Hello, and welcome back! Summer has arrived here with a vengeance, and I'm already looking forward to fall's arrival. I hope it hurries up, as the heat here isn't allowing me to enjoy any of my reading outside right now. The air conditioner is going to get a workout here, I think, as will the lemonade pitcher.

This time out I have the anthology Feel the Heat
(Aphrodisia, received from publisher), with stories by Lorie O'Clare, P.J. Mellor, and Lydia Parks. O'Clare leads off with 'Fight Fire With Fire', which has Mary Hamilton deciding to act on her long-standing crush on Nate Armstrong, despite the danger his job as a firefighter puts him in daily. Nate never really looked at Mary that way before, but their connection now is white-hot, and when someone from their past becomes a danger to them both, Nate will quickly realize they have much more than the scorching lust between them. 'Heat Wave' by Mellor features firefighter Paxton taking Summer Wadsworth home with him after a fire at her house. This one has too many inconvenient interruptions and meddling secondary characters. 'Smoldering Lust' by Parks sends former bad boy Lee Evans back to his small hometown as the new fire chief, and he sets his sights on Hannah Hayward, who hasn't outgrown her inner good girl. The chemistry between them is beyond scorching, and nothing and no one from their past will keep this pair apart. I didn't buy into the first story and actively disliked the second, but the third was terrific with its bad-boy-gone-good hero. Sadly, because of the first two stories, I'm only borrowing two of Cupid's five arrows for this one.

Until next time, happy reading!

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