Book Review: Fire in You (Wait for You #6)

About the Book:
Title: Fire in You (Wait for You #6)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Pub. Date: Nov. 28, 2016
Publisher: Jennifer Armentrout
Pages: 390
Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis:

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 past 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.

Review:

“I loved you when I was eight. I loved you when I was twelve. I loved you when I was twenty, and I... I love you now.” 

We've come to the end of another JLA novel, and it never seems to get easier. This book is bittersweet in many ways, and Jen delivers yet another beautifully heart-touching story. It was very difficult to say goodbye to these characters and the Wait for You world, but Jen did a fantastic job at wrapping up all of the past couples' stories. While the previous characters don't play huge roles in this one, all of them are mentioned or are featured in several scenes throughout the book. We even get to see Katie have a nice HAE. 

“Scars, whether physical or emotional, could be not just a representation of survival but also a story of hope.” 

We first met Brock and Jillian in Forever with You, with Brock being one of the best MMA fighters in the industry and Jillian, the young, naive girl with an unrequited crush on Brock who only sees her as his "Jillybean." Fast forward to six years in the future and both these characters have changed drastically. It was great to see how their story played out, and find out more about their past with each other. It was obvious from the very start of this novel that they both played crucial parts in the other's life while growing up, and it was great to be able to delve deeper into that as the story progressed. After experiencing something tragic, Jill is changed forever. For the past 6 years she's been afraid to live, and honestly this was incredibly heart-breaking to read. What exactly happened is only revealed in small snippets throughout the book, and it was refreshing for an event to be revealed this way. Jen did an excellent job with the reveal. 

“I love you because you have this fire in you that you don't even recognize, but I do. You're strong and you're a survivor.” 

The one thing I loved about Jill is that she is incredibly relatable, and it made me love her character instantly. Her inner monologue is hilarious and had me laughing out loud multiple times while reading. When she finally comes to the realization that she needs to break out the box that she put herself in, the transformation she undergoes is remarkable to watch. Jill is an incredibly strong woman and certainly doesn't give herself enough credit. But with Brock and her other friends by her side, she overcame her fears and became the person she was meant to be. Brock on the other hand was the epitome of mystery. Unlike in other books in this series, we knew very very little about our male lead going into the story. All we really knew was that he was a famous MMA fighter that Cam idolized. To me, this was a fun way to go into the story because I knew we were in for a treat with him. I loved Brock's background story, and I loved being able to go deeper into who he is as a person...what makes him tick, what happened to fracture the original friendship that formed between him and Jill, and what Jill means to him now. 

“Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your heart or burn down your house, you can never tell.” 

There are many sweet and steamy moments between Jill and Brock, and their chemistry is undeniable! Seriously, every scene is just sizzling!! The tension between them is palpable and this resulted in me yelling at them to "JUST KISS/DO IT ALREADY" multiple times (I have no shame). Honestly, I just loved them as a couple because they had that strong friendship first and it just builds into an even stronger relationship in the future. It's so obvious how much Brock cares for Jill, and there was one scene in particular where it's clear that he never forgot about Jill and what she meant to him during those 6 years they didn't talk. 

“They all had their own struggles and stories to tell and they all made it to this point, happy and in love.” 

Lastly, I loved how Jen incorporated all of the other couples into the story. It was nice to see how everyone is doing after all these years, and how they've grown together as a couple. Also, if you got the bonus scene, you get to see even more in the future (basically fast forwarding to the reason why the characters were in this book) with every couple (including Jill and Brock) making an appearance. I can't think of a better way to end this series than by bringing back all of these characters that have grown so close to our hearts and having their dreams recognized. 

This book can certainly be read as a standalone, just as all the other novels in the series can, however you'll love this series so much more if you read them from start to finish. Honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better way to end this series, and Jen takes your breath away right from the first page. Definitely pick this one up as soon as you can! You won't be disappointed!!

Happy reading :)

~Cassie