Fearless by Kimberly Kincaid

Don't you hate it when you read a book you enjoy, but then fail to write the review until you start to forget details and then you just feel guilty about it?  Yeah. That.

Here's the summary, from Amazon.

Firefighter Cole Everett's life revolves around the firehouse. Committed to saving lives--and to the guys who always have his back in the most dangerous moments on the job--Cole's focus is a coveted spot on the Fairview Rescue Squad. When his captain asks him to mentor a rookie firefighter, he jumps at the chance, hoping it will help to prove his skill. But the new "guy" is none other than Savannah Nelson, a female firefighter as stubbornly determined as Cole is, and a whole lot curvier in all the right places . . .

Savannah won't let anyone extinguish her dream of fulfilling her family legacy and becoming a top notch firefighter--and she's happily surprised when strong-willed, sexy Cole is willing to give her the chance she deserves. Concentrating on the job isn't always easy when the heat between them flares higher every day, but Savannah won't give up--not even when one of Station Eight's veterans seems bent on trashing her reputation. To stop a string of possible arsons, Savannah and Cole will need to eliminate every distraction--but can they let their love go up in flames?

I read the previous book, Reckless, back in the winter, and while I didn't find it to be a winner, I was still looking forward to the rest of the crew. Unlike Katherine, I wasn't really drawn to Cole at all, and didn't really remember him, so it was all pretty fresh. Happily, I turned out to like Cole and Savannah quite a bit and found them both believable. Savannah desperately wants to be a firefighter, and on her own merit. She comes from a family of male firefighters and knows that if she doesn't move away from home she'll never be able to believe if it's her, or her family that leads her to success. She works hard to pull her own weight and doesn't let being a woman limit her at all. Unfortunately for her, not everyone in the firehouse is on the same page.

Cole is given the position of training Savannah to take his place in the rotation after he is promoted to a coveted squad position.  This requires quite the balancing act, he can't delude himself into thinking she is ready, if she isn't, but he's also eager to move into his new role. Cole never hesitates or holds back based on her gender and Savannah never fails to meet expectations. I loved seeing her be a badass in a physical way in a demanding job.

The chemistry between them is certainly there, and their first encounter/kiss ends in a potentially awkward situation, but Kincaid pulls us through. I did find it a bit unbelievable that they could leave all of that heat outside the fire station, so that no one knew. It is strictly forbidden to date within the house, and this becomes a major plot point late in the book. I'm not entirely sure that I'm convinced in the ultimate resolution of the side story with the arsons, but I did believe in the romance, which is what I read it for. While this series isn't one of my go to favorites, I would still recommend it to anyone who is already a fan of this type of setting.

Fearless came out on July 26th.