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booklaura's review against another edition
4.0
This is the 6th book in the series. This one is Grant and Wren's story. In book five we met them, watched them fall in love and then saw her end it for no apparent reason. Now Grant is nursing a broken heart and has a terrible mood to go with it. Then when he rescues a woman he gets the surprise of his life... Wren is back. He is more determined than ever to keep her in his life. Will her past drive a wedge between them or can they move past it and live happily ever after? This book has a more serious side to it with Wren's past. Good read!
stang_gt3's review against another edition
4.0
This was a nice conclusion to this series. Grant and Wren get their second chance at things as the reality of the reason she left is revealed. A house fire may have shoved the two back together, but the whole firehouse is determined to help Wren get back on her feet. All the support means she can't keep her secret and her ex stalking her is something that they'll all need to be on the lookout for.
I appreciated that the feelings between Grant and Wren were still obviously there and this was more about working out the trust issues than about them pretending they didn't care. Grant was never going to let her get away again. As a conclusion to this series it was great to see all of the crew happy and settled. A lot of old friends pop up and ultimately you know all of these guys are going to have a great future as friends with their wives/husbands.
I appreciated that the feelings between Grant and Wren were still obviously there and this was more about working out the trust issues than about them pretending they didn't care. Grant was never going to let her get away again. As a conclusion to this series it was great to see all of the crew happy and settled. A lot of old friends pop up and ultimately you know all of these guys are going to have a great future as friends with their wives/husbands.
robinlovesreading's review against another edition
4.0
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Grant Cutter has never gotten over the fact that his year-long girlfriend, a woman he really wanted to marry, just left him. He loved Wren Everett to distraction, and with her gone, and everyone around him drowning in bliss, he is thinking of leaving Engine 59, or even Boston Fire completely. But in his latest fire, one of the people he saves is none other than Wren.
Sad to have left Grant, Wren had very good reason. She has had a quiet few months and she is convinced that the nightmare she led due to her previous ex is over. But, not only has he been released from jail due to an assault, she is burned out of her temporary home. She literally finds herself in the arms of the one man she truly loves, Grant. He carried her out of a very serious, and completely destructive fire.
Grant is truly happy that Wren is okay, but he wants to just walk away. After all, that is what she did to him. Instead, he realizes that he is determined to win her back, even if understanding her actions is near to impossible for him.
This second chance romance in Flare Up is wrought with problems. Wren has to regain Grant's trust as to why she left him, but also why she stayed close in Boston. As Grant worked on trusting her again, his hope for a forever future with her definitely had its doubts. I had doubt of my own as it seemed that once the explanation was made and processed, they could move on. Watching Grant and Wren get comfortable in their desire to move ahead was a bit long. However, Grant had a heart of gold and it was truly nice to see him - and all of their friends in common - envelop Wren in their arms.
This romance had a bit of suspense as the guy harassing Josie had to have his comeuppance. This is part of the Boston Fire series and is the final book. I enjoyed the limited time I have had with this series and look forward to reading more by Shannon Stacey.
Many thanks to Carina Press and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.
Grant Cutter has never gotten over the fact that his year-long girlfriend, a woman he really wanted to marry, just left him. He loved Wren Everett to distraction, and with her gone, and everyone around him drowning in bliss, he is thinking of leaving Engine 59, or even Boston Fire completely. But in his latest fire, one of the people he saves is none other than Wren.
Sad to have left Grant, Wren had very good reason. She has had a quiet few months and she is convinced that the nightmare she led due to her previous ex is over. But, not only has he been released from jail due to an assault, she is burned out of her temporary home. She literally finds herself in the arms of the one man she truly loves, Grant. He carried her out of a very serious, and completely destructive fire.
Grant is truly happy that Wren is okay, but he wants to just walk away. After all, that is what she did to him. Instead, he realizes that he is determined to win her back, even if understanding her actions is near to impossible for him.
This second chance romance in Flare Up is wrought with problems. Wren has to regain Grant's trust as to why she left him, but also why she stayed close in Boston. As Grant worked on trusting her again, his hope for a forever future with her definitely had its doubts. I had doubt of my own as it seemed that once the explanation was made and processed, they could move on. Watching Grant and Wren get comfortable in their desire to move ahead was a bit long. However, Grant had a heart of gold and it was truly nice to see him - and all of their friends in common - envelop Wren in their arms.
This romance had a bit of suspense as the guy harassing Josie had to have his comeuppance. This is part of the Boston Fire series and is the final book. I enjoyed the limited time I have had with this series and look forward to reading more by Shannon Stacey.
Many thanks to Carina Press and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.
thatabbygirl's review against another edition
3.0
not bad, although everyone was quite earnest and problems were easily resolved.
elleyotter's review against another edition
2.0
I just didn't care for this book at all. It's the 6th book in the Boston Fire series, and I'd read and enjoyed book 5 (Under Control) so I was looking forward to reading more about these fire fighter folks. It just felt like nothing *happened* and what lead up there was to any sort of a dramatic plot was resolved REALLY abruptly. Not a fan, and I doubt I'll be reading any more by Shannon Stacey.
heabooknerd's review against another edition
4.0
Firefighter Grant Cutter thought he had it all when he met Wren Everett, but just before he could buy an engagement ring, Wren broke things off with no explanation and then disappeared. I've been very excited for Grant and Wren's book ever since they were introduced earlier in the series. It was obvious Wren was hiding something so I knew this would be at the root of their breakup. FLARE UP was an excellent read and once again, Shannon Stacey did an amazing job of exploring a complicated relationship.
Grant was devastated after Wren left and five months later he's still not over her. I worried that Grant's anger would come between them working things out but he ended up really putting in the effort to let it go and be with Wren in the present. Grant does struggle to understand why Wren didn't come to him when she got afraid and I liked how Stacey explored these emotions. Grant acknowledges that he can't understand Wren's fear because he's not vulnerable like she is and this made him very self-aware. Overall, Grant is a really lovable character and even when he makes mistakes, he admits to them and always does better.
I also enjoyed Wren and watching her begin to let more people into her life. She's been let down over and over again and doesn't really know what family is like. Wren doesn't trust easily but the Boston Fire crew and their wives are hard to push away. As much as Wren grows in her romantic relationship with Grant, she also grows in her friendships, especially with Cait. Wren might be living alone and keeping others at a distance but once she agrees to try again with Grant, she goes all in on their relationship.
I didn't realize until the end that FLARE UP was the last BOSTON FIRE book and I'm sad to see it go but I thought the ending was a beautiful send-off.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Content Warning: Wren was in an abusive relationship
Grant was devastated after Wren left and five months later he's still not over her. I worried that Grant's anger would come between them working things out but he ended up really putting in the effort to let it go and be with Wren in the present. Grant does struggle to understand why Wren didn't come to him when she got afraid and I liked how Stacey explored these emotions. Grant acknowledges that he can't understand Wren's fear because he's not vulnerable like she is and this made him very self-aware. Overall, Grant is a really lovable character and even when he makes mistakes, he admits to them and always does better.
I also enjoyed Wren and watching her begin to let more people into her life. She's been let down over and over again and doesn't really know what family is like. Wren doesn't trust easily but the Boston Fire crew and their wives are hard to push away. As much as Wren grows in her romantic relationship with Grant, she also grows in her friendships, especially with Cait. Wren might be living alone and keeping others at a distance but once she agrees to try again with Grant, she goes all in on their relationship.
I didn't realize until the end that FLARE UP was the last BOSTON FIRE book and I'm sad to see it go but I thought the ending was a beautiful send-off.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Content Warning: Wren was in an abusive relationship
pigsjillyjiggs's review against another edition
hopeful
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
ireadgoodbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
blodeuedd's review
3.0
There was a whole lovestory that we missed, instead the book opens with them meeting again. And what a meeting. Grant saves Ren from a burning building.
I get why Ren broke up and ran from him. Sometimes the answer is s silly but here, I got that she was scared and needed to run. Yes she should have talked to him, but I understood. And she was such a great person!
Grant, poor guy, he was all heartbroken and still he was willing to help her out after the fire. He as such a great guy, the best! Awww, oh Grant, yes he was a keeper.
So they start things again. And that danger is still there, that running away from danger. I actually expected it to get really dangerous, but it never truly did. But then this is not suspense, this is romance.
This is book 6, and yes there are a lot of couples nearby, but you do not feel lost. It did make me want to read about them though. It is such a great tight knit friendgroup.
Romance, firemen and great friends. Makes for a sweet story.
Narrator Tatiana Sokolov
I am so sure I have listened to her before, but then I looked at her books and found nothing. A real mystery. But hey I guess that is a good thing, I felt at home with that voice.
Ok so I am not a Bostonian and I do not know if she did it justice, but I certainly liked it. I do not know why but I really enjoy hearing the Boston A.
She worked well with the different voices, and big A for the A
I get why Ren broke up and ran from him. Sometimes the answer is s silly but here, I got that she was scared and needed to run. Yes she should have talked to him, but I understood. And she was such a great person!
Grant, poor guy, he was all heartbroken and still he was willing to help her out after the fire. He as such a great guy, the best! Awww, oh Grant, yes he was a keeper.
So they start things again. And that danger is still there, that running away from danger. I actually expected it to get really dangerous, but it never truly did. But then this is not suspense, this is romance.
This is book 6, and yes there are a lot of couples nearby, but you do not feel lost. It did make me want to read about them though. It is such a great tight knit friendgroup.
Romance, firemen and great friends. Makes for a sweet story.
Narrator Tatiana Sokolov
I am so sure I have listened to her before, but then I looked at her books and found nothing. A real mystery. But hey I guess that is a good thing, I felt at home with that voice.
Ok so I am not a Bostonian and I do not know if she did it justice, but I certainly liked it. I do not know why but I really enjoy hearing the Boston A.
She worked well with the different voices, and big A for the A
harasnicole's review against another edition
4.0
I don’t know if I’ve ever talked about how much trash I am for second-chance romances, but I am absolute trash for second-chance romances. So, I may be just a tad bit biased, but I enjoyed this one exactly as much as I expected to.
Things did tend to move too quickly in regard to the second-chance relationship, but I feel like it was handled really well in this novel because both characters were aware that some things (like saying those three words, or even thinking about moving in together) were going to be too fast, but I liked that neither character tried to pretend like their previous relationship didn’t exist. They acknowledged their past relationship frequently, actually, mostly because they had no choice. If they wanted their relationship to succeed this time around, they need to eventually clear the air and remove all the bitterness and heartbreak that hung around.
In terms of the conflict, I actually like how realistically it was dealt. I don’t know if this counts as a spoiler, but I liked that no character ran out to “play hero” and risk their own life to protect another. What I really loved, though, is the communication between the couple that this story revolves around. There was no miscommunication for the sake of it (like a lot of romance novels); there may have been one scene where a character chose to withhold pertinent information, but it wasn’t kept a secret for long, which was refreshing.
Honestly, all in all, I found this story to be gripping, sweet, and sensual. The side characters are a hoot and a half, and while this is the sixth book in a series, you can definitely read this one, at least, as a standalone. The love scenes — all of two — weren’t my favorite, but that’s only because I’m picky and want a more emotional experience than physical; I know how sex works, I don’t need a play-by-play, as steamy as it may be.
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
My sincere gratitude to Barclay Publicity for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Things did tend to move too quickly in regard to the second-chance relationship, but I feel like it was handled really well in this novel because both characters were aware that some things (like saying those three words, or even thinking about moving in together) were going to be too fast, but I liked that neither character tried to pretend like their previous relationship didn’t exist. They acknowledged their past relationship frequently, actually, mostly because they had no choice. If they wanted their relationship to succeed this time around, they need to eventually clear the air and remove all the bitterness and heartbreak that hung around.
In terms of the conflict, I actually like how realistically it was dealt. I don’t know if this counts as a spoiler, but I liked that no character ran out to “play hero” and risk their own life to protect another. What I really loved, though, is the communication between the couple that this story revolves around. There was no miscommunication for the sake of it (like a lot of romance novels); there may have been one scene where a character chose to withhold pertinent information, but it wasn’t kept a secret for long, which was refreshing.
Honestly, all in all, I found this story to be gripping, sweet, and sensual. The side characters are a hoot and a half, and while this is the sixth book in a series, you can definitely read this one, at least, as a standalone. The love scenes — all of two — weren’t my favorite, but that’s only because I’m picky and want a more emotional experience than physical; I know how sex works, I don’t need a play-by-play, as steamy as it may be.
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
My sincere gratitude to Barclay Publicity for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.