Hot for You (Turn Up the Heat #3)

by Marie Harte

Blurb:

Reggie gave up on love, but love has yet to give up on him...

Firefighter Reggie Morgan is done with love, done with relationships, and done with complications. But when he's called to the scene of a hit-and-run, he finds a scared little girl, a butt-ugly stray puppy, and an unconscious woman he can't get out of his mind. The girl and the puppy are a handful, but the girl's mother, Maggie might just be the woman to melt Reggie's icy heart. Reggie has loved and lost before and the pain nearly broke him. But they can't ignore their unquenchable desire for each other, and Maggie, a teacher by trade, is confident she can show Reggie all about falling--and staying--in love.

Themes: Contemporary, Firefighters

Rating: 4.25 stars

Heat Rating:

Review:

These firefighters continue to make the heat irresistible and it was much needed on a winter night. I have loved Marie Harte for many years, and she has taken me through lots of different worlds, but the one thing I have never doubted was that her sexy, sweet, but naughty leading men would be a handful for the women that ultimately earn their hearts. And Reggie’s story was definitely no exception to that long-standing rule as he found himself faced for the first time with a woman that didn’t need him for what he would give or do for her, instead she simply wanted him in her life, bed, and heart. This story picks up right where the second book ended when Tex and Bree finally found a way to be together, but you are by no means required to have read that one-- though I highly recommend grabbing the first two books in the series in order to fully appreciate the greatness of these firefighters and their connection. I loved every moment of watching Reggie and Maggie struggle their way into one another’s hearts and finding a way to come to terms with their own hang-ups in order to have a happy ending together. I am dying to read the next story for sure as I imagine the fireworks that Mack will be dealing with after seeing the little hints as to who might be stealing his heart. As always there is nothing better than watching a man make a fool of himself as he learns to lose his heart to love.

Reggie Morgan is a protector down to his bones and all those that know and love him understand that sometimes that makes him his own worst enemy when it comes to relationships. He is still getting over a brutal breakup, but the loneliness is starting to get to him and when he meets the most intriguing woman, who just happens to have the sweetest and oddest little girl, he finds himself drawn to her despite his fears. Maggie never imagined that her one attempt at playing hero, to a puppy caught in traffic, would change her life so much, but when Reggie is the fireman that responds she is instantly drawn to him. He is sweet to her little girl, but the attraction between them is off the charts and soon they are unable to resist that pull. As their relationship heats up and they begin to fall in love, Reggie’s past rears its ugly head, bringing with it insecurity in both Reggie and Maggie and putting stress on such a young love. Can they find a way to forgive and move forward with more strength than before or with the mistakes of their past just be repeated?

I really enjoyed Reggie’s love story and seeing him in so many vulnerable and stressful situations. In previous novels he always came off as the most aloof and anti-relationship of the team as the others fell in love, but now we learn the truth of his pain and why he was that way. His last relationship really left him broken in a lot of ways, and he hasn’t fully dealt with the loss as well as he thinks he has, but once he begins to build a relationship with both Emily and Maggie, ironically what he thinks is independent of one another, he begins to heal. He is a strong and sweet teddy bear, but he needs to learn the difference between offering himself to those that deserve his help and love and those that are using him for his giving nature, and luckily with the help of two very special ladies he does. He makes mistakes like any man, but luckily he owns up to them, apologizes (in the sexiest of ways) and offers his heart unconditionally so that Maggie knows she is the only woman that holds it. Maggie was my kind of woman for sure, even if she had a lot of growing to do herself to get to where she was. She was sexy, sensual, and owned her needs even if sometimes she wondered if she was a little too strong, but she knew what she wanted and needed and was unwilling to settle for anything but the best in her life or love. She is sassy and smart, not willing to step back and let others treat her like she is undeserving of love and she knows that she deserves everything from Reggie. I loved how she gave him and his friends shit just like they did and she slipped into the group like she’d always been there, giving Reggie another layer to the family he’d built with his friends to make him a happy man.

Hot for You is certainly an apt title for the story of two people that come together in the strangest of situations and are unable to resist the passion that pulls them toward one another despite their fears. Maggie’s sass and sweetness were a perfect complement for Reggie’s gruff sexiness and together they make a beautiful couple, but throw in the enigmatic and precocious little Emily and I can see this family laughing and loving together for the rest of their lives. Maggie reminds us that strength isn’t always physical as she stands up to and for the man she loves as she makes him understand that he doesn’t have to save the world to be her personal hero. Reggie comes to understand that he can reserve his protection for those that truly earn it when he is off-duty and reserve that energy for living and loving with those special few in his inner circle. The heat between them is indescribable and let me tell you a few times I had to put the book down and refresh my ice water before moving on, because WOW. That said there is no denying that Maggie and Reggie are hot as hell together and will have a long and interesting love life as they move forward together in the future. I am looking forward to the rest of this series and hoping for more than just Mack’s book, because I’d love to continue to see these crazy guys and their friends in future stories as well, but if not I know that Mack’s book will take us out of the series bang. Marie Harte never fails to amaze and terrify me with the depth of her imagination, and Reggie’s story went above and beyond for sure.

*eARC provided by Author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was provided.