I'm a fan of Annabeth Albert and own several of her books. Feel the Fire just didn't work for me. The book dragged, too much randomness that made the book last forever. Luis was sent to help out a fire crew in his high school hometown and re-connects with Tucker.
The book revolves around this new developing relationship. Tucker in particular just irritated me. He could not articulate his feelings in high school and fast forward 18 years and hasn't shown any growth.
With sex: "you can bring...' Tucker nodded at the nightstand, hoping Luis could read his mind without him needing to spell this out" [it's called lube!] "he knew...what a prostate was but he didn't realize...he assumed much of what he'd heard was an exaggeration..." WHAT?
With their relationship: starting with chapter one and throughout the entire book
"at some point they would have to talk. It was inevitable really, and Tucker was all ready dreading it wish his entire being." "Talking is possibly even a worse idea..." " Us talking ...will only make things worse" and on and on.
And then ..."Compromise. [He] tested the word out in his brain... maybe his current avoidance tactics weren't the only way of coping" You think??? Exactly how old are they? These are grown men who have both been in previous long term relationships.
And as a reader the unwillingness of the characters to talk about their feelings and relationship just leads to a disconnect. If they don't want to talk about it, then why should we care to read about them?
If you go into this book looking for fire-fighting and parenting you will enjoy it. Tucker was much better a character when he was focused on his sons.
So yeah, not of fan of this book but it still hasn't turned me off of Annabeth Albert and anticipate reading future books.
This book was provided to my by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This series as a whole is so emotionally moving. This story is no exception. The first love past of Tucker and Luis is both sweet and heartbreaking. I started out thinking I would be able to point the finger at one of them for things not working out in their teen years, only to find my sympathies were with both of the men. Annabeth Albert did a beautiful job of transitioning between the past and the present so the reader truly understands what happened while also feeling the depth of the emotions between all of the players.

Having the added element of Tucker having twin teenage boys (the same age he and Luis were when they were initially separated) brings a whole other layer to this story. I went into the book with so many questions about Tucker. Is he closeted? What is his sexual orientation? Does his ex-wife know? How will his kids react to Luis? Seriously, so many questions! And the author does an amazing job of answering all of these questions in a thoughtful way that keeps the flow of the story moving while also having me fall more and more in love with these two as a couple.

To get back to the sexual orientation question for a moment…this series has really helped me to understand how wide that spectrum truly is. I was never one to think all people fit into one neat and tidy category. In fact, I have always thought most people do not. But I never really looked into all the different classifications. The author has done an amazing job of educating me as this story has progressed, so I can only imagine that I’m not the only one who is learning a lot about what sexual orientation is and the many layers it can entail. This is something I appreciate more than I’m able to express in this one little paragraph.

Back to the story. The chemistry is very obvious between these two. I love how naïve and innocent Tucker is, and how Luis never makes him feel bad for his lack of knowledge and experience. They are absolutely charming together. And Luis somehow seamlessly fits into Tucker’s family; his twin boys, ex-wife, ex-wife’s current husband and daughter, all enjoy Luis’ company and encourage the couple to spend more time together. Luis is brilliant with the twins and knows when to hold back and when to speak up. (Believe me, the restraint all of the adults use in this story in relation to one of the twin’s girlfriends is herculean.)

As a mom, when things were coming to a head in this book, I couldn’t help but look at things through the lens of a parent. This meant that there were times Luis was not my favorite person. Of course, his rationalizations and reasons for things he feels and says make sense. And Tucker doesn’t always express things in a tactful way. Don’t get too frustrated with them. The author helps us see the decisions Tucker and Luis make are really for the best for everyone involved.

I know it’s selfish of me, but I really don’t want to see this series end. I hope the author has many more stories in her head waiting to be told.

Fire behavior specialist Luis Riviera isn't excited to return to his home town to help deal with a potential arson situation. It's not the work, it's the fact he will most certainly run into Tucker Ryland, his best friend who happened to break his heart.

Tucker is just as uncomfortable. Just seeing Luis messes with his mind and heart. There's a lot of past these two fire fighters will need to work through in order to even have a chance of moving forward to a better place. But some relationship bonds are hard to break, even if there's some conflicts from the past to resolve. Neither man knows what happened after high school, and twenty years is a long time to hold a grudge.

One of the reasons I love Annabeth Albert M/M books is that there is a good mix of emotion with the physical interactions that eventually develop. In this story, those emotional bonds are strong and it doesn't take a whole lot for them to come back to life. And from the "heat" standpoint, both men have twenty years of life experience now and know themselves and their needs, which makes for some real sexual heat as Luis and Tucker give into their desires for each other. Wowza!

But there are still issues they will need to resolve if they want a future together -- namely, Tucker's home and family is in Oregon and Luis lives in LA. Will they be able to make it work? That is the question. I adored the fact this was a romance between two mature adults who had were willing to put in the work to figure things out.

I loved Tucker's family. His boys are pretty amazing, and their family unit is important to the story. The firefighting aspects to the story are well researched and well done, although at times hard to read because of the reality of the current wildfires out west. Some of the arsonist story line is resolved off-page, so the focus is really on the main characters.

Feel the Fire can be read as a standalone in this series.

An ARC was provided by the publisher. This is my honest review.

Book three in Annabeth Albert’s Hotshots series is a second-chance romance between two men – best friends – who fell in love as teens, but were parted when one family moved away and their plans to be together didn’t work out. It’s a trope I generally enjoy, and I’m pleased to say that my expectations were met; Feel the Fire is a poignant, sexy and satisfying romance featuring likeable, complex characters whose intense emotional connection leaps off the page.

California-based fire behaviour specialist Luis Rivera isn’t too pleased at being asked to head up to central Oregon for a few weeks to help out at the Painter’s Ridge airbase, but the hotshot crew there is seriously shorthanded at a time they’re having to deal with a spate of fires they believe to be the result of arson. This sort of thing isn’t unusual; ever tightening budgets and hiring freezes mean Luis has been ‘loaned out’ to other forest services before, but Painter’s Ridge holds painful memories and is somewhere he’d never planned to go back to. Still, he can’t really refuse, especially as his particular area of expertise is likely to be useful in helping to capture the arsonist – and in any case, he’s unlikely to run into the guy who broke his heart twenty years before. Most likely, Tucker is happily running the family ranch with his wife and passel of kids.

Tucker Ryland and Luis more or less grew up together and were each other’s first love. When they were sixteen, Luis’ family moved to California, and the plan was for Tucker to move to be with him as soon as possible, but those plans had to be put on hold when Tucker’s dad had a heart attack and Tucker was needed on the family ranch. Time dragged on with Tucker stuck in Oregon and Luis not-so-patiently waiting for Tucker to join him – but eventually, and with no idea of when Tucker would be able to get away, that patience ran out, and things between them didn’t end well. Twenty years later, Tucker gets one helluva shock when he realises that the arson specialist coming to Painter’s Ridge on temporary assignment from the Angeles National Forest is the same boy – well, man now – who’d left town with Tucker’s heart all those years ago.

Their first meeting is somewhat awkward to say the least, as they try to reconcile their memories with the reality of each other as they are now. Neither is quite sure how to handle it; they were everything to each other once upon a time and now, they’re practically strangers. Tucker can feel the anger coming off Luis in waves; he knows they’ll have to talk at some point, but he’s not looking forward to it. And Luis… well, his anger is down to the fact that he doesn’t want to have to deal with the old hurts and memories seeing Tucker again has brought to the surface. Yet it’s very quickly apparent that whatever the cause of the tension and frustration each can sense coming from the other, there’s something else there, too, some little, long buried spark that neither man is actually sure he wants but can’t fail to recognise. Before long, that spark ignites (pun intended!) and the soul-deep connection the two men feel carries over into an intense physical relationship. But Luis’ presence in Oregon was always going to be temporary, and the supreme irony that they’re going end up exactly where they were twenty years earlier is not lost on either of them. They’re no longer teens who think the world well lost for love, they’re grown men who have put down roots and made lives and careers for themselves. So the question now is – are they prepared to do what it takes in order to make a life together?

Feel the Fire is an expertly crafted, character-driven romance, and Annabeth Albert does a wonderful job of showing Luis and Tucker getting past that initial awkwardness, then gradually getting to know the men they are now and essentially falling in love all over again. While the arson plotline is the main impetus for bringing the couple back together, it’s very much a secondary storyline because the main focus is firmly on the relationship, which develops organically and in a way that is refreshingly mature because of the way that Luis and Tucker are so honest with each other. They talk things through, admit their mistakes, and display a degree of acceptance and understanding (I loved that Luis was always so careful to check with Tucker – who is demisexual – about his limits) that not only feels absolutely right for a couple in their mid-thirties, but also provides an interesting and effective contrast with their rather idealistic romance when they were teens. I’ve read some early reviews that criticised the book’s pacing for being on the slow side, but I’d have to disagree; the pacing is realistic given Luis and Tucker haven’t seen each other for twenty years and have to get to know each other again, and also, because they’re adults with adult responsibilities and a couple of decades of emotional baggage under their belts, they are naturally more cautious and often have other people and situations to consider before they act.

In Tucker’s case those responsibilities are his twin sons, Wade and Walker, who are seventeen and approaching big changes in their lives. They’re as different as chalk and cheese; Wade is a real extrovert – outgoing, lively and says whatever comes into his head – and looking forward to leaving home for college, while Walker is quieter and more cautious, clearly struggling with something and not wanting to talk about it. Wade’s enthusiastic matchmaking for his dad is funny and oddly sweet (I had to laugh when he gave Tucker a box of condoms and told him to have fun!). They’re well-rounded characters in their own right, and their relationships with each other and Tucker are very well written. I appreciated that Tucker’s ex-wife isn’t demonised and that we’re shown them successfully co-parenting the twins and being supportive of each other.

As I’ve noted in the previous books, the author’s research into the work of the people involved in wildfire fighting is excellent and used to very good effect, and I love that this series features characters in very unusual professions. Feel the Fire is my favourite Hotshots book so far – it’s a romantic, touching story about rediscovery and reconnection – and realising it’s never too late to follow your dreams.

Grade - A-/ 4.5 stars.

Reading this book, and the others in the series, while living in a state prone to devastating wild fires has been a surprisingly emotional experience. I actually had to set this book aside for awhile as fiction is no longer enjoyable when it is happening right outside your window. But I was finally able to finish this past weekend and I was able to enjoy another well written romance by Annabeth Albert and also be incredibly grateful for the real life fire fighters and their support teams.

Overall, I am actually having trouble settling on a rating for this book.

There is so much I loved about it, namely the maturity between the two characters. So often with second chance romance there is so much petty sniping and angst as the characters figure out how to interact with each other again. And while we did get a chapter or two of this, Tucker and Luis didn’t dwell on the past. They both admitted to being hurt and being at fault and that neither was the bad guy. It was so refreshing and mature! And this continued throughout the entire book. There is no guessing about what they both wanted in the end, they were both open about it, even if it took some time and frustration to figure out how to make it work.

I also really loved the demisexual rep, it’s nice to see characters on the ace spectrum finding a place in romance stories. And though I had trouble keeping them straight in my head, I really liked the twins and their side stories and how they paralleled Tucker’s own life and his unrealized dreams. And l loved that the choice Tucker made in the end wasn’t at all what I was expecting!

So with all of this, why the trouble rating it? Because the story was kind of boring! Yes, I liked both of the characters but there wasn’t really much outside of that to keep me interested. I was really expecting more out of the arson investigation and thought that that would have a more exciting climax. It kind of seemed a little pointless in the end. I was definitely rooting for these guys and loved their ending but I just wish it had been a bit more exciting to get there.

So I’m going with 4.25* because there is was still a lot I enjoyed and I’ll continue reading books in this series as long as Annabeth writes them!

Yep, I think this one is definitely my favorite of the series so far. For several reasons.

Long lost love and reconnection. Tucker and Luis were best friends in high school. And then they started to become more. Until Luis' father was transferred to California for his job. Being teenagers in love, they had a plan to stick it out until they graduated high school, then reunite and be together. But the cruel world got in the way.

Fast forward many years- 18? 19? and Luis is sent back to the town he lived in with Tucker to help out with an arson investigation their fire service is doing. Surprise! Tucker works there.

Grown men who have each done a lot of living since they last saw each other. Tucker married, had twins and divorced. The twins are now 17 (and pretty funny characters in the story) and he is best friends with his ex wife. Hey, it happens!

Luis was injured as a firefighter so he is no longer on the front lines. He also lost a long term boyfriend. Neither Luis or Tucker are ready for something. Silly boys.

So, the guys acknowledged from the start that it would probably go nowhere since they lived over 1000 miles apart. I really enjoyed the fact that Tucker's ex wife was his best friend and a big part of his life. AND she wasn't like so many of the ex wives I read that are stupidly involved with their ex husband's love life. I mean, she was nosy. But that was a given.

Tucker also took the time to discover exactly what his sexuality was to him.

When they were together, they were adorable. They were like teenagers, discovering each other, flirting, touching, doing little things. It was really so sweet. They listened to each other, they still put their jobs (and the twins) first, etc.

And then came the plot point that I knew was coming. BUT! I was very pleasantly surprised. That is all I will say about that.

Two guys, acting like grown ups, doing the non exciting part of firefighting, but acting like teenagers together. Very swoony.

Feel the Fire is another great story in the Hot Shots series.

This book has:

-Dual POVs
-Friends to lovers
-Second chance
-Older characters, and by older, I mean in their 30s. Still younger than me, but in the romance world, it's rare.
-Communication. At first, I was afraid Luis's and Tucker's past would drag throughout the story, but it didn't. These guys talked to each other.
-Their connection felt organic; it felt natural for them to start back up again.
-Chemistry
-Love the supporting cast of characters; they added to the story without overtaking it.
-The HEA made me believe in their future together. They're in it for the long haul.

All in all, I loved it: low angst, romantic, good steam, no stupid drama. It's a win.

4.5 Stars

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆
Feel the Fire is the third installment in the Hotshots series. While connected via the setting and the cast of characters, this novel can easily be read as a standalone or out of series order, with absolutely no confusion.

Tucker and Luis were best friends growing up, a deep connection that turned to a budding first love. When Luis' family relocates back to California during the last year of high school, the boys try very hard to keep in touch. Hurt feelings, resentment, distance, and miscommunication end their friendship...

Fast-forward nearly two decades later, Tucker and Luis are surprisingly in the same line of work. Luis is sent from California to help Tucker's crew solve a series of arsonist wild fires, putting them into each other's orbit for a few weeks.

In a beautiful mix of slow-burn, second chance romance, hurt-comfort, and intense connection, Tucker and Luis navigate a relationship they believe is destined to fail in the same epic fashion it did two decades ago, especially with a pair of teen twins, an ex and her family, and a regal cat.

A wholesome family-oriented romance, with realistic issues faced by long-distanced couples, faced both for grown adults and teens ready to embark on a new path.

To be honest, where I struggled is that I felt the book was longer than necessary, which had my interest waning. While I adore slow-burn and the angst of building tension, the pacing dragged at a few points.

Another issue I had was the fact that I did feel as if Luis was slightly stubborn and selfish when it came to Tucker's needs, from both the past and the present, where he learned nothing from the past, doing it yet again. There was no compromising, where both lose and gain. I didn't feel Tucker made the choice the character was written to make, but more like the author told the reader to just roll with it. It felt too much as if "If you love me, you'd choose me above everything you've ever built in your life, including your entire family, just as the ultimatum I issued years ago. But don't you dare have the audacity to ask the same of me." Tucker dreamed of a big yard, a garden to tend, yet ended up in a concrete jungle. As I said, that made it feel as if the author revealed an ending that didn't truly fit the character that was written. A few tweaks along the way would have made this more realistic and befitting of both their needs.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the third book in the series – and although you would feel more grounded in the environment and aware of the openness within the community if you had read the previous books, you could read this as a standalone and go back and enjoy the earlier books later.

For me, this book was just a touch long winded. Having said that, it absolutely fitted the two men and their 20 years apart, revealing that they still had strong feelings for each other. Having been separated due to Luis moving away towards the end of high school due to his father's job, and in spite of them promising to stay together even if distant, it did not happen. I enjoyed them having to deal with the fact that they are really attracted to the man that the other had become, it was not just the chemistry of their childhood years. But really even this time, Tucker, the lifelong resident in the town has no intention of leaving, and assumes that Luis has to change without consideration of whether maybe it is time for him to make a move.

I liked that to make the story stand out from the others, there needed to be a new angle – and I thought the possibility of an arsonist and needing Luis's fire behaviour skills to catch the criminal was a good plot, but I did feel that it could have had a more dramatic reveal; more could have been made of the perpetrator.

I enjoyed getting to know Tucker's family, and enjoyed his twins' behaviour, as well as spending time with the men who have featured in earlier books.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆
M/M Second-Chance Romance

Luis is a great fire behavioralist. He knows fires. When he's tasked to help out in Oregon, he's more than resistant. It's where he first fell in love, where he left his first love, and where he has some truly great memories and truly bad ones. But the job calls. Fires are dangerous and he wants to make sure that he can help find the arsonist.

Tucker thought he had it all when he was young. He had fallen in love, was planning on moving with his boyfriend, and then... life happened. Now a divorced father of twin boys, Tucker still loves his life. He has a great relationship with his ex and his boys, loves his co-workers, and knows that he made the right choice to be home with his boys. But when his first love arrives at work to help out, old feelings rush forward.

Both Luis and Tucker are great at their jobs. They try to keep things as professional as they can, but once they clear the air, there is nothing stopping them from wanting to try again. I think my biggest issue with this story is that there is an arsonist on the loose that Luis is trying to figure out, but it's so anticlimactic. I wanted much more suspense when it came to that aspect of the story. And while Tucker and Luis clearly have chemistry from their relationship before, they didn't burn up the romance aspect of the story the way I would have thought they would.

It's a longer story and I think, for me, it dragged at times. Overall, this was a sweet, second-chance romance, it just lacked heat and suspense.

FEEL THE FIRE is a new installment in a great series about hotshot firefighter romance series. This particular book is a solid second chance romance that follows Luis and Tucker. Luis moved away as a teen, when he and Tucker had changed from BFFs to something more. After some fighting and ultimatums, they ended up breaking up. Tucker was soon married to a woman with kids. When Luis is heading back to town so many years later, he knows that he may run into Tucker, but it seems unlikely.

Luis is being called to go to this small town as he is single and unattached, and the town needs someone to help investigate a series of arson. To his surprise, Tucker is the one who is set up to show him around - completely unexpected - and he is divorced, though he does have twins. Luis is determined to keep their relationship professional, but it seems harder than he would have expected to do so.

I really loved both characters, and while I know distance is hard, it is so fantastic to read their second chance. They definitely deserve one, and it was easy to cheer for them all the way through. I do wish we could have learned more about their first relationship. We get tidbits and get the gist, but I wanted to know exactly how things went down versus getting the gist/filling in the blanks. I did really enjoy how they became friends again, cleared the air, and then slowly moved into something more. I think the end was perfect as to how they dealt with the distance that had kept them apart the first time.

Overall, this is a great installment in a series I am really loving. I appreciated the slow pace through friends to more and their second chance. There are definitely some steamy scenes as well though. With a couple easy to cheer for, FEEL THE FIRE is an excellent romance in a great series.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Luis Rivera came to Painter's Ridge Oregon when he was in elementary school. The youngest son in his family he felt a bit stifled in the remote location, but he made a really great friend, Tucker, who eventually became the love of his youth. Luis was a bit shattered when his dad was transferred back to LA, even though it brought him near to his extended family. Because Luis did not want to leave Tucker behind. They were juniors in high school and promises were made for Tucker to leave Oregon and join Luis in California for college and a life together. Unfortunately, Tucker's dad had a heart attack in his senior year and Tucker was pressed to help run his family ranch--and he had to give up the dream of building an out and loving life with Luis--who didn't want to wait any longer for his life to get started. Both Luis and Tucker had aspirations to be hotshot firefighters in the forestry service, and they did follow those dreams--in separate states.

Luis is an arson specialist working for the Forest Service and he's unhappily single, now that his closeted partner was killed fighting a wildfire. As an unattached person, however, Luis' superiors lean on him to make trips to other localities that need his expertise. So, he's frustrated to again uproot himself for a temporary assignment. He's incensed, however, when he learns that this assignment is centered in the Bend area, a short drive to Painter's Ridge--and that his main contact will be Tucker, the boy who abandoned him twenty years before.

Tucker Ryland is a fire management expert working with the hotshot crews in central Oregon to maintain forest and minimize fire damage. He's lived in Painter's Ridge Oregon his whole life, but the small town isn't feeling as homey as it had when he was married raising in his twin sons. He still co-parents living a few blocks from his ex-wife and her new husband, sharing meals with them and the teen boys, Walker and Wade a couple of nights a week. Tucker long ago came to terms with his demisexuality, and he and Heidi split amicable, but he's getting lonely knowing that his sons will graduate from high school in a matter of months and their plans will likely take them far from their subdivision.

Tucker is melancholy over the loss of his relationship with Luis. He has only truly connected with Luis in his life; his marriage wasn't planned and he and Heidi, his then-good friend, made the best of a tough situation. It was through her assistance that Tucker began to understand his sexuality, and both he and Heidi have been positive and open about it with their sons.

Luis has longstanding feelings of resentment, thinking that Tucker hid his sexuality and married Heidi as a beard and a way to remain hidden in his homophobic family. His misconceptions had caused him to hate Tucker, but being around him now reveals the truth, that Tucker is a good and honest man, and that Luis' juvenile fears and hurt clouded a situation that could have been less fraught way back when. They are meeting again as grown men who've had some time, perspective, and unexpected patience to temper their feelings--and allow for a rekindling of their original friendship. For each man, the attraction is intense, and Tucker is ecstatic to have a more than platonic relationship to grow. There are the usual hiccups with the kids interfering. The boys aren't necessarily trying to cockblock their dad. Actually, free-spirited Wade is digging the idea of Dad getting a boyfriend, while Walker, always the ruminator, is sure that his dad finding a partner will upset his own plans to stay behind in Painter's Ridge with his girlfriend. I liked how both Luis and Tucker had great conversations with these kids, which clarified and solidified their growing bond.

The arson investigations that brought Luis to Oregon are nearly enough to keep him at Tucker's side, but he's not sure he wants to give up his city life for the country--again. And that gets Tucker thinking about what he wants for himself, a luxury he hasn't had since before his dad's heart attack in his high school days. This is a mature romance with some delicious sexytimes and a reunion of high school sweethearts that burns up the sheets. I really enjoyed it, and am hopeful we'll see more of this setting in future stories.

Sincere, steamy, and sweet!

Feel the Fire is a passionate, heartfelt, second-chance romance that features the dependable, loving Tucker, and the caring, hunky Luis as they navigate a relationship that includes a high school romance that reluctantly ended due to relocation, smouldering tension, undeniable attraction, and two teenage twin sons.

The writing is effortless and fluid. The characters are supportive, genuine, and endearing. And the plot is a heartwarming combination of family, friendship, heartbreak, angst, parenthood, tender moments, and unconditional love.

Overall, Feel the Fire is another emotional, uplifting, satisfying tale by Albert that is the perfect addition to what is quickly becoming, in my opinion, a smoking-hot series.

This is a good second chance romance for childhood friends Tucker and Luis. From when they first meet again when Luis comes back to Oregon, to work with the fire crews and investigate possible arson, you can feel the underlying attraction and connection that they had as teenagers and it has the chance to build and develop into something a lot deeper. Things that happened and feelings they had when they were kids were amplified and were the most important things in their lives at that time.
Tucker is now divorced with twin sons soon to go to college whilst working for the fire service. Luis has worked his way up to fire behaviour specialist and lost someone a few years ago.
I was surprised with how quickly they moved on once they are reacquainted but it makes for a lovely story as the two men rebuild their friendship and dive into a physical relationship. I love Tucker and how open he is to everything, despite having an idea of how it might end. He's a brilliant dad with some very emotive teenage boys. There's a real family feel with him, his sons and ex-wife, even all having weekly dinners along with her new husband and daughter but you can sense that Tucker wants that for himself. Luis is eager to dive into the case of possible arson and is really great at what he does. It's clear he misses his family but also a little that he's missing out when it comes to a significant other and children. His cat, however, his highly entertaining in it's complete disregard for those around it.
While this isn't my favourite of the series, I still really enjoyed reading it. We're introduced to a new side of the fire service and get occasional interactions with previous couples.
I received an ARC via NetGalley and am happily giving a review.

This is a heartwarming and sexy second chance romance. Luis and Tucker had instant chemistry and I love the slow burn angst that has the reader desperately wanting the characters to finally connect, both emotionally and physically. The best part of this romance was that most of the conflict came from Luis only being there temporarily for work and the parental drama that Tucker is dealing with. Since each character had their own issues that they needed to deal with as well as trying to figure out their relationships it made the story more layered and complex. The story and the characters were engaging enough that I finished this book quickly because I wanted to see how they were going to figure it all out. The fire aspect is always so interesting in this Hot Shots series and while I don't really enjoy reading about fires (I live in an area where we unfortunately have lost whole towns to fires in recent years) I do like learning about all the various ins and outs that Firemen deal with. Luis, in particular, specializes in arson investigations and I appreciated the extra layer of drama that it brought to the story. Feel The Fire also has amazing Demisexual rep which is so important because I don't think I have ever read a main character that identified that way. I also like that Albert highlighted two polar opposite ways a family can react to their son coming out and how they affects said person's life. I highly recommend this book (and this series) to everyone especially if you are looking for a book world filled with diversity.

Fantastic Story, Great Audiobook

I have loved all of the books in Annabeth Albert's Hotshots series but this one features one of my all-time favorite romance tropes – reunion/second-chance, and it's now tied with book two, High Heat as my favorite in the series.

I received a review copy of the ebook from the publisher but then I also got an advanced copy of the audiobook from the audiobook publisher. So, I got to read the story and then listen to the fantastic Iggy Toma perform the book for me. He's now done all three of the audiobooks in this series and I absolutely love his performances. I listened to it straight through because I just couldn't put it aside, the same as I couldn't put the ebook down when reading it.

The blurb is pretty detailed so I won't try to restate it. What it can't convey is the depth of feeling the characters had for each other. Their reunion, after many years apart, wasn't all hugs and kisses; just the opposite in fact. Both Tucker and Luis had bad feelings about how their high school relationship ended when Luis moved away. When they are reunited due to their jobs, they were both angry.

Luis doesn't want to get involved with Tucker and have his heart broken again. But the same pull that was there between them all those years ago still exists and neither of them can resist. Tucker has shared custody of his twin sons and they have to be his first priority but he wants Luis. The strong emotional connection he feels for Luis isn't something he's really felt before and he doesn't want to lose it.

Like every book I've read by Annabeth, and I've read nearly all of them, this one really had my emotions all over the place. There is sadness at times but there are even more happy times. Tucker's sons provide several entertaining moments. I loved the way that Tucker handled one of his sons concerns about his relationship with Luis and the son's relationship with his girlfriend. Every kid should be so lucky to have a dad like Tucker.

I could go on and on but this review is already too long. If you enjoyed Annabeth's Out of Uniform series you don't want to miss reading all of the Hotshots books.

A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.

A copy of this audiobook was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author or narrator.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***

Feel the Fire by Annabeth Albert is the third in her Hotshots m/m series about firefighters in the Central Oregon area. It stands well alone, although I definitely look forward to catching up with the previous titles in the series.

Luis Riviera and Tucker Ryland were high school sweethearts, although mostly as best friends finding their way since the community wasn't entirely welcoming to a kid figuring out who he was. But life has a way of not being the direct path, and they haven't seen each other in nearly two decades, since Luis's family moved away and their youthful plans to stay together forever met the harsh demands of reality.

When Luis's next assignment to an arson investigation takes him back to the scene of the crime, so to speak, he is shocked to find himself working next to Tucker, who is now a divorced dad of teen twins.

Annabeth Albert's Feel the Fire is a page-turning story as Tucker and Luis rediscover the sparks of both their friendship and the passion that flares hot between them. She does a beautiful job as they work through their history and then confront the very real issues that stand between them finding a way to being together now and building a future with each other. Luis and Tucker work hard for their happy ending, and I rooted for them every step of the way. Ms Albert's writing is elegant and captivating, and her characters and situations really resonate with the challenges that readers face today.

Luis is sent home to his former hometown in Oregon to help with an arson case and he has to deal with with first love, Tucker. Tucker is divorce, raising his twin sons, and shocked to Luis. They are forced to work together and finally get a chance to find closure about what happen to them. Their romance is sweet, romantic, second-chance, and these two are great together. Their book is so realistic, with a great flow, and you just can't help but that they get their get happily ever after. I loved how Tucker but his boys before anything else and how they wanted their father to have a relationship. I have read so many books by Annabeth Albert and so far this is the best one.

Annabeth Albert’s wrap-up of this series on smoke jumpers and other hotshot teams who work the fires in the Northwest comes to us just after the recently devastating forest fires in Oregon, making this topic even more personal to many readers.

This last book of the series focuses on those in the background: those in management who plan operations and those who investigate how a fire started. We get older men, in their midthirties, a second chance romance, a dad with teen children and a lovely ex-wife. The main characters, Tucker and Luis, grew up together and made plans for a bright future together after high school, but family circumstances separated them and they moved on instead of fighting to stay together.

Two men, two different life paths, reunited as Luis is on loan from LA as an arson investigator and Tucker, a divorced father of teens, coordinates hotshot teams for the Forest Service in Central Oregon. When they meet again, they first have to forgive each other for past mistakes and then get to know each other as adults. But the anger toward each other fizzles out quickly and their attraction reignites. (Puns intended!)

I liked that Tucker’s ex-wife and her husband held weekly family dinners with Tucker to provide stability to the teens. This was not only a nice example of family time but gave the author an opportunity to show parallels between Tucker and his children, who are seniors in high school. Life decisions, some of which suck, keep them in what they know—not just his son Walker who’s struggling with a college decision, but Tucker as well. Both men, Luis and Tucker, have to fight internal battles to find a way back to each other now that they’ve renewed their relationship, but Tucker is frozen to his home turf, while Luis is resentful at giving up his extended family if he’s the one to compromise and move north. Discussing the issues, Tucker with Walker, and Luis with Mami, and then with each other, helped them see they didn’t have to stay with what they knew. They simply had to commit to considering a change and then work for it.

I enjoyed this story and Annabeth Albert’s characters, who are always well developed. But, in this instance, I would have liked more outside conflict or drama to speed up the pace—perhaps have Luis in on the takedown of the arsonist toward the end or in danger from the arsonist while he’s on the loose. Perhaps one of them being ill and the other realizing how precious time is. That realization of time is present here, but it’s internalized. Or, perhaps I’m used to more formulaic plots and this uniqueness is best after all.

I’ve loved this series and each book has shown a unique perspective on the smoke jumpers and hotshot crews, all of whom I now respect more than ever. Those who like a solid family drama with two strong male main characters should enjoy this finale.

Heartwarming second-chance-at-love romance.
Luis and Tucker first fell in love with each other in high school, but distance, family expectations, and youthful mistakes ripped them apart. When they meet again, quite unexpectedly, years later, their old feelings resurface as if the years apart never happened. There’s some resentment and old hurts to overcome at first, and I loved how the author handled it, bringing the angst while still enabling the reader to empathize with both men’s perspective. Luis and Tucker have matured and need to relearn who the other is. I really liked how those new discoveries helped to fan the flames of their love for each other even higher. Tucker identifies as demisexual, and I loved how he opened up to Luis about that and how considerate Luis was when it came to the physical side of their relationship, never assuming or pushing Tucker in any way. Luis is only in town temporarily, so everything they feel seems doomed from the start. Still, true love can’t be denied, luckily. Figuring out a way forward, a future where they can be happy together and not have either one feel as if they sacrificed too much of their life, isn’t easy. Something’s gotta give. And something did. I think this big stumbling block was resolved in a very satisfactory manner. Tucker’s sons, his ex and her new husband and daughter all feel like part of the family and are wonderful secondary characters in their own right. This can be read as a standalone, but I still really enjoyed the brief scenes with the MC’s from the previous books in the series.

Feel the Fire by Annabeth Albert is the third story in her Hotshots series and features a second chance romance between Luis Riviera and Tucker Ryland. When they were younger, they shared a deep connection, but when life interfered, they found themselves going separate directions. Now they are temporality working together and finding the attraction and connection they once shared is still there and as strong as ever. But nothing can come from it, right? They lead separate lives in different states.

Feel the Fire by Annabeth Albert was a sweet story about second chances. Luis and Tucker had great chemistry and I loved how they were honest with each other. I also loved the supporting characters and how they were there for each other. Another great addition to this series.

Happy reading!

Tucker and Luis have a past, a past that both of them have learned to live with but still think about. They were close in High School, very close, they even had plans to be together after graduation but events in Tucker's life prevented him from meeting Luis in California as planned.

Now about eighteen years later Tucker is a divorced father of twin boys, Walker and Wade, (Wade seriously needs his story told...I hope you are reading this Annabeth!) and he's a fire management expert trying to find whoever is setting fires to his forest. Luis is a Fire behavior specialist in California and is being loaned to his home town of Painter’s Ridge, Oregon where he left his first love. Needless to say Luis isn't thrilled about this assignment but he is heading there regardless because whats the worst that can happen....

I have been a fan of Annabeth Albert's MM Romances for a while now and I have to say the thing I like most about them is that they are never predictable. We are given a wide range of characters that cover the LGBTQ+ spectrum. In FEEL THE FIRE we have Tucker some people would classify him as Bisexual but that would be incorrect because he is actually demisexual which means he is capable of feeling sexual desire ONLY if he shares a strong emotional bond with the other person, whereas bisexual would me he's attracted to both men and women and that simply isn't true in Tuckers case. I love that Annabeth Albert doesn't shy away from any of the different sexual orientations. She gives us a world that broadens our knowledge and hopefully our minds to all the different types of love that are around us.

I of course recommend this book to lovers of MM Romances as well as those that enjoy second-chance romances. This can be read as a standalone but this is such a great series I recommend reading each of the books.

Happy Reading!!!

**I have voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book for my Blog, Nadine's Obsessed with Books** Blog review posted 10/26/2020 https://bit.ly/NBReviewFtF