Jennifer takes you back to San Gabriel, and introduces you to the feisty grandmother, Nelly McGuire. The day is Nelly's birthday, and invitation told her granddaughter, Melissa to show up at the Hilton at 5 P.M. The San Gabriel County Firefighter and Law Enforcement Officers Fourth Annual Bachelor Auction. Nelly was going to marry off her daughter before it was her time to join her deceased husband, Leon - and this is where she was going to do it. Nelly purchases a date with the firehouse's main LOOKER, Ryan. When both Nelly & Ryan find themselves "indisposed" for the said date - Captain Brody finds himself picking up Melissa McGuire for a date planned for a grandmother. When the date goes well enough, the Captain walks Melissa to the door, and things get a little hot. Not before Nelly, who appears to be feeling better, opens it up to interrupt something neither party can explain. "I saw his hands around your neck! He's no fire captain, he's an axe murderer!""Grans, he doesn't have an axe.""I'm not a murderer of any kind." Brody felt compelled to clarify. Melissa seemed to have forgot about the second part of the "date" her grandmother bought her, and that was the meal the firehouse agreed to cook for her. Ryan invited both Melissa and Nelly. Melissa took is upon herself to invite Channel Six's very own, Ella Joy. (Whom the firefighters adored!) Melissa had no intention of allowing the Captain to get to her like he had before, but when those two get around a door - there is no telling. "Again?" hissed Nelly. "Just like the front door the other night." Melissa knew after that dinner she was going to...Yep, better avoid the firehouse like a... well, a house on fire. Thanks to Ella Joy's wonderful idea to do a story on the infamous firehouse, Melissa finds herself as the firehouse so much, the guys give her a nickname. Hollywood. Both Melissa and Brody (Henry) have pasts that come back to haunt them in their attempt at finding happiness. Stubborn might be the only thing these two have in common because when the situation gets tough, outsiders have to take drastic (and HOT) measures to get them to see how the other cares for them. "That's so annoying," she said. "Just when I'm about to get mad at you, you do that.""What?" he said, glancing up absently. "Look so goddamn gorgeous.""I'll try not to," he said dryly. It shouldn't be too hard. Hoagie's the heartbreaker."This story had so many elements to it, but was in no way overwhelming. All the contributing factors to the difficulty of the HEA were addressed with such ease and the story maintained an amazing flow. Nelly might have been my favorite character because of her undying love of her husband, smart mouth and the ability to see the good and evil in people. She speaks so honestly about her late husband. He was perfect, by any means - and she didn't paint him that way. "Oh, he would have give you an argument about that one. According to him, I was the biggest trial any man ever saddled himself with. Stubborn as rash, he used to say. Never did as I was told. I ran him a pretty dance. But then he'd turn around and tell me his life wouldn't be worth a gob of spit without me, and i thought what was a very pretty thing to say, for a rough man like him."I fell in love all over again with the Bachelor Fireman of San Gabriel all over again in this installment. Double D told the story of the time they managed to save the local church, with a congregation trapped inside. "I figure we got an automatic pass to heaven after that one," he joked. You can't help but love Hoagie (Ryan) and all his affirmations and the overwhelming feeling of family in the group of men (and the two female firefighters) at Station 1. The grand gesture in this one was wonderful. Both were in their comfort zones and it was sweet. "You're in your turnout gear," she said blankly. "You wore your glasses," he answered nonsensically. "They help me think straight.""Likewise."Before I let y'all go to pick up EVERY book the talented storyteller, Jennifer Bernard had written - I want to leave you with the last line of the book which summed up my thoughts perfectly: "Any bets on which fireman is next?" This book was super fun and made all of Jennifer Bernard's books a must-read for me. It was one of those that you just fall into as soon as you open the pages. The world of the fire station that Jennifer Bernard created is a really fun place that I'm super glad exists for future books and return-reads with the other firemen (and women! woot!). I really liked the heroine and adored the grandmother and the way that Bernard wrote her. The secondary characters who created much of the conflict were balanced and I really, really enjoyed them (which I normally don't get excited about the secondary conflict-making characters, but these ones really were fun).
What do You think about The Fireman Who Loved Me (2012)?
Very cute and funny. Will definitely read the other books in the series.
—claus468
Fun light read and a loving whacky grandma! Just what I needed!
—Kcorbello
