I received an earc of Burn Zone by Annabeth Albert for review from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way changed my thoughts and feelings about the book. 

I started reading Annabeth Alberts books last year and have since then been more intrigued by what she has written. I haven't loved any of her books, but I've enjoyed them that I want to read more from her. They are great M/M romances that I can just sit back and read and not worry about too much. 

Burn Zone by Annabeth Albert follows Jacob Hartman as he begins his first day as a recruit of Lincoln Reids elite smoke jumping team. There has always been heat between Jacob and Linc. But Linc has tried to stay away from the temptation, he promised Jacobs late brother and Linc's best friend that he would. But now being this close together, it's not as easy. And Jacob doesn't get the warm welcome and support that he wanted and expected. He knows everyone's concern, but he wants to do this. 

I loved the heat between Jacob and Linc. It is intense and is always going. This made the novel quite fast-paced and that made the novel more enjoyable. Jacob and Linc have a past, and while it's not all romantic or full of tension, Linc and Jacobs brother were best friends and it's not something that they can hide. Because of this Linc has a hard time being able to accept these feelings for Jacob and that does cause a lot of tension throughout the book. While also the fact that Linc also feels guilt about his best friends death. 

Overall, Burn Zone by Annabeth Albert is an okay read. Like her other books, they aren't my favourite. But they are great books to just sit and read and not worry too much about anything else. The romance was hot and adorable at the same. Plus the tension of them fighting fires leaves the reader wanting to know what is going to happen next. I will continue this series just to see what happens next with everyone.

4.5 Stars

Annabeth Albert's Burn Zone is the start of what looks to be a thrilling Hotshots series.

I always freak out about fires, so I knew there would be some tough moments in this story. A story of two men, both fire jumpers, falling in love, the reader has to anticipate some danger and action.

As for the fire jumping aspect, everything is well explored. The training, the action, the danger, all of it is extremely well written, fully bringing the reader into these situations along with the characters.

Jacob and Linc. Oh how I love these men together! Their history is great, as Jacob and Linc are connected through the years. Jacob's a rookie for the team, back home after years away, and butting heads with Linc, who was his brother's best friend. Linc is too lost to his fears, unable to take a chance on love. He's weighed down by his past promises and can't fully let Jacob into his life. As well, he's still grieving the loss of his best friend.

This is a story that includes best friend's brothers' romance and years of resentment. Their story includes stubbornness and obligations. It's a story of old promises and an age gap. These are two men struggling to make things work, and every moment is riveting. It's a story about grabbing onto happiness in life, instead of just living. And I love it all.

The writing is fantastic, and the plot is fascinating. The characters are great, both individually and together. And damn, they know how to bring the heat.

Burn Zone is another great read by Annabeth Albert. This story is beautiful and tender. It's a long, hard fought journey towards self-acceptance and self-worth and it's well worth a read. I look forward to seeing what happens next in this series.

I've only started reading Annabeth Albert here and there and I really enjoyed this first book in the Hotshots series. Who doesn't love firefighters? And make them smoke jumpers and I love them even more. Add in a bit of age gap, best friends little brother, and M/M and you have a story that is worth reading from beginning to end. Linc and Jacob have their work cut out for them. Linc made a promise years ago that he aims to keep. Jacob has felt "something" for Linc and aims to get what he wants. Some tough moments on the work front keep you riveted and hoping for resolutions at work, with these two men and with family and friends.

I liked the premise of the book. Who doesn’t like firefighters?! The relationship between Lincoln and Jacob felt real and sweet. I liked both of them. I guessed early on what drama would happen and I wasn’t wrong. A huge part of the book was Lincoln keeping a promise. A promise that was wrong in the first place. I wanted more for the ending. Not that it was rushed, but it was lacking something. I would recommend this book and Im looking forward to the next book in the series.

I received a copy from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to love this. I thought I would, but ended up a little disappointed.

I'm into firefighter stories. They typically have a found family feel to them which I personally like reading. This had that. Or at least had the potential for it. Honestly, that was a lot of this book: lots of potential, not a lot of execution.

Let's talk characters. I don't have too much to say. They are perfectly fine and average guys. I did struggle to tell them apart though. I was bothered by something Jacob did. He basically guilted Linc into coming out. That kind of left a bad taste in my mouth. And I feel like a lot of the Annabeth Albert books I've read have this plot point. I don't like it, but that's personal preference.

While I was disappointed, I wouldn't tell someone else not to read this.

I highly enjoyed this look at the men and women who jump from planes into the heart of a forest fire, risking their lives to bring the flames under control. This is especially apt after the Australian fires when we saw real-time views of just how dangerous and powerful a forest fire can be. As this story opens, Linc Reid is mourning the loss of his best friend and fellow jumper, Wayne Hartman, and is shocked to learn that his replacement is none other than Wayne’s younger brother, Jacob, the guy who Linc has been avoiding for years.

Jacob is now in his midtwenties but he’s longed to get close to Linc since he was a teen. Unfortunately, the kiss they shared when he was nineteen scared Linc away. That, and the promise Linc made to homophobic Wayne who warned Linc that Jacob was not for him. And Linc never breaks a promise.

There’s a lot of angst in this story, mostly Linc’s self-recrimination over how Wayne died (Could he have saved him?) and over his sexual attraction to Jacob, an attraction that continues even though it’s been six years since the kiss. The attraction is so strong, in fact, that Linc considers leaving the forest service, a job he lives for. To be honest, Linc isn’t very likeable for quite some time in this story, and yet the author slowly reveals more and more about his past, a past that helped me see why he did and thought some of the things that made me initially dislike him. He lived by a strict self-imposed moral code that made him seem cold, but by the second half, I was sold on him, ready to root for a firm commitment between him and Jacob.

Jacob, on the other hand, was likeable from the start. Strong and determined in character, word, and action, Jacob has wanted to be a smoke jumper since he first learned about them years before. He’s worked his way up to this promotion through hard work on the ground crews, and he won’t be deterred by Linc’s attitude toward “the rookie.” It turns out Linc’s teammates requested Jacob on their team so they could “keep an eye on the rook,” much to Linc’s chagrin. How can he possibly give in to his attraction when it would be fraternizing? This poor character had so many high-ground moral stances it was difficult for him to function. But the two did ultimately get together, so yay for that.

The author walked a delicate path here by providing an outwardly hard-shell character who had a sweet interior. Granted, that interior was riddled with the ghosts of his past, and he found it difficult to juggle his desire for Jacob with his desire to keep his promise to Wayne and to Wayne’s family who had always embraced him as one of their own.

The story plays out beautifully, with angst, sexual tension, drama, emotional healing, and outright positivity. I’m looking forward to book two, for sure.

Annabeth Albert’s #gaymers series was my first introduction to MM romance and her books are some of my favorites in the genre so I have been looking forward to this book and this new series for a while. I am super intrigued by the life of smoke jumpers and wildfire fighters and Annabeth didn’t disappoint in her obvious research into this dangerous occupation and in-depth details about the lives of these men and women.

Jacob and Linc were both well rounded characters and I felt like I got to know both of them and was invested in their relationship.

However, this book did feel a lot like At Attention with a lot of the same tropes and similar storyline (best friend’s younger brother, dead loved one, limited time hookup). Maybe I wouldn’t have been so bothered by this if I hadn’t reread At Attention so many times (it’s one of my favorite books of her’s) but I definitely found the similarities to be distracting for me. It was a lot harder to lose myself in the story and I just kept waiting for things to go wrong.

The ending was at least unique and didn’t go down quite as I expected so I’m bumping up my rating a bit for that. Overall it was a really enjoyable book and a great introduction to the new series. And after reading the tease at the end for the next book I am dying for Garrick’s story!

4.25 stars - Review will also be posted on Goodreads

Oh my gosh, Annabeth Albert has written another scorcher with the apt title of Burn Zone. This book is about Linc, a seasoned smoke jumper, and Jacob, the younger brother of Lincoln's now deceased best friend, Wyatt. Linc and Wyatt grew up together and Linc feels indebted to him and his family for all they've done for him over the years. After a botched smoke jump where Wyatt ends up saving Linc's life, Linc asks what he can do to repay him. Wyatt's answer is simple..."Stay away from my little brother!" After Wyatt's passing, that promise becomes harder and harder to keep. Jacob has earned the right to be a smoke jumper right along side Linc, but that closeness is chipping away at Linc's resolve. Is keeping a promise to a dead best friend worth losing a possible amazing future with his living brother?? Read this book to see what it takes for Linc to trust in himself and live the life that he deserves! Brilliant characters and smoking hot sex keep this book a page turner!

This is a painful review for me to write because I'm a big fan of Annabeth Albert. Her, "Out of Uniform," series is one of my favorites. So when I heard she was doing a new series with smokejumpers, I jumped to request it on Netgalley. Unfortunately, this didn't quite work for me. I do want to note this is not a totally negative review. There were some things I enjoyed. Basically, overall, I liked it but didn't love it. And I am used to loving the majority of the books I've read by Albert. So I was a bit disappointed.

What worked:

It was sweet and sexy with likable main characters. I see potential in future books.

What didn't work:

For me, first of all, it was too long and dragged in places. There was a LOT of time spent on the smokejumper parts. Yes, I realize that might seem like a no brainer so why am I complaining? It was too much and I found myself skimming. I think her, "Out of Uniform," books had a better mix of subject/plot/romance. The steamy parts were sexy but I found they were a little over abundant and I started skimming those too. This book would have been better if it was trimmed down. I also found the, "obstacles," to the relationship to not be that big of a deal but they were over dramatized and I grew tired of them. The conflicts felt forced.

All that being said, I don't regret reading this. And I will absolutely try the second book. It might be one of those series that gets better as it goes. I hope so.

Burn Zone is the first book in the Hotshots series by Annabeth Albert. It is currently scheduled for release on April 27 2020.

Smoke jumper Lincoln Reid is speechless to see Jacob Hartman among his squad’s new recruits. Linc had promised his late best friend he’d stay away from his little brother. And yet here Jacob is…and almost instantly, the same temptation Linc has always felt around him is causing way too many problems. Jacob gets everyone’s concerns, but he’s waited years for his shot at joining the elite smoke jumping team, and is hoping to honor his brother’s memory. He’s ready to tackle any challenge Linc throws his way, and senses the chemistry between them—chemistry Linc insists on ignoring—is still alive and kicking. This time, Jacob’s determined to get what he wants. Close quarters and high stakes make it difficult for Linc to keep his resolve, never mind do so while also making sure the rookie is safe. But the closer they get, the more Linc’s plan to leave at the end of the season risks him breaking another promise: the one his heart wants to make to Jacob.

Burn Zone is a story that grabbed me from the start, and there is a lot to unpack. Guilt, family ties, and honorable intent are the biggest challenges this couple face, and it is all more than enough. Linc's friendship with Wyatt was not perfect, and had its issues, but Linc wants to keep his promises to him, especially after his death. Having a relationship with Jacob goes against everything Wyatt wanted, but something Jacob and Linc both crave. I really enjoyed getting to know both the characters, and seeing them really get to know each other and trust each other despite the distance they try to keep between them. I also liked the building of the secondary characters, and how varied and multifaceted they all were. I am already looking forward to continuing this series to see more of them. I also enjoyed that the reactions of Linc, Jcob, and the secondary characters were not always what I would have hoped, they were always in line with the personality of the character, I might not agree but I could always understand how they come to it. I also really appreciated that once they came to the decision to be together and fight for their HEA the work was not done and things did not magically fall into place. Family still needed to be dealt with, the possibilities of mistakes and missteps between them were still there, but they were committed to putting in the time and effort that is necessary for a real relationship rather than the world suddenly aligning and being all glitter and rainbows. The realism of the characters, their personalities, and their struggles just grabbed me and I want more. I am so ready for the next book in the series, and am now going to check out the author's previous books.

Burn Zone is a romance that gave me all the feels, with a nearly perfect blend of heart and heat.

A story is best when the emotional and physical stakes are high, and Annabeth Albert knows how to bring both. Smokejumpers Lincoln Reid and Wyatt Hartman have been friends their entire lives, but it's Wyatt's little brother, Jacob, that Linc can't live without. Watching Linc struggle with what it means to be an honorable man is heartbreaking because it not only challenges his sense of himself but also his place in his found family. As the younger of the two men, Jacob is confident about what he wants and what he needs to do to go after it but isn't just the brashness of youth. Rather, the author shows that she knows how to weave the psychological influence of their respective families into who they are as people and the roadblocks she sets in front of them. Although I did find myself connecting with Linc more, Jacob was exactly what he needed and I felt like they balanced each other well. The physical dangers of their chosen profession provided an exciting backdrop but were woven into the story in a way that made them an integral part of how it played out rather than just set dressing. Definitely a strong start to the new series!

I'm always a fan of Annabeth Albert and here was another sweet story about Linc and Jacob.

I liked Linc and Jacob together, but Linc being a martyr and stubbornness got a bit tiresome at times. He had a lot of baggage and guilt, and was working his way through it, but it got over done at times for me.

I adored Jacob from the beginning. He knew what he wanted and tried to go for it, but had to wait for Linc to finally give in and tackle his ghosts.

I liked that story. I also liked that it evolved around the Elite Forest Fire fighting team (smoke jumpers) as that is a world I don't know much about, so it was nice to have those details as part of the story.

After meeting Garrick and having a sneak peak into his story, I can't wait for Garrick's story.

Annabeth Albert has been one of my favorite M/M Romance writers for a number of years now. She always rewards her readers with a solid story and steamy romantic entanglement. Albert is always so well researched in whatever circumstances her characters are involved.

In this new series, Lincoln and Jacob have a history. A history that in itself, creates challenges for them and their families. Firefighters with a deep passion for the job, and each other. Full of juicy plot development, Burn Zone explores age gap romance, hunky fighters coming out, dangerous work situations and an unavoidable broken promise.

Looking forward to where this series goes in future installments.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was the 14th Annabeth Albert book I've read. I've always been a fan, so I jumped at the chance to read the start of her newest series. The last 3 books in the Out of Uniform series were just meh, so I was really hoping this book would redeem things. Unfortunately, I really struggled to get into this book. It took me over a week to read and I usually read a book in just a day or two, maybe longer if I'm busy. But I'd put it down and then only come back to it when I was trying to relax before bed. I wasn't itching to get back to the book. So that's why I can only rate this 2 stars. Plus, it didn't help that I wasn't the biggest fan of Linc. The one positive was that this was another hotshot series. I always enjoy the details behind those fighting wildfires and although I didn't really learn anything new about the profession in this book, it was still a change of pace from the normal.

Linc is a smoke jumper and is mourning his since-childhood best friend and fellow smoke jumper, Wyatt, who died in the line of duty in the last year. Jacob is the little brother of Wyatt and also a rookie smoke jumper. Jacob has a huge crush on Linc, who is 10 years his senior. Linc made a promise to Wyatt to stay away from Jacob because Wyatt was a homophobe and really didn't want his best friend doing anything with his little brother (or any guy I guess).

So for most of the book, Linc keeps fighting his attraction to Jacob, yet he still gets intimate with him every chance they get. But he gives Jacob so little of himself that the 'relationship' feels shallow and I really didn't see how they could have anything more than sex based on the lack of depth we saw. Sure, they cook and build playhouses together, but I was missing that deeper connection. Jacob keeps putting up with Linc's crap until he finally doesn't. Then something bad happens and they both 'see the light' and decide to really give things a go. And they get their HFN.

Another thing going on at the end was that we really see how homophobic Jacob's entire family was. We never really get any resolution from that either. Jacob's mom only slightly comes around and starts acting nice, despite having known Linc most of his life. Mae, Wyatt's sweet and kind widow, is the only one who is genuinely supportive of Linc & Jacob and happy for them.

The one thing i did like was how Jacob stood up to his family. He wasn't willing to sacrifice love to make his family happy when they didn't agree with him dating Linc. And Linc was still incredibly kind to Jacob's family despite how they turned on him, so I have to give him props for being the bigger person.

After reading a preview of the next book, I have high hopes that it'll be better since it certainly had me intrigued right away. I've never rated an Annabeth Albert book below 3 stars, so it pains me to give this one 2, but it was sadly lacking.

[Thanks Netgalley for the ebook. This review is my honest opinion but just another opinion, you should read this book and judge it by yourself]
A nice and touching reading but a little irregular for me.
I liked the plot, especially the lusting of young Jacob and Linc's inner strugle but it took me a while to connect with this story.
Linc's thoughts were depressing and repetitive, so I couldn't connect with him most of the time. I really loved Jacob, he's the light of the story, so I was really angry reading how almost everyone of this book (Linc included) underestimated him.
The first part of the book sometimes was a little boring (without tension since they're having sex really soon) but I liked a lot the second part, when their circumstances and the real life affect their relationship. They behave like adults (well, at least Jacob, who is younger than Linc wiser than him the whole book), they discuss and then get angry, but don't give up and keep on fighting for their love.
It's my first book of Annabeth Albert and I enjoyed her writing style.

Linc made a promise to his smoke jumping partner (and best friend) Wyatt that he would stay away from Wyatt’s younger brother Jacob. Then Wyatt was killed and the promise haunts him years later when Jacob joins his jump team. He knows Jacob has a crush on him but his promise weighs heavily on his mind because he’s interested in Jacob. They have a lot of baggage to get through if they are going to make a future together.

I had a big issue with Linc’s giving so much credence to a promise made to a man who made no secret about how he felt about gay men, his brother included. His back and forth with wanting Jacob then pushing him away got old fairly quickly.

I like the author but this book didn’t have the resonance her other books have had for me. I like angsty stories so that wasn’t the issue. Not sure why this book just didn’t work for me.

Burn Zone is a steamy romance, a slow burn that once it ignites it is brilliant.

Lincoln Reid made a promise to his best friend, hands off his little brother. Despite the pull he feels towards Jacob, Linc assures his friend he has zero interest.
Jacob, about ten years Linc's junior, has a poorly concealed crush, wanting nothing more than Linc to return his feelings.
However, Linc never breaks a promise.

Six years later and things have changed, both Jacob and Linc have lived through pain, both older and still attracted to each other and they can no longer avoid the sparks between them. Jacob and Linc were a cute couple, I loved how Linc slowly came out of his shell with Jacob, the character development was wonderful and the writing flowed smoothly. While the plot was somewhat predictable it was still a lovely read and I would definitely read more from this author.

Seductive, tender, and timely!

Burn Zone is a steamy, engrossing firefighter romance that features the lonely, closeted Linc, and the fun-loving, younger Jacob as they engage in a love affair strife with issues of insecurities, hidden sexuality, promises made, and workplace fraternization.

The prose is passionate and sincere. The characters are well-drawn, rugged, and sexy. And the plot sweeps you away into a fervent storyline filled with friendship, family, light drama, danger, smouldering chemistry, explosive heat, romance, as well as an inside look into the expectations, pressures, and challenges of being a smokejumper.

Overall, Burn Zone is a sweet, provocative, heartwarming tale about teamwork, love, communication, and taking chances. It is a fabulous start to the new Hotshots series by Albert that has solidified once again why she’s one of my all-time favourite authors.

I’m a big fan of Annabeth Albert’s and a new book from her is always a red letter day on my calendar!  Burn Zone is book one in her new Hotshots series which features a group of guys who work as Smoke Jumpers in the fictional Painter’s Ridge in central Oregon – and I admit I had to look up Smoke Jumping as I’d never heard of it before! There are undoubtedly shades of the author’s popular Out Of Uniform series here in terms of the camaraderie and close-knit relationships between team members, as well as the obvious fact that the characters from both series work in dangerous – potentially life-threatening – professions, but I enjoy the character types and sorts of through-thick-and-thin friendships Ms. Albert is skilled at creating, so those similarities worked for me.

Lincoln Reid has always been something of a loner.  After the death of his mother when he was young, he was either ignored or knocked around by his drunken, abusive father, the one good thing in his life his best friend Wyatt Hartman and Wyatt’s family, who pretty much adopted Linc as one of their own.  Linc and Wyatt always intended to become Smoke Jumpers together, and years later, have achieved that ambition and are still friends, even though Wyatt’s obvious bigotry when he found out Linc was gay made some dents in their friendship, and his tendency to make unpleasant comments about it mean they’re not as close as they once were.   When the book opens, Wyatt is pissed because his nineteen-year-old brother Jacob has just come out, and he warns Linc to stay away from him.  Linc tells Wyatt there’s no need to worry and tells him to mind his own business… although he can’t deny that he does enjoy Jacob’s company and finds his youthful confidence, his outgoing nature and most of all, the warmth of his smile, very appealing. But Jacob is ten years his junior and his best friend’s little brother.  Firmly off limits.

Six years later, and nine months after Wyatt’s death in an accident, Linc is surprised – and not in a good way – when Jacob turns out to be one of their squad’s newest recruits.  It’s bad enough that the Hartmans lost one son to the job, and Jacob must surely be aware what signing up for this could mean for his family – but worse, all the feelings of attraction Linc has steadfastly buried over the past six years come rushing back… and he’s not sure how long he’ll be able to keep them at bay.

At nineteen, Jacob had a massive crush on Linc, but has come to accept that nothing is ever going to happen between them  - or had, until the day of Wyatt’s funeral when, devastated with grief and unable to hold back any more, Linc kissed him and all Jacob’s buried – but never abandoned – hopes and wants came roaring back.  He knows he’s the last person Linc expects to see at the start of training, but he’s worked hard for his shot and isn’t going to let Linc’s obvious disapproval or his mother’s fears get in the way of fulfilling his dream.  And now that he knows that there is more than one-sided attraction between them, he’s also determined to show Linc that they deserve a shot at something more than friendship.

Even though Linc and Jacob embark on a sexual relationship early in the book – and yes, Ms. Albert trots out the old ‘one time to get it out of our systems’ trope but she tempers the corniness of it by having both guys realise it’ll never work even before they jump into bed – their romance is (befittingly) a slow burn as they go from secret booty calls to overnight stays to simply hanging out and enjoying each other’s company out of bed as much as in it. The relationship is lovely – for the first time in a very long time Linc realises he’s happy, and so is Jacob, who at long last has the man he’s wanted for so long by his side, both personally and professionally.  But the conflict in the romance – supplied by Linc’s doubts, his secrecy, his attempts to keep Jacob at arm’s length and his blow-hot-blow-cold attitude – go on for a little too long, and I started to dislike the way Jacob kept making allowances and accepting the crumbs of affection that were all Linc was prepared to offer.  Jacob’s a wonderful guy and at times I almost began to agree with Linc’s assessment that he deserved better!   I admired the understanding and patience Jacob displayed, but I wish he’d called Linc on his crap earlier.

Linc has a lot of baggage to work through, and his loneliness and sadness, the longing he feels for Jacob are so superbly rendered that they leap off the page.  I’ve never been a big fan of the best-friend’s-sibling trope with its invariable ‘stay away’ order from the bestie, but Annabeth Albert makes it work here because of the way she’s characterised Linc as a man so bound up in his perception of honour, of himself and what he owes to others that he feels he’s not entitled to put his own wants and needs before anyone else’s.  He has to learn to choose himself before he can choose to be with Jacob.

Ms. Albert has obviously done her research as regards the work of the Smoke Jumpers and all the other work they do throughout the season to try to prevent fires as well as the work they do when fighting them, which is interesting and adds a sense of authenticity to the story. She also creates a strong sense of camaraderie between the crew members, men and women who do an incredibly dangerous, highly skilled job they obviously love, but who work for a living to provide for their families and sometimes struggle to make ends meet.  There’s an extraordinary ordinariness (if you will) about these guys and their family lives and relationships, and I really liked the way that those two things balanced each other throughout the story.

Linc and Jacob are engaging, three-dimensional principals, plus there’s a strong secondary cast I’m sure we’re going to see more of in future books. The well-established setting, well-written relationships and a sexy, slow-burn romance combine to make Burn Zone a solid start to the Hotshots series and an enjoyable read overall.

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This was my first read from this author and it definitely won’t be my last.

Linc & Jacob’s Story was fantastic. Older brother’s best friend. It was a well thought out MM read with plenty of action and chemistry.. Smoke Jumpers who have grown up together and fought their feelings- eventually give in. I have to say I kind of hated Jacob’s family. Homophobic assholes who didn’t deserve the awesome son they had. Really enjoyed this one.