Driven By Fire (Fire #2) by Anne Stuart

I finally managed to get all my TBR all in one area. They're in one of those tall bookcases that was left over from university days (via Target/Walmart) and then...stacked in front on the floor. I'm not too sure how many there are left because I didn't count them but maybe around 400-500. 

Which is a lot. Not going to make any qualms about that. It's not even counting my e-books. I'm quite determined to make a dent this year though. I read over 200 last year so I think it's doable. I realize these numbers are insane though. 

I'm actually reading a different Anne Stuart (a historical) but I'm going to talk about her second book in the fire series today. Isn't that a nice cover? I really like it. 

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Title: Driven By Fire (Fire #2)
Author: Anne Stuart
Page Number: 288 pages (paperback)
Genre: fiction, contemporary, romantic suspense, mystery
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Year: 2016

Pro bono lawyer Jenny Parker is the only true innocent in her family. The daughter of a New Orleans crime lord, she’s tried for years to make her own way, but family ties always manage to pull her back in line. When her youngest brother gets involved in human trafficking, Jenny wants to believe him innocent and tries to protect him, even though it means covering for his crimes.

Matthew Ryder knows Jenny is hiding something, and he couldn’t care less about her motives. As a member of the Committee, a covert anticrime agency, he’s dealt with the worst the world has to offer. To him, Jenny is just another criminal. But when she asks for help, things turn dangerous quickly, and though he can’t trust her, he can’t turn her away.

Now, Jenny and Ryder must head to South America to stop the trafficking ring. To find the truth, they’ll have to survive untamed jungles, hostile rebels, crushing betrayals, and—perhaps most dangerous—the fire of their undeniable attraction.

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This is the second book in the new fire spin-off, in which a sub-sect of the Committee stars. They're set in New Orleans. So far we've met about four of the agents (although a lady agent is mentioned in this one as well). I'm hoping Stuart continues this series soon because I'm quite impatient about what will happen to the other three agents. 

This book start off right in the midst of action. Jenny Gauthier Parker, daughter of the Gauthier family, receives a phone call from her father. In it, he eludes to her brother Billy falling in with the wrong people and needing to be rescued. So off goes Jenny to pick up Billy. We get some backstory on the Gauthier family around here (or at least in the beginning). They're a crime family (a Dixie Mafia meets smugglers? I'm not too sure beyond that. They mainly seem to be import tax evaders, maybe drugs and other products but not human trafficking (or arms?). Jenny, as the only daughter, has mostly been ignored by her family and instead goes to law school and set up practice where she's a bit of a bleeding heart and takes on quite a lot of pro-bono work. She's been divorced but kept the new name to keep distance between herself and her family. 

As an aside, I never knew the Dixie Mafia really existed but they absolutely killed people. How did I not know about this? I mean, they still do exist I guess. They're in Biloxi, which makes sense (casinos and stuff). I've been to Biloxi a few times but I kinda just go to the beach or chill at the casinos (my friends play) I missed out on some of the history of the city. I didn't know Jefferson Davis had a house there until a few years ago. I actually went because I had a friend that wanted to go. It's not what I expected but when we were there, there wasn't a lot of mention about slavery.  There was a presidential library (but like...he wasn't?). I had a lovely talk with one of the tour guides about the mirror (silver coating) for about ten minutes. That's mostly what I remember. 

source: Wikipedia

The outside of Cafe du Monde in New Orleans. It's mentioned in the book once. It's off Decatur Street. 

None of the action takes place in Biloxi (it's just one of those random things I learn about). The action starts and ends in New Orleans with the middle action taking place in the made up country of Callivera. I'm okay with Stuart making up a country for all the smuggling, drug cartels, kidnapping etc. to occur in. I always feel bad when another country gets a bad rap for a plot--that's weird right? Anyways, Jenny Parker heads to where she's told to find Billy--a cargo ship crawling with special operatives and police. There are people being escorted to vans for hospital checks and that's when Jenny Parker realizes that her brother is in deep, deep trouble. She somehow manages to sneak on board the ship and finds Billy, helping him to escape but not before she picks up some technology from the ship and running into Matthew Ryder. Ryder is suspicious of her from the get-go but Jennifer Parker swears she got a call to lend legal aid to the smuggled people. 

We're introduced to Ryder in the previous book. He's taciturn, ruthless and overall one of the perfect committee operatives. He's not as suave as some of the operatives from the Ice books, instead he's more forceful and scary (?). If I had to describe him that is. He spends the time after his first run in with Jenny Parker discovering all about her and her family. He distrusts her fully but from the comments from other operatives, it seems that's he's a bit obsessed with her. Or at least, over aware. 

Jenny and Ryder run into each other again because Jenny needs help. She's run into a lot of legal tape and issues with one of the refugees from the ship, a lady named Soledad. She's hoping that Ryder and his organization (that seems to be able to work with the U.S. in some regard now) will be able to perform miracles beyond the legal framework that she can do. Ryder is annoyed overall by this request but ends up relenting because he's hoping Jenny can lead him to the connection her family has with the human smugglers. Jenny is fairly unaware, either because she's aware of the limitations of her family's crime or she has blinders on. 

Jenny and Soledad end up at the Committee's New Orleans headquarters for an extended time period (I'm skipping over some minor plot points here) but one morning Soledad gets kidnapped (along with the technology that Jenny had hidden among her possessions). Ryder and Jenny decide to follow Soledad and the technology back to Callivera in order to stop the human trafficking ring for good. Jenny is concerned about Soledad and her brother (she thinks they're both innocent) while Ryder thinks they're both involved somehow. Granted Ryder and Jenny don't quite communicate (they do talk, they just don't agree).

I think sometimes Jenny gets a bit TSTL (too stupid to live) when it comes to Soledad and Billy but it doesn't bug me. The first time I read this book was after I read a book with a real horrid TSTL character (I mean, I was rooting for the serial killer to put all of us out of our misery!) so Jenny doesn't come off too bad to me in comparison. I also think Stuart was showcasing how she would go to the mat for those she loved (in this case, Billy, and by default of working so hard for Soledad, her as well) as well as a foil against Ryder who trusted no one. 

source: Wikipedia

A type of shotgun house, although this is a double shotgun house in New Orleans. Jenny Parker lives in a shotgun house that she in renovating. Her house is the setting for one of the decisive factors in Ryder deciding to work with Jenny in the book. 

source: Wikipedia

The French Quarter of New Orleans

While Jenny is a lawyer (not criminal law) and understands her father and two older brothers are criminals, she's fully aware of their limitations. So when a different option is presented to her (via Ryder and at the end of the book) she honestly can't believe it. I don't think that's too shocking. She does come around and makes peace with her connections, her family, friends and future. I can't dislike her. 

Ryder is willing to do most anything to get the job done. He's quite ruthless. Once he's given the order to take out the human trafficking ring's leaders he has no issue with carrying it out, no matter who gets in the way. That does mean, on occasion, that Jenny crosses his path (she's trying to prevent him from hurting her family and friends). There is one scene between the two of them before they leave for Callivera which is a bit rough. I was okay with it but there's no redemption for that moment. That might bother readers but even though Ryder never vocalizes his apology to her, he does go out of his way to make her comfortable (even allowing her to come with him). In real life, I'd be calling an abuse shelter to get Jenny out of the place. In book land we can make Ryder okay. Does that make sense? Book men are allowed to be bad, real men shouldn't be. 

Eventually Soledad and the technology are found. This is the end of the Callivera connection and Ryder returns to New Orleans in order to end the American connection to the smuggling ring. The ending is a bit open ended. We know Jenny and Ryder are together and over all happy but they're just starting. So I guess we can assume that they stay in New Orleans (Ryder is in the next book as well) and Jenny continues with her career. 

I do appreciate Stuart not overly cluttering her books with continuation stories. Her writing is tight and so easy to read. I get lost in her stories in ways that I don't always get lost in other authors. While Jenny's character is laid bare, Ryder's is still buttoned up until the bitter end. I thought the plot (considering all the action and non-stop moving) was really well done and without any glaring holes. I have it rated around 4ish stars (maybe more?). I have the paperback, eBook and audio book (all of which are well done). It's something I use to restart me reading after a slump so I feel it rates really high. It's not quite a five star because I wish I had more of a ending between Jenny and Ryder as well as I wish he had a tiny bit more of a backstory (she doesn't always provide one fleshed out). 

The New Orleans (food, housing, music) is a delight. I love New Orleans and have only had lovely experiences there. Since I can't drink (migraines) I tend to spend my time eating, doing tours, going to museums and exploring the city. Stuart mentions the "Great Satchmo," or Louis Armstrong as music that is listened to. Armstrong is a blues and jazz legend, born in New Orleans and I would say the city is quite proud of him. Of course, modern jazz is played all over New Orleans (as is all types of music) but it's fun to listen to some grade A jazz when you're there. 

Food wise, Stuart mentions Cafe du Mond, chicory flavored coffee and beignets. I think Cafe du Mond is worth going to at least once, but it is a tourist hot spot and can be really busy. I usually hit up other Cafes without issue. I'm not a huge fan of chicory flavor coffee, but I'm also not a fan of coffee in general, it's not bad though. I freaking love beignets though. I will gorge myself on them. So good. Louisiana has some fantastic food, even more if you like seafood (for example: Crayfish Étouffée or Gumbo). If you don't like seafood (like me) there's still so many options. I grew up with food from this region so a lot of my "southern" cooking is from this area. I mean, for New Years most people do black eyed peas, cornbread and greens but my black eyed peas are "Cajun" according to people around here. I've never had them any other way! My point for this long ramble is that when I read the food mentions...all I wanted was some beignets and sweet tea. 

Architecture and neighborhoods are mentioned as well. Jenny's house is a little shotgun house that she's renovating. I'm slightly familiar with the design but more so the double shotgun version. Basically a shotgun house is just a rectangle, divided into rooms. I didn't realize how they were considered to be more of a southern architecture (maybe via Haitian designs?) but that was cool to learn. ​

Source: Wikipedia

Beignets from Cafe du Monde

Another neighborhood mentioned is The Garden District. I've stayed here a few times, so it was fun to have a book set there. The architecture is really pretty, kinda  a mix of french, southern, Victorian and American. There are absolutely some strange legacies (Jefferson Davis died in one of the properties if I remember correctly) and some super cool legacies. Some of the houses are private residences but some are open to the public (or are open at times). The hotel I stayed at arranged for me to see some of the private houses which was really nice. I do really like Southern architecture/design for many reasons (like the blue you paint your porch ceilings to ward off haints) but I think it's beyond fair to note that there is a significant tie-in to slavery and jim crow era laws. Some of the stunning houses in the south were built via slave labor or on the back of their labor. Not to be a downer, but sometimes it pops into my head when I think about the houses. 

I believe Magazine Street is also mentioned, it's one of the main through fairs. I believe the Audubon Zoo is off the street but I can't remember. Anyways, great setting and world building (by mentioning some of the New Orleans culture). While it's some of the most popular aspects, it makes it easy for a person unfamiliar with the area follow along.