Review: A spirited connection
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 24, 2014
MacKenzie Fire: Sequel to Shine Not Burn (MacKenzie #2)By: Elle Casey5/5 starsIan MacKenzie still hasn’t fully healed from his failed engagement and cancelled wedding to his longtime girlfriend, Ginny. It has left him grumpy and cranky most of the time towards most people. It has also been the cause of his drinking and partying. Ian hasn’t been himself not only for the last 3 years, but also when in Ginny’s presence during their relationship.Candice, one of Andie’s long-time best friends from college, is traveling to Oregon, to visit Andie and to be there for the birth of her goddaughter, Andie & Mack’s firstborn. Candice is a city girl from the sunny state of Florida and the snowy, icy conditions of Oregon in wintertime are proving to be hazardous. Immediately judged by Ian as being high maintenance, she also has plans to fix him, so that he’s not such a bear for Andie to be around.Candice is hilariously goofy, fun to be around, and sometimes, not exactly a possessor of understanding. I wish I had a friend like her! She is loyal and protective and will go out of her way to help her friends and try to fix their problems.In trying to fix Andie’s Ian problem, she realizes that she will also have to fix Ian. Their interactions are quite funny, especially when they are trying to exact revenge on each other! As they continue in getting to know each other and figure each other out, they begin to have feelings towards each other. Slowly the old Ian starts to break out of his shell and not only can Mack see it, but so can his parents and Boog, a family friend. But they are all cautiously optimistic and don’t want anything to happen that could cause Ian to retreat again.Hannah Banana is in this book as well, and still likes to stir up ruckus. Since she can’t have Mack, her eyes have been set on Ian. So she still is a burr under the saddle for the Mackenzie brothers, Andie, and now Candice. And of course, Candice is all about confrontation and fixing her friends’ problems.Even if they do fall in love, they have the living situation problem. She lives in Florida and owns a hair salon. Ian does love the ranch life, but also feels the need to leave Baker City.I’m not sure if this is the conclusion to this series, though I wouldn’t mind seeing a book for Boog and a Christmas novella that gets all the characters back together. Especially after weddings and babies happen!