Eh...

Up until the end of this book, I would have given it three stars, but the crappy ending dropped it to a 1.5 star rating. If you've finished the book, let me just say WTF ending was that? Really, that's how we're going to end the drama up until that point?

That aside, the book was just okay for me. I really felt that Grant was far more in love with Wren then she ever was with him. Her excuse for leaving him was a shitty and incredibly immature one. Especially after they had been together for so long. Unfortunately I found her immature behavior to continue through the story, not just based on that one past decision.

I only read one other book in this series and honestly don't remember it. So I will say some parts were confusing which obviously rested on the reader having read the other books in the series. Normally this doesn't bother me, but with everything else it was just another mark in the negative for me.

** ARC received from Netgalley **

Shannon Stacey returns with the sixth and final book in the Boston Fire series, Flare Up. This is a second chance love story with a hunky firefighter and heroine with plenty of baggage from a previous relationship. Grant and Wren are suddenly reunited during a fire, leaving them both longing to explore their feelings for each other. But is trust something you can earn back in a day or a month? or perhaps never?



What I liked:



There is certainly something to be said for a man in uniform. I don't know about you, but that gets me everytime. The Boston Fire series will definitely indulge that romantic pull. Shannon Stacey shows the wonderful brotherhood and family aspects of a firehouse and the strength and courage of those who serve. This is one of my favorite parts of a series like this.



In Flare Up readers get to revisit the relationship between Grant and Wren. It hasn't been that long since she disappeared from his life and the wounds are still open. When Grant and his fellow firefighters show up to a fire that involves Wren, the sparks start to fly quickly. I thought Stacey did a great job of getting right to the point of their issues with each other. It was nice not to have an author beat around the bush about the real cause of their breakup.



Domestic violence is a very real situation that many people in our country deal with today. I liked that Stacey chose to handle the subject with care and sensitivity. Though many readers may not like Wren's solution to her problems it is probably a common response. Wren obviously wanted to protect Grant and that in itself is a human instinct brought on by her love for him.



Grant was a wonderful hero in my opinion. He was strong and protective and it was easy to see why he chose the career he did. His dedication to his calling was very honest and evident in the way he lived and in the way he interacted with Wren and his colleagues.



What I didn't Like:



This one was a little hit or miss for me. I liked Grant but I still had a bad taste in my mouth over Wren. She hurt him and no matter what her reasons were he was still hurting when this book started. I love an author who make you turn your feelings about a character around, but this time it was still a little hard to accept. Yes, she was afraid. Yes, she wanted to protect him. But Grant was a big boy and he could have handled it. Didn't like how that went down. But that's not the fault of the author.



The one character I felt who needed a much stronger presence in this book was Ben. He was the cause of a lot of the issues between Grant and Wren and he was essentially the bad guy. However, the reader doesn't see much of him and when they do, it's a glancing blow. I wanted to see what was so big and bad about this dude, that our hero couldn't handle. I was a little disappointed to not get that in this one.



The ending felt a bit rushed. Maybe not even that. If felt a little flat. There didn't really seem to be a climax that the story was building too. It just kind of resolved and flatlined. It petered out, so to speak. I wanted more.



Bottom Line:



Not my favorite in this series. But still a book that needed to be included. You can't leave a series with a serious loose end like Grant and Wren. I loved the hero, but had some distaste for the heroine. Wanted more from the bad guy and wanted a more climatic ending. Overall not too bad, not too good.

Did not read any of the other books, but in this one Grant Cutter firefighter is still working getting over the loss of his girlfriend for almost year. When she just cut it off and then ghosted him and everyone else. Wren who moved to Boston leaving behind a boyfriend who was possessive and beat her brother. Felt that he had found her in Boston. Not wanting that for Grant or any of his friends she decided walk away. Now a fire in her apartment building has here hiding because she cannot get out and the firefighter looking at her under the bed is none other than Grant. Now that she has lost everything all she has is the friends that she made with the firehouse and they have still taken her in. the one problem is how does she work at building back a relationship with Grant and does he even want anything to do with her? A good story and there is some suspense and it seems like this was the last book so most people will get a good closer it felt. Overall a book.

This Boston Fire novel is an emotionally gripping romance that has readers willing to fight for this couple’s future. Grant and Wren are two strong, compelling characters that readers can easily connect to therefore they become emotionally caught up in the story right from the start. Wren and Grant both have heart rending emotional turmoil that are valid and quite real so their romance is in no way a sure thing and readers can feel their pain as the couple try to overcome what happened in the past in order to fight for the present.

The story flows at steady pace that keeps readers interest in what is happening in the world of the Boston Fire Unit and suspense builds as Grant tries to determine what made Wren run and why she is afraid to let him help her and the danger that Wren faces becomes a reality Wren has to face that she may have made the wrong decision in leaving Grant and his friends behind. The author writes the story is such a way that readers can easily picture each and every scene which makes the events vivid and the emotions poignant ensuring that readers become completely engrossed in this gripping romance.

With a dramatic start of the story, the second chance romance between Grant and Wren trigger all the feels from the readers, while trying to understand the reasons behind Wren running away previously, breaking Grant's heart.
I'm a huge fan of Shannon Stacey's writing, there's so much to love about the regular people she writes about, whose lives and loves we get to know through her stories. There are tight families and friends who are closer than brothers, there are mature feelings, life challenges, and romance that is easy to relate to and believe in because of the life-like nature of it. The Boston Fire series has been a great addition to her resume, filled with passionate, vivid, true to life love stories.
Grant and Wren are both old acquaintances to the readers of the series. The puzzling way Wren disappeared from Grant's life in the previous book baffled my mind and I was eagerly waiting for them to get a second chance to work things out between them.
Grant is such a sweetheart of a hero, commanding alpha when needed, yet caring, loving, deeply feeling man, who is not afraid to talk about emotions and feelings and showing how much he cared for Wren and how broken he was when she left without any explanation.
I loved him, felt for him, and cheered for him to find his happiness again. His close relationship with his family, as well as with the men in the firehouse, shows his characters and his values, the kind of man he is, and what he wants from life. His ability to forgive and move on from the hurt was the best part of the story, his willingness to give a second chance to Wren confirmed everything we had learned about him previously.
Wren had made some bad choices in her past that had caused sorrow and pain to others as well. Some of her actions were truly just reactions to fear, and the author demonstrates Wren's reasons well and clearly, in a way that makes them understandable. Wren is such a beautiful person, she feels deeply, she cares passionately, yet all the brokenness inside her has left her reeling, in need of solid friendships and some who believes in her to be able to heal and feel complete, love freely, without fear of being left behind or punished for her feelings.
Together, Grant and Wren were truly two parts of a whole, they belonged together, they had seamless chemistry with each other, they got each other, understood and accepted each other in a way that made them the perfect match for each other.
The epilogue gave the impression that this might be the last book in the series, I hope not, as I have loved hanging out with guys and girls of the Boston Fire series, as it has been an entertaining, emotional, true to life type of series that has captured my heart.
~ Four Spoons

4 star

The story has laughs, abuse, secrets, twists & turns, and heartbreak.

If you have not read the below I would recommend reading those books(s) first
Heat Exchange (Boston Fire, #1)
Controlled Burn (Boston Fire, #2)
Fully Ignited (Boston Fire, #3)
Hot Response (Boston Fire, #4)
Under Control (Boston Fire #5)

This is Wren and Grant’s story. Grant is ready to just get away from everyone until a call brings back a woman who shattered his heart. When Wren gave Grant up she knew she loved him but she wanted him safe from her past. Her ex is not to happy with her and is determined that she is only his. So Wren pushed the one she loved away in order to save him. But after a 911 call Grant is not willing to allow Wren to get away from him. Can she keep him safe but also keep her past in the past? Of will her past make sure she has no future?

I loved these characters. I felt I could connect with the characters and the story was a great read.

I recommend this book.

An unexpected second chance…

I so hoped Grant and Wren would have another chance to get things right! Danger had led Wren to make a devastating decision that brought Grant to his emotional knees. While Wren didn’t fare much better, she had to live with that choice and, now, see the results face to face…

Wren and Grant made the most of their reunion, working through all the emotions they were feeling. Friends and family were along for the ride, not letting either of them make snap decisions that could backfire on them or the people who loved them. Danger and fear vied with the love and trust in a back and forth full of laughter and emotion I’ve come to expect from this group…

A very quiet ending brought Wren and Grant’s courtship, and this series, to a close. While the emotional impact was softer than I’d hoped for, that didn’t lessen the impression this entire series left with me with. A group of friends and families winding their way through all the good and bad life brings, Boston Fire reminded me of a turnout gear-wearing group of Friends. They had an appreciation for coffee - and love - that will have me re-reading them again and again…

The best part of this book for me was the brief rescue at the very beginning. The emotions and uncertainty of where this second chance main couple were now headed set the stage for an engaging, romantic read. As a lover of relationship angst, I knew I was up for it, folks. I was just surprised how mild the angst turned out to be.

Other than the temporary flare up of tempers and hackles getting slightly raised by lots of people over Wren’s out of the blue reappearance after taking flight several months earlier, there really wasn’t a whole lot going on here. There were tons of talking things through and some very graphic smexy scenes, but, overall, that was the gist of it.

Even the inevitable, predictable problem you knew was going to resurface resolved itself in a mostly, non-climatic sort of way. Well, after a brief spot of perilous drama.

I’m always delighted to spend more time with these book characters and won’t be saying “no” to any future sequels. I’m just surprised this one was so slow paced and mostly talked about feelings in a drinking hot chocolate and braiding hair, girlfriend kind of way. Grant was a great guy and Wren came across as a sweet, naive, frightened little bird, who wanted happiness but not at the expense of putting others in harm’s way.

If you enjoy a sweet, steamy at times, second chance romance with loads of back and forth “feelings” conversations, well, here you go.

Title: Flare Up, Series: Boston Fire (Book 6), Author: Shannon Stacey, Pages: 352, stand-alone but part of a series, patient/good guy hero, celibate during long separation, firefighter hero, scared of an ex-boyfriend heroine, no cheating, no love triangle, no OW/OM drama.

Book 1 - Heat Exchange
Book 2 - Controlled Burn
Book 3 - Fully Ignited
Book 4 - Hot Response
Book 5 - Under Control
Book 6 - Flare Up

(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review. There is no affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author/publisher/NetGalley.)

This story is getting 4* rating simply and only because of Grant. I love that man. Everything about him just spoke to me. I want to wrap him in my arms and never let go.

To tell you the truth I'm (a bit) mad about Wren getting a second chance. I just never contacted with her love that she felt for him.

This is my second Shannon Stacey book and she slowly but surely turning me into a fan.

***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***

As second chance romance Flare up is the sixth book in the Boston Fire series. I enjoyed this read, from its emotional driven storyline to the compelling character interaction. I would recommend this book

An intensely heartwarming book by Shannon Stacey - the story of Grant and Wren will touch your heart and break it at the same time. It's a page-turning adventure to see this couple get through the threat of a possessive and dangerous ex.

Finally, Grant's story!

If you've read the book before this in the series ( Under Control ) you were undoubtedly as anxious as I was to figure out what was going on with Wren and Grant. (If you haven't, no worries--this could work as a standalone, and honestly, you'll probably be more sympathetic to Wren from the start if you're coming in fresh, not having seen Grant in prior books) And yeah, characters running away from a problem isn't my number one favorite response, but Ms. Stacey does a good job of helping us to see things from Wren's POV and understand why she felt that it was her only choice at the time. We'll still struggle with it--as does Grant and everyone else who cares about him--but seeing things from Wren's perspective definitely helps.

I liked that Grant and Wren didn't rush back into things here and took it slow even when their hormones weren't 100% on board with that plan. They really are good together, and it was fun to see them work to rebuild their relationship again, this time with less secrecy and more honest conversation. I also liked that his friends and family were honest about their reservations, yet still gave Wren a chance--it felt very realistic.

The suspense portion of the book (Wren's reason for leaving in the first place) was always there in the background, and needing to know what was going to happen there kept me turning the pages as much as wanting to see Wren and Grant get to their HEA. Though the way that that part was resolved felt a teensy bit anticlimactic, it also felt a lot more realistic than another method would have.

Once again one of the best parts of this book was seeing the relationships between the guys and girls of E59 and L37 and their significant others. The epilogue makes it feel as if this might be the last in the series and is a bittersweet wrapping up for all of the characters. I'm a bit bummed, but console myself with the thought that surely Ms. Stacey will be working on a new series soon--that, and knowing I still have books 1-3 of this series in my TBR to keep me company until her next book comes out ;)

Rating: 4 stars / B+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Grant was heart broken when Wren wanted to split. When a 911 call ends up with him saving her 5 months later because of a house fire he's shocked at her current placement and wants to know why. Wren had a ex in the past who was possessive and made it clear that he'll hurt anyone close to her so she had to break it off with Grant. With her ex is out of jail and its only a matter of time. Meanwhile now that the who seem to be getting close Wren seems to be getting strange calls.

This book was such a good read, I really enjoyed reading it. I kept wondering when the ex would make his move. But until that happens I got to see Wren and Grant rekindle that relationship they once had, but at a different pace since things are different this time around. There plenty to enjoy about this book but its hard to say without saying too much. Just trust me when I say that you'll enjoy this book if you like a good contemporary romance that's not heavy with the suspense because there was times I almost forgot that the ex was an issue but it was still good.

Grant thought he had everything he wanted with Wren, but when she broke up with him unexpectedly, he is devastated. Five months later, he's still missing her and nursing his wounded heart. Flare Up opens with an exciting scene with the firefighters of Engine 59 saving some persons trapped in a burning building. This opening scene pulled me right into the story and I was hooked.

When it's Wren that Grant ends up saving in the fire, everything he's been trying to put behind him is suddenly right in front of him again, and all those feelings between them come rushing back. But there are some serious trust issues that Grant and Wren need to work through.

I really like this series, and I loved Flare Up. Grant and Wren just don't fall back in love and pick up where they left off -- they really have to work for their happiness. Oh, and I forgot to mention that there was a good reason that Wren broke it off with Grant when she did, and they both have to deal with it now, along with their firefighter and police friends. It takes some time for everything to get resolved, including Grant and Wren's long-term relationship. I really liked that things were not rushed between them.

There are quite a few scenes that bring back earlier characters from the series and I liked that about this book as well.

Overall, an exciting and romantic tale of love reclaimed. I definitely recommend this series.

An ARC was provided for review.

Flare up is the final book in the Boston Fire series, but it can be read as stand-alone. If you are familiar with the series you will be already familiar with Grant, Wren and the way she ghosted him. In this book, they will get their happily ever after and some things are not for fun for them. I will begin with the good stuff. I liked how everyone reacted to Wren been back to Grant's life. They are hesitant because she broke his heart, but happy at the same time because she is back and Grant is happy. Of course, trouble is after them and some things are not going so well, but love wins everything, right?

The bad thing is that the story felt a little flat to me and it could have used some kind of spark to make things a little bit more interesting. Since this is the last book in the series, I was expecting everything to go with a bang and give us a better insight into the couples of the previous books. The book wasn't bad, just not what I would have wanted as a series finale.

This has been a fun series to read. I've been enjoying each and every book in it. I love Shannon Stacey's writing. Her books are just effortless to read. I love that when I'm reading. I just want to dive right in, not stop and think...why the hell am I reading this?

I can't believe we are already on book 6! Where did the time go?

For me Flare Up wasn't my favorite book in the series. I hated Wren!!! She is just...I can't even say what I want to say. Now, I've had where I haven't cared for a character in a book before and still liked the book so don't panic.

I just hate when it's either the hero or heroine.

I did try to like her but never could. What she did wasn't right. Be an adult and do the right thing. I'm not saying she should have stayed with Grant, just talked to him like a big girl.

Now Grant I loved. He was just the sweetest guy. He was so brokenhearted by what Wren did to him and still he let her back into his life. A better person then I.

He truly made this a good book. A solid three. I will say be the end of the book Wren grew on me more and liked the whole interaction with the other characters so there was a lot to enjoy about this book. It needed to be read and I'm glad for Grant to have what he wanted back in his life.

Oh boy! Shannon Stacey's Boston Fire series is one of my faves and this story does not disappoint. Action packed from the start, it keeps the reader enthralled right until the end. Great story!

Shannon Stacey is always one of my go-to authors for small-town, family-centric, feel-good romances. Her Boston Fire series, although set in a bigger city, has the neighborhood feel and continues to fit the bill with its tight-knit firefighting family. We have met primary couple of Flare Up in previous books, when Grant was dating Wren. He was ready to propose when she broke up without explanation and disappeared.

Flare Up opens five months later, with a big fire at a rundown, unsafe apartment complex. Grant goes in to save a sleeping resident and is shocked to find Wren. It’s a great opening to the story, and what I appreciate most is that the gang immediately pieces together that she’s running from something, rather than have them act indignant or harsh to Wren.

As the book progresses, we watch Wren reconnect with the gang and slowly open up to Grant. Rather than Grant blow off her explanations or easily accept how he was treated, I like that he admits to her that he wants to understand how this situation grew to the point she felt she needed to run from Grant, rather than confide in him - but that he’s having trouble with it. It’s the little character developments like this one that make what could have been an average story, top-notch.

The romance is sweet and a bit slow because Grant wants to start over and take it easy, making sure they do it right this second time. Yet the pair realizes they can’t just start over with so much history. They give into their desires, but also spend time connecting and communicating.

Flare Up is another solid and entertaining story from Ms. Stacey. I liked the opening for this one a lot - especially because we knew about Wren breaking Grant’s heart from earlier books. The story flowed smoothly, and I enjoyed seeing them work on their relationship. I did have one small issue with respect to Grant and him keeping a secret from Wren, but the epilogue was fun, and I wonder if this is the final book in the series.

My Rating: B+ Liked It A Lot

I enjoyed this story. It was a quick entertaining read with a decent plot. Grant is alone among a house of firefighters that have all found their other half. He thought he had that with Wren until she disappeared after breaking up with him on the phone. Now, Wren’s back & has explained what was going on. Can Grant ever trust her again?

*I received this book free from Barclay Publicity.*

Grant is a fireman. One who got his heart-broken, out of the blue, by the woman he loved. Then one night he rescued a woman from a fire...his woman.

Wren loved Grant, but her past had caught up with her and in order to protect the one she loved she ran. Breaking her own heart in the process. However, sometimes things are meant to be. One moment she's in her rundown apartment and the next she's in the arms of the man she missed more than anything.

Wren's ex may have terrorized her, caused her to make bad choices, but in the end her mind was her worst enemy. Especially when you have friends like Grant and Wren do.

Flare Up is a reconnection story. You can't run from what's meant to be.

I have to say that the suspense turned out to be a little underwhelming. It was built up to be more than it turned out to be. The romance, however, was perfect for the over all story line.