This was a good beginning to a new series by M.L. Buchman. The characters were likeable and there were also crossover characters from the Night Stalkers series. My only problem was that this story couldn't seem to decide what it was. There was enough technical detail on firefighting that this could have been a novel about that alone. There was also a smaller story about a terrorist training camp that was hardly explored. The romance between the main characters was burdened by these other stories. Both characters had lots of baggage which was revealed in the story, but it was hardly explored and their relationship seemed almost like an afterthought just added to the story to make it a romance. Overall, however, the story was very good and an enjoyable read. ( )

Pure Heat is book one in the Firehawks series by M.L. Buchman.

I will admit I was lured in by the cover and blurb. Unfortunately; Pure Heat didn’t hit it off with me. First books are usually difficult in a series. Their is a lot the author has to get across to build the world and characters; besides the story and romance.

I started Pure Heat; before the Holidays and it took me forever, into the New Year, to finish this book. My reading time was very limited, but even with that I almost didn’t make it through the book. I think that had I been in my reading grove I probably would have DNF’d or taking a long time like I did to finish. It wasn’t that it was bad, their where things I enjoyed, but I had trouble staying interested and focused.

I will say that I got the impression that the Firehawks series is a spin-off from another series. Reading another review’s review they mentioned that some of the characters from the Night Stalkers series jump over to this one.

Now onto Pure Heat:

Our hero Steve “Merks” Mercer comes off as a jerk on the very first page. Does he change? Yes, but I was turned off at the start with him, but the farther I got into the story and the more I understood him and his past as a fire jumper plus seeing him change his attitude, I ended up liking him.

Carly is a third-generation forest fire specialist. I liked that she was in a male dominated field and that that didn’t stop her from doing her job and standing up to the men. She has earned their respect and is a master at what she does. I will say Carly was just a so so character. I didn’t love or hate her, she was just a character.

As for the secondary characters it was nice to meet them, but no one stood out or wowed me. They where just their. I didn’t fall for any of the characters introduced.

The romance between Carly and Steve has some emotional angst, but it doesn’t drag on and on. The sex is sensual and romantic.

This last thing was interesting, but it did bog down the book; especially at the beginning. The author loads the reader down with a lot of technical details on smoke jumping and forest-fire-fighting. It’s cool to learn, but it got to be a lot of information and slowed the story down for me.

The one thing that I really liked was that Mount Hood Aviation is more then just firefighters fighting fires… Their’s something else going on under the scene. This aspect is fascinating. I also liked when they went out to fight the fires.

Even though I had trouble with Pure Heat I will be giving another book in the series a shot.

Rated: 2.5/3 Stars

( )

This was a good beginning to a new series by M.L. Buchman. The characters were likeable and there were also crossover characters from the Night Stalkers series. My only problem was that this story couldn't seem to decide what it was. There was enough technical detail on firefighting that this could have been a novel about that alone. There was also a smaller story about a terrorist training camp that was hardly explored. The romance between the main characters was burdened by these other stories. Both characters had lots of baggage which was revealed in the story, but it was hardly explored and their relationship seemed almost like an afterthought just added to the story to make it a romance. Overall, however, the story was very good and an enjoyable read. ( )

DESCRIPTION, NOT REVIEW:These heli-aviation firefighters battle more than flames.

The elite fire experts of Mount Hood Aviation fly into places even the CIA can't penetrate.

She lives to fight fires

Carly Thomas could read burn patterns before she knew the alphabet. A third-generation forest fire specialist who lost both her father and her fiancé to the flames, she's learned to live life like she fights fires: with emotions shut down.

But he's lit an inferno she can't quench

Former smokejumper Steve "Merks" Mercer can no longer fight fires up close and personal, but he can still use his intimate knowledge of wildland burns as a spotter and drone specialist. Assigned to copilot a Firehawk with Carly, they take to the skies to battle the worst wildfire in decades and discover a terrorist threat hidden deep in the Oregon wilderness--but it's the heat between them that really sizzles. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Smoke jumping and firefighters are their most dangerous and sexiest.

Opening Sentence: “Steve “Merks” Mercer hammered down the last half mile into Goonies’ Hoodie One camp.”

The Review:

Steve is a former hotshot smokejumper until an injury forced him to change how he rolls. He now pilots drones to check out fires before they send personnel in to deal with them. Carly is a helicopter pilot who has dealt with a lot of tragedy lately. During the summer fire season they spend their time at Goonies’. Steve decides that Carly is an angel before he even knows her name and spends some of their first interactions being more creepy than hot. However, Carly seems to really enjoy that as she tries to ignore him and fight her attraction. Meanwhile they are training and fighting fires.

Carly finally tells Steve that her father died and so did her boyfriend, and Steve is there for her. Their relationship continues to grow over their love of fires and firefighting.

I feel like I should be saying so much more, but that’s kind of the plot of the book right there. There is some suspense during the firefighting scenes, and some love making and some drinking in a bar. A lot of the book is technical information on smokejumping, firefighting, flying, etc. I found this book interesting enough to read, but I thought it was a little heavy on the firefighting and low on the romance. So I don’t think I was surprised to find that it was written by a man. Not that men can’t write good romance novels, but it made more sense why the novel seemed practical and straightforward.

I did enjoy it despite Steve starting off as a bit of a jerk and a creeper. Carly was a great female main character. She was strong, in charge, not afraid to stand up for herself and originally not taking any of Steve’s junk. Although by the time she started letting Steve in he wasn’t being a creepy jerk. He was totally reformed and immediately in love with her. So overall, it’s a pretty good novel. I didn’t love it because I felt like it was lacking in the emotion department.

Notable Scene:

“She was definitely hitting deep and solid into the field of Steve’s personal preferences in women.”

“A woman so convinced of her own abilities that she’d face down someone like Henderson.”

“Only a first-class smokejumper would so driven to over achieve.”

“Kissed her right through any fears of what it might be like to wake up together the morning after.”

FTC Advisory: Sourcebook Casablanca provided me with a copy of Pure Heat. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )