Book Review: Coming in Hot by Carmen Cook

About the Book:

Title: Coming in Hot

Author: Carmen Cook

Series: Sapphire Creek #1

Page Length: 230

Publication Date: Dec. 4, 2017

Publisher: Mountain Coast Media, LLC

Synopsis: An independent, successful woman shouldn’t have regrets. She shouldn’t be wondering ‘what if’, but Regan Sinclair does. A lot. Newly single, currently jobless and at her wits end, it’s time for her to return to her small Montana hometown and get her act together. To stop wondering about what could have been. It’s time to face her best friend’s brother. Tall, dark and handsome, they had a one-night stand right before she’d left Sapphire Creek without a word.

Security consultant Gavin McCabe is a simple guy. He’s got solid friends, a couple kids he adores, and a business he built from the ground up. He couldn’t ask for anything else—until Regan pops up in his kitchen and knocks him flat on his ass. He never believed in love at first sight, but there’s no other explanation for how he reacts to her. She walked away from him once, he’s not going to let it happen again. He’s especially not going to hand her back over to her ex. That guy had his chance, and now it’s time for Gavin to take his. To lay it all on the line and convince Regan to give Sapphire Creek, and him, a second chance.

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

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My Review:

Regan came home to Sapphire Creek after a divorce and with a desire to start over. Visiting family and friends and trying to figure out what she wants to do next, Regan is sneakily coerced into babysitting when her sister becomes ill. Little does she know that she is watching her old flame’s twins.

Gavin is stunned when he returns home and finds the one who got away in his kitchen watching his kids. Old feelings and unanswered questions come back, and Gavin knows he’ll do to convince Regan that they were meant to be. But Regan doesn’t want to stay in the town that she once desperately escaped. This is just a brief stop until Regan moves on. Will Regan give this romance a second chance, or will she leave behind the past for a new beginning?

As Regan and Gavin’s relationship begins to bloom, uncommon things start happening in Sapphire Creek. Rumors of drug use, break-ins, and other dangerous situations put Regan and other’s lives at risk. When their famous friend returns, the situation becomes even tenser. Plus, Regan’s ex-husband and Gavin’s ex-wife complicate matters. It’s interesting to see how Regan and Gavin try to put the pieces together and figure out what is going on. They make a good team, whether it’s caring for Gavin’s adorable and rambunctious kids or trying to solve an unusual and potentially dangerous mystery.

Regan and Gavin are relatable characters, and I love their love story!! Theirs is a wonderful second-chance romance filled with yearning, promise, and passion. They have amazing chemistry, and I love how they reconnect. Gavin is so in love with Regan, and his patience and understanding are almost as swoon-tastic as the spicy scenes!

Another part of the story that I really like is that it focuses on friendships. Regan reconnects with her old friends from Sapphire Creek, and most are also friends with or related to Gavin. They all have such an ease about them, and they whole-heartedly welcome Regan back into the fold. They’re the type of friends that you can not see for years, and when you finally get together, it’s as if no time has passed. They love, support, and accept each other, though they are all different and have all gone in different directions. They have so much fun together, whether it’s hanging at a bar, shopping at an adult store, or cheering on their significant others in a snowy football game. However, it’s not all fun for these friends. They also share their fears and heartbreaks, their secrets and their truths. Their connection is so well-developed and is one of my favorite parts of the novel. I definitely think these secondary characters set the stage for future books in the series.

Regan has a complicated relationship with her family, but I love that she begins to reconnect with her younger sisters. Living in different states, Regan pulled away from her difficult and complicated family, but now that she is back in Sapphire Creek, she has the opportunity to bond more easily with her sisters. Her parents prove more difficult, especially since old wounds and new manipulations prevent a good reunion. They all have complex and not overly healthy relationships with their parents, which unifies them. Many times throughout the story, they try to protect each other from parental influence and other problems, and I love their growing relationship.

This is a great story that I think readers who enjoy contemporary romance will enjoy. The characters are well-developed, and the story is interesting. I’m excited to read the next book in the Sapphire Creek series! Thanks so much to Carmen Cook for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Rating:

Favorite Parts:

The romance! I’m always good for a second-chance romance!

The friendships. I love their easy comradery.

Favorite Lines:

“That boy has had a stick up his ass for as long as he’s been alive,” Bethany’s mother, a retired teacher snorted. “It’s amazing her ever learned to walk.”