and Rain is, while not out of shape, not able to currently meet them.)

Garrick and Rain are therefore in close proximity to one another and this allows the mutual attraction to smoulder and eventually ignite (see what I did there?).

Rain was raised in a hippie community where he had few personal possessions and often felt overlooked. The community was very loving and there were many things about it that were awesome but some aspect of the experience have left their marks. Rain has been something of a dilettante, flitting from one potential career to another and everyone – his family, his grandma, his friends, thinks he’s a person who doesn’t stick, who won’t stay. He’s learned to hold onto things lightly because getting attached just means its harder when the thing is taken away from him.

Garrick was engaged before but his fiancee left and so he’s a person who’s worried about getting into a relationship with someone who won’t stay. And, he’s not sure whether he can even have sex anymore because for a long time things haven’t been working and he’s only just started to have some sporadic and unreliable arousal (largely related to Rain it’s true) – is there any point in attempting a relationship?

But Rain is so attractive and Garrick thinks, well, maybe they can do a fling?

Of course, both men catch feelings. The central conflict is around that push/pull of will he stay or will he go and each man’s ability to trust the other with their hearts. Along the way, Garrick has to come to grips with the consequences of his injury and what it means for his future, Rain has to consider what will make him happy and what part of that includes a career (and what sort of career).

Rain is delightfully open and frank about his desires and is able to coax Garrick into getting some specialist help for his sexual dysfunction. In addition, he’s also happy to explore what sex looks like for Garrick now and doesn’t require penetrative sex all the time to be happy and satisfied. Their intimate relationship is creative, inventive, satisfying and fun.

I liked the way Garrick and Rain communicated with one another. It was mostly Rain at first but he did inspire Garrick to open up and they worked really well together to build a solid relationship and friendship. There were no big misunderstandings to irritate me; the conflict was organic and made sense, the resolution did too.

I especially enjoyed the broader family in the story; Garrick and his dad, Kenny, were very close, as were Rain and his grandma. The little details about Rain’s veganism and Garrick’s support of that, taking into account nutritional requirements for firefighters just helped to build that sense of realistic world-building too.

There’s an Author’s Note at the end which talks a bit about the research you did in relation to spinal injury. I have some limited knowledge of the topic but no personal experience so I’m no expert myself. But it seemed like a well-researched, authentic and sympathetic representation of the kinds of things which people who have such injuries experience. It is of course made more difficult by the US health care system which is something which baffles me (I gather I’m far from alone in that). There wasn’t any information in the book about workers compensation. Here in Australia, Garrick would be fully covered for treatment, wages and expenses but I gather it doesn’t work the same way in the US. I chose to go with what was in the story and take it on face value but I admit I’m curious as to what workers compensation coverage smoke jumpers have. It seems to me patently unfair for Garrick to have to rely on his own insurance for a work injury. I come from a totally different cultural environment so I can’t comment on whether the portrayal in High Heat was accurate in this aspect. I expect it was though.

High Heat was an entertainingly good read with a great sense of community, fairly low conflict, largely character-driven rather than action-driven. Plus: dog! I liked it quite a bit.

Grade: B

Regards,
Kaetrin

I haven't read book 1 and as far as I can tell, you can definitely read this as a standalone. But, you do get enough Linc and Jacob nuggets that will definitely make you want to go back and read their story.

Garrick and Rain are seemingly very different, but they're both at turning points in their life. Rain is young and still trying to figure out what he wants for his future, he's on the search of his next adventure. Meanwhile Garrick is struggling to accept that he might not be able to go back to the job he loves. They meet at this transformative moment in their lives and think they can get away with an easy friendship and casual hookups.

I loved these two and I loved how supportive they were of each other and their goals. As always, Annabeth delivers tons of steam, but also, tons of heart. I loved following Garrick and Rain as they figured out the next steps for their lives.

Holy Hannah this book is hot! This is an age gap and hurt/comfort slow burn romance with one of my personal faves - a doggy catalyst to the romance! Haha. Despite being a hurt/comfort and being a lot about Garrick's very difficult physical recovery after a serious injury, the overall tone of the book is quite upbeat and cute.

I adore the chemistry between Garrick and Rain, and I might aspire to basically be Rain's grandma when I grow up. I also really appreciate the disability rep in High Heat - I would love to see more disabled MCs in romances (and, let's face it, in all genres). There are some VERY steamy sex scenes in this one too, if that's your jam.

This is the second book in the Hotshots series, but can be read as a standalone. I think there are some spoilers for the first book in the series, Burn Zone, which also includes Garrick getting injured I think. I definitely plan to go back and read the first book, since I started with this one.

This was a great addition to the series. Super passionate with a love story that's both satisfying and intense. Plus it has a puppy! That's the sign of a perfect romance.

I really enjoyed this book
In this book we learn what happened to Garrick after his fall. He has a severe injury to his spinal cord. He meets his neighbors nephew Rain after Garrick rescues a dog who is hurt. They take the dog to the vet. Garrick then ends up keeping the dog with Rain’s help a friendship develops between them. It then develops into feelings they help each other deal and grow with what each is going through.

I really liked Jacob and Link in Burn Zone, but I think Garrick and Rain (and Cookie) are now my favorites in the Hotshots series. ❤

Even though readers met Garrick in Burn Zone, you could read High Heat as a stand alone. There is a little bit of set up in the first book – mainly, Garrick’s accident. It wasn’t only devastating to Garrick, but to the rest of his team – who were essentially, his family.

High Heat doesn’t have as much of the day to day work atmosphere that Burn Zone did, but that’s to be expected. Garrick’s main goal is to get back to that, but it’s slow going. A lot slower than Garrick wants. Rain and Cookie are exactly what Garrick needs to keep his mind occupied on other things – and they’re both perfect distractions.

Speaking of Rain, he was amazing. He was so patient and seemed to know when to back off and not hover over Garrick, but was always there to help when it was needed. He had a way of presenting things and ideas to Garrick that made him look at them a different way. I loved all that about him.

This story was about trust and acceptance and a whole lot of hope. All those things, plus the strong sense of family made this one a favorite in the series so far. Feel the Fire is next in Hotshots, so stay tuned…

This was a sweet May/December romance but there just wasn't a lot of plot in this one. I was really looking forward to seeing what would happen with Garrick after the accident in the previous book but it just didn't grab me and I ended up putting it down and coming back to it a couple of times. Rain and Garrick were a good match and sweet together but I didn't feel a lot of the chemistry - they seemed to make better friends to me. What I really did like was the realistic way Garrick's injuries were handled and there wasn't a miracle cure. I do wish we got to see more of the struggle in coming to grips with not being able to go back to the way things were before the accident. I expected more of an emotional punch than I got from that part. Enjoyable yes but not my favorite in this series.

High Heat by Annabeth Albert is an excellent addition to the Hot Shots series.

-Hurt/Comfort/Healing
-Age gap
-Opposites attract
-Furbaby
-AWESOME main characters
-Dual POVs
-Feels
-HOT chemistry

Garrick and Rain are up there as one of my characters from Annabeth Albert. Their acceptance, understanding, and respect for each other were felt on every page.

I also need to mention how much I love the way Annabeth Albert handled Garrick's recovery. It was everything.

Highly recommend it.

4.5 Stars

[Thanks Netgalley for the ebook. This review is my honest opinion but just another opinion, you should read this book and judge it by yourself]
It's a sweet story, lighter than I expected due to Garrick's condition. The MC are adorable, their story is cute and sweet but I needed a little more tension, more drama. It's well written and there's nothing I didn't like but sadly it didn't hook me, I can't say why.
Overall it's a good summer reading, uncomplicated and full of LGBTQIA friendly characters, with a sweet love story.

High Heat is the second book in the Hotshots series by Annabeth Albert. We met Garrick in Burn Zone and he was injured, badly. It's about a year later and his legs are healing, but the spinal injury is still there and not going away. He's using crutches and a wheelchair, but still needs help. When a stray dog ends up at his house, his neighbors grandson, Rain, who is more than willing to help Garrick. He likes being needed and it's not a hardship helping the sexy smoke jumper. They fall into an easy routine, Rain walks the dog, Garrick cooks. Garrick is also training Rain for the hotshot test. Garrick is working hard to recover. He wants to get back to work. His spinal injuries also brought some sexual problems and he's not happy about it. But Rain is willing to help him with that too. Rain and his sexy, silky underpants is just what the doctor ordered for Garrick's libido. They like each other. They have fun together. But Rain is supposed to be leaving at the end of the summer Garrick might not be able to jump again, so what does his future look like? Is it possible they can become something more? I loved this story! It's one of my favorites of Annabeth's and that's saying something since I've read over thirty of her books! There was just something about Garrick and his drive, sweetness, sexiness and vulnerability and Rain's confidence, determination, sense of humor and knowing who he is! Together they are perfect for each other! Overall, I laughed, teared up, smiled, got hot and bothered and just loved every word!

Find out boy a scared dog leads two people to find a love like no other! Garrick is a wounded smoke jumper, looking to get back to his crew! Rain is visiting his grandmother! When a wounded dog turns up on his front porch, he seeks help to care for her! Read how they meet!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own!

High Heat by Annabeth Albert is book #2 in the Hotshots series, I really enjoyed book #1 Burn Zone so I was keen to read this newest book. This one was less about the Hotshots team than the first because Garrick, one of our leading men injured himself severely at the end of book one, and this is his story.

I really loved this novel, it was sweet and had all the feels, while at the same time dealing with the issue of being able to move on with life when your dream isn't possible anymore due to a permanent injury.

After Garrick's accident, he is learning to deal with his permanent injuries as well as the loss of his job as a Hotshot jumper, the only thing he sees himself doing. A stray dog coming into his life forces a meeting with his neighbour's grandson, Rain, a wonderfully flamboyant young man, who is just what Garrick needs to pull him through this chapter of his life. But Rain wants more than just one chapter, while Garrick doesn't think he is worthy.

I enjoyed the relationship which grew between these two. I absolutely loved Rain, he was a breath of fresh air, not willing to be anything other than who he is, but at the same time has doubts of his own. Rain bought plenty of humour to the interactions between the two of them. Garrick had some life lessons to learn as well as learning to believe that he was worthy of being happy and that there was more to life than being a jumper.

I look forward to book 3.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin - Carina Press for a digital copy in return for an honest review.

I am just loving this series. It has heat from fires, and heat from the bedroom. All the HEAT! 🙂

Garrick, the injured smoke jumper from Book 1, is now home, and recovering from his injuries, hoping to get back to his high stakes job soon. And when he meets a sweet and skittish dog, and his neighbor’s grandson, Rain, his world is turned upside down again. Just what he needed.

I loved these two together. Rain didn’t fuss over Garrick, just gave him time to find what he needed to do, and was willing to help when he was asked. Rain also had no problem being himself, whatever that was for him that day. Meanwhile, Garrick wasn’t the super masculine fire fighter who cared that his friend/boyfriend wanted to wear silver shorts or glittery tops. They were just each other when they were each other, what they both truly were looking for, first in a friend, then as lovers.

Cookie brought them together, but their own desires kept them together. Desires to be with each other, but also their future desires. Rain wanting to finally find a place he belonged. Garrick wanting to get back what he once had, but then stepping back up when he couldn’t and taking on a new place for himself.

Really enjoyed the wrap-up on this. It was just what these guys deserved.

4 Pieces of Eye Candy

3.5*

This is my first Annabeth Albert book, and it won’t be my last. High Heat didn’t blow me away but it’s a near-perfect example of the kind of romance book that I need from time to time. It’s lovely, thoughtful and generous of heart, in a way that makes me feel safe even during moments of high drama. In these times, more than ever, I appreciate a writer who can cocoon me like that.

Garrick is 12 months into recovery for a serious spinal injury after a work accident. He was a smoke-jumper, one of a crew of elite skydiving firefighters in central Oregon, but a fall from a tree has left him grounded, mastering crutches and a wheelchair. He’s absolutely determined to get back in the air, and has been single-mindedly positive about rejoining his team. But now those closest to him - his dad, his physical therapist and his friends - are having doubts that it will ever happen. He might be as recovered as he will ever be. Shouldn’t he be making plans for the rest of his life?

Enter Cookie, a mutt of unknown origins, who shows up on his doorstep bleeding and hungry. Not knowing what to do with a skittish young dog Garrick seeks help from his neighbour, and runs into her 23 year old grandson on her porch. Rain has recently graduated college and is looking for his next adventure, which he hopes will be on a hotshot fire crew over the summer. In the meantime he’s staying with his grandma and at a loose end, so he agrees to help Garrick with Cookie. In return Garrick offers to train him for his fire service physical.

A sweet and sensitive romance develops between this May/December pairing, who help one another navigate periods of huge personal change and challenge in their lives. What I liked most was the way High Heat avoids the obvious conflict points of the set-up. Garrick and Rain don’t get really hung up on their age difference, on the fact that they’re men who love men in a highly masculine field or on the ways that Garrick’s injuries have an impact on his sex life. These things are tackled really well - especially Garrick’s need for medication and devices to help him orgasm - but they don’t generate the central conflict of the book. That grows more subtly through the story, based on both men’s back stories rather than immediate circumstances. There are no quick fixes, easy answers or miracle cures to either of their problems.

I could have wishes the book moved more swiftly in parts, but at the same time I appreciated the time and space it gave for real character development. And the ending was deliciously happy, in a way that could have been saccharine but wasn’t. What can I say, I’m a sucker for a Christmas holiday epilogue.

This is the second book in Albert’s Hotshot series but I felt it stood well alone - while the couple from book 1 appear there are no major spoilers or outstanding plot points. I’ll definitely go back and read that book, and will pick up the next one too.

Finished this one last night and still in that swoony afterglow stage. I loved this one! I wasn't sure how much I would like Garrick as I thought him funny in the first book but didn't really connect with him there. But I loved him so much and I loved his romance journey with Rain. This book was so sweet and heartfelt and I couldn't get enough!

Book two in the Hotshots, High Heat is another engaging read by this author. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline and will be reading more.

So well well well... well I really liked the first volume of this series and I must say I couldn't wait to read this one. If the story of Linc and Jacob was very much centered on their work as smokejumpers, this is not at all the case in this volume. And for good reason....

This second volume focuses mainly on Garrick and his adaptation to his new life. I really liked the character of Garrick. I had already liked it in the first volume and I was eager to have its story. He's a very positive character, very strong despite what he's been through and I loved the way he deals with all the changes and hardships that life puts in his way. Her relationship with Rain is really very endearing and I loved every moment of it.

Rain, as for him, is a character that I adored. I have to say I love it when the characters wear sexy lingerie and it's handled really well. I loved the sexy passages between Garrick and Rain and I must say that this novel was particularly hot. Annabeth Albert's novels are often hot but this one was particularly hot. And I loved it. Coming back to Rain, he's a super endearing character and one that I loved to see evolve over the pages. I must say that Garrick and Rain have become my new favorites.

In summary, a very, very good second volume in a series that I really like. An author always at the top who still improves from novels to novels. A series to discover without further delay.