In the Firelight
Synopsis:
*****
Mature Content, Sexual Situations, Adult Situations, Strong Language *****
She found him on a snowy night. He sparked her desires and inflamed her dreams.
Independent and feisty, Shea Madison has a tussle on her hands. Living in and loving her quiet little corner of Montana, she’s fiercely determined to fight a real estate developer trying to turn her quaint little mountain town into a touristy ski resort. So, when an outsider shows up to study the effects on the area, she instantly attempts to sway his impression… even if it means a little harmless flirting with the enticing visitor.
Rhys Weland’s charade has one purpose—to bring the locals around to the idea of the resort, primarily the ringleader, Ms. Shea Madison. Embroiled in his deception, he’s stunned by the feelings she draws from deep inside him. Her integrity and sincerity quickly have him second-guessing his twisted morals. Her spirit arouses his soul. Her sensuality steals his breath.
In the dark of the night, in the warmth of the fire, the passion smoldering between them combusts. But just when it all seems to make sense, one small stubborn mistake shreds the fragile bond between them. Will an impetuous act reignite their flame, or will their love vanish like sparks in the air?
She found him on a snowy night. He sparked her desires and inflamed her dreams.
Independent and feisty, Shea Madison has a tussle on her hands. Living in and loving her quiet little corner of Montana, she’s fiercely determined to fight a real estate developer trying to turn her quaint little mountain town into a touristy ski resort. So, when an outsider shows up to study the effects on the area, she instantly attempts to sway his impression… even if it means a little harmless flirting with the enticing visitor.
Rhys Weland’s charade has one purpose—to bring the locals around to the idea of the resort, primarily the ringleader, Ms. Shea Madison. Embroiled in his deception, he’s stunned by the feelings she draws from deep inside him. Her integrity and sincerity quickly have him second-guessing his twisted morals. Her spirit arouses his soul. Her sensuality steals his breath.
In the dark of the night, in the warmth of the fire, the passion smoldering between them combusts. But just when it all seems to make sense, one small stubborn mistake shreds the fragile bond between them. Will an impetuous act reignite their flame, or will their love vanish like sparks in the air?
Review:
3.5 - 4 Stars!
~Just starting this book…..and I immediately smiled because
Rhys was based out of Portland, OR. My hometown! Funny!~
We start out meeting Rhys….he is the corporate office
playboy in a big architecture firm. Yes, he schmoozes the women into making the
deals that his boss wants done. He is a
very good looking man that does his “job” well. He has no roots anywhere; he
just enjoys the life that he lives since he gets the pleasure of working the
women. His job “perks”. First things
first, I absolutely LOVE the name Rhys! I didn’t connect with him originally
because I thought he was just a cocky prick….but I soon fell in love with him.
He was very sensual and very sexy. Mmm, Mmmm good!!
Rhys is sent to Montana to work a deal with a very stubborn
and very determined Shea Madison. She
has some land that his firm wants, and he has to sway her to allow the deal to
go through. Shea finds Rhys stuck on the side of the road in a bad snowstorm
and brings him back to her cabin so she can call for tow service. Rhys has no idea this is the woman that he
needs to ‘work’. On the drive to her cabin, Rhys notices her eyes….and he is
drawn to her, but he can’t really make her out because she is bundled up in
some serious heavy clothing. By the time they get back to her cabin and she
strips off her heavy coat and boots, he realizes that she really is a beautiful
young woman, not some ‘lumberjack woman’ he had conjured up in his head. It was
entertaining to see him coming to the realization that she was a beautiful
woman.
Shea found herself rather shocked at the feelings that Rhys
is drawing out of her—right after they met! She has been in her little cabin,
by herself, for the last 7 years. She doesn’t need anyone….let alone a man! She
is a very private woman that enjoys her solitude. Shea was going to fight any and ALL feelings
she started to feel for this guy….stubborn to the nth degree!
She needed to steer clear of this guy. At
least, he wouldn’t be around long. The man completely tickled her senses, and
that was the last thing she wanted to deal with….ever.
The story actually picks up when they start to realize that
they have feelings for one other, but neither will admit it to each other. It
started out with not much depth, but had a good storyline. Once it got into
some seriously HOT and STEAMY love scenes and they started to actually have
more intensity between the two of them, this is where the book picked up for
me….quite a bit. Very sexy and seductive love scenes. <3 I started to enjoy the banter between the two
of them as they carried on about town and bumped into each other here and
there.
“I don’t want to want you,” she murmured
desperately.” You’re trouble for me.”
“Well, I think we’re kinda fucked, then.
Because I don’t want to want you either.” ……
“But I’m afraid I do anyway.”
Of course, Rhys is well aware that Shea is trying to hide
her feelings and he does everything he can to rile her up. I think he is pretty cognizant of how her
body reacts and what her triggers are because he really enjoys messing with her
and he actually tells her so! He loves the spark in her eyes when she gets
flustered.
“The things you do to me…you have no idea. You
fight it, although I can see that you want to give in. you put up a good front.
But, when I’m deep inside you and you finally let go, it is so beautiful to see
you come apart. Hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.” ~Rhys
Rhys begins to realize that he is having feelings for Shea
and starts to feel guilty for what he is really there to do. He really wants to
come clean with her, but doesn’t seem to know how or when the right time to
talk to her is. Every time he wants to discuss something with her, she won’t
allow him to. She fights it each time he brings up the fact that he needs to
talk to her. She just wants to enjoy their time together since she knows he is
only there for a little bit of time. She keeps telling him she wants to enjoy
the time they have together, not discuss what is happening between them. Every
time they get themselves into a position of being alone together, sparks fly
and the thought of talking goes right out the window!
“This is a bad idea, you know, “she exhaled
with a shaky breath. “This has the potential to really fuck things up.”
“I know,” he mumbled against her skin as his
lips traveled up the side of her neck inching their way back to her own. “But,
right now, I don’t really care…”
“Me either,” she whispered as she stretched
against him, aching for another kiss.
The story peaks when Shea finds out whom and what has
brought Rhys to her and what he is really there to do. Heartbreak hits her and
some damage control is needed. The story cleaned up and finished nicely and had
a pretty good ending. The epilogue tied up all the loose ends really well and
Shea gets her HEA.
For the first time, I need to split my review into two
levels because, while the characters had some seriously good steamy love
scenes, the story lacked in some areas.
I would rate the storyline itself a solid 3.5 stars and the intimacy a very steamy 4 stars. This book was a
quick read and was very enjoyable overall.
Love,
Bethany
Purchase links:
About the Author:
Sibylla Matilde
✦✦✦✦✦
Giveaway!
Sibylla Matilde grew up in the mountain valleys
of Southwest Montana exploring the dusty Old West gold country on the back of a
horse. She attended a two-room schoolhouse beginning in 1st grade & had the
same teacher until she changed schools after 7th. Beginning at about age 12,
Sibylla discovered historical romance, feeding off of work of Jude Deveraux
& Lisa Kleypas. She loves a book that can make the reader run the gamut of
emotions, from the sweet glow of new love to gut-wrenching heartache. She is a
true romantic & always has stories floating around in her head, living in a
fantasyland until she writes them down to free them.
Music is her emotional trigger. Growing up with
a Wagnarian-loving mother, Sibylla was raised to treasure music that digs deep
into the psyche, drawing out elation, sorrow, grief, desire. The soundtrack to
her life includes many genres spanning centuries. She looooooooves Thirty
Seconds to Mars (rather obsessively, actually... but, really, how can you NOT
be crazy about this guy!? Jared Leto. Shhh. ) & pimps them out to all her friends
through Spotify. She also delights in Met Opera HD broadcasts at her local
movie theater & hopes (listening Met?) to someday see Diana Damrau reprise her role
as Mozart’s Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte.
Sibylla lives with her husband and hero who
saved her from her own calamitous, young-adult self. He makes her laugh daily,
even when things are tough. He's proved to her that love really can heal a
shattered soul. In 18 years, they have never had a fight, although argue
regularly with their two teenage kids who have, unfortunately, inherited their
father’s quick wit (unfortunate as it is a quick wit that Sibylla, herself,
definitely does not possess – there is a reason she is a writer & not a
stand-up comedian). They live a quiet life with their two weird little rescued
Chiweenies. Wait… teenagers & little yap-dogs? OK, maybe not so quiet.
Social media links:
Giveaway!
Each blog on this tour has a teaser pic. In each one of
those teaser pics there is a letter that is different. There are four pictures
in total that spell a four letter word. Figure out that word and type in the
answer in the Giveaway/Rafflecopter. To
get a tour schedule for the day go to https://www.facebook.com/subclubbers
each day for the blog tour stops. The Prize? A signed Paperback from Sibylla
Matilde herself.
Thanks for the review and blog tour stop! :)
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