Simmering Heat was HOT HOT HOT. I love how the author created interesting & sexy characters that were also "real" people. I look forward to reading more in the Braving the Heat series. Simmering Heat can be read as a stand alone.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Jasmine felt her life was spinning out of control as she meets Leo once again. How could this man be the annoying boy that constantly gave her a hard time when she was younger. She depended on his mom for things her parents did not have the time or inclination to deal with as she grew up. Leo has changed from the last time she has seen him and Jazz wants to catch up. Is it her fault when lines start to blur and she feels so much more than she thought she was capable of. Loved this story!

Another great story from Leora Gonzales. Lots of heat and a engaging storyline. A fun and refreshing second chance at romance book.

This romance hits all of my favorite romance tropes, but in a unique and lovely way. Will be a perfect suggestion for those trying to complete The Ripped Bodice's summer reading bingo! Fireman, yes please!

This was a precious love story of two hearts who had no clue that they were waiting to be reunited. Jasmine Kingford had always thought that Leonard Trask truly disliked her.
She thought that when he was nice to her he had been forced to by his mother, Janet. The woman her parents called their housekeeper but she knew was so much more. To Jazz as Leonard called her she was her second, Mom. You see she never refer to her parents as mom and dad. They were mother and father to their faces. Behind their backs, they were Victoria and Reginald.
She did have a brother but he was fourteen years older and a doctor, like her parents, but he was with doctors without borders. Something her parents hated about him. Once he left home he really never came home again.
They wanted her to be a doctor and live up to their expectations. But she refused because she wanted to be a nurse. At her graduation was the last time she saw both Janet and Leonard. Then moved out and went to college. Got a roommate two years ago when her old roommate left she got a new one, Winter. She loves her like a sister. Well, she met a firefighter and fell in love. Now they have gotten engaged. Jazz is throwing them their engagement party but she is an hour late because she couldn’t tell her parents, NO! Again!
Once again she was their puppet. Walk, talk, dress, act, met, who they want her too. At twenty-six-years-old you would think she would say enough but, no! Well, she starts a new nursing job so she has to tell them soon. Meanwhile, she gets there and Will, Winter’s fiancé sneaks up on her. She jumps then hugs him. He is a good guy along with all the guys he works with. Sexy as hell too she has noticed.
Yet, she has never tried to Shag one. He tells her where Winter is and about all her family crazy stuff to keep her away from before Winter blows a gasket. Jazz says she’s on it. Jazz steals her away to the bar they have a drink catch up. When a sexier than hell, tall, ok hair, blue-eyed, stud puts his arm around the shoulders of Winter. She screams, “Leo!”
His eyes never leave Jazz’s eyes. Winter says, “Jazz this is Leo, Leo this is Jazz.”
He says, “I know. We’ve met.” She looks at him with a puzzled look on her face.
He says, “You used to me when you when you called me Leonard. And I called you Jasmine.”
She looks at him sideways then it clicks! Bingo! “Leonard Trask?! OH MY!”
“YUP!”

The next thing you know Winter is being called away to take care of crazy family business Jazz ask about his mom. He says she’s doing good and she’s living in Florida with her sister. For the two of them the night moves quickly they keep this spark moving that started and they wanted it badly but a fire had other plans. Leo wasn’t going to let her get away again he lets his mom’s words take root in his heart. Jazz was his she just hadn’t figured it out. The romance was what she needed. I give this: 5 stars. Provided by netgalley.com. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com.

I loved this book, kept me engrossed the whole time, I didn't want to stop reading. It was a perfect mist of hot and steamy.I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good romance.

Can Jasmine find love with a firefighter? Jasmine and Leo work through fear, friends, and family in this fun, sexy read. I enjoyed the story and fell in love with Leo. I hope the author will followup this title. I really enjoyed the circle of characters. Thanks to Kensington Books for the ARC of this title via NetGalley.

Despite the steamy romance and the hot firefighter, Simmering Heat didn't do it for me. The issues got fixed too quickly which makes the story drag at the end. It got so flat that I lost interest and couldn't even finish reading. I wasn't hooked anymore. Leo and Jasmine's relationship moves on too fast and I missed a little bit more of angst. Some people don't like angsty's relationships but I do. Leo isn't, unfortunately, the swoon-worthy hero I was looking for. He is too intense and controlling for my taste.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆
3.5 stars

This is a sweet coming of age romance between a nurse and a firefighter. Jasmine is the child of two affluent and controlling doctors and Leo is the son of her parents’ housekeeper.

The connection between Leo and Jasmine is all sorts of insta-love – except that while they are strangers when they meet as adults, they did grow up together. I still think Leo comes across almost stalkerish at the start with caveman declarations and Velcro tendencies. Jasmine starts the story timid and flattered by Leo’s attention.

Even with their shared history, Leo and Jasmine’s romance moves too quickly for me. Conversations about love, jealousy, and future babies happen almost from first meeting. There is an assumption from the start that they will be together, and it doesn’t leave much room for sexual tension. Some of Leo’s lines are incredibly cheesy. There is a fine line between infatuated lover and possessive caveman and Leo steps over the line a few too many times for my tastes.

I enjoyed watching Jasmine grow up and establish herself against her parents. I like that her parents aren’t single dimensional baddies but some of the changes in her parents are drastic and instant. I’m not sure a lifetime of poor relationship habits can be broken so quickly.


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
I enjoyed this book. Leo and Jazz were basically raised together as his mother was the housekeeper for her family while she was growing up. Her parents are doctors who spent more time on their patients than with their children, so in effect, Leo's mom was Jazz's mom.

Leo wants to get to know the grown up Jazz. Wants to know what makes her tick, the reason she wants to be nurse, and the million other things that makes Jazz unique. Jazz wants to know Leo as well, but she's still the insecure girl that he remembers even though she hides it well.

Having to face her fears or losing what she loves most, Jazz has to decide what truly matters.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆
This is the first in a new series, and given that it will feature firefighters, some we've met already, it is going to be scorching hot!

I enjoyed reading this story, and was happy with the direction it took. Whilst Leo and Jasmine fall for each other pretty quickly, it fits with their past, his profession, and the whirlwind that are Winter and Will. There were certainly some suitable candidates for future books introduced too.

The one funny thing was that I was distracted by it being written in the third person. Usually I have to think about who narrated the story, or didn't after I have finished the book, but here I was very aware of it all along. It didn't stop me enjoying the book, it was just noticeable and unexpected.

There is some lovely humour, some warm and fuzzy bits, and some heated romance, which altogether made for an enjoyable read.

Oh my word, I loved this story!
I absolutely adored every moment and word of this hilarious, emotional, sweet, steamy - oh so so steamy - inspiring, love filled, poignant tale. The author is new to me, and I am immensely glad that I found this title on NetGalley and requested to read it for a review. What an interesting, fun, realistic, and intriguing world she has created!
Leo Trask with the rest of the firefighters creates a group of men who are just lovable. They are rowdy, they are lively, they are sexy, caring, wild, and daring, they love to serve the community, and they are dedicated to their careers.
And Leo... I am in love. His honesty, his straightforwardness, his caring, loving, stubborn, sexy self just won me over with the first scene. He knows what he wants, he is willing to fight for it, and he is not ashamed to announce his feelings and intentions to the whole world if that's what it takes. He faces the challenges with no fear, he is bold, daring, and tough, but also sweet, tender, thoughtful, generous, loyal, and faithful...
Jasmine Kingford might have grown with privileges, yet she is down to earth, kind, cordial, generous person who loves to take care of people around her. Her parents have neglected her, made demands towards her, have ruled her life as much as she has allowed. Yet she does know what she wants, she does go after her own dreams, and she does finally stand up for herself when her back is against the wall. I love that she was no 'model type of a perfect women', but a woman with curves and owning it.
I enjoyed the banter and bond between the friends. Jazz has a heart of gold, and it shows in all her relations. With Jazz and Leo, the bond comes from their childhood, the attraction from their teenage years, so it is no wonder that when they meet again, it is like a divine intervention and lightning hitting at the same time. The heat is immediate, sizzling hot, so sensual and dirty and rough and delightful it took my breath away.
But as scorching hot the chemistry is between Leo and Jazz, the emotions are as deep, profound, and meaningful. I laughed out loud, I swooned and sighed, I was even in tears, the emotional connection that I had with these characters was marvelous.
If you enjoy ardent, humorous, passionate romance with deep emotions, inspiring characters with incredible chemistry between them, family drama, and danger at the job site, check out Simmering Heat cause I am sure you are going to fall in love with it as much as I did...
~ Five Spoons!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a second chance story - sorta! Jasmine's the daughter of very affluent parents. Leo is the son of the housekeeper. As teenagers they were attracted to each other but certain lines just couldn't be crossed. Reunited years later they are free to explore what could have been.

I thought this book was very well done with an intriguing storyline, well developed and interesting characters and a nice easy pace to the story. This is definitely a book I'd recommend.

First, an administrative note. When I read and reviewed the prequel to this story, Melting Snow, it was listed as book #1 and so I have it categorized as such. That story is now listed as .5 of the series with this story as the true first book in the series.

Winnie made me laugh quite a bit in Melting Snow, so it was no surprise that she was the comic relief as Jazz’s best friend in this story. Jazz is a bit more serious, but that’s not to say she’s stuffy. The woman knows how to speak her mind…as long as it’s not with her parents. Those two have serious issues and it’s not wonder all of Jazz’s friends hate them, even the ones who never met them yet.

Since Jazz and Leo grew up together, in a way, there isn’t a lot of “getting to know you” that needs to be done. It’s more like, “what have you been up to in the last few years”. That allows them to jump into a relationship without a lot of hemming and hawing. Leo can be a bit too alpha-male, but he seems to at least know he’s overreacting to things, even if he hasn’t learned how to control that yet. Other than that, he is super sweet and giving and any woman’s dream man.

The conflict in this story comes from Jazz’s life vision being more of the traditional house with a white picket fence, 2.5 kids, and a husband that comes home every night after working in an office. Well, we all know a firefighter doesn’t work “regular” hours. Then there are Jazz’s parent’s expectations of her. It seems no matter what she does, it’s not good enough for them. Jazz is a people pleaser so she tends to go along with everything they say. The only push back she ever really gave was refusing to go to med school when she wanted to be a nurse. But her feelings for Leo push her to finally speak her mind with her parents, and it’s explosive.

What I found different about this story was the aftermath of Jazz’s confrontation with her parents. In many stories that have this type of conflict, the hero or heroine tells their parents off and then cuts ties with their family to live a happier life. That’s not what happens here. That’s all I’ll say about it since I don’t like spoilers, but I liked the different slant this took.

The thing I wasn’t crazy about is hard to explain. I think it has to do with the author just needing to get more published works under her belt. There were areas that seemed a bit unpolished…extra words used where they weren’t need. I don’t mean too descriptive, more like repetitive within the same sentence. It wasn’t enough to ruin the story, by any means. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one in the series.

3.5⭐
This was an engaging story, that held my interest. As the characters were likable, and the storyline provided plenty of heat, moments of fun, was easy to read and had minimal angst.
However, I did feel Leo and Jazz were lacking a spark, even though they had plenty of potential. What with Leo's dirty mouth. Plus, I also struggled with how quickly Leo and Jazz fell in love. Even though they did have a history.
But nonetheless it was a good read, and there was certainly more I liked than I didn't. And I would therefore look out for the next book in this series.

Jasmine grew up with everything that she could dream up; her parents are both doctors and they always made sure she wanted for nothing. So when she falls for the housekeeper's son, Jasmine's parents decide to keep them apart. Flash forward and Jasmine is still indebted to her parents but she is slowly making her life her own. So when she bumps into Leo and the sparks are still there, Jasmine decides to follow her heart and desire for once and maybe she will find her happily ever after.
This book was so much fun! I can't wait to see where the series goes!

The good aspects of the book...a heroine who finally finds the cajones to stand up for herself. The bad..the book was a simple read. It was just ok...there was no defining moment where I can adequately say yep this is really great stuff. I would recommend the book if what you're looking for is a simple, uncomplicated read.

This read was okay. Leo and Jazz had good chemistry, although, even with their shared history, their romance escalated quickly. This wasn't a bad read, but I didn't feel the connection I do with a read that's awesome, if that makes sense.

Simmering Heat was a good, quick read, that was hot and steamy with humour throughout. I enjoyed reading it and would recommend this to all who love easy to read romances, minor drama, cavemen tendencies and hot firemen.

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Kensington Books at Lyrical Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read Simmering Heat. All opinions and thoughts are my own and do not represent the publisher or author.

Jasmine is a very colorful person, "...she passed yet another slow -moving truck . “Why is everyone driving like they’re ninety-effing -five?” she yelled to no one in particular." Leo isn't one for being shy, “so, you left my house this morning after I specifically asked you to stay just so you could make some ***k cookies,” Leo asked, uncaring that Winter and Will were now watching them with wide eyes." Leo was just one swoon-worthy man, “sugar, with you around I think dirty, I feel dirty, and I’m going to tell you all the dirty things I want to do to you,” I loved this book, Leo was quite the alpha man.

This is a fast pace romance and even though it kept my attention I didn't really fall in love with the story or the characters. It was definitely steamy with lots of hot, naughty fire fighters but I wanted a little more depth to the characters. It was still a good read, I just felt like it was missing some oomph.

This was a very cute quick read, the H and h had known one another and when they meet up again sparks fly. There was no major drama just boundaries that needed to be established. Enjoyable read!