Title: Fire Up My Heart
Author: Asta Idonea
Genre: Science Fiction
Length: Short Story (67pgs)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (May 25th 2016)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts
Blurb: London bartender Fane thinks he’s hit the jackpot when he finds a rare and expensive service Bot discarded in a dumpster, and he takes it home to get it working again. The Jo-E brings some much-needed companionship to Fane’s lonely life, but there’s something different about this Bot, as indicated by its odd behavior. Fane’s developing feelings toward Jo-E trouble him, and things go from bad to worse when a robotics engineer arrives on Fane’s doorstep, demanding the return of his property. Fane is forced to choose between a hefty reward and following his heart. Giving in to his forbidden desires might get him killed—or change his life forever.
ISBN: 9781634773331
Product Link: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon US | Amazon UK
Reviewer: Aerin
Review: “You make me feel so many things, Fane. When I think of you, my cogs clench and my gears grind. Electricity sparks inside me, and power pools in my chest and groin, pulsing there, desperate for release. Do you not experience the same?”
Loved this! Funny and quirky and definitely original, this is a book that will stay with me for a long time. I’m not sure exactly what made such an impression, maybe it was a combination of clever and original characters, a well-executed and well-written plot, or maybe the fact that for a short story, this certainly packs a punch. I was definitely impressed!
It is now the year of 2045; humans live with the help of menagerie bots, who do the cleaning, cooking and all other household duties for them. Fane is a bartender in a gay bar but Fane is not one of those rich people who can afford their own bot. Imagine his surprise and delight when he finds an abandoned bot in a dumpster on his way home from work. Fane takes the bot home and fixes the shorted wire that cause the bot to malfunction. Jo-E comes to life and Fane’s life as he knew it is about to change forever.
Jo-E isn’t like all the other bots; his old owner ran a series of experiments on him to try to create the world’s first strong AI, experiments which resulted in a short-circuit. Jo-E finds himself able to experience things like a human’s does: he can feel, love, and appreciate beauty in a whole new way. Jo-E is also anatomically correct (read as hung as a horse) and Fane finds himself unable to resist the attraction and chemistry that sparks between them.
When Jo-E’s owner wants him back, Fane and Jo-E have to find a way to escape and be together, away from the danger they are currently in. This book delivered; it was funny, charming, fascinating, packed with action and charm.
I loved it and even though it was short, I didn’t feel like anything was missing, nor did I feel like it needed to be any longer! Fantastic short story!