B
October 2003
SYNOPSIS: When an independent woman returns to her small Texas hometown, a ruggedly handsome fireman from her past sparks an attraction that turns her perfectly ordered life upside-down.
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE: (2+) Katika Floyd
REVIEW: Davalyn Bowers returns to live in her hometown with her older brother after the death of her father. While she is expecting to spend more time with her older brother she is not expecting the sparks she encounters with his best friend, Cutter McCall. Davalyn has always been a little bit in love her brother’s best friend, but she is both surprised and hesitant that she might have a chance with Cutter.
I liked the attraction I saw spark between Cutter and Davalyn. Ms Guillame does a good job of allowing the reader to see and feel the heat of attraction, and the pleasure and pain of falling in love. We not only get to see them as a couple but as professionals that work in related professions fire inspection and firefighting. Cutter and Davalyn’s budding relationship are surrounded by many other relationships with secondary characters: Cutter’s relationship with his son Bennett, Davalyn with her brother Van, Davalyn with her ‘good friend’ Julian, Cutter and longtime friend Van. As Davalyn and Cutter build a relationship they also have deal with the impact of their new relationship on their existing relationships.
WINTER FIRES gets rushed to its ending with underdeveloped subplots that are quickly tied up at the end of the story once Cutter and Davalyn have stabled a viable relationship. The underdeveloped subplots not only affect the pace of the story but also distract from the central story because they contain so many secondary characters.
WINTER FIRES shows promise in the beginning with the unexpected attraction between Cutter and Davalyn. Unfortunately, the fire it sparks is quickly weakened by a rushed ending.
katika@romanceincolor.com (10th October 2003)