Lifeline

by K.C. Wells

All Charlie had to do was lie there and act wounded. All Daniel did was pick him up in his arms.
Charlie doesn’t mind helping out his buddies at the Fire station. It’s been seven years since he walked away from the police force to concentrate on being a single dad, but he still drops by to shoot the breeze, shoot some pool… Helping out on their paramedic training day is no big deal. Until a pair of piercing blue eyes lock on his, and a hunky paramedic firefighter picks up Charlie’s 180lbs of dead weight as if he were nothing, then carries him like he’s something fragile.
Daniel thinks he’s seen the last of the cute guy covered in fake blood, so it’s a pleasant surprise when they run into each again – and again – and again. When the supposedly straight ex-cop asks to meet him for coffee, Daniel agrees. And after that, inviting him to Daniel’s birthday party is only fair, right? Charlie asking him to dance though? That was unexpected. And then one of Daniel’s buddies makes a request for a slow dance…

This was first available as part of the YBBB giveaway.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, Novella, Queer, Firefighters, LGBT

169 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2022

About the author

K.C. Wells lives on an island off the south coast of the UK, surrounded by natural beauty. She writes about men who love men, and can’t even contemplate a life that doesn’t include writing.
The rainbow rose tattoo on her back with the words 'Love is Love' and 'Love Wins' is her way of hoisting a flag. She plans to be writing about men in love - be it sweet and slow, hot or kinky - for a long while to come.

If you want to follow her exploits, you can sign up for her monthly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cNKHlT

You can stalk – er, find – her in the following places:

E-mail: k.c.wells@btinternet.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KCWellsWorld
Twitter: @K_C_Wells
Website: https://www.kcwellswrites.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/k.c.wells
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/k-c-w...


And for those who like things a little hotter?
There's KC's alter ego, Tantalus, who writes gay erotica.

Reviews

[Snjez · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light and sweet story. I liked Charlie and Daniel and I liked Charlie's relationship with his son Tommy. All the side characters were really nice, too. There are a couple of niggles, though.

I liked the pacing of the relationship for the first half of the story, but the way Charlie suddenly went from zero to one hundred, considering it was his first time with a man, wasn't realistic. And I skimmed through the intimate scenes.

Also, the last few chapters were very rushed and felt disconnected from each other. Things would happen in one chapter and then they wouldn't be mentioned again.

[Rosabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved that I recognized the beginning of this book and I loved that the author explained where the idea came from at the end, so I have no doubts.

I saw this reel months ago, in October https://www.instagram.com/reel/CU8A_Y...

And this story is based on this video, in fact the whole situation where they meet is the same as the guy explains it in the video (wich is funny af).

Brilliant!!! Brilliant I tell you, I loved it, it was so fun to see that and then to meet the characters, meet Daniel, Charlie and Tommy? Amazing. The story? Amazing. Development? I WANT MORE. 😢😢

And Delia is me!! I loved her, I felt seen and understood *gets dramatic for no reason*, I'm not 50 but I speak like that all the time *cackles*, but I'm not a perv I swear it. 👼👼

Anyways, loved this! ❤❤❤🤯

[Ed Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a big fan of K. C. Wells. Her Maine series are some of my favorite books. I just loved this book so much. I was really disappointed when it ended. I love books about single dads, and when you throw in a sexy fireman I’m a goner. Charlie meets Daniel while doing a favor for his friend Cal. He notices Daniel’s blue eyes when he’s carrying out of the practice emergency. He’s never really been with a man before, but it’s refreshing how easily he accepts his attraction to Daniel. This is such a sweet story. It’s low angst, but full of lovely feels.

[AussieMum · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this one but it just didn’t hold my attention. I skimmed the last half.

[Grace · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF ~20%

My DNF has less to do with the story itself, but rather the subtly pervasive diet culture, fat phobic, healthism rhetoric that just got to be too much for me to handle. I can tolerate a certain amount of it in a book, but in the first 20% we had three different instances of 1. a friend/neighbor basically telling one of the MCs that he'd gained weight switching to a desk job and implying that was a bad thing--I don't care if it was said jokingly, it's not funny. 2. Referring to foods as good and bad--this was subtle, and wouldn't have bothered me too much without the other stuff, but still annoying, especially when targeted at a kid. 3. Other MC talking about how he is "feeling flabby" and needs to find a gym. We've all got different thresholds, but I'm just not interested in reading a book with constant (if subtle) references glorifying a thin/healthy ideal.

Story seemed fine/promising otherwise, so ymmv.

[Key · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, it was a nice, sexy and sweet short story. I didn't love it though.
I mean... I know, firemen are supposed to be fit and all the common sexy fantasy that usually comes with them all sweaty and smoked, but ugh... it was said SO many times how built Daniel was, so many muscles, huge back, thin waist, utterly perfect ass and of course, hung like a horse.
I'll say it again, I'm getting a bit tired that every single MM romance story features super handsome, incredibly hot, muscled and fit guys with bubble butts and 10+ inches cocks 🙄🙄🙄🙄
It's fiction, I know, but still, is it too much to ask for a regular guy thrown in there now and then? Those are hotter than walking washboards with a third leg you know? 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute enough -

One thing I liked was that Charlie didn't have to go through all the existential crisis from being a single Dad (whose experience mostly with women) to liking Daniel. ALTHOUGH, it would be nice if Charlie wasn't THAT superficial about his attraction to Daniel (despite saying that he felt that Daniel and himself had connection, but mostly Charlie talked about Daniel's physique!)

Daniel's attraction to Charlie felt more grounded. And I totally adored Charlie's kid, Tommy

[Elsa Bravante · Rating 2 out of 5]

Novella bastante mala, la verdad.

[25 Readings Or More · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read i short story, i never expect much... however I really enjoyed this one 😍😍
It was sweet, funny and sexy.
The relationship between Daniel and Charlie was amazing.
What Iiked the most was the brotherhood and the friendship between all the characters.
It's far from perfect, but it made me feel good for a little and that's all I wanted.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 86%

So sickly sweet at the end. A 180 degree turnabout from never being involved with a man to getting it on fully one night. Just not good at all I’m afraid.

[Jesslan Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lifeline
By K.C. Wells

When Charlie's wife decides she's emotionally incapable of being a wife and mother Charlie is divorced and left to raise their son Tommy alone. Quitting the police force and putting his romantic life on the back burner Charlie is determined to be there for his young son to give him whatever he needs.

When Charlie is asked to be a fill-in victim during an EMT/Firefighter training exercise he has no idea the romance in his life is about to pick up a notch. Or two. When hunky big built firefighter, Daniel, comes to his 'rescue' their lives take a new direction. (With the help of a few accidental run-in's at various places.)

I loved Charlie & Daniel together. I felt they had great chemistry between them. Delia was hilarious and Tommy was adorable. I'm not really into couples with a kid involved, but Tommy was funny and sweet.

[Bluebelle-the-Inquisitive (Catherine) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Is she giving you orders again?” Barry came into the kitchen. He walked over to me, his hand held out. “Good to see you, Daniel.”
We shook. “Likewise. And of course she’s giving orders. How else can she stay a member of AOSA?” When both of then gave me inquiring glances, I smiled. “Annoying Older Sisters Association.” — Barry Mayweather and Daniel Tremont

Warnings: Mentions of severe depression and suicidal tendencies, references to past homophobia, potentially some internalised self loathing.

This is wonderful, I like K.C. Wells's writing and this showcases it well. It is fun and funny with a suitable level of angst. I like the character choices in particular. The story is set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, using four main characters firefighter Daniel Tremont, systems analyst Charlie Monroe, his son Tommy and Charlie and Tommy's neighbour Delia. 35-year-olds Daniel and Charlie are the romantic leads, and 50-something Delia acts as 8-year-old Tommy's babysitter when single father Charlie needs help. Okay, so Delia... to a degree Delia is speaking for the reader. I can't quite figure out how her age was decided by K.C. but I'm here for it. At a guess, she's taken the age of ideal/average for some of her readers and just known that the younger would go with it. Because you are never too old to enjoy the scenery. She is living vicariously through Charlie, her words not mine.

I enjoyed this. It suited its purpose for me and delivered on its promises, something that not all novellas do. It is a fairly simple plot with a bit of a twist. It does appear at first as gay for you or a simple bisexual/gay awakening but it's not. Charlie's unwillingness to bring a person into Tommy's life and a past that involves some moments that left him hurting, he is more than meets the eye. Daniel is openly gay in his firehouse, refusing to lie about who he is. They are quite well suited to each other. There is a beautiful moment of one partner ensuring enthusiastic consent is given, not that he is taking advantage of an alcohol-induced state. because I really want to include it here I've hidden it under the spoiler warning. “But—”
“No, no buts.” I kissed his forehead. “And besides, I’m not gonna have sex with you until you sober up and tell me you still want me.” It didn’t matter that my own dick was like a rock: one of us had to be the grown-up. Charlie Munroe and Daniel Tremont)

There were some editing flaws that I didn't find that distracting but they were there. I looked there is no editor credited and given this wasn't published through a publisher I'm wondering if this was self-edited. Self-editing can be patchy because the author reads what they expect to read, not what is necessarily there. For non-writers think of emails, essays or even just paperwork you've had to fill out. Same thing. I never judge it too harshly on free books though, the big error that should have been caught is a reference to Daniel where the name given is Dylan.

The rest of the review devolves into a series of dot points. Okay, it's mostly quotes and there are way more than I expected.
• Pip and Squeak, Tommy's sugar gliders, are so very cute. They are an unusual pet that suits what is a bit of an unusual parenting situation.
• Delia drooling over firefighters is a total mood. 😅 I'm not even certain what it is about them that is so appealing but yeah I get it.
• Cal is such a good friend. And I like the way he approached Daniel.
• “Why would Deadpool kiss Spiderman?”
I blinked. “Er…”
Lena stared at Ryan, her eyebrows lifted. “What are you talking about?”
“Elliott says he saw it on his brother’s phone. It was a picture of Deadpool hanging upside down and kissing Spiderman.”
Lena’s eyes gleamed. “You can explain that one, bro.”
I responded with a mock glare. “Thanks.” I gave Ryan a grin. “Because Spiderman’s hot?”
“That’s not an explanation!” That earned me a full-on glare from Lena. — I never thought I would see Spideypool turn up in a novella like this but I guess I should have. I mean that is the best response though to what is a fairly innocent question from a 9-year-old. Lena's last line is perfect too. Exasperated older sister vibes for the win. (Ryan Mayweather, Daniel Tremont and Lena Mayweather)
• “All that proves is that he’s not firing blanks, and his dick works. Besides, no one is one hundred percent straight these days. Didn’t you know? We’re all on some sort of sliding scale or something.” — Lena is a queen and I adore her. This just feels like an absolute truth to me. Especially among younger generations (Daniel and Charlie are about my age) we've just become confident in being who we are. Expressing attraction when it is there or just not. (Lena Mayweather)
We were only two weeks into July, and already I could see a change in Tommy. When the sun shone, so did he. — This is just a super endearing trait and a pleasingly descriptive passage. (Charlie Munroe)
• “It pays the bills. Of course, working from home has its drawbacks.”
“Such as?”
I grinned. “I talk to my computer a lot. Alexa is my best friend.”
He laughed. “Okay, that’s scary.” — Look what can I say I laughed out loud at the Alexa is my best friend (Charlie Munroe and Daniel Tremont)
•• Why can’t adults see the world like a kid does? Why can’t it be as simple as ‘Hey, why don’t you come live with us? The house is plenty big enough.’
I knew the answer, of course. Kids were fearless—it was when they grew into adults that they second-guessed everything, doubts crept in, and worry paralyzed them.
Hard habits to break out of. — This is such a great line for me. Kids have such a fantastic view of the world. Fearless is right. I'm in awe sometimes of the kids I see. Even the teens who are only just starting out.
• I sat down. “I’m in the office,” I hollered.
A moment later, the door opened and—
I did a double take. “Oh. My. God.”
Daniel stood there in a brown velvet horse costume, with black cuffs for hooves that covered the tops of his boots and his hands, a white oval on his chest and stomach, the bottom of it just reaching his crotch, and a horse’s head on top, his face sticking out of the cutout panel beneath it. “What do you think?”
I blinked. “What…”
He grinned. “Every cowboy needs a horse, dude.” — OMG 🤩 I would die for a man who dressed up like this for a little boy. Especially a little boy who wasn't his son. For context, Daniel is dressed as a horse and Tommy as a Cowboy for trick or treating. I think I squealed. I'm not kidding this is a massive soft spot for me. (Charlie Munroe and Daniel Tremont)
• “Dance with me?”
“With all these people in here?” I smiled.
“What people? All I see is you.” — Can we all admit this is romantic? In context it really is. And the partners of the other firefighters take note of it, with one actually calling out her husband. (Daniel Tremont and Charlie Munroe)

There is homophobia in this story it is in the past of both main characters to different degrees. One knows what it was the other does not. It isn't extreme but it is there, There is some trauma discussed that readers need to be aware of. Tommy is the son of Charlie and Kara. Kara is no longer part of their lives after suffering what sounds like severe post-partum depression leading to suicidal thoughts and formal treatment. She and Charlie realised that Kara wasn't going to be able to be a mother to Tommy. But I am fully aware this could be a problematic plot line for some readers.

My granddad used to say plans were written in sand at low tide—yeah, he was a sailor, what gave it away? I guess I missed that one, because I thought that was it, a done deal. I was going to be a cop with a wife and a kid, and Tommy was my world.
Then that world blew up. — Charlie Munroe

A representative gif:

[Leaundra · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars.

[Peppa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a quick sweet read, but I honestly expected a bit more. I’m glad the kid in this book didn’t annoyed me otherwise I would have dnfed it lmao.
The characters were fine, I liked both MCs and how their relationship developed, but it could have had a bit more deepness.

[Ron-Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have been higher, but if your character is named Daniel, dont call him Dylan midway through the book.

[Benjamin Wong · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very down to earth, bordering on mundane read. The strength of this is the characters.

I was surprised that given the length of this novella, the characters managed to shine, from the MCs down to the secondary characters. I liked the two MCs, and enjoyed their friendship to relationship route, and I liked Tommy, Delia and the fire station colleagues. The characters definitely did leave a mark.

The story though, didn't really leave that strong an impression. I keep finding myself forgetting that certain things had happened from time to time. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed this little read, and the pacing and writing was pretty good, and of course the characters were great. What would have made it greater was if the story was as hefty as the characters themselves.

But then again, who am I to complain when there are so many MM books floating about with characters that one can forget about the moment one reads the first word of a subsequent book. So, all in all, still pretty much worth checking out.

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up!

The summary made it seem like the story was going to be a little different than it actually was. I thought the overall meet cute was actually cute, but the dialogue just sort of felt forced to me and not how people actually talk to one another? There was also very surface level backstories for both characters, I was hoping for a little bit more depth.

Firefighters are my weakness though so one whole stat is dedicated to that

[Kel]

Dnf middle.

[Jenn (not Lily) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars
Sweet and cute and funny and, holy HELL, smoking hot! Only a little bit of sex but the quality was excellent!

[Heather MMRomanceReviewed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read - loved the characters and the flow! So much packed into a shorter story!

[Katharina · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this was entertaining enough (even if the writing has the typical KC Well's stuffy flavour), I really struggled with the superficiality invoked by Charlie. Don't get me wrong, I liked him well enough, but it seems that the biggest point of attraction to him was that Daniel is B U I L T. Like seriously built. And, okay, if that's your thing, sure. But do you have to emphasize this on every other page?
The absolute top spot in objectification here goes to Delia, though, I mean, seriously, this was not acceptable behaviour in my book. Telling someone how hunky they are without any provocation or obvious welcome in basically every other sentence on every bloody occasion - that's not funny. It's creepy. And demeaning. And incredibly, incredibly uncomfortable. So yes, whenever Delia made an appearance I basically cringed preemptively.

And - the complete turnover for Daniel from thinking himself straight to "yeah, give me some of that" all within a VERY short timeframe was... uh... not really believable?

(Oh, and why are gender roles so pervasive here - in all heterosexual couples, it seems that the women do the housework, care for party planning and so on. -And of course all firefighters are male. Is it 1960s already?)

... Aside from all of that, I liked it just fine, though, mainly because I liked Charlie, Daniel, and Tommy. And some of their firefighter buddies. Deke sounds yummy. He's so B U I L T. (Just kidding.)

[Laks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet and funny story. The characters are all accepting and supportive. Though the speed at which Charlie turned from straight to gay/bi was a bit disbelieving, I had fun reading those scenes. But the final chapters were disappointing as the author glossed over the holidays and family stuff. This would have been so much better if story was longer with more family scenes.

Despite all that, it's a short fun read.

[Smut Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great little read with some fantastic characters and a dynamic storyline in a short book. Very enjoyable.

[Penumbra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lifeline is a stand-alone starring Daniel, a firefighter, and Charlie, an ex-cop. The story is told in first person through the eyes of both Daniel and Charlie.



I picked up this book through the Prolific Works’, ‘Your Book Boyfriend’s Boyfriend’ giveaway. The giveaway lasts until the end of 2022, and has over a hundred authors offering free books to read. If you’re looking for M/M stories to read head on over to Prolific Works to get some books. The link is here: https://claims.prolificworks.com/gg/B...

This book is a novella and is a fast, easy read. The blurb does a good job of explaining the basic plot so I won’t repeat it. Basically, once Charlie and Daniel meet they get together with Charlie’s son, Tommy, and do family stuff. There isn’t any conflict, just a simple growing together as a couple and family.

Charlie wasn’t sure if he was gay or bi or what. He’d experimented slightly with a best friend in high school, but his BFF freaked, so Charlie never tried anything else with a guy until Daniel. Charlie was very devoted to his son, so much so that he didn’t really have a life outside of his son or his work. But he was a nice guy. Daniel was also a nice guy. They were two nice guys, lol. I could believe in Daniel and Charlie as a couple.

One thing I didn’t like about the way the book was written was near the end. The author made large time jumps. From Autumn, to Thanksgiving, to Christmas. I think it all took place in less than a chapter with maybe just a short scene or monologue of the holidays. It made it difficult to feel connected to the characters because the scenes were so brief.

Lastly, there was a brief instance of Charlie breaking the fourth wall. I'm guessing it was an error that wasn't caught, but it was jarring as soon as I read it. It definitely stood out.

This was a pleasant read. Nothing outstanding, but it works if you’re looking for something to read after an intense book. I give Lifeline, 3 Stars.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m torn with how to rate this book. 2 felt too low and 3 felt too high. I enjoyed the first half overall, but the second less so, so it’s probably a 2.5.

I loved the first half of the book. It’s a light, fluffy and ultimately wholesome story. Every now and then you need a good comfort read! Daniel and Charlie were a cute couple, and I was rooting for them from the start. Delia the best friend was a particular highlight, and I loved whenever she popped up.

…Unfortunately the second half didn’t work for me, and I found myself keeping an eye on how long I had left, just wanting to get through.It felt like when they got together finally, the writing changed, and we would see holidays etc. planned, and the story would skip to the aftermath where they would mention how fun it was etc. I loved the characters, and would have enjoyed seeing those events! I felt Daniel and Charlie quickly turned overly lovey-dovey, though suppose it makes sense with the time skips.

I would still recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a light and positive read. There’s no drama, and it’s nice. As I say the first half is strong, and I was immediately invested, it’s just a shame the rest didn’t work for me. I would consider trying other reads from KC, maybe it’s just this book, but maybe it’s me!

[Mandy (MP Book Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ex-cop Charlie helped out his buddies at the Fire Station by being dressed up, lying there covered with fake blood and acting wounded. But then a pair of piercing blue eyes locked onto his, and a hunky paramedic firefighter picked all 180 lbs of dead weight up gently and carried him as if he were something fragile. Daniel keeps running into the cute ex-cop who has a cute kid too. When Charlie asks him for coffee, Daniel agrees then Charlie invited him to his birthday night out and he then asked him to dance with him.

This was a really sweet love story which was sensitively done as Daniel took Charlie's son into account and they both kept him front and centre in their decisions. I loved the way that something quite physical turned into something far deeper and loving. The neighbour was a great character to have involved in their story. Easy to read, feel and understand. Contains mature content in this MM story.

[Manfred · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charlie quit his job as a police officer 8 years ago, to take care of his son Tommy. Daniel is a firefighter and new in town.
When they meet they are drawn to each other. But Charlie is straight and he also needs to think about his son, so Daniel knows they can only be friends.
When they go out to celebrate Daniel's birthday however, sparks fly and all bets are off...
I love family stories involving kids, this one even had a hot firefighter, so that was a plus. The story itself was a little slow, and I was not as invested as I thought I would be. I am not sure why, but I didn't feel it and although the story was nice it didn't really touch me or leave a lasting impression.
For me it was an okay read with some sweet and funny moments but little to rave about, average 3 star read.

[DC · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’v read other works by this author, and mostly I really like her writing. But this one left me feeling a disappointed. Oh, it’s very sweet, the characters are likable, and Charlie and Daniel get their HEA. Although, I wasn’t buying Charlie’s rapid launch into gaydom. But the story also felt a bit fractured; jumping forward in time a bit much from one paragraph to the next. For a short story, I felt it dragged somewhat in the middle and then everything rushed forward at the end. There were also the odd mistakes that slipped past the editors such as Daniel briefly becoming Dylan, and nonsensical words such as “elasticated”. Yeah, I know some of this is nitpicking, but I know this author is capable of better.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked Charlie as a single dad, and both characters were enjoyable and easy to root for. The way their relationship developed in the early days was very fun to read.

The second half of the book felt rushed, probably because it was a novella, but it took the time to describe in passive voice the holidays and meeting of parents instead of giving us actual snippets of the scenes happening with real dialogue and feelings. I felt like I just had to fast forward a movie instead of watching the scenes I would have enjoyed. Overall, I love the feel of the book and the author’s writing style.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as I loved this story, and I did truly love it, it reminded me that I get a little weary now and then of reading about perfect men, great body, perfect butt, hung like a horse, drop dead gorgeous. It's so nice when, now and then, and not often enough, we meet an imperfect man. Don't get me wrong, I love this author and I always enjoy her works, it just hit me a bit more here with the constant reminders of how gorgeous and perfect Daniel was. This story is sweet and touching, Charlie, after meeting Daniel, starts recalling his brief teenage experiments with a friend and is reassessing his label. Love at it's finest, these two gently and sweetly fall for each other.