The Fireman Who Loved Me

March 19, 2012
Repressed L.A. news producer Melissa McGuire and steely-nerved captain Harry Brody of the country’s only all-bachelor fire squad are flung together by chances both cute and contrived in Bernard’s contemporary debut. When Melissa’s meddling grandmother determines to find Melissa a husband, she schemes up a way to win her workaholic, love-burned granddaughter one of the hunky firefighters in a charity bachelor auction. Cerebral Melissa is initially horrified by the idea of a numbskull manly man flexing his muscles at her. Then she starts spending time with Harry, who’s both sexy and deep. The pace is swift and the plot keeps twisting thanks to a spoiled news anchor, family tribulations, emotional baggage, and five-alarm fire drama. Despite a few weak premises that insist on propelling the story, this is a solid, sexy, and funny start to a planned series. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, Janklow & Nesbit Associates.

April 15, 2012

With a grandmother like Nelly McGuire, you never know what is going to happen. Grans won a date with a gorgeous firefighter at a charity auction but then is sick on the appointed evening. Her granddaughter Melissa has no choice but to go in her place--just as Nelly had planned. Serious TV journalist Melissa and take-charge Capt. Harry Brody know they are far too different ever to have a serious relationship, but the unexpected attraction that blazes between them is much too hot to ignore. Nonstop action, likable protagonists, and characters who run the gamut from sympathetic and admirable to silly and sleazy combine in an entertaining story that sees Fire Station 1's marriage-wary captain fall in love. It also skillfully sets the stage for the rest of the "Bachelor Firemen" to do the same. VERDICT Sexy, sassy, often hilarious, and touching, Bernard's debut novel is a perfect fit for those who like their heroes hot, committed, and a little larger-than-life. Bernard lives in a small town in Alaska.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2012
Candid and sexy, the first in neophyte Bernard's new Bachelor Firemen novels is a harbinger of good things to come. When the grandmother of television-news producer Melissa McGuire wins a hot date at a bachelor auction, Melissa is horrified but also intrigued by the hunk she runs into on her way out. Gran has purchased a date with Ryan Hoagie Blake, instead of the expected fire captain Harry Brody. When Gran claims to be too ill to go on the date and Ryan backs out, Melissa and Harry step in, and their tango of love begins. They come together slowly, finding common ground even while Melissa struggles to appease a narcissistic news anchor and Harry, using his legendary calm, leavens his testosterone-dominant crew. As if that's not enough, Harry's former wife returns to profess her love, while Melissa's last boss wants her back. Fortunately, Melissa and Harry know how to put out those fires while keeping theirs burning. With this book, Bernard is sure to catch on with readers like a runaway blaze.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)