Book Review: Hot Shot by Karina Halle

Hot Shot by Karina Halle 

Release Date: January 9th, 2018 

Genre: Contemporary Romance 

Cover Design: Hang Le

Delilah Gordon has a secret.

She’s been in love with her best friend and the boy next door, Fox Nelson, since she was six years old.

And while most of her friends and family know about her unrequited crush, the one person who remains oblivious is Fox himself. To Delilah, it’s better this way. She’d rather pretend that they’re just friends, even though her feelings for the moody rugged mountain man are anything but tame.

Fox Nelson has a secret too.

As a wildland firefighter or “hot shot,” Fox parachutes into danger every day he’s on the job, risking all to fight wildfires that threaten ranches, forests and thousands of lives. But while Fox’s job is only for the brave, inside he feels anything but. The more he grapples with his raging demons, the more he realizes Delilah is the only one who can put out the flames.

As the two friends grow closer – and more intimate – than ever before, the more complicated their relationship becomes.

And Delilah has one more secret to reveal.

A secret that will change both their lives…forever.

My Thoughts

The childhood-friends-to-lovers trope is not new and Karina Halle’s contribution is a wonderful addition.

Fox Nelson makes a great hero and I enjoyed reading about him and his journey. He is so weighed down by guilt and self-imposed burdens that he truly cannot win against the never-ending thoughts running through his mind. If a person really could walk around with a grey cloud constantly hovering overhead, Fox would be this person.

Delilah Gordon has loved Fox since childhood. Fox is so inward looking; he doesn’t really see anyone, so Del’s romantic feelings for him remain hidden. It would be easy to paint Del as a woman waiting in a corner, pining for her man but there is a strength and determination in her that remains constant throughout the book, even when her feelings threaten her friendship with Fox. She is never portrayed as a doormat, and I very much appreciate that.

The journey of growth and discovery both characters undertake is as painful as it is rewarding. Be prepared for a highly emotional ride with this book.

Karina Halle’s writing is strong and descriptive. Her ability to convey the multitude of emotions the characters face is excellent and I particularly like the imagery used when describing the effects of fire; both its beauty and the devastation it leaves behind. The thoughts that run through Fox’s mind are at times most poetic.

“It’s like…in my head and my heart, there’s fire that I can’t control. It’s like nothing in this world, nothing that I’ve seen. The flames are black, sticky, and they rage and it’s just this twisting, churning mess inside and I can’t see straight, I can’t think straight and then, then…I’m with you Del and all of that goes away. The pain fades. You bring me peace. It doesn’t last but when I get it…it makes this life manageable. You just make me fucking happy, whatever being happy is.”

Now how can you not love a tortured hero who can convey such eloquence? 

Read Today! 

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2BCI9qf 

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2ji45QJ 

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Start this series of sexy standalone, today!

Wild Card 

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2fG5PnV 

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2fGzpcM 

iBooks: http://apple.co/2vgLICr 

Nook: http://bit.ly/2vc6zHg 

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Maverick

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2zR0zTA 

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2AurxDC 

iBooks: http://apple.co/2ntkHJL 

Nook: http://bit.ly/2iqLrVU 

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2ksZfDL

Meet Karina 

Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of The Pact, Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, Dirty Angels and over 20 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.

Halle is represented by the Root Literary and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.

Connect with Karina

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