Seeing Red (Signet Eclipse) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "There was nothing good about running laps, except for maybe the view of the guys in nylon shorts ahead of her..." (more)
Key Phrases: Creative Interiors, Joe Walker, San Diego (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Summer Abrams hasn't been home to Ocean Beach, California, for more than a day or two at a time since a warehouse fire killed her father and landed her in the hospital at age 16. She took off running 12 years ago, finding solace in her work as a wilderness expedition guide, and never looked back. Until her mother calls to say that the rebuilt structure has burned again, and to ask Summer's help. Shocked, because her mother has never asked her for anything, Summer drops everything and comes home, only to discover the sexy fire marshal investigating possible arson is none other than her childhood best friend, Joe Walker. Shalvis effectively contrasts the highly emotional, intensely stressful demands of the job with such prosaic concerns as laundry for an insider's look at the realities of a fire marshal's life, adding in believable family dynamics and both Joe's and Summer's struggles to overcome past tragedies to forge a bright future together in this taut contemporary romantic suspense. Lynne Welch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

From the national bestselling author of Blue Flame comes a steamy new romance about a sexy fire marshal and the beautiful woman he's never forgotten.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Signet (May 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451215028
• ISBN-13: 978-0451215024
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #313,410 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sizzling Romantic Suspense, May 28, 2005

By	Laurie (OH - USA) - See all my reviews

As a teenager, Summer Abrams narrowly escaped death in a fire at a warehouse owned by her family; her father was not as fortunate and lost his life. Summer left town as quickly as she could after she recovered, never to return. Her best friend was Joe Walker; he had always loved Summer and wanted more than just friendship with her. When a second fire occurs in the same warehouse some twelve years later, Summer's mother asks her to come home to help her deal with the aftermath, leaving Summer to do some soul-searching. Joe still loves Summer, a fact that he cannot ignore once he sees her again. When the two of them team up in an attempt to solve the mystery of the fires, new flames are kindled. Joe is reluctant to trust Summer with his heart, out of fear that she will once again break it by leaving. Summer is equally reluctant to offer herself to completely to Joe.

Jill Shalvis pens the most amazing characters. She is always able to capture their joy and pain, and every emotion in between. This is an incredible series with great detail and creativity. These characters worm their way into your thoughts for a long time after you finish reading. Her characters are written with little quirks and imperfections that make it hard to remember that they are simply characters in a book. The cast surrounding Joe and Summer are equally wonderful and they are imperative to the story. A high recommendation for Seeing Red comes very easily.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Hot Hero, Literally, August 20, 2005

By	Lilith Saintcrow "Lili" (Vancouver, WA United States) - See all my reviews

I came across Jill Shalvis's work through her blog. Now, I know that blogging is different than writing a full-length novel, but she already had a few novels under her belt, and that's usually a good sign. So I picked up Seeing Red- because who, after all, doesn't like firefighters? And if you're looking for a hot hero and a good love story, the book certainly delivers despite a few problems.

Let's get the problems out of the way first. The heroine, Summer, is a little two-dimensional. We're told time and time again that she is a wilderness guide and that she's afraid of commitment, but we're hardly ever shown a woman who knows how to survive in the boonies or who is tough enough to go months without speaking to her family. A little more showing and a lot less telling about Summer would have been great, as well as some pruning of the dialogue, which in some cases is so clunky as to be alternately hysterical and jarring. Summer is a great character, but I get the feeling the author wasn't willing to let her come out and play, maybe afraid that she was an unsympathetic character.

Another problem is too many relationships. Summer, her mother, her cousin, etc., etc., everyone's falling in love. It would be nice to have a couple of separate books instead of all these relationships being jammed into o­ne. I get the idea that Shalvis has plenty more to say about this group of people, and hope she decides to explore them a little more in the future, in a more leisurely fashion.

Despite these flaws, the book is incredibly enjoyable. Shalvis has a sure ear for comedy and the impossible situation, as well as a believable window into the head of her hero, Joe, who more than makes the book. I was pleasurably surprised by quite a few demolished clichés. In the first place, Joe was a fat kid growing up- and how often do we hear of fat kids in romance novels, especially fat kids who grow up to be hunky heroes? Second, Joe restrains himself with almost superhuman patience, often turning down the heroine's advances as well as the advances of his soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend. (Come o­n, a man who turns down a gorgeous woman flinging herself at him because it "wouldn't be right"? My knees turneth to liquid.) And to wrap up the deliciousness of this hero, Joe is not a billionaire or business tycoon; he's an fire investigator. Sha-pwing! Another cliché bites the dust. Joe's handling of the girlfriend who despises the demands of his job was extremely well-portrayed, so well-portrayed I will admit to wishing the book had been about that relationship ending happily o­nce or twice.

The mystery in the book is a little thin in places but satisfactorily resolved and twisty enough at the end to satisfy even me. I didn't feel that the heroine was in real danger through most of the book, since the accent was o­n her seeking to come to terms with her family's demands; however, this rings true in my experience of dealing with dangerous situations. Shalvis's portrayal of the delayed reaction most people feel after a dangerous or intense situation is dead-on, and earned my respect. Not to mention the fact that she has obviously done her homework about fire investigation- I was convinced by her detail.

All in all, Seeing Red gets four out of five BitchSmacks. A good hero, a mystery that I couldn't solve a quarter of the way through the book, and a few laugh-out-loud funny situations- hell, that's more than I get from most romances. A wonderful effort, and o­ne I don't feel sorry buying new, which is strange in and of itself for this usually used-book maven.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Seeing Red, October 13, 2005

By	AK "Bro" (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Heartbreak, loss, and a fire sent Summer on a flight away from home that was intended to be one way. It only took minutes for her to shatter her best friend's heart and lose her father in a fire. Twelve years pass before a second fire leads to her homecoming when her surviving family needs her. Yet, Summer holds herself aloof from her kin, determined not to become involved, and they are equally determined not to re-accept the woman who rejected them. Her best friend has transformed himself from a chubby teen into a veyr hot fire inspector, who happens to be in charge of the investigation. There's no way Summer can avoid seeing Joe now. Soon, flames of passion spring to life between them, but both fear being hurt again. Besides, Summer has no intention of staying in town. However, she keeps staying, even as the mystery heats up, and danger increases. If she's not careful, she'll leave in a casket.

*** Though at times, the plot is thin, this is a fairly enjoyable read. Summer does seem shallow for the majority of the book, but Joe is a complex, interesting hero. ***

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore, Freelance Reviewer.