Assessment:

Plot: In a detailed, winding storyline, Liz Harrington doesn’t expect to rekindle a romance that has been over for almost a year when she attends a wedding for a fellow Alaska firefighter. But there is Jon Silva— the man with three failed marriages to his credit — at the mic crooning a love song, and all of the old feeling come back. Later on, as Jon has been promoted to a federal fire inspector, and while Liz fights a series of devastating fires in the Alaska wilderness and Jon tries to figure out who set them, the inevitability of their relationship overcomes their reservations, the unwelcome presence of an ex-wife, and the challenge of Liz’s new role as owner of an exotic dance club in Vegas.

Prose/Style: True to its genre, this novel is vastly rich in descriptions of the setting, the events that transpire, and the protagonists’ reactions.

Originality: In this second book in her Blazing Hearts Wildfire Series, Paige presents an unusual setting for romance and makes Liz, as well as Jon, equal to the task of fighting wildfires, one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Fires and romance smolder in tandem here, both threatening to overcome the lovers. The story is greatly enhanced by Paige’s real-life experience as a wildland firefighter in Montana.

Character Development/Execution: Through Paige’s detailed, explicit description of the protagonist’s thoughts and feelings, the reader gets to know Liz and John so well they feel like family friends.

Blurb: This is no damsel-in-distress romance as wildland firefighter Liz Harrington forges a relationship with fire inspector, and one-time old flame, Jon Silva.

Date Submitted: June 28, 2021