Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Shift’s End 
SERIES: Smoke & Bullets #3
AUTHOR: A.R. Barley
PUBLISHER: Carina Press
LENGTH: 251 pages
RELEASE DATE: August 6, 2018
BLURB:
With a couple failed marriages under his belt, Captain Jack Tracey knows how tough it is to balance a personal life with his job. But nothing in his long career has prepared him for the moment Diesel Evers walks into his firehouse. Sure, Jack’s contended with cocky young recruits before, but this seriously hot hotshot rookie is poised to crash and burn. With early retirement in sight, Jack can’t afford to get involved with a subordinate.
Having transferred to Jack’s house after a disastrous relationship, Diesel isn’t looking for another commitment. But that doesn’t mean he can’t have a little fun with his sexy silver fox of a new boss. Sometimes you have to bend the rules a bit…or shatter them completely.
With an unidentified saboteur endangering his squad, Jack doesn’t want to draw any more heat, but Diesel is too damn tempting to deny. Indulging their desires feels worth the risk—until trouble on the job lands Jack in the hospital, forcing them both to decide what’s worth fighting for.
REVIEW:
Oh my, what can I say about this story. Firemen, firemen, firemen, action and firemen. Oh, and did I say firemen? Two in particular – The silver fox fire chief, Jack, and rookie, Diesel. This line copied from the story sums it all up.
“No deaths, no disasters, and don’t screw the rookie. That’s how you make it to retirement.”
Yeahhh, Jack doesn’t take the safe route, and thankfully, because he doesn’t, I had the privilege of reading a nice juicy story.
The opening scenes are an adrenaline rush, and there is plenty of firefighting action to keep up the heart rate. It’s not all fire and hoses though. Diesel has issues of a personal nature that give him panic attacks, and he likes the calming effect that Jack emits. On the other hand, Jack is nearly twenty years older than Diesel and knows he shouldn’t go there, butttt…. He can’t help it – albeit their relationship is a slow developing one. Add to the mix someone tampering with equipment and a couple of other drama’s, and I couldn’t stop turning the page – I finished the book in a day.
Only a couple of things niggled at me. There are plenty of bitten lips and calloused fingers. I read the words far too often over many books. Please, find another descriptor, work hardened, weathered, rough – I’m on a mission to stick calloused hands and fingers into the proverbial room 101, along with another few pet hates.
Anyhow, regardless of those little shots in the foot, I loved this story because it didn’t hold back on the firefighting, the drama, the sensitive sides, investigations, or dangerous situations, and and and firemen, did I mention firemen doing really brave things.
RATING: 
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