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Burning Up (Hqn)

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Burning Up - by Susan Anderson


I am a huge fan of most of Ms Anderson's work, but I have been a little disappointed in the last couple of books. However "Burning Up" has reinstated my faith that Ms Anderson is one of the best contemporary romance writers around!

"Burning Up" is the story of Macy O'James who had a reputation of being the town's bad girl when she was in high school and for ruining the careers of three of Sugarville's football team. Now she is a star in popular music videos and has come home to care for her injured cousin. The town has not forgotten her past and many take care to remind her of it at every turn. On her very first day back in town, flamboyant Macy meets the Fire Chief, Gabriel Donovan, a man who just wants a calm relationship with a calm woman. Of course, sparks fly between Gabriel and Macy and there goes Gabriel's idea of having a calm life. To complicate matters, the town is being plagued with small arson fires that have the Chief extremely concerned.

Yes, the story may have been told before but what fictional story hasn't? What matters here is that the story is well developed with realistic, sympathetic main characters, quirky and funny secondary characters and enough heat to burn up the pages.

Burning Up by Susan Andersen delivers a snappy sexy story of love and second chances.

Bad girl Macy O'James barely had the ink dry on her high school diploma when she bolted for the bright lights of LA. She left her mistaken bad reputation behind her and made a name for herself as a music video queen. Macy dropped everything to go home to Sugarville, Washington to help out her family. She knew it would be rough facing the town folks since they won't let her past die. But for Macy family comes first and she thinks she can put up with just about anything. Macy's is meets the fire chief Gabriel Donovan on her first night in town and boy does he gets her smoldering.

Gabriel Donovan left the big city firefighting behind him for the much quieter work in Sugarville. He is a no fuse kind of guy and likes his woman calm and peaceful. Those two things do not describe Macy O'James. As much as he tries to ignore the spark between himself and Macy, they can't be in the same room without being scorched.

Gabe and Macy give into desire thinking that if they fall into bed they can move on with their lives. Neither planned on anything beyond Macy's short time in Sugarville but they are surprised how quickly they are becoming to been something to each other. Can Gabe convince Macy to give her hometown and its people a second chance?

Burning up is smoking hot. The chemistry between Macy and Gabe is hotter then any of the fires that Gabe puts out for a living. Both have past that have put up walls around their hearts and watching those walls tumble down is heart warming. This book is a must read for any romance fan. Susan Andersen writes books that are keepers.

Macy O'James was the outsider known as the Sugarville, Washington tramp who nobody was caught dead with due to guilt by association. Upon graduating from Sugarville High School, Macy immediately fled town. She became a steamy video star in Los Angeles though she never stripped.

When her cousin is hurt in a car accident, Macy returns home to care of Janna as she recovers from her injuries. When she and the town's Fire Chief Gabriel Donovan meet, the attraction is ultra hot though he pretends to ignore her when his friend Deputy Sheriff Johnny Angelini pulls her over. His reasoning is to chill his desire is he has reinvented himself into a properly behaved adult since his wild childhood. However, neither he nor Macy can cool the ardor.

Living up to its title, this is a heated contemporary romance starring two people with bad reputations falling in love. Though bad girls returning home with a reputation is not new, Susan Anderson provides a fast-paced tale; from the moment Angelini pulls the steamy video tramp star over, fans will enjoy Burning Up with Macy and Gabe as the heat is on in Washington State.

Harriet Klausner

Macy O'James left her small hometown of Sugarville, Washington after she graduated High School ten years ago. She's made a few "hot" music videos in L. A. that have earned her a little recognition, but the memory of how she was treated back in High School still stings. When she returns to Sugarville one of the first people she meets is the smokin' hot new Fire Chief, Gabriel Donovan. Can Macy put her past behind her long enough to see if there's a future for her with Gabe in a town that holds some bad memories?

I'm just going to come out and say it: Who gives a rat's arse about what happened back in High School? Honestly, in the decade after graduation the majority of people are busy with little things like college, jobs, marriage, divorce and even kids. But the whole premise of this story hinges on the town's obsession with Macy's High School reputation as a "bad girl". Eh, I just didn't buy it; it seemed silly to me.

Putting aside the shaky premise, there is some good chemistry between Gabe and Macy and despite being predictable I did enjoy watching their relationship develop. A little conflict would have gone a long way toward making the couple more interesting. As it is, they're just two perfectly gorgeous people who fall for each other, dance around it a little bit then hit the sheets.

I liked the secondary love story between Macy's rock star best friend and Gabe's school teacher ex-girlfriend - it was cute. The author knows how to move the story along and the dialog is snappy and fun to read. It may not have been the most original contemporary romance I've read, but I will say that it is well-written.

Bottom Line: Pleasant if predictable romance between your average Barbie and Ken couple.

Occasional strong language and moderate sexual content - in the PG+ range.

Macy O'James left her small Washington hometown for the bright lights of LA, taking with her an unwarranted bad reputation. When she returns after a decade of making racy music videos to care for her sister-like cousin, she decides to tart up to deserve that reputation forced on her so long ago. When she catches the eye of the local fire chief, who'd rather eat glass than be attracted to her, she must decide whether to pursue a relationship that might result in a broken heart.

I am on the fence about this story. I usually eat up Andersen's novels, but this one I just had a hard time with. Perhaps it is the lack of a sympathetic heroine - Macy is quite immature and such a walking cliche that she borders on being a cartoon character. Or maybe I am ambivalent because the hero Gabe did not seem to like her, and spent the better half of the book pursuing Grace (a bookish teacher with just the right pedigree for settling down), while lusting after Macy (and of course Grace turned out to be the tiger). Or it could have been the extensive "costumes" that Macy wore to mask her true self from the rest of the world - they were simply ridiculous. While I was reading, I kept thinking of a similar novel by Susan Elizbeth Phillips - Ain't She Sweet? - which differed slightly (she earned her reputation) but allowed the heroine to tell the townspeople that it was time to grow a pair and move on. I found it hard to believe that so many people would be so interested in the antics of a teenager to the point that they couldn't accept that they might have been wrong, and that she might have grown up since high school.

Actually, I think that what annoyed me the most about this book is that I cared more for the under-developed secondary romance between teacher Grace and rock star Jack.

Macy O'James is pretty well known for her work in music videos but as she travels back to Sugarville, Washington she isn't expecting anything close to star treatment. In fact, Macy knows that a good portion of the town would love to see her punished for crimes that she was accused of. Macy would rather be anywhere but Sugarville. However, her family needs her and that's all that matters to Macy. For her family she will return and face the town residents.

Gabriel Donovan is a new resident, as well as the fire chief and investigator of Sugarville. Gabe meets Macy just as she blows into town and knows right away she is going to be trouble. Just what type of trouble is the question. Of course he has heard the tales of Ms. O'James but Gabe knows only a small portion of rumors is based on fact, and sometimes none of it. Gabe grew out of his bad boy phase quite awhile ago and now upholds the law, so he shouldn't be interested in Macy at all - right?

Circumstances throw Macy and Gabe together more than either would have ever guessed, but even more surprising is the sparks that fly and zing whenever they're even in the same room with each other. As Macy expects, there are still people who want her to pay for her high school reputation and don't hesitate to tell anyone within hearing distance. Gabe has his own problems to deal with, like a firebug, but fighting the attraction between him and Macy is the one fight he's doomed to lose. Besides, the Macy he is getting to know is nothing like the Macy he has been told about. Gabe begins to wonder if this town's bad girl is all a bad rumor. Things come to a head on the night of Macy's class reunion when truths come to the surface that will shake up the good residents of Sugarville. When the sun rises will Gabe and Macy have a chance at a future in Sugarville?

Can a sexy bad girl and the straight-laced fire chief make it in a small time town? Burning Up shoves Macy and Gabe into small town politics where what you see or hear might not be the truth. Macy has come home to help her injured cousin and family, but Sugarville isn't ready to live and let live by any means. Gabe feels he finally has all that he has wanted, at least until he meets Macy and discovers that everyone needs some spark in their lives. From the very first second Macy and Gabe meet, I could tell they were going to fall deeply in love or kill each other. My respect for Macy grew as I read on and saw just what she was putting up with. I fell in love with Gabe myself when he saw past the front that Macy put up and into her true self. The love that grew between them, along with the humor that was injected into the story, had me hoping that Sugarville and Macy could find a way to come to terms. I really loved the epilogue that showed yet one more side of the fun loving Macy. Burning Up is a keeper with its spicy dialogue, smoldering passion, and fun loving humor.

I hope there is at least one more book in this world because I just have to see how the rocker and the schoolteacher find happily ever after.


Jo
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

This was excellent book - I smiled from the beginning to the end... The concept of this book is Macy O'James - was labeled a whore in highschool and now she is back to small town to help her cousin & some just won't let the past stay in the past. The author descibes Macy as 'Pamela Anderson type who always kept her clothes on...' Fire chief Gabriel Donovan is living in boarder house that Macy's aunt runs and the sparks are so much fun between the two of them. What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday - Enjoy! Looking forward to Playing Dirty due out August 2011.


If you enjoy this genre I would also suggest;Her Perfect Revenge, Never Too Hot and Falling for Gracie.

Who doesn't love their man a little dirty, in a white tee and with just a little hint of his rock hard abs on display?

She's the girl everyone loves to hate and the good folks in the small town of Sugarville sure know how to hold a grudge because it's been 10 years since Macy O'James fled (read practically run out of town) with the ink barely dry on her high school dipolma.

Watch out Surgarville cuz Macy O'James is back in town and her new motto when she blows back into town is: "If you can't beat em, join em".

Macy's actually made a name for herself in LA getting her big break starring in a few racy music videos and now working behind the scenes on videos creatively, but she's headed home to tend to some family business. Her cousin Janna (who's more like a sister to her) recently suffered an injury in a car accident so it's Nursemaid Macy to the rescue until Janna can get back on her feet, literally.

Gabe Donovan is Sugarville's new recently transplanted fire chief and he takes one look at Macy, in her little blue tap pants, come f-me shoes, her blonde Shirley Temple wig complete with a little sailor hat perched upon her head and immediately believes all the hype he's ever heard about the infamous Ms. O'James.

In Gabe's defence he has his own reasons for mistrusting women considering his troubled past with his own loving Momma, but that doesn't stop his hormones from raging like a wild fire out of control whenever Macy's within spitting distance.

There's a cute secondary romance with Macy's rockstar BFF, big, bad tattooed Jack Savage (think a younger, sexier version of Mick Jagger) and Gabe's ex, Grace the prim and proper school marm.

And for those looking who like a little suspense with their contempory romance, there's a pesky little fire-bug in town deliberately setting the house on fire.

Finally there was an unexpected twist revealed at the end of Burning Up during the ten year High School reunion that I did not see coming. I always enjoy it when an author can pull a fast one over on me. Good on ya Ms. Andersen.

Lastly I just wanted to mention this line that made me LOL!

This one comes from Gabe making a list and checking it twice before leaving the house for a date with Macy.

Testicles, spectacles, wallet and watch. (umm don't leave home without em).

Women take note. Make sure to pass this important check list along to your significant other because this one's a keeper!

I have to say that Rachel Gibson and Susan Elizabeth Phillips have always been my favorite authors, Susan Andersen is in the same category of those authors with me. This book made me laugh out loud and had a good story to it as well. I will be reading more of Susan Andersen books. I highly recommend this book. Enjoy!

2.5 stars max. Where did my beloved Susan Andersen go? Who wrote this? I have read most books by this author and loved nearly all of them, but this was NOT one of them. The whole high school drama BS was over the top silly, the hero was an JERK until close to the end, and the dialogue often read like they were snotty 12 year olds not full grown adults. Overall, the story was too much of a stretch in so many places. I did like the secondary romance, what little there was. I thought the sex scenes were well done,and it is something this author excels at writing. I should have passed on reading this one, but I've enjoyed so many other books by this author.