Seeing Red

Twelve years ago, a deadly fire led Summer Abrams to leave her home, her family and her best friend Joe Walker. Now another fire has brought her back to a place that is very much different than the place she left behind. Everything has changed. Her family and the man she remembered as a teenager being the least of the changes. Her best friend Joe went from being a chubby teenage boy to a man as hot as the fires he now investigates for a living. The investigation of the fire at her family's warehouse brings these two together and sparks fly from the moment they reunite. However, Summer has a problem. She can't seem to connect. In fact, she doesn't want to connect. Losing her father in the previous fire was hard enough. Losing anyone else close to her could only cause her more pain and hurt - neither of which she wants. She wants Joe though. The boy she told her secrets to is now a man she wants in her bed. However, she wants no strings, and to Joe that is unacceptable. Will she realize she needs to reach out and trust before she loses him? Will they discover who is behind the tragic fires occurring before someone else loses their life? Seeing Red is a May 2005 release by author Jill Shalvis published by Signet Eclipse. Shalvis has released over two dozen novels during her career, and she has three more set for release this year - including September's release Get a Clue. This book is exciting and gripping from page one. We begin in the past and jump to the present with ease, and the characters of Summer and Joe seem to just leap off the page. On the pages of this book, you have the right mix of romance and suspense, which makes the reader want to keep turning page after page. The story told here isn't just that of Summer and Joe, but of Summer's family. We have two secondary romances contained in this story's plot that are mentioned throughout the novel - one of them between Summer's mother Camille and Joe's partner, Kenny. These secondary plots only add to the realism of the book, and they make this book a very well rounded read that I enjoyed a great deal. I highly recommend this novel by Jill Shalvis, as well as any others you might be able to pick up by this author.

This was my first book by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters were realistic and visual. The author has a great way of teasing your senses and putting your emotions on edge. She draws you in. In addition to the sensualness that abounds the novel, the author also offers a bit of mystery to keep you guessing. I have to admit that I thought I had it figured out, but found out I was wrong in the end. This was a very good read and I highly recommend it.

Chubby loner Joe escaped from his abusive father through the friendship of next-door neighbor Summer. She won his heart and then broke it when she left town after a tragedy. Years later, after a fire destroys her family business, Summer is back to reclaim what she threw away - her family and her friendship with Joe. But it doesn't take long for her to realize that it isn't just friendship she wants from Joe. Arson Investigator Joe, along with her family, is wary of her, hesitant to let her back in to their lives. While investigating the fire, the two slowly make their way back to each other. Jill Shalvis writes characters that are real, with emotions and problems that the reader can relate to. But she doesn't stop there. For some authors, secondary characters are just that, background,present only for the advancement of the main characters story. Ms. Shalvis' secondary characters are just as alive as the hero and heroine, just as full-bodied, so that you care about what happens to them also. The mystery is good, and, as romantic suspense should do, does not overwhelm the central love story. "Seeing Red" is a wonderful blend of romance and mystery, with just the right amount of humor thrown in to make it real. Jill Shalvis is undoubtedly a rising star in the romantic suspense genre.

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.