Controlled Burn (Kilgore Fire Book 4)

Gahhhhhhh!!! Holy Jebus! This is the second book that I have had the opportunity to read by Ms. Vale and Holy Jebus was it awesome. I can now say that I have totally fallen in love with her writing style and the way she depicts her characters in these stories. Her writing is d*mn near flawless, as an editor I mark up every book I read and this one had very few mistakes or issues with it. Vale's ability to draw the reader in and keep them literally on the edge of the chair is great. Controlled Burn delivers just the right amount of humor, hawt, sexy moments, plenty of suspense and second chances.

Dean "PD" Hargrove and July Dupree met just over a year ago. They spent six months together before it all fell apart. Dean is a firefighter and paramedic, but he also helps out with the local SWAT team and July just can't get past the fact that he puts himself in harms way. Basically, July gave him an ultimatum, which resulted in them calling it quits. Now a year after their split they find themselves as neighbors, each working on a house to flip, when July falls through a window, Dean is there to take care of her. What they both come to realize when they see each other is that the love they had for one another has not gone away. July has been hurt way to much on her life to even consider giving Dean another chance, but boy, oh boy, is that man persuasive! Talk about a sexy as hell, all alpha man! The banter between the two of them if hilarious at times. But Dean is so sweet, nurturing and determined to prove to July that he is worth fighting for.

When July's brother Wolf asks her to help him out with a case, she is hesitant to do so. I the end Dean is there to help her. When the case takes an ugly turn of events, Dean and Wolf find themselves working together to bring it all to a close, but will they work fast enough? July is Dean's whole world and he will stop at nothing to make her happy. The only thing I found that I would have liked to see more information on was Dean's parents. He talks to his mother weekly and by the end of the book they rarely speak at all. What happened?

Seriously, I really can't and won't say more. I don't want to give away the story. Just go buy this sweet, sexy, suspenseful, erotic read. You will not be disappointed. Vale gave me the feels. I could not put this one down and I found myself reading until I would fall asleep. I had to know what would happen next!

July Dupree hasn't had the easiest childhood, so she deals with a few abandonment issues. She's super close to her brother, who is cop, so the danger of his job has marked her. When she falls in love with Dean 'PD' Hargrove, they were very happy for 6 months, but that all changed when he decided to become a SWAT team member as a tactical medic. When she tries to get him to listen, she offers him a choice, her or the SWAT team. Dean wasn't at all happy with an ultimatum, so he chooses the SWAT team, after listening to a female that doesn't have his best interests at heart. It destroys July, and she isn't the same girl anymore. A year later, he starts to force her to talk to him, but she knows if she lets him in again, he will demolish what is left of her this time. They are in still love with each other, but while July doesn't even look at another man, it appears to her that he has moved on effortlessly. Dean never got over the girl he loved, and because he has a great poker face, July isn't aware that he never stopped loving her. When she's put in the crossfire of danger, will he be able to save her before it's too late?

Another fantastic story by this author! It was different for me this time, as Dean seriously had me enraged more than once, with his stupid boy mentality, and I swear I called him names throughout the story. And it took me a while to forgive his douchebag antics. So the character development is fantastic, with a amazing cast of secondaries that only added to the story. July and Dean's flammable chemistry when they were in the same room, had my kindle all fired up, and finally EXPLODED into fiery flames of sexy scene goodness that will disintegrate all panties in it's wake. I can't describe Lani Lynn Vale's writing style as anything but brilliant, as I have read everything she puts out, and it doesn't matter what type of story she comes up with, I'm always held hostage cover to cover. She is diabolical at bringing out my dramatic girly girl emotions, and it seemed like my anger was hotter with this particular sexy alpha. Her twists and turns that came out of left field nearly killed me, and trying to describe them as OMG moments, just doesn't seem feasible. I'll never stop waiting impatiently for her next story in whatever series she fancies writing about, so it goes to reason that I'm HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDING THIS STORY TO ALL!

4.5 stars

The Kilgore Firemen are back … and others too. A certain MC group makes an experience as well. YESSSS! There is one coming that Im so ready for and have been waiting and waiting .. but not saying who it is. Anyway …

Dean and July have a past. Seeing him again would wreck her; she isn’t strong enough to stay away but she has to. Being independent has brought her so much and being with Dean again would be devastating. She still hasn’t healed her wounds from before. If only ….

Dean was frustrating for me. Omg I wanted to punch him in the balls so many times and say get with the program. He is bossy and full of himself yet over protective of what and who he wants. What he wants is July. The past was a mistake. Letting her go was a mistake. The mountains they need to move and the walls they need to crush are huge and hard.

I loved July – she is independent, strong, sassy, and a take no crap kind of woman. That is my kind of lead female. She made “herself.” No one gave her anything to get to where she is. I had to sit on this one for a bit because I was mad when I was reading it. Really mad … HAHA!

There is a character in this one that is just a full on witch. I couldn’t stand her from her first words and knew she was going to be an issue. I wont say much more but I wanted to drag her by her hair out of the picture and like I said at the same time d**kpunch Dean. The cover says it all for me. There is some arrogance there in those eyes. I want to get toe to toe with Dean and say .. Man what the heck!??!!! Do you not see ... ?????

Love the characters – love all the series and am a huge fan. Keep writing away Lani. We are anxiously awaiting you know who. LAWDT please help me when that one comes out. --- Oh and one more thing .. there is another character at the end that I think we will be hearing more about down the road somewhere. Just not sure in whos backyard she will show up. Cant wait for that one either!

Thank you for the ARC Lani. Review to post to Ramblings From Beneath The Sheets

What happens if you love someone fiercely but you can’t stand the thought of losing them so much that you let them go instead? Yeah, the heart is a funny thing and humans have to deal with its quirks and foibles. July and Dean are experiencing that first hand… Dean doesn’t have one but two high pressure and high risk jobs. One was too many but the second one was more than July could bear. When they went their separate ways, when they couldn’t agree what danger was too much, that didn’t mean they didn’t each take the other’s heart with them…

“Nobody is born a warrior. Exactly the same way that nobody is born a bitch. Sometimes life just happens, and bitches have to adapt.”

Fear and jealousy are powerful emotions and they wind through this emotional story like a well-laid train wreck. July is torn apart by the emotions she can’t help feeling when it comes to Dean and I couldn’t help but feel them right along with her. Dean couldn’t understand the turmoil she was in but their second chance was all about finding that understanding, or letting go of each other once and for all. As if that wasn’t enough there were the usual relationship bombs to deal with as well. Jealousy and misunderstandings all contribute to a romance that is plagued (and blessed) with emotion and passion to spare.

“If you kiss her just right, you won’t have to rip her panties off her. She’ll rip them off herself.”

Oh, and as always with this author, humour at just the right moments to lighten the mood…

“A pessimist carries a knife with him in case of an attack.”
“And what would an optimist do?”…
“They would carry a knife in case there was cake…”

I think this is my favourite Fire story so far but, then again… I say that each time I read a new instalment. I love this author’s talent for writing emotional and funny, simply human stories that make me fall in love again each and every time…

**Reviewed for Nerdy, Dirty & Flirty**

This is the fourth book in the Kilgore Fire series. You don’t have to read them in order. They are stand alones. But you will definitely want to read all of them. I have loved each and every one of the books, and the characters. I couldn’t put this one down. I was even happy about my baby needing a 3am feeding because it gave me the excuse to read some more.

This is a second chance novel. Dean is a fireman/medic, but he is also part of the SWAT team. He is one of their medics.

July, is Wolfe’s younger sister. With what happened to Wolfe, I can understand her fears about Dean being on the SWAT team. Ultimately that’s what ended their relationship the first time.

It’s been a year since the breakup. You can see how much they love each other.

I love how stubborn July is. And how kinky and alpha Dean is.

Those scenes were H.O.T.!

There were a couple scenes that had me worried and tearing up. No, I won’t say which parts because I don’t want to give anything away. I will say I wasn’t expecting a certain thing to happen at all though.

With everything that July went through, I’m amazed at how strong she is. She definitely is gangsta. You’ll understand what I mean when you read this!

Now this wouldn’t be a Lani book if the quotes didn’t have me laughing.

“Dear Women, he does not want a new watch for Valentine’s Day. He wants you to dress like a sl**, handcuff him to the chair, give him a blow***. AND swallow. His wishes are really that simple.” ~ Words of Wisdom

“One does not simply walk past his woman in the kitchen and not smack her a**. If she’s there, and your hand is free, you do it.” ~ Man Code

Dean, aka "PD" is walking through life wondering if he made a smart decision of letting go the one woman that holds his heart. His reasoning at the time made sense, July just could not handle all the dynamics that came with his career choices.

July has her reasons for not being fond of "PD's" career. If he would just give her some time to explain her fears he might understand better. The fear stems from something deep rooted. It’s so great that it has her in a constant worry of losing someone she loves and being left alone.

Reading this story was quite an emotional roller coaster ride! The ups and downs of this book had me reading at super speed. I needed, no, I wanted to know what would happen next. The beginning was actually quite sad. "PD" and July don't start with a happily ever after story. Oh no Lani Lynn gave this couple a complete twist. A breakup in the beginning, a compromise in the middle and a BAM! at the end. What is this BAM you ask? It's such a big OMG moment that I will not even give a hint because I'm in fear of spoiling this wonderful read. I will say that "PD" and July story is truly a different read from any another of Lani Lynn's books. Don't get me wrong this story still has our over bearing Alpha male, of course those amazingly hot and scorching love scenes and let's not forget our mouthy yet brave heroine. The difference of this read is that this couple has a 180 degree turn of events that I can honestly say I did not see coming. So yes ladies and gentlemen our all-time favorite Lani Lynn Vale has once again given us another marvelous book! So hurry and one-click this superb read today.

Controlled Burn is book four in the Kilgore Fire series, and these firefighters are getting hotter and hotter. I am love with all of the guys from this series, and Dean “PD” Hargrove is another man who will leave you breathless.

PD and July were the perfect couple, or so they thought until PD announces he is joining the SWAT team. July realizes she cannot deal with the reality that PD may never come home one day. It’s just too much for her to bear for fear of losing the man she loves. She does the only thing she knows to do to protect her heart, but that leaves them both alone and suffering.

Now, one year later, after realizing they are both so miserable without the other and trying to just pretend to be happy, they know they are meant to be together. It’s not an easy task by any means. The struggles are hard, but their love is what keeps them both strong. PD is hot, sexy, and has a huge heart. But, don’t get me wrong, he did make me furious quite a few times, too. He irritated me so much at times that I didn’t think I would like him as much I did, but he proved himself to be such a good guy by the end.

This book has twists that I didn’t expect, the sex scenes in this book were hotter than the previous books, and the love between July and PD is felt throughout their relationship. I am in love with this series and these badass men, and after reading this 4 star book, I can’t wait to see what Lani comes up with next.

The relationship between July and Dean (PD) is not clean cut - like/love/lust. There is plenty of that, but what makes their story so different than any other I have read is that both are working to ruin the relationship. July has deep seeded abandonment issues from her youth and mix in a close call of her brother's death and you'll have a woman that holds on too tight. I won't absolve PD of any guilt because he was bordering on P.O.S status. Neither of them were completely honest with each other. They were too busy playing house, but I didn't get the sense that they were ever friends. They shared things with each other, but there weren't any soul-bearing confessions. As a result, their initial relationship failed.

It was sad to see July go thru such heartache. I personally didn't know who I wanted to apologize and start the initial mend of their relationship. And that is what I did enjoy. They were both wrong. It wasn't a man being a man; though, Dean was clueless about Alexa. And it wasn't a woman overreacting to every bump in the road. There were some serious issues that needed to be worked out. Issues that didn't have anything to do with the real meat of the story and that's great. Variety!

I enjoyed this book because I didn't like it. There were some events in this book that completely blew me away. They were uncharacteristically Lani Lynn Vale which is extremely refreshing

Stars: 5

Controlled Burn is book four in the Kilgore Fire Series and finally we get Dean and July's book. Of course this book has a happy ending, but to get there July has to go through hell and back and Dean is going through his own hell.
Again it's another great book from Lani, I don't think she has every wrote anything I haven't loved and this book is no exception. As with everyone of her other books, I couldn't stop reading once I started and I count down the days until the next one comes out. Lani is one of the select few authors where everything she writes is GREAT. Not sure how many ways I can write what a great storyteller Lani is without sounded like I'm saying the same thing over and over again, so it's pretty simple to say this book is another freaking fantastic book by Lani Lynn Vale. So just go and get it and start reading. If you have never read anything by her, you don't have any idea what you are missing and you need to go back to the beginning and start with the first book and read all the way to this one. It's worth every penny and every second it takes to read. Enjoy and happy reading!
Thanks for another great read Lani and thanks for letting me read and review for you! Another happy reader!!!!

I swear this series just keeps getting better and better. I loved July and Deans story. Of course I'm a sucker for second chance love.

Dean and July have been through so much. Sometimes life has a way of taking then giving.
They are both to blame for their past, but they can really concentrate on there future. If their is one. Dean and July have some miscommunication, some pita that just dosent understand. They have to live through the pain. They have to overcome what's going on in their head and go with their heart.

I can't wait to see what happens next with the KFD.
" Nobody is born a warrior. Exactly the same way that nobody is born a bi%#&. Sometimes life just happens, and bi%#&s have to adapt."

I think Controlled Burn is my favorite of the series. I could not wait to finally get PD’s story and Lani Lynn Vale did not let me down. It’s fast paced with a little suspense. July is so freaking stubborn but I love that she stands up for herself. Dean (PD) is everything I expected and more. I wasn’t very happy about some of his decision making but you can’t help but love him. The banter between these two is absolutely hilarious. The last half of the book was insane and I wish we could have gotten more depth into what July went through, but other than that I really enjoyed this book.

I loved this one - although PD was a little different - he gives up on her at first - I was not pleased with that - most of her Alpha men do not give up on their women - they fight for her so this was a little different. The drama of the 'other' women was new for Ms. Vale's books - I like my men not to cheat - not saying PD did because they were broke-up -- but a lot of her books as the Hero being super faithful -waiting type of men - and love that about her books. I still am a great fan - so 5 star from me!

This series just keeps getting better! I loved PD and July, July is sassy and a strong female lead and PD/Dean is all alpha male. Lani Lynn Vale knows what she is doing with this series and it just keeps getting better with each book. Loved this one more than the last, which seems to be a theme!

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