Hot Air

By: Denise Kahn

Narrated by: Denise Kahn

Terror at the International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta.

Hot Air, a thriller filled with passion, romance, survival and courage. Sean Sandoval, half Navajo, half Irish, has bravery in his blood and passion in his heart. From boyhood to one of the Air Force's elite pararescuemen, his path in life is always connected to air.

As a hot air balloon pilot Sean communes with that air. As a pararescuer, he flies into danger to saves lives.

An enemy combatant from the mountains of Afghanistan, presumed killed, arrives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is bent on such revenge that he puts thousands of people at the annual International Balloon Fiesta in lethal danger.

Will Sean be able to stop the extremist in time, or will the murderer accomplish his mission first?

©2015 Denise Kahn (P)2017 Denise Kahn

My Thoughts on Hot Air

This was an interesting story that had a lot of parts to the whole picture. Some of the things I liked was the very diverse voices in the narration, the strong sense of family and roots and how everything grew and developed for Sean and his passion for the air.

The story seemed to have a feeling of jumping around a bit for the first half. It started with a scene from what seemed like the present, then went into the past with a young Sean, then moved forward aging Sean a little, then jumped back to his parents past and then forward to where we last left Sean, and then moved forward from there. It just threw me off a bit, because I felt the blurb gave me one idea of what the story was, but it ended up unfolding in a very different way.

All in all it was a good story. It had strong elements of family and friendship. It had loyalty and love. It had action and a thriller feeling in some parts. Definitely an interesting story.

Very enjoyable and interesting!

Audio-book: Narrator – Denise Kahn

Very clear and precise with the ability to switch from male to female characters, each one unique. Some of the foreign accents were a bit harder to understand but when I slowed the speed down it helped me to understand what was being said. This also has a bit of music between chapters that was very nice and something I’ve noticed in other audios written and narrated by Ms. Kahn. A very enjoyable listen.


Sean has had the longing to be in the air and all things related to it, in his blood since he was a child. As an adult he becomes a Para rescuer and is sent to serve in Afghanistan. During his time there friendships grow but enemies are born.

This is a relatively quick read that encompasses a lot of history of Albuquerque as well as hot air ballooning which I surprisingly found pretty interesting. Within the story are other stories that give the background of different characters. I especially enjoyed the history of Sean’s mother and wouldn’t have minded a full story based on her and her experiences alone.

This has a touch of romance as well as thrills and drama throughout, culminating in a huge showdown during a balloon festival. The little twist at the end was quite unexpected and I loved how it brought the story all the way around full circle. Overall, this was very enjoyable and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has a special interest in New Mexico, the Navajo Indians, or ballooning.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Well worth reading!

The events and terrors of war never really leave a veteran, even when delightedly soaring in a hot air balloon. This book travels between Sean's childhood memories, time in Afghanistan, and the present. Each of the characters is memorable and engaging, and give the story the color and depth that only an author who is invested in writing rather than than churning out just something that will sell takes the time to develop. I'm really not into summarizing the fiction books I enjoy, but the publisher's blurb gives clues, and there is no need for spoilers.
I feel that the book is enhanced by the author being the narrator and found any minor irritations negligible.

Great Narration from the author!

I really am picky with my audible stories and what I choose to listen to because I cannot follow a narrator that I do not enjoy. This book was narrated by the author herself which I found to be quite the selling point when deciding whether or not I wanted to listen to this. I think the fact that Denise Kahn narrated the story herself really brought it to life, I love hearing stories from the storyteller.

The title is great and there is terror, passion, action, and everything in between. Sean sounds like quite the character being half Navajo and half Irish. His career is thrilling and dangerous. This story is perfect for those who enjoy a military romance with danger and excitement.

Good story and writing

Denise Kahn writes a wonderful and interesting story. I enjoy her story telling, and I like her writing. The main reason my rating is only 3 stars is because the story is a little too slow for me, and I wasn't that into the premise. Kahn does write a rich story, so I'm sure many will enjoy this book, but it's just not my cup of tea. Also, the synopsis for this story doesn't happen for a long time into the story, and I also hated that the lead character, Sean, was totally fine with his military buddy being a cheater on his fiancée. After that was mentioned, I just couldn't stop thinking about it, and it made me dislike the story a bit more. The fact that he's a cheater didn't add anything to the story, so I felt it was really unnecessary. I liked the Navajo aspects of this story, and I did like the hot air balloon stuff. I listen to the audio version, and Denise Kahn narrates this herself, and this is one of her better narration that I've listened to. Her narration still isn't among my favorites, but I see an improvement over the first book I listened to that she narrated. Good writing, Good story, just not right for me, but I think many will enjoy this story.