Turn Up the Heat (Turn Up the Heat #4)

by Marie Harte

Blurb:

Officer Cass Carmichael loves her job and does it well. Giving firefighter Mack Revere a speeding ticket after a warning was deserved? Knocking him off his feet in a soccer game? Beating him at darts, dominoes, and pool? Par for the course. Cass has always played to win. Yet when she fails to resist Mack's kisses, she doesn't mind losing.

Every time Cass sneers or jeers, Mack likes her a little bit more. For a firefighter, he's a laid-back guy in a profession that takes a lot of heart. Even though he's used to handling the heat, Cass makes him burn. But they both have concerns about their families and their futures, and they’ll have to decide if they should fan the flames between them or douse what might have been before one of them gets burned.

Themes: Contemporary, Finale

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating:

Review:

The final Station 44 Hottie is finally going to find love and while the end of this series is bittersweet, his story is full of laughs, tears, and sensuality that will keep you glued to the page from beginning to end. I have followed this series from the beginning and it has kept me laughing and loving along with these sexy firefighters and the women that have grabbed them by the *ahem* hearts and lead them into love. Marie Harte has a way of making her characters just outrageous enough that while we can laugh and roll our eyes at their antics, at the same time we are rooting for them to find the perfect match. Mack’s story was one that we have long anticipated because we knew that whatever woman stole his heart would be spectacular and their story would be explosive. I enjoyed every second of reading their journey and watching as they learned more about themselves sand one another as they found a way into an HEA with the help of their friends and family. I am sad to see the series ending, but I do hope that we get more contemporary romance from Marie because though I enjoy her paranormals, I feel she really shines in her humor and realistic contemporary romances the most.

Mack Revere is the last single man standing of his crew at Station 44 and he has begun to feel a little bit like the third wheel any time he tries to get together with his friends and their new ladies. He knows that his friends are just growing up and finding love and he is happy for them, but at the same time he hasn’t yet found a woman that he wants to settle down with, or has he? The sexy, sassy, and kind of mean police officer Cassandra Carmichael has caught his eye in a big way, but she seems too able to resist his allure. Cass Carmichael is more than attracted to the arrogant firefighter, but she’s not really sure if she wants a relationship, beyond a bed partner. Soon they find that their emotions run much deeper than just friends and lovers and that connection is scary to them both in different ways and they have to work through their pasts and their hang-ups in order to have a chance to build a deeper relationship, assuming they want one. Will either of them be willing to set aside their pride and fears to accept the truth and connection or will they step back and leave the love blossoming to die on the vine?

Mack was, on the surface, the typical egotistical, prideful and smartass alpha male that you would expect in his profession, but as you dig through the layer of his personality you begin to see all the vulnerabilities and fears that he carries. He has a lot of hang-ups from his family and past that colors his relationships and certainly causes a few issues between him and Cass, but thankfully they work through those, but I enjoyed seeing him finally stand up to his family, even if that didn’t come to a perfect ending, because it finally gave him the confidence in himself to move on. He also had to accept a few failings in his own personality when it came to Cass in order to offer her what she needed which more than anything was a safe place to land if things went wrong in her life. I loved seeing him force her to accept that there was more to them than just bed partners and proving again and again how great they were together outside the “bedroom”. Cass was a serious badass, and I mean that in the way that I could never be that mean and get away with it for sure, but it made her a great character. She has just the right level of competitiveness and nasty sass to be the alpha bitch and stand up to the arrogance of Mack’s level, but underneath she is a sweet and loving friend, daughter, and partner to be sure. There was a softness that Cass kept hidden that you had to dig deep to see but once we got to share that with Mack her own insecurities were easy to spot. It’s difficult to be a woman in her profession and retain any softness, but she retains some softness inside her shell and it’s wonderful to see. I could see Cass being that smart-ass friend that you always want to share a drink with and shoot the breeze at the end of a long week in order to wind down.

While this series has been one that touched on a lot of issues with characters exploring their fears, insecurities, and personal growth, ultimately each story was about two people discovering they were meant for one another and Mack and Cass’s story brings that around full circle. I couldn’t put this story down and know that it will be one that I could back to again and again in the future. Cass was a badass with a heart of gold and led Mack on a merry chase to make him prove that he was good enough for her to risk her heart on him. Mack was an arrogant alpha male that had a sweetness that made him perfectly equipped to prove to Cass they were meant for an HEA and their relationship was fun to watch develop and grow. The passion between these two sparks from the very beginning whether they are throwing insults or heated looks and kisses at one another, then once they decide the time comes to fully embrace the heat, its almost too much to bear. I am definitely sad to see the series ending, but I adored the entire experience of reading this series and I cannot wait for whatever Marie sends my way next. If you are looking for a sexy read with hot firefighters, cute animals, and sassy women Turn Up the Heat will leave you more than satisfied!

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