Monday, February 5, 2018

Book Review: On Duty (Smoke & Bullets #1) by A.R. Barley


Description
Number one rule for a firefighter: never take your eyes off the flame. Male/male author A.R. Barley is back with a new contemporary romance series.

Former marine and seasoned firefighter Troy Barnes has always kept his sex life on the down low, until he takes back-to-back hits: physically injured in a suspicious warehouse explosion and emotionally blindsided when he’s ditched by his boyfriend. When a flirty young paramedic offers him a place to crash, Troy’s not so willing to give in. He’s never needed help before. But if anyone can break through his tough-guy act, it’s Alex Tate.

Alex has crushed on Troy since the minute he saw him. Now here he is, stripped of his turnout gear and recuperating in Alex’s bed. The tattooed hero may be a fantasy-come-true, but Alex wants more than rebound sex—and he’s not sure Troy’s ex is gone or forgotten.

As each night brings them closer together, Troy realizes there’s more to Alex than he’d ever imagined. And with an arsonist loose in Manhattan, neither he nor Alex realizes just how combustible things are going to get.


One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!


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4 Stars!


Firefighter Troy Barnes is injured in the line of duty during an explosion at a warehouse and when he gets home, he is blindsided when his roommate with benefits is giving him 5 days to find a new place to live because he's moving his pregnant girlfriend into their apartment. EMT Alex Tate invites Troy to move to his place and even if Alex doesn't do guys on the rebound, it doesn't take long for them to give into their attraction.

I found Troy adorable and I truly wanted to kick his ex's ass for how he treated Troy. Really, the guy was a jerk. Troy was sweet, kind, friendly and just wanted to do right by Alex. While I liked Alex, there were a few instances in which I wanted to shake him and make him see what was right in front of him. Together, Troy and Alex were explosive and had amazing chemistry and rapport. It was great seeing them go from semi-friends to lovers so seamlessly.

The secondary plotline with the fires and explosions were interesting, although the bad guy, or at least one of them, was a bit predictable.

This is my first book by A.R. Barley and it certainly won't be the last. The book was intriguing and entertaining and I'm looking forward to more in this series. While I'm aware this is an ARC, there were some editing issues that sort of pulled me from the story and I hope were solved in the final copy. Recommendable!

*** Copy provided to me by Carina Press via NetGalley for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

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