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Fireside Romance #1
First Flames
A gentle, cosy, and touching romance set in mid 1980s Yorkshire.
Simon Peters knows he’s Mr Average. He works at the local library during the day and goes home to his modest and lonely house at night.
Mark Smith was kicked out of home by his drunken father for being gay. Buying a bus ticket he travels as far as his meagre savings allow. He’s taken in by Jake, but soon realises the man’s darker, criminal side. Trapped, Mark is forced to work the streets.
One evening, when the loneliness becomes overwhelming, Simon gathers up his courage and goes to the red light district of the town to buy a little human companionship.
As the weeks pass and the weather turns colder outside, both Simon and Mark find warmth and friendship indoors.
When an explosion kills Jake and injures Mark, Simon has to make a decision. Can he offer Mark shelter and nurse him back to health without revealing his true feelings for the man?
Simon Peters knows he’s Mr Average. He works at the local library during the day and goes home to his modest and lonely house at night.
Mark Smith was kicked out of home by his drunken father for being gay. Buying a bus ticket he travels as far as his meagre savings allow. He’s taken in by Jake, but soon realises the man’s darker, criminal side. Trapped, Mark is forced to work the streets.
One evening, when the loneliness becomes overwhelming, Simon gathers up his courage and goes to the red light district of the town to buy a little human companionship.
As the weeks pass and the weather turns colder outside, both Simon and Mark find warmth and friendship indoors.
When an explosion kills Jake and injures Mark, Simon has to make a decision. Can he offer Mark shelter and nurse him back to health without revealing his true feelings for the man?
130 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2011
1 person is currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Drew Hunt
64 books87 followersHaving read all the decent free fiction on the net Drew could find, he set out to try his hand at writing something himself. Fed up reading about characters who were super-wealthy, impossibly handsome, and incredibly well-endowed, Drew determined to make his characters real and believable.
Drew lives a quiet life in the north of England with his cat. Someday he hopes to meet the kind of man he writes about.
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/vie...
Drew lives a quiet life in the north of England with his cat. Someday he hopes to meet the kind of man he writes about.
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/vie...
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 23, 2017
I'm feeling awfully generous with those two stars - because the book barely deserves one and yet... It was smashingly naive, totally unrealistic, sugary sweet, dream/romantic. Okay, there were no unicorns and little ponies but there was a teddy bear. And a gentle, grateful rent boy who falls in love with the client who treats him nicely. And the client who just wants to cuddle and is happy to take care of the rentboy without expecting anything in exchange. Oh wait, that's actually was what I was looking for in this story. I mean that's what my favorite rentboy stories are about. So well, it was the borderline there. Too sweet and too unrealistic - but at the same time disarmingly sincere. And that little moment of joy I felt at the culmination of the story deserved an additional star.
But what really disappointed me about the book (disappointed even more, I mean) was how little flavor of time and place there was. Look, it's set in 1986 in England. It's practically a historical. But there is nothing that would clue you to the time or place. Could be modern days, any Western country.
Not going to read the rest of the series. In "About the author" it's said Drew Hunt read all the decent free fiction on the net and decided to write something himself. Well, his stories are definitely not free, and with the writing like this - waaaay overpriced, I'd say.
But what really disappointed me about the book (disappointed even more, I mean) was how little flavor of time and place there was. Look, it's set in 1986 in England. It's practically a historical. But there is nothing that would clue you to the time or place. Could be modern days, any Western country.
Not going to read the rest of the series. In "About the author" it's said Drew Hunt read all the decent free fiction on the net and decided to write something himself. Well, his stories are definitely not free, and with the writing like this - waaaay overpriced, I'd say.
December 15, 2011
This story delivers what the title says: it is about the ‘first flames of love’ between Simon, a librarian, and Mark, who has run away from home after his father got really upset when he found out Mark is gay. Their romance is slow to develop, both of them uncertain about themselves and their chances with the other man. It is a quiet story which grows emotionally more intense as Simon realizes he loves Mark. I liked that it is set in England and that two very normal men are the main characters.
Simon's self-esteem couldn’t be much lower and being who he is, a shy, retiring librarian, he doesn’t even know what to do for companionship. The few attempts he has made were unsuccessful, so he retreats back into his shell. His desperate attempt to find another man to ‘cuddle’ with (he doesn’t dare imagine anything more) leads him to a male prostitute. Luckily, the first contact is with Mark who is in trouble because he got taken advantage of by an unscrupulous pimp. Mark not having any real desire to keep selling his body opens up the possibility of something more for the two of them.
Mark remains a bit of a mystery since Simon tells the story in first person. What I did get to see showed a man who needs love and understanding as badly as Simon does. He also doesn’t think he deserves someone special and has no idea what to do to change his life. I only got to see him through Simon’s eyes, but what I did see, I liked.
If you want to read about normal men, with problems and issues that match, if you like a quietly developing love story that takes its time to go from the first sparks to the initial flame, and if you want a happy ending, you may like this story.
NOTE: This book was provided by JMS Books for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews
Simon's self-esteem couldn’t be much lower and being who he is, a shy, retiring librarian, he doesn’t even know what to do for companionship. The few attempts he has made were unsuccessful, so he retreats back into his shell. His desperate attempt to find another man to ‘cuddle’ with (he doesn’t dare imagine anything more) leads him to a male prostitute. Luckily, the first contact is with Mark who is in trouble because he got taken advantage of by an unscrupulous pimp. Mark not having any real desire to keep selling his body opens up the possibility of something more for the two of them.
Mark remains a bit of a mystery since Simon tells the story in first person. What I did get to see showed a man who needs love and understanding as badly as Simon does. He also doesn’t think he deserves someone special and has no idea what to do to change his life. I only got to see him through Simon’s eyes, but what I did see, I liked.
If you want to read about normal men, with problems and issues that match, if you like a quietly developing love story that takes its time to go from the first sparks to the initial flame, and if you want a happy ending, you may like this story.
NOTE: This book was provided by JMS Books for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews
February 18, 2017
Sweet story about a librarian who hires a prostitute to escape his loneliness and falls in love with him. This is an enjoyable read, however it is rather slow, uneventful and quite predictable.
Maybe not boring but certainly not captivating, this was an average read for me.
Maybe not boring but certainly not captivating, this was an average read for me.
July 15, 2016
I'll call this a cavity inducing 2.5. That was super sticky sweet. I'll admit that I was expecting some serious cheese going in, and it delivered in that regard, but there was plenty of feel good stuff to go along with it. There were plenty of "awww" moments, at at times it was kind of charming. We have Simon, an affection starved virgin, who falls in love with a rent boy. Mark has been living with his pimp, and his hands are badly burned in what I assume to be a meth lab explosion. Simon, being completely smitten, invites him to move in so he can be his caretaker, cuddle buddy, and hopefully boyfriend.
This is pretty much angst free. I actually liked the premise of the story, but these guys got a bit too Gary Sue for me. And while I don't require sex to enjoy a romance novel, I felt like this one needed it (I assume that comes later in the series). The two are clearly into each other, sharing a bed, and Mark can't use his hands. You'd think at LEAST a blowie or two would've happened by now, but nope. Not yet, at least. Instead of sexy time toward the end, we get church. I might look into the next book in the series, but I'm going to need to go back to the Bound Gods series or something to even out all the cuteness.
This is pretty much angst free. I actually liked the premise of the story, but these guys got a bit too Gary Sue for me. And while I don't require sex to enjoy a romance novel, I felt like this one needed it (I assume that comes later in the series). The two are clearly into each other, sharing a bed, and Mark can't use his hands. You'd think at LEAST a blowie or two would've happened by now, but nope. Not yet, at least. Instead of sexy time toward the end, we get church. I might look into the next book in the series, but I'm going to need to go back to the Bound Gods series or something to even out all the cuteness.
October 13, 2011
Too sweet for my tastes. The characters were not developed enough; Simon came out as a boring sap, Mark as a push-over. Also, I didn't see the point of moving the action to the late '80 (more sexually restrained society?). Besides the only signs of everything happening nearly 3 decades ago were some outdated phrases here and there.
April 27, 2011
A sweet love story. Good for when you just want a little idealic romance. Nothing to heavy, but with enough story to make it worth while. A good author to have in your library
October 12, 2011
The blurb has said it all about the story. This is a sweet story about two persons who don't think they deserve anything better from life.
May 31, 2020
What a really sweet story.
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November 27, 2021Hooker with a heart off gold, gratuitous HC, at least it's not misogynistic
February 7, 2012
Simon, a stodgy librarian, falls for an attractive rent boy, Mark. A very touching story of two men falling in love one who feels he is not worthy of another man's affection and the other who has come through some very difficult times and been forced into an existence that he would rather not have. Circumstances bring the two together in Simon's home as Mark recovers from injuries sustained in trying to help his pimp after an explosion that takes the pimp's life. While Simon cares for Mark the two develop deep feelings for each other and finally are able to express themselves as the celebrate their first Christmas.
Now that I have read the first in this series I'll have to seek out the next one to see how this story develops.
Now that I have read the first in this series I'll have to seek out the next one to see how this story develops.
June 3, 2011
A sweet gay romance set in a town in the north of England (Yorkshire) 1986. Simon, the narrator, is a young shy and insecure librarian who meets Mark, a young man who is forced to work as a prostitute, when he hires Mark one evening for the company of another man, not for sex.
April 26, 2013
Nice, easy, fluffy read, perhaps a bit too easy.
September 6, 2015
A very sweet read set in England in the mid 80's. Short but very well written. I enjoyed the read and look forward to more with this couple.
October 28, 2011
3.5 stars
March 20, 2011
A very sweet, quick read.
May 6, 2011
I have to say it was really nice to read this wonderful love story. I would recommend this book to anyone who is open to same sex relationships.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews