Firefighter Patrick Barre is determined to hide away in the woods of Vermont. He's content to do his job, remodel his house, and enjoy the company of his arson-detection dog, Midas. Scars from the fire that destroyed his family keep him from letting anyone into his life. Gini Claremont uses her camera to celebrate the beauty of life. Nature soothes her, while anger is dangerous for Gini--and anyone near her. If she doesn't guard her emotions, her surroundings could go up in flames. Living alone, keeping busy, and letting her family keep watch on her is best for everyone. When an arsonist declares war on their town, Patrick and Gini reluctantly band together to sift through the ashes, each holding a secret close to the heart. As the arson escalates, so does their mutual attraction. Will teaming up put out the fires, or start a whole new one? This is a new release of a previously published edition.
Christine DePetrillo can often be found hugging trees, conversing with dragonflies, and walking barefoot through sun-warmed soil. She finds joy in listening to the wind, bathing in moonlight, and breathing in the fragrances of things that bloom. If she had her way, the sky would be the only roof over her head.
Her love of nature seeps into every story she tells. As does her obsession with bearded mountain men who build, often smell like sawdust, and know how to cherish the women they love. Today she writes tales meant to make you laugh, maybe make you sweat, and definitely make you believe in the power of love.
She lives in Vermont with her husband and cat who defend her fiercely from all evils.
What started out as a promising book rapidly declined. It appears this is a sort of rip off of "Firestarter" which kinda pissed me off right off the bat, except it is in no way in league with "Firestarter."
I wasn't feeling the romance at all. The book was boring, repettitive, had no action, no conflict and I didn't care about any of the characters.
Actually, I disliked the heroine. She is flat, dull and bratty.
I was expecting more plot regarding the arsons, the hero's trauma, the heroine's paranormal gift and at 40% when it still did not deliver, I quit.
This book is almost 400 pages and should have been cut down to 200.
I would not recommend this and will not read more by this author.
Safety- No triggers that I could see thus far in the story.
I don't know how this will work. How can you live without an entire feeling? She can't get angry at all. It's no way to live. I didn't get it. Oh and I didn't like how pushy Gini and everyone else was to Patrick.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I like this one a lot. This one is definitely a slow burn though, so might not be for everyone. While I do agree that it drags a bit too much in some parts, the story on the whole is very sweet and the plot is nail biting at times.
The H is super shy and insecure here, and it really is lovely seeing him open up and learn to live and enjoy life. Our H is a great guy, tender, sweet and kind, with a touch of shyness and humor all wrapped up in one package. I got a bit impatient with his hangup along the way as I didn't really think it is such a big deal, but then I have never been in such a situation so I also cannot qualify to discount his actions and fear. I am very glad to see how great he went with the flow after he got together with our h and just am so happy to see his hea.
Our h is just as insecure and again I do get impatient when he hungups affect their beinf together, though I understand her reluctance, I am miffed with how she handles the situation when the grand revelation came about (though thinking about it afterwards, I do understand why she did it especially again when we readers only understand how hurt our H will be by her actions given we are told about hi past).
The story itself about these two are slow building and we do see how slowly these two get closer together. In parallel to this though, we are also following a twisted criminal's crime, and that really helps in pushing the story along. I felt at times though that some parts are a bit draggy, and at times I couldn't at first figure out where pages of these factor into the main storyline, though we got the link in the end, I just felt it was a bit longwinded.
I love Vermont and small towns, so this book really is a treat in itself. All in all, another enjoyable read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Reviewed by Robin Book provided by the publisher for review Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
Ms. DePetrillo shows the soft side of firemen in Firefly Mountain. What woman could resist sexy firemen and dogs? Especially one named Midas. I fell in love with him. It made for one hot story, no pun intended.
Patrick is raising his sisters whom he saved from a fire that took his parents’ lives. You would think that he would have given up being a firefighter but no…which makes him even sexier as he still puts his life on the line on a daily basis. He is left scarred emotionally and physically and still he risks his life.
After moving to another town to get away from the emotional pain he meets Gini needless to say sparks fly around them literally. Gini has a one of a kind special ability.
Both are in need of emotional ties…love…caring…gentleness and most of all healing. This is a great beginning for a really lovely romantic story.
It is really easy to connect to these two because you can feel their pain, the connection they have from the very beginning. The caring nature that they have for animals and others makes that endearing to those that read their story. Ms. DePetrillo brings them to life on the pages of her story making them seem more real as if you may have met them on the street.
As with most they carry secrets that run deep. Ms. DePetrillo shows us a complicated relationship between the two. I did however have a bit of a problem with their early meeting as Gini is trying to find hunky firefighters for a fund raising calendar and Patrick says no. This sets off her special ability to start fires mentally, thus exposing her secret. As they end up working together to expose an arsonist is fun because Ms. DePetrillo takes us inside the mind…it brings allot of things into the light and is rather scary at times. So very real you can actually envision what is going on throughout the whole process. She makes it seem really believable.
So if you enjoy sexy fireman, animals, suspense and plenty of heat this is just the story for you. You might want to grab a cold one when reading this though…
I really loved this book, it was on my TBR list for a while and when I finally read it I was pleasantly surprised. I always love to read about sexy fireman and poochies. The writer created a unique love story that you can't help but fall for. One word to describe Patrick would be Hero, if you look up the definition you would see Patrick's picture. He saved his sisters in a horrible fire that claimed his parents, although he is terribly scarred from the fire both mentally and physically he won't consider being anything else but a fireman. One of his sisters talks him into moving and starting a new life and that's when he meets Gini. Gini has unique abilities ( I won't ruin it) but she is a one of a kind women in many ways. She loves to help, rescue and volunteer her time at the local animal shelter, she is a amazing photographer. She is loved by everyone in the community. She always has a smile and is carefree ( or so it seems). What Gini is missing is... love. When Gini meets Patrick sparks fly and tempers flare, but they cant stop thinking of each other. They need each other in more ways then one. This story takes you on a interesting journey....the reader goes through each emotion; sadness, loss, love and happily ever after. The cast of characters in this story just makes it that much better...love Midas he's my favorite.
I really enjoyed this book....some romance with a little suspense thrown in is a winner in my book! Both Gini & Patrick have secrets that they don't want to get out, or at least not to each other....but in this world all secrets come out at one time or another. I thought that the development of their relationship was interesting after all how many people do you know that can start fires when they get mad? I did find that a little unrealistic at first...We first find out she can start fires when mad when she meets Patrick for the first time and he says no to being in the calendar she is creating to raise money for the animal shelter. Ummm....you have JUST met this guy and him saying no sets you off? I guess she wasn't used to someone telling her no. I thought her character, while well loved by many, still very immature. Perhaps that was her parents sheltering her because of her gift. Patrick's hangup happened when he was a teen, perhaps it was the guilt talking? But he has to let his guard down and it doesn't hurt that Gini and the gang don't let him hide away and become a recluse when not working. Oh and can I say I want to visit the Northeast now? The scenery sounds gorgeous and I have never been to Vermont....it would need to be during the summer, I don't need cold and snow!
In the spirit of full disclosure I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Honestly, it took a while for me to be drawn into the story, probably because the exposition and descriptions are heavy handed. But, once I was drawn in, I couldn't stop reading it.
Both of the main characters were easy to connect to. Gini has a dangerous secret that her family has kept hidden {in order to protect her} for many years. Patrick is a many faceted firefighter and a fire investigator, who {because of his insecurities which stem from a childhood tragedy and a lousy would-be-lover's treatment of him} is convinced he'll never find true happiness. Patrick's dog {Midas} and Gini's cat {Saber} were some of my fave characters. So was Patrick's kitten {Whisper}. They were so realistically portrayed that I "oohed" and "awed" a lot during their time in the spot light, no matter how brief it was.
Gini and Patrick were well developed. In fact, all of the characters were. But, the one who stood out the most was the one who kept setting all the fires. Reading her parts {yup the villain is a woman} put me inside her mindset the firmest. The way she described her fascination with fire was creepy.
I enjoyed the entire cast of characters. And I look forward to reading more works by this talented author. Originally reviewed for Satin Sheets Romance. 4.5 Pillows. 2 candles.
What an interesting idea - to pair a hero with terrible burn scars with a heroine who is pyrokinetic. How could they ever be together? Well, not easily but it worked because they were such good people and quite sensitive to each other's feelings and needs. They were very similar in someways too - neither ever expected to have a family or spouse - Patrick due to thinking his scars were so ugly and Gini because she was worried should could inadvertantly hurt someone with her power. Adding the suspenseful plot of the arsonist actually tied it all together. I liked the minor characters too, although the 3 HEAs were almost too pat
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was a sweet romance story with two characters who feel they are too flawed to ever find love. Throw in a dozen sexy firemen, an arsonist, a dog, and some surprises (no spoilers here. Read to find out) There is enough suspense to keep you turning pages to the end to find out who the arsonist is. I loved the way the author portrayed the relationships between family members. It reminded me a lot of relationships in my own family-- Deep and complicated.
I love a good love story as well as the next person but this was a whole lot more with Gina and Patrick having serious issues to hide. Learning that they were meant for each other made for a very happy ending.