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heabooknerd's review
4.0
UP IN SMOKE was a really enjoyable romance between two guys who have never really had the closeness of family but find it with each other and the cute baby they're caring for. Things begin when Shane’s impulsive and flighty sister, Shelby, drags him on a skydiving adventure for his birthday. The night before Shelby had a one night stand with sexy smokejumper Brandt but it's Shane who gets to jump tandem with Brandt and he’s never forgotten the experience. 11 months later and Shelby shows up on Shane’s doorstep with a baby which she leaves for him to care for with a birth certificate listing Brandt as the father. Talk about complicated and I'll admit I wasn't sure going into this one because I'm generally not a fan of romances where someone sleeps with their sibling’s ex but I'd trust Annabeth Albert to write anything so I dove right in.
I'm glad that even with the complicated set up and the potential for lots of angst, Albert kept this pretty upbeat and didn't linger too long in Shane’s guilt over lusting after Shelby’s one night stand. It doesn't take long for Brandt and Shane to give into their attraction and they both agree that it's just sex (but we know how well that always works, lol). Shane has always been the rule follower and a bit of a loner who has just focused on making music while Brandt is more of a live in the moment kind of guy who has moved around a ton and never really felt settled after aging out of the foster care system. Both of these guys craved a family so much and it was great to see them finally have someone who puts them first. They also had so much chemistry and were so sexy together! And if you enjoy hunky guys being adorable with babies then UP IN SMOKE has you covered because these two became big mushy marshmallows when it came to taking care of Jewel.
This has a strong focus on building the relationship between Shane and Brandt so there’s not too much external drama and I appreciated that Albert never really put our new father Brandt through anything too dangerous as a smokejumper. I also really appreciated that Shelby isn't made out to be this monster for leaving her baby with her brother. It's not good and that comes across clearly but her struggles are handled with a lot of empathy and I thought this was done really well. Overall, another great character driven romance by Albert!
**ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
Content Warning: discussion of a somewhat neglectful childhood experiences (Brandt through foster care and Shane through disinterested parents); Shelby is struggling mental illness though it's never specifically defined; child custody discussions and court appearances
I'm glad that even with the complicated set up and the potential for lots of angst, Albert kept this pretty upbeat and didn't linger too long in Shane’s guilt over lusting after Shelby’s one night stand. It doesn't take long for Brandt and Shane to give into their attraction and they both agree that it's just sex (but we know how well that always works, lol). Shane has always been the rule follower and a bit of a loner who has just focused on making music while Brandt is more of a live in the moment kind of guy who has moved around a ton and never really felt settled after aging out of the foster care system. Both of these guys craved a family so much and it was great to see them finally have someone who puts them first. They also had so much chemistry and were so sexy together! And if you enjoy hunky guys being adorable with babies then UP IN SMOKE has you covered because these two became big mushy marshmallows when it came to taking care of Jewel.
This has a strong focus on building the relationship between Shane and Brandt so there’s not too much external drama and I appreciated that Albert never really put our new father Brandt through anything too dangerous as a smokejumper. I also really appreciated that Shelby isn't made out to be this monster for leaving her baby with her brother. It's not good and that comes across clearly but her struggles are handled with a lot of empathy and I thought this was done really well. Overall, another great character driven romance by Albert!
**ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
Content Warning: discussion of a somewhat neglectful childhood experiences (Brandt through foster care and Shane through disinterested parents); Shelby is struggling mental illness though it's never specifically defined; child custody discussions and court appearances
jodi_ice's review
5.0
Cawpile: 5* 9.00
This came out bang on the line for 5*, and I wouldn’t have been surprised with either 4.5 or 5 to be honest. It had tropes that I love, and some lovely romantic scenes, some smut, and then two hot but helpless men looking after a cute baby… what more could you want?? :)
This came out bang on the line for 5*, and I wouldn’t have been surprised with either 4.5 or 5 to be honest. It had tropes that I love, and some lovely romantic scenes, some smut, and then two hot but helpless men looking after a cute baby… what more could you want?? :)
natastrophe16's review
DnF 30% Tried twice with this one and just couldn't get into it. Think it might a me issue, not a book issue. *shrug*
lifeand100books's review
4.0
I appreciated the willingness of both Shane and Brandt to work towards ensuring that they each had support when needed even if it meant not achieving their own dreams. The support and communication they offer each other was my favorite part of their relationship.
nicki_theoverflowingbookcase's review
4.0
Putting his country music career on the back burner, Shane Travis seeks out the man who his sister placed on the birth certificate of his newborn niece when the mother takes off. But when smoke jumper and loan wolf, Brandt Wilder opens the door and allows Shane and the baby into his life what starts out as two men and a baby ends up as a romantic and heartwarming story of figuring out just what love and family really mean. With page after page of beautiful connections and characters the reader just wants to hug this was a great addition to the series.
ofbooksandromance's review
5.0
5 learning how to be parents stars
You’re my family, Shane had said, and that exactly was what the song conveyed. They were a family, the three of them. They didn’t need T-shirts or some group chant. Just a string of memories, and this unexpected, unshakable bond. And the song so perfectly captured all of that. It was a wonder that Brandt’s heart didn’t leap out of his chest right then and there, present itself to Shane for the taking, because it was his now, and there was nothing Brandt could do about it.
I would like to make it clear that most people probably will not enjoy this book as much as I did. This is really low angst and almost nothing happens, and most people would probably find it really boring. But look, it’s 6 in the morning and I’ve been up all night to finish a term paper and I’m pretty sure that listening to the audiobook for this book is the only thing that kept me sane while writing that paper. It was the perfect read for this moment in my life and I absolutely loved everything about it. I only switched to the audiobook at 57%, the rest I read on my kindle, but damn was it perfect for the mood I’m in.
The good news in all this is that if you ever decide to start an important term paper on the last day possible, the audiobook for this book is the perfect thing to listen to while doing it. Well except for the fact that I cried for a lot of the last 20% of the book, which was not very productive to typing a paper, but hell, I still had a great time.
Brief summary: Brandt is a smokejumper, he had a one-night stand like 11 months ago and suddenly the girl’s brother, Shane, a country singer, shows up on his door step and tells him that the girl had a kid and that the kid is his. Together to learn how to take care of the kid, Jewel, and they become a family.
First, if you know me, you know that my absolute favourite type of books are low angst books, with a little conflict and people and situations that feel real and really good vibe. And this book had all of that, and it was all so well done.
Second, everything about Jewel and them learning how to be parents was perfect. I loved how important Jewel was to the story. I loved how they tried so badly to be good parents. I loved seeing them fumble and trying to get a hang of how parenting works. I loved how they both wanted to give Jewel what they never had as kids. I loved the moment that they both realized that they want to be each other’s family, it was so damn lovely.
Third, I absolutely adored the relationship build-up, I loved how it started as them taking care of the kid and how it slowly built into an attraction to the other and then they slowly fell in love and became a family. Everything about that part was so well done, I love it. The attraction they had for the other was so well portrayed. The longing was excellent in this book, you could feel just how much they wanted the other and you could see them clearly slowly falling in love, that was just perfectly done. I also loved how these two took care of each other.
Fourth, I loved how real this book felt. I liked that they both had worries and that they wondered how things could affect their lives and their family. I liked how they were both shaped by their pasts and how it coloured their actions, that was such a realistic portrayal. I loved how all of the small details of their personalities shown through their actions.
Fifth, the sex scenes were so damn hot in this. They both had never been with a man before (Shane was a virgin and Brandt is bi but never had sex with a man) and I loved seeing them share all of their first times, it was just so good.
Sixth, I loved the two main characters. I loved how well they complimented the other. They were the perfect balance for each other. Brandt and his impulsiveness and Shane that made him slow down was just so good. They were a really good team.
Seventh, I liked that the conflict in the book never felt over the top, it felt very realistic, and I could easily see it happening. And I liked that there was only a little conflict and not too much drama.
Eight, I just loved seeing them decide how they want their future lives to be and the declaration of love was so perfect to me. I also loved when they realized that they love the other, all of those scenes were just perfect to me. Also, I want to give an insane amount of bonus points for not including a big break-up at 80%, damn was I happy about that fact.
Ninth, I loved the vibes of the book, with all of the talks of music (all of the music descriptions were also damn lovely) and them taking care of Jewel, it just had such a nice vibe.
I would have liked them to communicate some more, it would have saved them some time, but it didn’t change my enjoyment of the book, at all.
I just had such a good time reading this book and it was exactly what I needed at this moment in time.
I received an ARC of this book, and this is my honest review.
You’re my family, Shane had said, and that exactly was what the song conveyed. They were a family, the three of them. They didn’t need T-shirts or some group chant. Just a string of memories, and this unexpected, unshakable bond. And the song so perfectly captured all of that. It was a wonder that Brandt’s heart didn’t leap out of his chest right then and there, present itself to Shane for the taking, because it was his now, and there was nothing Brandt could do about it.
I would like to make it clear that most people probably will not enjoy this book as much as I did. This is really low angst and almost nothing happens, and most people would probably find it really boring. But look, it’s 6 in the morning and I’ve been up all night to finish a term paper and I’m pretty sure that listening to the audiobook for this book is the only thing that kept me sane while writing that paper. It was the perfect read for this moment in my life and I absolutely loved everything about it. I only switched to the audiobook at 57%, the rest I read on my kindle, but damn was it perfect for the mood I’m in.
The good news in all this is that if you ever decide to start an important term paper on the last day possible, the audiobook for this book is the perfect thing to listen to while doing it. Well except for the fact that I cried for a lot of the last 20% of the book, which was not very productive to typing a paper, but hell, I still had a great time.
Brief summary: Brandt is a smokejumper, he had a one-night stand like 11 months ago and suddenly the girl’s brother, Shane, a country singer, shows up on his door step and tells him that the girl had a kid and that the kid is his. Together to learn how to take care of the kid, Jewel, and they become a family.
First, if you know me, you know that my absolute favourite type of books are low angst books, with a little conflict and people and situations that feel real and really good vibe. And this book had all of that, and it was all so well done.
Second, everything about Jewel and them learning how to be parents was perfect. I loved how important Jewel was to the story. I loved how they tried so badly to be good parents. I loved seeing them fumble and trying to get a hang of how parenting works. I loved how they both wanted to give Jewel what they never had as kids. I loved the moment that they both realized that they want to be each other’s family, it was so damn lovely.
Third, I absolutely adored the relationship build-up, I loved how it started as them taking care of the kid and how it slowly built into an attraction to the other and then they slowly fell in love and became a family. Everything about that part was so well done, I love it. The attraction they had for the other was so well portrayed. The longing was excellent in this book, you could feel just how much they wanted the other and you could see them clearly slowly falling in love, that was just perfectly done. I also loved how these two took care of each other.
Fourth, I loved how real this book felt. I liked that they both had worries and that they wondered how things could affect their lives and their family. I liked how they were both shaped by their pasts and how it coloured their actions, that was such a realistic portrayal. I loved how all of the small details of their personalities shown through their actions.
Fifth, the sex scenes were so damn hot in this. They both had never been with a man before (Shane was a virgin and Brandt is bi but never had sex with a man) and I loved seeing them share all of their first times, it was just so good.
Sixth, I loved the two main characters. I loved how well they complimented the other. They were the perfect balance for each other. Brandt and his impulsiveness and Shane that made him slow down was just so good. They were a really good team.
Seventh, I liked that the conflict in the book never felt over the top, it felt very realistic, and I could easily see it happening. And I liked that there was only a little conflict and not too much drama.
Eight, I just loved seeing them decide how they want their future lives to be and the declaration of love was so perfect to me. I also loved when they realized that they love the other, all of those scenes were just perfect to me. Also, I want to give an insane amount of bonus points for not including a big break-up at 80%, damn was I happy about that fact.
Ninth, I loved the vibes of the book, with all of the talks of music (all of the music descriptions were also damn lovely) and them taking care of Jewel, it just had such a nice vibe.
I would have liked them to communicate some more, it would have saved them some time, but it didn’t change my enjoyment of the book, at all.
I just had such a good time reading this book and it was exactly what I needed at this moment in time.
I received an ARC of this book, and this is my honest review.
emilyrpf's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
laura_katie_j's review
5.0
This book was so sweet and heartfelt from start to finish. I couldn’t put it down. When I wasn’t reading it I was thinking about reading it. Well written and exciting, a total joy to read.