Blog Tour Review & Excerpt of Burning Love by Cassandra Carr

Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Format Read: eGalley
Source: the tour company in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 1, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | ARe* | Smashwords* | Decadent Publishing | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.


Blurb from the tour company:

Jude Fisher thinks his life is over. He’s been injured on the job as a firefighter and not recovering as well as he’d like. His friend cajoles him into doing a calendar shoot for a friend and Jude actually enjoys himself, even more so after literally running into a beautiful woman on his way out. Michaela owns a restaurant and works long hours to make it successful. The attraction between Jude and Michaela is instant, but their schedules are hell and they struggle to find time to connect. Then business at the restaurant skyrockets and Jude faces an uncertain future. As they battle for their livelihoods, both wonder if they’ll ever be free to pursue a real relationship or if they should just cut their losses.  

Bea's Thoughts:

This is my first story by Ms Carr and I'm delighted to say that I loved it. Jude is a firefighter recovering from injuries sustained on the job, worried about his future, both the work itself and the income. Michalea is a chef and owner of a cafe; it's doing okay, staying afloat, but just barely. They meet when Jude reluctantly agrees to pose for a charity calendar where she is providing lunch and they are immediately attracted.

Jude and Michaela begin seeing each other, working around each other's schedules. There were times when Jude was annoying; he was quick to give up and I thought he could have fought harder for his future as a firefighter. He also seemingly had little experience in being in a relationship. Michaela on the other hand was a determined, ambitious woman willing to put time and work into both her business and her relationship with Jude. Jude does redeem himself with his support of her business, and his concern that all they seem to do is have sex. :D He puts effort into making sure that he and Michaela do more than just make out. Their sex scenes are hot with a nice dose of humor. I did notice that there was no mention of contraception or safe sex, which was both odd and irresponsible.

Michaela and Jude are hot and sweet together and while events moved quickly between them, it wasn't all smooth sailing and their relationship felt real. They were good together and I enjoyed their interactions. The story has a HFN, and not an HEA, ending which works perfectly. It's open-ended, leaving the possibility of further stories about the two of them. "Burning Love" is a sweet and sexy read. 

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 Excerpt: 

They walked to his truck and shared an easy silence on the way home. Michaela couldn’t remember a time she’d been more at ease with someone she didn’t know well. 

At her door, he pulled her to him. “Thanks for coming out with me. This was the most fun I’ve had in weeks. I’ll call you, and we’ll do it again soon.” 

“I had a great time, too.” 

“I’m glad.”

Jude lowered his head and kissed her, capturing her chin in his large palm and turning her mouth to more fully meet his. His other arm remained around her waist, tightening and bringing their bodies fully flush from chest to hip. He ran his tongue along her lips, and she opened to him with a moan. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew they were taking things really fast, but try as she might, she couldn’t think of a good reason to slow down. Their tongues tangled in an intimate dance before he retreated to his own mouth and she chased him, moaning again when he briefly sucked on her tongue. 

His hand moved lower on her back, cupping her ample ass and pushing his groin into hers, making his erection obvious. They battled for control of the kiss, but Jude eventually won out, pushing the hand that had cupped her chin around to the back of her head to tilt her to his liking. Finally they broke apart, both breathing hard. 

Jude gasped for air. “Holy hell.”

“Uh-huh.” 

“We need to stop, or I’m gonna start begging to take you right here.” 

“Okay.” 

At Jude’s expression of surprise, she realized what she’d said and had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at herself. “I meant, yes, we should stop.” Very witty commentary. “So you’re going to call me?” 

Jude held up the phone containing her number. “Count on it.” He waited for her to open her door before backing away. 

“See you soon, I hope.” 

Famous last words.

Author bio

Cassandra Carr is a multi-award winning erotic romance writer with Ellora's Cave, Sybarite Seductions/Twenty or Less Press, Decadent Publishing, Siren Publishing, and Loose Id. She lives in Western New York with her husband, Inspiration, and her daughter, Too Cute for Words. When not writing she enjoys watching hockey and hanging out online. Cassandra is the co-founder of two successful group blogs, Romancing the Jock and Dirty Birdies, and participates in several others as a contributor. Currently Cassandra also serves as president of Western New York Romance Writers.

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