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Fireside Romance #2
Burning Brighter
After declaring their love for each other on Christmas Day, Simon Peters and Mark Smith settle down to a cosy life of domestic togetherness.
A new year brings new joys and challenges. Sam, a neighbour boy comes to stay for a few days and adopts Simon and Mark as honorary dads.
A promotion at work gives Simon more responsibility. Mark finds employment at the local café. The purchase of a car allows the couple to get out and about to explore the Yorkshire countryside.
Snuggle up in an easy chair and toast your toes in front of the fire as you read Simon and Mark’s continuing romantic adventures.
A new year brings new joys and challenges. Sam, a neighbour boy comes to stay for a few days and adopts Simon and Mark as honorary dads.
A promotion at work gives Simon more responsibility. Mark finds employment at the local café. The purchase of a car allows the couple to get out and about to explore the Yorkshire countryside.
Snuggle up in an easy chair and toast your toes in front of the fire as you read Simon and Mark’s continuing romantic adventures.
179 pages, Nook
First published October 9, 2011
1 person is currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Drew Hunt
65 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 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 16, 2011
This second story about Simon the librarian and Mark the ex-prostitute is as much fun, as quietly entertaining, and as romantic as the first book. The fire between the two men definitely burns brighter, with all the positives, like increased passion, and pitfalls, like insecurities and a few uncomfortable moments with prejudiced friends, that goes with the increased stakes. I really liked following their adventures and I loved the ending!
Simon has made a remarkable change since the first book and settling down with Mark is clearly doing him good. I liked the mix of work-related stories at the library, the descriptions of his life with Mark, and their ever developing relationship. He is more of an equal partner for Mark now, and that is not only wonderful to see, but adds up to a more balanced situation.
Mark has clearly made some progress as well. He feels much more comfortable, his self-esteem is growing and he comes out of his shell, especially with Sam, the boy next door. It gives him a sense of family he’s never had, and Simon likes Sam enough to support Mark in this.
The many secondary characters (some of them back from the first book) added to the rich background and gave the book a feel of being told a tale while sitting around a fire. Not one about great adventures or monumental efforts, just a story about day-to-day life and mastering all the bigger and smaller obstacles all of us face every day as well. It makes for a good story, one that you can easily feel comfortable with. If that is the kind of thing you like, you will probably love this book.
NOTE: This book was provided by JMS Books for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Simon has made a remarkable change since the first book and settling down with Mark is clearly doing him good. I liked the mix of work-related stories at the library, the descriptions of his life with Mark, and their ever developing relationship. He is more of an equal partner for Mark now, and that is not only wonderful to see, but adds up to a more balanced situation.
Mark has clearly made some progress as well. He feels much more comfortable, his self-esteem is growing and he comes out of his shell, especially with Sam, the boy next door. It gives him a sense of family he’s never had, and Simon likes Sam enough to support Mark in this.
The many secondary characters (some of them back from the first book) added to the rich background and gave the book a feel of being told a tale while sitting around a fire. Not one about great adventures or monumental efforts, just a story about day-to-day life and mastering all the bigger and smaller obstacles all of us face every day as well. It makes for a good story, one that you can easily feel comfortable with. If that is the kind of thing you like, you will probably love this book.
NOTE: This book was provided by JMS Books for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
June 13, 2020
I'm hoping the other Fireside Romances pick up. This was like reading a letter from home.
October 12, 2011
4.5 stars
This is a continuation of the first book. It starts from the day after Christmas. Like the first book, it's also gentle, basically conflict free. It doesn't mean it doesn't have any tensions. A lot of it: a supposedly friend who doesn't approve them, teenage gays who need their support, driving, insecure feelings that the boyfriend would leave him for someone more handsome, etc. They are all mundane, but that's why I can relate to them. I really like the way it discusses there are many kinds of gay men: flamboyant, quiet, big, small, and so on.
As this is practically conflict free, some people may find it very boring. Not for me. The ending is very emotional. It is a nice reading.
This is a continuation of the first book. It starts from the day after Christmas. Like the first book, it's also gentle, basically conflict free. It doesn't mean it doesn't have any tensions. A lot of it: a supposedly friend who doesn't approve them, teenage gays who need their support, driving, insecure feelings that the boyfriend would leave him for someone more handsome, etc. They are all mundane, but that's why I can relate to them. I really like the way it discusses there are many kinds of gay men: flamboyant, quiet, big, small, and so on.
As this is practically conflict free, some people may find it very boring. Not for me. The ending is very emotional. It is a nice reading.
November 8, 2014
Just didn't work for me. I was interested in the look at life in the UK during the 80s, though. The boy, Sam, wasn't acting his age for me throughout the book; in the early sections of the book he came across as being much younger than a young teenager, and then in the later sections he came across as somewhat older. So that inconsistency bothered me.
I think this author has some genuine inate talent, and there is a gentle kindness about his writing that is very appealing to me. But his fiction would greatly benefit from some more focus on the narrative as opposed to dialogue, as well as a more detailed look at the genuine psychological underpinnings that propel the characters. Basically, more realistic detail. A gentle, sweet gay romance can also be realistic, and I'd love to see this author continue to progress along that road.
I think this author has some genuine inate talent, and there is a gentle kindness about his writing that is very appealing to me. But his fiction would greatly benefit from some more focus on the narrative as opposed to dialogue, as well as a more detailed look at the genuine psychological underpinnings that propel the characters. Basically, more realistic detail. A gentle, sweet gay romance can also be realistic, and I'd love to see this author continue to progress along that road.
April 28, 2013
Nice story of Matt's and Simon's life together, flowing along nicely, no particular up's and down's, in parts it felt a bit long and too detailed; the ending was very romantic and made up for that.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews