Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts

Yes, I just finished reading a "romance" book, but this not a damsel in distress romance book. This is a true ball busting heroine. This being a Nora Roberts book, I'm sure 5000 other people have already reviewed it so I'm going to keep the summarization short. Keywords: woman smoke jumper, Missoula, Montana, sexy rookie, hot sex, murder, arson, and throw in a jealous, crazy bitch and you got Chasing Fire.

What I loved: The heroine, Rowan. She takes no crap from anybody. She's brave and tough and when the male smoke jumpers challenge or tease her, she holds her own. The dialogue throughout the novel, the joking, the bantering was terrific. I laughed, chuckled, and nodded my head numerous times.


[image error] The smoke jumping was great and Roberts obviously did her research. I learned a LOT about jumping from airplanes and into fires that I certainly did not know before.


What I didn't like: The mystery involving the jealous bitch, Dolly, was kinda lame. I was expecting a bit more substance, less soap opera. I also knew whodunit from the get go and I was disappointed that I knew whodunit. When it was revealed in the book, I declared, "I knew it! Oh why couldn't you surprise me?"
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Something else that bothered me.. And I get this is a romance, but the story is contemporary, not historical and you have a woman smoke jumper. This is a male dominated field that consists of fighting fires, extreme physical fitness, jumping out of planes, using a chainsaw, and handling big hoses (he he he) so why is this chick who loves her career above all else risking losing it all by possibly getting knocked up? Not once in this novel when the main players do the horizontal mambo, does it address them using protection. I would think pregnancy would be a huge issue for a female smoke jumper. Hello?

The smoke jumping, the strong heroine, and the entertaining dialog more than made up for those quibbles, however, and overall, the book rates a four and I got it from the library.