Ignite on Contact by Jaci Burton - ARC Review

New York Times bestselling author Jaci Burton is back with a friends-to-lovers romance sure to melt hearts as one smokin'-hot fireman turns up the heat on love.

Relationships. Firefighter Rafe Donovan avoids them whenever possible. He loves dating women, but he makes sure they know up front that he's in it for fun, great sex and nothing more.

Fun. As an ER nurse and official caretaker of her disabled grandfather, Carmen Lewis doesn't have time for fun. But Rafe has been there for Carmen--and her grandfather--time and again, and he's clearly interested in her. She knows he's a player, but she's tempted by his charm and incredible body. And maybe a little fun isn't a bad thing, as long as she keeps her heart away from this fiery game she's enjoying with a very hot man.

Love. It doesn't take Rafe long to realize that until now he's only been playing at romance. With Carmen he feels searing passion and heart-tugging emotion for the first time. Now he has to convince Carmen that what they have together is the real deal.

ONE PERFECT KISS BY JACI BURTON - ARC REVIEW

The New York Times bestselling author of Love Me Again returns to the town of Hope, Oklahoma where school is in session and love rules the playbook.

Josie Barnes has always craved a sense of home. She's found that in Hope, Oklahoma--she bought a house, has a new job as an English teacher at Hope High, she's made wonderful friends, and she's taking in stray animals that no one else wants. Now she's flirting with fellow teacher and hot high school football coach Zach Powers. But he's almost too good to be true, and Josie learned long ago not to trust in the too-good-to-be-true, because it has always let her down.

A former pro football player, Zach had to pull back when a career-ending knee injury forced him to rethink his future. Now he's happy calling plays as Coach. If he could just get Josie Barnes to stop benching his players for their poor grades, life would be perfect. Instead, she drives him crazy as the stern teacher at school and the sexy woman of his dreams outside of the classroom. He knows she's been hurt in the past, but he wants to be that guy she can trust.

The one thing Josie has never been able to count on is the people closest to her. But Zach intends to show her that what they have between them is a textbook case of love.

I think I am attracted to small town romance as it is such a different life than the one I live, and in some ways, it feels like a simpler life.

Zach is a high school teacher and the town football coach.  Football matters in the small Oklahoma town of Hope, so when Josie turns in a progress report for a couple of his students that show they are failing her English class, the first time you see them together is when he shows up in her classroom to tell her she is messing with the success of the town's football team.  There are some minor other issues in the town, but, really, it's all about the football.

I had a few moments where Josie irritated me a little, I can't lie.  I understand being a little disillusioned by love with her past, but she was a little annoying in her treatment of her feelings as she shared them to others...however, her friends seemed to take this in stride, and really, a character who has a couple of annoying traits tends to feel more like a real person.

Their romance starts as an attraction that exists before the book begins, but nothing has happened between them.  There is the minor issue that they are both teachers at the same school, but this doesn't seem to cause much issue, it just is mentioned a couple of times, and I was glad of that.

I enjoyed them together, I enjoyed the build up of their relationship. I also liked that Josie was the one with the hesitation, and that Zach was all in for their relationship...from the beginning. That made her hesitance something that it was believable that she would work through, as you know he isn't going to leave.

And, the cat.  I adored the cat...and, so does Zach, although it's clear he is never going to admit it.

I enjoyed and recommend this title.

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SHOT ON GOLD BY JACI BURTON - ARC REVIEW

In the new Play-by-Play novel by the New York Times bestselling author of The Final Score, opposites attract when a figure skater and hockey player lace up their skates--and go for the gold...

Will "Mad Dog" Madigan is making his second trip to the Winter Games, and he couldn't be happier. Hockey is his life and playing for the U.S. team is a privilege. Then he meets U.S. figure skater Amber Sloane. She's beautiful, ambitious and driven--everything Will desires in a woman. He would love to show Amber how hot life off the ice can be.

Amber has skated her entire life, sacrificing everything in the hopes of one day winning gold. Now she's competing for the third and final time. She intends to win, and nothing's going to get in her way--until she meets Will. He's an irresistible charmer, and before long Amber is wondering if this sexy hockey player is the perfect guy to show her some moves outside the rink.

But after all the medals have been awarded, Will and Amber will have to decide if what they have together is just a fling or a real shot at true love.

The Olympics are happening in real life, and the international games are happening in this book.  I love the connection to real life and the feeling of "being there".  In fact, I am writing this review while waiting for the ice skating team finals to start...so, it really is like I am there with Amber.

Will and Amber.  A life-of-the-party hockey player and a serious, studious, here only for the competition ice skater.

Really, they shouldn't work together and they probably don't on paper.  But, in this book?  It works well.  I think this is because, by this point in the series, Jaci Burton knows what she is doing when she writes a sports romance.  She has the balance down...the hero (and in this case the heroine) need to be in the sports world, not someone on a break, or who has retired and is sunning himself on a beach somewhere, but playing, training and living the sports world.  And, the other side of this needs to have the realistic romance that you believe, the kind that makes you believe the super dedicated hero and heroine would actually get involved with the other.

This title works.  Add in that Amber is so sheltered she is a virgin, and the wonderful reaction Will has to this, the overbearing skating mom, the friends and fellow athletes, and you have a book that transports you to the international games village...just in time for the Olympics.

I enjoyed this title, and I recommend it.

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THE FINAL SCORE BY JACI BURTON-ARC REVIEW

In the new Play-by-Play novel by the New York Times bestselling author of Rules of Contact, a star quarterback is torn between his love of the game—and the woman who may be the love of his life.

Nathan Riley is ready to follow in the footsteps of his famous football player father. He’s been drafted as quarterback for his dad’s former team, and his sports future is bright. When his friend Mia Cassidy moves to the same city, their years-long friendship suddenly sparks hot, reminding him of the one night they had together in college that he can never forget.

Like Nathan, Mia is from a sports dynasty family and embarking on an incredible new career—as founder of her own sports management company. Her friendship with Nathan means everything to her, and tossing sex into the mix again could jeopardize it all. But the chemistry between them has always sizzled, and it isn’t long before Mia realizes she wants more with Nathan than just late-night talks and pizza.

Passion has a funny way of changing the rules, and soon Nathan and Mia realize that to win it all, they’ll have to make an unexpected play for love.

The Play by Play series are some of my favorite books. Sports romance is fun, and Jaci Burton writes them so well.

Nathan and Mia felt a little different to me than other stores in the series, and I think it was the idea that time had passed, that a character from one of the earlier books was the father of the hero in this. It was a risk for the author, as aging a character that readers enjoy is definitely going to get strong reactions. But, I liked it. And it worked well.

The sex was hot, the friends to lovers idea was so much fun as you really do believe that they like one another, that they are friends, and that they care about one another.

The book is well written and well paced, with characters you like and some fun recurring characters from earlier in the season. If you haven't read all of the books, it is ok and you will not lose the point of the story, but they were fun additions to the story for those who have read the others.

I enjoyed this title and I recommend it.

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LOVE ME AGAIN BY JACI BURTON-REVIEW

In the latest novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Don’t Let Go, it’s never too late for a second chance at first love…

When Loretta Simmons returns to Hope, Oklahoma, after a disastrous marriage, she’s determined to remain independent for the sake of her daughter. The only thing standing in her way is Deacon Fox—the man she loved and walked away from years ago.

Since Loretta owns the bookstore right next to his current renovation project, Deacon can’t escape the woman who broke his heart. Throw in her adorable little girl and one ridiculously oversized dog, and they’re almost a family. Only he can’t be that guy—what they had was once in a lifetime.

But love has a funny way of re-opening a door you thought was firmly closed…

Second chance romances are some of my favorites.  There is a challenge for the author in balancing the reason that the couple broke up in the past with the idea that they can work things out in the future.  This hit the balance well.

Loretta and Deacon were high school sweethearts, and they split because, as teenagers do, Loretta listened to the advice of others and made decisions that she thought were going to be best for both their futures.  Fast forward a number of years and those choices didn't work out as well as anticipated and Loretta is back home, in Hope and working next to Deacon's current renovation project.  At first, neither is happy, but as they spend time together, and he bonds with Loretta's daughter, the attraction and emotion that was only slightly buried comes back to the surface.

I loved that the characters both worked through some of the issues with their past, that they came to the realization that they wanted to be together here, in the now and in the present, and that there was more than just the past with them.

This is the 7th in a series and while the book is definitely focused on Loretta and Deacon, there are snippets of other characters from previous stories which were fun.  You can definitely start with this book, and the other characters will be pleasant secondary characters, but if you have read the previous books, the little bits of time with them are a lot of fun.

Jaci Burton is a go to author for me, so a small town second chance romance, well, I knew I was going to be getting something good.  And I was not disappointed.

I recommend this book.

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