RELEASE DAY REVIEW: 'Smoldering Flame' by Andrew Grey
Title: Smoldering Flame
Series: Rekindled Flame #3
Author: Andrew Grey
Published: February 13, 2018
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: L.C. Chase
Genre: Contemporary Romance; Erotic Romance
Length: 200 Pages
Tags: Gay; M/M; Children; Fireman; Family Drama; HEA; Standalone
About Smoldering Flame
Sometimes the strongest flames take the longest to ignite.
Firefighter Dean’s life revolves around his very ill son, Sammy. Caring for Sammy and working to make ends meet leave Dean time for little else, and romance isn’t something he can even consider—no matter how much he longs for someone special to join their family. Because money is tight, Dean couldn’t be more grateful to the photographer who does Sammy’s session free of charge.
After growing up in the foster care system, Marco knows how to rely on himself, and his hard work is about to pay off—he’s poised on the cusp of fame and success he could only have imagined as a lonely child. When Dean brings Sammy into Marco’s studio, Marco can see they’re struggling, and both the boy and his father stir Marco’s heart. The slow burn between the two men isn’t something either expected, but neither wants to lose the possibility of a loving future. With Dean’s dangerous and possibly life-threatening career and Marco’s demanding one, can romance and forever find a place to fit?
4 HEART READ
REVIEW:
If you’ve filled your quota of jaded relationships, Andrew Grey’s Smoldering Flame, in fact, his whole Rekindled Flame series, (all standalones) is written for you.
Grey makes romance – well… romantic!
Raised in the foster system, Marco is a loner. He may be a highly successful photographer who shoots gorgeous models in underwear but he’s more comfortable with the camera lens as a barrier against connection and (as he fears) its ensuing abandonment.
Meanwhile, Dean, a firefighter, is too involved in his son Sammy’s cancer treatments, to find energy for anyone else. If only Sammy didn’t have other ideas.
Can two grown men use a boy’s innocence to rekindle their trust in love?
Grey chooses not to make readers wait for the couple to get together. Dean and Marco announce their attraction and affection up front, leaving Grey free to focus on more mature questions. What puts a relationship in jeopardy, and what surmounts those difficulties? Marco and Dean depict the fearful freefall into trust, in all it’s terrible glory.
I love stories that push past ardor to discuss the romance of responsibility and emotional interdependence between partners.
If Marco and Dean realize their relationship potential almost too quickly, it is so Grey can contrast desire with fate’s meandering path. Each time the couple makes a tentative step forward, life intercedes. And denial tests the men’s emotions, proving their depth.
Grey’s deceptively simple words present complicated emotions. For example, "’Fear...comes from trying not to get hurt again.... The thing is, that fear ensures that you will get hurt again. It keeps you from living and being happy,'” Marco tells Dean's dad.
In contract, Grey creates a verbal feast of mundane concepts. While some authors note the passage of time with a phrase like, “Eight months later,” here’s Grey’s rendition, “Eight months had turned fall into winter and winter into spring.”
For a beautifully realistic depiction of romance, made mystical in the eye of a gifted author, give Smoldering Flame a go.
A copy of Smoldering Flame was provided to Kimmers’ Erotic Book Banter, by RBTL Book Promotions, at no cost and with no expectations in return. We offer our fair and honest opinion on behalf of our readers.
Meet the Author
Andrew grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then he has lived throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and works in information systems for a large corporation.
Andrew’s hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing) He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
For more from Andrew be sure and visit his website!
