Book Review: Playing With Fire (Hot in Chicago #2) by Kate Meader

Playing With Fire
Hot in Chicago

By:
Kate Meader

Release Date:
Sept. 29, 2015

Publisher:
Pocket Books

Add to
Goodreads

Source:
eARC from publisher in exchange for a honest review

GR's Summary:

From popular romance author Kate Meader comes the second novel in Hot in Chicago, a brand-new, sizzling series that follows a group of firefighting foster siblings and their blazing hot love interests! 

As the only female firefighter at Engine Co. 6, Alexandra Dempsey gets it from all sides: the male coworkers who think she can’t do the job, the wives and girlfriends who see her as a threat to their firefighter men, and her overprotective foster brothers who want to shelter their baby sister at all costs. So when she single-handedly saves the life of Eli Cooper, Chicago’s devastatingly handsome mayor, she assumes the respect she’s longed for will finally come her way. But it seems Mr. Mayor has other ideas… 

Eli Cooper’s mayoral ratings are plummeting, his chances at reelection dead in the water. When a sexy, curvaceous firefighter gives him the kiss of life, she does more than bring him back to the land of the living—she also breathes vitality into his campaign. Riding the wave of their feel-good story might prop up Eli’s flagging political fortunes, but the sizzling attraction between them can go nowhere; he’s her boss, and there are rules that must be obeyed. But you know what they say about rules: they’re made to be broken… 

Hot in Chicago Series:
My Review of Flirting With Fire Here
My Review of Melting Point Here

*Add this Series to Goodreads Here

My Thoughts:

The Hot in Chicago series by Kate Meader has been a blast and a half.  I'm in love with the Dempsey family and their love and loyalty for one another.  Each member of this family, has made quite an impression on me with the passionate way that they lead their lives.  The Dempsey's are foster and adoptive siblings, who each joined the Chicago Fire Department after their father and brother died heroically. 

Playing with Fire is Alex Dempsey's story, and this woman is a trail blazer.  She is a female firefighter that demands respect, and doesn't put up with chauvinism or misogyny.  She met the delicious mayor, Eli Cooper, in Flirting with Fire.  While these two shared a scorching chemistry; they also pushed each other's buttons like crazy.  In this installment, Eli convinces Alex to "pretend" they are in a relationship, to help him get re-elected for mayor because Alex is known as "America's sweetheart."  With her support, he hopes to get the blue collar vote.  Alex isn't quick to agree, but Eli puts her in a position where she feels like she cannot refuse.  

Alex and Eli give us a very entertaining story.  Alex's feistiness and sass were one of my favorite things.  Eli loves this about her, and enjoyed bringing it out in her time and time again!  Eli had some secrets that added a level of suspense to the story, and I was biting my nails anticipating how all would be revealed to Alex.  These two had raw chemistry, and were already two very passionate individuals, but when they came together, "Kaboom!!!"  

Of course I loved how all of the characters from previous installments in the series had a role to play.  Next, we will be getting Alex's brother, Wyatt's story, and from the teaser excerpt I got, it's sure to be as good as all of the other books in this series! 

My Rating:

I give, Playing With Fire, by Kate Meader, 4 "It's getting Hot in Here" Saucy, Sexy, and Thrilling Stars! 

Book Teasers:

Purchase At:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

About Kate Meader:

Originally from Ireland, Kate cut her romance reader teeth on Maeve Binchy and Jilly Cooper novels, with some Mills & Boon thrown in for variety. Give her tales about brooding mill owners, oversexed equestrians, and men who can rock an apron or a fire hose, and she’s there. Now based in Chicago, she writes sexy contemporary romance with alpha heroes and strong heroines who can match their men quip for quip.

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Book Review: Melting Point (Hot in Chicago #1.5) by Kate Meader

Melting Point
Hot in Chicago, #1.5
by  Kate Meader

Release Date:
August 31st, 2015

Publisher:
Pocket Star

Source:
Publisher

eARC received in exchange of honest review

Synopsis:

Things are heating up at Engine Co. 6 in this original e-novella from Kate Meader’s sizzling Hot in Chicago series! Superhot playboy firefighter Gage Simpson has one particular man on his mind: Brady Smith, a recalcitrant, moody chef who makes Gage melt from the inside out. Features a sexy sneak preview of Playing with Fire! 

Firefighter Gage Simpson has it all: the job of his dreams, the family of his heart, and no shortage of hot guys lining up to share his bed. “Fun and easy” is his motto—and it’s kept him sunny through a painful upbringing and steered him away from trouble. But when trouble comes knocking in the form of a sexy, scarred, tattooed chef with a harrowing past and zero communication skills, Gage can’t help but be drawn to the flame. 

Brady Smith isn’t fun. And easy isn’t in his vocabulary. When cocky Gage swaggers into his restaurant kitchen, the former Marine-turned-five-star-chef is blindsided by the firefighter’s beauty. Then confused that this golden guy with the sparkling blue eyes and the body of a god might be interested in him. As desire flares and temperatures rise, Gage and Brady will have to figure out if the heat between them is just a temporary flash—or the beginning of something real.

Purchase Links:

Amazon | B&N 

Hot in Chicago Series on Goodreads:
My Review of Flirting with Fire Here

My Thoughts:

The Hot in Chicago Series follows the adoptive Dempsey Family, who are all hot and sexy firefighters!  Who doesn't love a man in uniform?  Each of these stories has been endearing, sweet, spicy, and has the added bonus of a close-knit group of family and friends.

Melting Point is a novella that continues the story of Gage and Brady.  Gage is one of my favorites in the Dempsy family!  He has a great sense of humor, is loyal to those he loves, and brings happiness, optimism, and sunshine to all of those he surrounds.  

We were first introduced to the flirtation of Gage and Brady in Flirting With Fire.  However, it quickly became apparent that Brady had some commitment issues, and Gage wanted more than he was willing to offer.  In Melting Point, Gage and Brady still have feelings for one another, and begin to pick up where they left off when Brady is in a motorcycle accident, and Gage is enlisted to help him.  We get a more in depth explanation of Brady's traumatic experience as a prisoner of war in Afghanistan, and learn about the PTSD that he is currently experiencing.

We also get more information about Gage's birth mother, and the way the that he was traumatized and abused at her hands because she was homophobic.  Melting Point was a fast-paced novella.  I really enjoyed it, and was so glad that Ms. Meader gave her readers the rest of Gage and Brady's story.  It was emotional, sexy, and another great addition to the Hot in Chicago Series. 

My Rating:

I give, Melting Point, by Kate Meader, 4 Healing in Each Others Arms, Passion turned to Love, New Beginning Filled Stars!

About the Author:

Book 1 of the Hot in Chicago series, FLIRTING WITH FIRE (Luke and Kinsey) is now available. Look for a novella, MELTING POINT (Gage and Brady), in August 2015, followed by Book 2, PLAYING WITH FIRE (Eli and Alex), in September. Like 'em Tall, Dark, and Texan? Pick up her first Brazen, EVEN THE SCORE! Sign up for her very infrequent newsletter to get updates on sales, giveaways, and new releases. 

Kate writes sexy contemporary romance with alpha heroes and strong heroines who can match their men quip for quip. Her latest series, Hot in Chicago, features firefighting foster siblings. With tattoos.

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Book Review: Flirting with Fire (Hot in Chicago #1) by Kate Meader

Flirting with Fire

Hot in Chicago #1

By: 
Kate Meader

Published:
March 24, 2015

Publisher:
Pocket Books

Source: 
ARC from publisher for a honest review

Add to 
Goodreads

GR's Summary:

The first installment in Hot in Chicago, a brand-new, sizzling series from Kate Meader that follows a group of firefighting foster siblings and their blazing hot love interests! 

Savvy PR guru Kinsey Taylor has always defined herself by her career, not her gender. That is, until she moved from San Francisco to Chicago to be with her fiancé who thought she wasn’t taking her “job” of supporting him in his high-powered career seriously enough—and promptly dumped her for a more supportive and “feminine” nurse. Now, as the new assistant press secretary to Chicago’s dynamic mayor, she’s determined to keep her eye on the prize: no time to feel inferior because she’s a strong, kick-ass woman, and certainly no time for men.

But that all changes when she meets Luke Almeida, a firefighter as searingly sexy as he is quick-tempered. He’s also the second oldest of the Firefightin’ Dempseys, a family of foster siblings who have committed their lives to the service—if Luke’s antics don’t get him fired first. When Luke goes one step too far and gets into a bar brawl with the Chicago Police Department, Kinsey marches into Luke’s firehouse and lays down the law on orders from the mayor. But at Engine Co. 6, Luke Almeida is the law. And he’s not about to let Kinsey make the rules. 

My Thoughts:

I read Kate Meader's short story, Rekindle the Flame, in the Baby It's Cold Outside Anthology, as well as Hot and Bothered.  I enjoyed both stories immensely, and have been excited to read more of Ms. Meader's writing.  Flirting with Fire was a stunning new beginning to the Hot in Chicago Series that is going to focus on the Dempsey's, who are foster siblings that are all part of the fire department in Chicago.

In Flirting with Fire, we get Luke Almeida and Kinsey Taylor's story.  Luke got into a bar brawl and it was caught on YouTube resulting in bad P.R.  The mayor, Eli Cooper, is up for re-election, and brings in Kinsey Taylor, P.R. Specialist to revamp his image.  While at first Luke and Kinsey bump heads, there is no denying the sexual chemistry that sizzles between them.  As Kinsey begins to spend more time with Luke and the rest of the Dempsey's, they begin to bond, and feelings grow.  Unfortunately, Kinsey is put into a difficult position in which she will have to choose between her boss, and the Dempsey's, and each choice has a different set of repercussions.

Someone is going to need a fire extinguisher to put out the soaring and all encompassing flames between Luke and Kinsey!  The flirtatious banter, intense chemistry, and passion between these two made for a great dynamic.  I loved Ms. Meader's character's humorous dialogue, her witty writing style, and the imagery that she created with her words.  I could easily imagine the Hunky Firefighting Dempsey Foster Brothers, Luke, Beck, Gage, and Wyatt, and the Gorgeous Firefighting Foster Sister, Alex.  They all made for an extremely entertaining cast of characters.

We also get two side plots shared in this story.  One is between Gage, and his love interest, Brady, as well as Alex and the mayor locking horns but also sharing a sizzling attraction.  I am looking forward to getting both of these Dempsey's stories.        

My Rating:

I give, Flirting with Fire, 4 Ravishing, Witty, Hot Fireman Filled Stars!  If you are looking for a fun, witty, humorous, and romantic story, this one is an excellent pick!    

Book Teasers:

Purchase At:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo

About Kate Meader:

Originally from Ireland, Kate cut her romance reader teeth on Maeve Binchy and Jilly Cooper novels, with some Mills & Boon thrown in for variety. Give her tales about brooding mill owners, oversexed equestrians, and men who can rock an apron or a fire hose, and she’s there. Now based in Chicago, she writes sexy contemporary romance with alpha heroes and strong heroines who can match their men quip for quip.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook 
 Twitter | Pinterest

Giveaway:

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Release Blitz: Hot And Bothered (Hot in the Kitchen #3) by Kate Meader

Hot And Bothered

Hot in the Kitchen #3

By: Kate Meader

Published:

January 27, 2015

Publisher: 

Forever Romance

Source: eARC from the publisher for a honest review

GR's Summary:

A Fire They Can’t Put Out . . .

Although her baby boy keeps her plate full, Jules Kilroy is ready to take her love life off the back burner. DespiteD a bevy of eligible bachelors, it’s her best friend, Taddeo DeLuca, who's fueling her hormones with generous servings of his mouth-watering Italian sexiness. But Jules learned her lesson once before when she went in for a kiss, only to have Tad reject her. She’s vowed never to blur the lines again . . .

After a lifetime of excuses and false starts, Tad has finally opened a wine bar, a deal made even sweeter when Jules joins his staff. Lovers come and go, and he’s had his share, but friendships like theirs last forever. Still, ever since he tasted her luscious lips, he can’t stop fantasizing about what could be. Then she signs up for an online dating site—and the thought ofhis Jules with another man makes Tad’s blood boil. Even if he gets burned, Tad can’t stop himself from turning up the heat this time.

Hot in the Kitchen Series:

To Add this Series to Goodreads Click Here

My Thoughts:

Hot And Bothered was a really sweet friends to lovers story.  It was endearing, and full of heart melting moments.  While this is the third book in the series, it can still be read as a standalone.

In Hot And Bothered, we get Jules Kilroy and Tad DeLuca's story told from both of their perspectives.  Jules and Tad have been best friends since she was pregnant with her now, eighteen month old son Evan.  After Jules left England to reunite and get help from her brother, Jack, she quickly became a part of Jack's wife's family, the DeLuca's.  Being a single mother has been difficult for Jules, and Tad's presence has been invaluable in her life.  He has supported her and know's her like nobody else.  Unfortunately, Jules has been in love with her friend for quite awhile, but when she made a pass at him a year ago, he let her know that they were better off as friends.

Jules is tired of being alone, and has decided to embark in the world of dating.  With Lili and Cara DeLuca's assistance, they make her an online dating profile, and prepare her for her new adventure.  Tad is not happy about Jules' decision to begin dating.  He is attracted to Jules and has feelings for her, but doesn't think that he is good enough.  After his parents died many years ago, he blamed himself for their death, and has never been the same.  Will Tad take a chance on love, or risk losing the love of his life?

Hot And Bothered centered on close family, friendships, intimate relationships, cooking, and wine.  I enjoyed getting to know Jules and Tad.  It was obvious to everyone around them that they were perfect for each other.  They had such a strong foundation of friendship, and a special connection.  The sexual tension and attraction between these two was intense.  I loved getting to know the other couples, Jack and Lili, as well as Shane and Cara.  They were such wonderful, and entertaining characters that provided excellent entertainment, and a lot of laughs.  I want to go back and read both of these couples' stories!  I can tell they will be steamy!

My Rating:

I give, Hot And Bothered, by Kate Meader, 4 Charming, Flavorful, Playful, and Sweet Love Filled Stars!!!  Fans of Jill Shalvis should read this series.  It was a decadent, and tasty reading treat!   

Excerpt:

“Tip your chin up—yeah, just like that.” Click. “Now lean forward, lemme see those puppies.”

“Lili,” came the slightly embarrassed reply. Jules.

“Come on, don’t be shy. You have an amazing figure and—oh, perfect. Hold that.” Click.

Tad’s heart thudded insanely fast. He crept a few inches forward until he had cleared the pillar with his gaze. Lili had her back to him, shielding her subject, but he got a very healthy view of shapely legs inadequately covered by something red and soft-looking.

“You know, if you ever felt comfortable enough to go bare, I’d love to photograph you.”

Jules snorted. “I can see Jack’s face now.”

His cousin laughed. “We could insist he put it up in the dining room at Sarriette. He’d be so torn between wanting to encourage my art and being totally skeeved out.”

Girly giggles ensued.

My wild days are behind me,” Jules said on the downside of a laugh. “You wouldn’t believe some of the shenanigans I got up to back in London.” He heard her breathy sigh of reminiscence and strained to hear what salacious details might follow. This London version of Jules sounded like a woman he’d like to know.

“Oh, yeah? Spill, girl.”

“Well, there was one time I jumped in a fountain and stripped down to my—”

“Hey, cuz,” Lili said to him, a sly smile quirking one corner of her mouth. “How long have you been there?”

He patted the pillar he had just been leaning against/hiding behind like they were great pals. “Just got here.”

Lili’s smile turned slyer. “Didn’t expect you.”

“Do I need an excuse to come see my favorite cousin?” It came out a touch testy.

“Not at all. I just thought you’d be busy stroking your Cabs and Pinots.”

“Only do that on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Should I leave?”

“No, we’re just finishing up.” Lili sat at her iMac and hooked up the camera with a cable.

“All right?” Jules asked, almost shyly, as though they barely knew each other and in a way it felt like he was looking at her anew. The dress she wore was one he hadn’t seen before, a cherry-red, draped affair. One of those wrap-around deals that separated her breasts and flared over her waist. Not especially sexy but…

In that dress, she looked like she should be running the PTA, then going down on her husband in the Subaru in the school parking lot. Thankfully, that was years off because Evan was just an ankle biter… unless she hooked up with some lonely widower who already had school-age kids. Damn, that was a real possibility. He bet those websites were crawling with lonely widower fathers.

He was having problems catching his breath, a hitch that extended to his cock, which suddenly needed breathing room. To be perfectly honest, if Lili wasn’t there, he would be seriously considering unwrapping that dress and exploring the finely curved gift underneath. Jules stared back, probably wondering why he was ogling her like a just-released convict who hadn’t seen a woman during his fifteen and a third in the clink.

“Hey,” he said, finally responding to her greeting of about ten minutes back. He diverted his eyes away from her breasts to a good twelve inches north. Women 101. They preferred when you looked at their faces.

“Getting your photo taken?” he mumbled in a clear case of graduating summa cum laude from the School of the Freaking Obvious. His IQ had just dipped a hundred points.

“Uh huh. For my profile.” She blushed, and that’s when he noticed that she was wearing a lot of eye make-up. The smoky, sexy eyes that you saw on magazine models. She had done something different with her hair, too. It was tousled, fuck-me hair.

“My glamour shot, as Lili calls it,” she said with an eye roll. Can you believe what they’re trying to make me do?

His body clenched and he willed it to relax. Her glamour shot. She may as well have painted a sign: Come All Takers, Get Your Hot Mama Here. Lord knew he was trying to stop staring at her but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from all those damn curves.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“No,” he snapped, and then softer, “It’s all good.”

“I’ll just get changed,” she muttered, swaying away to the cover of an ornamental screen in the corner.

He blinked to get his brain in the groove and made inane chitchat with Lili about the plans for Tony and Frankie’s wedding anniversary party. If his parents had still been here it would have also been their anniversary. The couples had married in a double wedding extravaganza thirty-five years ago. He shoved that to the back of his mind with the rest of the shit he had succeeded in burying.

He was an absolute expert at it by now.

Jules walked out from behind the screen, pulling up the zip of her sweatshirt, but not so fast that he missed the sweet swell of her breasts in something thin and stretchy. Come on!

“Could I see how it came out?” she asked Lili as she set a suit bag over a chair.

“Sure.” His cousin clickity-clicked her screen.

Tad stole another glance at Jules. He couldn’t not look at her. A pearly pink glow had washed her cheeks and she looked so damn fine, he wanted to lick every inch of her. He turned back to the screen and what he saw wasn’t much better.

She looked fucking gorgeous.

Well, she always looked gorgeous, whether she was in baggy sweats or a frayed tee that had seen better days. Even when she looked like she was falling asleep on her feet, she never failed to look amazing to him.

Now she looked amazing to the world.

Purchase At:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks
IndieBound | BAM!

About Kate Meader:

Kate Meader writes contemporary romance that serves up delicious food, sexy heroes, and heroines with a dash of sass. Originally from Ireland, she now makes her home in Chicago, a city made for food, romance, and laughter - and where she met her own sexy hero. When not writing about men who cook and the women who drool over them, she works in an academic library. Visit her website at http://katemeader.com and follow her on Twitter @kittymeader

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Giveaway:

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Promo Post & Review : Baby, It's Cold Outside by Jennifer Probst, Emma Chase, Kristen Proby, Melody Anne and Kate Meader

Outside it may be frosty, so turn the heat way up with these stories of desire! 

Baby, It's Cold Outside
by 
Jennifer Probst, Emma Chase, Kristen Proby, Melody Anne and
Kate Meader

Release Date:
October 28th, 2014

Publisher:
Pocket Books

Add to Goodreads

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling indie authors Jennifer Probst, Emma Chase, Kristen Proby, Melody Anne, and debut author Kate Meader come together to write a sizzling romance anthology. 

Can a determined woman executive and a playboy billionaire survive being stranded together in a snowstorm? Jennifer Probst depicts an encounter almost too hot to handle... 

Drew and Kate play an encore to Tangled in this sexy take on a "Christmas Carol" by Emma Chase. When a Christmas Eve argument condemns Drew to a troubled night, three dream women teach him that no gift could be more tantalizing than Kate... 

With Kristen Proby, ski slopes are quite delightful. Grace Douglas is sure she'll never learn to ski, but instructor Jacob Baxter could teach her lessons of a different kind... 

Can a southern California transplant survive Montana's deep snows? Melody Anne, author of the bestselling Andersons series, melts the icy drifts completely away with the heat between sexy Hawk Winchester and brand-new teacher Natalie Duncan... 

What could be hotter than a firefighter? 
Kate Meader shows how, as Brett Farraday and heiress-turned-tattoo-artist Lucy Cochrane discover, nothing ignites holiday flames like rekindling a lost love...

Pre-order:

Amazon|BAM|B&N

IndieBound|iTunes|Simon&Schuster

My Thoughts:

Baby, It's Cold Outside was a great romantic anthology that will get you in the mood for the holiday season.  When I got the opportunity to review this book, I was impressed by the list of authors.  Jennifer Probst, and Emma Chase are two of my absolute favorites!  I've read every single book both of these authors have ever written, and can never get enough of their story telling skills.  I've read two books by Kristen Proby and enjoyed them.  However, I had never read anything by Melody Anne, and Kate Meander and was curious about them, from the simple fact that they were paired with such great authors.

This anthology was so fun, entertaining, romantic, and sexy.  I enjoyed all five of the stories that were told.  I also count myself lucky to have discovered two new to me authors, that did an amazing job!  Themes that were common in these stories, included rekindling of an old flame, taking chances, new beginnings, and learning from past mistakes.   All of these stories were very sexy, steamy, and romantic!

I give Baby, It's Cold Outside, 4 Warm, Cozy, Happy, Holiday Cheer Filled Stars!  This is the perfect book to read sitting by the fire place with a cup of cocoa or coffee, while it's raining or snowing outside.  Even though many of the stories are novella's based on a series, they can be read as stand alones and you will not feel lost.  If anything, the two novella's in which I had never heard of the series' were so great, that I found myself looking up the books that went with them in the kindle bookstore.  That's how good they are!!!  The ones that were based off of series' that I already love, were like the cherry on top of an already amazing ice cream sunday.  

This anthology is perfect if you want to read one story per sitting, or the book the whole way through.  For an anthology, the stories were perfect in length; not too short and not too long!  I would highly recommend, Baby, It's Cold Outside, if you love romance, the holidays, great stories, and an awesome sampling of a variety of talented authors.