Jackson, Rafe, and Kal became brothers while living on the streets. One night when the sought shelter in a beach house, a firefighter, Josh Donovan, saved them when the house began to burn. After the fire, Josh and his wife adopted the three boys and gave them a life. Now they are also firefighters, living together in a house left to them by their grandmother. While putting out a fire in a local tattoo parlor, Rafe recognizes the owner as Becks Benning, a girl who had also been living on the streets when they were young. They offer Becks their spare room until she gets back on her feet, but Jackson has reservations about her living with them.

Hot to the Touch is the first book in the Brotherhood by Fire series. Among other things, Jackson's issue with his past is repeated throughout the book, to the point that it becomes annoying. Some of the dialogue is a bit stilted and the problems that Jackson and Beck deal with are basically trivialized. Also, Beck and Jackson seem fairly one dimensional as do many of the other characters in the book. Overall, Hot to the Touch has all the elements of a good story, but the execution makes this a very average romance. ( )

Compelling backstories and hot firefighter romance. Bex and Jackson knew each other from when they were kids in the foster care system/living on the streets. They were separated the night Jackson and his brothers were rescued from a fire and adopted. Now, years later, Bex is barely getting by, her tattoo shop catches fire, and it’s Jackson’s turn to rescue her, then his brother’s turn to offer her a place to crash with them until she can get back on her feet. The characters are what make this one. Really easy to relate to with backstories that work.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
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I really enjoyed this book. I have seen Jaci Burton's books around for quite some time but never picked one up before I started reading this book. I think I made a good choice by starting at the beginning of a new series. It did take me a while to get through this book but that has more to do with the things going on in the world than anything else. I had a good time with this story and am glad that I finally gave this author a try.

Jackson is the oldest of brothers and has always felt like it is his job to protect those he cares about. He was homeless as a child and bonded with two other boys that he now considers to be his brothers. The trio was adopted by a firefighter who saved them when they were trapped in a burning home. All three men are now firefighters. During the course of clearing a fire, he encounters Becks who was also a homeless child but he doesn't remember her from that date. His brothers offer to let Becks stay with them for a while after the fire destroys both her apartment and business.

I really liked Jackson and Becks. Their history was a little different than what you might find in a typical romance. They had fantastic chemistry and were both dealing with issues from their past. Jackson tended to keep things in and wasn't always open to sharing like Becks hoped he would. I really thought that they were a good fit and I was really eager to see things work out for them.

I would recommend this book to others. It was a great start to the trilogy that left me eager to read the other brothers' stories. I look forward to reading more from this wonderful author. ( )

Good start to the new series. I was already familiar with some of the story as I read the second book in the series, Ignite on Contact, earlier this year. That did not diminish my enjoyment of this book in any way. I liked having the backstory filled in. The book opened with a flashback to the night a homeless Jackson and his two brothers were rescued from a fire. That was the beginning of a new life for Jackson, Rafe, and Kal, as they were first fostered then adopted by the firefighter who rescued them and his wife. They grew up in a loving home and followed in their adoptive father's footsteps by becoming firefighters.

Fast forward to the present day when the response to a fire turns into an unexpected reunion. A tattoo business has gone up in flames, and Jackson must forcibly remove the owner from the premises as she tries to save her equipment. It isn't until the fire is over that Becks and Rafe realize why they are familiar to each. Rafe and Kal are pleased to reconnect. Jackson doesn't remember her and avoids thinking back to those days. When Rafe and Kal discover that Becks has nowhere to live now, they offer up a room in their house. Jackson reluctantly agrees, already sensing that Becks is going to upend his life.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Becks and Jackson. I felt a little sorry for Becks when Jackson didn't remember her. She had a massive crush on him when they were kids, and it hurt that he didn't recognize her. However, in the present day, the sparks between the two of them were hot. I wanted to shake Jackson at the beginning because the feelings that those sparks stirred up turned him into a jerk. He took out his frustration about those feelings on Becks with snide comments and unfounded accusations. I loved how Rafe and Kal called him out on his attitude, giving him the butt-kicking that he needed. Becks didn't cut him much slack, but she was also more understanding than she could have been.

The attraction between Becks and Jackson continued to build the more time they spent together. Though both intended to keep their relationship casual, it was evident that Becks's feelings were far from it. Jackson's feelings were stronger than he wanted to admit. The biggest obstacle between them was the way each of them handled the past. Becks embraced hers, accepting the ways that it had influenced who she is now. Part of that is giving back to the community by helping the homeless kids where she used to live. Jackson has buried his past deep, insisting that the past is just that, and there's no need to relive it. The harder that Becks tries to get him to open up, the more Jackson digs in his heels. I ached for Becks. She loved Jackson so much but felt like he was holding back. I ached for Jackson when he realized what he had done. I absolutely adored how Rafe and Kal both hounded him and supported him in facing his fears. I loved Jackson's big moment at the end, especially the depth of emotion revealed in his confession.

Having already read Rafe's story, now I can't wait for Kal's. ( )

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The first in a new series following three firefighting brothers, Hot to the Touch was a steamy fast paced read. After his parents were killed in a car accident, Jackson was sent into the system, only to become a teenager living on the streets. He finds himself a sort of leader trying to take care of kids younger than him but really bonds with two other boys, Rafe and Kal. When a firefighter ends up rescuing them one night, they finally find themselves adopted and in a happy home but Jackson still bears the scars of those early years.

Rebecca “Becks” had a crush on Jackson when they were homeless kids and missed him when he and his “brothers” disappeared. When fate brings them back together, she finds herself attracted to the man. With some matchmaking brothers, healing old wounds, and sexual tension, two former homeless kids may just get their happily ever after.

I enjoyed the set-up of Jackson and his brothers being rescued by a firefighter only to be adopted by him and grow up to work along side him. In order to create some tension between Jackson and Becks, the author had him being unnecessarily rude and short to her. His poking at her for cleaning and cooking while she stayed at their home (she loses hers after a fire) was forced and had him coming off more of a jerk than grumpy teddy bear. His supposed reluctance to love anyone (he seems to have no problem loving his brothers and parents) was dragged through the whole story and only overcame/worked through at the very, very end (90ish%). I'm not even sure I understand the big deal about him not wanting to discuss and/or wallow about his past as a homeless kid.

Becks was a positive character with her raising herself up to become a business owner. However, I felt like her character was never really delved into. She ended up being adopted by a good family but there's no foundation felt from that and her journey from doodling artist to tattoo business owner delivers no emotional impact. She still visits her old stomping grounds and brings essentials to homeless kids but they are such short scenes that they never fully make an impact.

The romance between the two definitely had their steamy moments but since the emotional components weren't fully there for me, I had a hard time connecting. I got from both of them that they found the other sexually attractive and some emotional carryover from Becks' childhood crush but I was never able to feel their connection. Jackson's “don't ever want to talk about the past” dominated the story and it kind of felt like we were spinning our wheels for the majority.

The writing style had a lot of short sentences, which I think hurt the flow for me. The characters also felt very surface, their issues are stated but never expanded on, delved into, or flushed out, making this feel a little dry. There was also an inclusion of a secondary character that is probably being set-up to be a heroine in a future book and her actions felt over-the-top and forced to try and create some friction. The outline and character issues were there but the depth behind them wasn't, this was a fast read but not particularly engaging. ( )