Review - Blaze by Joan Swan

      Excuse me as I have a fan girl moment here! Eeeee!  So yes, I am a total fan of Joan's, and willing to pimp out her books at every instant!  Another winner! Better than the first. Never disappoints.   Love love love mitch

The hotter they come, the harder they fall…

With a man like him, every mission becomes personal…
Ever since FBI agent Keira O’Shay started tracking a young boy named Mateo, she’s felt a connection even her empathic abilities can’t explain. She needs to save Mateo from the cult leader holding him hostage. Nothing can interfere with that—not even the reappearance of Luke Ransom, the hot-as-hell fire captain she’s regretted walking out on for three long years.

Losing Keira left Luke vulnerable—in every way. When they were together, the powers each possesses were mysteriously enhanced. But it’s the sexy, surprising woman beneath the tough exterior that Luke’s really missed. Even if she betrayed him utterly. And even if agreeing to help her uncover a government conspiracy means watching his life and his heart go up in flames again




MY TAKE:
 Book Two in the Pheonix Rising series, second book from her debut novel Fever. 


    Really like how Joan started the book with Keira.  We heard "of" the woman in Fever. Mostly her past relationship with Luke.  So this was a really good way for us readers to get a good introduction to her character and person. What drives her. Etc
   
 Luke played a vital role in the end of Fever, so we readers are already well acquianted with him. Enough to have formed an opinion going in. 

    Not so with Keira. Mostly what we know is hearsay.  And as a reader I like to learn about the woman more than what previous characters told us.

    First impression of Keira:  Strong. Not afraid to give her opinion to the higher ups. Even if it gets her reprimanded.  Cautious - to hide the secret she's harboring, to not let a speck or hint of it released, a secret that mirrors Luke and Teagans in the grand scale of things.

    Seventy pages in and my favorite side character makes a phone appearance.  Absolutely love Mitch's character.  Sarcastic and a wise-ass but he's there for those he cares about with all his connections.  So I got a goofy grin at the way he answered the phone:

"Mitch, it's Luke"
"Oh, it's only you. What number are you calling from?" Mitch didn't wait for an answer. "This better be important, Ransom, 'cause my Padres are spanking your Giants, and if I miss even one good pitch, I'm going to be pissed."

    When Keira told him not to trust anyone... that ol Mitch love there was the first to come to Luke's mind for help.

    Blaze is totally living up to a sequel to Fever.  Does not scrimp on the action and humor.  Even though I feel sort of dead inside the humor in the book has reached me, enough to have me crack a smile or laughing outright.



   Keira and Luke together is explosive.  The two characters are so quirky! So fun to read and follow. Sure they snipe at each other but what couple doesn't have their fights?  There are some unresloved issues between the two.


   Was curious about the child angle. Sometimes it works and sometimes it drags the plot down.  The boy really doesn't say much, the language barrier between the three but he seems to strengthen the plot and shows sides of the character.  We've already seen Luke with his niece - but seeing how easily he fell into with the boy was so awwing.

  
 137 - Caught this. Muahahaha moment:
She felt as if she'd fallen into an Indiana Jones Movie or an Elisabeth Naughton novel, in possession of a treasure everyone wanted, on a quest she didn't understand, running a race for which she had no timetable, no map.

   : ) Hummm, wonder if she is talking about Naughton's Stolen series

   228 pages in -  Last night, around two am I was loath to put this book down to sleep even knowing I had to get up at seven am to get my three sons up. I wanted to read the next page...

   Ahh we have been introduced to some new characters.  I have a hunch on who the elusive, mysterious Q is.  And damn Joan makes some believable villians because I hate Jocelyn. She's an evil B**ch...


   Ahhhhhh <--- Now that is the sound of a book high. I really do not think I can start another book right now. I want to settle on my contentment with this book.  Can't wait for more books! I seen some potential!!