Great start to a new series! She lost her husband to a fire. He was high and still went to work anyway. He's been in love with his best friends wife for years. There is also an unspoken rule about firefighter widows. They ignore those rules and find love anyway.

🚒🚒🚒🚒/5

I went into this book knowing it included romance and firefighters. And so my obviously response was “sign me up!” But because I didn’t really know what it was about, I went in without any expectations.

And I was blown away. This book was so much more than a love story and firefighters. It was about tragedy, what it means to be family, grief, heartbreak, love, what it means to live for today and this moment only, how to live for yourself and no one else, healing, and everything in between.

There was steam, which makes sense because if there is fire involved I expect to feel the heat 🥵😅 but those moments between Natalie and Cole were my favorites. Especially the kitchen scene…

But the true beauty of this book is the storyline of Natalie’s life. She is entrenched in tragedy, grief and heartbreak. And yet she is one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met.

Her story is rich in many ways even though on the surface it looks to be lacking in more ways. And that realization takes her a long time to see for herself. And with the help of Cole and her mother, Betsy, she gets there and learns to live for today and the moments she has. Because she knows more than most how short life is.

This book had me in tears several times, and I felt so strongly for each character and moment from the very beginning. If you’re looking for an emotional, steamy, in depth read then you need to pick this one up asap.

2.5 stars

I really hope to like this book however I couldn't connect with the hero and heroine. Sometimes the hero was a little too much for me and the heroine was a little over the place with her feelings which I know the topic that is treated is obvious she will feel that way but for me it seemed forced.

Flashpoint by Skye Jordan

The story follows Natalie who’s husband dies in the line of duty as a firefighter and she is dealing with his death while getting on with her life. Helped by his work family and best friends especially Cole who had been a life long friend of Evans. Natalie’s Mother’s cafe goes on fire and her mother is badly injured so she has to pickup the pieces, sort out the business and keep it running by diversifying it completely. Whilst the building is rebuilt and she has to decide what to do about developing her own plans to have her own business due to her mother’s needs. Cole is always there to help her shoulder the load whilst hiding his secret love for her. As a brilliant firefighter he faces underlying traditions and modern attitudes in his profession.

This book covers may different strands that make up the big picture of this story. Not all of them obvious but all are very true to life and dealt with really well by Skye Jordon.

This book covers secret addiction ,dementia and bereavement beautifully and prejudice extremely well although not quite as steamy as others in this series. 4.5/5

Flashpoint (Forged in Fire book 1)
By: Skye Jordan

📚💕⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💕📚

Can two people find forever?

When old traditions and past lives can steal your happiness do you fight or let the world win?

Cole is a great guy, great firefighter and he puts others happiness above his own. His father was that in name but not so much action. He’s been hurt and let down in life and works every day to make sure to be there for everyone. When he looses his best friend and fellow firefighter Evan during a fire he knows he needs to make sure she’s ok. Natalie was his best friends girl but what he never let on was he’s been loving her as long as he can remember.
Can he break into her heart or will she always be Coles girl?

The author writing is flawless, and the words are so captivating, the plot had so many twists and turns and none that I was expecting, and many shockingly intimate I have become a huge fan of this author. The author writes with so much intensity and emotion pulled from each book it’s felt page after page. Some are quick witted story lines are so perfect and lets you believe you have a front row seat. So being able to read this love story didn’t disappoint. The authors ability to have two separate individuals struggling in their everyday life and try to navigate someone else’s thoughts, needs and desires was intense and gives all the fills.


Authors Blurb: She was my best friend's wife strike one. Now, she's a firefighter's widow strike two. And she wants nothing to do with a man who risks his life every day strike three.

Keeping an emotional distance from Natalie while still taking care of her after Evan died has been one of the biggest challenges of my life. One I've managed for two years.

Right up until she starts dating again, which kicks off a heated argument and ends in a soul-searing kiss. Once that line is crossed, there's no going back.

I eat, breathe, and sleep firefighting. It's not just what I do, it's who I am. I fuckin' love this job. I never thought I'd ever let anything come between me and my career, but Natalie isn’t just anything. In fact, she's everything—everything I never knew I wanted but now can't live without.

The odds aren't in our favor. If this job doesn't tear us apart, the secret I've been harboring will.

This book has everything I love in a book. Then you add that it's beautifully written and believable. It is easily a five star read. Written in dual POV my personal favorite this story flows so incredibly well that the next thing you know your 80% into the book and loving every second of it. The believable way the characters interact is perfect. Run, Hop, Jump or use your (1 click) finger to do whatever you have to do and get this amazing book. It'll break your heart, you'll want to scream with frustration and it'll let you discover that love just might conquer all. The chemistry is steamy and sweet and oh so romantic.

Thanks Netgally for letting me read and review.📚💕

This is a romance/women's fiction, and this is the first book in the Forged in Fire series. I want to start off by saying the cover made me think this book was going to be hot and steamy, but this book was not hot and steamy. I loved this book so much, and the book was so much more then just a romance. I also do not think the romance was the top thing in this book, and that is why I would also call this book women's fiction. I love everything this book as in it, but I do not want people to pick it up thinking it is going to be a hot and steamy romance. I love the fireman's point of view, and I love it so the fact fireman are like one big family. I love all the developed of the characters, and I love getting to see how both the main characters are feeling. Of course, I love the storyline/plot in this book. I will also say there are some parts of this book can be hard to read (burns, death of a husband, drug use, and more). This book will stay will me for a long time. Great book. I will keep reading this series. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Author Collective 20) or author (Skye Jordan) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

5 Stars!

Loved this story, was hooked from the start.

No mucking around introducing the characters and the story.

I thought the author did a fantastic job at the conflict with the hero and why he held back.

Loved the team.

Didn't want to finish this one and leave the world created and made me look up the rest of the series.

Absolutely loved this book!

Natalie lost her husband, Evan, a firefighter, in a house fire. Evan's best friend, Cole, was her closest friend before he died, now he's come around, cut the grass, helps her with the repairs-- but he's been emotionally distant.

Two years after his death, Natalie decides that it's time to start dating again. But when Cole finds out he loses his mind and in the middle of their fight, he kisses her. Now he's not stopping since he crossed the line.

The problem is Natalie is a firefighter's widow, and the job frowns upon a firefighter dating a widow. With Cole climbing up the ladder at the firehouse, it could ruin his career. But he's been waiting for her his whole life.

The job is Cole's life and Natalie doesn't know if she can live through the loss again. But she won't let him sacrifice his dreams for her.

With everything against them, will this work out?

A must read!

Flashpoint shows the effects of not only someone hooked on prescription pain meds, but a family's perspective of how it affects them too; which from personal experience really hit home for me.
The chemistry and heat between Cole and Natalie is hot! I was so happy when they got their HEA.
Can't wait for the next in this series!

This is a very happening book right off the bat. Being secretly in love with your best friend's wife is a big NO. Now that she's a widow it's a NO-NO. And for Natalie, getting involved with another firefighter is a NO WAY!. But even with all the odds stacked against them, it is difficult for Evan and Natalie to ignore their growing attraction and concern for each other. But when they seem to be each others' shoulder to lean on there is no way that all their self-imposed rules and regulations can stop them from taking the next step.

Advance Review Copy provided for voluntary review consideration.

Skye Jordan just became one of my one click authors. I loved her storytelling style and I was engaged the whole time. Great characters and delicious sexual chemistry. Can't wait to read more by this author.

I liked how this author took the romantic trope and turned it slightly. Natalie was older than Cole. While her biological clock was ticking, it wasn’t the reason for her to enter a relationship. Cole was the first to admit his strong attraction/love to Natalie. While both characters had successful careers (slight hiccup for Natalie), neither needed “saving” and it was Cole who made a realistic adjustment to his career as a compromise. I also liked how Ms Jordan was able to share interesting facts about firefighters and their job without sounding like a text book. I’m very much looking forward to reading the next in this series.

Complementary copy given for honest review and opinion. Copy given by NetGalley. When you stop in the middle of the book to find other books in this series because you love this one so much, it is a very good indication of the greatness of this book. I LOVE THIS BOOK and the characters. Give me more! Fireman romance at it's finest!!

First time reading this author and I enjoyed it. Great storyline and character development. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

"My feelings for Natalie are confusing and contradictory. I've been able to keep most of my self-loathing in check by keeping Natalie at arm's length, but that was before she was dating."

Natalie was his best friend's wife. That best friend has been gone for two years. Cole has never stopped mourning his friend. His feelings for Natalie also have never gone away. When she walks in with some insurance salesman looking dude, he's not having it. If she's ready to date, maybe he's ready to confess his feelings for her.

Cole has always been there for Natalie. Even before her husband died, Cole was a good friend to her. Since the death of her husband, Cole has been a steady force in her life. Though distant at times.

Now things are starting to happen between them. Cole is no longer hiding his feelings and Natalie is discovering hers.

This is a great story with wonderful characters. Skye Jordan creates another great book world

If you love small town romance and a hot and sexy firefighter, check out this book.
I enjoyed it quite a bit.
With interesting characters and a past that both have to deal with as well as coming to terms with a new life and hoping for a better future , their road to romance is not an easy one as many decisions are to be taken and it’s not always easy letting go of the things you once thought you couldn’t live without.
Check it out and hopefully you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

Exploring themes of friendship, trust, following your dreams, family, grief, trauma, and moving on, Flashpoint, Book 1 in Skye Jordan’s Forged in Fire series, is contemporary romance about Natalie and Cole, two close friends who are at the precipice of becoming more, but all sorts of barriers and complications are standing in their way. Jordan’s vivid and detailed description, character development, and detailed exploration of life for firefighters and their families, especially for their widows and families after the death of a firefighter family member, elevates this contemporary friends-to-lovers romance to an intensely emotional, entertaining, and engaging must read.

Evan has been in love with Natalie for a long time – from the first time he met her before she married Evan, after she married Evan – and he’s still in love with her even now that she’s his widow. He’d firmly walled up those feelings and his emotions so he could just be her friend and be there for her after his best friend’s and her husband’s death. Knowing the last thing Natalie will ever do is marry another firefighter makes it easier for him to deny his feelings for her, especially with the secret he is keeping from her. It’s for the best since Evan lives for his job as a firefighter. But an earthshattering kiss they share after a fight sparked by Natalie’s first date after Evan’s death breaks down that wall, bringing those feelings rushing back to the surface. That mind-blowing kiss also reveals she may have feelings for him too. One complication after another must be overcome before they can explore those shared feelings and the intense attraction they share.

The interactions between the characters and their development may be one of the best things about flashpoint. Each of the relationships and interactions felt genuine and effectively moved the plot along. The characters are relatable, likeable, and well-developed. Evan’s and Natalie’s relationship and their interactions are filled with chemistry and emotion. Natalie’s and Cole’s relationship is most impacted by Evan’s death. Evan as his best friend and Natalie as his wife/widow obviously, but their close friendship also has been deeply affected. Cole is burdened by the secret he is keeping from her and guilt about that and his feelings for her. The last thing Natalie wants from her closest friend is to be treated with pity or as a duty to be fulfilled. But, unfortunately, after Evan’s death, that’s the vibe she gets from Cole and his dropping by to fix things but disappearing without hanging out like he used to. Losing his friendship on top of losing Evan makes things more difficult and increases the loneliness. Once Natalie and Cole kiss, the barrier blocking each of their denied feelings for each other falls away and their intense chemistry is revealed. Crossing the line from friends-to-lovers is scary for both, but for Natalie being with Cole in this new way has her questioning some things about herself and her relationship with Evan she has never considered before. Her self-reflection helps her along the path to healing. After finally being intimate with Natalie as he has longed to Cole begins to confront whether his need to prove himself through career advancement and focusing on his career to the exclusion of all else, should continue to be the driving force of his life or is there room or if there is room for love, family, and Natalie.

Natalie’s relationship with her mother is developed and explored, not just written as a side note and is key to the story, Natalie’s character, and her development. It’s through her mother’s eyes that we see more of not just who Natalie is, but also Evan and Cole, as well as an outside unbiased perspective of Natalie’s relationships with both men. Natalie’s interactions with other widows and firefighter family reveals and further develops her character, helping us to connect to her. I especially loved the friendship between Tucker, Logan, and Cole. We see them working, hanging out, and supporting each other in a variety of settings, which reveals who they are and their connections to each other, adding to Cole’s character development, allowing us to see different sides of him that may not come out around Natalie and connect to him. Their love and respect for each other comes through clearly. They’re not just co-workers, but friends and brothers. I can’t wait to read Tucker’s and Logan’s books and learn more about them. Natalie’s progression as she works through the grief of losing her husband to making an affirmative choice to start living her life again for herself and following her dreams is affecting and flows naturally.

Flashpoint is a poignant, angsty, sweet, and steamy romance that is about so much more than the journey from friends-to-lovers. It is about finding peace in the storms of life and discovering who we are and want to be separate from our loved ones and all the emotional drama attached to our relationships with them.

I’m not always the biggest fan of alternating first person point of view style storytelling, but it does seem to be becoming more prevalent in contemporary romance in particular. Skye Jordan does it very well here as we spend time in the heads of Cole, a firefighter struggling with internalized guilt over the death of his friend Evan, and Natalie, Evan’s widow. Two years after Evan’s death, Natalie is trying to move on, forcing Cole to confront his feelings for her.

There’s apparently a ‘code’ among firefighters that you can’t date another firefighter’s widow or ex. Since Natalie’s already lost too much to fire, it shouldn’t be an issue, she doesn’t want to get involved with another firefighter - except there’s definitely a tension between her and Cole, one that finally comes out into the open when he loses it after seeing her out on a date with another man and kisses her.

This is very angsty; both Natalie and Cole are going through a lot of stuff with their families, Natalie’s mother being seriously injured and suffering with early-onset dementia, and Cole having to deal with a deadbeat dad (a plotline that doesn’t really get resolved). It’s not in any way light and fluffy; every time Cole and Natalie talk things get heavy (and sometimes hot and heavy). There are some difficult subjects tackled like medical debt, family illness, loss of family members, traumatic injuries, PTSD and more. Being in first-person POV actually makes these topics more painful, more immediate, and honestly I found it pretty heavy going, especially the sections in Natalie’s POV, because of all the burdens she was constantly labouring under. It’s a lot for a romance, and while it certainly meets the definition because of the clear HEA the couple find together, it might not suit every reader. I’ll give it four stars.

I'm a little bit torn on how to review this book, mainly because I don't feel strongly one way or another. I definitely didn't dislike it, but I don't think I could rave about it either.

The story did do a great job of getting into the brotherhood of firefighting and what it's really like, and I really wish some of the energy from the prologue could have carried over into the rest of the book. Natalie and Cole can't be together because of firefighter/small town reasons, and by that, I mean for no reason at all. I think this aspect of the story/conflict annoyed me the most because it's one of those situations where you ask yourself, "why can't they be together again?" and there is no real reason. The rest of the conflict in their story I could get on board with though!

Another thing that bothered me was the timeline and the amount of things that were happening. This all happened over a...2 week period? I honestly don't know, but so much time was spent with the drama of all the things happening (honestly, I was stressed for Natalie; like when did this woman sleep?) rather than developing their relationship. I understand that they had years of friendship, but we as readers didn't get to see it, so to say it was insta-love is an understatement.

But really, despite those negative thoughts, it kept me engaged and page-turning, and I think if I had time and another book by this author came across my shelves I would read it!

As a quick aside, I feel like I missed a memo on the trope of firefighter-owns-a-restaurant-heroine-is-a-baker, because it feels like every firefighter romance I've read recently is this exact setup? Just me or a coincidence?

First book in Forged in Fire, Flashpoint is a compelling introduction to this series. The characters are engaging and believable, the story honest and heartfelt. I really enjoyed this and look forward to reading more