REVIEW: Can't Help Falling In Love by Bella Andre

Can't Help Falling In Love

(The Sullivans #3)

by Bella Andre

 4 HEARTS

From Goodreads

Get ready for another Sullivan bad boy to fall in love in the third book of Bella Andre's bestselling contemporary romance series!

Gabe Sullivan risks his life every day as a firefighter in San Francisco. But after learning a brutal lesson about professional boundaries, he knows better than to risk his heart to his fire victims ever again. Especially the brave mother and daughter he saved from a deadly apartment fire...and can't stop thinking about.

Megan Harris knows she owes the heroic firefighter everything for running into a burning building to save her and her seven-year-old daughter. Everything except her heart. Because after losing her navy pilot husband five years ago, she has vowed to never suffer through loving - and losing - a man with a dangerous job again.

Only, when Gabe and Megan meet again and uncontrollable flames of desire ignite between them, how can he possibly ignore her courage, determination, and beauty? And how can she deny not only his strong bond with her daughter.but the way his sweetly sensual kisses are challenging her to risk everything she's been guarding for so long?

This winter, if one - or both - of them aren't careful, they just might end up falling in love.

I really don't like it when a hero or heroine in a book has a child when the book starts off. Mainly because I find not a lot of authors seem to be able to write them in in a way where they don't interfere with the romance or annoy the hell out of me. Thankfully, this story didn't do that. In fact, I liked Summer. There was just enough of her that she was endearing and not coming in between Gabe and Megan. Some of the scenes with her and Gabe were actually quite cute. That's when I know something is going to be good, when reservations of mine are never fed.

Now I adore firefighters as much as the next woman, but there was something about Gabe that made it so much sexier than normal. I don't know if it was the way he handled the dangers of his job or the way he believed in what he did or even the way that he was so laid back and didn't want to looked at as a hero. I was completely hooked by him and riveted to the pages. I couldn't get enough of him. He had a kind of shield up in the beginning, not wanting to grow attached to Megan and her daughter. But Summer was persistent and kept bringing the two of them together in goofy little ways. It wasn't long before Gabe realized there was something different about Megan. He then pursued it and through patience and careful planning, allowed it to grow into something so much more. I really like that he wasn't too much of a jerk. He kept his heart protected enough that I understood why, but yet it was open enough to accept that things weren't as he thought and he wasn't going to let his own stubbornness--or Megan's for that matter--get in the way of what he knew was meant to be.

And boy howdy, am I thankful for that. Once you get past all that tough firefighter exterior, there was such a romantic underneath. I think some guys might be able to take a few notes from Mr. Gabe Sullivan here. The most mundane things about Megan, he picked up and remembered for later on. He slowly seduced her into becoming the person she had always been afraid to be. Of course their all-consuming-hot-as-fire attraction definitely helped push things along. I actually got jealous of her at some points throughout the book, both from the scorching hot sex scenes to the incredibly sweet surprises Gabe laid out for her. Some girls just have it all, even if they are fictional.

 Now I really wanted to liked Megan as much as I liked Gabe, but she seemed to be making too many excuses for my taste.  could understand her reluctance in the beginning--well, especially in the beginning--to not want to take the risk of getting involved with someone like Gabe who had a dangerous job, but she took that same excuse and beat it to the point that there weren't even specks remaining of it. Again, after everything she had been through, I could get behind her reasons for trying to push Gabe away, but at some point it just got to be silly. Hot monkey sex. The man is great with kids. He clearly freaking wants you. But you're so hung up on what-ifs and fears of the past that you contradict yourself at every point? Maybe I shouldn't talk, cause I'll admit I've got some of those same issues myself, but if you're not willing to risk your heart, if you're not willing to risk getting hurt, you're never going to know how wonderful life can be. Thank god she came around.

I think this story was my favorite so far. There was too much about Gabe that made him impossible not to love.

Hotness Rating
4 out of 5