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4/5 Stars!

Billed as Romantic Suspense, Burning for Autumn delivers both and a first-rate whodunit!

A serial arsonist has the town of Durango, Colorado on edge. No one knows when or where he’ll strike next.

Amidst the chaos, clinical researcher Autumn McCoy and Chief of Police Keith Blackfoot have a budding relationship that gets off to a less than stellar beginning.

Thrown together again by mutual friends, they realize they like each other. But their time together always ends with another fire… and the fire hits too close to home.

After Autumn suffers a devastating loss and blow to her psyche, it becomes clear the fires are connected to her. But who? Why?

The deeper the story goes, the more of a page-turner it becomes. Someone is watching Autumn, which she should have realized early in the story because… the anonymous notes. DUH!

Keith and the small Durango Police Department reach out to the FBI for assistance before the next loss is Autumn.

As suspects are vetted, tensions—and emotions—run high.

The author does a great job of distraction and planting the seeds of doubt. By the time I was nearing the 80% mark, I was ready to arrest Jack, the tabby!

Excellent character development! I felt as though I knew these characters and where their heads… and hearts were.

While Autumn’s temporary assignment in Durango has caused her to leave what little life she had behind in San Antonio, she is making friends… slowly.

A bad childhood and a bad marriage keep her bottled up and closed off until she meets Keith.

I loved Keith. Actually, I loved all the men in this read because they’re just regular guys. Except for Stan (the mayor)—he’s an ass. And the arsonist—he’s a whack job.

The supporting female characters are spot on too. There is genuine affection and respect, but no one is afraid to call anyone else out on their crap. Very refreshing!

My only obstacle is Autumn. I struggled to like her.

With a nod to the aforementioned craptastic childhood and marriage, she was too caustic for me. Even worse, it felt forced.

Defense mechanism? I’m sure.

But Keith isn’t some chest-pounding Neanderthal strutting around grunting, “I’m man, you woman,” he’s a cop who’s also falling for the woman targeted by a madman.

Off the cuff, she was confrontational and annoying. Her determination to not be controlled, managed, or handled got old pretty quick for me because Keith wasn’t that guy. (When he laid his heart bare, I couldn’t breathe! What happened to the air?)

But when Autumn gave it thought before opening her mouth, she was human and genuine… and gracious. And those gracious moments were perfect and great romance!

As the dragnet closes in on the arsonist, Autumn goes back to the TSTL-mindset (but it isn’t permanent) which could lead her to lose Keith and her life.

But Keith is determined not to let that happen on his watch. Along with two great backups, he sets out to beat the serial arsonist and murderer at his own game.

The meaning of the title of the book falls from the lips of the whack job and it’s a gut punch because… Mr. Bartik.

Good stuff!

This is book 1 in the On Call series and I’m ready for book 2… which drops next month. Grab this one today so you’ll be ready too.

Enjoy!

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Title: Burning For Autumn (On Call Series #1)
Author: Freya Barker
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: January 8, 2019
Cover Designer: Freya Barker
Hosted by: Buoni Amici Press, LLC.

When Autumn McCoy accepted a temporary work contract in Durango, she thought it would be a safe way to add some spark to her existence. She may be getting more than she bargained for when she finds herself the target of impending danger.The outspoken forty-two-year-old isn’t prepared for that spark to ignite flames threatening to engulf every aspect of her life.

Buried under the weight of responsibilities, all interim Chief of Police, Keith Blackfoot, wants is to get back to good old-fashioned detecting. He gets his chance when an encounter with a feisty redhead seems to incite a wave of arson cases. Although a visit from friend and firefighter, Roman “Chief” Proudfit, provides some direction, he’s left to battle an invisible menace fueling fires that could leave his town—and his heart—in ashes.