Spotlight: Fire Starter by Elle Boon

**Promo – Fire Starter**

Hey everyone! Good to see you again! As you all know, I have marking my come back with make-up posts and a few new post weaved in between. Well today I have a treat with this new post for you all. This author is new to me, as is her book. It sure sounds hot though! She has an interesting story about how she got started writing so prepared to be inspired! Thank you to everyone for joining us today! I hope you all enjoy yourselves! Please allow me to introduce to the blog:

**ELLE BOON**

**BIO**

I’m a wife and mother who is a retired stay at home mom of 2. I say retired because my youngest is 14 and my oldest is 20. When my baby went to school, reading saved my sanity, and then the same year he started school, I was diagnosed with Cancer, again reading saved my sanity. When I recovered and realized how quickly life could change, I made a bucket list. The number one thing was to live. Check. On top of that list was to become a published author. Check. Eight years later I have accomplished that goal and several others.

I live in the Midwest, but I”m a southern girl with only a slight twang who says y’all quite frequently, and am known to say “Bless Your Heart” A LOT. If you know what that means, you do not want to be the one I say that to, lol. I cuss worse than if a trucker and a sailor were put together, but I do it with class *WEG*.

I write what I love to read, erotic romance. My books are definitely full of lots of story, but I leave nothing to the imagination in or out of the bedroom. My hope is that after readers have read one of my stories, they fall in love with the characters as much as I have.

The best part of my new journey is that I get to create new worlds, and have all kinds of stories in my head just waiting to be written. I truly love to hear from readers. You can find me on Twitter, Facebook or my website, but I’m on Facebook ALL the time, so find me. I’d love to hear from you.

 To find out more about Ms. Boon, please visit:

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**FIRE STARTER**

**BLURB**

Keanu Raine is a fire fighter, and has fought the most dangerous forest fires for years as a smokejumper. His training has served him well, but his ability as a fire elemental has saved lives many times over, on he had no plans to quit any time soon. When he returns home to the Pacific Northwest, he has no clue that the biggest blaze he would ever fight, would be the one that Cammie Masters stirs in his soul.

Cammie has loved Keanu since the day he rescued her when she was a twelve year old girl trapped in a tree. But now, her school girl crush is a woman’s lust. But Keanu has blown into town before, is he really here to stay this time?

Keanu’s investigation into the arson plaguing his hometown is heating up, and so is his relationship with Cammie. But it soon becomes clear that Cammie isn’t a bystander, she is a target. As Keanu tries to uncover the truth, things turn deadly, and as the smoke clears there is more than just one elemental who has their sights set on Cammie.

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**EXCERPT**

By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age.

If you are under the age of 18, please exit this site.

Keanu Raine walked a few feet from his team, letting his inner fire control him. The forest fire was all but burned out, but it was searching for more, and he knew it had found a new source. The living breathing entity of unforgiving heat that could engulf hundreds of acres, only needed a little spark to ignite all over again, only Keanu wasn’t going to allow it if he could stop it. He ignored their questions knowing they were missing something. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, never a good sign when you were in the middle of a huge forest fire. “Hey, did you guys hear that?” Keanu asked.

“Shit, man, this gobbler is a fuck nut,” Brax McKay grumbled.

“Kea, all I can hear is my stomach rumbling.” Hal Aldridge grinned, his blond hair soaked with sweat.

“I swear something’s not right.” Keanu nodded in the direction of the burned out forest.

He couldn’t squash the feeling of doom as he looked through the smoke. His inner fire leapt to life, sending his senses on high alert. A small blaze could easily turn into something much larger with the dry conditions, and in Keanu’s opinion, it was a guarantee. They’d evacuated the surrounding homes, but it wasn’t always a certainty all families would get out.

“I’m going to scout around a bit, since we have about thirty minutes before pick-up. You guys head for the zone and wait for my call. If I’m not there when the DC shows, I’ll meet you at the next drop.” He tapped the radio attached to his suit.

“Yeah, right, boss. I don’t think so, I’m going with you,” Hal snorted, moving to stand by him.

“It’s cool. I’ll go by myself. It’s probably nothing.” Keanu shrugged.

Hal shook his head. “Let’s go.”

The group of smokejumpers paused and Keanu nodded to Brax. He knew Hal would follow him regardless. They left the other six members of their team and headed in the direction that Keanu sensed the disturbance. The overwhelming feeling persisted.  Someone was trapped in the middle of the blaze. He could feel it in his bones. They needed to locate him or her quickly, or there wouldn’t be anything left to find.

Several minutes later, they stood on the outskirts of an already evacuated community. Keanu considered calling a stop to their search, fearing he was too late. There were towering homes to his right, less than a hundred yards away, and blackened earth to his left.

“Kea, if there was someone here, they must’ve gotten out.”

Keanu wasn’t sure how Hal knew he was searching for a person, but he had figured out early on Hal was every bit as sensitive as he was.

Hearing Hal mimic his thoughts about their search made his stomach drop. The other man didn’t have to add or they were dead; nothing could’ve survived in the middle of the area.

Keanu shook his head, not willing to give up yet. “This way, I know I’m right.” Turning toward the trees, he didn’t need to check to see if his partner followed.

Burnt wood and grass surrounded them. Inhaling deeply he caught a scent so distinctive it made most people gag.

“My water tank is almost empty. If there’s a fire, and I’m not saying there is, maybe we should call for back-up.”

“There isn’t time. I smell burnt human hair.”

“Shit,” Hal swore.

Keanu led them into a thick clump of charred trees. With all the blackness surrounding him, he couldn’t see a thing, but he sensed a hot spot. A tingling deep inside wouldn’t let him ignore what he knew was a real threat. He rushed to the area before coming to an abrupt halt. A large section of land filled with tall dry grass had started to smolder.

“What the fuck? How the hell did we miss this?” Hal pointed. “Look.”

A small boy was nestled in the branches just above the flames.

“Hal, you climb and I’ll take care of the fire,” Keanu ordered, relieved to see his partner and best friend didn’t argue for once.

Stepping over the fallen branches and blackened areas, he inhaled the hot air into his lungs. He continued sucking the flames into his body, relishing the feel of the warmth rushing through his system, while using the water hose attached to his pack to douse the hot spots.

By the time Hal had the boy on the ground, he couldn’t sense any more flames. He coughed and gave Hal two thumbs up.

They made their way back to their teammates with the small boy cradled in Hal’s big arms.

“What the hell?” Brax eyed the child.

Keanu grabbed a bottle of water from his coworker and chugged, while the rest of the group tended to the boy. His inner flame began to cool with the refreshing fluid and he accepted another bottle gratefully. 

“Oh man, Kea. You saved the boy’s life.” Barry looked from the boy to Keanu.

Keanu shook his head. “Nah, I just got lucky. Hal got the kid down.”

“Bullshit! Good job, Kea.” Brax punched his arm.

Praise from his team made Keanu cringe. None of them were ordinary men, far from it, but he hated having attention drawn to him. He looked to the sky, happy to see their pick-up overhead in time to save him from unwanted admiration. They’d radioed ahead, alerting them to the addition. The first man took the child. Keanu was the last to leave the clearing. Giving his inner fire free reign one last time, he made sure they hadn’t missed anything else. By the time they finished, he was sure the next team wouldn’t have any surprises.

Getting into the DC-3 wasn’t nearly as fun as jumping from one, Keanu mused as he was finally lifted up.

* * * *

Keanu stood on his deck gazing at the openness for as far as his eyes could see. He loved the smell of the mountains, the clean pine scent.  It was very similar to his home with his grandparents. He raised his face to the sun, allowing the rays to warm him from the outside as his internal fire warmed the inside. Letting out a deep breath, he turned toward the fire pit in the corner and blew a puff of air on the logs, making them burn.

Smiling, Keanu stepped into his spacious kitchen and grabbed a bottle of beer from the fridge. Closing his eyes in bliss as he twisted off the cap, he tipped his head for a much needed drink. A platter of steaks and two potatoes wrapped in foil were on the counter, ready to be cooked. He grabbed the platter, stepped outside and placed them on the grill, then with another breath of air, the charcoals started to smoke and turn a fiery red.

“Yo, Kea. Where you at?” Hal yelled from inside.

“I'm on the deck. Grab a beer and come on out.”

Hal ducked his head, avoiding the doorjamb, and joined Keanu on the deck with two bottles dangling from his fingers. Keanu took a bottle from Hal with a shake of his head.

“Oofta, I so needed this.” Hal tipped his bottle to his mouth.

Keanu laughed and flipped the steaks. “Is ‘oofta’ a real word?”

“Hell yeah, it’s real. You can use it for just about any swear word.”

Keanu stifled a chuckle. “Thanks, but I think I’ll just say ‘fuck’ at least once in every sentence.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

“Fuck off.” Keanu laughed.

They sat in companionable silence, listening to the birds sing and the wind whistle through the trees. Keanu loved being outside almost as much as he loved women. He swore watching the trees sway was like watching a woman sashay as she led her man to bed.

“So, what did your grandfather want?”

Leave it to Hal to cut to the chase before Keanu was ready to talk about it. His grandfather lived at the top of the Cascades. It was only fifty miles away, but it could be another country.

Keanu shrugged. “Something is spooking him, and if you knew my grandfather, you’d know it was major. He scares the shit out of me and I’m a grown man.”

“He didn’t give you any hints?”

Keanu looked at the pit and sucked in a breath, making the red coals lose some of their glow, before turning to his best friend. “Nah. He needs my expertise.” Keanu made air quotes, shrugged, and headed to the grill.

“So, are you looking forward to going home, boss?” Hal asked.

 “Yes and no.”

“We’re going to miss you on the team. Not sure what we’ll do without our very own fireman.” Hal laughed, his booming voice echoing in the still of the night.

“Real funny. I’m still on call in case of emergency situations, and you know Brax can bend things to his will.” Keanu raised his eyebrows. The co-leader of their group had truly amazing and sometimes frightening powers, but Keanu wasn’t going to tell him he thought he was great. The man already had a big head.

Keanu flipped the steaks and checked the potatoes.

“I’m going to miss my own personal barbeque-man.” Hal had a frown on his face.

He flipped Hal off. He’d had the ability to make a fire out of air since he was a small boy. By the time he’d turned twelve, he’d learned to breathe the fire back into his body without much cost to himself, other than the need to burn off the energy one way or another.

After graduating from high school he became a fireman for the local fire department. Known as a fire-breather in the world of elementals, Keanu could create a small flame or a large roaring blaze, and in the next breath suck it back into his body. Of course, the larger the fire the more energy he needed to burn afterwards.

As a child, he’d hike for miles and freefall off a cliff into the freezing streams surrounding the Cascades. The adult Keanu found other more pleasurable ways to expel the effects, usually between the thighs of a woman.

“You need some help there, Kea?”

Keanu shook off his thoughts of the past. “Could you grab the salad and dressing out of the fridge?”

“No problem.”

Within moments, Keanu had the steaks and potatoes on the table. It always amazed him the way the six foot four blond giant waited until everything was set before digging into his food. He’d slice his steak with exact precision into small cube-like bites, and then stab them with his fork, before chewing each piece several times.

Hal always consumed the meat first, then the carbs, followed by whatever was left, claiming he liked to eat the good stuff first. It amused Keanu to watch him. Being a man who loved his sweets, Keanu would skip the meal and eat dessert first when he could.

“Why are you staring at me like I’m some kind of lab experiment?” Hal asked.

Keanu shook his head, raised his fork and pointed it at his friend. “You are the weirdest eater.”

Hal raised his bottle. “I get no complaints from the ladies.”

“Thanks for the visual, dude.”

Ankles crossed, hands resting over his full belly, Keanu leaned his head on the back of his chair and stared at the darkening sky.

Hal kicked Keanu’s feet on the ottoman. With a grunt, Keanu made room for the other man to stretch out his long legs, too.

“Have you ever had the feeling your world was about to get rocked?” Keanu asked without looking at Hal.

“Yep! Every time I take a lady to bed.” Hal wagged his eyebrows.

“Shut up, dick,” he laughed. “I don’t mean like that. Besides, I don’t get my world rocked when I fuck a woman, I rock her world.” Keanu smirked.

“Man, you’re so full of it. I heard Cathy calling you all kinds of names and none of them good.” Hal punched Keanu’s arm.

“Damn, she’s one crazy-ass bitch. Seriously though, have you ever gotten a feeling nothing is gonna be the same again?” Keanu brought the conversation back around, avoiding the unwanted reminder of his ex.

Hal bumped his size fourteen feet against Keanu’s before answering. He felt like a pussy for voicing his fears.

“I don’t discount any mysterious crap. For real, my grandmother used to talk about the berserkers in my family, and how they came back every hundred years or some shit. I’m the first blond giant in over ten decades.” He gave Keanu a pointed look. “My Nana’s words, not mine. Sometimes, when I’m in the middle of a fire, I feel like another person is in my body. Ya know what I mean?” Color spread across Hal’s face.

Keanu knew exactly what he meant. Every member of their Smokejumper group had special abilities. Hal was clearly a human wrecking ball. He just hadn’t realized Hal wasn’t always in control, or didn’t feel like it at least. “I think we all feel like that to an extent. Have you talked to the captain about it?”

Hal pinned him with a look brooking no argument. “Nothing to talk about.”

They fell silent. Keanu let the quiet of the night soothe his soul. One of the reasons he and Hal were such good friends was because neither man pried into the other’s business.

“I’d better get going. You want me to help clean up?” Hal nodded at the dishes on the table.

“Nah, I got it.”

“Hey, I owe you for cooking, but I haven’t mastered the art of making anything other than Ramen noodles yet.”

Keanu blinked his eyes. “Because you have the poor little boy look down to an art. You bat those baby blues and all the ladies line up to cook for you.”

“Well, you just smile that bright cheesy-ass grin and the ladies are lining up to take their panties off for you. I think that trumps my free meals.”

Both men laughed at the familiar argument, since neither man lacked for food or companionship.

They were opposite in looks. Keanu had dark hair hanging past his shoulders, dark brown eyes, and topped out at six foot. Hal was built more like a swimmer, and had at least three inches on him. Keanu had the physique of a body builder and spent his off-time working out or participating in extreme sports.

Brax, the co-leader of his team of Smokejumpers, recruited Keanu at twenty-two when he’d made national headlines. Now at thirty-three, he was ready to head home and settle down. Being seven years older than Hal, he considered him like a little brother. As the unofficial leader of the team it was his job to watch over the guys, but he’d taken Hal under his wing. Knowing he’d possibly done his last jump, and he and Hal would no longer be working together, Keanu already missed his friend.

He walked Hal to the door and watched as the big man took the stairs two at a time, before jumping into his oversized four-wheel-drive pickup. Hal waved one big hand out the window before executing a U-turn to leave. Keanu waited until the taillights disappeared down the long drive before going inside. After cleaning up the mess, he shed his clothes and stood under the rainforest-like shower he’d installed on his deck. Sighing, he closed his eyes.

* * * *

Cammie Masters loved the little town of McKinley Landing, and the way it was tucked into the side of the surrounding mountains. But, and this was a big but, she hated the way it had grown. The town used to be only thirty-eight hundred people. Since the pork plant had moved in, the population had almost doubled, and so had the crime.

Many of the residents of McKinley Landing were a mix of races, but she connected best with her mother’s Native American relatives. Her red hair was the only thing that was different. When she was a child, she’d played with the other kids and wished she’d had their black hair.

The summer Cammie had turned twelve, she'd fallen in love for the first time. She’d climbed one of the big pines bordering the Cascade forests and her shoe got stuck several feet up, between two branches. She thought back to the afternoon that changed her whole life with fondness.

“I’m a big girl. I am not gonna cry.” Cammie shivered, looking down at the ground from the tree she was stuck in. “Dang you, Mazey Otto,” Cammie whimpered.

Mazey called her a fire demon because of her red hair. When she told her it didn’t mean she was evil the other girl called her a liar. She hadn’t intended to hurt the brat, she’d only wanted her to shut up. It wasn’t her fault. Mazey was clumsy and fell down the stairs. Now everyone was calling her names, so she ran away.

Swiping at the tears dripping down her cheeks, she didn’t want to admit she was crying. Cammie tried to wiggle her foot free, but only made it worse. The sound of something crashing through the trees caused her to nearly jump out of her skin. From her viewpoint, something really big was running straight for the tree—for her.

Cammie held her breath, closed her eyes, and prayed whatever it was wouldn’t see her and decide she’d make a tasty snack. Her mama always said there were things in the forests that would kill and not to go into them. But Cammie loved the big pines, and the noises the animals made were her favorite sounds. Now, the wilderness seemed to stop and wait, like it knew a greater predator was in its midst.

The beat of her heart filled her ears. Cammie opened her eyes. Surely if the beast was hungry it would be growling or shaking the tree, right? Looking at the last place she’d seen the thing, she relaxed, or tried as much as she could with her arms wrapped around the trunk.

“Are you ready to get down?”

Cammie jumped. “Oh my God. Please don’t eat me. I’ll taste really, really bad. I promise.”

A deep laugh had her looking at the speaker. He had to be the most beautiful person in the entire world. Long black hair and two dimples in his cheeks, if he was gonna eat her, he wouldn’t smile at her, Cammie thought.

“I’m not that hungry.” The gorgeous man snapped his teeth together. “Yet.”

She shivered, and the tears she tried hard to hold back, dripped down her cheeks.

“I was only joking, don’t cry. I’m going to climb up and see what’s going on, okay?”

He didn’t give her a chance to answer before he scaled the big tree like a monkey. She was a good twenty feet in the air. What had taken her at least fifteen minutes to climb, he did in less than five.

“Wow, you’re a really good climber.”

“Why thank you, my tiny damsel in distress. I’m Keanu Raine. What’s your name?”

Cammie’s brow furrowed. “Um…I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.”

He held out his hand. “Well, since you’re kinda stuck in this tree and it’s getting dark, let’s become friends.”

Cammie gazed at the man she decided she would marry someday. He told her about himself, patiently telling her he was a local firefighter, and about his grandfather, the shaman of their tribe. Her mother was so gonna love him. Cammie adored the name Keanu, figuring it would go down in her diary as her new favorite.

“I’m going to be grounded for life if my mama finds out I was here,” Cammie groaned.

“Let’s worry about getting you down and then I’ll take you home. I’m sure she’s already worried about you.”

She nearly fell out of the tree when Keanu pulled out a little knife. “Please don’t hurt me.”

“What? This?” Keanu held it up. “I’m going to trim some of the bark off between these branches, so we can get your shoe loose.”

Watching closely, Cammie held completely still until the pressure eased on her foot. She jerked her leg, nearly kneeing her knight in the jaw.

“Thank you, thank you, Keanu.” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

“All right, now we need to get down. I want you to climb on my back and hold on. Can you do that?”

“I can get down by myself. I got up here, didn’t I?”

“Yes, little lady, you did, but you also got yourself stuck. Besides, it’s my job to rescue people, so you’d be letting me do my job.”

He made it sound like she was helping him. With a huff, Cammie wrapped her arms around Keanu’s neck and held on for dear life.

He descended the tree like he’d been doing it all his life. She didn’t want to let go when they reached the bottom and he obviously thought she couldn’t walk. All the way back to town, he told her about his new job. When he told her he was leaving to become a part of a group called Smokejumpers, she wanted to weep.

Cammie decided she was going to be just like him when she grew up.

“Hey, Red, how ’bout you and me going out tonight?” Ted Grossman asked.

The question jarred her out of her memories. She used to consider Ted to be one of her best friends. Any time Cammie was in a jam, Ted was there to help pull her out. When her high school boyfriend had been cheating on her, it had been Ted whose shoulder she’d cried on. Luckily for her, Ted was also the one who had broken the news to Cammie. Otherwise she may have made the biggest mistake of her life, since it was prom night and all.

Now, the thought of Ted and his new friends made her skin crawl. There was something about the three men he’d been hanging out with that didn’t sit well with her.

“Um, not tonight, Ted.” She smiled to lessen the blow.

Cammie tried to walk around the pack of idiots standing outside the bar. One of them grabbed her arm, making her flinch at the rough treatment. The hand wrapped around her bicep held her in place. She looked at the man, at his hand where it rested on her arm, and back to him. She raised her eyebrows. Ted gave her a beseeching look.

“Listen, you little bitch. You think you’re better than us? Well, I have news for you.”

She recognized Bob Thompson and his sneering voice immediately. “Guys, I’m tired. I really just wanna go home and get some rest. Why don’t you go back into Sully’s and have another beer?” Cammie looked at Ted, a guy she used to consider a friend.

“Aw, come on, Cam. You can have just one drink. You know you’re the hottest piece of meat in town,” Ted said with a drunken leer.

Cammie shuddered. “Did you just call me a cow? No, don’t answer that.” She held up her free hand. “Seriously, I really appreciate your flattery, but I’m going home.” Cammie looked pointedly at the hand still holding her arm.

“Let’s go, Bob. I’ll buy you a drink,” Ted offered.

“You are a fucking pussy, Ted,” Bob snarled.

Cammie had enough. Using Ted’s distraction, she shoved her palm into Bob’s chest, pushing him away, and twisted out of his grasp. He lunged, but luckily for her his friends dragged him back into the bar. His curses still rang in her ears. Tossing her ponytail over her shoulder, she shook her head and quickened her pace.

Walking to the firehouse yesterday had seemed like such a good freaking idea. Why hadn’t she considered the danger of leaving at midnight the following night? She decided to claim temporary insanity. With the string of fires, and one of her teammates injured, it worked for her.

She picked up her pace, pushed her bag over her hip, and tapped her pocket to make sure her phone was still there. She’d be totally lost without her iPhone. The hair on the nape of her neck prickled. Cammie glanced over her shoulder and saw a Jeep sitting idle at the stoplight. The late hour and the dark tinted windows didn’t allow her to see the driver, and a shiver wracked her frame.

With some kind of pyromaniac running around, the last thing she needed was a stalker for crying out loud. The engine roared and she watched from the corner of her eye as the Jeep turned at the light. “Thank you, Lord Jesus,” Cammie murmured.

* * * *

Ted wanted to hit Bob for the way he treated his Cammie; he also wanted to call back his own words. When he saw the woman of his dreams walking alone, he thought he’d invite her in for a drink, but it seemed he had no control over his mouth. He had no clue Bob and the other guys would follow him. Her rejection nearly gutted him, but he still didn’t want her hurt, and she’d be a lot more than hurt if Bob got ahold of her. Ted had seen firsthand what the man could and would do to those who didn’t do as he wanted.

The images sent ice through his veins. “You owe me more than a drink, Teddy.” Bob’s voice slurred.

The overwhelming urge to smash the empty bottle over Bob’s head heated his once chilled body. The knowing glint in the other man’s eyes made Ted knock his knuckles on the table instead. He signaled for the waitress to bring them another round. At the rate they were going, Ted was going to owe more than he made in a week. The alternative was something he didn’t want to consider.

Since Bob and his friends had come to town, Ted didn’t know what was what. One night he’d had too much to drink and the next he owed his soul to the devil, or in this case, Bob.

Memories of that night were sketchy, but Bob and the other guys were only too happy to fill him in, with video proof. Ted shook his head. He thought of the saying there’s no use crying over spilled milk, and wanted to yell at the absurdity. If only it was milk he’d spilled. His stomach churned.

The waitress brought over the tray of tequila shots and beer bottles. Ted didn’t wait for her to place them on the table, and grabbed a shot glass off the tray. He needed more liquid courage, and the sooner he finished the drinks, the quicker she would bring more.

Ted tossed his head back, letting the liquid burn his throat before a pleasant numbness stole over him. If he could always feel this way, maybe he’d stay drunk for the rest of his life, which might not be much longer if Bob had any say in the matter. He raised his hand again, happy to see the bartender already refilling their order.

So what do you think? It was enough to spark my interest. But I really want to know what you guys thought. Is this book something you would read? What did you like best about the featured book? Have you read Ms. Boon’s books before? I welcome all comments. Your feedback is always wanted.  I hope you all enjoyed your time here today and I thank you for choosing to spend part of your day with us. 

As always, buy links are included in the post. If you are so inclined, purchase the book for yourself. There is no better way to support an author. I would like to thank each and every one of you for joining us today. I would also like to thank the wonderful SmutBookJunkies, the company that scheduled this post.  I hope you all had a blast getting to know a bit about Ms. Boon and her book, Fire Starter. Wishing you all a fabulous day. Until next time …

HAPPY READING!!!