Review: Fanning the Flames by Victoria Dahl

Title: Fanning the Flames by Victoria Dahl
Jackson Girl’s Night Out Series Book .5
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: Novella
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Burning for you

Some men are off-limits. Close friends of your ex-husband, for instance. Or firefighters who work in the same building as you. Yet despite her best judgment, librarian Lauren Foster can’t help noticing fire captain Jake Davis whenever he jogs by…shirtless. They’ve always been friends, but all it takes is one not-so-chance meeting at a local bar and one not-quite-innocent walk home to ignite a fierce, uncontrollable desire between them.

Widower Jake Davis has tried to ignore the spark he feels whenever Lauren’s around, but once he sees her curves in a little black dress, there’s no turning back. No matter how often she says she’s all wrong for him, the sexy, outspoken divorcée is driving him wild in the best possible way. Maybe she’s just blowing off steam. Or maybe he can convince her to fan these flames into something deeper, hotter and truer than they ever expected….

The Review:

Love, love, LOVE Victoria Dahl’s Fanning the Flames! This fast-paced and engaging novella is witty, flirty and oh, my goodness smokin’ hot! It is the perfect introduction to her upcoming Jackson Girl’s Night Out series and I thoroughly enjoyed this captivating story.

Lauren Foster and Jake Davis are wonderful characters and I love the fact that they are in their early to mid-forties and comfortable with themselves and their sexuality. Lauren is a divorced empty-nester whose libido is running at full throttle and she is seriously crushing on Jake. Jake also has a thing for Lauren but their long history together and the close proximity of their jobs makes both of them hesitant to act on their desires.

I absolutely adored Lauren and Jake and I could certainly relate to their trepidation about becoming involved with one another. They went to one another’s weddings and although they were not close friends, their paths have crossed fairly frequently over the years. Jake is friends with Lauren’s ex and Lauren feels like she can never measure up to Jake’s deceased wife. However when the two meet up while Lauren’s enjoying a girl’s night out, their mutual desire spirals out of control and the sexy goodness between them is SCORCHING hot.

Lauren and Jake are superbly developed characters and their shared past makes their new relationship believable. Lauren is gutsy, outspoken and incredibly honest about her insecurities and doubts. Jake is all kinds of sexy wonderful, but the fact that he makes the first move to sort out their relationship after they wind up in an embarrassing (but hilarious) situation just adds to his appeal.

Fanning the Flames is an angst-free, humorous and sexy romance that I highly recommend to old and new fans of Victoria Dahl. It is a very enticing introduction to the upcoming Jackson Girl’s Night Out series and I cannot wait to read Looking for Trouble which releases at the end of the month.