Caught in the Flames by Kayce Shea

ROMANTIC COMEDY

Publication date: 08/23/2016
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: I dunno

Audiobook narrator: Savannah Peachwood
Length: 14 hours 48 minutes

Just like the author says in the first line of the blurb for this book, I love firemen. Give me a good romance about strong, brave, muscle-y, sweaty...where was I going with that? Lost my train of thought. But anyhoo, even though this one featured a hot fireman hero, I had to tap out at 12%. Here’s what went wrong for me:

The Prologue
Yes, that’s right, the prologue was a problem for me. Why? Because the prologue has the heroine running into her burning house to put on a bra so that she doesn’t look bad in front of the firemen who are on their way to put out the fire. I honestly considered DNFing at this point because I HATE TSTL heroines, and running into a burning building to put on a bra is the epitome of TSTL. If she’d run back in to, I don’t know, save a child or a dog I would’ve forgiven it. But for pure vanity? Nope. There’s no excuse for that kind of dumbfuckery. But, for some reason, I persevered and read on.

The I’m-all-tongue-tied heroine
I’m OK with a heroine who gets a little tongue-tied around a hot guy. I mean, we’re only human, right? But the heroine in this story (I can’t even remember her name, and frankly, I can’t bring myself to care) is consistently tongue-tied around the hero. She can barely string together a coherent sentence when he’s around to the point that I wonder why he’s interested in her at all. I have to assume it’s her cleavage that gets his attention, because it’s mentioned that his eyes stray there. A lot. He’s not attracted to her because she’s a great conversationalist, that’s for damn sure.

There’s also a point when the heroine laments the fact that she suspects the hero might be in his 30’s, because, ew, that’s sooooo old! If I could’ve reached through my Kindle and smacked her little 22-year-old face and reminded her that she wasn’t that far off from her 30’s, I would have. But alas, I read on.  

Alphahole alert
Now, I don’t normally have a huge problem with heroes who can be a little possessive and jealous. I mean, Kristen Ashley heroes can be a little possessive and it doesn’t usually bother me at all. But that whole possessive thing only works in certain circumstances and with certain authors (like Ashley). In this book, at about 12%, the heroine is at the gym with the hero (Chase), and she compliments another guy on his bench press skills and mentions that he might make a good personal trainer. That’s all. There wasn’t any flirting going on. Nothing unseemly about it at all. But Chase orders her to sit (like a dog), and then says: ​

“The only personal trainer you’ll ever have is me, are we clear? And another thing. If it’s not already obvious. I don’t like to share. Anything. I don’t even share my dessert. If you give me a bag of M&M’s, I want them all. And you…you’re mine. So look at Troy like that again and see what happens.”
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It’s important to note that when Chase goes all alpahole and grunts out this Neanderthal speech, he’s only been on 4 dates with the heroine. They haven’t even had a conversation about whether or not they’re just dating or in an actual relationship. So, no, Chase, she’s not, in fact, yours. Not at all. I would’ve throat-punched him at that point, run for my life, and quite possibly filed a restraining order. But what does our intrepid heroine do? She gets turned on. Of course she does. What else would I expect from someone who runs into a burning building to retrieve her bra? (And did I mention that she stopped to put on the bra while the house burned around her? Yeah. I’m not even making that up.)

And don’t even get me started on the fact that the hero wouldn’t share a bag of M&M’s. Some hero you are, pal!  

So, I DNF’d at that point because I thought the heroine was a dumbass and the hero was an alphahole of the highest order. Life’s too short and I’m too damn old to tolerate that kind of asshattery.
  
Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
Stigma city, population: this book.
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