Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  Wicked Heat

SERIES:  Chicago Heat #1

AUTHOR:  Ella Frank

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH:  268 pages

RELEASE DATE:  February 22, 2022

BLURB:

Ryan

Kind, caring, and protective. Those are the three qualities I’m looking for when it comes to my dream man. In a city as big as Chicago, you wouldn’t think he would be that hard to find, right?

Wrong.

Sure, my boss found a super-sexy detective and my best friend fell madly in love with the most eligible bachelor around. But the only person I’ve met recently is a broody bad boy who saved me at a sketchy pub.

He’s grumpy, rude, and honestly, not that likeable at all. Hardly my “dream” guy.

So why can’t I stop thinking about him?

Jameson

I don’t do friendships. I don’t do relationships either. The very last thing I’m looking for in life is to fall in love and live happily ever after.

So saving some rich guy from losing his wallet is the last thing I want to do on a Friday night. Especially when he looks like someone who just stepped off the cover of GQ.

Fate seems to have other ideas, though, and every time I turn around, he’s there.

A wicked heat simmers between us, threatening to ignite, and though I’ve been trained to put out the flames, I can’t help but think: What’s the worst that could happen if I let this desire burn out of control?

REVIEW:

Wicked Heat is the fantastic, first installment in Ella Frank’s new Chicago Heat series set in her Chicagoverse. This is part one of a duology about fireman Jameson Clarke, a rough around the edges loner from the wrong side of the tracks. This is a man who lives a solitary life, forgoing friendships and romantic involvement to protect himself from disappointment and heartbreak. Opposites attract, forced proximity, and grumpy/sunshine themes lay the groundwork for the beginning of a heartwarming story.

Jameson’s hanging out in his neighborhood dive bar when in saunters a hot guy who is clearly way out of his milieu. When Ryan Carrigan – or GQ, as Jameson christens him because of his sexy executive appearance – is accosted by a sleazy barfly, Jameson jumps in and sends the leech on his way. GQ wants to thank him with dinner or, er, something that involves less clothing, but Jameson blows him off (and not in the good way) and Ryan is bummed when the sexy bad boy takes off on his bike. But alas, they end up accidentally meeting again and again.

Ryan might dress like one but he’s not actually an executive. He’s the personal assistant to the nation’s top news anchor (Alexander Thorne from the Prime Time series), a job he loves because of his natural organizational and caretaking skills. That caretaking soon extends to Jameson. Even though Jameson insists they’ll never hook up, they do, of course, and the chemistry is sizzling. It’s not long before it’s a regular thing with Jameson slowly opening himself up to Ryan (double entendre not intended) (maybe). All’s progressing well, both men agreeing to take it one day at a time, until a fateful night when Jameson is humiliated in multiple ways. There the book ends on a mild cliffhanger.

I found both characters to be highly likable, even when Jameson was doing his best not to be. There’s just enough angst as the men journey through instant attraction, Jameson’s rejection, a getting to know you phase, Jameson throwing up more walls between them, Ryan’s persistence at breaking through said walls, and so on. We discover that Jameson’s reticence to form bonds with people makes sense given the hard life he’s lived. It’s not a picnic getting beneath Jameson’s hard exterior, but Ryan never gives up. He’s learned the value of perseverance at his job. For one, it gets him into his love interest’s pants. As usual for Ella Frank, this is a nice steamy book. Did I mention Ryan’s teensy firefighter obsession? Jameson doesn’t have to work hard to turn him on.

Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to read the books in which these characters originated (they’re on my towering TBR pile) but I didn’t feel at a loss not having the additional backstory these books may have provided. A number of the side characters came from other books, too, and they’re all incorporated well. Ryan’s friends, Jude and Gabe, the other firemen who want nothing more than to befriend Jameson, and Jameson’s friend and bar owner, Jon, are all welcome additions to the story. I am particularly fond of Ryan’s relationship with his boss, Alexander.

Although we’re left with a cliffy, it ends on a hopeful note even at the end of the train wreck of a night. The men seemingly understand each other, but they have to, nonetheless, bridge their differences. Ryan’s steamroller tendencies won’t allow him to give up as he pushes to break through Jameson’s feelings of inadequacy and perceived worthlessness. I look forward to the conclusion of their story; it can’t come soon enough.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

Amazon