Fired is book 1 in a new series by Cora Brent. I was excited to see this and immediately wanted to read it being a huge fan of her Gentry Boys series.

Dominic is determined to bring his family restaurant back to where it once was. He and his brother Gio want to honor their grandfather as they start a second restaurant and have hired Melanie to help with all the administrative aspects of the business.

Dominic at first comes across as a bit gruff, not very friendly and it's clear that his focus is on the restaurant and he isn't looking for distractions. Melanie comes in and it's an immediate distraction for Dominic. Melanie was sweet and I could tell that she was such a genuinely nice person.At first these two have a bit of a rough time just being around each other. The attraction is there on both parts but he's doing what he can to avoid it by almost being a bit of a jerk.

I liked this storyline, I thought it was cute, I loved the idea of the two brothers carrying on their grandfather's tradition. There were also some moments between Melanie and Dominic that were sweet as they seemed to eventually find a rhythm with each other once they decided to go for it. I had issues however with feeling the relationship between the two of them. I just couldn't quite connect to the them as much as I would like.

Overall it was an ok read that had some sweet moments.

I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I did enjoy this book. I did think that the characters were likable. I found them to have good chemistry. I look forward to reading more by this author.

This story made me laugh, yell and brought tears to my eyes. A great read all around.

Melanie gets fired from her job at an upscale resort and is forced to work in a position that is somewhat beneath her qualifications. What Melanie discovers is that she has feelings for her new boss Dominic, but he can be a little temperamental. The two join forces and they work through some obstacles. In the end true love conquers all.

This book was a great read. I loved the connection Melanie made with Dominic and his brothers. You could sense that they considered her family from the start. I have read several books by this author and I love her writing. I look forward to reading even more.

This is a new to me author and I will be looking for more! It was a feel good romance with ups and downs but in the end a HEA. I can't wait for more woodfired pizza & romance in the continuation of the series.

I have read a lot of Ms. Brent's books and have loved all of them but this book was just an okay read for me. Melanie and Dominic were just okay characters for me as I thought that there was something missing with them. The pair had chemistry and the storyline was not the typical boss/employee storyline which was a nice change. I thought that the story moved along slowly as I was waiting for more to happen with the story that did not happen and I thought that the events that took place were so drawn out. Overall, this was just an okay read for me.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC copy via NetGalley.

Fired is another great read by Cora Brent! I loved it! Dominic and Melanie's chemistry was amazing and hot from the beginning. They were great together! Dominic was broody but sexy and Melanie was sassy and sweet! I loved them!

I have yet to read a book by Cora Brent that I haven't enjoyed. This book is no different. While it isn't as angsty as one of Gentry books, and yes a Gentry does visit this story, there is a good mix of angst, humor and hot sexy times. This is Dominic and Melanie's story. Dominic, and his brother Gio, own an Italian restaurant in AZ and are set to open a second location. Enter Melanie, who recently lost job under funny not funny circumstances, she is hired on as the much needed manager/assistant. There is an instant attraction between Dom and Melanie that they do their best to ignore for their own reasons. This was slow burn at it's best. One of Cora Brent's strengths is her character development, she was spot on with these characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!

This was classic Cora Brent. I love the characters she comes up with and the situations she throws them into. One thing for sure is, it's going to be emotional - and it's going to be steamy. This story is no exception. It has some laugh-out-loud moments thrown in for good measure, but for the most part, it is intense family drama - and nobody does that like this author. The dynamics between the brothers is as strong as those of her Gentry boys and the family drama almost as intense. I really loved delving into their world and I hoe to read more about them in the future. A definite must read.

This book was missing something for me. I found myself skimming over the non dialogue pieces after a while. The reason for the firing, why that would be all over TMZ I don't understand.

I wanted more action, more drama, more everything I guess. The best parts was Stevie and how Dom was with Leah. And there weren't many scenes for either.

It was an enjoyable read although not one of my favourites by this author.

I love Cora's Gentry Series so I was excited to read Fired; needless to say, she definitely did not disappoint with this book. This was a fun, sexy, easy read that I just couldn't put down and inhaled the words in one day. You will be captivated by the twists and turns that transpire; as well as, the chemistry pull between Dominic and Melanie. The heat these two try to avoid but becomes inevitable will set your kindle or pages on fire. Don't miss out on another amazing book by Cora!

Wow! Another fabulous read by Cora Brent. The chemistry between sexy, broody Dominic and sweet yet feisty Melanie is hot from the start. A fun and flirtatious storyline that steams up with a dash of angst. Loved the cameo and highly recommend this book!

Great start to a new series. Melanie is reeling after being fired from a job that she was actually very good and Dom is trying to help his brother rebuild the family business after a decade of loss and shame. Except Dom has an even bigger secret that causes his own form of regret and shame as to his family.

When Melanie takes on the job of assistant manager at Espo 2, which Dom is spearheading, she soon finds herself on the outs with her new and sexy boss yet she has no clue what she has done- carrying on with her duties Melanie soon becomes invaluable to the Esposito brothers. Dom cannot stand the fact that he is highly intrigued and attracted to his newest employee, especially after vowing to never cross the employee-employer line again after a prior fiasco. These two dance around each other while getting Espo 2 ready to open. When they ultimately give in to their attraction they agree to keep their relationship a secret- one that they realize is so obvious to others that is the worst kept secret ever. When secrets are exposed Dom and Melanie must look to the past for healing before they can have a future.

I enjoyed this book and look forward to others in this series.

What a fantastic love story. This book has a real slow burn element to it which helped ramp up the anticipation.
Melanie and Dominic are scorching hot as a couple, I believed in them wholeheartedly.
There was a tiny gripe with the brief introduction of a cousin, Stephen, who was thrown into the story near the end and wasn't developed at all. I really hope this means we can look forward to reading his story in the future. There was definitely potential for it despite only an unsatisfactory glimpse of him and his daughters.
I liked the supporting characters, they helped round out the story.
Cora Brent knows how to deliver an engaging, sexy story.
Overall, I would recommend.

Warm hearted, multi-layered love story

Cora Brent did a wonderful job in creating a story of romantic love and family love and loyalty.
Melanie and Dominic try to deny their intense mutual attraction. After all it's not smart getting involved with your boss or employee. But the attraction couldn't be denied and they are soon in each other's arms. As the relation grows the reader is also treated to a story of family love, loss and loyalty. I look forward to reading more books by this author.
I received an advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

I did finish the book, and largely enjoyed it... but in retrospect, the lasting impression that I got from the book, is that Dominic is a bit of a dick. The sex scenes were all hot and steamy, he was written well- but his actions sort of spoke differently of him. He's a closed-off workaholic that banged his cousins wife out of spite? That's not a real good look on anyone, no matter how much you dress it up with good looks and loving his Grama. I kept thinking Melanie deserved better, a healthier relationship. The writing was great and the sub-characters were fun and well rounded, so I would chalk this vague dislike up to personal opinion. It appears to be the start of a series, so provided the main man in the next book is actually likeable, I would keep looking for more by this author.

If there is one thing that always grabs my attention with a book it's a good guy who lets his asshole side out a little too often at the beginning of a story! I really enjoyed this book, it had the perfect blend of humour, heat and that seductive build up before the characters get their acts together.

Dom had a lot of baggage that definitely showed in his actions right from the start, and Melanie has had her own share of struggles. They both try to fight their attraction which of course is a losing battle - but boy what a battle to fight! (Ohh boy that cooking scene - hot stuff!)

Overall an enjoyable read that grabs your attention right from the get go. Looking forward to more in this series!

4* read.
I will start by saying I do love this authors work, especially her Gentry boys series which is what first got me into this author. And this is another great read pact full of everything you want in a book.
Dominic and Melanie first meet when Dominics brother hires her to work for them and sparks soon begin to fly. Melanie I found hilerious, the stuff she comes out with and just her ways in general, especially how she got fired from her last job, had me laughing so much that people gave me weird looks. Dominic was a harder character to connect to but once you saw him start to let his guard down I did fall in love with him and understood him more. He came across as very abrupt and scary to people but the author wrote it well in the fact that even when hes been a a***hole you still love him and understand him..

For me my only real problem was it started out a bit slower then what I'd normally like and you felt like you were waiting for awhile for the characters to actually get anywhere, but I still enjoyed the story and their journey. Not just that but I also loved the characters around them like Dominic's brother and wife. As is the normal with Cora's work there is some drama and slight angst in this book but not to much and nothing overly dramatic.

A sweet read about family, love, and life. I'm looking forward to the next.

Since I've discovered her, I've been a fan of Cora Brent's books. When I was given the opportunity for an early read I was ALL IN. I wish I could say I loved this as much as I wanted to. I didn't NOT like it but I felt it was missing that reader connection between me and the hero/heroine. For much of the book the push and pull Dominic had about Melanie and the "secret" left me feeling disconnected and not as invested as I like to be in a romance. And once the "secret" was out my first thought was "that's it?".