REVIEW: Flirting With Fire (Hot in Chicago #1) by Kate Meader

Title: Flirting With Fire
Series: Hot in Chicago #1
Author: Kate Meader
Publisher: Pocket Books
Published: March 24th 2015
Format: Paperback | Pages: 376
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Publisher
★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

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The first installment in Hot in Chicago, a brand-new, sizzling series from Kate Meader that follows a group of firefighting foster siblings and their blazing hot love interests!

Savvy PR guru Kinsey Taylor has always defined herself by her career, not her gender. That is, until she moved from San Francisco to Chicago to be with her fiancé who thought she wasn't taking her “job” of supporting him in his high-powered career seriously enough—and promptly dumped her for a more supportive and “feminine” nurse. Now, as the new assistant press secretary to Chicago’s dynamic mayor, she’s determined to keep her eye on the prize: no time to feel inferior because she’s a strong, kick-ass woman, and certainly no time for men.

But that all changes when she meets Luke Almeida, a firefighter as searingly sexy as he is quick-tempered. He’s also the second oldest of the Firefightin’ Dempseys, a family of foster siblings who have committed their lives to the service—if Luke’s antics don’t get him fired first. When Luke goes one step too far and gets into a bar brawl with the Chicago Police Department, Kinsey marches into Luke’s firehouse and lays down the law on orders from the mayor. But at Engine Co. 6, Luke Almeida is the law. And he’s not about to let Kinsey make the rules.

I received a copy of this book, from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. In no way did this sway either my review or my rating!

Heartwarming. Sexy. Fun. Heartbreaking. Hilarious. Just a few of the adjectives I would use to describe this book. You first meet the family that this series is about briefly in Baby, It's Cold Outside. And while I never did fully connect with either Beck or Darcy, that the novella follows, I did however connect with the rest of Beck's foster family and knew that I desperately wanted to read this series when it finally came out. So when someone from Pocket Books got in touch with me and said to send them my address if I was interested in a copy, you can bet your sweet booty I was right on top of that one! I couldn't get enough of this book. I tried to do the right thing and go to bed at a decent hour, well as decent as midnight is anyway, after I started Flirting With Fire but my brain would not shut off or let these characters go. I ended up pulling an all nighter and finishing in one sitting. It was totally worth being a little bit groggy today. So worth it.

"None of us needed it signed and sealed. Sean is my father. Mary is my mother."

The best thing that surprised me with this book is that it was in three POVs. Now don't freak out! No that doesn't mean there was a love triangle, because there so was not. But what you have instead is the added bonus of another family member's storyline, briefly, running alongside this one. But I'll come back to him later. It's so easy to fall in love with this family of foster siblings in the Hot in Chicago series. They have this incredible family dynamic and absolute love and devotion for one another. And each one of them is such an interesting and complex character with a touching and heartbreaking story and I can't wait until I've read each and every one of their stories. Sean and Mary Dempsey, who have passed on prior to the events of this series along with one of the other foster siblings Logan, seem like they were incredible people taking in these 6 troubled kids and creating this amazing family legacy that only keeps getting stronger.

"You should have seen him, Alex," Gage said. "It was all zingers and eye fucking and enough heat to set off the smoke alarms. Our Luke's ready to get his wang back in the game. So proud."

The main focus of this book is on Kinsey and Luke. Oh sweet baby Jesus, Kinsey and Luke! I love reading relationships that start out where there's either some kind of rivalry or situation to have the couple the book focuses on at opposing sides of a situation. There's something incredibly sexy about the heat that builds up between two people as they fight not only each other but the growing attraction and desires they start to feel for one another. Kate Meader does not disappoint one bit in this area. Because the sexual tension that builds up between these two can only be described as scorching. Both of their last relationships ended very, very badly and have left both of these two just a wee bit untrusting when it comes to relationships. But you just know, without a doubt, that these two compliment each other so well and are absolutely perfect for each other.

Sometimes his head was more demon than human, and heaven help whoever got in his way.

Luke is full of confidence and a bit of cockiness and like all the rest of his family he's had a rough upbringing so he's got quite a bit of anger and darkness buried inside of him. He's also so many other things though. He's loyal and protective, a family man, passionate and very alpha male but with sweet and sensitive streaks blended in. He's the guy that everybody depends on. Yet he still has flaws like the tendency to punch first and ask questions later. Regardless of all of that most importantly he's like the glue that holds everyone together, he's the one who doesn't rest until he knows everyone in his family is okay and safe. He's pretty freaking great.

She was a fool―and she had no one but herself to blame.

Kinsey was just freaking adorable. She's a strong and confident woman in a very male dominated world. Even growing up with a marine father and three older brothers. It's made her very competitive and ambitious. She likes to win and be in control.The only time she wasn't all of these things and was even the slightest bit unsure of herself was when it came to men and relationships. Her ex-fiancé really did a number on her confidence there. But she was such a fun character. Even meeting her family was great and even though it was brief moments I absolutely loved them, especially her dad. She has this very unique and awesome family dynamic of her own.

And then there was the gorgeous streak of heat behind the bar in the form of Gage.

So back to that bonus storyline. The other POV in this book is the younger of the foster brothers, Gage. You know how there's that saying about men that how the good ones are always either taken or gay? Yeah, leave it to me to be totally freaking in love with the gay brother. But I adore, no adore isn't even a good enough word for how I feel about Gage. He's the life of the party and always so full of energy and life and funny as all hell. His story isn't complete with the end of this one, at least I hope it isn't because there wasn't a lot of closure, so I'm hoping it continues on in both their sister Alex and the oldest of the clan Wyatt's stories. I love how he's this self admitted ho and yet the one guy who turns his life upside down, Brady, is still very mysterious at this point and so full of issues that it pretty much breaks my heart when he's around. I didn't know whose story I wanted more of as I was reading, Luke and Kinsey or Gage and Brady. They both had my heart and mind completely wrapped up in them.

"And there's no one left behind, just us looking out for each other."

It's probably pretty obvious at this point and doesn't need to be said, but I'm gonna say it anyway...I freaking loved this book. It was all the right amounts of everything. It was touching and heartwarming, a little bit sad and heartbreaking at times, and full of passion and heat. The characters are what puts this book above the rest, they have depth and really pull you in to their stories and lives and make you crave to know everything that makes them tick. I cannot wait until Alex's story comes out next. This book lays the groundwork for her and her guy and I am so excited! Can it be September already? Sigh...

Thank you so much Pocket Books for the opportunity to read and review this book!!