The Fireman Who Loved Me by Jennifer Bernard (The Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel #1)
Contemporary Romance
April 23, 2012

Reviewed by Mandi

Melissa McGuire is a television news producer who left her big time gig in LA after her now ex-boyfriend screwed her over. With her elderly (yet very feisty) grandmother having some health issues, Melissa moves in with her and takes a job with a smaller television station. Her grandmother wants her to get married, and takes it upon herself to drag her to a firefighter bachelor auction. Grandma, aka Nelly, bids and wins on the very hunky Ryan which entitles her to a date.

Everyone thinks Ryan is cute, and he is really tired of being teased about it, to the point he gets great anxiety. (He entered the auction because proceeds go to a charity). His captain Brody is there to try to calm him, but eventually agrees to go out on the date in his place. Of course Nelly makes Melissa go on the date, so they both end up not expecting to see the other person. Melissa thinks she is more suited to the artsy type and Brody is really not looking for commitment.

Brody’s fire station is well known for the number of hunky bachelors it has in it, attention he doesn’t really like. He is a very serious, well respected fireman, who is rebuilding his life after a divorce. Although the first date for him and Melissa didn’t go super great, there is that spark of chemistry. When Melissa and Nelly find themselves back at the station for a dinner, things heat up.

I can’t resist a fireman book. I just can’t. Fellow Smexy reviewer May, has spent a lot of time in fire houses, and she tells me – now everyone hold on – that firehouses and firemen are really not that sexy. I’ll allow you to all compose yourselves before I continue. Now we all agree that they are heroes, and that right there is sexy in itself. But apparently making fart jokes and potty humor is more their speed. *gasp*

Anyway, getting back to this book – no worries ladies and gents. Because this firehouse, is full of the smexy:

“Our local fire station is famous. Even made the Today Show. The whole crew was in People’s magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive issue. It’s the only all bachelor fire station in the country. Or almost all. And apparently they’re good-looking too.”

Welcome to the firemen of romance books.

Okay, so we have a firehouse full of hot dudes (except one poor soul with a big belly, and apparently two female firefighters that are never really in the book). So you would think this book might be fun? I wanted to like it so much. But the supporting characters really ruin it for me.

First let me say, the romance between Melissa and Brody is nice. It builds up well, and it is sexy and hot and they have nice chemistry. Unfortunately, they don’t get a lot of page time together….alone. And the supporting cast are like nails on a chalkboard. First we have Ella, who is the hot, news anchor who works with Melissa. She provides a lot of conflict in this book as she is super high-maintenance, always needing attention and thinks she is the best of the best of all newscasters. She drove me insane. I’m not kidding. She is so annoying the entire book, I wanted to beat her down (as I’m sure Melissa did too.)

Nelly the grandmother is over the top with her well wishes for Melissa as well. The guys at the fire station are very clichéd, super hot, well mannered men.

And to make things even worse, two characters are introduced in the second half of the book that are even more over the top and annoying than Ella (don’t want to say who due to spoilers). I seriously could not stand the supporting cast. Which is a shame because this could have been a fun, light-hearted book.

I’ll have to wait to read reviews of the second book in this series before I proceed.

Rating: C-

Recent Reviews:
The Book Pushers Joint Review – B/C/C
Book Reviews & More by Kathy – C+
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