One Fine Fireman
This short Novella is the prequel to The Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel by Jennifer Bernard. It tells the story of Kirk and Maribel, but most importantly it sets up the series of full length novels that will follow. The basic background is that there is a curse upon the men who work at the San Gabriel Station 1 Firehouse. It was started by Virgil Rush, whose mail-order bride, Constancia B Sidwell, left him at the alter and he cursed all the men to have trouble finding love. Since then the firemen have come to be known as the Bachelor Firemen. In this short story, we meet Kirk, or as he is known to his fellow fireman. Kirk has had a major crush on Maribel for years and yet gets so tongue tied around her, the most he has ever said at once time was 16 words (his fellow firemen bet on his word count). Maribel on the other hand, thinks he is cute, but has been engaged for 6 years to a famous photographer and carries on a long distance romance with him in New York. Maribel also had a 9 year old son, Pete, who despises Maribel's fiance, Duncan.
I wasn't sure how these two were going to end up together in such a short novella, but the author kept it tight and moved the action right along. It was a great read and though compact, didn't feel rushed or that anything was left out. The best part is getting to meet the firemen who are going to be the main love interests in the full length novels. By seeing them interacting with each other, I have already come to know them and can't wait to read their stories.
Even though it's a short read, I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads, because I can see myself going back to re-read it. The dialogue was fantastic, and the Harry Potter references by Maribel's son Pete were awesome for this Potter fan.
