Review: Had some heroine issues
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 11, 2014
Very Brief Synopsis - Jamie and Smith are friends. Both are attracted to the other. They act on their attraction, but Jamie puts the brakes on any long term dating scenario. Inspired by the plot in a romance she is reading, Jamie suggests to Smith that they have a one week fling. Smith knows he wants more, but agrees to Jamie's terms, planning to convince her to change her mind.What worked - Smith is a hot, sexy firefighter with a construction business on the side. He reads as a very traditional male. Smith is protective and caring, with a dirty little mouth. Mercy! He's the type of guy who insists on handling his own problems, and those of his girlfriend, as well. He goes out of his way time and again to show Jamie how important she is to him. He spends his limited free time volunteering in the local Burn Center. And did I mention sexy?When Jamie wasn't stressing over not falling for a player, she was fine. She has a lot of insecurities, some triggered and reinforced by her sister's disastrous marriage to a playboy. I have tried to take a step back, to see if, in a real life situation, would Jamie's insecurities seem valid. Sometimes things that happen in Romancelandia strike a different chord than when it happens to you, or someone you know. I am, alas, still on the fence.What didn't work as well - The primary conflict in Burn For Me stemmed from Jamie's inability to trust. Or even try to trust. She judged, (well, not even judged, since he didn't DO anything to deserve her mistrust,) but surmised Smith would cheat on her because he was a friendly person. This is, again, based on the jerk her sister had married. Even Jamie's sister is telling her to give Smith a chance. When Smith tried to show her he could be the right guy, she shamed him and I swear, I wanted to cut a b&%ch. All in all, Jamie came off as kind of a spineless mess. I was almost hoping Smith would just give up.The ending was very abrupt. And contrived.Bottom line - Mixed reaction. The smexy times were good, but I had a really hard time with Jamie and her myriad issues. On the positive side, the story is well written, with a decent amount of humor. I just didn't care for the conflict trope. Your mileage may vary.