Where There's Smoke

By M. J. Fredrick

The Wild Rose Press - 2008

Contemporary Romance


Their families had always been friends, and they had grown up together, almost like one giant family. Yet it wasn't sisterly feelings that Lauren Stokes felt for her best friend, Seth Escamilla. Lauren wanted Seth, but she also knew exactly what kind of man he was.

Seth was startled when he suddenly realized the attraction that had grown between him and Lauren. He knows he's not the kind of guy to settle down, and there's no way he wants to ruin their friendship. The harder he tries to avoid these new feelings, the harder it becomes to resist.

When both their worlds start to crumble, the only certainty they have is each other. Acting on this attraction doesn't solve problems, and Seth still knows that he hasn't changed. He just hopes that he'll be able to break things off before ultimately losing their friendship.

Where There's Smoke was a story of two best friends finally coming together. I loved watching Lauren and Seth flounder while adjusting to their new feelings. It was so obvious that their friendship held something deeper. However, I did get a bit annoyed with Seth's continual insistence that he couldn't be in a long term committed relationship - although he definitely redeemed himself by the end. I had expected this story to be a little lighter in tone, but there were extensive emotional issues that were tearing both their families apart. I didn't really care for most of their family, which again shows how well the secondary characters were developed. It also explained why the main characters had evolved into who they were. I will definitely keep an eye out for additional titles by this author.

Kathy Andrico - KathysReviewCorner.com