The Night Belongs to Fireman

***Provided to me by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. ** My synopsis: Fred aka STUD, is one of the last-standing bachelor firemen. He's coming off a martial arts tournament and has Mulligan along playing wing-man. They decide to stop into the local bar to celebrate and he soon finds his trophy pilfered by a gal in a veil with a penchant for mishaps. Rachel leads a normally secluded and overly-protected life for a reason, but when one of her best friends is getting married, she has to celebrate with them. Right? And if that means accepting a dare of stealing Mr. Sexy's trophy, she just has to do it! After all, it IS a dare! Fred and Rachel have a brief few encounters at the bar, all revolving around Fred pulling her cute little butt out of harm's way, but it's the accident leaving the bar that draws the two closer still. With a paranoid parent, a crazy kidnapper, lingering threats from 17 years earlier and REFUGE isn't always what it seems, this story never has a dull moment. --- Why did I choose to read this book? To be honest? I chose it because I have really enjoyed the entire series and Mrs. Bernard's writing style. She quickly became one of my favorite authors, but in no way does that effect my ability to critique it honestly. --- Hot Factor: 3 --- My thoughts: This should not be read as a stand-alone novel. Mrs. Bernard has truly done her research when capturing the persona, demeanor and general attitude of a fireman. Her heroes have all been sexy, heartwarming and humble. This is the last full-length novel in the series and I, for one, am sad to see it end. I've referred to her writing style in the past as being the equivalent to the tactile sensation of sun-warmed silk sheets or a fountain of flowing, rich dark chocolate. While I found THE NIGHT BELONGS TO FIREMAN to be extremely easy to read and the flow was perfectly fluid, I did not get the same rich and seductive vibe as from her other books. I think this is because of the character persona that was built up by his colleagues throughout the series. I viewed him as "the kid" or "the little brother" that the bigger boys liked to lovingly pick on. I have truly enjoyed this series as a whole, THE NIGHT BELONGS TO FIREMAN is a wonderful concluding novel. Fred's light and joy truly made me smile countless times. Rachel's stubborn determination made me want to cheer for her. Fred's interactions with Mulligan and Vader made me laugh out loud, especially the scene at Double D's house. The neighbor kids were wonderful and thoroughly enjoyable. The blend of humor and sass are perfectly mixed with the action and intrigue. The plot was solid. The climax was chaotic, but not in a bad way (More like "when it rains, it pours"). There were a few loose ends that I would have liked seen resolved (ie: the outcome of the refuge and escapees from THE night. Who was TREE?). I'd thought for sure I knew who "he" was, but Mrs. Bernard was NOT that predictable. --- Overall: 4.5