We have to burn to rise from the ashes.
Nearly two years after her divorce, Felicity Hawthorne is ready to date again. At least, she thinks she would be, if the idea of dating wasn’t so freaking terrifying. But then she wins a date with sexy, swoony firefighter Noah Prescott at a charity bachelor auction, and everything changes.
FDNY captain Noah isn’t looking for a relationship. Since losing his father as a teenager, he’s spent the past twenty years shouldering heavy responsibilities, and he knows he doesn’t have the time or energy to be anyone’s boyfriend. But one date with sweet, charming Felicity has him wanting things he shouldn’t want.
Which is why Noah suggests Felicity practice her budding dating skills with him. He wants more of her, and practice dates are as close as he can come to having her in his life without hurting her. But then dating practice turns into practice of another kind—the kind that involves moans and sighs and orgasms—and Noah knows he’s going to fall. Hard.
Review:
OMG, this series…!
Max and Felicity’s story was wonderful. From their stuck-in-an-elevator meet cute, to the bachelor auction, to their plan to “practice date” (ha!) and all that turns into and beyond, I loved every second of this book. So much so that my biggest complaint is how abruptly it ends…we have a black moment (ugh, really black and just angsty enough that you both want to shake Noah and hug him…and then shake him again, harder), a mopey montage for Felicity, two heart-to-heart chats for Noah (yes, it took the doofus TWO), and the grand gesture/reconciliation, and then BAM! It was over. I was a bit bummed that we didn’t really see either of them interact with each other’s people, beyond Felicity visiting the fire station once–but hope that I can trust Ms Wyatt to give us at least some glimpses into the two of them happy together in Hudson’s book?
I’ve read all the other Prescott books up until this point, so I was more than ready to see Noah get his HEA. If you’re new to the series, though, this one can absolutely work as a standalone. All the other Prescott’s–Noah’s brothers as well as his cousins–do make appearances here, but it’s very much Noah and Felicity’s story and doesn’t depend on anyone else’s plotline. I’m not going to lie, though–I absolutely went back to Levi’s book ( Side Effects ) to re-read the scene where Noah is mistaken for a stripper. I mean, I had to. 😉
I identified hard with Felicity’s English/drama teacher, Jane Austen-loving self, so it makes sense that a lot of my favorite lines were from her. My favorite? This one, hands down:
Had she Googled his firefighter calendar photos? Yes. Has she saved them to her phone? Also yes. Did she look at them multiple times a day? Obviously.
I mean, really. Book boyfriends are awesome, but book BFFs? Priceless.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.