Firecracker

Smoke Series, Book 5

By: Abbi Glines

Narrated by: MK Blackwood, Lucas Allen

Being the second son of a mafia boss has its perks. The money and power without the pressure of running the damn thing one day. Trev Hughes was everyone’s favorite playboy. He possessed the Hughes sex appeal without the intimidating presence.

The last time a gorgeous blonde walked into his life he never stood a chance. She had belonged to his older brother from the very beginning. However, when he uses one of his best pickup lines on a girl he notices across the room at a gala, tricks her into a kiss, and loses her before midnight he’s determined to find his Cinderella.

Trev Hughes was nothing like Gypsi had expected. He was funny and down to earth. She enjoyed his attention and the taste of his kiss still lingered on her lips. Disappearing into the night had been the only way to keep herself from making a mistake. Trev was destined to only be her friend. She just hoped she could learn to control the way he made her stomach flutter and heart race.

Trev soon finds out that he hadn’t lost his Cinderella. In fact, she would soon be living right down the hall… since Gypsi was about to become his stepsister.

©2023 Abbi Glines Publishing LLC (P)2024 Abbi Glines Publishing LLC

Bust out your fans!

This series has taken me by surprise and Trev and Gypsi's story continues to prove why. While Trev is very anti-relationship, it's clear he has a strong connection to his (maybe) future step sister right from the start. Gypsi is so easy to love because she is so unselfish, even when it puts herself in danger. She has some major ex-drama and tries so hard to keep it from those around her while trying to deny this attraction she has to Trev. I really enjoyed the tension and the underlying secrets. Watching Trev's walls crumble was not always pleasant but made for some decent drama during the story. Expect some heat!! Gypsi is definitely the star of the show when it comes down to the physical aspects of this one!!

The audio performance was great. Both voice actors captured the emotions of their perspective characters well. They also were great at differentiating between side characters enough to avoid any confusion while listening. I can't wait for Saxon to get his story!!

Loved this book

OVERALL: 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5/5
•Storyline: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
▪︎Spice Level:  🌶🌶🌶/ 5
•Narration:🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧/5- Duet Style
•Swoon level: 🫠🫠🫠🫠/5
•Bookshelf Worthy: 📚📚📚/5
•Platform: E-book and Audio
•Recommend: Yes!!!
▪︎Re-read/re-listen: Yes.
•Trope: Mafia Romance, Touch her and 💀 vibes, girl with a stalker.

• Thoughts:
I was going into this book excited. I was absolutely blown away. It was better then what I was expecting. It was a quicker listen for me. And I gobbled it up! I loved Trev and Gypsy. He wanted to stay away from her but was soo drawn to her. Gypsy is a character that is written in a way that you just love her. I adored her personality, her tenacity, her grit. She is a very well written character. I am not gonna lie I thought Trevor was kind of a tool. Lol but you cannot help but like him and as the story progresses, he is perfect for her. I really need to go back and read the first three books. If they are anything like this one. I will be head over heals for all these men!!

•Narrator Thoughts:
MK Blackwood is a newer to me, narrator, and I loved her. I think she did a great job in bringing the characters life and heart! Lucas Allen was a new to me narrator and I really liked him!! The audio was epic!!

I'm obsessed with Trevor!!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶
Heat/Angst: 🔥🔥🔥
Narrating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧

I have been hooked on this series since I first read Smokeshow. Hot cowboys that are actually the southern mafia? Yes, please! Abbi Glines is one of my favorite authors and she can write some spicy romances. This is Trevor and Gypsy's story and one of my favorites.

Tropes:
- Southern Mafia Romance
- Cowboy
- Step Brother (soon to be)
- Forbidden Love
- Friends with Benefits
- Billionaire
- Obsessed/Possessive/Jealous
- Reformed Playboy

Gypsy's mom is dating Garrett Hughes, the boss of the southern mafia. Although, they don't know who Garrett is, just that he is rich from the horses he owns and races.

Trevor is the youngest Hughes son, and has recently started doing more in the mafia. He's always been a playboy and is known for his wild topless pool parties. Meeting Gypsy one day at a race, Trevor knew he had to get to know her.

After figuring out their parents were dating, they naked off from each other. Trevor all but shoved her towards Saxon, but in the end they couldn't stay away from each other. They were too attracted to each other and ended up buccaneers

Absolutely brilliant

I received this as an alc from Wordsmith Publicity and I’m voluntarily leaving my honest review.

This was an absolutely brilliant twist on a step sibling romance. It was a really well written story and like the rest of the series it has a dark edge to it. It was finally Trev’s turn to take the lead and he was even better than I expected and I’ve been looking forward to reading his story since I read Smokeshow. I love the instant chemistry between him and Gypsy. And Gypsy really was a firecracker.

Audiobook review: The book was narrated duet style and that is just not my favorite narration style but both narrators did an excellent job and were very uniform in pace so all in all I really enjoyed it.

Loved the narration

The narration in this book was amazing! MK Blackwood and Lucas Allen were perfect for Gypsy and Trev!

Thoroughly Enjoyable

I have been slowly going through this series and waiting for them to come to audio. But I have been hooked on this series since the first book. I hate that it took me so long to finally read / listen to Abbi's books.

Since the first book, Trevor has been in the background, and I was curious about how his story would be told. I was surprised by the way it all happened and loved how the story ended.
Trevor seems like the typical womanizer, and he shows that on more than one occasion in this book. But you either hate him or love him!
Gypsi can live up to her name and be happy about it. And I love her for her strength in some hard times and the way she finds herself in the chaos of the Hughes family. But at the same time, she has her own secrets.

I had the pleasure of listening to this audio, and I really liked it. I don't know that I have heard Lucas Allen before, and at first, I wasn't sure if I liked him as Trevor. But shortly after the audio started, he fit the idea I had in my head.
As for MK Blackwood, I know that I haven't listened to her before. She was the perfect Gypsi. I liked the emotions and the way she changed her voice for the times it was needed.

This is a book I will listen to again. I love that this series is coming to audio and I will slowly make my way through as they release!

I’d do anything for a Hughes 😉

Trev and Gypsi have chemistry from the second they meet. Too bad she knows their parents are dating and the boy she’s lusting after is off limits. They agree to get to know each other with the potential to be more. I liked that Trev & Gypsi’s story was different from the previous in the series. These two were a match made in dirty mouth heaven. The dual narration audiobook was perfection. Ms. Glines has a knack for picking the perfect narrators.

More Smoke Series Greatness! Fantastic Story & Narration🎧

Abbi Glines pens another amazing novel set in her “Smoke” series, and it is great to be back in this amazing world she created. This fifth book is Trev Hughes and Gypsi Parker’s story, and wow, what a story it is. The two meet the night before the Kentucky Derby races, and there is an instant connection between them, but she knows who he is, the son of the man her mother is dating, Garrett Hughes, and a reason they should not go there, and he finds out soon enough. But that does not stop Trev from wanting her, working out excuses in his head. I will admit, I was not a fan of Trev at first, but he won me over and redeems himself by the end. I adored Gypsi from the start, her wit and her heart of gold, worrying about others when her past comes back to haunt her. I actually thought Saxon was better for her, but the heart wants what the heart wants. This book captivated my attention the entire time, and I loved all the layers of the story and how it all played out with plenty of drama, some angst, twists and turns, heartfelt emotions, and steamy romance. As always, the writing, plot and world building are fantastic, as are the character growth and development. Abbi Glines, thank you for another amazing story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧  Abbi Glines chose the perfect cast to bring her characters and story to life. MK Blackwood and Lucas Allen did an amazing job portraying the characters, and I loved how they took each role and made it their own, sounding believable and just as I imagined the characters to sound. MK Blackwood truly shined as Gypsi, showcasing her personality and demeanor perfectly, her strength, determination and her caring side. Lucas Allen was just as fabulous as Trev, grasping all aspects of his personality and demeanor too, starting as a carefree player and morphing in to more by the end. Both were fabulous performing the roles of the secondary and support characters, too. They set the perfect tone for the story, captured all the characters’s emotions, as well as their passion, and had you feeling it all. They are entertaining storytellers and their performance elevates this already fantastic story to another level. Thank you for this wonderful listen.

Abbi Glines men can get it!

Narrated by MK Blackwood & Lucas Allen

Something about these men written by Abbi Glines… I just love them! I’ve read 2 books in this series now and I can say I’m really enjoying the storylines. I haven’t read them all prior to this one but I still really enjoyed the characters and plot.

Gypsi and Trev were so good together. I just loved Trev’s obsession with her from the get go! Their soon to be step siblings thing made it all so much hotter. 🔥🔥

The narrators for this book were new to me and they did soo good. Their performance made the story that much better! It’s done in duet style. I definitely recommend the audio!

Very Spicy Forbidden Romance

Firecracker is the fifth book in the Smoke series by Abbi Glines. This book is about Gypsi, whose mother was dating Garrett Hughes, the Southern Boy Mafia Boss. When she met the handsome young man who made her stomach flutter at the Kentucky Derby Gala, she was disappointed to discover that he was Trev Hughes, younger son of the man her mother was dating, and she disappeared when his attention was elsewhere. See book blurb above for more information about the book. I really enjoyed this dark, forbidden relationship, mafia romance. The narrators, MK Blackwood and Lucas Allen, did an excellent job with this dual POV audiobook. There is definitely a trend of the possessive, dominant, alpha-male MMC in this sub genre, but it was refreshing that this story did not echo the stalker vibes of a number of the author’s mafia romances which I have reviewed recently. The series would lose its appeal if all the MMC demonstrated identical personality quirks. This book included an additional romantic suspense element in an external threat to Gypsi’s safety, who had some interesting personality quirks of her own. The characters had incredible chemistry and the novel’s spice was at defcon 1 level. Gypsi and Trev were a particularly good match, and I really enjoyed the way they connected with each other. If you are a fan of mafia romances with forbidden relationships, then I recommend that you give this audiobook a try.