Under Control: A Firefighter Romance

This is the fifth book in the series and a great installment. I do love a single dad romance so I knew this was going be a winner for me. Plus I'm huge fan of Shannon Stacey's writing. One chance encounter could lead this couple on the path to forever. Olivia sticks to her plans and schedules for a reason, but the day she meets Derek throws a big wrench in her orderly life. This book has great chemistry between Olivia and Derek. I gobbled this book right up because it has a such an easy flow to it. It has a real life feel to it especially with blended families. This is definitely one you shouldn't pass up on reading.

I enjoyed this book and loved Derek - hot and sexy fireman that is a dedicated and gentle with his kids? Swoon alert! This novel started with a great elevator scene that made me fall a bit in love with the characters. This is a classic tale of opposites attracting that the author tells in an engaging style. Derek is the busy fireman living on the wrong side of town (and where his life is based), while Olivia lives on the opposite side of town, in an expensive hi-rise apartment and dines in restaurants whose entrees are more than weekly food budgets for Derek's friends. I found that, while I connected to Derek, I didn't connect with Olivia. To me, she was a bit too rigid (yes, I know that's the point), without enough back story for her to make sense to me. I would have loved to know more about her so I could have felt a bit more invested in her. This is a perfect choice for summer beach reading. Additionally, I loved the appearances of characters from prior books in the series. This is a fun novel and a good addition to the Boston Fire series. While this is part of a series, this is a stand alone novel.

Under Control was a great 4 star read and book five in the Boston Fire series. Derek and Olivia initially meet when they get stuck in an elevator together. Derek’s unit were doing some training in Olivia's office building. Sparks literally fly between them, but Olivia quickly runs off after their rescue and Derek isn’t sure how to get in touch with her. Fate of course steps in and they both are brought together again during a meeting with a non-profit organization. They start to develop a relationship after Derek gets Olivia to agree to a date with him, she eventually meets Derek’s children and his ex-wife, I have to say that meeting the ex was a LOL moment for me. Not the way I would want to meet the ex, that’s for sure. We do get some steamy moments from them. At times Derek feels like he isn’t good enough for Olivia because of her status and job. Olivia also wonders if she’s good enough to be around his kids. Can these two get past their doubt’s and have a HEA? This is my first read from Shannon Stacey, I was pulled right in with her writing and couldn’t wait to see how Derek and Olivia’s story would end. The secondary characters were great. I was very happy with the ending and I can't wait to read more from this author. This book can be read as a stand alone, however I plan to go back and catch up. I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. Reviewed by MAustin from Alpha Book Club