Early Review of Sex and the Single Fireman (The Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel, #3) by Jennifer Bernard

• Title: Sex and the Single Fireman: A Bachelor Firemen Novel
• Classification: Adult Fiction
• Genre: Contemporary Romance
• Format: Paperback; 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon (January 29, 2013)
• ISBN-10: 006208898X
• ISBN-13: 978-0062088987
• Author's Website: http://jenniferbernard.net/
• Notes: Quotes will need to be checked against the final copy as I read the eARC.

The odds were against it. The chances of it happening were next to null. But on that Thanksgiving Day the seemingly remote happened. They met...

She glanced to her left. In the lane next to her, a black-haired, black-eyed giant of a man in a black Jeep aimed a ferocious scowl her way. He pointed to the cell phone at his ear and then at her radio, then back and forth a few times.

"Excuse me?" Sabina said sweetly, though he had no chance of hearing her over the blaring radio. "If you think I'm going to turn my radio down so you can talk on your cell phone while driving, forget it. That's illegal, you know. Not to mention dangerous."

He yelled, "Can you please turn that down!" in a deep, gravelly voice like that of a battlefield commander sending his troops into the line of fire.

While the first time wasn't the charm, the second time almost was before she got cold feet and left him hot, bothered, naked and waiting in a hotel room...

"I shouldn't even be thinking about it. But I am. We're two single adults alone on Thanksgiving. And I'm very attracted to you. Extremely so. It's throwing me for a loop, honestly." He smiled ruefully. Between the groove in his cheek and the desire in his eyes, Sabina felt herself melt.

Would the third time be lucky?

Suddenly she remembered the nature of the big happening today. The new training officer was starting.

He was rumored to be a total hard-ass. They'd been told they'd mind him at lineup.

She rushed to her locker, grabbed her uniform, ran to the female dorm area, and changed in record time. From the kitchen she heard a deep, unfamiliar voice. Tightening her belt she dashed down the corridor. Maybe she could sneak in a at the back of the crowd. Maybe the new training office would never notice her. Maybe...

She skidded to a halt next to Vader, pinned to the spot by a pair of smoldering back eyes glaring at her from what seemed impossible height. 

"You're in trouble now," whispered Vader out of the corner of his mouth.

He had no idea.

As Luck would have it, the new training officer was the guy she'd left naked and wanting in Reno. Do you suppose she could just blame it all on Reno?

This is the third book of The Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel series. The series got it's name from a curse..."According to firehouse legend, Virgil Rush, a volunteer fireman from the 1850's, had been heartbroken when Constancia B. Sidwell, his mail order bride, had run off with a robber on her way West. The other firemen, always quick to tease, tormented him so much he laid a curse on the town vowing that the firemen of San Gabriel would have as much trouble finding love as he had. Ever since then, the firehouse had possessed an unusually high number of bachelors."

Most people love holidays. They look forward to them. They celebrate with friends and family and have a great time. Others, however, dread them and find them to be depressing, lonely, and a trial to get through. Such is the case for Sabina Jones, it's Thanksgiving and for the umpteenth time she's made her yearly pilgrimage to Reno. It had been 13 years since she'd heard from her mother. 13 years she had spent Thanksgiving alone. Thirteen is always a bad number.

Sabina is a San Gabriel firefighter who works hard and has earned the respect, trust and friendship of her fellow firefighters. They fondly refer to her as 'Two'  being that she is only the second female firefighter the station has ever had. She's self imposed a strict policy to never to date another firefighter so as to not break up the rapport she has with them. She went to Reno in an attempt to escape from Thanksgiving. A time when memories of her mother and past were at their worst. At the time, She never could have guessed  that in a couple of days her world would be turned upside down. her past was about to come back to haunt her. A past she tried to bury 13 years ago and put behind her. A secret about herself she's never disclosed to her fellow colleagues.

Rick Roman was traveling across country to start a his new job and start fresh. He had lost his wife in the chaos of 9/11 and had finally decided to leave the ghosts behind and attempt to start a new life with his son out in California. Part of the reason they'd picked California was due to his son's love of baseball and his wish play it year-round. He'd been hired by the San Gabriel Fire Department to try to curb the publicity associated with the fire house's alleged curse. Little did he know that the woman who was driving him crazy would cause him so much trouble.

Overall, this one gets a 4 out of 5 roses. I am becoming a huge fan of Ms. Bernand's books. They always put me in a good mood and leave me awaiting the next one. They are full of fun, charm, and wickedly hilarious circumstances that make you grin. I'm shelving this one under my Pick-Me-Up shelf. If you're looking for a book to lift your spirits, you may want to try this one. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one got a STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed.

Order of series: