Feel-Good Finale. This second-chance romance tale, seemingly the last book of this year's Hotshots series, was a solid way to go out. It is *very* loosely coupled with the previous two books - both prior couples make cameos - but can largely be read as a standalone. Fans of the MM genre will like this one, as it contains pretty well all of the standard elements of the genre. But that actually gets to one of my quibbles with the book. One of the guys here is alternatively described as both demisexual and asexual - which are both elements of the spectrum that don't get mentioned as much, and thus it is always awesome to see. Yet in playing too much into genre expectations, to me it felt like Albert did the asexual aspect a disservice in almost making it seem that an asexual may just turn out to be a horn dog... with the right person. Similar to a character described as being comfortably childfree winding up with a kid at the end of the tale. (Note, that is just an example - in this particular tale one of the two is actually already a father.) The other quibble? Not enough actual firefighting in this book, particularly relative to the other two books in the series. Though the jobs here are actively away from the front lines, and for what they are, the jobs seem well represented in and of themselves. Still, a solid tale and a satisfying conclusion. Very much recommended.

A second chance romance that will warm your heart.
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Overall Rating: 3.5
Kindle Unlimited: No
Standalone: Yes
Steam: 2 flames
Triggers: No
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Luis and Tucker went to High School together almost 20 years ago. They were close, very close. Luis understood who he was and what he wanted, but Tucker was from a more traditional family and was a little more reserved with his sexuality and feelings.

When Luis had to move away, Tucker promised he would move with him after high school. But, as most of us know, when we are young, a month, six months, a year can seem like a lifetime.... and slowly they began to fight, then Tucker's dad got sick and Tucker felt he needed to stay. Harsh words were said, and they broke up. After one night of drinking, Tucker slept with his friend, a girl Heidi and soon after they discovered they were going to be parents of twins. Tucker's life changed. Luis moved on.

20 years later, due to rash of what is believed to be arson fires, Luis is asked to go to his old stomping grounds to aid in the investigation, Tucker's stomping grounds. Tucker and Luis come face to face for the first time in almost two decades and neither know how to handle it or react.

This is a slow burn, second chance romance. Both characters took their time learning to let go of the hurt and the past. I truly feel for both characters. I understood where they were both coming from, I felt their feelings, I felt for them. and Wade, one of the twins was a hoot. Luis and Tucker had a lot of baggage to work through but the two of them together was adorable...and who could forget Blaze...that ornery cat, I will be honest, I got misty eyed a couple of times because of these two, and I was so happy when the Luis and Tucker finally decided what was important.

I think this book was a wonderful addition to the series and will continue to read this series. I definitely recommend this book and it can be read as a standalone without issue. It mentions other characters from other books, but it is not integral to the storyline.

I loved Luis and Tucker's second chance at finding love. I was a little worried that the past was going to repeat itself. Tucker's twin teenager son's was a great addition to the story.

This is the second book in the series I've picked up to review and I should have learned a lesson with the first. So often I and other romance fans express frustration over miscommunication, assumptions, and silly "romance reasons" in our books. We question why can't we have two nice people that just fall in love? Wouldn't it be great to just have two mature well-developed people in an open and honest relationship? It seems like a great idea in theory but in practice, it falls flat. This book is a prime example of "be careful what you wish for". These two were nice men then communicate well and I was B-O-R-E-D. The tension is supposed to be their current living arrangements and an arson subplot. They handily solve the first and pretty much drop the thread on the second. I'm sorry to say if you're expecting Backdraft levels of action you'll be sadly mistaken. Save your pennies and pick up another firefighter romance because the heat isn't here.

There's just something about a second chance romance that I love!

I'm also a huge fan of how Albert doesn't create unnecessary drama at the end of the story, the characters are dealing with real problems with the ability to actually talk to each other and work out their issues which is so refreshing after so many romance novels revolve around the main characters not communicating or keeping secrets.

Thanks Harlequin for my free review copy!

This second-chance romance blends hot men and emotional development. Luis and Tucker are thrown together by their own work in fire management. And there is definitely sizzle between them. I love that they respect each other’s needs and deal with family and life in a mature way. Tucker’s teenagers really brought some nice detail to the novel. And it was neat seeing him and his ex-wife work at a good parenting strategy together.

The arson subplot is interesting, but it never really develops and the book ends without anything exciting happening with it. I really expected them to get trapped in a fire or attacked by the arsonist. So I was a bit surprised when the book ended without any real danger.

I have not read other books in the series, but I was still able to enjoy this one. I will definitely check out another one.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher and Net Galley in return for a fair review.

Feel the Fire was a nicely written M/M romance, full of heat, love, pain, risk, regrets and second chances. And I was fully engaged from the start. So much so, I found it extremely hard to put down. Not to mention, I found the characters very likable, and their circumstances, maturity and communication truly refreshing.

Would recommend. Even if you've not read the earlier stories as Feel the Fire can easily be read as a standalone.

I really enjoyed Tucker and Luis’s story. I’ve been loving this series, but I was definitely drawn to this one because the MCs had a past. I’m a big fan of childhood friends to young lovers, whose paths cross again when their lives couldn’t be more different than they expected when they last saw each other at 17. Their friendship ended with a lot of hurt feelings on both sides. When they were thrown back together unexpectedly due to their professions, both were understandably cold to each other. What I really appreciated was this coolness and enemy status could have been drawn out as the driver and angst of the story, but it wasn’t. These were two men who sat down and talked liked adults and discussed their past and each owned up to their parts in their friendship and relationship dissolving. I enjoyed that the story became about their new friendship and not dwelling on past hurts. They had such a strong chemistry between the two of them, yet it seemed like roadblocks kept being thrown in their way. I loved how their relationship began to unfold and how Luis began to fit seamlessly with the blended family that Tucker and his ex-wife worked hard to create. I appreciated the care that author took in portraying Tucker’s demisexual orientation. I appreciated the attention to detail in how important connection, feelings ans contact were to Tucker as he navigated so many firsts with Luis. In turn I liked how Luis saw their intimate moments as more because of how important they were to Tucker. I enjoyed Tucker’s twin boys, and they made me laugh at points! In the end I loved the level of communication and compromises these men made to be together. I wasn’t sure how they were going to pull off what seemed to be a rock and a hard place for these two, but I loved the way they did. It was unexpected and it shouldn’t have been! It felt right and natural for the progression of their relationship and the family dynamic. I definitely recommend this book, and others in this series.

Feel the Fire has a lot going for it:

🔥 Two mature (mid-30s), likable MCs who actually act their age (men who can apologize and communicate are practically an endangered species in the MM genre)

🔥 Former-best-friends-to-lovers

🔥 Second chances

🔥 literal FIRE (Luis is temporarily transferred to Oregon to conduct an arson investigation)

🔥 metaphorical FIRE (Luis & Tucker are SMOKIN' HOT together!)

🔥 grumpy cat named Blaze

🔥 lower angst, with realistic life problems (the main issue is that Tucker's family is in Oregon, while Luis works and lives in California)

🔥 great secondary characters (I loved Tucker's twins, Walker and Wade; Wade trying to give his dad the "safe sex" talk was hilarious!)

🔥 solid HEA ending

I have a couple minor complaints:

💧 The arson investigation was never concluded. It was not the main focus of the story, but I was curious about the perpetrator.

💧 The middle dragged for me just a little bit. I liked the technical fire talk, but I could have done with fewer scenes featuring Heidi, Tucker's ex; not that she was a bad person, but I felt like she was a little controlling of Tucker. Also, as much as I liked Tucker's kids, I have enough teenage angst at home and really didn't need that many pages dedicated to Walker's girl problems.

I hope there are more books in this series, because I'm not done with Hotshots, not by a long shot (errr, pun not intended, I swear).

Loved the set-up, LOVED the secondary characters especially Tucker's teenage kids, LOVED the real-life problems about compromises and chasing dreams, RESPECTED the demisexual representation... but oh, how all the sex got in my way 😝

Feel the Fire is the third installment in Albert's Hotshots series. It features two men who used to be best friends and high school lovers, up until one of them left Oregon to California and the other ended up staying. But then a series of fire brings Luis Rivera, a fire behavior specialist back to Oregon, and well, turned out that Tucker Ryland, now a fire management expert, is going to work with him again.

I always LOVE second-chance romance... it's my ALL TIME favorite trope. So it's easy to net my interest with this set-up. I loved that the two men finally evaluated that decision they made when they were teenagers with mature eyes. I loved that when similar situation happened again at present time - because of course Luis and Tucker would fall in love again, like you ever have doubt 😄 - they both did reassessed their situation. I really liked the solution too, because now one of them would get to relive his dreams.

I would like to highlight Tucker's teenage sons, Wade and Walker, because they were wonderful. Well, more Wade than Walker, to be honest. Wade was a DELIGHT... but I liked the difference between the twins. And how Walker ended up having similarity to Tucker's situation, while Wade was the one who challenged Tucker now about taking chances.

I did have two tiny complaints though. Luis came to Central Oregon to investigate a possible arsonist. While that case was wrapped up (they got the perpetrator) but it was sort of done off page and the mystery-fan in me was moaning in disappointment!

Second, yeah, all the sex, man! I mean, I appreciated that Tucker was a demisexual who enjoyed sex with one he felt connection with, but I still thought the numerous sex scenes to be dragging the story down. I got bored. Although of course, that might just be MY problem, not yours 🤪

Feel the Fire by A. Albert, published by Carina Press, is a stand-lone in her Hotshots series.
Luis is a 35 year old assigned to go to Oregon. And there lives his highschool friend and secret love, Tucker.
Tucker is a divorced father of twin boys, still deep in a closet who tried living a hetero life and filing at it. And now they're co-worker. Luis is already through a lot and meeting Tucker is difficult to him.
Feel the Fire is aslow burn, low on drama, mm story told in a dual pov.
I liked the storyline and the chracters, I was in suspense til the last page. A good read, 4,5 beautiful stars.

Feel the Fire FEELS like a return to form for Ms. Albert. I liked the second chance romance; I didn't like the parallel plot line involving Tucker's twin sons and their search for HEA - YA romance isn't my thing. I struggled with the ease in which these two rediscovered their passion for each other and their long separation when even just one conversation would have erased all their animosity and hurt a long time ago. That said, I liked their chemistry and their commitment to the lives they've each built and the achievements they've made along the way. A mature couple with mature attitudes about "true love" and what it takes to make a long term life together. I liked the cameos, this setting, and the evolution of the romance.

3.5 stars

This was a second chance romance. Luis hasn't seen his first love Tucker since it all fell apart when they were teens. And they get thrown together for their jobs. Well the epic misunderstandings from back then and hurt feelings got resolved pretty quickly, making for a mostly low angst love story.

Except for the fact that they live in different states and are only working together for a short bit. But they can worry about that later. And they definitely waited until the last minute to discuss that.

I like Tucker- how he is with his family (he's a single dad who is also close to their mom). I like the things he values in relationships. And Luis with his snooty cat, he's sincere and serious and thoughtful. The only downside is I kept walking away from it to do other things. I can't put my finger on why, but though I liked the story and this couple, book one was the best.

Annabeth Albert always has such a way of writing that I can't help but far hopelessly for her characters. Feel the Fire is the 3rd iteration in the Hotshots series. And oh is it just so yummy and sweet, I can't help myself.

Once upon a time, two young men discovered maybe it wasn't them. Maybe, it was just that they were trying with the wrong people. As life and family and the struggles of young love separated to, then, unsurmountable distances took their toll. They were irrevocably changed. But fate, sometimes, has a wicked, wicked way about her.

Luis suddenly finds himself called to consult at the last place he thought he'd return to. Painter's Ridge, Oregon is facing what looks like a serial arsonist and with the current hiring freeze they are sending out any requests for help that they can get. Luis soon finds that returning to the place of first love and subsequent heartbreak is far more daunting when he is faced and forced to work with the very man that caused it. Luis and Tucker have much heartache and unresolved feelings between them. Can they work past old hurts to not only solve the mystery of the serial arsonist but to explore the undeniable chemistry between them?

Now typically, I am not a fan of second chance romances. I'm just not. Too much water and bridges, and things are on fire, and too many people exclaiming they are "ok" when clearly, they are not! But, as always, Annabeth Albert has a way of writing characters that pulls you in and makes everything new and fresh again.

Luis and Tucker were extremely refreshing in their ability to be willing to talk about but also to equally take the blame for their past faults. Young love is often enough narrow-sighted and unrealistically ambitious. Where we could all feel for Luis' pain when confronted with the basic 'facts' of what happened, Tucker's story does give a lot of gray areas. You felt for both of them.

As always, Albert comes with the steam, and oh, so yummy chemistry that cannot be denied. And, can I say, I loved how the demisexuality angle was addressed by Tucker and his peoples but also how Luis always made sure to check-in and be engaged enough to care whether Tucker was getting what he needed. Just, lovely.

Both men showed a give and take and reassessment of values and preconceived notions that is always a 'reader goals' for me. Tucker's ex and his kids and the whole ex-couple/family interaction is any divorced couple goals. I wish most people could be giving, understanding, and supportive as the support system Tucker and his ex created. It was wonderful to read. The twins were fun, and especially Wade made for some good comic relief.

While, this is tying for second with the first book, Burn Zone, (the 2nd book, High Heat, will always be my fav because I love reading about sexual dysfunction and grumpholes) it was still on par with the expected amazingness that is Annabeth Albert. The first two books may have been more "spicy" and a riskier faster-pace but this one was sweet and just a lovely read. I definitely recommend.

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Another strong book! This is the first book to really address ace or demisexual, and it's so well done. It gave the characters a chance to sculpt a bond that felt lasting and not the lust fest a lot of romance and new adult create. You leave this book with a very realistic HEA that gives you more hope for love in your own world.

4.5 stars

This is a tough one. Typically, I don't enjoy second chance romance novels but I love the series so I had to read this.
I will admit that I struggled with this book in the beginning. I didn't understand why Tucker did ran towards Luis in his teens. Their relationship as adults were a struggle too. But their commitment to each other brought out the real.
Just when I was able to stop reading the author packs the second half of the book with so much emotions I was bawling like a baby!
The ending was perfect but I could have read more about these two along with Wade and Walker

Hotshots series book 3. Can stand alone, but the entire series is great and worth reading. Albert writes complex, real characters who live real lives. Luis and Tucker are high school friends who were separated their senior year of high school. Arson and a firefighter shortage send Luis back to Tucker's hometown. Can he overcome the hurt of Tuckers abandonment and marriage to a woman? And Tucker has to decide once again between home and Luis.

This was a good second chance romance for Tucker and Luis. The pair had a the beginning of a young love relationship in their teens when life circumstances and a young lack of communication prevented them from pursuing more with each other. Fast forward about 20 years and they are brought together again in a professional setting when Luis is brought in to investigate a series of fires. The pair explore their feelings after clearing the air with one another to almost end back up where they started from only while also realizing that they have true feelings for each other. The fire fighting aspect of this book was a secondary to the rekindling of a past relationship and I wish that there was more that was revealed involving the purpose of Luis being brought back into Tucker's life.
Overall, this was a good read that I enjoyed. The plot moved along well and kept me interested in the story from start to finish. I would recommend this book to others.

3.5 stars

I really love the characters that Annabeth Albert creates in each and everyone one of her books. They are always very real and genuine and part of what I love about Luis and Tucker was how well they communicated. These two knew each other as teens and made all the grand sweeping plans that you want to hear about when you reading a YA book and hoping that the MCs live happily ever after. But life continues when those stores and and things get complicated - which is what happened with Luis and Tucker. Luis had to move away when his family moved and long distance is hard for adults, so even harder for teens when its usually an all or nothing situation.

Years later their paths recross and I loved how they communicated with each other and dealt with the old hurts and worked through where they each went wrong. Life happens and their was fault on each side and they dealt with that pain and were able to build something new. I loved to see them both reconnect and fall in love all over again. I loved the side characters of Tuckers boys and his ex-wife and wish that they were utilized more. Also wish that there was more scenes with the main characters from the previous two books in the series. They seemed to be tossed in as an afterthought with no real substance to those scenes. However, because they previous characters aren't in this all that much Feel the Fire can be read as a standalone book.

Overall, this was a lovely second chance romance. I enjoyed the journey that Albert took us one with bringing these two characters back to together and finding their HEA which was built on more solid ground now that they are adults and not teenagers.

Ok, so I went into this book as a new to me author. I haven't read anything else by her and still managed to get through this one without feeling like I was missing vital information. Kudos for doing that. Now, the pros. I appreciate that it is an adult relationship. Meaning there were no miscommunications, no misunderstandings, no drama, no games. It truly did feel like two well adjusted adults coming together. I loved how Luis was very aware and considerate of Tucker's sexual identity, it truly took the emotional level of the book up a notch. There were only three cons for me really. Isaac and Heidi. I seriously don't understand why Isaac was even a character in this book, seeing as he truly didn't play any part in the plot line AT ALL. If he said maybe 3 words through the book, that's saying a lot. He was mostly like this abstract idea of a person. Heidi. So, I get her position, however, when Tucker announced his plans, her reaction was a little over the top, considering they weren't even a couple. Not only that, but knowing their past, I perhaps expected her to be a little more encouraging. Lastly, the whole reason for the author to have Luis be back home, was because of the arson aspect of the fires, yet, the resolution of that was so anticlimactic. I get that the whole point of the book is the relationship between the two main characters, but that just felt much like Isaac, an afterthought.

*ARC provided by Netgalley for honest review