Review: Heat Exchange (Boston Fire #1) by Shannon Stacey

Lydia Kincaid's shipping back to Boston, but she's not happy about it. She left to get away from the firefighting community—her father was a firefighter, her brother's a firefighter and, more important, her ex is a firefighter. But family is number one, and her father needs her help running the pub he bought when he retired. Soon, Lydia finds it hard to resist the familiar comfort and routine, and even harder to resist her brother's handsome friend Aidan.

Aidan Hunt is a firefighter because of the Kincaid family. He's had the hots for Lydia for years, but if ever a woman was off-limits to him, it's her. Aside from being his mentor's daughter, she's his best friend's sister. The ex-wife of a fellow firefighter. But his plan to play it cool until she leaves town again fails, and soon he and Lydia have crossed a line they can't uncross.

As Aidan and Lydia's flirtation turns into something more serious, Lydia knows she should be planning her escape. Being a firefighter's wife was the hardest thing she's ever done, and she doesn't know if she has the strength to do it again. Aidan can't imagine walking away from Boston Fire—even for Lydia. The job and the brotherhood are his life; but if he wants Lydia in it, he'll have to decide who's first in his heart.

My Review

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

I was born and raised in Massachusetts. Granted it was Western MA, which may as well be a whole different state, but it was still Massachusetts. So I love me a Boston boy, especially one with an accent. Then go and make him a firefighter and you got me!

This was a sweet story and an easy read for me. It's not a complicated plot, but it definitely kept my attention. Would Lydia stay in town? Could she get over her hangups and make this relationship work? Aidan was a good person and it was obvious that they not only had chemistry and an easy going relationship, but they also enjoyed each other's company. 

I loved Aidan. When he was a kid, his family got into a car accident. It was because of that accident and the firefighters who responded that day (Lydia's father) that he is now a Boston firefighter. Aidan has known Lydia for a long time, but it wasn't until she came home to help out at the family bar after being away for a while that he started to look at her differently. Same goes for Lydia. 

While I did like Lydia, I felt at times she wasn't being fair to Aidan. With a failed marriage, which was to a firefighter, in her past, she didn't give Aidan a shot to prove that he was different. Actually, let me rephrase that. Aidan proved time and time again that he was different and that they could make their relationship work, but Lydia wouldn't let herself see it. 

There was also a secondary storyline in the book that involved Lydia's sister and her husband. That storyline was actually the reason that Lydia came home. I liked that it was included in the book because it showed that relationships that involve a firefighter can work. EVEN if there are bad times, people can work through it and make it work. 

I think this will be a great series and I look forward to reading the next book!  

Amazon buy link:  http://amzn.com/0373002785