Title: Fire and Water
Author: Andrew Grey
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: Novel (200 pages)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (December 15th 2014)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts
Blurb: Officer Red Markham knows about the ugly side of life after a car accident left him scarred and his parents dead. His job policing the streets of Carlisle, PA, only adds to the ugliness, and lately, drug overdoses have been on the rise. One afternoon, Red is dispatched to the local Y for a drowning accident involving a child. Arriving on site, he finds the boy rescued by lifeguard Terry Baumgartner. Of course, Red isn’t surprised when gorgeous Terry won’t give him and his ugly mug the time of day.
Overhearing one of the officer’s comment about him being shallow opens Terry’s eyes. Maybe he isn’t as kindhearted as he always thought. His friend Julie suggests he help those less fortunate by delivering food to the elderly. On his route, he meets outspoken Margie, a woman who says what’s on her mind. Turns out, she’s Officer Red’s aunt.
Red and Terry’s worlds collide as Red tries to track the source of the drugs and protect Terry from an ex-boyfriend who won’t take no for an answer. Together they might discover a chance for more than they expected—if they can see beyond what’s on the surface.
Product Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5803
Reviewer: Tams
Review: Red Markham lost his parents in a car accident that left him permanently scarred and slightly introverted. The gentle giant has convinced himself that he doesn’t deserve to be loved because of the marks he carries on the outside. But he is about to learn that it’s the quality of his soul that matters.
Terry Baumgartner is out, proud and loud, almost polar opposite to Red in every way. When he first meets the big, brooding cop, Terry is still feeling jaded from a recent break up and says some hurtful things. When Red comes to Terry’s aid after his psychotic ex makes an unexpected appearance, Terry is taken aback, especially after his initial harsh wording aimed at the scary officer.
Thrown together by circumstance and a mutual acquaintance, it takes Terry about five minutes to see Red’s true character and soon their relationship becomes a physical one. Now they just have to work on the friendship and building a stable foundation amidst their own personal demons. Red’s scars aren’t just skin deep, the pain, and grief of the accident and the marks it left on him run deep, and it will take a lot of love and encouragement to make him see that he is worth it. There is a thin line between conceited and convinced and when the two blur, a person can forget who they are, this is the internal war that Terry is struggling with. That, and his shady ex boyfriend that refuses to accept Terry doesn’t want to be with him anymore.
This book had just the right mix of action, suspense, and sexual prowess. The attraction between Red and Terry is almost instantaneous and primal, balanced with a severe lack of communication when there wasn’t sweat and sheets involved. The character development was amazing and I loved how both men were not what they seemed at the start, the issues they had both as a couple and as individuals that played out over the course of the story are what defined them as people. I thought Grey was very descriptive as well, when it came to each mans personalities, traits and faults, and how they each brought out the best in each other.
Definitely a sexy, steamy read and definitely a must read. If you are a fan of hard fought happy ever afters, love stories with a struggle and a primal attraction between two men that results in some sexual encounters that are so hot, you’ll be wiping the fog off your kindle for days, then this is a must read!
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *