Reading this just after the terrible Australian bushfire summer, made smoke jumping seem all to real and all too dangerous. And people do risk their lives here, so the author offers a very realistic depiction of the important job Wyatt and Linc do. But they are best friends, colleagues and have each other's backs, so there's a strong sense of brotherhood here too.

But when Linc looks a bit too closely at Wyatt's little brother, Jacob, well, that changes the dynamic and tensions rise.

Jump ahead six years -- lots of guilt and grief have built up. And this is where our story starts really. Jacob is now 26, so he's certainly old enough to know his own mind. I am a bit despairing that Linc would ever find his way through and give Jacob a chance. Be aware, there is mild homophobia, and the boys do the secret thing for a long time, and that wears me down too.

But I engaged. I like this author's writing, and I keep my eye for potential future pairs, and they always have the most excellent epilogues.

Thanks Netgalley and Carina Press. This first book in a new Annabeth Albert series. I am looking forward to continuing it. Out on the 27 of April.

Burn Zone is a great new series by Annabeth Albert. It's very emotional, romantic, sexy and exciting book with firefighters jumpers. Linc lost his best friend Wyatt and he's dealing with guilt and trying to avoid the advances of Wyatt's brother Jacob. Jacob has been attracted to Lince since he was a teenager and after his brother's death, he joined the team. The book allows you to see the POV's from the Linc and Jacob, all the characters are likeable and it will have your attention from start to finish. Looking forward to the next book in this series.

Pleasant if somewhat basic m/m romance read.

Content warnings include: homophobia, death of family members, best-friend's-younger-sibling/older-brother's-best-friend trope, age gap (~25/35), forest fire, parachuting, disabling injury, sex on-page.

If you want a romance between buff men who do high-risk jobs, Annabeth Albert is the author for you, and Burn Zone delivers exactly that. There's pining, there's "this is only sex, nothing more" (except it totally is,) secret dating, a bit of angst and a lovely HEA.
I loved the extra touch of family and shared history between Linc and Jacob, and their different perceptions of Wyatt and acceptance of those differing views was a complex addition that I appreciated - obviously Wyatt-the-older-brother isn't the same as Wyatt-the-best-friend.

The smoke jumping was interesting - I had no idea such a job even existed, and personally I would have liked to see a bit more basic information about what the job entails. It seems to be some sort of special firefighting devision that works on preventing and containing forest fires and includes a lot of parachuting to the important locations? I'm not 100% clear if that is the definiton on not. What was in the book was more than enough to follow the plot, though, I just like to know details.
The Rookie plot with Jacob just starting out as a smoke jumper while Linc has a lot of experiences and helps with the training by taking him in his team worked very well.

Linc being in the closet was handled respectfully, one angsty emotions-are-running-high scene aside.

Burn Zone is a shortwhile read and pleasing romance with a bit of adrenaline, dogs and muscled men holding babies. It doesn't particularly stand out but slots in seamlessly with the author's backlist and starts of a new loosely connected series. I'm looking forward to book two, which features a disabled pansexual smoke jumper, and I'm hoping to see more of the f/f couple mentioned on the side.

Burn Zone takes us into the world of smokejumpers, and while I don't pretend to know a lot about them other than the fact that they have dangerous jobs, that didn't prevent me from thoroughly enjoying this book. As the start of a series, it gives us the ins and outs of training and the lives these guys live, but primarily the book is about Linc and Jacob and their romance. I'm a sucker for an age gap romance anyway, so that combined with a touch of the forbidden and two sexy smokejumpers, and there was no way I was gonna miss this one. Linc was a hard nut to crack, and I struggled with him in the beginning while Jacob had me from the word go. Linc's problems with the relationship are understandable, and these guys do have great chemistry, so I ended up liking them together and rooting for their happy ever after. The story is maybe a little more angsty and drawn out than I cared for, but it still kept my attention, and there are certainly some exciting and danger-filled moments along with some steamy goodness along the way. All in all, this one's a good start to a promising series, and I'll be interested to see what's next.

Burn Zone by Annabeth Albert is the first in her new Hotshots series. Lincoln Reid is an experienced smoke jumper who is reeling from the loss of his childhood best friend and work partner. When his best friend's younger brother Jacob shows up for training he knows he needs to keep his distance and encourage Jacob to quit before he gets hurt. What he doesn't expect is that Jacob is not only completely dedicated to smoke jumping but also to getting to know Linc in every possible way. Linc does his best to keep control over his emotions when it comes to Jacob but as they continue to get closer keeping things just physical starts to take their toll. The job is dangerous enough as is but will Linc and Jacob be able to work out when things between them heat up.

Lincoln has been working as a smoke jumper helping to control wildfires for years. He is cool under pressure and this icy exterior also extends to how he treats Jacob even after they start their physical relationship. It's so tough to like Linc because his actions express how much he cares about Jacob, but then he just says all the wrong things. It's like every chance he gets he just completely disregards Jacob's feelings and says he's too young (he's 25!). When he is finally able to express his feelings to Jacob I don't blame Jacob at all for taking a while to believe in this change of heart.

Jacob was a likable character with his easy jokes and caring personality. In some ways I think he gave too much of himself away in attempts to win Linc's affection. He was willing to let himself be spoken down to and that was really unfortunate. I'm glad he was able to show just how strong he was when it came to work as well as Linc. When he finally stood up for himself and his feelings I was inwardly cheering. I am also glad that he didn't just take Linc's words after the work accident and needed action to show they were really together and all in.

It's a weird book when you aren't sure if you want the main characters to end up together at the end of the book. Quite a few times during the book I didn't think Linc really deserved Jacob after everything he's putting him through. It's funny because that was the question that Linc kept asking himself too but in the end I am glad that they ended up together. I also couldn't stand Jacob's family. They were so important to Linc but they regarded 25 year old Jacob as a kid that couldn't make adult decisions and were bigoted even though they "accepted" him. On top of those things, I discovered that I am not the least bit interested in the ins and outs of smoke jumping. These factual type of scenes dragged the overall story for me.

I definitely see this new series by Annabeth Albert having potential based on the other smoke jumpers we were introduced to. Sadly my favorite parts of the book were the intimate scenes and Jacobs characters, the others and story line missed the mark for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Carina Press for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Man, I really enjoyed this MM romance. Two hot firefighter-type dudes? Check. A little angst? Check. Some sexy times? Check. A happy ending? Check.

Honestly, one thing I really liked about this one was the realistic nature of their relationship and the reactions of people around them. Jacob's family isn't necessarily homophobic, but they have issues with it and have to come to terms with it. That's the real life situation many gay people have to contend with. Not super-outspoken bigots, though we do have a fair share of those to deal with, but the less vocal and slow-to-be-won-over-gradually-changed-mindset people, those who have to separate what they've been told their whole lives and what they actually feel when confronted with a real case in their own life.

I also really like the age difference and the growly, dominant, sexy older man. He wasn't that much older, but it did add some enjoyment for me, as that's my favorite type. :)

I very much enjoyed this one and will definitely pick up book two when it's available.

With Annabeth Albert’s books I have luck more often than not, but sometimes the relationship dynamics just aren’t my cup of tea, and I’m sorry to say this is the case here. Also, with everything going on at the moment it’s difficult for me to read something about people risking their lives like that. Despite all that, I will buy this as an audiobook because while I haven’t been able to read all her books and enjoy them, listening to them usually works for me.

A brand-new series featuring firefighters and written by Annabeth Albert? SIGN ME UP!

Linc is a veteran fire jumper. He’s been through hell and back. After facing an incredible loss, he doesn’t expect his best friend’s little brother to follow in their footsteps. The warning to stay away from Jacob still echoes loudly in his mind. No matter how attracted to Jacob he is, he gave his word to stay away and that is what he intends to do.

Jacob is pure temptation. After coming out, he goes after what he wants and that’s Linc. A few rushed kisses isn’t enough for him. He takes the time to grow up, work his way to fire jumping, and deals with the fears his mother has after the death of his brother. Everyone treats him like a kid, that he needs to be protected rather than utilized as a team member.

The chemistry between the two, *fans self* it’s intense. It was a constant struggle between should they or shouldn’t they. Once they give in, it was every bit as explosive as you would hope for. Two alpha men, taking the time to bring each other to pieces with burning touches. What made this better, was the fact that it wasn’t all rose between the two men. Linc had to fight something that he had programmed into his mind. He had to learn that it was okay to be himself, yet still remain part of the family that had claimed him for so long.
Jacob challenged Linc to become comfortable with himself. Jacob stopped hiding his sexuality and his wants at the age of nineteen, it was high time for Linc to realize he could do the same. There was something about Jacob that I adored. He wanted to be an equal on the jump-team. He went after what he wanted in his professional and personal life.

The only thing that drove me crazy was how self-sacrificing Linc was. If it wasn’t so extreme this would have easily been a five-star read for me. I’m already looking forward to the next in the series.

I love stories where the author actually incorporates a person's job when it's their passion into their love story. This book presents a unique take on the best friend's brother trope because the best friend is dead plus there's still some animosity between Lincoln and his dead best friend. I appreciated the story between Jacob and Lincoln and watching their relationship evolve. It was definitely not instalove which I really appreciate because I like watching relationships develop especially ones like this one which had multiple hills to overcome including realizing they were different people than when they last spent time together as well as coming to terms with loving a vary dangerous job (parachuting into forest fires). However, at times, it was hard to understand Lincoln's internal monologues as I felt like I was missing something to his character frustrated me out of the story at times. Overall a solid read and I hope to hear more from these characters even if it's just cameo's in their teammates stories.

3.5/4:
Linc Reid is an experienced hot shot who has suffered the loss of his best friend and fellow firefighter. Linc promised his friend before he died that he would not respond to his little brother's crush. But Jacob is his own man and does not care what Linc promised his brother. Sure he has has been attracted to Linc for years even though there is an age difference. They even shared a moment in the past. But Linc is only partially out, guarded, and very private. He feels guilty, is resistant, and still considers Jacob off-limits.

Jacob is a flirt, persistent, energetic, and now is a rookie on Linc's team. So they are in close contact and the sexual tension is mounting. They are being put in tense and dangerous situations, and Linc is finally starting to cave in.

When Jacob suggests sexing each other out of their system it seems like it could work so they could move on. But is that really going to work?

I really liked how different these two were. Linc tries to be in control, but Jacob just pushes his buttons. Their chemistry is off the charts, but they also connect on a deeper level due to their history. But Linc often feels he is too old or not good enough for Jacob. And he fears how Jacob's close-knit family would respond to any whisper of them together. So then Jacob often feels that he is not enough or not worth fighting for due to Linc's resistance.

I felt for them while they struggled with going back and forth and at times was just as frustrated as they were. Sometimes I seriously wanted to shake Linc because he was so self-deprecating and so focused on things that were external to the possible relationship. But I also had to have faith that their connection would pull them through and that eventually Linc would put his needs first over old promises.

This is about priorities, overcoming fears, being vulnerable, and fighting for happiness. The camaraderie with their team and the family dynamics added depth to the story. Although I thought some of the issues just seemed too dramatic for the situation. The smoke jumper adventures added more intensity and danger. I am really interested in Garrick's book after the events in this one.

In Burn Zone, book 1 in a new series centered around Smoke Jumpers we are introduced to Linc and Jacob. These men have known each other for years, but Linc is Jacob's older brother's best friend and there is a 10 year age difference so you don't have a couple of friends to lovers situation here. You have a younger kid with a huge crush that plays out as they get older. I adored Jacob, truly. He really DID deserve far better than Linc. You see, Line is a stubborn man, Hard headed and holding on to promises made in the past. And Jacob's mom and brother(s)? I did NOT have any warm and fuzzy feelings for them. But in the end, as always, we get the HEA that Jacob deserved and I guess in the end Linc grew on me!

Burn Zone by Annabeth Albert
Hotshots #1

Lincoln Reid and Jacob Hartman have known one another for decades. Jacob is the little brother of Wyatt, Lincoln’s best friend. That Jacob had an unrequited crush on Lincoln is not a secret but Lincoln has avoided Jacob and the chemistry between them for a long time. When the two men find themselves on the same fire crew preparing for the next season it is a wee bit uncomfortable for both of them...in more ways than one. Will Jacob wear Linc down? Will Linc be able to set aside the promise he has made to Wyatt in the past? Will the two be able to find a happily ever aver or not? Well, since this is from HQN-Carina the odds are pretty good their relationship will work out just right for both of them.

What I liked:
* Jacob – a bright, happy, positive man with a goal he wanted to achieve.
* Lincoln – conflicted for more than one reason and not willing to take a chance on happiness
* The team the two men work with – seem like a good lot to work with
* Jacob’s family – there for one another, for the most part
* The bits about fire fighting
* The dogs – dogs always add to a story
* Domestic scenes: cooking, TV, family events
* The reminder that a person can have both good and bad – thinking of Wyatt – and how two people who know that person with two sides will not see that person the same way
* That the two finally ended up on the same page together

What I did not like:
* Being reminded just how dangerous being a firefighter is.
* The reminder that bigotry and homophobia are a real thing

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? I think so

Thank you to NetGalley and HQN-Carina for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

While known best – at least by me – for her Out of Uniform series, Albert takes readers into the world of smokejumpers. I had the opportunity to visit the Smokejumper Training Center in Montana several times so I may have taken some liberties with Albert’s scene description and subbed in familiar bays and forest. Sorry, Central Oregon.

Character-wise, I adored Jacob! The dear man had so many layers and best of all seemed to be a complicated mix of youthful zest for life and a pulled-together professional. Throw in his major attraction to his big brother’s bestie and I was grabbing for popcorn. Linc, the older of this duo, has so many issues tangled into a giant mess of emotions and strange loyalties to what I consider a toxic friendship. Watching Jacob and Linc navigate their professional lives while attempting to keep personal beefs and longing under wraps was definitely enjoyable.

I did struggle a bit with the pacing in some places. In particular, I found myself frustrated with Linc, and his self-flagellation really slowed the book for me. I loved the happy, relaxed scenes with the couple. Jacob made the relationship work, which kudos to him but also, come on Linc. It felt forced rather than overcoming obstacles. It is a shame because some of those intimate scenes were scorching!

Overall, I don’t think this is Albert’s best but I thoroughly enjoyed Jacob and the glimpse into the intense and often risky career of fighting forest fires. I’m a reader that struggles with some types of angst though so my inability to connect with Linc may just be related to that quirk.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed a review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

2.5 Stars

The smoke jumper profession has always fascinated me which was why when I saw one of my favorite author releasing new series I grabbed it. Sadly, it kinda turned sideways for me as I didn’t particularly take to the main character. Though I initially felt for Lincoln and the predicament he was in, his martyrdom tendency and self-flagellation just got tiring. Honestly, I don’t know why Jacob put up with him.

As the first in “Hotshots” series, BURN ZONE introduced a number of characters that I expected would pop into the stories now and then. This one centered on the life of Lincoln Reid and the Hartmans in general with Jacob and - not a small part - Wyatt in particular. Told in an alternate POVs between Linc’s and Jacob’s, the story revealed the complicated relationship Linc had had with Wyatt, his best friend from childhood who also happened to be homophobic. The fact that muddied the circumstances when the youngest Hartman came out and crushing hard on Linc.

Now I got the history between Linc and Wyatt as seen through Linc’s eyes - where he came from, why he felt what he did. But to get stuck on that limbo and self disrespect for that long... that’s really frustrating to see. His insistence of the age gap between him and Jacob was rather insulting, too. The Hartmans also didn’t help any with their reaction over the couple’s revelation. Having danced around with one another through most part of the book, the epiphany that struck our hero felt too convenient - hence the understandable reluctance in accepting it. Likewise the following scenes to tie-up all the loose ends that screamed less shown and more told. I don’t know, I had high hopes for this book that it boggled me how it left me feeling cheated. Perhaps the next installment would fare better - fingers-crossed! - and I’d feel more charitable to this series than I feel now.


Copy of this book is kindly given by the authir/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 43%. I tried really hard to enjoy this book. Annabeth Albert is a popular author among my reading group, and I was hoping I would enjoy this book. Unfortunately I didn't believe Linc's reasons for denying the both of them a romance. None of it was believeable, and I couldn't stop rolling my eyes.

This book had a lot of promise to be something really big and it kind of fell a little bit flat for me, was it still a good romance, yes it was but just a little flat. There was so much homophobia in this book that was never addressed properly. What’s really bad is the majority of it came from Jacob/Wyatt’s family. I don’t know if that’s a spoiler but there it is out in the open. Maybe that’s what put it off from the beginning the fact that not only Wyatt was laying down the law that Linc couldn’t date Jacob but that he thought he would corrupt him about being gay. I just don’t know how you can be best friends with someone and them not accept you for who you are. The warning off of a sibling thing yah I get that, the not accepting you for who you are I don’t get.

About Linc, he was a super complex guy he obviously had a crap childhood which you hear a lot more about later in the book way later. I loved that he loved his dogs like kids, that instantly made me want to live with him. He’s a very down to earth guy, obviously a stay at home person even though he’s never home. He’s always trying to do more for others than himself, and you can see how that is actually hurting him in the long run. His comradery with everyone in the fire company is really nice, I liked how they all joked around with each other and looked out for one another.

Jacob wasn’t as complex as Linc he of course had some baggage but his main goal in life was just to live it and do everything to the fullest. While he was younger than Linc he didn’t seem to let that stop him in pursuing him pretty much at any age. I understand why Jacob wants to be a smoke jumper for himself and no one else. He is very stubborn when he wants something, and I loved his determination. He is an amazingly sweet character to everyone he is around, there is one part in the book when another rookie is being hit on by an older firefighter and he acts like he’s monopolizing her time so the guy can’t, that is the guy everyone needs around.

There is a ton of angst in this book about their hidden relationship and how they both want more but are unsure how to move forward, I just wish some things as I said before were more addressed. Some of the plot was a little drawn out but I can forgive that. Could I see some of the HEA moments coming of course but I didn’t even care I just wanted them to be happy.

This author has a great following on Goodreads and I will try some of her previous series since it seems to be recommended. I would like to thank Netgalley Annabeth Albert, and Carina Press for a copy in lieu of my honest review.

Burn Zone. First book in a new series by Annabeth Albert. Let me say first, what a HOT book cover (You can't go wrong with a Hot Firefighter on the cover really).
Onto the book now. It was well written. Smoke jumping was a profession I didn't know about. And the Author did a good job describing it. Jacob infatuation with Lincoln was a bit much at time but they were well suited. Their passionate coupling was very Hot and descriptive (but you can't expect any less from an Annabeth Albert book). Another plus, it did happened early on, so you don't have to wait until the middle of the book for that.
Bring on book two.
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley. This is my own opinion.

Burn Zone upholds everything I expect from Albert: emotionally vulnerable men with badass jobs who have very passionate sex. What’s great about Albert’s writing is that even though her stories generally follow a standard plot, how the ending is achieved remains unique in each book. The characters share similar traits across the books and series, but they are distinct enough that they don’t feel too archetypal.

Albert’s new romance series takes us away from her usual military heroes and introduces us to the world of smoke jumping.

My concentration level for reading is next to zero, but I did devour this in one sitting. I just really love this authors writing and the way she paces her stories.

Jacob has always had a thing for his brother’s best friend and fellow smoke jumper, Linc. The timing was never right. Jacob was 19 when he first made a play for Linc who was then 29. Then after Jacob came out to his family, his big brother Wyatt warned Linc off and made him promise not to pursue Jacob.

Years alter, Jacob joins Linc’s smoke jumping team as a new recruit and Wyatt is no longer in the picture yet he still looms large over their relationship.

I’ll start with the positives. The training scenes were fun. It’s always great to read about new professions and smoke jumping has great potential for adrenaline rushes and danger.

Jacob. Dear sweet Jacob. I adored him so much. He’s a little brash and confident. Completely secure in himself and what he wants out of life. He’s brave without being cocky and is stubbornly loyal and dedicated to those he cares about.

Which leads me to what I didn’t like so much. Linc. He’s a good man with a good heart but oh man…the way he strings Jacob along and hurts him over and over again out of some misguided loyalty to his best friend Wyatt got on my last nerve after a while.

I think some of the problem is in the brief time we meet Wyatt, he’s a homophobic ass. And we just keep learning more about what a jerk Wyatt was until we finally learn why Linc feels so loyal to him. Wyatt saved Linc in a lot of ways from an abusive father so I get it. It was a complicated issue and Linc was trying to do the right thing for Jacob and to honor Wyatt.

But the way Linc caved and carried on a sexual relationship with Jacob while still putting his promise to Wyatt first was so passive aggressive and hurtful to Jacob and it pissed me off. Jacob had such a good, patient heart with everyone – Linc and his family - but they all always let him down and put Wyatt (who was no longer there) first.

Every relationship needs a little drama and this was theirs and, of course, it’s resolved but Linc’s martyr complex got old.

So yeah…a lot of frustration but the smoke jumper setting and the friend group, plus Jacob made this a compelling read anyway and I did enjoy how they were rock solid once Linc got his head out of his ass.

Sigh.
I was really looking forward to reading this book and I feel it just somewhat fell short of the mark.
I did DNF this book so my review is not of the complete book.

I am big on connection and I just didnt get it with these 2 and that made me sort of sad.

Also I just felt like 1 MC was just not true to himself and that brought me into angry feelings and I just had to give it up