Shift's End

A. R. Barley

Aug 2018 · Smoke & Bullets Book 3 · Carina Press

About this ebook

An “exciting” romance that follows two firefighters breaking all the rules and bringing on the heat (USA Today) . . .

With a couple failed marriages under his belt, Captain Jack Tracey knows how tough it is to balance a personal life with his job. But nothing in his long career has prepared him for the moment Diesel Evers walks into his firehouse. Sure, Jack’s contended with cocky young recruits before, but this seriously hot hotshot rookie is poised to crash and burn. With early retirement in sight, Jack can’t afford to get involved with a subordinate.

Having transferred to Jack’s house after a disastrous relationship, Diesel isn’t looking for another commitment. But that doesn’t mean he can’t have a little fun with his sexy silver fox of a new boss. Sometimes you have to bend the rules a bit . . . or shatter them completely.

With an unidentified saboteur endangering his squad, Jack doesn’t want to draw any more heat, but Diesel is too damn tempting to deny. Indulging their desires feels worth the risk—until trouble on the job lands Jack in the hospital, forcing them both to decide what’s worth fighting for . . .

Ratings and reviews

The May/December romance trope is a favorite of mine, so that plus the firefighter story caught my attention. It's hard not to love a silver fox and Jack has that covered. Add in his alpha male attitude and his attraction to the new guy with a troubled past and sparks are bound to fly. Along with a budding romance between Jack and Diesel, we also get a bit of suspense by way of possible sabotage plus Diesel's secretive past. While those things do play a part in the story, the focus is on the romance and this pair certainly generates some steam. The age difference isn't the big issue for this love story and really takes a backseat to the fact that Jack is Diesel's boss. Regardless of the issues, past or present, this pair has great chemistry and they're both so lovable that you can't help but root for them. Shift's End is the third Smoke & Bullets book, but works perfectly as a standalone. This is the first in the first in the series for me and I had no problem following the story. In fact, the secondary characters piqued my interest, so I will be checking out this one's predecessors. All in all, Shift's End is an engaging mix of sexy as sin firemen, on the job romance, and lots of action - Of both the firefighting and the steamy kind.

This m/m May December romance immerses readers in an emotional but intriguing romance. The Characters are strong and easily draw readers into their story as they don’t really seem to have much in common other than their careers but yet the magnetic attraction is undeniable. Being coworkers, especially with Jack being Diesel’s boss, works against them having a relationship as well Diesel’s past which he trying to keep on the down low. This ensures that he story has quite a bit of emotional turbulence as well keeping readers wondering if Jack and Diesel can reach their happily ever after. The plot goes from steady to fast paced in a few places as some adrenaline pumping events take place and thrilling suspense builds as first Jack and Diesel launch an in house investigation and then as Diesel keeps looking over his shoulder in regards to his past. Although it does seem as though there should be something more going on regarding Diesel and his past based on the way that Diesel regards it, especially since the author does a great job of getting the emotions and depth of her characters across, this romance easily keeps readers glued to the pages.

I loved it! Shift's End is the third book in the Smoke & Bullets series but it can be read as a standalone with no problem. Characters from previous books appear but not in a way so that you will feel lost if you haven't read their books. I've really been enjoying this series. The blurb/synopsis really tells you everything you need to know about the story. What I can add is that once I started this book I didn't want to stop. It not only tells a good love story between the two MCs (main characters) but it also has a good mystery and suspense to go along with it. Jack and Diesel make a great couple. The feelings and emotions between them were palpable and I wanted their relationship to succeed so badly. The mystery and suspense were good but the love story was the best thing for me in this book. I hope there will be more books in this series. A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book. This review will be posted to Xtreme-Delusions dot com on August 4, 2018. #Shift'sEnd #NetGalley