A review by jonetta
Fully Ignited by Shannon Stacey

5.0

Originally posted on The Book Nympho

Firefighter Jamie Rutherford temporarily assumes the role of lieutenant for Engine 39 when their permanent leader, Danny Walsh, is seriously injured in a fire. She's one of the few women firefighters, let alone one in a command role. Scott Kincaid recently decided to stop being a serial dater because he's ready to settle down and is waiting for "the one." When Jamie first walks through the door, he's stung but she can't risk her career by getting involved with another firefighter under her command. And, the rules for women are very different from the rest of the men.

I loved this story as it blended so many issues extremely well. Jamie is seven years older than Scott; is one of the few female firefighters in the country let alone Boston and is in a command position; needs to prove herself as a leader and hold her own as a firefighter; and, becomes romantically involved with someone under her leadership. As enlightened as Scott is about women being as capable as their male firefighting counterparts, he's challenged when he considers that it could be his wife in a risky career role. Gender equality issues were really well addressed without belaboring the topic.

I liked that these issues were realistically portrayed instead of taking a fictional approach to the story. Workplace romances are common, no matter how controversial, and their problems and concerns were real. I also really liked how much I learned about some of the routine aspects of a station's duties, how their shifts actually work and the many types of non-emergency calls they must respond to. These were nicely woven into the developing romance between Jamie and Scott.

I'm really enjoying this series and the balance between the roles of firefighters and their relationships. It's very well done and I loved everything about this story.

(I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)