Not my favorite, but read for February book club. Obviously more about smut than storyline, which is fine. Character development felt juvenile. ( )

Heat by Opal Carew
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 4/5 stars
My Review:

Is there anything hotter than a fit and fine firefighter? How about a whole house full of them ready to bare all for a good cause? Yeah, Rikki’s job as a photographer just sucks 😊

Since the death of her boyfriend many years ago, Rikki just hasn’t been able to move on. In a last-ditch effort to save herself, Rikki packs her bags and moves to a new city. With three new roommates and her old college roommate, Cassie for support, Rikki is hoping to get a fresh start, to move past the pain of losing her boyfriend. First up, getting roped into Cassie’s firefighter calendar project. All Rikki has to do is hang out at the firehouse, take loads of pictures, and help put together the charity calendar. With so many hot men all willing to work with Rikki, the project should be a walk in the park. Unfortunately, every time the alarm sounds, Rikki is reminded of her loss and the fear she feels at the men rushing out into danger is quite nearly crippling.

Added to the fear is Rikki’s particular interest in two of the men, Simon and Carter. From the moment she saw them, Rikki knew both men were meant to be hers. Her connection to both is instantaneous and powerful, but so is her fear of losing them. With a degree of bravery she never knew she possessed and some sexy persuasion, Rikki decides to take a chance on love. Her reward is two dead sexy men with nothing but her pleasure and well-being in mind. Simon and Carter are attentive and kind, caring and concerned, and just the right amount of naughty. They adore Rikki and have no intention of giving her up. As each day goes by, Rikki learns to trust in her men a bit more, and understands their job is risky, but they’re well trained and as careful as they can be when out in the field.

Life has a cruel sense of humor though and just as things seem to be on track and really good for Rikki and her men, the rug is pulled out from under them. In one fell swoop, a suitor from Rikki’s past makes an appearance and a very attractive offer and a nasty call threatens everyone’s lives. Old fears and new one crop up, loyalties are questioned, and before it’s all said and done, everyone is broken and in need of repair.

The Bottom Line: Heat is a typical Opal Carew read with some totally unrealistic bits, a decent plot, characters who are easy to root for, and A LOT of naughty bits. Simon and Carter and their fire house crew sort of steal the show in this one. The men are all such dominate and commanding personalities that this could easily be expanded into a series with each man getting his own HEA. As for the women, I liked Rikki and her best-friend Cassie well enough, but each is just a bit too meek and mild for my liking. With that being said, Rikki doesn’t allow Simon and Carter to dominate her; it is simply this, Rikki’s less commanding personality is a good fit for the strong alpha males she’s chosen. As always, the naughty bits are plentiful in this read, but I wouldn’t have minded a bit more variety. If everyone is going to but I would have liked to have seen a bit more variety. If everyone is going to share, then everyone should share. That is, let the boys get it on with each other with as much enthusiasm as they have with Rikki. At the end of it all, I still liked this read as I do with most of Opal Carew’s books. I already know what I’m going to get when I dive in so I’m often neither blown away nor disappointed. Such is the case with Heat. ( )

Carew offers another spicy romance with the firefighters in Heat. Rikki is a sweet, yet curious photographer who is swept away by both Simon and Carter when she's assigned to photograph the firefighters for a calendar. Sparks fly between the three, there's a bit of angst and drama to make it interesting, and Carew rescues the romantic spirit with this threesome.
*I received an arc from the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review ( )

Rikki lost the love of her life to a fire, and she struggled with reconnecting to a new man. She eventually feels a strong connection to not 1 but 2 men she meets in a bar. The threesome need to work through some fear to determine if they could stay together. I had some difficulty believing a virgin in her mid 20s would would be OK with a menage scenario, but I guess we can’t help it if we’re in love with two people simultaneously. Thanks to netgalley and publisher for ARC. ( )