MELTING POINT (Hot in Chicago 1.5) by Kate Meader-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 31, 2015

Firefighter Gage Simpson has it all: the job of his dreams, the family of his heart, and no shortage of hot guys lining up to share his bed. “Fun and easy” is his motto—and it’s kept him sunny through a painful upbringing and steered him away from trouble. But when trouble comes knocking in the form of a sexy, scarred, tattooed chef with a harrowing past and zero communication skills, Gage can’t help but be drawn to the flame.

Brady Smith isn’t fun. And easy isn’t in his vocabulary. When cocky Gage swaggers into his restaurant kitchen, the former Marine-turned-five-star-chef is blindsided by the firefighter’s beauty. Then confused that this golden guy with the sparkling blue eyes and the body of a god might be interested in him. As desire flares and temperatures rise, Gage and Brady will have to figure out if the heat between them is just a temporary flash—or the beginning of something real.

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REVIEW: MELTING POINT is the second installment (and novella) in Kate Meader’s contemporary, adult Hot in Chicago erotic romance series focusing on the men and women in uniform of the Chicago Police and Fire Departments. This is executive chef and Marine veteran Brady Smith, and twenty four year old firefighter and model Gage Simpson’s storyline.

NOTE: MELTING POINT contains graphic scenes of M/M sexual imagery, and is recommended for readers 18+.

Told from dual third person perspectives MELTING POINT focuses on the building relationship between Gage and Brady. Brady is a former Marine whose physical and emotional scars are the stuff of nightmares, survivor’s guilt and PTSD. His attraction to sexy firefighter Gage Simpson places Brady in a tenuous position as he is unable to bear the pity and touch of another human being. But Gage is a man who isn’t afraid to go for what he wants, and Gage wants Brady in his bed and in his life. What ensues is Gage’s seduction of Brady Smith breaking down the barriers both of our storyline heroes have erected to protect their hearts and their souls. When Brady gets injured while out on his bike, Gage places himself as nurse and protector for the man who calls to his heart.

The relationship between Gage and Brady is one of immediate attraction. Our leading couple met in the previous storyline (Flirting With Fire #1) where Gage’s attraction to Brady was met with rejection and incredulity. Brady is unable to understand Gage’s attraction to his emotionally damaged mind and scarred-up body; Brady had issues of intimacy and touch; and in this Brady believes that their sexual relationship has a time limit until Gage finds someone better. Gage isn’t looking for a one-night stand but he is a man who is looking for lots of hot and sweaty $ex. The $ex scenes are erotic, intense, passionate and graphic.

The world building pulled the focus of the storyline away from the Fire Department and into the bedroom of its two leading characters. Although we get a quick glimpse into Gage’s kitchen ability with the CPD, there was only a quick reference to firefighting. Where Flirting With Fire (book 1) introduced the leading players in Kate Meader’s HOT IN CHICAGO series, MELTING POINT kept its focus on the two storyline characters. We are re-introduced to Mayor Eli Cooper whose history with Chef Brady Smith goes beyond friendship-he has first hand knowledge of the hell Brady endured in an Afghanistan prison, and he is hoping to play matchmaker between Brady and Gage.

MELTING POINT is a fast paced storyline that focuses on recovery and letting go of the past-not just for Brady Smith but for Gage as well. There are moments of heartbreak for two men whose earlier years were filled with pain and betrayal; and the growing tenderness as they learn to love and trust one another-in the here and now. Kate Meader blends a little bit of fire with a whole lot of heat as one of Chicago’s finest finds his happily ever after.

Reviewed by Sandy

Flirting With Fire
Hot in Chicago #1
by Kate Meader
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romance
Release Date: March 24, 2015

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of FLIRTING WITH FIRE

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FLIRTING WITH FIRE ( Hot in Chicago #1) by Kate Meader

About the book: Release Date March 24, 2015

Savvy PR guru Kinsey Taylor has always defined herself by her career, not her gender. That is, until she moved from San Francisco to Chicago to be with her fiancé who thought she wasn’t taking her “job” of supporting him in his high-powered career seriously enough—and promptly dumped her for a more supportive and “feminine” nurse. Now, as the new assistant press secretary to Chicago’s dynamic mayor, she’s determined to keep her eye on the prize: no time to feel inferior because she’s a strong, kick-ass woman, and certainly no time for men.

But that all changes when she meets Luke Almeida, a firefighter as searingly sexy as he is quick-tempered. He’s also the second oldest of the Firefightin’ Dempseys, a family of foster siblings who have committed their lives to the service—if Luke’s antics don’t get him fired first. When Luke goes one step too far and gets into a bar brawl with the Chicago Police Department, Kinsey marches into Luke’s firehouse and lays down the law on orders from the mayor. But at Engine Co. 6, Luke Almeida is the law. And he’s not about to let Kinsey make the rules.