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Hillsborough Emergency Services #1
Five Alarm Blaze
Rookie firefighter Cody's got big shoes to fill, following in his hero father's footsteps. And an even bigger question to answer--why the hell does paramedic Seth make him feel the way he does?
Cody was never interested in anything but firefighting. Until he meets a paramedic named Seth and suddenly he's feeling things he's never felt before. Now the job is taking second place to thoughts of Seth's blue eyes--and other parts of his anatomy.
Frightened by the intensity of these strange new emotions, Cody does his best to ignore Seth and the way the cheeky blond makes him feel, except the inferno blazing between them won't go away.
And in a job like his, where you live in the back pockets of your teammates, it's hard to hide your emotions. The station is picking up on Cody's ambivalence toward Seth.
Talk among the fire fighters leads to an ultimatum from Cody's captain: get it together, or get out.
Can Cody take the heat between him and Seth, or will he go down in a blaze of infamy?
Cody was never interested in anything but firefighting. Until he meets a paramedic named Seth and suddenly he's feeling things he's never felt before. Now the job is taking second place to thoughts of Seth's blue eyes--and other parts of his anatomy.
Frightened by the intensity of these strange new emotions, Cody does his best to ignore Seth and the way the cheeky blond makes him feel, except the inferno blazing between them won't go away.
And in a job like his, where you live in the back pockets of your teammates, it's hard to hide your emotions. The station is picking up on Cody's ambivalence toward Seth.
Talk among the fire fighters leads to an ultimatum from Cody's captain: get it together, or get out.
Can Cody take the heat between him and Seth, or will he go down in a blaze of infamy?
148 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 12, 2019
14 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Kate Lowell
13 books66 followersKate Lowell lives on the east coast of Canada, in an old farm house that has way more personality than it has any right to. During the winter, she spends her time dreading snow, cursing at snow, shoveling snow, and scheming ways to shove it down the kids' necks. During the summer, she prays not to have snow. :)
Kate likes to play in ALL the sandboxes. While her main genres are paranormal and contemporary suspense, she is also interested in science fiction, fantasy and--weirdly--romantic comedy. She's willing to pay large amounts of money to anyone who can come up with plot-bunny repellent, which she will first use on herself, then sell to LA Witt for an exorbitant price to recoup her costs.
You can contact her at katelowellbooks (at) gmail.com . If you think you’d like to try writing gay romance, come visit her critique group (Link can be found at http://katelowell.com). New members are always welcome.
Kate likes to play in ALL the sandboxes. While her main genres are paranormal and contemporary suspense, she is also interested in science fiction, fantasy and--weirdly--romantic comedy. She's willing to pay large amounts of money to anyone who can come up with plot-bunny repellent, which she will first use on herself, then sell to LA Witt for an exorbitant price to recoup her costs.
You can contact her at katelowellbooks (at) gmail.com . If you think you’d like to try writing gay romance, come visit her critique group (Link can be found at http://katelowell.com). New members are always welcome.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 29, 2020
Re-read June 2020
I'm lowering my rating to 3.5 stars.
I liked it, but I noticed it felt a bit unfinished this time.
--------------------------------------------
Now this was cute!
The romance only happened in the last 20% or so, but I was happy enough reading about Cody and all his insecurities of being attracted to a man for the first time.
Cody is a 19 year old probie firefighter. He just transferred to the station his father always worked at. Now he has big shoes to fill.
Cody is big, tall, muscled, but also shy. When he meets cute paramedic Seth, he is gobsmacked. Cody can’t deny that Seth sets off something inside of him he never felt before. Cody may have been a late bloomer, but he never considered himself gay, or bi.
So he decides to just avoid running into Seth all together until he has his feelings figured out.
But that means the people at the station now think he is homophobic…..
Cody was absolutely adorable! He was sweet, shy and so awkward when he was around Seth.
We mostly get to read about Cody doing his job. He fight fires, he rescues kittens, and he worries about his feelings for Seth. There’s not much else going on in this book than that. And I was completely fine with that. Cody was a delight to read about, so I wasn’t bored for a second.
The romance only started near the end when Cody finally got over his nerves (because he was super drugged in the hospital, that was funny). And we only got Cody's POV, so Seth remained a bit of a distant character, but I just went with it.
I do have to say that I wanted to read about Cody coming out to the other firefighters, but okay, it was implied it would happen soon.
Super cute firefighter novella.
I'm lowering my rating to 3.5 stars.
I liked it, but I noticed it felt a bit unfinished this time.
--------------------------------------------
Now this was cute!
The romance only happened in the last 20% or so, but I was happy enough reading about Cody and all his insecurities of being attracted to a man for the first time.
Cody is a 19 year old probie firefighter. He just transferred to the station his father always worked at. Now he has big shoes to fill.
Cody is big, tall, muscled, but also shy. When he meets cute paramedic Seth, he is gobsmacked. Cody can’t deny that Seth sets off something inside of him he never felt before. Cody may have been a late bloomer, but he never considered himself gay, or bi.
So he decides to just avoid running into Seth all together until he has his feelings figured out.
But that means the people at the station now think he is homophobic…..
Cody was absolutely adorable! He was sweet, shy and so awkward when he was around Seth.
We mostly get to read about Cody doing his job. He fight fires, he rescues kittens, and he worries about his feelings for Seth. There’s not much else going on in this book than that. And I was completely fine with that. Cody was a delight to read about, so I wasn’t bored for a second.
The romance only started near the end when Cody finally got over his nerves (because he was super drugged in the hospital, that was funny). And we only got Cody's POV, so Seth remained a bit of a distant character, but I just went with it.
I do have to say that I wanted to read about Cody coming out to the other firefighters, but okay, it was implied it would happen soon.
Super cute firefighter novella.
April 18, 2023
A very sweet tale. Five Alarm Blaze is a good mix of action, soul searching character development, and a spicy little physical romance scene at the end (I don't think that's a spoiler lol).
The whole way through I was impressed by how well written the novel is, and then at the end the author's bio states they are part of the Ann-Katrin Byrde duo. Huh, who knew!?!
The whole way through I was impressed by how well written the novel is, and then at the end the author's bio states they are part of the Ann-Katrin Byrde duo. Huh, who knew!?!
March 10, 2019
Cody, 19 years old and beginning a new chapter of his career as a firefighter now that he's been transferred to the station his father worked at before his death, is eager to be the best firefighter he can be. He doesn't expect, however, to be totally thrown off guard by the feelings and thoughts he has when he meets Seth, one of the paramedics on his team.
One highlight of this book is that there is plenty of action and parts of the story dedicated to the firemen in action. So often when there are books about firemen, it deals with their personal lives and we don't get to see much of them in action at work. I really enjoyed the moments when Cody, Seth, and the team are working on putting out fires and saving people.
I enjoyed Cody and his conflicting thoughts, it felt real and grounded in how he was trying to figure things out, to his co-workers it came across as homophobic, which he kept insisting it wasn't - and it wasn't! He just needed time to figure things out. I felt like it was harder to get to know Seth, since this book stayed in Cody's POV, and although Seth was sweet and understanding with Cody, at the end I still feel like I don't know too many details about him.
Also, I don't know if this is the end of their book or if their story will actually continue in the second book of this series? If this is the end of their story, it feels a bit...unfinished. Plenty of moments for them left to have together, for them to deal with issues at work, and so on. I would have preferred maybe a bit more once they were together, something to really make it feel more HEA than HFN.
Looking forward to more, and I'd recommend if you are a fan of firefighters/paramedics.
I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.
One highlight of this book is that there is plenty of action and parts of the story dedicated to the firemen in action. So often when there are books about firemen, it deals with their personal lives and we don't get to see much of them in action at work. I really enjoyed the moments when Cody, Seth, and the team are working on putting out fires and saving people.
I enjoyed Cody and his conflicting thoughts, it felt real and grounded in how he was trying to figure things out, to his co-workers it came across as homophobic, which he kept insisting it wasn't - and it wasn't! He just needed time to figure things out. I felt like it was harder to get to know Seth, since this book stayed in Cody's POV, and although Seth was sweet and understanding with Cody, at the end I still feel like I don't know too many details about him.
Also, I don't know if this is the end of their book or if their story will actually continue in the second book of this series? If this is the end of their story, it feels a bit...unfinished. Plenty of moments for them left to have together, for them to deal with issues at work, and so on. I would have preferred maybe a bit more once they were together, something to really make it feel more HEA than HFN.
Looking forward to more, and I'd recommend if you are a fan of firefighters/paramedics.
I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.
March 15, 2019
Cute, enjoyable read that I would love to see in "full" novel length. For me it had the feeling of a longer short story, especially with how the pacing was comparatively steady through about 75% of the book and then cranked up to eleven for the latter portion.
Cody and Seth are both adorable, but I would like to know more about Seth. There is also a tragic event very early in the book, which serves as the plot device that forces Cody and Seth to work together, that is acknowledged for a few chapters (the chapters in this book are extremely short) and then rarely revisited. In retrospect I'm not sure that the event is that important to the story and think another approach might have worked more smoothly and not been as much of a distraction for readers like me who are wondering how everyone appears to let it go so quickly.
Cody and Seth are both adorable, but I would like to know more about Seth. There is also a tragic event very early in the book, which serves as the plot device that forces Cody and Seth to work together, that is acknowledged for a few chapters (the chapters in this book are extremely short) and then rarely revisited. In retrospect I'm not sure that the event is that important to the story and think another approach might have worked more smoothly and not been as much of a distraction for readers like me who are wondering how everyone appears to let it go so quickly.
dnf-not-4-me
April 14, 2019One of the protagonists in this book is 19. That's too young for what I usually like to read.
Unless someone can talk me into a FIREFIGHTER BOOK and I'll ignore the age.
Unless someone can talk me into a FIREFIGHTER BOOK and I'll ignore the age.
October 15, 2020
2.5 Stars. This was just okay. Not a bad story but it stayed surface level. Not a lot of character development, the relationship went from zero to 90 really quickly. I also thought the ending was a bit abrupt. It had a HFN ending so maybe another book will be about these characters but I won't be reading them.
May 27, 2019
First book in new series which I’m adding to my TBR list, it was that good!
I picked it based on blurb, because I caught whiff of both gay for you and enemies to lovers trope, so it was on!
Cody just started a new job: he became a firefighter, same as his father was, so he puts lots of expectations on himself. It doesn’t make his life easier. Meeting Seth doesn’t either, since attraction he feels toward other man throws him into tailspin. He hasn’t been interested in men before, so what the heck is going on? Except his confusion and butterflies in his stomach lead him to avoid Seth. (Poor guy, I think most of us can sympathize being awkward around person we are crushing on)
Except that Cody’s befuddled reaction looks to others like he dislikes Seth, which is a problem for his boss. Cody is left scrambling to fix the matters.
The story is cheerful and it’s obvious author did some research into firehouses. Descriptions of destructive fire at the end were literally heart stopping. I was biting my nails from beginning to the end! It also served as clever way to help Cody and Seth along.
The guys at the firehouse are lively bunch and their camaraderie adds to the story. We got only Cody’s POV, which disappointed me a little until the very end, when it became clear why that happened.
Considering that the guys don’t get a lot screen time together, I expected to be bored. It wasn’t the case and I devoured the story in matter of hours.
About the only sticking point I had was Cody’s age: he is nineteen, which honestly, I’d prefer it if he was at least old enough to drink, but it’s still great book.
I received copy of this book in exchange for review.
The review is also posted on Gay Book Reviews
I picked it based on blurb, because I caught whiff of both gay for you and enemies to lovers trope, so it was on!
Cody just started a new job: he became a firefighter, same as his father was, so he puts lots of expectations on himself. It doesn’t make his life easier. Meeting Seth doesn’t either, since attraction he feels toward other man throws him into tailspin. He hasn’t been interested in men before, so what the heck is going on? Except his confusion and butterflies in his stomach lead him to avoid Seth. (Poor guy, I think most of us can sympathize being awkward around person we are crushing on)
Except that Cody’s befuddled reaction looks to others like he dislikes Seth, which is a problem for his boss. Cody is left scrambling to fix the matters.
The story is cheerful and it’s obvious author did some research into firehouses. Descriptions of destructive fire at the end were literally heart stopping. I was biting my nails from beginning to the end! It also served as clever way to help Cody and Seth along.
The guys at the firehouse are lively bunch and their camaraderie adds to the story. We got only Cody’s POV, which disappointed me a little until the very end, when it became clear why that happened.
Considering that the guys don’t get a lot screen time together, I expected to be bored. It wasn’t the case and I devoured the story in matter of hours.
About the only sticking point I had was Cody’s age: he is nineteen, which honestly, I’d prefer it if he was at least old enough to drink, but it’s still great book.
I received copy of this book in exchange for review.
The review is also posted on Gay Book Reviews
March 13, 2019
Ehhh
I feel like this book had a lot of potential but fell flat. While it was good, the main characters didn’t speak more than a hello until 75%. After that it seemed like the author was just in a big rush to finish the book and just be done with it.
MAYBE SPOILERS!!!
I wanted to hear more about Liz and find out who attacked her. She was the main characters twin but it’s seems like the author killed her off just to make room at the station for Seth. Seth and Cody’s relationship didn’t even happen in the book! Cody got hurt and they admitted their feelings for each other. They hadn’t even spoken a whole sentence to each other yet! Suddenly fast foreword a month and Cody is healed and about to go back to work. Suddenly Cody and Seth are together, it never even talks about them together or how they are with each other. Just suddenly they’re together! They have sex then the book is over! Umm what. I think in total the amount of time they actually spent in the same room and speaking in the book would have been less than a chapter. I would have also liked to read a chapter about how the team was when Cody got back to work after all his recovery and then finding out Seth and him are together.
While it had a good premise I feel like this book left a lot to be desired and I was very disappointed.
I feel like this book had a lot of potential but fell flat. While it was good, the main characters didn’t speak more than a hello until 75%. After that it seemed like the author was just in a big rush to finish the book and just be done with it.
MAYBE SPOILERS!!!
I wanted to hear more about Liz and find out who attacked her. She was the main characters twin but it’s seems like the author killed her off just to make room at the station for Seth. Seth and Cody’s relationship didn’t even happen in the book! Cody got hurt and they admitted their feelings for each other. They hadn’t even spoken a whole sentence to each other yet! Suddenly fast foreword a month and Cody is healed and about to go back to work. Suddenly Cody and Seth are together, it never even talks about them together or how they are with each other. Just suddenly they’re together! They have sex then the book is over! Umm what. I think in total the amount of time they actually spent in the same room and speaking in the book would have been less than a chapter. I would have also liked to read a chapter about how the team was when Cody got back to work after all his recovery and then finding out Seth and him are together.
While it had a good premise I feel like this book left a lot to be desired and I was very disappointed.
March 8, 2019
Cody is a firefighter newly transferred into the three. He's only 19 and what his mother says is a late bloomer. He's focused on his job until a run in with a paramedic named Seth. Now he can't stop thinking about Seth, his reactions to him and why he's never felt this way before. It's starting to affect his job and interactions with his fellow firefighters.
Seth is back at the three due to a family loss. He has a gregarious personality and is determined not to let Cody bother him. He's affectionately referred to as "not a doc".
I liked this book and thought it had a really good story line. I thought it didn't quite hit the mark though. It's a short story that seemed to drag too long on Cody's hot and cold reactions. It didn't have enough time of Cody and Seth together to really flesh out their relationship or to see if they had what it takes for the long haul. If this book were extended out into a full length book I think it'd be a 5 star book for sure. For me it needed a little more of couple time. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series. The fires in the book are definitely 5 alarm. The romance/sex in the book are a tepid 2 alarm.
ARC given for an honest review.
Seth is back at the three due to a family loss. He has a gregarious personality and is determined not to let Cody bother him. He's affectionately referred to as "not a doc".
I liked this book and thought it had a really good story line. I thought it didn't quite hit the mark though. It's a short story that seemed to drag too long on Cody's hot and cold reactions. It didn't have enough time of Cody and Seth together to really flesh out their relationship or to see if they had what it takes for the long haul. If this book were extended out into a full length book I think it'd be a 5 star book for sure. For me it needed a little more of couple time. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series. The fires in the book are definitely 5 alarm. The romance/sex in the book are a tepid 2 alarm.
ARC given for an honest review.
February 29, 2020
Mr June
Office single point of view
Standalone
Cody, 19, has just started working at the same firehouse his Dad worked out of and is so excited about it. Until, he meets one of his coworkers paramedic, Seth. Seth is well known at the house and is known to be gay. Cody is uncomfortably aware of his presence and tries to avoid him until the boss tells him to get his act together. Will Cody be able to keep his job.
I liked the premise and I liked the characters. I felt we needed Seth’s POV to understand the end, his management of Cody, and to increase tension. I also felt that 19 was the wrong age of the characters and we needed more development of both. It’s got good bones.
Office single point of view
Standalone
Cody, 19, has just started working at the same firehouse his Dad worked out of and is so excited about it. Until, he meets one of his coworkers paramedic, Seth. Seth is well known at the house and is known to be gay. Cody is uncomfortably aware of his presence and tries to avoid him until the boss tells him to get his act together. Will Cody be able to keep his job.
I liked the premise and I liked the characters. I felt we needed Seth’s POV to understand the end, his management of Cody, and to increase tension. I also felt that 19 was the wrong age of the characters and we needed more development of both. It’s got good bones.
March 9, 2019
This was such a charming, engaging, grab-you-by-the-feels, lovely, poignant, adorable, fantastic, and sweetly sexy story. Cody was such a sweetheart, fumbling and struggling with the unfamiliar feelings Seth stirred up in him. I loved Seth from the very beginning, with his cheerful, snarky attitude, and the way he treated Cody. Once Cody let go, his relationship with Seth was HOT!! I was hooked from beginning to end, and the ending left me screaming "NO!" Now I'm eagerly looking forward to see what happens next.
March 11, 2019
Wow! This book was so good! I always love a good story about firefighters! I like how long it took for this couple to get together, but really liked how Cody becomes his own person in the fire department and follows in his fathers footsteps. I also really liked Seth and found this story interesting to be from one perspective instead of both of the MCs perspectives! Overall, this book was really good! I grew to really enjoy the other fire fighters and love the relationship that forms between Cody and Seth!
March 5, 2019
Five Alarm Blaze is the first book in The Hillsborough Emergency Services Series by Kate Lowell. It's a first time gay romance between two hot men. Cody and Seth are great characters. A nice mix of sweet and sexy. The story has humor' as well. Overall' an entertaining and satisfying read. Loved it!
I received an advanced reader's copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review and recommendation.
I received an advanced reader's copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review and recommendation.
March 6, 2019
Very smooth and satisfying read. Love the way we have a mix of comfort and reality at the fire house. Cody is following his dream of following in his dads footsteps, at his dads old firehouse when he meets Seth and all kinds of confusing things start running around in his head. Seth is patient waiting for cody to come to the conclusion that he might be gay. Totally enjoyable and looking forward to more stories in this series.
March 13, 2019
First solo Kate book I have read and I have to say I am loving it. My only issue was that the whole healing period happens off book and that would have been something I would have liked to see. While it was not insta love it does kind of come off as that because of some scenes that wasn’t in the book that happened (if that makes sense)
March 15, 2019
Interesting
This is a 3.75.
This was interesting. It took me a minute to get into it. I almost out it down, but I'm glad I perservered. I liked reading Cody's struggle and getting into his head.
This is a 3.75.
This was interesting. It took me a minute to get into it. I almost out it down, but I'm glad I perservered. I liked reading Cody's struggle and getting into his head.
March 16, 2019
Hot mama
Cody and Seth so so awkward with each other it is adorable! They only down side is that this book ends on a HFN with a definite book 2 and it’s torture to have to wait! But I can not see what become of this beautiful couple!!!
Cody and Seth so so awkward with each other it is adorable! They only down side is that this book ends on a HFN with a definite book 2 and it’s torture to have to wait! But I can not see what become of this beautiful couple!!!
March 18, 2019
I normally won't give spoilers on the story but this time I can give some of the story away as the information is already in the blurb, so here goes:
I loved Cody and how he wanted to follow his Dad into the service but then had to contend with his father's legend and the expectations that puts on his performance as a firefighter Then, after meeting Seth, he has to figure out his sexuality on top of that - no wonder the poor thing was so confused.
However I wasn't quite as sure about Seth to start with but he grew on me. So did all those team mates of Cody's if I am to be completely truthful.
On top of that we get some great action via the fire fighting and that made this a great story that is the start of what promises to be a hot series.
I loved Cody and how he wanted to follow his Dad into the service but then had to contend with his father's legend and the expectations that puts on his performance as a firefighter Then, after meeting Seth, he has to figure out his sexuality on top of that - no wonder the poor thing was so confused.
However I wasn't quite as sure about Seth to start with but he grew on me. So did all those team mates of Cody's if I am to be completely truthful.
On top of that we get some great action via the fire fighting and that made this a great story that is the start of what promises to be a hot series.
March 13, 2019
oh man this was hott and sexy... it was fun and interesting.. well written and amazing. loved it so much and i hope there will be more!
May 11, 2020
Cody's confusion about his sexuality is kinda cute and funny. What's wrong with the ending? I need more of Cody and Seth! I'm craving more of their story because this book left me hanging.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews