Hidden Fire (Firefighters of Station Five, #3)

May 21, 2011 Buggy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: men-in-uniform-pc-ff, shelf-11, rom-susp

Opening Line: "Julian Salvatore sprayed a steady stream of water at station five's ambulance, rinsing off the soapsuds and gyrating around the vehicle to "Life in the Fast Lane" blaring from the radio just inside the bay."

Hidden Fire is book #3 in the romantic, suspenseful and sexy firefighters of station five series. This time we get bad boy Julian Salvatore’s story. Often excluded by his fellow members in ‘A’ shift because of his aloof attitude and man-whore reputation, in actuality Julian’s h...more Opening Line: "Julian Salvatore sprayed a steady stream of water at station five's ambulance, rinsing off the soapsuds and gyrating around the vehicle to "Life in the Fast Lane" blaring from the radio just inside the bay."

Hidden Fire is book #3 in the romantic, suspenseful and sexy firefighters of station five series. This time we get bad boy Julian Salvatore’s story. Often excluded by his fellow members in ‘A’ shift because of his aloof attitude and man-whore reputation, in actuality Julian’s hiding a terrible secret from his past and wants desperately to fit in with his crew. He’s also in love with a woman he met 2 books ago in Trial by Fire. A beautiful yet icy defence attorney who won’t give him an inch.

So far I’ve really enjoyed this series, I mean how could you not? With hard bodied firemen heroes, smoking hot love scenes, and exciting action-suspense storylines it’s always a great ride.

Part of the fun in reading these books is also the anticipation of how many concussions/trips to the hospital/shootings/stabbings/drownings our heroes will have to endure before they get the bad guy and win the girl. Jo Davis just loves to beat up her men and it’s become a bit of a game for me counting the injuries. I also like how all the books are slightly connected with updates from past characters and continuing story arcs. Here we get to catch up with Howard, Zach and fan favourite Captain Sean’s ongoing struggle with the bottle.

Grace McKenna’s been trying to avoid Julian’s irresistible Latin charm and ongoing advances, yet despite her all work no play attitude she can’t seem to stop thinking about him. After witnessing his almost frantic reaction to her latest client Grace finally concedes to a date, realizing that theres more to this sexy stud muffin then meets the eye. Julian is of course thrilled however this former ladies man has just fallen for a commitment-phobe and its going to take a long time for her to return those 3 little words he's dying to hear.

Of course while this romance is taking place theres also a serial killer on the loose, with violent ties to Julian’s past and now it appears a hold on his future as well as he’s set his sights on Julian as his next victim. As much as I enjoyed the romance here I also really liked this chilling suspense storyline which was frightening, thrilling and in the end, with the disclosure of the killers identity, urprising too. We’re also introduced to police detective Shane who I’m hoping to see more of in future books.

My only real issue here were the love scenes which tended to read more like erotica then romance. I’m not complaining, they’re hot but they tended to also feel gratuitous and slightly out of tune with the general feel of the book. Grace receiving oral sex on the couch before they’ve even been on a first date was strange and came (pardon the pun) out of nowhere. Then they decided they were just going to be friends. There was also Julian’s weird domination/anal play issue. This just felt out of character for him especially since it was their fist time together and he had been all soft and lovey-dovey moments before. Anyways…

There are still a couple of hot firemen waiting to have their stories told, Line of Fire is up next in this recommended series. (less)

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Nov 28, 2009 Shawna rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of smokin' hot romantic suspense & sexy, sweet firefighter heroes

Shelves: firefighter-paramedic-emt, jo-davis-jd-tyler-jo-carlisle, romantic-suspense, im-a-cover-hottie-ho, series-firefighters-of-station-five, 2009-reads, i-read-own-faves-keepers, hero-im-gaga-over, hero-abused-scarred-tortured-angst, hero-alpha‎, hero-bad-boy-playboy, yowza-hotness, favorite-romance-series, hero-stud-mantel-hall-of-fame, favorites, hero-i-wanna-marry, hero-latin-lover-heartthrob, enemies-to-lovers-opposites-attract, hero-expert-skilled-voracious-lover, 5-stars

5 stars – Romantic Suspense

For me, reading Jo Davis’s Firefighters of Station Five series is kind of like indulging in a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food ice cream, just pure rapturous pleasure. I mean, it’s not like I fool myself for one minute into thinking I’m eating it for the calcium content...I know it’s all about the ooey gooey, decadent combination of chocolate ice cream with marshmallow and caramel swirls. And that’s how I feel about this latest installment in the FoSF series that’...more 5 stars – Romantic Suspense

For me, reading Jo Davis’s Firefighters of Station Five series is kind of like indulging in a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food ice cream, just pure rapturous pleasure. I mean, it’s not like I fool myself for one minute into thinking I’m eating it for the calcium content...I know it’s all about the ooey gooey, decadent combination of chocolate ice cream with marshmallow and caramel swirls. And that’s how I feel about this latest installment in the FoSF series that’s all about the pleasurable mix of thrilling suspense, smokin’ hot, borderline erotic sex, and sexy-as-sin, king of the sheets Latin lover, and surprisingly tender firefighter hero Julian Salvatore...it’s just unadulterated, delectable, steamy, fun entertainment to savor!

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Julian Salvatore as the lead romantic hero because in the two previous FoSF books, he’s been the notorious ladies’ man, Latin heartthrob playboy with an attitude who keeps his firefighting teammates at a distance, but consider me very pleasantly surprised by how much I flat-out loooved him in this! Julian’s backstory reveals that a painful secret from his adolescence is the reason behind his playboy ways and remoteness as a means of self-preservation. But lately he’s become tired of chasing women and one night stands and is starting to question whether or not protecting his heart is worth the perpetual loneliness he feels.

Julian harbors an intense attraction towards his fellow firefighter and friend, Howard Six-Pack Paxton’s, sister-in-law, lawyer Grace McKenna, but he’s started to lose hope of it ever going anywhere after months of being turned down. Grace feels the explosive chemistry between her and Julian, but she’s determined to ignore their passionate connection because she worries about his ladies’ man reputation and doesn’t think that he fits into her carefully laid plans for the future. But when Julian is injured while working a traffic accident on the job, and then it turns out his really close call wasn’t so accidental after all, Grace is forced to finally face her desire and feelings for Julian. And then whew boy...do these two set some major five-alarm fires to the sheets or what?!...YOWZZZA! Hot, hot, hawwwt!

Could a ghost from Julian’s past be tied to the kidnappings and murders that have rocked Nashville? And when Julian is targeted by a dangerous, sadistic killer, will it be too late for Grace and Julian to forge a future together? But even more pressing, can they optimize their hot, sweaty bedroom sessions when someone’s constantly attacking Julian? Have no fear ladies, he is a generous, tender, romantic Latin lover after all, so of course they find a way to fit in lots of steamy sex between threats on his life!

Julian is my favorite FoSF hero so far, and I liked Hidden Fire more than Under Fire and just as much as Trial by Fire. It’s an exciting, gripping suspense read with sweet, steamy romance between a too yummy for words, too good to be true firefighter hero and a strong, smart, albeit needs a hit upside the head frustrating when it comes to admitting her feelings, heroine, and of course, several scorch the pages hot sex scenes! A deliciously satisfying 5 stars!
(less)

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Jun 19, 2010 DarienMoya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-reads

^^I FOUND THE FIRE AND I WANT IT TO BURN!^^

Why am I naked? I will tell you why. Its because of Julian Salvatore, he is like that thing you know you shouldn’t have but you have some anyways, and then you only promised yourself a small taste, but that taste leads to you eating a slice, and the next thing you know, you want the whole bloody thing. That is Julian Salvatore, the sexiest man in Jo Davis firefighters of station five series. This one I really liked, the story behind it is creepy and in...more ^^I FOUND THE FIRE AND I WANT IT TO BURN!^^

Why am I naked? I will tell you why. Its because of Julian Salvatore, he is like that thing you know you shouldn’t have but you have some anyways, and then you only promised yourself a small taste, but that taste leads to you eating a slice, and the next thing you know, you want the whole bloody thing. That is Julian Salvatore, the sexiest man in Jo Davis firefighters of station five series. This one I really liked, the story behind it is creepy and intense, and Julian is a tall drink of Corona( or some exotic beer or liqueur) this sexy Hispanic hottie, goes straight to your head. Dizzy much!

We know Julian Salvatore as the ladies man of the bunch and he also can be considered the Ahole of the group. He fronts like he cares for no one, and he doesn’t need anybody, underneath all that bluster is the sweetest and most gorgeous man ever. There are circumstances which has led Julian to guard his feelings and you can empathize as to why. See Julian was molested as a child, and he is struggling with how it led to the destruction of his family. Without knowing his molestation was apart of something bigger, something sinister. This leads him closer to the one woman who might bring his bachelorhood to a close. Grace Mckenna is everything he wants and she is the one woman who wont have him.

Grace is playing hard to get, her reasons for avoiding Julian in the beginning is understandable then it just becomes plain stupid. I want to keep my independence, blah blah, for a lawyer she sure was stupid, but I liked her. She is a ride and die chick, when the going got tough for Julian she was always there. In the end she became the perfect balance to Jules sexy.

I always like a good story with my romance and this book had it, its heavy on the content, with kidnapping and torture, those kinds of story lines always touch me. The creep factor was high for me, was not surprised who was the ring leader in the murders, you might be, because it was kinda unusual.

Lets talk about the sex, Jesu it was awesome, the description of Julian was just so sexy. He is by far my fave firefighter, he is beautiful and he gots angst, just how I like them. Him and Grace together, lit up all kinds of fire and it was just bloody awesome. A great addition to the firefighter series. I am just excited for the last few books.

P.S There is a hot sex scene with Grace bent over the hood of Julian's porsche, all the ways I died after reading it was so, so good.(less)

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Dec 09, 2009 Kathrynn rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of Hot Firefighter Romantic Suspense

Recommended to Kathrynn by: Auntee and Shawna

Shelves: romance-suspense, series-firefighters_station_5_jo_da, theme-firefighter, own, 2009, hot, reviewed, theme-hero_heartthrob, theme-latin_lover, funny-at_times, theme-serial_killer

Fantastic! The third book in the Firefighters of Station Five series and it knocked my socks off. Excellent writing, with humorous dialogue and character thoughts that had me chuckling in several places. Excellent suspense, with a serial killer plot and catching the "bad guys." Excellent romance, oo-la-la hot. A scorcher!

Julian Salvatore's character was introduced in the first book of this series. He came off as a jerk, but this tale had him growing and what a guy he turned out to be. Half Ital...more

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Oct 28, 2011 Mollie *scoutrmom* rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of suspense romance

Shelves: romance, read-in-2011, read-in-2012

One thing I love about this series is that although the heroes are firefighters, the plots do not revolve around firefighting exploits.

In this book, the third in the series, we have an excellent mystery with some suspense elements present, including believable and realistic threats against the well-being of both protagonists.

I hope the police detective gets his own story line one day, I like him better and better each time he appears.

The lovers got to know each other better in spite of the threa...more

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Nov 25, 2009 Auntee rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of the series; fans of firefighter romance

Shelves: firefighters, romantic-suspense, 2009_reads, husband-worthy_hero, made_me_cry

I loved this book! So happy to see that Jo Davis is back on track after the disappointing (to me) When Alex Was Bad A Novel of Erotic Suspense, and to a lesser extent, the slightly far-fetched Under Fire. This is book #3 in JD's Firefighters of Station Five series, and yes, you should read the previous two before you dive into this sweetly sexy, yet suspenseful book. This is drop-dead-gorgeous, firefighter/paramedic, (and I hate to use this term...) man-whore Julian Salvatore's story, and to my...more I loved this book! So happy to see that Jo Davis is back on track after the disappointing (to me) When Alex Was Bad A Novel of Erotic Suspense, and to a lesser extent, the slightly far-fetched Under Fire. This is book #3 in JD's Firefighters of Station Five series, and yes, you should read the previous two before you dive into this sweetly sexy, yet suspenseful book. This is drop-dead-gorgeous, firefighter/paramedic, (and I hate to use this term...) man-whore Julian Salvatore's story, and to my surprise, what a dreamboat he turned out to be. I fell for him hook, line and sinker, and I wanted his commitment-phobe dream girl, lawyer Grace McKenna to fall for this Latin charmer too. She resisted him as much as humanly possible, I guess, but really, she didn't stand a chance. Who could resist a charming, hunky guy with a bit of a tragic, (and to him, humiliating) secret past, a guy who's determined to win you over and put his man-on-the-make ways behind him just so he could win your heart forever? Yeah, not me either.

Grace and Julian had met before,(in her sister Kat's book--Trial by Fire), and had even shared a kiss, but Grace is very leery of Julian due to his less than stellar reputation. This guy was not the type to want to settle down. Thirty-year-old Julian's always been a bit immature acting, kind of cocky, not really a buddy with the other firefighters at the station, and just out for a good time while romancing woman after woman. But the cocky attitude, the womanizing ways, the good-time-Charlie persona, is all an act to hide his secret shame. But when he meets Grace, he feels the cool, blonde, willowy beauty may just be the one woman who he'd be comfortable showing his true self to, if only he could melt her reserve. Grace has no trouble wanting to share her body with Julian, but has no desire to lose control with him. Committing her heart to him (or any man) would mean a loss of her freedom, a loss of control, a loss of her dreams, and that scares Grace more than a little. But gradually, the more Julian and Grace spend time together, the more he worms his way into her heart, breaking down her well guarded barriers. And once Julian lets Grace in on his the secrets in his past, they both realize that his past may be connected to a serial killer lurking in the Nashville area. When Julian's life is put in danger time and again by someone determined to silence him, Grace realizes that she may have done the unthinkable--she's fallen in love with the former bad boy. But will the serial killer who's connected to Julian's past get in the way of their future?

This one one very quick read, and happily I had no trouble focusing and had no 'mind-wandering' moments. I was glued to the pages and had a hard time putting this one down. I loved the characters (and enjoyed revisiting past characters), the plot had just enough suspense and some very creepy villains doing unspeakable things, and while the ending built to an (almost) TSTL moment for Grace and Julian (NO! Don't go hunting in that spooky cave unarmed and by yourselves--wait for the police!), I was willing to forgive that heroic, but stupid decision because I loved Julian and Grace so much. And of course, Julian had to have one of those moments that a lot of romance heroes have--that "you're-better-off-without-me-baby" thing that's always a bad idea, but thankfully that didn't last all that long nor did it hinder my enjoyment of the book.

Now, the romance between Grace and Julian? Mega-hot! Of course I've read more explicit scenes, but the scenes between Grace and Julian really moved me emotionally. I loved reading/hearing each character's inner dialogue too--I loved reading what they were thinking even if it wasn't something that they were saying. Julian was just so vulnerable, and reading his thoughts and desires, and the sweet things he said to Grace (often in Spanish), and the loving way he treated her, brought me to tears a couple of times. Just a really, sweet, good guy--well done, JD, for turning this character around! And (as Julian would say) Madre de Dios, Grace, how can you resist him?

There were a few unanswered questions in this one for me (why did the villain conveniently relocate to Nashville from San Antonio?), a few unresolved plot points (fire captain Sean's continuing struggle with alcohol to deal with his grief), but all in all this was just a very good read and a nice addition to the series. After JD gets done writing the stories for the rest of the firefighters, I hope she has a story left for Detective Shane Ford. Maybe she'll hook him up with one of Julian's sisters--maybe Tawny?

If you're looking for a sexy, romantic, fast-paced, suspenseful 'comfort' read, then this is it. It's got all the elements a good romance should have, and it should have you eagerly anticipating the next book in the series, Tommy Skyler's story (Line of Fire) 4 1/2 stars.(less)

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Apr 03, 2013 May Mostly Romance rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary

หนังสือเล่มนี้เป็นเล่มที่สามในชุด Fireflighters of the Station Five ที่เล่าเรื่องราวของบรรดาพนักงานดับเพลิงแห่งสถานีห้า เมืองซูการ์แลนด์ ซึ่งครั้งนี้เป็นคราวของจูเลียน ซัลวาตอร่า หนุ่มนักรักเสน่ห์แรงแห่งสถานี

จูเลียนเป็นสมาชิกหน้าใหม่ที่สุดของกลุ่มนักดับเพลิงในสถานีแห่งนี้่ และด้วยบุคลิคที่ปิดกั้นตัวเอง ทำให้เขาเป็นคนนอกเสมอ จูเลียนเสนอฉากหน้าของความเป็นหนุ่มเจ้าสำราญ เปลี่ยนผู้หญิงไม่ซ้ำคน แต่ในขณะเดียวกันเขาก็โดดเดี่ยวตัวเองออกจากกลุ่มเพื่อน ๆ สาเหตุส่วนหนึ่งเป็นเพราะปมในวัยเด็กของเขา

และโดยที...more หนังสือเล่มนี้เป็นเล่มที่สามในชุด Fireflighters of the Station Five ที่เล่าเรื่องราวของบรรดาพนักงานดับเพลิงแห่งสถานีห้า เมืองซูการ์แลนด์ ซึ่งครั้งนี้เป็นคราวของจูเลียน ซัลวาตอร่า หนุ่มนักรักเสน่ห์แรงแห่งสถานี

จูเลียนเป็นสมาชิกหน้าใหม่ที่สุดของกลุ่มนักดับเพลิงในสถานีแห่งนี้่ และด้วยบุคลิคที่ปิดกั้นตัวเอง ทำให้เขาเป็นคนนอกเสมอ จูเลียนเสนอฉากหน้าของความเป็นหนุ่มเจ้าสำราญ เปลี่ยนผู้หญิงไม่ซ้ำคน แต่ในขณะเดียวกันเขาก็โดดเดี่ยวตัวเองออกจากกลุ่มเพื่อน ๆ สาเหตุส่วนหนึ่งเป็นเพราะปมในวัยเด็กของเขา

และโดยที่ไม่คาดคิด ฝันร้ายในวัยเด็กของจูเลียนก็ปรากฎกายขึ้นอีกครั้ง เมื่อเกรซ แม็คเคนน่า หญิงสาวที่จูเลียนปิ๊งอย่างจัง และพยายามจีบเป็นเวลาหลายเดือนแนะนำให้เขารู้จักกับลูกความคนใหม่ของเธอ และจูเลียนก็จดจำเขาได้ว่า คือคนคนเดียวกับที่ลวนลามเขาในวัยเด็ก

จูเลียนโกรธ และเตือนให้เกรซตอบปฏิเสธการว่าความให้กับลูกความคนนี้ ซึ่งนั่นก็มากพอจะทำให้เกรซรู้สึกสงสัย และพยายามตีตัวออกห่าง

แต่การได้เผชิญหน้ากับอดีตที่ตามหลอกหลอนเขามานาน ก็ยังไม่เท่ากับการที่จูเลียนกลายเป็นพยานในการลักพาตัว ในระหว่างที่อยู่บาร์ จูเลียนสังเกตเห็นความผิดปกติบางอย่างแต่มันก็ไม่มากพอที่จะทำให้เขาช่วยเหลือเหยื่อได้ และนั่นทำให้เขารู้สึกผิดอย่างมาก เมื่อข่าวปรากฎว่า ชายคนที่เขาเห็นในบาร์ถูกลักพาตัวไป และอาจจะตกเป็นเหยื่อของฆาตกรต่อเนื่อง ที่ลักพาตัวเด็กหนุ่ม และเด็กสาวไปทรมาน ก่อนจะฆ่าตายอย่างทารุณ

จูเลียนแจ้งเหตุการณ์ที่ตัวเองพบกับตำรวจ เพื่อที่จะพบว่าตัวเองได้กลายเป็นเป้าหมายของฆาตกรในการฆ่าปิดปากเช่นกัน

เกรซ ซึ่งตลอดเวลาพยายามห้ามใจไม่ให้ยุ่งเกี่ยวกับจูเลียน เพราะเธอไม่แน่ใจ ในความจริงจังของหนุ่มคนนี้ จูเลียนมีผู้หญิงในชีวิตมากมาย และเขาไม่เคยรักใครสักคน เธอไม่รู้สึกว่าตัวเองจะมีความสำคัญพอที่จะกลายเป็นหญิงเดียวในดวงใจเขาได้ เธอจึงปกป้องตัวเองจากความเจ็บปวดด้วยการตอบปฏิเสธความพยายามจีบของจูเลียนตลอด

จนกระทั่งตอนนี้ เมื่อจูเลียนได้เปิดเผยด้านที่เปราะบางของตัวเอง และในเวลาที่จูเลียต้องการใครสักคนที่เข้าใจเขาอย่างที่สุด

ในแง่ของการเขียน หนังสือเรื่องเขียนได้ค่อนข้างราบรื่น อ่านง่ายค่ะ วิธีการเล่าเรื่องไม่ซับซ้อนมากมาย แต่ข้อเสียก็เหมือนกับหนังสือสองเล่มแรกในชุด (Trial by Fire และ Under Fire) ที่ใช้ความบังเอิญมากเกินไปหน่อย โดยเฉพาะ (สปอยล์อย่างแรง เพราะเฉลยตัวร้ายด้วย ไม่จำเป็นก็อย่าอ่านค่ะ) การที่คนที่ลวนลามจูเลียน และคนร้ายที่เขาบังเอิญไปพบเห็นว่ากำลังลักพาตัวชายหนุ่มอีกคนเป็นคนร้ายกลุ่มเดียวกัน มันไม่น่าเชื่อเลย

ในแง่ความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างจูเลียน และเกรซ เนื่องจากเรื่องนี้เปิดเรื่องมา ทั้งเกรซและจูเลียนก็รู้จักกัน และเขาพยายามจีบเธอมาหลายเดือนแล้ว ทำให้ค่อนข้างโอเคว่า เกรซมาใจอ่อนช่วงนี้พอดี แม้จะไม่เห็นการ "รุก" ที่มากมายอะไรจากจูเลียน แต่ปัญหาสำหรับคนที่อ่านทั้งเล่มหนึ่ง และเล่มสองในชุดมาแล้วอย่างแม็กซ์ก็คือ ในสองเล่มแรกในชุด เราไม่รู้สึกว่าเกรซและจูเลียนมีปฏิกริยาอะไรกันด้วย ความจริงก็คือ แม็กซ์จำเกรซไม่ได้เลยสักนิดเดียว ตอนมารู้ว่าเธอเป็นพี่สาวของนางเอกหนังสือเล่มแรกในชุด (เรื่อง Trial by Fire) เราออกจะงงนิดหน่อย เพราะจำเจ้าหล่อนไม่ได้เลย

และนั่นเองทำให้เรารู้สึกถึงความไม่น่าเชื่อว่า จูเลียนจะทุ่มเทหัวใจให้กับเกรซมากขนาดนี้ เพราะในท้ายที่สุดคนที่ลังเลที่จะเข้าสู่ความสัมพันธ์ก็เป็นตัวเกรซเอง ในขณะที่คนอ่านแน่ใจได้กับความจริงใจของจูเลียน แม็กซ์คิดว่าถ้าคนแต่งใช้เวลาในการพัฒนาความสัมพันธ์อของตัวละครเอกมากกว่านี้ หนังสือเล่มนี้จะลงตัวได้มากกว่านี้

โดยรวมนะคะ เป็นเรื่องที่อ่านได้ ไม่ผิดหวังอะไร แต่ก็เป็นเพราะแม็กซ์ไม่ได้คาดหวังอะไรจากหนังสือเรื่องนี้มากมายตั้งแต่เริ่มต้น คะแนนที่ 65 (less)

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Jun 03, 2011 Nikki rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romantic-suspense, contemporary, own-ebook, 3-and-a-half-stars

3.5 stars.

I loved learning more about Julian but couldn't find it in me to connect with Grace on an emotional level. I liked the fact that she was smart, sensible and quite amusing at times, but wow she was so much frigging hard work. I also couldn't see any familial similarity between her and Kat because she is a deadset cold bitch.

The storyline was also kind of depressing but yeah, I'm more than happy to suffer the little low points when there's hot firefighting action to enjoy.

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Mar 28, 2011 Darcy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

In reading the previous books there was always something about Julian that made it seem like he was getting a bum rap, but you also realized that he did it to himself. The self-professed ladies man, boy did he get around, and loner, wouldn't even let his teammates get close, really did things on purpose to keep people away. With this book you learn why, or at least it seemed like it to me.

I love books like this where the ladies man falls hard, but the woman he falls for his in some ways like him...more

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Feb 28, 2010 Brande Waldron rated it 2 of 5 stars

Hidden Fire by Jo Davis is book 3 in the Firefighters of Station Five Series and this romantic suspense is all about Julian Salvatore, the Latin lover with a chip on his shoulder and the woman of his dreams …… staring Grace McKenna. Grace is the stunningly beautiful and brilliant lawyer who holds her attraction to Julian close to her heart; she isn’t the type of woman to let a ladies’ man like him play with her heart and play her as a fool.

What Julian wasn’t planning was his past that he has so...more Hidden Fire by Jo Davis is book 3 in the Firefighters of Station Five Series and this romantic suspense is all about Julian Salvatore, the Latin lover with a chip on his shoulder and the woman of his dreams …… staring Grace McKenna. Grace is the stunningly beautiful and brilliant lawyer who holds her attraction to Julian close to her heart; she isn’t the type of woman to let a ladies’ man like him play with her heart and play her as a fool.

What Julian wasn’t planning was his past that he has so desperately tried to bury has all but come knocking on his door. Shocked, angry and fearful for Grace’s safety as well since she now seems to be in the thick of it, representing the same man who has cause so many years of nightmares. Their relationship of lack thereof has always seems a little hostile, a battle of wheels of sorts. Grace hold’s her heart very close and knows that if she lets Julian in, he will be the end of her. Something about the fundamental and carnal heat these two generate just in having a heated conversation you know the sparks are going to fly once they open up to each other and let the passion that they both feel take over. Unfortunately the suspense of the story takes over the love story for these two, with such individually dynamic characters it was difficult to feel a real connection emotionally for them as a couple. The love scenes making were lifeless and leaving me with a cold feeling.

Julian has finally come to a point where he realizes what an all around jerk he has been, to his co-workers and to women with his lov'em attitude. But now isn’t the time to start a relationship with Grace, with the danger lurking around as the man who molested him as a teenager is now in Nashville conveniently just when a string of murders and missing persons is plaguing the city. Not to mention Julian seems to be having a string of “accidents”, the most recent being a hit and run almost killing him. During his recovery Grace starts to realize that he might just be worth a chance, but she is only willing to give him her body, not her heart. Never her heart. The two decide that they are going to try and figure out who is responsible for the murders as Julian was a witness to one of the kidnappings. A young college student who was drugged in a bar by a mysterious stranger and carried off in his car. In over their heads Julian is forced to call in backup from always reliable Six-Pack and his Chief Sean. It was fantastic to see the dynamics of the team come to life even further in this third installment especially the foreshadowing of Sean’s self destructive behavior coming to a head; ultimately he will have to make a choice to continue down deadly path or choose to live.

Watching the two together was a little anti-climactic, having eagerly anticipated this coupling from their first encounter in book one, and Grace’s constant indecisiveness became downright irritating. How a woman so strong willed and together be such an emotional wimp. Her character as a whole was always portrayed as a strong willed woman, a kicking butt and take names later type of woman. But although I thoroughly enjoyed her as a person, her loyalty to Julian in believing that her client and his family weren’t the upstanding citizens they claimed to be, when it came to love and passion I found her actions hard to swallow. Julian was the same, I loved his character from the beginning, and it was always so clear that Jo Davis had big plans for him as that Latin Lover who was so damaged that only a woman of great strength could get her hooks in him.

Although the suspense in pinning down the identity of the mysterious murderer had me guessing from the beginning, it was the catalyst behind me actually wanted to finish this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of the old fashioned who done it that hooked me from the moment I finished the first chapter. Would I recommend this book, yes I would, IF you were looking for a suspenseful story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. But if you are looking for a love story I found it lacking and left me feeling indifferent.
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Dec 19, 2011 Tina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads, romance-contemporary

I skipped over the 2nd book in the series because my library didn't have it, but I don't feel I missed anything by skipping it.

Another book that goes down easy. The things that make this book good are the same things I liked in the first book, Trial by Fire. And the things that stopped this book from being a five or even four star for me are the same things that I had problems with in the first book as well. Mainly the thin details on fire-fighting and the villain.

At this point I almost feel th...more

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Nov 03, 2011 Sandra rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: rom-suspense, sexy-firemen

This was just as enjoyable as the previous two in the series, although I think I need to take a little break from this series lest they start to all get too similar. I enjoyed Julian and Grace. I'm excited for book 5, Sean and Eve's story, but I don't care too much right now about Tommy in the next book. This one wrapped up well, but they just had to add that last bit of ridiculous kismet. (view spoiler)...more

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Jun 12, 2011 Christi Snow rated it 4 of 5 stars

Review reposted from my Smitten with Reading blog...

My Review:
Julian is the playboy of Station Five, but underneath all that sexual bravado is a man with a wounded heart who's simply looking for the perfect girl for him. He thought that he met her when he met Grace (sister to Kat- the heroine of Book #1 in the series,) but Grace didn't want to have anything to do with this player and rebuffed his advances for months. She's a tough-as-nails lawyer who's also been feeling the pull for something mo...more

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Jul 18, 2010 Pamela(AllHoney) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: rs-mystery-thriller, dreamy-heroes, firefighters-emt-etc, lawyers-judges-etc, serial-killers, my-4-star-romances, latin-lovers

YUM! Be still my heart! The third novel in the Firefighters of Station Five series by Jo Davis. Julian Salvatore has quite the ladies man reputation around the station. But there is more to Julian than meets the eye. He has issues from his past that have made him commitment shy. But he has a big attraction to Grace McKenna, a defense attorney with an icy reputation.

Intense and yet heart-wrenching at times. Highly recommended!

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Feb 03, 2013 Hayley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Having read the previous two books of The Firefighters Of Station Five, I without a doubt knew I was in for a treat but quite what awaited me, I didn't expect. We've met Julian and Grace previously but this was their story and the journey we get to follow. We knew that they had a brief moment at Howard's and Kat's barbecue, but quite what happened we were not sure of but this lies that question to rest. Julian is perceived as a ladies man and Grace is the ice-queen who has a life plan that doesn...more Having read the previous two books of The Firefighters Of Station Five, I without a doubt knew I was in for a treat but quite what awaited me, I didn't expect. We've met Julian and Grace previously but this was their story and the journey we get to follow. We knew that they had a brief moment at Howard's and Kat's barbecue, but quite what happened we were not sure of but this lies that question to rest. Julian is perceived as a ladies man and Grace is the ice-queen who has a life plan that doesn't involve settling down or love. A fire brings them into each others lives again but Grace has a man called Derek with her, who is somewhat of a blast from the past for Julian and not in a good way. We also meet Julian's best friend Carmelita and the sacrifice she makes is one of unconditional love and will bring a lump to your throat and tear to your eye.

"Because I squeeze the toothpaste in the middle, I snore, I won't trade in my Porsche for a minivan, and I'm always right." There were many more reasons, but those would suffice. "And I'd smother you in your sleep during a fit of premenstrual rage." "Prison would clash with your hair and nails." "So I guess we'll have to remain friends," she said happily. "With benefits." "Absolutely."

A near fatal accident later on and Julian and Grace's life change majorly and we are the lucky ones who get to follow that with them. But what we get is a ride of emotionally charged, jaw dropping and WTF moments and I did literally drop my Kindle at one point when all was revealed. The 'Collector' part of this story was mind blowing and not where you thought it would lead. Defiantly expect the unexpected.

We still get to catch up with the remaining Firefighters Of Station Five and a touching moment in the story would be the intervention of Sean Tanner.

Howard went last. "I miss you," he began simply, and let the quiet statement hang as the paper shook in his hands.

I must touch upon the most awesome moment in the book, for me, would be something that Howard and Kat tells us but I really think you need to find that out for yourself. Everybody does deserve their happy ending.

Hidden Fire sucks you in and you lose yourself in every moment, every twist and turn. You feel like you part of the Firefighters lives. I do ask myself, can this series get any better? And simply the answer is yes. Read for yourself, because I know you'll agree....(less)

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Apr 15, 2012 Sally rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: erotic, read-2012

Hidden Fire is Julian Salvatore and Grace McKenna's story. Both met in the first instalment of the Station Five series, this is about a Latino who has a rep as a ladies man not being able to get one sexy lawyer of his mind and out of his dreams.

Julian has a secret from his past that has troubled him for the last 15 years and never thought it would come back to haunt him and put the only woman he could ever love in danger. Kidnap and murder has darkened the streets of Nashville and without even...more

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Feb 16, 2011 Birgit rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011, romantic-suspense

Julian Salvatore & Grace McKenna

The story startet a bit slow, which means I could put the book down for a some days (bad sign). The book is well written and has some real nice twists. BUT ... even so, it wasn´t my favorite. I liked Grace and Julian but I couldn´t understand some of their reactions.

I liked how his firefighter-friends showed up in this book .

I´m realy looking forward for the last book with Eve and Sean, becaus I think (or hope) J. Davis planned to write just Howard´s Trial ...more

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Jul 20, 2010 UniquelyMoi *Dhestiny* BlithelyBookish rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: author-jo-davis, genre-contemporary-series, firefighters, sexy-latin-italian-lovers, 5-stars, abuse-sexual, 2010-reads, captive-kidnapped, contemporary-romantic-suspense, romantic-suspense, frigid-attornies, reviewed-by-me, series-firefighters-of-station-five

4.5/5

I love it when an author can take a character who appears to be a shallow, self absorbed, womanizer and turn him into one of the most loveable men on the planet. Such is the case with Julian Salvatore. Book 1, Trial by Fire and book 2, Under Fire both showed him to be quite the ladies man. He’s carefree, no strings, no commitments, sex on demand and seeming to never, never taking life or any part of it, seriously. I couldn’t imagine exactly how Ms. Davis was going to turn him into a compell...more

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Nov 28, 2012 Jenn Scranton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wow... Hidden Fire, where to begin. Well, to start, it automatically earned a star for being a book about sexy firemen, and another star for featuring one on the cover. :) Sue me. The beginning dragged a smidge. There was a lot of detail and a lot going on so you would think it would be exciting right out of the gate, but it almost felt as if the author, Jo Davis, was holding back in the beginning as if she was unsure about it herself. However, once you reach the middle section she got her act t...more

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Jul 09, 2011 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, nook, 5-suspense

Julian Salvatore seems a shallow man on the outside, looking for the next thrill, never settling down, a bad boy to the core. But there is something underneath. Something that comes out as soon as he falls in love. Grace McKenna is an ice queen with a path set in her life and she has no time for anything else, not even love. They will come close while Julian unearths his demons, but will it last?

I got to say I didn't expect much out of Julian the way he was portrayed in the previous books. I kno...more

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Dec 11, 2009 Carrie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, suspense, read-2009, firefighters

There are many things I liked about this book, including the characters. Julian and Grace were people the reader could care about. And even though was was some misunderstanding and dancing around each other, they treated each other with respect which I appreciated. I also liked the twist of Julian's alpha-male tendencies turning more beta when he realized he could overstep his bounds with Grace. Nice save. ;-)

The mystery/suspense plot, however, was weak and too contrived. There were too many con...more

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Jan 02, 2012 Felicia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-read, kindlepurchase2011

Read for FUN!
Overall Rating 4.00
(I am really digging these Firefighters)

NOTE: I am kind of doing a series review for these so that is why they are so short and to the point!

Review: I have been looking forward to Julian's story since Six-Pack's book. I really think that Julian was the most misunderstood character in the series and his story did not disappoint. In Hidden Fire Jo Davis tackles some very serious issues with tenderness and Grace (both the character and the attribute). This was just a...more

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Jun 15, 2010 Ruth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance, military-specops-govt-fire-cops, mystery-thriller-spies-suspense

This is a bit more soulful than the previous two in the series, although the thriller plot had a nice twist at the end, apart from one little bit that's just plan daft.

Julian makes a great hero. Physically-gorgeous firefighter-stud material who has a past as a bit of a man-whore, but with emotional honesty. The heroine is smart but strikes me as a bit of an emotional wet fish. I don't really get that a character as emotionally in-touch with himself as Julian would fall for someone as emotionall...more

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Aug 31, 2011 E. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: suspense, romance

Excellent addition to the Firefighters of Station Five series. Julian Salvatore is always a bit of an outsider to the crew and has a reputation as a ladies' man. He is attracted to Kat's sister (married to Howard), attorney Grace McKenna but she is wary of returning his regard. A traumatic experience as a young man has scarred Julian for life but little does he know that it may be related to the dangers that are threatening both him and Grace. Each will have to let the other into their deepest f...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Nikki rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alpha-male, emotional, firefighters, mature-content, rom-drama, steamy-romance, erotic, read-in-2012, romantic-suspense

Ok I have finally finished this book after a short break from reading! I am also now pissed at myself for taking said break right in the middle of this freakin awesome book of hotness! Ok Julian has abso*freakin*lutely redeemed his jerkish ways in this book! OMG his story had me feeling more emotional than any of the previous books! He is a much deeper and emotionally scarred man than he lets on in the other books, and I really loved him finding peace with his past as well as true love! Grace is...more

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Apr 09, 2010 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 07, 2011 Awilk -will work for books- rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: hot-alphas, hot-firemen, series-i-follow

This book kept me up last night. Lucky it was a quick read. Yet again I found Jo Davis went overboard with the bad luck that befalls her heroes, but that didn't distract from my enjoyment of this fast-paced and hot romance.
One little thing did really bug me, and that was about Julian's Porsche. When he put the picnic things into the trunk, at the back of the car, I was really annoyed, as the back is where the engine is. Just a silly oversight from the author, but as a car lover, it took away fro...more

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Jan 09, 2012 Jill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, sexy-for-sure, suspense

3rd in the Firefighters of Station Five, I enjoyed this as much as the others, although at this point, I'm thinking it would be really bad luck to work at Station 5, because so far, each main character has had some maniac after them trying to kill them (and then, of course, the women they fall for.) *grin. BUT, I still love the stories, and the characters, although the heroine in this one kind of turned me off with her "I don't know if I want to be in a relationship because I'm too independent"...more

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Aug 31, 2012 Paige rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-own, 2012-books

The Firefighters of Station Five series just feels lacking to me. This being the third book, I felt the least connection between Julian Salvatore and Grace McKenna than ever before.

Like the previous books, Julian’s past finally finds him and forces him to deal with the molestation he suffered from when he runs into Derek Vines, a current client for his love interest Grace McKenna.

Warning Grace to drop the case only raises more questions for her, but when Julian and another witness suspicious a...more The Firefighters of Station Five series just feels lacking to me. This being the third book, I felt the least connection between Julian Salvatore and Grace McKenna than ever before.

Like the previous books, Julian’s past finally finds him and forces him to deal with the molestation he suffered from when he runs into Derek Vines, a current client for his love interest Grace McKenna.

Warning Grace to drop the case only raises more questions for her, but when Julian and another witness suspicious activity that later links to a missing young man that then leads to the man being killed and attempts on Julian’s life, Grace is forced to reconsider his claims.

As to his and Grace relationship, I found Grace to be entirely too caught up in herself and dry humor. It was always her dream to be a district attorney and her fear on taking a chance when I don’t recall her ever truly being hurt. She’s just been so focused on her career, she lacked in the relationship department and I felt that while reading. She never would face her feelings for Julian.

Julian on the other hand was totally lost to her and as he began noticing her not returning his devotion, he nearly gives up on being the right one for her.
Especially when Julian comes clean about his drugged out encounter when she already had her doubts. But when she cons Derek into settling his court case, it puts her and Julian in dangerous territory as the Vines family isn’t one to mess with.

Julian works close with Detective Shane Ford to put this case to an end and when they can link it to the disappearances and deaths from around his involvement took place, it hits a memory for Julian. With Howard, Sean and Grace at his side, he finds the missing young man, but he and Grace don’t make it out before being caught.

His suspicions correct in a way, the police arrive to take them into custody, but not before a detonation is set off, caving in Grace and his longtime friend Carmelita.

His own injuries to deal with, he and the guys along with other rescue teams don’t rest until both women are brought out.

Facing the death of his friend is hard, but walking away from Grace really puts on the final blows.

Days after the funeral, Kat and Grace come into the station and Grace beelines straight for him. Now she knows what she wants and that’s a future with him.
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May 17, 2012 Beth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: jo-davis

Julian Salvatore and Grace McKenna (Kat's sister) has earned his reputation as a ladies' man, but chasing women is also a way to outrun a terrible secret. Then he meets defense attorney Grace McKenna, a beautiful ice-queen more than willing to give Julian her body, even if he can't seem to melt her heart...

But when a series of murders rocks Nashville, Julian is targeted by the killer. As he comes face to face with demons, he and Grace must race to uncover the terrible truth-or become the next v...more

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Hidden Fire (Firefighters of Station Five #3)

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