Avery Sparks is a master at controlling chaos – and she gets plenty of opportunities as fire chief and head of emergency management in her hometown of Chance, Nebraska. The only thing she can’t seem to control are her feelings when she’s around Jake Mitchell, the man who was her first everything the night of their high school graduation. But Jake was so quick to leave Chance – and Avery – behind that she swore she’d move on.

While Avery’s job is to minimize drama, Jake embraces the chaos of an emergency. After enlisting in the Army National Guard, Jake became a nationally recognized leader in disaster recovery. Yet a life on the road has left him restless. So when a class-four tornado wreaks havoc on Chance, he’s eager to return home – and to the woman never far from his mind.

Now, Avery and Jake must team up to help their hometown weather a siege of violent storms. But it’s clear to them both that nature isn’t the only force they’ll have to reckon with. Will Avery and Jake’s whirlwind love affair be an all-new disaster – or can they recover from their stormy past to build a future together?

TWISTED UP by Erin Nicholas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

TWISTED UP is a great beginning to Erin Nicholas’s new series, Taking Chances, where unexpected love happens in the midst of the aftermath from an E4 tornado ripping through the town of Chance, Nebraska. This first book in the series focuses on Avery Sparks, the Fire Chief in Chance, and Jake Mitchell, a Sargent Major in the National Guard and a disaster relief management specialist.

Jake is a not at all shy or humble man who loves being a hero, who loves the limelight, and who loves knowing he’s making a difference on a grand scale. He’s all set to get his wish as a newly appointed Assistant Director with FEMA in Washington DC. First he’s back in his hometown for a reunion and to steal a few kisses from the girl he left behind but has never gotten out of his system. And while he’s stealing those kisses… and maybe a bit more, the tornado sets down in Chance.

Avery is strong, capable, independent, and a hero in her own right. Also possibly the only woman who doesn’t worship the ground that Jake walks on, which definitely constitutes a challenge. But Avery isn’t interested in opening up her heart to someone who’s always walking away even if she secretly can’t resist him either.

Jake is full of himself in a funny, teasing way that really is adorable. Avery pretends to be immune and makes him work for her attention. The dialogue and banter is crazy good. Witty and laugh out loud funny. The steamy scenes between these two are hot… and afterwards funny, at least the first time, when the whole town can’t help but know what they’ve been up to. But Avery continues to try to resist and Jake continues to prove he’s irresistible. The whole town is involved in the cleanup, which highlights a great cast of secondary characters I can’t wait to see more of in future books in this series. Ms. Nicholas is a pro at wrapping her readers up in that small town feel of community. I always feel right at home in her settings and like I’m receiving a welcoming hug from old friends inviting me to join in. I love her writing style and recommend Twisted Up to everyone who loves romance. 4 stars

~Complimentary copy downloaded from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

“Get me out of this tree, Jake.”

“How about a please?” He jumped to the ground.

“I think I’m out of pleases.”

He turned to her and extended his arms. “You only said one earlier. Right after the ‘god, Jake’.”

“Of course you’re keeping track.”

“You bet I am. Three of my favorite words when they’re in that particular order.”

“Such an ass,” she muttered. But she leaned forward and put her hands on his shoulders.

His hands went to her waist and he swung her down from the tree. But he didn’t put her on the ground.

Pressed tightly to his body, his hands on her hips, she most definitely felt more inclined to say another please or so.

With a knowing grin, Jake swung her legs so that he was holding her behind her back and under her knees, cradled against his chest.

“You ready to do this?”

She knew he was talking about checking out the damage, but her mind didn’t go there immediately. Fortunately, she didn’t say what she was thinking out loud.

Erin Nicholas is the author of sexy contemporary romances. Her stories have been described as toe-curling, enchanting, steamy and fun. She loves to write about reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines and happily ever afters. She lives in the Midwest with her husband who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books, her kids who will never read the sex scenes in her books, and family and friends who say they’re shocked by the sex scenes in her books (yeah, right!).

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