Friday 7 February 2014

Review & Giveaway: Hope Flames by Jaci Burton

Hope Flames (Hope #1)
Hope Flames (Hope #1) by Jaci Burton
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: January 7th 2014.
My rating:  4 stars
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15808325-hope-flames
Thirty-two and finally setting up her veterinary practice in the town she once called home, Emma Burnett is on her own and loving it. Independent and driven, she's not letting any man get in the way of her dreams. Not again.

That's fine with Luke McCormack. Divorced and hardly lacking in female company when he needs it, he's devoted to the only faithful companion in his life--his police dog. Still, there's something about Emma he can't shake.

When a series of local break-ins leaves Emma vulnerable, she seeks help from the first man to spark her desire in years. And now they're giving each other something they thought they'd lost forever...hope.
My Thoughts: 


Seriously, one look at that eye candy on the cover and I just had to read Hope Flames! I knew I’d get steamy moments but I was happily surprised by the likable characters, and sweet story within.

At thirty-two, Emma Burnett has finally realized her dream of becoming a veterinarian, but even better she’s back in her hometown, Hope, to practice. She’s settled in and business is off to a promising start when Luke McCormack, an officer, comes in with his injured dog, Boomer. Chemistry and sparks immediately fly between them, but Emma is not looking for love, or a relationship. She was burned badly in the past and doesn’t plan on ever repeating that. Emma’s happy she got her life back on track and is focused on making her career a success.  But as usual life doesn’t always comply with our plans. 

Luke is immediately drawn to the town’s new vet, Emma, but a relationship is the last thing he wants after suffering a failed marriage.  He has no desire to travel down that road again and keeps women to a one-night stand status and nothing more.  Even though Luke can tell Emma is not that type of girl, he can’t help finding excuses to see her again.

Emma and Luke had absolutely no plans for a relationship or love, but still they gradually burrowed a spot in each other’s heart.  There was a magnetic pull neither could ignore:

"Before she could say goodnight, he'd pulled her against him, his mouth on hers in another of those mind-melting, blistering hot kisses that made her forget all her logical reasonable convictions."

I loved how maturely Emma and Luke dealt with their relationship.  It seemed each time one had doubts or a hang-up would arise, the other would give space and time for adjustment. That’s not to say there weren’t bumps, but nothing that was pull-your-hair-out frustrating.

Just because there wasn’t big troubles between Emma and Luke didn’t mean the story wasn’t addictive.  With a series of burglaries plaguing the town and scary drama from Emma’s past resurfacing there’s no need for couple angst to provide excitement. Emma was a strong independent woman so she didn’t allow the situation make her hole up in the closet and hide. She did something, but she wasn’t so overly confident to the point where she made stupid decisions.  Love a smart protagonist!  

Both Emma and Luke had friends and family there to give good advice and we got to know them enough to see future stories in the making down the road. 

Hope Flames was a sweet, easy going romance, with sizzle! This was my first read by Jaci Burton, but it won’t be my last. I can’t wait for the next in the series, Hope Ignites, which centers on Luke’s brother, Logan, the moody, broody, horse rancher and Desiree, the Hollywood starlet. 





Connect with Jaci Burton:





The lovely people at Berkely have generously provided a Paperback copy of Hope Flames to one of our lucky readers. The giveaway is for US residents only. Entrants must be 18 years or older.  Simply fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

22 comments:

Wendy Darling said...

Sweet and sizzle all in one package? Sounds like fun! :) I haven't read this author yet either, but I definitely want to give her a try sometime. It's always cute when they don't WANNA at first but then keep trying to find ways to see each other!

Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

Keertana said...

I read one of Burton's romances awhile back and wasn't overly impressed. I'm thinking maybe it was the fact that her male love interests were all sports stars and I'm not a huge sports fan. I'll have to try this one out to see if it works out better for me. Wonderful review, Rachel!

Siiri said...

Heh, the cover--a ripped guy and a dog? I approve:) I'm glad it had sweet moments as well in addition to smexy and that it wasn't very frustrating when things got rough. I think this would be perfect for me in between dark reads so yay! :)

Reading For Fun said...

I absolutely love a good love story with sizzle. Sounds like my kind of book. Great review!

Mary @ BookSwarm said...

I kind of like when there aren't big troubles between/surrounding the couple, it's a nice change. And I do love a good Jaci Burton (but what it up with the photoshopped pup on the cover? D'oh.).

Texas Book Lover said...

Sweet and Sizzle...sounds like my kind of book. I love Jaci's Play by Play series and am looking forward to starting this new series of hers too.

Unknown said...

I think Emma is starting to become a very popular name in books heh I am starting to see it everywhere.

Sweet and sexy sounds right up my alley. I haven't read Burton yet but I heard her stories are yummy! Glad to hear this one was just as great :D do love the cover.

Henrietta @ Leisure Reads said...

A vet and an officer? Sweet! I like easy-going romance - adding this to my wishlist now. :)

Shooting Stars Mag said...

I'm glad this was a mature romance!! sounds like a lovely story; thanks for your thoughts.

Maja (The Nocturnal Library) said...

I just love these sweet, easy romances, especially lately! I've been reading quite a few, and I picked up even more on audio.
That eye candy on the cover woud pull me right in, but the rest sounds lovely too. Low angst is what I need.

erin said...

I love sweet and steamy! Can I also point out that I really like the fact that the main characters are in their 30's :) I've had my eye on this author for a while and I think this is the book I'm gonna dive in with. Thanks for sharing!

Katiria said...

Great review I love books with romance and sizzles in them and it looks and sounds right up my alley thanks for the awesome giveaway!

Rachel said...

Didn't really notice that with the eye candy standing right there, O_O but yes, I see your point, Mary! :)

Rachel said...

I'll be reading one from that series soon: Melting the Ice, so I'm happy to hear you love that series so much! :)

Rachel said...

I'm not a huge sports fan either, Keertana, but I think this author is. Emma seemed to know her baseball facts which flew right over my head, lol! :)

Unknown said...

I struggled a bit with this one, and I still can't say why. It was sweet and romantic, for sure. I'm glad you enjoyed Hope Flames, Rachel. I love the quote you included.

Anonymous said...

I'm up for a sweet and sizzling hot romance! I don't usually read adult books but I'm curious as to what will happen at the end.

Pooja. S said...

Sounds great! Love that it's a hot read but at the same time, the protags are mature enough to give each other their space when they're struggling with issues. Awesome review :D

Unknown said...

Oooooh this sounds really fun! Thanks for the heads up, Rachel! Happy to see you enjoyed it :D

Tanja - Tanychy said...

Well yeah it's kinda of hard to miss that cover right there, but I'm glad you enjoyed these characters and the story too. I'm still in my adult and NA slump really so I'll avoid this one for some time now. Great review, Rachel :)

Jenny said...

"I loved how maturely Emma and Luke dealt with their relationship. It seemed each time one had doubts or a hang-up would arise, the other would give space and time for adjustment."

THANK YOU! I'm so glad to read that Rachel. I get so tired of the unnecessary angst that comes from keeping secrets or lack of communication, and I crave couples like this who sort things out in a mature manner. There's still plenty of drama, but just like you said, not the kind that makes you want to pull out your hair. Must read this! Sexy men + dogs on a cover = YES.

Lauren @ Love is not a triangle said...

Love when two people are drawn to each other against their will and I love even more when a couple is able to be mature about how they face conflict. I've learned I need to be careful about what romances I pick up, because the endless angst isn't my thing. Conflict and tension are wonderful, but not when it leads to hair pulling as you say. Thanks for putting this on my radar.

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