DNF at 60%

I was so bored with the storyline, I just couldn’t go on any longer. I really wanted to like this book because the whole premise sounded interesting but the appeal just wasn’t there. The main character Linc had zero redeeming qualities and Jacob was just immature and horny. So much down in the weeds details about hot shots and what they do all day.

Nothing like an Annabeth Albert book to get you out of a reading slump.

Honestly, getting to read these books always makes me happy and I almost always drop anything else I'm reading at the moment.

This is new series and let me tell you that after reading this book I can already tell this series is going to bring amazing characters, we already got a little glimpse of the next one at the end of Burn Zone.

So, the book starts with a promise, a promise one of our main characters does to his best friend and this little promise causes a lot of havoc throughout the book as we see our main character Linc and Jacob try to navigate their physical attraction and their genuine feelings for one another.

The characters and the events of the book progress in a natural way, it wasn't rushed, it was just perfect because we got to really get to know Linc and Jacob and their thought process about different events.

The end is a beautiful HEA and a promise to us the readers of more to come from this series.

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The book starts off with Linc’s best friend warning him against pursuing his younger brother. Linc promises to stay away from Jacob, and that pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the book. Six years later, Jacob is joining Linc’s jumper team and Linc is faced with the attraction he feels for Jacob as well as that promise he made all those years ago.

This romance is a bit of a stubborn one. Because of the promise Linc made to his friend, he tries to fight his attraction for Jacob. Not only does he try to uphold his promise, but he also hasn’t come out yet. So, he is dealing with a lot when it comes to his relationship with Jacob. On one hand I couldn’t help but feel for him. On the other, I wanted him to just grow a pair and either man up for Jacob, or move on so that Jacob could heal. The back and forth between Linc’s emotions made me was to shake the man.

One thing that I liked about this story was that we got some behind the scenes when the guys are training and working. Between the parajumping and fighting fires, it was really cool to experience something that they are passionate about. We also got to be witness to Jacob’s training while he tried to earn his spot on the team. Not only were these scenes great to get a more in-depth look at the characters, but we also got the chance to get to know some of the other members on the team.

Burn Zone was a pretty good read. Linc was supposed to be older and wiser, but he had a lot of growing to do. He needed to be comfortable with his sexuality and not let it be the elephant in the room. I get that his fears weren’t unfounded since the people he called family kind of turned they backs on him, but he still needed to own up to who he was for himself. Watching his journey might not have always been easy, but I’m glad that these two got their happily ever after. I can’t wait to see who the next book features.

I really enjoyed this book! The author obviously put it tons of research and it’s reflected in the book. The story was a bit tough (not to read, I just felt bad for the characters)but left me feeling happy. A lot of pain and angst but the ending is wonderful great book!

*~~*ARC kindly provided from the publisher/author to me for an honest review *~~*

Full review to come

5 stars

Another amazing and heartfelt book by Annabeth Albert. This story really deals with grief and also guilt, I loved the balance between falling in love and dealing with the past.

Hotshots, even hotter bods

Linc is a firefighter, apart of a hotshot crew. When his late best friend's brother, Jacob, decides to join after training for for years, memories and feelings begin to bubble up. There's always been a fire between the two, but Linc is determined to keep it platonic. He promised Jacob's family he would keep him safe, and his thinks getting romatically involved with Jacob would compromise that promise. But Jacob is determined to get Linc to realise how stupid he's being, and to get into his bed in the process...

Burn Zone by Annabeth Albert was an enjoyable read that had some issues that prevented it from being a book I loved.

The two main characters, Linc and Jacob, had clear motivations and we got great flash backs that did wonders to flesh out their relationship. It made their actions believable.

Linc and Jacob have a lot of chemistry, and Albert did great with moderating the amouts of angst so that it had the biggest impact. However, I felt the conflict dragged on and I began to get frustrated, with Linc in particular. In my opinion, his reasoning for keeping himself from Jacob started to seem dumb af pretty quickly.

My favourite moments were the sweet ones. I wasn't expecting how wholesome this book would be and I loved it (don't get it twisted their are still a plethora of steamy sex scenes).


Arc provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Burn Zone by Annabeth Albert was a steamy and angst-filled read with all kinds of feels. Annabeth is a new to me author, but one I will definitely be checking out more, especially this series! Lincoln Reid carries so much and puts so much pressure on himself. His best friend and their family mean the world to him and there is nothing he would not do for them. So, when his best friend asks him to stay away from his brother, he will. No matter what his heart wants. Lincoln is a very determined man and one that puts loyalty and others before himself.

Jacob has always crushed on Lincoln but knows Lincoln does not see him that way. Even when feels the steamy and undeniable chemistry they share. Jacob is such a caring and patient man, but just as determined. When Jacob shows up to work as a smoke jumper, Lincoln is shocked. Now they are working closely every day. Will he be able to stay away and continue denying what they share?

I loved the chemistry and back and forth between Jacob and Lincoln. Even as Lincoln struggles with what he wanted and what he felt he owed his best friend and his family. All Jacob wanted was to come first. Their story was emotional and angsty and I loved it! I am excited for the next book!

Happy reading!

Annabeth Albert’s Hotshots series opens with a bang and doesn't release the speed or tension until we're all set with a fabulous HEA. Emotional and intense, Burn Zone offers a gripping romantic read.

Three-dimensional and with unique voices, Albert's main characters Lincoln Reid and Jacob Hartman, are so easy to fall for and actively cheer on. Their chemistry is visceral, their connection swoon-worthy.

With a well-thought-out plot and strong crafting, readers are introduced to a series that balances heat, romance, and angst superbly. This is definitely a series I'll be 1-clicking.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Shannan – ☆☆☆☆
Burn Zone is the first book in the Hotshots series.

Lincoln Reid is a smoke jumper fighting fires in Oregon. Linc and his best friend, Wyatt, are finally working for the same base. They are good at what they do. Linc is gay but not really out. Wyatt tolerates but doesn't completely support Linc's lifestyle, especially since Wyatt's younger brother came out to his family. Wyatt warns Linc away from his younger brother, Jordan.

Jordan has had a crush on Linc since he was nineteen, not caring that Linc was ten years older. He's done everything he could to get Linc to notice him, basically throwing himself at Linc every chance he gets. Linc notices, but he's older and he should know better, but Jordan is wearing him down day by day. When tragedy strikes, Linc gives into that lust for one kiss. When Jordan and Linc end up working together, can Linc continue to fight what he feels when he's around Jordan? Can Jordan get Linc to drop the walls enough to see that they will work?

I enjoyed this read about fire jumpers, a first for me. I normally choose to read first-person point of view, so jumping into third-person was hard to connect with the character at first for me. But once I was invested, I couldn't get enough of this read. I can't wait to see where this series goes!


Erica – ☆☆☆
3.5 Star
Spoiler-Free Review

Burn Zone is the debut in a new series, so it was a refreshing change of pace to just jump in without having to remember a full cast of characters and events that happened previously. I just sat back and relaxed, and watched the story unfold.

Imagine having a crush on your brother's best friend, when you're the baby in the family, and said best buddy is a decade older than you. That gap is mighty large when you're a teenager. Imagine your brother is on the phobic side, so when you come out you fear his reaction. Jacob is a sweet yet equally strong character, engaging and realistic. He tugs the heartstrings as he tries to prove to his family that he's an adult, while trying to show Lincoln he'd be a good partner, both at work and at home.

Imagine watching a kid grow up, seeing him as a little brother, then one day realize he's a grown man that you care deeply for. Your best friend and his family are the only family you have, and your best friend is your constant partner and savior as well. Now imagine your best friend knowing the secret you keep locked in the closet, and how he forces you to make a promise after his little brother comes out, outright blaming you as if being gay is contagious... Lincoln is equal parts frustrating for the reader, yet also highly relatable.

Now toss in one of the world's most dangerous professions, smoke-jumping into raging forest fires, and you have one heck of a tasty, angsty read, right?

I adored the premise, as frustrated as I was at Lincoln and Jacob at times, the pages were not going by rapidly. The novel suffered from far too much redundant inner monologuing. Nonstop telling versus showing. Page after page filled with inner monologues, to where it became tedious. They kept saying the same thing over and over again, like beating a dead horse. I got it the first few times. I feel mean stating this, but it dampened down the entertainment value, had me feeling the need to skim, because the story itself and all the yummy angst was buried beneath the writer telling the reader how the characters felt, instead of showing us on the pages.

I enjoyed the plot, the characters, and look forward to reading more in this series.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆
M/M Romance

Linc loves his job being a smoke jumper. He loves his friends, who are also on the line with him. But when tragedy strikes, Linc has to shut off all emotions in order to continue doing his job.

Jacob has wanted to be a smoke jumper since he was young. Watching his older brother become one also helped secure his interest. After his brother is lost to a large fire, despite his family's protests, Jacob isn't going to let that stand in his way of his own dreams.

One of those dreams is that Linc would fall in love with him. They had one steamy encounter, but since then, Linc has kept his distance from not only Jacob, but Jacob's entire family. Linc has always been around and when he pulls away, he's missed by everyone.

When Jacob makes it as a smoke jumper, Linc is also less than pleased. What follows is a back and forth, push-pull relationship that seemed incredibly young adult. Linc likes to live his life in guilt and Jacob just wants people to see him for his abilities and not for what he's lost.

These two, while they are great when working together, they have a forced chemistry. It wasn't my favorite story, but I'm hoping the subsequent ones will be more developed.


Angie – ☆☆☆
I was really excited to read this book, I'm a fan of the author and two hot fireman sounds awesome. I didn't love this book. It was slow at times and I found myself not being interested. Then Linc came off as a jerk to me and Jacob worked so hard for his attention. I am hoping this was just a fluke and the next book in the series will be better.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆
This is the first of a new series, and as I have enjoyed many of Annabeth Albert's books, I did not hesitate to jump in here too. I am very curious to see where it goes next, as there is a reveal towards the end which opens the door rather intriguingly.

I enjoyed the premise of the story, forbidden romance due to disapproving best friend and older brother, and I have read of smoke jumpers before and like the drama and the danger elements. So I was a bit surprised when I started to feel things were going very slowly. We know the score pretty early on, and we know exactly what each of them feel, because we get a lot of inner monologue – but not only do we get them gearing up to the fire season with a lot of training exercises, but the men are also on a training exercise it would seem.

There are some really cute scenes, like when they make the play equipment, some revelations about family, and disappointments, which do a good job of making the issues very, very clear, and some very sexy ones, as they get inventive. But the pace is incredibly slow. For sure it speeds up towards the end and the drama most definitely starts to build, with tension between them and danger at work.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, but I could have done with it being a little tighter. I am still invested enough to have made a note to look out for the next one.

Annabeth Albert has a new M/M series set around some sexy smoke jumpers! Burn Zone is the first book in this Hotshots series.

Jacob has always had a crush on his late brother's best friend Linc and now has the opportunity to work with him, setting things up for some older brother's best friend action. The attraction Jacob felt for Linc is still there but there are some obstacles for them to overcome and when those obstacles are wrapped around Linc's deceased best friend and Jacob's brother. Complicated!

Linc really needs to be convinced that they can work together and Jacob has his work cut out for him. I felt bad for him at times because Linc was a bit too focused on some self sense of honor at the expense of his own emotions and feelings. Oh there's plenty of sexy times, but the emotional connection and the willingness to embrace being a relationship takes a bit longer to get there.

There were some slow spots butI thought this was a good start to the series and I'm ready for more!

An ARC was provided. This is my honest review.

Burn zone is the first in the hotshot series. It is the story of Linc and Jacob. Linc is a longtime smoke jumper who is grieving the loss of his fellow jumper, best friend and Jacobs brother. Jacob is a recruit. Linc feels a lot of obligations in relation to Jacob...Jacob's bother Wyatt before his death told Linc to stay away from his little brother and to Jacob’s mother to talk him out of getting involved in the same profession that took his brother's life. On top of all this he knows Jacob has had a teenage crush on Linc since he was 19, but Jacob is no longer a teenager, and Linc can no longer deny that he is interested in Jacob. Things are about to get complicated….


My thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book. The reason why I liked it so much is because it made me feel every possible emotion...ok not every possible emotion...but a lot. At points I was happy, excited, scared, sad, annoyed, and frustrated. That is the telling of a good book! The characters were both likable although most of my frustration and annoyance was brought on by Linc. I don’t mind a little angst...although I can certainly do without it. Having said that...by the end of the book I was annoyed with Linc’s push/pull vibe…. enough already. I’m really excited to see who we meet in the next hotshot read…. great start to a new series!!

For more fun check out my blog @: http://beachbumbookworm.com/

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Netgalley, the authors Annabeth Albert , and the publisher for this opportunity.

At the risk of sounding somewhat callous and/or rude, I didn’t have incredibly high expectations of this book. I’ve read enough of the author’s books to be able to spot a pattern and, to be honest, this one didn’t really break away from that.

It’s a fairly simple story: a somewhat-forbidden romance, lots of angst because of it being a perceived betrayal, etc etc etc. It’s also not exactly original which, okay, if there were some reason to like the characters together and all, would be fine.

It’s just there isn’t really.

There’s a trend I’ve noticed with a lot of m/m books, which doesn’t happen nearly so often in m/f or f/f books, and that’s the characters ending up in a friends-with-benefits situation with each other. I’m not saying I hate that trope completely, I’m just side-eyeing a little where it shows up more often than not. And also it means all the potential tension between the two characters is lost.

So that’s really what happened here. The characters got together so early I had developed no reason to want them together. I feel like I write this in every other review, but it’s the case so much of the time. To read and like a romance novel, I have to actively want the characters to get together.

And I didn’t here.

Not to mention the fact that, for some reason, I am apparently supposed to be sad a character is dead when he was a raging homophobe to both his brother and his “best friend” (who he also warned off his brother). Like. Not happening.

In the end then, I’m left with what seems to me, a book that’s not much more than mediocre.

My thoughts

Rating 4

Would I recommend it it ? yes ,but only to the ones that like or even love same sex romance.

Would I read more of this series ? Yes. In fact I can't wait to read book two when I can get it .

Would I read more by this author? Yes

What a great start to a new series about finding the one that your meant to be with , I've read other romance series that deal with firefighters but I've never read one that was of the same sex and this one was right up my ally , because out of all the romance I do read male /male romance is one of my all time favorite ones to read. And this time around I loved how slow that romance was going between Jacob and Linc , and while you could feel the heat and the passion between the tow of them ,you also that the feeling that while Linc wanting to be with Jacob , he thought he wasn't good enough to be with him and kept remembering the promise he made to Jacob's brother ( who I didn't like all that much ). But the hearts wants what the hearts wants and some times you just got to listing to it. And the more you read the more you come to understand these two characters and come to know that they have a long road ahead of them until they get their forever happiness. So if your looking for a romance book that you can sinking your teeth into then this might be for you because it has ever thing you could want : emotional romance, hot guys, and the author did a great job on how she captures the danger that both Linc and Jacob face, not only through training but the day to day tasks of their job and of course, when there’s actual fires to be fought.With that said I would love to say thank you to Harlequin - Carina Press for inviting me to read and review this as well as letting me fell in love with the characters as well as a bug thank you to NetGalle

Let me start by saying I'm a big fan of Annabeth Albert. She writes really awesome, strong men who fall for other men. They is usually a lot of character depth and almost always an interesting background and of course fantastic chemistry and hot sex.

This book hit most of those things but felt a little off in the character depth department or maybe I just feel that way since I just couldn't reconcile Linc's thought processes. His best friend is seriously homophobic and we are told that he doesn't hold back and makes bad jokes and homophobic slurs even though he knows Linc is gay. Linc feels like he owes Wyatt since he saved him by befriending him and giving him a surrogate family since Linc's was crap. I really disliked Wyatt. So when Wyatt's brother comes out he makes Linc promise that he'll never be with his brother, Jacob. Now at first I can understand this if it was an age related thing since there is some years in between them and at the time Jacob is 19 and seems to be a sheltered 19. But later we are told that Wyatt seems to somehow blame Linc for turning Jacob gay which is just so ridiculous. But even more ridiculous is that Linc has this unfailing loyalty to Wyatt and it doesn't matter what Wyatt says/does he stands by it. I just didn't understand the depth of why this was the case. I needed more on why Linc felt he owed Wyatt so much especially once he realized how much he cared about Jacob and after Wyatt died. Secondly, Linc also feels like he isn't good enough for Jacob and again we never really find out where his lack of self esteem comes from. Of course it isn't just Wyatt who is homophobic but the rest of Jacob's family as well which is apparently another reason Linc thinks they can't be together even though Jacob admits his family will have a problem with it but doesn't care. Jacob has a ton of self esteem and no issues even though his entire family is homophobic he doesn't seem to struggle at all with this or that his family has issues with his sexuality.

Now this might seem like I didn't like the book and that isn't the case. The connection between Jacob and Linc was amazing. You could feel it from the opening scene throughout the book. I also loved the smoke jumper background and found that part very interesting. I just wished the conflict keeping them apart made sense to me.

Awesome book.I loved Burn Zone . It is the first book in the new series about smoke jumpers. The book is about an older smoke jumper best friend of an older brother and the younger brother who is a brand new Smoke Jumper. Can’t wait for the rest of the series.

YAAASSSSS!!!! I loved this crew! I am a big fan of Annabeth Albert. She sucked me in with her Out of Uniform series. And I’ve enjoyed all of her books since. But this one sucked me in the way Off Base did a few years ago.

Older brother’s best friend is such a fun trope to read. Add in the excitement of smoke jumpers working in close quarters in Oregon, yes please!

It was obvious that Ms Albert did her homework on this one. I don’t care if it was 100% authentic of smoke jumpers or not because it sure sounded like it was.

Back then, Jacob was the annoying little brother of Linc’s best friend. Ten years their junior, they didn’t pay much attention to him. Until Jacob was 19 and came out of the closet. And he wanted Linc. But Wyatt- protective older brother with a fairly strong homophobic streak- warns Linc to stay away. And so he does.

Dun, dun, dun…Flash forward. Jacob is now on the same smoke jumping crew as Linc as a rookie. He put in his sweat and his time and he is ready to play with the big boys.

Psst, Jacob never got over his crush.

Jacob does his best to break down Linc and his resolve. Which is kind of funny because Linc has never said anything or encouraged Jacob at all. But there it is.

Ok, so the “let’s get it out of our system” card was played. A bit over done and it NEVER works. But I think Jacob knew that and Linc let himself believe it.

So hiding a whatever they are, along with working a crazy dangerous job is interesting. But they do it pretty well.

There’s a lot of firefighting stuff in here. Which I really loved. I think it is super cool to read about things and learn info that could come up as a clue in Jeopardy. But it also made the characters more real to me. I could see their soot covered faces with sweat tracks when they pack out to go back to base. Or Jacob’s excitement for his first jump. It was just…fun.

The only thing that was really lacking for me was Linc taking Wyatt to task for being such a homophobe. Like how can you be a homophobe and be best friends with a gay man? Classic case of “I can’t be racist! I have a black friend!” So ya, I would have liked to see Wyatt brought down a peg. Linc deserved that.

YES READ IT! So exciting! But still romance, good friendships and hot sexy times.

If you like tropes, then you’re in luck because this book is trope-tastic. We have:

-brother’s best friend/best friend’s younger brother
-age gap
-only one night (Is that a trope? If it’s not, it should be)

And oh my gosh—the angst!! Wyatt, the brother in question, has recently passed away after a smoke jumping accident and Linc (his best friend) and Jacob (the younger brother) are still processing their feelings.

There’s been a frisson of attraction for years, but Linc has always been afraid to act on it. When Jacob joins Linc’s smoke jumping crew, it ignites old feelings. No pun intended. They agree to spend the night together to “get it out of their system” and then they’ll be able to move on with their lives.

Of course, they quickly realize that one night is not enough and they enter into a secret relationship; Linc is out, but he’s concerned about everybody’s perception of a public relationship with Jacob. Speaking of which, Jacob has the absolutely biggest heart in the world and he was an interesting complement to Linc’s stoicism.

Between showcasing the camaraderie between the team members and providing us with some tense action scenes, the forest firefighter setting was the perfect scenario for a romance.

Linc and Jacob’s chemistry is off the charts hot from the very beginning. They’re perfect together, but it’s going to take something big to get him to lose some of his hang-ups about being in a real relationship with Jacob. There were so many obstacles in their way—these guys had to work for their HEA!

I loved Burn Zone so much and would absolutely recommend it to others. The little preview at the end for the next book in the series piqued my interest and I can’t wait to read it!

Burn Zone,

Is the start of a new series by Annabeth Albert.
I love her books,The Portland series, was my first series
And I was hooked and a Annabeth Albert fan..
Her books are always full off steam,fun,a bitt of drama.
Low on angst big on family and friends.
Burn Zone is no different than her other works,and that is
a compliment.
However I did not warm up much about Lins.
He was to dramatic and overly "proctectiv"and that
was not a good look.
Both ``MC,s are adults and the "age-cap"was not really
a thing or there.
Must say I have trouble always getting in to new series.
I liked the Burn Zone book enough to give it this time a 3,5 stars
review and looking forward to the next one.

posted already a review on goodreads

***I received an ebook copy from the publisher at no cost***

Burn Zone is the first book in Annabeth Albert's Hotshots series. I love a good M/M read and sexy firemen, and Albert delivered both those things in this tale. 

Linc Reid is a smoke jumper—a firefighter who parachutes into dangerous fires. When Jacob Hartman shows up on his squad, Linc is surprised, concerned, and mildly irritated. You see, Linc was best friends with Jacob's older brother, who died before the book opens. And Linc made several promises to said older brother ... including to keep his hands off Jacob. 

Jacob and Linc have a history. There's an age gap there—with Linc being 10 years older. Jacob has had a crush on Linc since he was 19 and, unbeknownst to Jacob or anyone else in his life, Linc has had a thing for Jacob since then as well. Now having the two on a squad, and partnered up, seems like the perfect recipe for disaster. Especially as it becomes more and more difficult for these two to keep their feelings in check and their hands off one another. 

This book has a few elements in it that I love to read! It was a nice, sloooooooow burn, which I appreciate. There was nothing easy for these two when it comes to their relationship. There's angst in here, but not so much so that it's overwhelming. I love that they had history and that there were these underlying currents of feelings that have existed for so long. The UST is off the charts. 

Characterwise, I enjoyed both Linc and Jacob. Linc was a bit of a tough pill to swallow at times, because he could be hard headed and stubborn, and shut off even, but in my opinion, he progressed throughout the story and he had his reasons for the way he is. Jacob knows what he wants and isn't afraid to say it out loud or go for it, which I admired. 

If you like M/M romance stories, especially ones with age gaps and slow burns, this is a good read for you. 

Four stars to this novel!