Shock Advised (Kilgore Fire Book 1)

Another great series starter for LLV. I love how her series crossover and despite the heartache that this one starts with I felt it ends with love and happiness !! As always the characters in LLV's stories have a troubling past or are dealing with something troubling in the present. A random coincidence or funny run in have them falling fast and the angsty - sexual tension hooks me right away !! I am not a fan of insta-love yet although this is another fast paced story I don't feel the insta love thing - I feel the deep hurt of two people helping each other move on or go on with something to be happy about.

Tai has been living with guilt for years due to losing someone he loved and not being able to save them. We all know it is not his fault but the hurt is deep and the pain is real - this makes him easy to connect with. He is now one of those amazing men who will do anything to help anyone and on top of that he fights fires and is super hot and swoonworthy !! His run in with Mia has him falling fast and his friends/co-workers do take note that maybe he is once again trying to be the hero. Mia has had some struggles in life but right now - the struggle she faces is the worst. As a parent you never want this and the reality of what she is dealing with makes her so very easy to connect with and feel for. When Mia goes to Tai and asks something of him it does seem a little off base but if that was your family you would most likely do the same. Luckily for Mia this amazing guy does so much more for her and her family yet it may be too late to make a difference. Tai's actions have Mia falling for him pretty fast too but happiness is just not in the cards at that moment. Thrown together and ripped apart in a whirlwind of heartache can Mia and Tai find happiness together or will they just feel more guilt at not being able to save each other ?? They make a great couple - their connection , their chemistry and desire is very evident. I enjoyed all their ups and downs and had hoped they would find peace and happiness after their journey.

Lani Lynn Vale continues to intrigue and entertain with her sexy alpha males and her strong and resilient heroines. Loss is a key idea in Shock Advised and the fact that people handle it differently and end up messing up because of it, but that definitely doesn't mean that their mistakes can't be redeemed, and Tai and Mia prove that concept wholeheartedly in their story.

Tai Stocker is a reformed bad boy – a man whose past has cost him a lot and works hard in the present to make amends for those mistakes, hoping to take care of those who need it as a way of redemption – sometimes focusing too much on the other person instead of dealing with his own issues.

Mia Darling is a woman with baggage – the kind that could drown her and those who try to help her. Mia deals with emotional stress and pain by pushing people away, and regardless of how much she’s drawn to Tai, how much he’s helped her, Tai is one of her victims and taking the promise of her away from him is hard to get over.

But when Mia “comes back to life,” she knows that the only man who can quiet the darkness and make her feel as whole as she can possibly be after her ordeal is Tai, so despite her issues and his need to make up for his past actions – a combination that could possibly sink them both – they willingly put in the effort to see if what they feel for one another can revive them both.

Shock Advised is the first book in Vale’s new Kilgore Fire series. Characters from her other series make appearances because all of their professions coincide, so readers get to catch up with them and see how close they all seem to be. I found Tai and Mia’s story a bit more emotional than Vale’s other books due to the event that happens at the beginning of the text and those feelings continue to resonate throughout the story. Tai and Mia are characters drowning in darkness, but hopefully, they can pull each other out of the abyss and find their happiness again.

A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

4 Poison Apples

Those Kilgore Firemen are some amazing men. Not just because they are sexy hot. Not just because they know how to treat a woman in and out of the bedroom. They are amazing just because they come together and support each other in whatever is going on without questions. These men step together to find a ring of a hurt fireman, they stand up to those who are bullying their fellow fireman’s girl, and they donate bone marrow for a stranger just because another fireman asks them to. That is just the beginning of the list of things there men do without any hesitation.

The man featured in Shock Advised is Taima or Tai. He’s a man with a rough past that continues to haunt him, yet it doesn’t rule his as he thinks it does. He is the first to step up to a challenge, the first to come to the rescue, and the first to show his tenderness. I know firemen have to brave and strong, but there is so much more to Tai. His family values and love are above those of just a brother. He is a protector, a provider, and most of all a friend. The way he steps up to organize a bone marrow drive for Mia, who he had never met before, won him over for me from the very beginning.

The relationship between Tai and Mia moves fast. Their love happens almost before they even start dating, yet it made sense and worked in this book. The sparks between them is obvious and hot. The mutual respect and love makes them the perfect couple. Their lives are not perfect, their histories are not easy, but together they work… perfectly.

I already am anxious for the rest of this series and to learn more about the rest of the Kilgore Firemen.

" The ladies agree. Happiness is sliding down a fireman's pole." - Fact of Life

Mia and Tai's story broke my heart. Then my hear got put back together.

Mia is a very strong, take no s***, laid back type of woman, an I fell in love with her. Everything she had to go through ripped my heart out . I just couldn't imagine. Mia picks up the pieces of her life . She clings to her memories to help her heal without crying every 5 minutes. Then she realizes that she needs to talk to the amazing man she pushed away, when her world crashed around her. Tai.
" I did t choose the thick-thigh life , the thick thigh life chose me."

Tai has the biggest heart. He's trying to live his life . Trying to make it better then his past. He's learned from his mistakes. Tai has done some messed up, but he has gotten through them and changed his path in life. Now Mia comes into his life and needs his help. Tai will do whatever she needs or wants. He wants Mia, anything and everything she will give him.
" Standing within a foot of an exceptionally well bared man greatly increases the likilhood that a baby will fall out of your vagina nine months later."

These two are simply amazing. Both have hearts of gold, and have some hurdles to get through. Always wanting to help when they can. When they were together it was explosive. They made me laugh, cry and laugh some more. I LOVE there story. Thank you Lani Lynn Bani for this book. It was breathtaking and I can't wait for more.
" If you stroke my beard, I cannot be held responsible for the pregnancy that will follow."

Shock Advised is book 1 in the Kilgore Fire Series and the much anticipated story of Taima and Mia. Tai is the self labeled black sheep of his family that never fails to let down his family no matter what he does. Mia is a mom who is willing to do ANYTHING for her son, including asking for the most unorthodox requests.

Throughout the story we have quite a few cameos from the cast of the Free Series which is always great. When tragedy strikes Tai has to do whatever he needs to get make the one good thing in his life and bring Mia out of the dark.

The one thing regarding the plot that was disappointing was the dire situation Mia was dealing with in the beginning being almost glanced over. It could have been a little deeper given the subject even though that wasn't what the story as a whole was focused on.

This is my confession: I've been really thinking about this review since I finished Shock Advised. I'm a Lani Lynn Vale fan through and through. While I enjoyed this book, it just lacked that 'something' that only Lani Lynn Vale has. Regardless, I am waiting for book 2.

This was so emotional right from the start even the end was a tear jerker. The title of the story really fits they story well, the shock factor is over the moon, every page was something new happening that left you wanting more. The craving didn't go away the closer I came to the end, I just couldn't help myself in wanting more and more. It's a MUST READ 2 person POV story that will get your tear ducts working that's for sure. I was also so happy to know that others where in this story from the other series although I don't know much about the Freebird series I know of Winter and Jacks story. Tai and Mai make you laugh, cry and just about do all of the above its one of those you can't put down reads and one you don't want to put down this rough and crazy journey they went on was one I was happy to take. I felt the love and happiness on all the pages including the most intense sad parts as well. I so recommend reading this story over and over again.

***I received this story for free in exchange for an honest review, see more of my review @ [...]

The author delivers another fantastic read in a new Series about the firefighters in Kilgore in her style that we have become accustomed to.

A sexy alpha man and a sassy strong willed heroine who rise from some sort of personal tragedy or emotional past to find their HEA. Of course, along the way are some very steamy and sexy scenes, drama and of course, suspense!

Shock Advised is especially heartbreaking and very emotional. I was a crying mess at the start of the book as the story was built up. It’s definitely not a light hearted read and will tug at every emotion and heart string in your body.

Tai the bad boy that you do not go to for help. His life is one big mess as well as his past and he’s just sort of living but not really existing properly. When Mia finds out that she needs Tai’s help to save a life, she goes to him and emotional journey known as their story begins.

I’m looking forward to more in this new Series!

Another amazing series that absolutely sucks you in. I laughed, I bawled(more than once) and I was in love with these characters. You will absolutely love Tai and Mia(and how many times did you get the ai-ia mixed up Lani?? I would have been mixing those up left and right). I am a huge fan of recurring characters from other series making little cameos as a series grows and expands and this does it flawlessly, while all the while introducing us to some amazing new characters you can't help but want more on. As usual the chemistry between our leads is explosive and the story is heart wrenching and beautiful. Def pick this one up but if you aren't familiar with this world I highly recommend starting with the Freebird series and working your way here, it's so worth it.

I'm so glad I waited until Shock Advised was out to read this though, the Masen/Booth suspense would have killed me otherwise!

I typically LOVE Vale's books. Shock Advised is book 1 in her new Kilgore Fire series. So, it takes place in the same setting as her KPD Swat books and therefore you see a LOT of the previous characters. Normally, I love books that give us glimpses into previous characters. However, because Vale has so many books and characters it felt like a non stop parade of previous characters. The focus wasn't on Tai and Mia. Of course you are seeing snippets of the relationship between the 2 but I never felt it was the focus and that really detracted from the book for me. I felt like Tai and Mia's characters weren't really developed and I never fully connected with them. I think Shock Advised had a lot of potential but it veered off course for me.

This is the first book in the Kilogre Fire series and what a great start for this series. It will be hard to top this one! And OMG, I want to call Lani Lynn Vale a few mean words for making me cry so early in this book! But she did have me laughing a few chapters later with talk of Styrofoam, kids, and a leaf blower.

I absolutely love Tai and Mia. The beginning is so heartbreaking, especially for Mia.

The thing I really love the most about Lani’s books is how easy it is to connect and lover her characters. She will have you sad and then laughing again.

And of course the sayings at the beginning of each chapter are awesome!

“I didn’t choose the thick - thigh life; the thick – thigh life chose me.”

“If you stroke my beard, I cannot be held responsible for the pregnancy that will follow.”

I am definitely looking forward to reading more of this series!

Reading this book made me feel like I was watching an episode of Chicago Fire or Chicago PD. Definitely can be made into a movie. Taima aka Tai is a hot fire fighter. He gets thrown into Mia’s life when she is desperately looking for a donor match to save her 8 month old baby’s life. With the help of Tai they find that Jack, Tai’s older brother, is a definite match to her baby. Mia’s life spiral’s out of control when she loses her baby when they go to prep him for the operation. Tai has baggage of his own while trying to proof to his older brother that he’s a better man & isn’t the same person from the past. Can Tai & Mai be a good match with both having so much baggage in their past & be able to move on with a clear future? I love how all their friends are around to support them each when they both need it. RazzReader with Pop Fizz Clink Read

From the devastating beginning to the wonderful end this book pull so many emotions from you. There seems to be nothing that the incomparable Lani can write that I will not love. This is Tai's story and how I never seem to have obviously read the Freebirds series he's a new character for me. Tai is a man suffering from demons of his past where he still feel responsible for actions that technically wasn't his fault. He was young and dumb and didn't think about the consequences of his actions which led to him having guilt. Enter Mia Darling a woman looking for help. One conversation between the pair changes both of their lives. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry this book touches my soul and leaves me captivated. The characters, the plot and the emotions I felt there is no comparison. Lani is at the TOP of her game and I am definitely HOOKED.

Received an ARC. Lani Lynn Vale did a wonderful job with Tai and Mia. The emotional pull at the heart strings is amazing. I was crying, laughing and reading as fast as I could to capture all the wonderful things in this book. A fabulous story with some heat that only a firefighter could handle. A journey worth waiting for, a heart breaking and heart warming chemistry along with a story that has your attention from beginning to end.

Loved this book, I especially loved the fact that the Heroine Mia has had her Gall bladder out and has gut issues because of it. Totally true, as I have the same issues!! Great writing as per usual, Though I think it is probably best to read all Lani Lynn Vale's books in order as the characters come in and out of all her books randomly, Though it could be read on its own.

Words cannot express my love for this book. I felt very connected with this story and I did bawl at moments. There are just some things that you cannot help the feels. I love how Mia is still trying to hold her head up high and fight so hard for her little guy. Then enter Tai and my heart melts. These two together as so amazing and strong for each other though they fight that connection at times. There are moments in this book that you just want to scream why. But the whole flow is utterly amazing. I cannot say how much this book hit me hard. If you have not read anything from Lani Lynn Vale I highly recommend snagging up this bad boy because you will want Tai for yourself!!!
PS..... Lani.... the whole gall bladder thing... THAT HAPPENED TO ME!!! OMG!!!! LOL