Thursday 20 October 2011

Wild Heat by Bella Andre

Title: Wild Heat
Author: Bella Andre
Series: Hot Shots (book #1)
Next in series: Hot as Sin

My rating: 3.5 Stars

Synopsis: Shattered by grief following the death of her brother, Maya Jackson has a close sexual encounter with a complete stranger. Six months later she finds herself investigating a series of arson fires and discovers that her biggest mistake is also her prime suspect – dedicated Hotshot firefighter, Logan Cain. Soon Maya and Logan are on a collision course not only with each other but with a crazed killer with a passion for setting fires.

Review: The arson premise makes for a good plot and reminds me of Nora Roberts’ recent release Chasing Fire, but without the excessive firefighting descriptions.

The characters are likeable even though too much space is dedicated to describing how gorgeous, honorable and self-sacrificing the hero is. He definitely suffers from the “overly perfect hero” syndrome. I was expecting much more anger and angst at his being accused of being an arsonist but he just takes it in stride. Maya is a strong and intelligent character. She has a good backstory and her emotions and reactions are to be expected. Nevertheless, there is something missing from her relationship with Logan – their connection feels forced despite their chemistry.

The writing is iffy with one or two discrepancies such as the hero starting out with brown eyes and ending up with blue. Also, there are too many unrealistic scenes. For example, neither protagonist thinks of calling the police/fire department after Logan’s truck explodes in his driveway. Instead, sex seems to be the only thing on their minds.

The arson investigation develops well even though it could have been more detailed and interesting. There are some good suspects but not enough clues for readers to really work it out for themselves. The villain is unexpected but logical, which is a pleasant surprise and garners the book an extra half star.

In sum, a promising start to the series and I will read the next one.

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