Publication Date: October 9, 2012
The single mother and 40-year-old nurse Beth Sawyer has been burned by love. Her husband left her for a younger woman, and trusting men has been something of an issue. When the hot and young firefighter Jackson Stanton asks her out, she’s hesitant to trust. Beth’s chemistry with the young firefighter is undeniable. When Jackosn becomes a suspect for arson at the city point, will Beth second-guess her trust in him or will she stand by him and risk being burned?
The author, Bobbie C. Bandy, gave me a copy in exchange for my review.
Beth Sawyer is a lot of work. When Jackson asks her out, he has to work hard to have her go out with him and when she finally agrees, he has to work hard to make sure she’s having fun. He thinks she’s nice and good, but as readers, we have no evidence. From and the interaction, we’ve observed that he has less beyond, believing she’d run into a building to save a child. The coming together of the couple is somewhat bland and flavorless. It soon becomes evident that this pair is not the point of the novel. Their attraction is based on appearance and never do we get a sense of why they’d be attracted and care for each other.
Beth has two children and is not an especially attentive parent. Her boys are written as “almost grown” by the naïve dialogue in which “we” is used a lot as though they’re a unit which is somewhat awkward.
The suspense story line is more interesting than the romance story line. Someone is setting fires and it looks like it might be Jackson. Perhaps due to the volume of my reading, I saw the baddie coming. The framed, suspense story line is not one that I especially favor, but it does allow the principles to bond quickly and for Jackson to bond with Beth’s children.
As romance goes [easyazon-link asin=”1619352796″ locale=”us”]No Smoke Without a Fire[/easyazon-link] is pretty run of the mill. There are editing problems that could lead to a smoother read if fixed, but at the end of the day, the real issue for me lies in not believing the characters.
If you like romantic suspense, give [easyazon-link asin=”1619352796″ locale=”us”]No Smoke Without a Fire[/easyazon-link] a shot. I am a fan of the romance genre but this one just wasn’t so much for me. It’s generally well rated on Amazon so if this is a novel for you, pick it up and let me know what you think.
If No Smoke Without a Fire by Bobbie C. Bandy sounds like a book for you, read an excerpt and buy on
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Bobbie C. Bandy lives in Tennessee with her husband and son working as a home care specialist. She has a special fondness for romantic suspense and is also the author of [easyazon-link asin=”B00BJ6024I” locale=”us”]House Calls (The Cougar Club)[/easyazon-link] and [easyazon-link asin=”B00EGSJHNS” locale=”us”]Portal[/easyazon-link].
For more information about Bobbie C. Bandy and her work visit her website. You can connect with Bobbie C. Bandy on Goodreads, Facebook and Twitter @BobbieCBandy.