Sunday, August 26, 2018

UNDER CONTROL BY SHANNON STACEY - ARC REVIEW

When faced with the opportunity to change shifts while staying in the same house, veteran firefighter Derek Gilman jumps at the chance. His new schedule means not working Saturdays, which means more time to spend with his two kids. His divorce may have been amicable, but being a firefighter and a single dad is a lot to juggle. And when fate brings a gorgeous, wealthy woman into his life, he’s pretty sure he can’t handle more than he already is.


Olivia McGovern loves plans. She planned to start her own business and planned its growth. It’s earning her seven figures now, but her personal life simply doesn’t exist. Getting trapped in a broken elevator figures in exactly nowhere, and freaking out in front of a sexy firefighter definitely isn’t on the agenda. Especially not one with two kids and an ex.

What would have been a random incident with an attractive stranger becomes something more when a charity event brings them back together. They’re from different sides of the tracks, literally—with friends, family and careers to consider. But as Derek and Olivia are discovering, chemistry doesn’t allow for plans, and love doesn’t bother with logistics.


Derek and Olivia meet when they are trapped in an elevator together. They make it work for them...I can't say anyone who is trapped in an elevator with me will still want anything to do with me by the time we are freed....but that is not the point.

Olivia has a plan. For everything. Ever. And, it's written down, as it's not an official plan until it's written down.

Derek, well, he has kids. So, less of a plan and more of a list of things he hopes work out on his days off and while the kids are in school or with their mother.

These are not people who should work. Their attraction shouldn't be one they are unable to forget, it shouldn't keep them awake at night thinking of the other, knowing that they won't ever see one another again. Until they do, at a meeting for a charity Derek is involved with and Olivia has just started volunteering for.

Sparks fly (I had to make at least one fire reference, I just had to) and the relationship moves more quickly than either of them planned. Well, Olivia planned it, as she schedules EVERYTHING.

But, their lives don't work well together. He has kids, she lives in the city. He can't afford to live where she does, and won't allow her to pay for their home. So, where do they go from this point?

In life, and in a romance novel, things happen that reset your expectations. And, when those expectations change, you find yourself a little more open to the things you thought would never work but are so worth it when you manage to figure out a way to balance everything.

I thought the balance of the story, the 2 people coming together, and wanting to be together, and being willing to figure out what needed to be done felt authentic. And, for me to be willing to believe in the happily ever after for the characters, I need to believe in the connection being stronger than anything struggling to pull them apart. I believed it here.

I recommend this story.

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