AGAINST THE FIRE by Kat Martin

Book Two in Kat Martin's THE RAINES OF WIND CANYON series AGAINST THE FIRE, I was a little disappointed. One thing that I really liked were the characters themselves. I thought that Gabe and Mattie were strong characters, held their own, but my problem was that I didn't feel a connection with them together. No matter how hard I wanted to see them both happy it just felt well...... weird.
Like two friends who should have never dated, that kind of weird, I didn't feel the passion or the desire spark with them. With that being said though, I liked the storyline. I was captured in the mystery of who was trying to destroy Gabe's property and knew that from the beginning that it wasn't the troubled teen that the police were convinced was guilty as sin.
I think all in all that is what kept me going, that and the fact that despite the flat love story I enjoyed the fascinating and alarmingly real characters that were rich in character and charming throughout. Suspenseful and entertaining this wasn't a bad read, so I can't exactly give it a 3, perhaps just me and another reader might like Mattie and Gabe together ? Besides I really did love book 1 in the series, AGAINST THE WIND and can't in good conscious give the books anything less then a 4 because I was in fact riveted and captivated with the mystery embedded in AGAINST THE FIRE.

Once one of the “no-account Raines boys,” Gabriel Raines has pulled himself out of poverty by his bootstraps to become a successful businessman—one who has become the target of revenge…

You can’t fight what you can’t see. And Gabriel Raines can’t be sure just who’s setting the fires in his new real-estate development. When two fires hit back-to-back, he knows it’s personal, but any number of competitors or ex-employees could be the arsonist.

The police suspect Angel Ramirez, a local teen who’s been in trouble before. But Mattie Baker, a volunteer at the Family Abuse center, just can’t believe the kid she’s been working with would go back to his delinquent ways.

Determined to convince Gabe that she’s right, Mattie must get close to him and find out who’s putting their neighborhood in jeopardy. And just as the arsonist’s flames continue to burn, they find a heat developing between them. It might just turn into a full-fledged fire…if they can survive long enough.