Kat McKenna literally fell into the sexy firefighter’s arms the moment she met him.  Of course, smoke inhalation will do that to a girl!  Not that Lieutenant Howard “Six-Pack” Paxton’s considerable assets would not be swoon-inspiring all on their own… 

Howard doesn’t quite understand the intense attraction he feels for the pretty little blonde the moment he lays eyes on her.  Sure, she’s beautiful, but that doesn’t explain the sudden possessiveness he feels for her before he even learns her name!  Still, he is determined to go with the flow and see exactly where this attraction takes them. 

But a murdering arsonist has other plans for them, and when it becomes clear that the villain has targeted Howard, he’ll do anything to keep Kat safe.

When an ARC of TRIAL BY FIRE landed in my mailbox for review, I had not yet heard of this book nor its author, Jo Davis, but I was immediately intrigued by the synopsis of the story.  Who doesn’t love a hot (forgive the pun) firefighter as a romance hero?  No woman I know, that’s for sure! 

I began reading it late one Saturday evening, thinking I would read just a few chapters before going to sleep.  I didn’t stop until I turned the last page at 4:00 AM!  I literally could not put this book down.

I’ll admit it right up front – I fell for Howard immediately.  This man is such a wonderful combination of sweet vulnerability and dominant lover, that he won my heart from the start.  I had no problem understanding why Kat would be drawn to him.  His childhood trauma made me weep for him, and the strength he has used to become the man he is now despite that troubled past made me admire him.  No matter what he has been through, this is still a man who would go into a burning building to save an elderly woman’s cat. 

I’d be jealous of Kat if I didn’t like her so darn much.  This schoolteacher is exactly the kind of woman Howard needs, showing him understanding without pity, and bringing a joy and lightness to his life that he has been missing for far too long.