I thought that this was a really good book!

It was fast paced and there was something happening on each page.

The characters were well developed and well matched too.

The book for me was a definite page turner and thoroughly enjoyable

It kept me interested right to the end - 5 stars from me!!

I’ve enjoyed The DeMarco Family series, a series that holds up very well as a re-issue under a new publisher. But I’ve enjoyed Sandy’s story in LIGHT MY FIRE the most of all for a very simple reason. Aside from being a compelling, enjoyable romantic suspense it also shows us just how judgmental we all are even when we are completely unaware of it. Ethan is well known to the DeMarco family for, perhaps, not the best reasons. And they all have set him in the place of being an arrogant jerk who gets criminals released without paying one bit for their crimes. They see the surface of Ethan. Because of the demons that drive Ethan Sandy will have the chance to see the man beneath the surface – a man who is so very different than his reputation. And perhaps Ethan can see himself through another’s eyes and make the changes that need to be made in his professional life and his personal life to keep that man at his core out and on the surface forever.

LIGHT MY FIRE is full of banter, steam, danger, and puzzles to solve. Watching Sandy and Ethan work through not only their own troubles but help an innocent young man was an enjoyable, satisfying experience. I will always suggest reading a series from the beginning for the best reading experience, yet if you can’t do that then this one can stand on its own as a very good Romantic Suspense, strong on the Romance side.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Light My Fire is a very good romantic suspense. Great plot, characters and writing. I definitely will be reading more books by this author. I highly recommend this book.

The DeMarco Family series continues up with Sandy’s story; and it’s definitely my favorite of the series.

Ethan Milner is bad news according to Sandy’s brothers. He is a ruthless defense attorney who has set free some of the criminals that Sandy’s brothers have arrested. But, what no one knows is Ethan doesn’t really like helping the bad guys. It’s all about money at his father’s law firm. It tears him up inside every time he wins a case and a guilty person walks just because they had enough money to pay for a good lawyer.

After a night of drinking and Ethan is arrested for reckless driving, he is sentenced to forty hours of community service. He has to ride along with Sandy while she does her citizens on patrol in her neighborhood. But, what neither of them expected was to come across a woman who had been murdered. When one of Sandy’s employees, from her flower shop, is arrested for the crime, she will do anything to prove he is innocent. Sandy asks Ethan to represent Josh and everything changes from there. Ethan shows he does have a heart and Sandy starts to fall for him. The story ends with a huge revelation of who the real murderer is. All I can say is I didn’t see that coming.

I read this book really fast. The story was exciting and I was on the edge of my chair the entire time. The DeMarco Family books are the only ones by this author that I have read, but if the rest of her books are this good, I will definitely be on the lookout for more. Each book in this series can be read as a stand-alone, so it doesn’t matter where you start in the series. They are all really good and intense like this one.

Light My Fire is a riveting novel full of tense moments along with romance. I fed to the pages as the story unfolded, feeling for Ethan (lawyer), Sandy (friend/lover) and Josh (accused teen.) The ending is a terrific surprise!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Excellent read. The emotional journey of a man with no trust in love and the woman who shows him how to love. This had page turning action and humor. Definitely my favorite of the series but can be read as a stand alone.

Light My Fire is book four in Jane Graves’ DeMarco Family series. Surprisingly it is my favorite of the series. I say that because after reading the description of the book I thought that I would not like Ethan Milner as the main character. Yet by the time he had recklessly wrecked, I knew that there was a good man inside of him fighting to get out.

I knew I would love Sandy DeMarco and I did. She became mother to three younger rumbustious brother when she was barely in her teens herself. She is one tough, big-hearted, open-minded person. Perhaps not the usual person you would expect to fall for someone like Ethan. Then again it would take someone like her to see what was buried beneath the hard exterior that he had. I loved it when Alex said. “Maybe I ought to be warning Millner about you.” Now that is a woman to admire!

Well-written plot that is not dated even though the series is a re-issue by a new publisher. I had not read Sandy’s story so it felt fresh to me. Not as much humor as sme of Sandy’s brothers’ stories but interesting with snappy dialogue between Ethan and Sandy. Just as interesting is the subplot with Josh, the troubled teen. With his life and future at stake it made the story more serious. No loss of focus on the main plot since this ties in well with Ethan and Sandy’s story.

Light My Fire by Jane Graves
He was too hot to handle…and she couldn’t resist the heat
Defense attorney Ethan Milner is well-paid for his ability to charm a jury while ruthlessly slashing the prosecution. He’s living life in the fast lane, until he’s slapped with a reckless driving charge and sentenced to 40 hours of community service on a crime watch patrol. Now he’s under the thumb of the chairman of the city’s crime watch council – a no-nonsense woman determined to make him pay his debt to society.
Sandy DeMarco is familiar with Ethan’s professional character, as well as his notorious “bad boy” reputation with women. Still, when her quiet neighborhood is shaken by a brutal murder and an employee of hers becomes the prime suspect, she knows the accused’s only hope is the man who will win at any cost. Working alongside Sandy, Ethan feels the spark of attraction that ignites into love – even as a killer burns to silence them both.
This is Sandy DeMarco and Ethan Milner's story.
As a florist, Sandy DeMarco hadn’t reached that conclusion lightly. But after dealing with the wedding from hell all afternoon and growing progressively more frustrated, she found herself thinking how nice it would be if people just did away with all the fanfare and headed straight to the justice of the peace, where a bouquet of silk flowers was all a girl really needed.
Okay, so she didn’t really hate weddings. What she hated was being the florist of choice for an out-of-control bride who changed her mind like she changed her shoes and went berserk when things didn’t go her way. Bridezilla had called Sandy’s shop at least three times that day to turn molehills into mountains, and Sandy had just about reached the end of her rope.
But through it all, she kept reminding herself that her customers were always right, even the demanding, unreasonable ones. Fortunately, Josh was on his way to deliver the last of the flowers to the First Methodist Church, which meant that the wedding would soon be over and she’d never have to deal with the woman again.
Ethan Millner hit the gas and sped his Porsche past the last traffic light in Tolosa, Texas, leaving the city behind. He raced down the deserted two-lane highway, accelerating until he’d blown past the fifty-mile-an-hour speed limit and was heading for sixty.
The faster he went, the faster he wanted to go.
Even though the sun had long since disappeared behind the towering pine trees that lined the road, still the choking heat of the Texas summer made it hard to catch a breath without searing a lung. Any sane man would have put up the top on the convertible and flicked on the air-conditioning, but Ethan didn’t want comfort right now. The landscape whizzing past him like a video on fast-forward suited his state of mind.
"I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book."
Light My Fire by Jane Graves is a 3 star book.
Jane's Books with Tule:
I Got You Babe
The DeMarco Family
Wild at Heart
The DeMarco Family
Flirting with Disaster
The DeMarco Family
Light My Fire
The DeMarco Family

As the only girl in the alpha male dominated DeMarco family Sandy Demarco has definitely learned how to handle her brothers and that is no easy task. Dealing with defense attorney Ethan Miller as he completes his community service requirement should be a piece of cake. It really is no problem until she starts to see the real man behind the facade and finds herself drawn to him. This is a well done romantic suspense that is a reissue of a 2004 publication. I loved the characters and the mystery part of the story is very well done. I definitely recommend.

I loved this latest installment in the DeMarco series from Jane Graves. Ethan Milner has been mentioned in prior installments but nothing much was said except that he clearly was a nemesis to the DeMarco brothers. When fate - and community service - throw their sister Sandy together with Ethan, they are none too pleased. However, Sandy is a powerhouse and independent thinker as well as a successful business woman and caring friend and activist. The murder mystery added a great element to the story and we learned how vulnerable Ethan was behind his facade of control. There were numerous roadblocks to a HEA but these two strong-willed (and stubborn, both to the good and bad) characters fought for each other.

I’ve loved all the books in The De Marco Family series and this fourth book, Light My Fire, really drew me in. I have to admit that my first impression of hot shot defence lawyer Ethan Millner were less than favourable. He came across as an entitled brat to be perfectly blunt and I quietly muttered “Serves You Right” when he crashed Porsche. Thankfully Ethan improved in leaps and bounds as the story progressed.
I loved that he was sentenced to community service under the watchful eye of florist Sandy De Marco, a woman I liked, respected and admired from the first. Sandy’s unshaking belief in people and her loyalty through thick and thin made her a pretty remarkable woman in my books.
As romantic suspenses go this one was pretty darned good and kept me on my toes throughout. Fast paced and full of twists I really had no idea who the murder was until the end, though on looking back through the story I could see it was peppered with clues. This really was a fabulous read and one I devoured in two sittings. Highly recommended!

Ethan Millner ist ein Anwalt, der alles dafür tut seine Fälle zu gewinnen, egal ob sein Klient schuldig oder unschuldig ist, Hauptsache die Bezahlung stimmt. Dafür beugt er auch schon mal das Gesetz in Grauzonen. Als er eines Tages wegen zu schnellen Fahrens zu Sozialstunden in einer Bürgerwehr verurteilt wird, muss er diese ausgerechnet bei Sandy DeMarcos ableisten. Sandy ist eine Floristin, die in jedem Menschen das Gute sieht und ein bescheidenes Leben führt. Das größere Problem sind jedoch Sandys Brüder, die als Polizisten dafür sorgen, dass Straftäter ins Gefängnis kommen und nicht gut auf Ethan zu sprechen sind, da er eben diese Straftäter viel zu oft freibekommt. Gleich bei der ersten Nachbarschafts Streife entdecken die beiden eine Leiche und als Verdächtiger wird Sandys Botenjunge verhaftet. Nun versuchen beide den wahren Täter zu finden.

Meine Meinung:

Oh wow, da habe ich mich völlig verschätzt. Dies ist das erste Buch, das ich von Jane Graves gelesen habe (aber mit Sicherheit nicht das Letzte) und ich bin begeistert.
Aufgrund des Klappentextes und des Covers vermutete ich eine niedliche, seichte Law and Order Lovestory, aber das Buch geht richtig in die Tiefe. Nicht nur was die Krimihandlung betrifft, sondern auch die Entwicklung der Gefühlswelt der Protagonisten. Es ist der vierte und letzte Teil der DeMarcos Serie dieser ist aber völlig problemlos als Stand-alone lesbar. Der Sprachstil ist klasse. Witzig und dennoch mit sehr viel Gefühl und Tiefgang. Ich fand es gut, dass Ethan und Sandy gut miteinander reden konnten um auch sich selbst ihre Probleme eingestehen zu können. Beide sind ja in ihrem eigenen Leben sehr einsam und gefangen. Die Liebesgeschichte bekommt zwar gegenüber der Krimihandlung recht viel Raum aber auf eine sehr geschmackvolle Art und Weise.
Einziger Negativ Punkt: Ein Epilog wäre schön gewesen......

Fazit: Eine glasklare Leseempfehlung im Genre Romantic - Suspense.

They are total opposites he is a high priced defence attorney who has a win at all costs philosophy in live She is a florist and member of the local crime watch who sees the best in everyone When Ethan Millner and Sandy Demarco the attraction is mutual he is serving community service after speeding one to many times she will be his supervisor When a juvenile that Sandy knows is charged with murder she just knows that he is innocent and she will pressure Ethan into defending him On the way he will start to look at the law in a different way and will fall in love with his new offsider but first he has to convince her brother that he can be the man she needs

This franchise is either a hit or miss for me and sadly enough this series was a miss. I expected a little more action, a little for suspense, a little more of that something something to really draw me in but I was left bored and tired of the series ⅓ through. The connection between the leads were dull and the storyline dragged know longer than it should've. As much as I would have liked to make it to the conclusion of the series, I found myself dragging and decided it would be the best to dropped it.

I am loving this series Light My Fire is part of the DeMarco Family series. I love the blend of romance and suspense. Jane Graves captures the fire between Sandy and Ethan perfectly. This is a quick read that will leave you satisfied.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Tule Publishing for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is book 4 in a series. I have not read the other books, and this book reads well as a stand alone. I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book as Sandy comes across at first as a total do gooder. But she grew on me. Ethan was a typical cynical lawyer, and I enjoyed their interactions. This has some suspense, which I enjoyed. Overall a good read. A bit of a surprise twist which made it a bit of fun. I rate this a 4. I think most romance readers would enjoy.

Light my Fire by Jane Graves. A great addition to The DeMarco Family series. Enjoyed the mystery with possible romance storyline. I've enjoyed each of the books in this series and look forward to reading more by Jane Graves.

4.5☆
I liked it!

What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Part of a series: The DeMarco Family
Standalone
HEA

I look forward to reading more from this author.

I thank #netgalley & the publisher,Tule publishing for providing me with a copy of this book - 'Light My Fire' the fourth in the series of the DeMarco family novels. I was attracted to the book cover and the blurb of the story which speaks for itself. I absolutely love mystery/thriller novels and add a bit of romance it turns unputdownable..
The two main characters Ethan Millner and Sandy Demarco are opposites. Ethan is a ruthless defence attorney who wins his cases at any cost. Sandy is a florist & a member of the crime watch patrol in her neighbourhood who sees the good in every other person. When Ethan is sentenced with community service for over-speeding, he meets Sandy. Both of them have an undeniable mutual attraction for each other.
When a woman is brutally killed in her neighbourhood & Sandy's co-worker Josh, a juvenile is convicted, Sandy insists Ethan to take up Josh's case. What follows is an investigation into the case to find the real killer & the budding love story of Sandy Demarco & Ethan Millner.
I enjoyed the author's writing style and the start of the read. The story is beautifully written. But, halfway through, I personally felt the characters were quite complex - mainly indecisive but, as the story progressed they blended in well. The love story was quite okay but, the I just didn't see the mystery of the murder coming through. Overall a good read & I would rate it a 4/5 🌟..

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

This is book four in a series with the DeMarco family but can be read as a stand =alone. I have nor tread any of the previous books and didn't feel like I was missing anything and could easily follow the story.

Wow,it really looked like ethan was the typical slimy lawyer but there was a lot going on under the surface that he didn't show the world and only a few people caught a glimpse of.

Sandy did seem a bit too naive and trusting so you could see how Ethan was intrigued by her but also shaking his head that she was just plain wrong.

The book was pretty much a mystery with lots of drama and romance as Ethan and Sandy try to figure who really killed Laura and try to keep Josh from being railroaded into a conviction for a crime he did not commit. With any good mystery there ate the usual red herrings until the true killer is revealed so it is hard to figure out "whodonit."

I enjoyed the book as you see the growing attraction between Ethan and Sandy and wonder how they can overcome all the differences in their lives, save Josh, and get their HEA.