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EMS Heat #2
Man Down
All Jessie Goodson wants to do is put the past behind him and focus on his dreams of becoming a paramedic. Broken and scarred in more ways than one, he yearns to prove to everyone who’s ever doubted him that he can make something of himself. Determined to succeed, the last thing he wants is anything or anyone to distract him from his goal.Randal Connors’s job is to train new medics, it sure as hell isn’t to mess around them. Especially a certain blond, who’s not only way too young for him, but haunted by a secret past. But forbidden or not, Randal still finds himself becoming more attracted to Jessie with each passing day.Then the explosive details of Jessie’s secrets come out and Randal knows he can’t turn his back on the man. But in helping Jessie, will Randal lose everything he has?
82 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2010
2 people are currently reading
200 people want to read
About the author
Stephani Hecht
250 books863 followersStephani Hecht is a happily married mother of two. Born and raised in Michigan, she loves all things about the state, from the frigid winters to the Detroit Red Wings hockey team. Go Wings! You can usually find her snuggled up to her laptop, creating her next book or gorging on caffeine at her favorite coffee shop.
When she’s not running around like crazy, trying to get her kids to their various activities, she’s currently working on numerous projects. In the coming months, she has several books coming out with eXtasy Books in both The Lost Shifter Series and Drone Vampire Chronicles, plus a few additional projects that are still in the development stages.
Visit Stephani on the web at:
Email her at:
archangelwriter@yahoo.com
When she’s not running around like crazy, trying to get her kids to their various activities, she’s currently working on numerous projects. In the coming months, she has several books coming out with eXtasy Books in both The Lost Shifter Series and Drone Vampire Chronicles, plus a few additional projects that are still in the development stages.
Visit Stephani on the web at:
Email her at:
archangelwriter@yahoo.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
April 18, 2010
I really liked this story about two EMTs, one a student and the other an instructor, partly because it wasn't the "typical" student/teacher situation that was the focus of this book.
Jessie has been abused and is determined to forget all about it, except he can't. Randal never intended to give in to his attraction, but can't help himself. Both have to learn to live with Jessie's past.
Randal's love and understanding are heartwarming. Jessie's courage and determination to master the situation alone are courageous - if somewhat misguided. He is strong in dealing with his past but ultimately allows Randal to help him - which made for a very satisfying conclusion.
Jessie has been abused and is determined to forget all about it, except he can't. Randal never intended to give in to his attraction, but can't help himself. Both have to learn to live with Jessie's past.
Randal's love and understanding are heartwarming. Jessie's courage and determination to master the situation alone are courageous - if somewhat misguided. He is strong in dealing with his past but ultimately allows Randal to help him - which made for a very satisfying conclusion.
February 3, 2018
Man Down (EMS Heat, #2) by Stephani Hecht
May 2, 2010
I really enjoyed reading this sequel to Running Hot. It's a fun, sexy story with a touch of angst and the only thing I didn't like was how short it was. There's also a bit of humor, some hot sex and a sweet loving ending. I'm definitely happy to have read this story and would love to read more of Jessie and Randal's story.
Complete review posted at Rainbow Reviews
Complete review posted at Rainbow Reviews
March 11, 2012
I liked this one even more, than the first. It's more plotty, more intriguing, plus we've got a chance to meet James and Calvin from the previous book :)
The only thing that rubbed me the wrong way was the overusing of the word 'puppy'. Seriously, I'm not a fan of using it in this context even once (although in that case it could pass as endearment, I reckon), but so many times it just felt disturbing to me.
The only thing that rubbed me the wrong way was the overusing of the word 'puppy'. Seriously, I'm not a fan of using it in this context even once (although in that case it could pass as endearment, I reckon), but so many times it just felt disturbing to me.
December 2, 2015
This was a very interessting second part of the series. Compared to the first part, there was more plot in this one; the chemistry between the MC's, their interaction and Jessie's secret made this a very good read. It was nice meeting characters from the book before and I will definitly continue this series! 4 stars for this one!
April 17, 2010
Jessie has a past history of abuse and Randal is just the man to come into his life and love Jessie the way his heart and soul needed from any man. Randal brings Jessie peace and understanding. Behind that tall rock of a handsome man and hard body Randal is a gentle soul.
There's not much more I'd like to say other than for as short as this book is it remained entertaining. I would describe this masterpiece in the same manner as a part in the story that said: Hot, wild and addicting. The characters are hot, the scenes are wild and Stephani's book are addicting.
To conclude my review I'd really be interested in reading more to follow on Jessie and Randal.
:two thumbs up:
There's not much more I'd like to say other than for as short as this book is it remained entertaining. I would describe this masterpiece in the same manner as a part in the story that said: Hot, wild and addicting. The characters are hot, the scenes are wild and Stephani's book are addicting.
To conclude my review I'd really be interested in reading more to follow on Jessie and Randal.
:two thumbs up:
April 22, 2012
3.5 stars...
How to rate a short story? I have no idea. But I am in a quandary with this one because I loved it but wanted more, a lot more, of a back story on both Randall and Jessie. But, I also like that they are short so that I can gete to the next one quicker.
Oh well, sometimes there is just no pleasing me. :-)) But, it is well worth the read!
How to rate a short story? I have no idea. But I am in a quandary with this one because I loved it but wanted more, a lot more, of a back story on both Randall and Jessie. But, I also like that they are short so that I can gete to the next one quicker.
Oh well, sometimes there is just no pleasing me. :-)) But, it is well worth the read!
June 16, 2010
Another adorable characters, albeit a little yaoi stereotyping of a big bulky man and a much smaller guy. But again, both Randal and Jessie are enjoyable characters.
August 20, 2012
3.5 stars would have been 4. But they need to be longer
December 22, 2012
This was just as good as the first one. Jessie and Randal were great together. I loved the was Randal stood by Jessie after everything came out that was great. This series seems to be really good :)
Read
January 23, 2023The EMS Heat Series by Stephanie Hecht
I’m reviewing this entire series in one go because they all have similar themes. Each book is short and sweet – little bite-sized stories when you want to pick up something quick to read (I read each one in one sitting).
This is one of those series (previously called St Michael’s) that centres on a group of men who work in emergency services. It is a glorious combination of EMTs, firemen, nurses, doctors…
Each book is relatively short (<100 pages) and make the perfect quick read when you want something short but enjoyable. Each book has a fairly emotional theme – these guys have been abused, hurt in the past, rejected by their families, and any manor of other things that have left them feeling scared and vulnerable but each man finds his partner, someone to love them for who they are and to teach them about trust.
For such serious topics, there isn’t a lot of time to delve into each story in depth but there is just enough heartache and working through issues to reach a happy ending. Okay, so most seem a little unrealistic – love at first sight, overcoming issues quickly and even the over-abundance of gay guys in the town – but I read this series for a light enjoyment so didn’t mind a bit!
You can read the blurb to find out more about each story so I have included a little quote from each book to give a sense of the style...
#1 Running Hot “Running to him, Calvin threw his arms around James and pulled him into a rib-crushing hug. They had a huge audience, but he didn’t give a damn.”
#2 Man Down “I told myself I couldn’t get close to you because I didn’t want any complications in my life. That I didn’t have time for a relationship because of school and stuff. The truth is, I didn’t want to grow attached to you because I can’t stand to lose someone else who I care about.”
#3 Lights and Sirens “Unlike Gary, Matt happened to be good looking on the inside too.”
#4 Priority One “This was it. Finally Dylan would be able to know what it felt like to be with another man. After tonight, there’d be no more lingering doubts. No more false hopes that maybe he’d been wrong all along and wasn’t gay and could make things right back home. If he did this, actually went through with it, these would be no question of what he was. “
#5 Code Blue “He wondered how this little brat had managed to mean so much to him in just the span of a day.”
#6 Red Lights and Silver Bells “Kaleb gaped at him in shock. Even after all these months of having to deal with Dylan’s insecurities, it still shocked Kaleb every time he realized just how little his lover thought of himself. If it was anyone who could have their pick of men, it was Dylan.”
#7 High Flow “Since he’d gotten away with touching him earlier, Patrick allowed himself to reach out and cup Forrest’s face. When the younger man briefly closed his eyes and turned into the touch, a thrill of victory went through Patrick. That’s it, babe, open up to me. It’s safe, I promise. Since he knew it was too early to speak those words aloud, Patrick simply went with, “I want you because you’re Forrest. I wouldn’t change a thing about you because you’re perfect the way you are”
#8 Three-Alarm Fire “Why it’s so easy to tell you things that I could never share with anyone else. It’s because you know what it’s like to be hurt by someone you love. You understand me in ways that nobody else could.”
#9 Shades of the Past “As Kiefer’s body seemed to mold into his side, Ray became aware of two things. One, that Kiefer made for a perfect fit. Second came the startling realization that Ray would do anything to protect the medic from being hurt again.”
#10 In His Hero’s Shadow “I don’t want to get hurt,” Brody finally admitted. “I know I’m not good enough for you and that it will only be a matter of time before you figure that out for yourself and dump me.”
#11 Life Over Limb “Nah, he was just being nice. There is no way in hell a guy that good-looking could be interested in me.”
#12 FUBAR “The victim finally looked up and Danny sucked in a breath as he found himself instantly attracted to the other man. Damn it though, he knew he shouldn’t be having that reaction, after all, this guy barely avoided being viciously attacked. The last thing he needed was his would-be rescuer drooling over him.”
#13 Status Dramaticus “Are you even listening to me?” Ah, no. I was too busy drooling over you and imagining how it would feel to have you fuck me into the mattress.
#14 Tagged and Bagged ”The good think about Housten being asleep, aside from the fact his mouth was shut, was that he wasn’t aware of how sappy Rich was being. And Rich was being sappy with a capital S.”
#15 Blamestorming “Intrigued because I’m gay and working in such an alpha dominated field, or because you’re interested in me for something more than a friend?”
#16 Circling the Drain ”Would you think I sound young and dorky if I said that if I wasn’t careful I could fall in love with you?”
#17 STAT “For some reason, Wells felt a flash of jealously over Jaret being so close to another man. Which was crazy. He and Jaret weren’t even friends, much less in a relationship.”
#18 City of Fire “Awww….you better watch it, people will say we’re in love.” “I see that you’ve been watching Oklahoma again.” “What can I say, I’m just a guy who can’t say no.”
I publish all my m/m reviews on my blog so if you want to see all my m/m reviews in one place come visit at Because Two Men Are Better Than One!
I’m reviewing this entire series in one go because they all have similar themes. Each book is short and sweet – little bite-sized stories when you want to pick up something quick to read (I read each one in one sitting).
This is one of those series (previously called St Michael’s) that centres on a group of men who work in emergency services. It is a glorious combination of EMTs, firemen, nurses, doctors…
Each book is relatively short (<100 pages) and make the perfect quick read when you want something short but enjoyable. Each book has a fairly emotional theme – these guys have been abused, hurt in the past, rejected by their families, and any manor of other things that have left them feeling scared and vulnerable but each man finds his partner, someone to love them for who they are and to teach them about trust.
For such serious topics, there isn’t a lot of time to delve into each story in depth but there is just enough heartache and working through issues to reach a happy ending. Okay, so most seem a little unrealistic – love at first sight, overcoming issues quickly and even the over-abundance of gay guys in the town – but I read this series for a light enjoyment so didn’t mind a bit!
You can read the blurb to find out more about each story so I have included a little quote from each book to give a sense of the style...
#1 Running Hot “Running to him, Calvin threw his arms around James and pulled him into a rib-crushing hug. They had a huge audience, but he didn’t give a damn.”
#2 Man Down “I told myself I couldn’t get close to you because I didn’t want any complications in my life. That I didn’t have time for a relationship because of school and stuff. The truth is, I didn’t want to grow attached to you because I can’t stand to lose someone else who I care about.”
#3 Lights and Sirens “Unlike Gary, Matt happened to be good looking on the inside too.”
#4 Priority One “This was it. Finally Dylan would be able to know what it felt like to be with another man. After tonight, there’d be no more lingering doubts. No more false hopes that maybe he’d been wrong all along and wasn’t gay and could make things right back home. If he did this, actually went through with it, these would be no question of what he was. “
#5 Code Blue “He wondered how this little brat had managed to mean so much to him in just the span of a day.”
#6 Red Lights and Silver Bells “Kaleb gaped at him in shock. Even after all these months of having to deal with Dylan’s insecurities, it still shocked Kaleb every time he realized just how little his lover thought of himself. If it was anyone who could have their pick of men, it was Dylan.”
#7 High Flow “Since he’d gotten away with touching him earlier, Patrick allowed himself to reach out and cup Forrest’s face. When the younger man briefly closed his eyes and turned into the touch, a thrill of victory went through Patrick. That’s it, babe, open up to me. It’s safe, I promise. Since he knew it was too early to speak those words aloud, Patrick simply went with, “I want you because you’re Forrest. I wouldn’t change a thing about you because you’re perfect the way you are”
#8 Three-Alarm Fire “Why it’s so easy to tell you things that I could never share with anyone else. It’s because you know what it’s like to be hurt by someone you love. You understand me in ways that nobody else could.”
#9 Shades of the Past “As Kiefer’s body seemed to mold into his side, Ray became aware of two things. One, that Kiefer made for a perfect fit. Second came the startling realization that Ray would do anything to protect the medic from being hurt again.”
#10 In His Hero’s Shadow “I don’t want to get hurt,” Brody finally admitted. “I know I’m not good enough for you and that it will only be a matter of time before you figure that out for yourself and dump me.”
#11 Life Over Limb “Nah, he was just being nice. There is no way in hell a guy that good-looking could be interested in me.”
#12 FUBAR “The victim finally looked up and Danny sucked in a breath as he found himself instantly attracted to the other man. Damn it though, he knew he shouldn’t be having that reaction, after all, this guy barely avoided being viciously attacked. The last thing he needed was his would-be rescuer drooling over him.”
#13 Status Dramaticus “Are you even listening to me?” Ah, no. I was too busy drooling over you and imagining how it would feel to have you fuck me into the mattress.
#14 Tagged and Bagged ”The good think about Housten being asleep, aside from the fact his mouth was shut, was that he wasn’t aware of how sappy Rich was being. And Rich was being sappy with a capital S.”
#15 Blamestorming “Intrigued because I’m gay and working in such an alpha dominated field, or because you’re interested in me for something more than a friend?”
#16 Circling the Drain ”Would you think I sound young and dorky if I said that if I wasn’t careful I could fall in love with you?”
#17 STAT “For some reason, Wells felt a flash of jealously over Jaret being so close to another man. Which was crazy. He and Jaret weren’t even friends, much less in a relationship.”
#18 City of Fire “Awww….you better watch it, people will say we’re in love.” “I see that you’ve been watching Oklahoma again.” “What can I say, I’m just a guy who can’t say no.”
I publish all my m/m reviews on my blog so if you want to see all my m/m reviews in one place come visit at Because Two Men Are Better Than One!
January 20, 2019
Coulda been more, probably shoulda but I was not feelin da Love. Lust, yes. Jessie had a Secret-- not I'M A SLUT! PROTECT YOUR ZIPPERS, MEN!-- that was a REALLY good Secret and when Randal finds out, he still keeps him. Aww! I felt J needed better or more counseling as he's blaming himself but then R's job is secure. (Good thing he's a verbal dom.)
August 22, 2017
The series is aptly named, it certainly had heat. Though a touch of sadness too.
August 7, 2023
My heart went out to Jessie. I loved how Randal was able to support him thorough dealing with his past. I am enjoying this entire cast of hospital/EMS characters.
August 25, 2015
I liked this one! There is an instant attraction between the leads, but I like that the author had them together for a while before they get into any serious declarations. We are not privy to every day they are together, but the author let's us know that time has passed, which is an excellent way to deal with the constraints of a short story without having characters meet and fall in love over the course of a day or two, which is kind of annoying.
I did notice a number of typos and editing issues in this one. Some sentences were kind of a mess and there were also some instances where I think the author meant to use a word and accidentally typed something similar instead. It wasn't a huge deal, but I did find myself mentally correcting things as I read and re-reading some sentences to try to parse out what they were supposed to mean. Again, it wasn't a deal-breaker for me, but if you pick this one up, you can expect to see some issues. Luckily, the story is entertaining enough that you should be able to forgive them (unless stuff like that drives you crazy).
On to the next in the series!
I did notice a number of typos and editing issues in this one. Some sentences were kind of a mess and there were also some instances where I think the author meant to use a word and accidentally typed something similar instead. It wasn't a huge deal, but I did find myself mentally correcting things as I read and re-reading some sentences to try to parse out what they were supposed to mean. Again, it wasn't a deal-breaker for me, but if you pick this one up, you can expect to see some issues. Luckily, the story is entertaining enough that you should be able to forgive them (unless stuff like that drives you crazy).
On to the next in the series!
May 8, 2010
Jessie is a young twinky paramedic student who meets Randal, an older more experienced paramedic who has just started working for their city again. Randal is immediately attracted (as is Jessie) but Jessie is so not his type. Randal likes em bigger and bulkier and more fly by night. Jessie is an incorrigible flirt though and is up for a good time with no strings, he’s focused on getting his life on track and it’s obvious something bad happened to him in the past but he won’t discuss it with Randal. During a training session Jessie freaks and finally has to tell Randal about his past and he’s sure that Randal will reject him once he knows. This has a bit of the characters from Running Hot which was nice to see and there is a fair bit of humour (I really like Matt, too bad he’s straight. GFY Stephani?). It’s a nice story of an older guy/younger guy getting over a bad past.
November 6, 2012
Jessie Goodson has had very horrid things done to him in his past, but he just wants to move past it and find someone that can love him despite his past.
Randall Connor is about 10 years his senior and one of his trainers in the EMT program but he can't help being drawn to Jessie. Especially when Jessie keeps looking at him the way he does.
Randall throws caution to the wind and starts seeing Jessie but it becomes apparent that he's going to have to learn about his past, the one that Jessie is trying very hard to hide. Of course when he does, it doesn't matter and we get an HEA.
There really isn't much in the way of excitement in this one. no hostage situation as in the first book. We see a little of some of the characters from the first book. It's a sweet and short love story.
Randall Connor is about 10 years his senior and one of his trainers in the EMT program but he can't help being drawn to Jessie. Especially when Jessie keeps looking at him the way he does.
Randall throws caution to the wind and starts seeing Jessie but it becomes apparent that he's going to have to learn about his past, the one that Jessie is trying very hard to hide. Of course when he does, it doesn't matter and we get an HEA.
There really isn't much in the way of excitement in this one. no hostage situation as in the first book. We see a little of some of the characters from the first book. It's a sweet and short love story.
November 25, 2013
Read on 11-21-13
Jessie and Randal, while I liked them, I wanted more. I wanted to know more about Randal and his life before meeting Jessie. With Jessie, I wanted more of his past, too. How does he expect to handle his job when he can't see or hear about it? Is Randal going to help with that? I also HATE the whole "you won't like me when you find out what happened to me" bit. It breaks my heart that people actually think like this and I want to find every person that
Overall, I enjoyed Jessie and Randal's story and once again Matt was awesome :)
Jessie and Randal, while I liked them, I wanted more. I wanted to know more about Randal and his life before meeting Jessie. With Jessie, I wanted more of his past, too. How does he expect to handle his job when he can't see or hear about it? Is Randal going to help with that? I also HATE the whole "you won't like me when you find out what happened to me" bit. It breaks my heart that people actually think like this and I want to find every person that
Overall, I enjoyed Jessie and Randal's story and once again Matt was awesome :)
April 30, 2010
The only aspects that I seemed to enjoy from this book is that it didn't feature the typical teacher-student relationship issues and its characters. Other than that little comes to mind.
It seemed the only conflict in this story was Jesse's abusive past. Even then its only introduced within the last chapter or two of the book and resolved within a single paragraph that it wasn't probably worth mentioning at all.
I did absolutely fall in love with the characters at the start but was sorely dissapointed towards the end.
It seemed the only conflict in this story was Jesse's abusive past. Even then its only introduced within the last chapter or two of the book and resolved within a single paragraph that it wasn't probably worth mentioning at all.
I did absolutely fall in love with the characters at the start but was sorely dissapointed towards the end.
May 16, 2011
Not bad, not great. Quick read about two EMTs, a young one with a past he'd rather forget and the older one that falls for him. The characters were really under developed and at the end of the book I didn't feel like I knew them at all. The author also seemed to try to cram too much in to the story without backing it up. I mean there was a little D/s, some abuse, some clear relationship phobias and it was all figured out by the characters saying I love you. There are many books out there that manage to cover a lot in almost no time, this isn't one of them.
January 18, 2014
I think I’d be happy to be a “man down” if I could get either one of these guys to come to my rescue! The chemistry was hot between Randal and Jessie and given the novella length of this story, things ramped up very quickly between them. Randal wasn’t the warmest/fuzziest guy in this story at the beginning, but he definitely earned fuzzy points in how he handled Jessie’s revelation of his secret past. Nice!
April 30, 2012
I'm giving this book 4 stars because I really liked it. It' on the fluffy side (little to no angst) and hot men falling instantly in love/lust and moving in together which is what I'm in the mood for right now. So this book hit the spot.
The chemistry between Randal and Jessie was hot. The plot was well written. And I was thoroughly entertained with the payoff being a big fat HEA. I love the humor that Stephani infuses (so far) in her books as well.
The chemistry between Randal and Jessie was hot. The plot was well written. And I was thoroughly entertained with the payoff being a big fat HEA. I love the humor that Stephani infuses (so far) in her books as well.
March 24, 2013
4 Stars
Some one tell me please how on earth have i not heard about this series before???
Was i the only one?
This is the second book Man Down from the EMS heat series of Stephanie Hecht and liked it very very much.
HOT HOT HOT.
This book has only like 50 pages i think but it's just amazing.
Thank you Isa even if i was the one to make your induction in the m/m world i am glad i created another addict as I am.
Some one tell me please how on earth have i not heard about this series before???
Was i the only one?
This is the second book Man Down from the EMS heat series of Stephanie Hecht and liked it very very much.
HOT HOT HOT.
This book has only like 50 pages i think but it's just amazing.
Thank you Isa even if i was the one to make your induction in the m/m world i am glad i created another addict as I am.
June 27, 2010
Enjoyable m/m romance about a paramedic student with a secret past and a paramedic who doesn't really want to find him intriguing. While the characters from Running Hot do make brief appearances in this book, I think either book could be read first.
February 26, 2011
Another hot quick read.
This one was about 2 EMT's Jessie being a student and Randal being the instructor.
Jessie has a troubled past which of course means I just wanted this one to be sooooooo much longer than it was.
This one was about 2 EMT's Jessie being a student and Randal being the instructor.
Jessie has a troubled past which of course means I just wanted this one to be sooooooo much longer than it was.
October 24, 2011
I always struggle with a short story, how to rate and review it actually. This was quite a fun read and possibly actually deserved an extra half star, but considering I can't give that, this is it.
I always want more story, more background, more in depth relationship stuff.
I always want more story, more background, more in depth relationship stuff.
May 12, 2013
These relationships are developed way too quick. I know the books are short but one date, fall into bed, and in love is just too unbelievable; especially when you throw into the mix all the relationships in this same station and hospital.
August 16, 2013
Nice quick read. Tension between the MCs at the start was really nice. I could've done without the tragic back story of Jessie, but *shrugs* it wasn't bothersome. And wish I had learned more about who Randal is, there really wasn't much insight into him as a character.
June 20, 2015
Good
This book was good but had a lot angst. Like most of her books it had a strong, older man who falls for a younger abused and damaged man. This book and series is different from most of her books because there are no shifters.
This book was good but had a lot angst. Like most of her books it had a strong, older man who falls for a younger abused and damaged man. This book and series is different from most of her books because there are no shifters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews