Hot for You (Turn Up the Heat #3)
by Marie Harte
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.
