My review will be posted to my blog 03/27/2020 :D

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Jacob's older brother died working at the same job that Jacob has always dreamed of having. When he finally gets there as a rookie, he encounters his brother's best friend... Linc. As a kid he had a bit of a crush on Linc...as an adult... it could be much more. But Linc made a promise to Wyatt before he died; he promised to stay away from Jacob.

There are some interesting themes in this book. There's definitely an exploration of loss. What does the loss of a best friend do to someone? What about the guilt that survivors live with? Albert does a wonderful job of giving the reader a glimpse into the world of the person who has been left behind.

There's also a bit of homophobia in the book. A lot of it is internalized and that's intriguing as always. Linc is a complex fellow. Sure, he's made a promise to stay away from Jacob out of duty to his best friend but there's more to it than that. His father was abusive when he was young and disgusted and homophobic. All of that baggage has come along with Linc into his adulthood and it's a challenge. Well, when he's single and just being the dutiful worker it's not...but when he's around Jacob he feels it.

I think Linc was my favorite character. He's pretty complex and I love when romance authors take the time to develop their characters! Annabeth Albert always has the best characters so these two didn't surprise me. Linc broke my heart a few times; he's a real contradiction. He's so confident and strong on the job, being the dutiful Uncle, but he's so hard on himself, guilty and doesn't seem to be able to give himself anything that might be good. He just can't give himself a break.

there's a lot of details about the lives and training of firefighters and I think Albert did it justice. I don't have much personal experience with it but it read as authentic and it was certainly interesting.

This is a great, solid romance! Annabeth Albert never disappoints.

3.75ish Stars

I enjoyed the dynamic between our MCs and the smoke jumping was an interesting setting, but I never got quite on board with Linc’s hesitancies. Tbh the late-best-friend seemed like a jerk so all the drama that stemmed from that was a little annoying. I’d still recommend if you like Annabeth’s other work though. It was enjoyable and the steam was awesome.

A couple of years ago, I'd never heard of smokejumpers. This is the second or possibly third series to feature them that I've come across. What isn't to like? Firefighters, fit well-trained firefighters, fit well-trained firefighters who not only put themselves at risk to deal with fire but parachute into danger to do it.
This story deals with Jacob and Lincoln. They have had a thing for one another since Jacob was just nineteen years old and first came out to his family. Nothing can ever come of it, because Lincoln promised Jacobs older brother that he would steer clear. Now that said older brother is dead, there's no way that he can go back on that promise. Especially when hardly anyone even knows that he is gay himself.
This was quite a cute story and although it had much of the things that you expect; life-threatening situations, which make them question what they want. It was well written and gripping. I couldn't help but like Lincoln and Jacob and love them together as a couple.
This is the first in the series and I'm sure that we're going to see more of these hotshots before long.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I'm on the fence with this one. I enjoyed it; Annabeth Albert writes couples I enjoy reading about and getting to know. But the story itself never seemed to go anywhere, and because the problems between the principal couple seemed to be so unnecessary...it started to grow tedious right before it got better. So, this doesn't quite earn a high rating from me, but I would recommend it to AA fans.

Lincoln Reid is something of a loner. After the death of his mother when he was a young boy, his angry/abusive/drunk father (and awful brother) alternately ignored or hurt him. He got through all this childhood trauma with help from his closest childhood friend Wyatt Hartman, and Wyatt's close-knit family. The two grew up together, and eventually became teammates on a smoke jumper team, but Wyatt's bigoted views about Linc's sexuality - and his sometimes ugly references to it - were always a wall between them. It didn't help any when Wyatt's younger brother Jacob developed an intense crush on Linc, and despite Wyatt's 'keep away' warnings, he couldn't help his own attraction to his best friends younger brother. But he resisted it. So six years later, when Jacob shows up for training as one of the newest recruits, Linc worries about his resolve to stay away.

Jacob knows Linc is surprised to see him at the start of training - especially after the death of his brother Wyatt in an accident earlier in the year, but he won't let Linc - or his mothers fears - stop him from pursuing his dream. He's done the work and earned his place. He also won't let Linc's hangups get in the way of pursuing a relationship with him. Six years since he first started crushing hard on his brother's best friends hasn't lessened his attraction or desire to be with him.

Burn Zone starts out as a slow burn romance - these two have liked each other for six years - but working together fast forwards the relationship before either of them are really ready for it. Jacob longs for everything with Linc, and honestly, he puts up with Linc's doubts and secrecy and hurtful flip flopping, much longer than I thought he should have. He's so happy to have him, he's willing to tolerate being treated like he doesn't know his own mind or heart, for much longer than he should have. And Linc. Well, he's a mess of contradictions. He longs for a relationship with Jacob, but he puts everyone and everything else in the way of their relationship. I understood his doubts and confusions, and I was sympathetic about why he felt those ways, but Jacob made him so happy. The conflict between them simply goes on for too long.

I like the premise for this new series despite some very real worries that it feels very similar to the Out of Uniform books. The job, the team/squad element, the personalities...I don't know. I love that series so I'm happy to be back in a similar world, but this just doesn't feel quite as fresh and new. Frozen Hearts never quite clicked for me; I hope this one will get better as the series progresses.

Good; I'll be back for more.

Albert is always a very solid hit or a near miss for me and I have finally discovered why.
While her writing is always good, some of her books simply cater to an audience that isn't me.

Linc and Jacob's story is one full of angst and miscommunication that finally gets it's start with a friends with benefits arrangement.

It's a good story with two strong, stubborn main characters. I just prefer a slower burn, personally.

~4.5~

And so it begins: yet another gripping, romantic, and sexy AF series by Ms. Albert.

And, WOW, is it off to a good start.

Burn Zone features:

- two stubborn MCs (Jacob, the rookie, who's determined to make Linc see that they belong together, and Linc, the experienced fire jumper, who made a promise to Jacob's brother and who keeps Jacob at arm's length)

- dogs (dogs rules!)

- slow burn (and how! Jacob and Linc dance around each other for SIX DAMN YEARS)

- age gap (ten years, something Jacob finds inconsequential)

- family/friendship dynamics (I have mixed feelings about Wyatt, Jacob's brother and Linc's best friend; Wyatt looked out for Linc for many years, but he's also a homophobic jerk who asks for promises no one should ever have to keep)

- action (smokejumpers are seriously brave)

- hurt/comfort

- LOVE (but of course)

- hard-earned HEA (the best kind)

- dual third-person POV (all the yes; this is my favorite narrative style)

I'm so hoping Garrick's story is next!

"You're ..." My heart. My everything. The words were right there, but then Jacob looked away ....

"Just trust me."

"I do. Always. Find me. After."

"Always."

And then Jacob was gone ...."

Wow, what a wonderful start to this new series by Annabeth Albert. Her characters are well established and a joy to read. In this books we are introduced to Lincoln Reid and Jacob Hartman. I found the story to be a slow placed read for me which I found enjoyable, because I got to know the characters better. If your looking for a great read then I would highly recommend this book. I very much look forward to the next book in the series.

I'm a huge fan of the author but I struggled from the beginning with this book. I didn't feel like the characters had a connection nor did I feel like they had hope for a relationship. The firefighter aspect is always interesting to read but it seemed like this crew spent more time with injuries than fighting fires. It needed more spark all around.

This book was exciting, emotional, and touching. Linc kept a promise to a friend who he held most dear, even in his absence. However, Jacob refuses to lose Linc. He goes against everyone to do what he wants to do in life and get what he wants in the mean time.

Un super Annabeth Albert ! Je me suis régalée avec le premier tome de cette nouvelle série consacrée à des pompiers "volants" ! En effet, l'auteur ancre sa nouvelle série dans les montagnes de l'Ouest des États-Unis, et ses héros travaillent au sein d'une caserne de pompiers un peu spéciale : ils vont au feu en étant parachutés, et procèdent à de nombreuses opérations de bucheronnage, soit en préventif, soit au coeur de l'action, en plein feu. Du coup, les personnages ont droit à de bonnes doses d'adrénaline, et nous avec ! On retrouve l'esprit de camaraderie que j'avais beaucoup aimé dans la série 'On Point', ainsi que des scènes d'actions, avec un esprit de groupe, une nécessité de bosser ensemble et de ne laisser personne dernière. J'ai vraiment aimé ces passages, notamment la longue scène sur la dernière partie du livre, qui m'a tenue en haleine, scotchée à mon Kindle. Impossible de m'arrêter, malgré l'heure tardive ! Vraiment, ces passages là sont tops, super bien écrits, on a l'impression de voir la scène se dérouler sous nos yeux, on se sent presque au coeur de l'action avec les personnages ! Sur ce point, Annabeth Albert est vraiment forte !

La romance m'a également bien plue. En fait, le trope du petit frère du meilleur ami, c'est un truc qui me séduit toujours à mort, parce que, étant moi-même la petite dernière de la fratrie, j'ai inévitablement eu des crushs plus moins prononcés pour certains amis de mes grands frères, et j'ai toujours fantasmé sur le fait qu'un jour ... Bon alors dans la vraie vie, je n'y ai pas eu droit, mais du coup, ça me fait swooner à mort dans les romances, et là, c'était super. Punaise, qu'est-ce que c'est bon de voir Linc ENFIN se laisser aller à son attirance pour Jacob ! Et qu'est-ce que c'est chouette aussi de voir la patience de Jacob récompensée sur ce point ! Leur relation va évoluer de manière tout à fait naturelle, sans réels rebondissements, ou du moins, pas de rebondissements nazes. La romance est une vraie source de confort, malgré les obstacles, leur complicité fait qu'ils ont une relation assez douce et finalement assez facile. Ils sont déjà proches avant même d'être proches, et la scène de l'anniversaire concrétise à merveille ce changement de cap (quelle scène .... 😍💕).

Les personnages secondaires sont très présents, notamment les coéquipiers de nos deux héros, mais aussi la famille de Jacob, et la présence très marquée de Wyatt, meilleur ami de Linc, et frère de Jacob. Hmm celui-ci, je ne le trouve pas sympa du tout, j'ai du mal de comprendre comment Linc a pu rester ami avec lui. Je comprends qu'il se sente redevable, qu'ils partagent de choses pas faciles, mais en même temps, on a l'impression que c'était un sacré c*n !

Enfin bon, j'ai envie de terminer sur une note positive, parce que je me suis vraiment régalée avec ce livre ! Donc pour résumer : une histoire romantique et sexy, de l'action et une vision tout à fait inédite des pompiers tels que nous les connaissons, bref, un 1er tome vraiment chouette !

I expected this book to be steamy and it did not disappoint. It was also sweetly romantic.

Linc's best friends younger brother is off limits, but Jacob has different ideas. It takes six years for the two acknowledge the feelings they have for each other. With training for fire season jumpers coming Jacob is excited to be joining the smoke jumpers. No one else is excited for him though after his brother's death last season. As the teams are made Jacob is placed on his brother's old team. Now that Linc and Jacob are working in close quarters it seems important that they get the lust out of their system with one night. Does what starts as one night have a chance to work past all the history.

I really enjoyed reading Linc and Jacob's story. It was fast paced and easy to slip into the world. This is a story about their relationship and the high danger atmosphere of wildfire fighting added tension to the romantic tension. I have a soft spot for books with dogs and this story didn't let me down. Also, a man who can cook as Linc can adds that tough but will take care of you aspect that I think is sometimes missing in LGBTQ stories.

I really enjoyed this novel and I'm looking forward to reading the other's in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’ve been jonseing for a firefighter romance and this ARC fit perfectly. Great characters, great backdrop. I really look forward to reading more in this series.

Thank you Carina Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

BURN ZONE is the first book in the new series, Hotshots, by Annabeth Albert. In here, we are introduced to Smoke Jumpers - those brave men and women who try to stay ahead of forest fires, unfortunately not always successfully.

We start off with Linc and Wyatt who appear to be best friends, although that is debatable. Fast forward and Wyatt is dead, his little brother Jacob has got his shot at being a Smoke Jumper, much to the disapproval of everyone, and Linc finds it harder than he should to keep things professional between them.

Linc is a solitary guy, living a quiet life outside of work. I could appreciate the way his thoughts worked in most ways. The one way I didn't get was how he idolised Wyatt to the degree he did. Yes, he saved Linc's life and not just when they were Smoke Jumping, but Linc saved his too. And he did appear to have a split personality! I was ecstatic when Linc came to his senses!! Jacob has the hardest job of all - proving not only to his family but also his work colleagues too, that he is here to stay and not only can he do the job but he is damn good at it too.

This is a slow burn romance with Linc fighting it for most of the book. Jacob is more honest about it but still tells lies to himself about just how much he feels for Linc. The world this book introduced me to is well-written and thought-out. The pacing is smooth and the characters are all three-dimensional.

This is the first book in the series and I, for one, can't wait to continue. Absolutely recommended by me.

What a fabulous start to this new series from Annabeth.

It combines the camaraderie of her Out of Uniform series with the small town vibe of her Rainbow Cove books and I loved it.

Lincoln needed a shake or a good talking too so he got his head out of his backside but I totally got him.

Jacob is an honest and direct guy, he wants Linc, always has. But his dead brother's ghost hangs over them both.

There's angst, but it never becomes overwrought, Linc is struggling with his own feelings for Jacob and guilt about his best friend's death.

I loved how Annabeth wound their relationship around the Smokejumper team's first season following Wyatt's death and how they tried to come to terms with his little brother taking his spot.

The chemistry between them is incendiary, touched with a sense of the forbidden, as Linc does his best to push Jacob away.

With danger on the edges constantly, this is a romance rollercoaster that ultimately leads to an explosive finish.

Grab it if you love hard-headed men with a soft centre and a feeling of family among a group of men who literally put their lives in each other's hands.

I am always excited to start a new book by Annabeth Albert. When I saw the new series I definitely took notice. The first book took me a bit to get into and I didn't see a real spark between the main characters until I was well into the book. But once it hit I was hooked.

This was a fun and different story line from what I have been used to by Ms Albert and I can't wait to see what else she comes up with in the series. This slow to boil romance was frustrating and wonderful all at the same time. Forbidden love seems to be a kick I'm on lately and I'm glad I stuck to reading about Linc and Jacob and their highly dangerous job.

I LOVED BURN ZONE.

I hate to even bring up Annabeth Albert's Alaska series, but I have to- it just didn't resonate with me. I was super bummed because AA has been a go-to of mine for years. When I first read about Burn Zone, I was equal parts excited and nervous. Nervous because the previous series wasn't a winner for me; I so didn't want that to be the case again. I'm happy to report it was awesome. Nothing to worry about here!

Unrequited love ✔
Temptation ✔
Angst ✔
Chemistry ✔
Dual POVs ✔
Best friend's brother (Loved the way this was handled, by the way) ✔
Character growth ✔
Relationship development ✔
A teeny bit of action ✔
Family ✔

It had everything I loved.

What a fantastic start to this new series! I cannot wait for book 2!

5 Stars!

3.75* Good start to a not-your-everyday tough guys series. Decent research, decent tale and decent guys.

This is the first in a new series and at the end of the tale we find out that the author is already at work on book 2, which featured a very decent side character here. Yes, I enjoyed this tale and this side character enough to want to find out if my suspicions about him getting a tale of his own were true, so yay!

Anyway, back to this one. Well, thankfully we Brits don't have the type of major fires recently seen in Australia and the US and so 'smoke jumpers' were entirely unknown to me. I had thought I'd be reading about stuff like in the film, Always (with the brilliant Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, which was playing in my mind as I read), but it was entirely different. I think the author's done a fair amount of research and the subject definitely kept my interest.

The romance in this was a little strange in a way, as Linc had been warned off Jacob by Wyatt, Linc's best friend and Jacob's older brother, and the guys actually became aware of each other when Linc was 29 and Jacob 19, but spent 6 years apart before the tale started-started. During this time, I think, but am not sure, that they pretty much barely saw each other and that maybe a sad event brought them together once, then twice and that's when Linc's resolve started to crumble. I can't explain more or it'd Spoiler the tale, but I wonder how these guys would have gotten together had said sad event not happened. I can't say that I *felt* that they'd have made it against the odds, and the sad event felt a little convenient.

There were elements of homophobia in this tale, but not blown up and not overwhelming to the point of taking over the tale and becoming trope'y. It's hard to describe, as it's not an out-and-out prejudice the way it's treated but it is vocal and it does come from someone I didn't expect it to come from for several reasons, and then later on, it rears its head again, and again. It made me sad but at the same time, it added an unfortunate bit of realism to the tale, because these people weren't old, weren't uneducated and supposedly loved Linc and Jacob, and yet... Sadly, it's an indication of people not accepting what's different, but thankfully, there were a couple of allies in the tale, including the one who's the lead of book 2.

The romance that wasn't intended to be any more than a one-night stand turned out to be hot and heavy and I could see lust more than love but the tale ended with the leads in a good place, several months down the line from where they'd started off, and they, and people around them, had started healing and had opened their minds a little. It wasn't the most authentic or moving romance I've read, as it was sex-driven for the most, but the leads were decent, their feelings and nobility were in the right place, and, the winner for me, was that they loved dogs! Yep, Linc had two adorable rescued dogs here and they appeared quite a bit, and the way Jacob was with them was really sweet, and, they were about to adopt another, I think, so yay!! - Brit dog lover here, lol!

ARC courtesy of Carina Press and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.

Wow. Annabeth Albert knows how to do a slow burn (ha!) right. It took a while for any sort of relationship to get going, but even when the MCs were just circling around each other the chemistry was off the charts. And then once it got going, the book is nearly impossible to put down. Grumpy, solitary Linc was hard to like sometimes, but he really was just all about putting everyone else’s feelings first, and that can be an admirable trait. I liked Jacob from the get go, and my heart hurt right along side his. It’s a wonderful love story, has just the right amount of action, and definitely starts the serious off with a bang.