Em & M Books

Reliving the past…or letting it go?

 

Lily Ashden is finally ready to have fun again. It's been a year since she survived a deadly house fire, and she wants to celebrate being alive. Enter Garrett Mateo—gorgeous, funny and extremely capable of arousing her flirtatious side. He would be perfect…if only he wasn't a firefighter. After what happened to her, she refuses to consider him.

 

Too bad Garrett is suddenly everywhere, tempting her to look beyond his job. His charm proves irresistible, and Lily lets herself fall…until she learns his devastating secret. Now she must decide if her future happiness depends on giving him another chance….

 

 

 

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AMAZON ~ BARNES & NOBLE

This was such a great read! I loved both Lily and Garrett, and couldn't wait to find out if the pain from their pasts could be healed enough to let them have a future together. I loved the writing style, the depth of the characters, and the emotion-packed storyline – all things which seem to be consistent in Elizabeth Otto’s books.

So, we have Garrett, otherwise known as Mr. September, a nickname he’s earned from his spot on the fire department’s charity calendar. He’s not really a player, but he’s so emotionally closed-off that spending more than a few nights with the same woman just isn't in his game plan. Keep it short and sweet, no promises and upfront about the arrangement, and you never have to worry about getting close to someone who you might lose one day. Of course being part-owner of a bar also gives him enough women to choose from, although lately he really just hasn't been interested.

Garrett was such a contradiction – he couldn't deny his attraction to Lily was something more, but you could tell how scared he was to pursue anything permanent with her. And despite his reservations, he couldn't seem to stay away…and I Ioved watching the sparks fly between these two and Garrett's shameless pursuit of Lily!

Then we have Lily. She has one rule – never get involved with a firefighter. With the pain from losing her sister, having her fiancé walk out on her, and dealing with a father who can’t even seem to start the grieving process, Lily has had a hard time dealing with things. And then she finds out the hottie behind the bar who she had a make-out session with is also Mr. September, the firefighter, and really, could things just get any worse? Of course the attraction between her and Garrett is off the charts, and has her rethinking things – at least in terms of a short-term fling. When Lily is hired by Garrett’s uncle to come up with plans for a remodel of their bar, Lily and Garrett are forced to spend time together…and you just know that it’s going to be next to impossible to ignore that attraction!

I just loved Lily. With all she had been through she was strong in so many ways even though she was so emotionally scarred. Her business persona was wonderful, and I loved the fact that she was such a force to be reckoned with in the typically male dominated world of general contracting. My heart ached for her as she struggled with her relationship with her father, but was lightened by her ability to give so much of herself to others.

This book was also full of a wonderful cast of supporting characters. Lily’s best friend Macy was a hoot (and it would be sweet for her to get her own book – hint, hint!), Lily’s dad ultimately made me smile, Garret’s uncle and all of his friends at the fire department added such depth to the book, and even the woman at the junk fair with the skeleton keys added so much to the story.

This book had everything I love – great characters, a wonderful story that had me feeling the emotions with the characters, some hot and steamy times, and a hero and heroine who were easy to like and root for as they found their way to each other. Another great read by Elizabeth Otto!

I was given a copy of this book from the author for an honest review.