This was not at all what I expected but I really enjoyed this book. Just make sure you plan a time to read because you won't want to put this down once yous tart.

The story follows firefighter Trent Miles, who finds himself in a nightmare when he responds to a fire at his own house with a body inside. Detective Heather Bolton proposes a risky plan to smoke out the killer by fake dating Trent, putting them both in danger. Packed with action and twists, the plot keeps readers guessing. The chemistry between Trent and Heather adds excitement, especially with the looming danger of a murderer. Despite some confusion with changing points of view, the book delivers an engaging mix of romance and suspense, making it a compelling read.

This is a Fake Dating Romantic Suspense, and this is the 9th book in the Hotshot Heroes series. I have read some of the other books in this series before picking up this book. I really loved the action and suspense in this book. The twists and turns in this book keep me guessing and wanting to keep reading. I also enjoyed the romance in this book. The one thing that drove me crazy about this book is the points of view you are being told the story from would change quickly, and I found a lot of times you would be guessing who's point of view you are getting. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Harlequin Romantic Suspense) or author (Lisa Childs) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

A fast paced Christmas romantic suspense that tended to be a little on the predictable side but still good. It was also a fairly quick read. I kept turning pages because I had to know what happened.

Trent is a hot shot firefighter that just came back to town when he finds out that not only did his House burn down but there was a body inside. Heather is a detective in a male-dominated career trying to prove herself and solve the case. What it seems like is that those closest to Trent might be the person behind the body and the fire so Heather needs Trent's help getting closer to his firefighter Buddies and narrowed down the possible suspects as the perpetrator seems to be getting closer and closer to trying to take them down.

This was such a fun read if you love action-packed and fast-paced reads you're going to like this it was just so much going on that I honestly had a hard time putting it down. I was very curious to see who it was as they talk to different people who are around Trent. I mean his firefighter buddies are his friends and people would never want one of their friends to be behind something so heinous so it was interesting how people reacting to questioning and such. But then there's a whole baiting they got going on with the fake relationship to see if the perpetrator will try to strike at them. It was just overall a pretty good book I really enjoyed it.

In Lisa Childs’ Hotshot Hero for the Holidays, firefighter Trent Miles and police detective Heather Bolton pretend to be in a relationship to draw out a killer. Child’s vibrant description, well-constructed action and suspense scenes, and complex, likable, and fallible protagonists that she skillfully develops through snarky, steamy, emotional, and sexy interactions draw you into the novel and keep you reading till the last scene. She nicely balances the novel’s suspense and romance.

Trent returns home from fighting forest fires with the Huron Hotshot firefighter team and responds to a fire, never expecting it to be his own home with a dead body inside. Initially, Detective Bolton is uncertain about whether Trent is involved. But when it appears Trent’s not responsible, Heather suggests pretending to be his girlfriend to draw the killer out, putting Trent and herself in close quarters under a murderer’s crosshairs. At the same time, their explosive chemistry simmers and inevitably grows stronger. Will they find the killer before the flames can consume them?

A local biracial, Black firefighter and part of an elite forest fighter group, Trent is protective, caring, and loyal. His life has become too complicated recently because his relationship with his sister is going through a rough patch, and the Huron firefighting team is experiencing problems like sabotage, secrets, threats, and lies. Now, someone’s determined to kill him, and the last thing he wants is for anyone else to be hurt in the process.

An intelligent, competitive, ambitious, and proficient detective, Heather is determined to discover the person responsible for murdering the person found in Trent’s house—and who keeps trying to kill them. She didn’t expect staying focused on the case to be so difficult because of her awareness of Trent and the unexpectedly intense attraction between them.

Childs’ storytelling is captivating, and she deftly develops Heather and Trent through their interactions with each other—even within their intimate scenes—and the other characters. I love Heather and Trent’s characters and the transition of their relationship from enemies to uneasy allies to lovers. Their chemistry is palpable, but I like that their emotional connection is just as strong. I also like that Childs briefly touches on the erroneous assumptions people make about young Black men and how they are treated by police just because they are Black. Childs also explores the sexism women face in male-dominated professions through Heather’s interactions with a co-worker. It’s crazy just how many times and varied ways the villain attempts to kill Trent and Heather—their guardian angels were definitely working overtime.

While I love Childs’ development of the suspense elements and storytelling and narrative style, I felt that the ending felt a little rushed or incomplete. The novel is well into her Hotshot Hero series. And though you can read it without reading the others because she fills us in on necessary information from previous stories, it’s probably better to read with the earlier ones. So, maybe the next book picks up right where this one ends?

Hotshot Hero for the Holidays is a steamy, emotional, sexy, fast-paced, suspenseful novel exploring themes of revenge, betrayal, corporate greed, falling in love, trust, family, teamwork, sexism, and second chances.

An advanced review copy was provided by HARLEQUIN - Romance via Netgalley for review.

Good story! Lots of action and a bit of suspense. Part of a series.
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This story is part of a series, and honestly, I think reading even one or two of the prior books may help with following some of the references to other people in the book. I did not read any prior stories and while the story was enjoyable, I know I was missing things.

I enjoyed the character development in Hotshot Hero for The Holidays. The author has two solid leads balancing each other. Their forced proximity caused all sorts of sparks and heat. They created their own combustion and it was steamy in many parts.

This story is loaded with twists, action, and suspense, and the author added many points of view to the story. This did cause a bit of confusion here and there. Plus, without knowledge of some of the other characters that were popping in from other stories, it did take a bit to get back into the flow of the story every so often. Some areas felt a bit jumpy in the story to me.

Overall, this book offers a great plot and I loved the characters! Strong, compatible, steamy, and some nice twists to the plot make this an engaging read for the romantic suspense reader!

I liked the mystery and romance but felt the story’s POV jumped around a lot. I’m not sure why so many characters needed a POV. I didn’t feel like it was necessary. Also this is part of a series and the previous book was mentioned a lot. Since I didn’t read that one I felt a bit lost.
I did like the romance and the steamy scenes. I thought the mystery’s resolution made sense and was well plotted.
Overall an enjoyable read.

📖: Hotshot Hero for the Holidays
🖋️: Lisa Childs
🗓️: 11/28
⭐️: 5 of 5
🌶️: 5 of 5
💬: “What will it take to prove to you that I could never hurt anyone?”

Tropes, Topics & Themes:
✨Hallmark vibes
✨Romance Suspense
✨Twists and turns
✨Fake Dating

Hot Shot firefighter Trent gets a mystery Christmas card just moments before he responds to a call about his house being on fire.

“You have to start dating again.”

When a body is found in the house just weeks before Christmas. Trent teams up and fake dates Detective Heather Bolton to catch the killer and solve the case.

With danger lurking all around. Heather and Trent not only find themselves in dangerous situations multiple times. They also start to grow feelings for each other.

Will they be able to solve the case? Will the feelings become a distraction and the suspect get away?

This action-packed Christmas book had me swiping the pages so fast trying to solve the case as well.

There were twists and turns I did not see coming! If you’re a suspense romance lover or Christmas book lover. You will truly enjoy this book!

“My money was always on you, Bolton. You are a damn good detective. Better than I ever was.”

Thank you, Lisa Childs, Harlequin, and Netgalley for this EARC! As always, my review is my opinion and thoughts. This review will be shared on my Instagram @Alexandriavwilliams_ shortly.

Terrific romantic suspense. Many exciting moments. Quite a convoluted mystery. Kept me guessing and quickly turning the pages. I did skip over the intimate scenes. There is even a cat to add to the fun. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.