Scan barcode
lcmarie19's review
4.0
** This novella was given to me by the publisher for an honest review **
I. LOVED. THIS. So dang cute! First of all, I love a good policeman or firefighter romance. They give me all of the feels. Makes me happy. And Lauren Blakely does not disappoint me with this firefighter tale.
Jamie Lansing, the female lead, is a stubborn, sassy, but all around decent girl who has it really bad for firefighter Smith Grayson (not a fan of the name). Smith, who has always had feelings for Jamie, has a hard time convincing her for whatever reason -- she has a multitude of issues, due to his supposed reputation.
Throughout the book, they continuously play yo-yo with each other -- Jamie, more so than Smith. Their relationship becomes a "friends with benefits" deal for a week, and we all know the aftermath of something like that. Jamie is essentially using him, while Smith is trying to convince her of his true feelings.
There are several moments of frustration for me when it comes to Jamie, mainly because her reasoning for her refusal to see Smith as a man that could be for her is just dumb. Outside influences affect Jamie's ability to make decent decision regarding her relationship and she ends up being unfair quite few times.
Despite my frustrations, I really enjoyed this book. It felt real to me. It felt honest. And I really appreciate the struggles that each character went through. Even the ones that I didn't think were interesting or necessary. Smith is probably the character that respected the most by the end of the book because he seemed to be the most honest to me from the beginning. Sure, he got in over his head when it came to the "friends with benefits" thing, but I think he handled it really well. And seeing him and Jamie together was just too cute for words. They worked so well.
Blakely does a really good job with keeping the storylines simple, easy to follow, and fun. She writes a great sexy time experience, too. This story didn't need much world building. It didn't need a deep, overly dramatic plot. It needed good, well thought out characters. And I personally think, Blakely accomplished that.
I cared about Jamie and Smith. I was concerned with them individually, as well as together. I wanted to know what happened to them. I got angry if they did something stupid. I got happy when they came together. I felt all of the necessary emotions while reading this story. It was great!
I. LOVED. THIS. So dang cute! First of all, I love a good policeman or firefighter romance. They give me all of the feels. Makes me happy. And Lauren Blakely does not disappoint me with this firefighter tale.
Jamie Lansing, the female lead, is a stubborn, sassy, but all around decent girl who has it really bad for firefighter Smith Grayson (not a fan of the name). Smith, who has always had feelings for Jamie, has a hard time convincing her for whatever reason -- she has a multitude of issues, due to his supposed reputation.
Throughout the book, they continuously play yo-yo with each other -- Jamie, more so than Smith. Their relationship becomes a "friends with benefits" deal for a week, and we all know the aftermath of something like that. Jamie is essentially using him, while Smith is trying to convince her of his true feelings.
There are several moments of frustration for me when it comes to Jamie, mainly because her reasoning for her refusal to see Smith as a man that could be for her is just dumb. Outside influences affect Jamie's ability to make decent decision regarding her relationship and she ends up being unfair quite few times.
Despite my frustrations, I really enjoyed this book. It felt real to me. It felt honest. And I really appreciate the struggles that each character went through. Even the ones that I didn't think were interesting or necessary. Smith is probably the character that respected the most by the end of the book because he seemed to be the most honest to me from the beginning. Sure, he got in over his head when it came to the "friends with benefits" thing, but I think he handled it really well. And seeing him and Jamie together was just too cute for words. They worked so well.
Blakely does a really good job with keeping the storylines simple, easy to follow, and fun. She writes a great sexy time experience, too. This story didn't need much world building. It didn't need a deep, overly dramatic plot. It needed good, well thought out characters. And I personally think, Blakely accomplished that.
I cared about Jamie and Smith. I was concerned with them individually, as well as together. I wanted to know what happened to them. I got angry if they did something stupid. I got happy when they came together. I felt all of the necessary emotions while reading this story. It was great!
modrallj's review against another edition
1.0
I love Lauren Blakely, but this was awful. I wish I’d DNF’d it it was so bad but I kept think it was so short I should just ride it out. Ugh. I was wrong. I should have quit and saved myself the hour and a half.
bayou99's review against another edition
4.0
3.5, rounded up ★★★★
I think I would have liked this more if it were longer. When we meet the MC, they already know each other and it moved fast. Given the timeline, I would have liked to have more details of the days and the growth of the feelings.
I think I would have liked this more if it were longer. When we meet the MC, they already know each other and it moved fast. Given the timeline, I would have liked to have more details of the days and the growth of the feelings.
crackedspinereviews's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
rlp78's review
4.0
This was a short, sweet read. Nothing overly complicated with lots of Aww moments. I can definitely see lots of room for the story to continue with other couples so hopefully we can check in with Smith and Jamie again.
kb33's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Just had to quote “a man’s work is a man’s work.“ Because what I really want in my romance is a healthy dose of sexism (sarcasm font). Now I’m tracking how many times it says that she’s “never done xyz before” during a spicy scene. Their clothes are still on, and it’s already been said 5x.
I skimmed to finish. Very cliche, strictly following the trope of the playboy friend and the nearly virginal gal friend, and he would only change his playboy ways for her. The beginning was absolutely terrible because this plot was meant to be a novel, but the first 100 pages is crammed into 20 pages to make it a novella. Also, 3rd act breakups in a novella can’t possibly be anything but phoned in. The 4th act breakup was tstl. There are no side characters, no other plot lines.
I skimmed to finish. Very cliche, strictly following the trope of the playboy friend and the nearly virginal gal friend, and he would only change his playboy ways for her. The beginning was absolutely terrible because this plot was meant to be a novel, but the first 100 pages is crammed into 20 pages to make it a novella. Also, 3rd act breakups in a novella can’t possibly be anything but phoned in. The 4th act breakup was tstl. There are no side characters, no other plot lines.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Sexism
kara_hildebrand's review
5.0
I hate to repeat myself but Lauren Blakely is awesome. She's a writer goddess (is that such a thing?) Anyway, I have read all of her books and they are all great. Amazing even. This book has a little different feel and plot and it's wonderful. It's well written, funny, and hot with a smidge of angst; just the way I like it! Can you say Fireman/Construction worker/Last name as a first name = awesome!! Smith and Jamie have been friends for a while and have feeling for each other but she's afraid he's not romantic enough for her and he's worried that he's not good enough for you. His player reputation is stopping Jamie from even trying until one night he asks her to dance. That's it, just a dance and everything changes. She let's loose and he starts to fall. They are both afraid of getting hurt but she thinks a week together will be perfect for her and he agrees, but wants more. Can he show her that he's the man she's always wanted? Will she run at the first sign of trouble? You have to read it to find out! Do not miss this one!
He had a sinful combination of smolder and charm, with his close-cropped dark blond hair, strong jawline, and pure blue eyes. And his body, Just kill her with its perfection. A body like that should be outlawed.
Taking a one-way ride on the Smith train and then she'd get off it for good.
He was the very reason there were fireman calendars, and fireman erotica, and let's face it, fireman fantasies.
He had a sinful combination of smolder and charm, with his close-cropped dark blond hair, strong jawline, and pure blue eyes. And his body, Just kill her with its perfection. A body like that should be outlawed.
Taking a one-way ride on the Smith train and then she'd get off it for good.
He was the very reason there were fireman calendars, and fireman erotica, and let's face it, fireman fantasies.
rakishabpl's review
DNF. Main character has same name as my child. That's an automatic DNF for me.