New Jen Armentrout books bring a joy all their own, but when they also bring about the close of one of my favorite series of hers? It’s the slightest bit bittersweet as well.

When you think of the works of Jen Armentrout, perhaps the Lux series or the Covenant series are the first ones that come to mind for you. For me, it’s the Wait for You series. Wait for You was the first book I ever read by Jen Armentrout (pen name J.Lynn), and it left a mark on my reader soul.

This series has never shied away from sensitive matters, having confronted rape, physical abuse, murder, and tragic pasts, amongst other subjects that are very difficult to talk about. The characters of this series survived these intense life circumstances and managed to come out the other side. I will miss Avery, Cam, Teresa, Jase, Calla, Jax, Roxy, Reece, Stephanie, Nick and all the rest very, very much.

The final chapter of this series is not to be missed, as this final couple will have you looking back on all the others, and probably kickstart a re-read.

About ‘Fire in You’

Jillian Lima’s whole world was destroyed in a span of a few hours. The same night her childhood love, Brock ‘the Beast’ Mitchell, broke her heart, her life was irrevocably altered by the hand of a stranger with a gun. It takes six years to slowly glue together the shattered pieces of her life, but Jillian is finally ready to stop existing in a past full of pain and regret. She takes a job at her father’s martial arts Academy and she’s going out on her first date since a failed relationship that was more yuck than yum. Jillian is determined to start living.

She just never expected Brock to be a part of her life again. But he’s firmly back in her life before she knows it, and not only is he older, he’s impossibly more handsome, more teasing and more everything. And when he sees Jillian, he’s no longer capable of thinking of her as the little girl who was his shadow growing up or the daughter of the man who gave him a second chance at life. He sees the woman who’d always been there for him, the one person who believed in him no matter what.

Brock knows she’s the one he should’ve made his, and what begins as a tentative friendship quickly turns to red-hot chemistry that sparks a flame that burns brighter than lust. Falling for Brock again risks more than her heart, because when the sorrow-filled and guilt-ridden past resurfaces, and a web of lies threatens to rip them apart, the fallout could lay waste to everything they’ve fought to build together, and destroy the dreams of those they care most about.

‘Fire in You’ book review

I stumbled across the Wait for You series at the very beginning of my romance reading adventure. Avery’s story affected me in ways I never saw coming. I remember crying, laughing, and swooning in equal measure. I fell for those characters, but little did I know what joys awaited me further down this series’ line.

I went on to read Be with You, Stay with Me, Fall with MeForever with You and each one reminded me why this series is one that everyone should read. These characters have suffered true hardships and have managed to come out the other side stronger people every time. Sometimes it took time, space, or something else to get there, but together, each of these couples has found strength in each other.

Fire in You was a great way to complete this saga. Brock has played a minor role in the books, ever since he walked into Mona’s story in Stay with Me. I may not have begged for his story then, but seeing him and Jillian finding each other again has been the perfect way to say goodbye.

Like all the other heroines in these books, Jillian has overcome a true horror in her past, a horror that Brock may not have had a hand in, but he feels responsibility and guilt for nonetheless. The complicated past between these characters makes this second chance love story truly one of a kind. The friendship and platonic love that existed long before Brock ever had romantic feelings for his best friend makes their connection that much stronger.

I also loved that in addition to finding love with Brock and allowing herself to fall for him once again, Jillian also re-discovered herself. The years that she spent trying to avoid life while both her body and her heart healed were years that found Jillian straying farther and farther from the strong woman the Limas had helped her to become.

Reconnecting with the strength she had before being attacked, Jillian reminds us all that there is nothing we can’t come back from. We all must do what we can to survive the terrible circumstances that life throws our way, but we must also embrace the healing power of love and friendship to fully recover.

It will be a while before I can say where this books ranks amongst my favorites, but I’m sure it will have a place there, as the push and pull between Jillian and Brock was spellbinding to read. We all have a favorite Wait for You saga story, and I’m sure each of the books is number one in someone’s list. Fire in You will definitely be toward the top of my rankings for some time.

I am glad to have discovered these books and enjoyed everything they had to share. The Wait For You series will always be waiting on my kindle and my shelf, old friends just waiting to greet me once again when I most need them.

Fire in You is available now at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and at an indie bookstore near you. Pick up your copy of the Wait for You saga’s final chapter today.