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A review by heabooknerd
Up in Smoke by Annabeth Albert
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