Review & Giveaway: Kissing Fire by A.M. Hargrove

Kissing Fire 
An Edge Novel
But can be read as a standalone

by A.M. Hargrove

Adult Contemporary Romance

Published April 15, 2013

*Ebook Obtained as part of a tour in exchange for an honest review*

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Preston Mitchell, undercover DEA agent, has led a life of danger and obscurity. Knowing his job would never allow a normal relationship, he’s never opened himself up to any woman...that is until the lovely Avery Middleton stumbles into his life.

To the outsider, Avery has it all...wealth, family, connections and a great job. But on the inside, she’s miserable. Her social life is in the dumpster, the kooky gal next door has some zany plans for her and her selfish mother drives Avery to the point of insanity. Her only salvation is to get out of Charleston and start a new life. So that’s precisely what she does. She moves to Seattle and steps right into the path of hot and sexy, Preston.

Unfortunately for both of them, Avery ends up being in the wrong place at the wrong time and is now running for her life. But she’s not alone. She has a gorgeous DEA agent protecting her and suddenly finds herself irresistibly captivated by him. There’s only one problem. Preston carries more than his share of mental baggage, courtesy of his job. His covert missions have put him in places and situations he can barely stand to think about. Avery rocks Preston’s world because she is nothing like anyone he’s ever met and something extraordinary begins to happen between them. But can their love survive in this world, where danger, intrigue and deception lurk on every corner?

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About the Author:

One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn't do something soon, it would quickly be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life. So, she rolled down the passenger window of her fabulous (not) company car and tossed out her leather briefcase. Luckily, the pedestrian in the direct line of fire was a dodgeball pro and had über quick reflexes enabling him to avoid getting bashed in the head. Feeling a tad guilty about the near miss, A. M. made a speedy turn down a deserted side street before tossing her crummy, outdated piece-of-you-know-what lap top out the window. She breathed a liberating sigh of relief, picked up her cell phone and hit #4 on her speed dial.

"Hello."
"Boss, is that you?"
"Why yes, A. M., who else would be answering my phone?"
"Er... right. Well, I'm calling to let you know you can pick up my luxury Ford Focus at Starbucks near the interstate."
"Why ever would I want to do that?"
"Because I quit you idiot!"

A.M. hit the end button and speed dialed her husband.

"Hi hubs, can you pick me up at Starbucks?"
"Sure... Having some car trouble?"
"Not at all. I don't have a car to have trouble with because I just quit my job."
"WHAT?!"
"It's time for a new career and I am going to be a very famous novelist."

So began A. M. Hargrove's career as a young adult paranormal romance author of self-published ebooks. Her series, The Guardians of Vesturon, centers around a family of six siblings and is a mix of humor, mystery, suspense and of course, love. Survival is her first book in the series and her second, Resurrection will be released in January.
If you're wondering, it didn't happen EXACTLY that way, but....

Connect with the Author:  Goodreads   Website    Twitter   

My Review:

I hadn't been introduced to A.M. Hargrove's work until I was given the opportunity to join this tour for Kissing Fire. I'm soooo glad that I jumped on board. I can't wait to pick up the first 2 novels in this series.

Okay, with that out of the way, let me go straight into Kissing Fire.

Now, since I hadn't read anything else in this series, I wasn't sure what I had missed. Do not let the fact that this novel is technically the third in a series bother you. Yes, I'm completely OCD when it comes to reading series in order. However, I didn't even realize this was part of a series until I was halfway through it! Hargrove gives an amazing account of what I missed to the point where I didn't NEED to read the others in the series. However, I WANT to read them now. Ha.

The characters are very easy to become attached to. Preston, this hot, sexy, undercover DEA Agent was an amazing character to follow. He's given up more than I care to discuss for his job putting drug lords where they belong. They've taken so much from him, including his father and being forced to put his sister & mom in hiding under constant protection. When you learn about Preston's journey to get where he is (going to jail and serving time... plus everything that went along with that...), you begin to see how amazingly strong and brave this man really is. The things that Preston endured shows that he's such a selfless man. Oh, god, I hated hearing about what happened to him but it made me love him even more.

Avery is a doll. I loved her & her crazy sumo-wrestling friend. Ha. The first scene in which you learn about Little Dickey is priceless. Yes, it's a horrible occurrence in Avery's life that I wish she never would've gone through, but the way that her friend comes to the rescue and stands by her side since then is fabulous. I was able to really connect with Avery. I found several similarities between her & I. Maybe that's one of the reasons why I liked her so much.

HOWEVER, I wanted to strangle her at once point in the novel. I won't go into detail because I don't want to mark it as a spoiler... but I have to admit, I was ready to kick her butt... Totally stupid move on her part... Well okay, that sounds harsh. Ha. Really though, she just made a rash decision that I guess I wouldn't have made. I wouldn't have gone to such an extreme had it been me in the situation. But that's why it was Avery and not me in the book. :) Anyways, honestly, it probably won't bother most readers. I'm sure there's plenty of women that would completely agree with the decision that she made. I just thought she was a little dramatic. LOL

So, overall, I really LOVED this novel and can't wait to follow up with A.M. Hargrove's other work! I definitely recommend this novel.

Overall Rating: 4 Stars
Cover Rating: 4.5 Stars
Characters: 4.5 Stars
Plot: 4 Stars
Climax: 4 Stars
Ending: 5 Stars




Giveaway!!!!!
Use the Rafflecopter below to enter for your chance to win one of the following:

Ebooks of Kissing Fire, Shattered Edge and Edge of Disaster

$50 Amazon Gift Card

Good Luck Everyone!!!

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