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Those Who Favor Fire #1
Those Who Favor Fire
Westing House stood as a testament to the passage of time. Nestled in a quiet, overgrown garden, its once-stately facade bore scars of age. Faded paint peeled off in delicate layers, revealing weathered wood beneath. The roof, adorned with timeworn shingles, was pitted and sunken from years of elemental exposure.
For Alex, Westing House represents a new beginning. Eighteen years old and fresh from a cruel and uncaring foster system, he’s suffered plenty of setbacks in his short life. But a job as the caretaker for a dilapidated historic house is the perfect opportunity for him to start anew. To get some money in his pocket and have a place to call his own, even if it’s just for a year.
His tentative hopefulness is shattered by the arrival of several creepy messages and presents from someone who signs themselves only as “X.” This person knows everything about Alex, and they want it all—all his deepest, darkest secrets. His body. His heart. When the messages shift from uncomfortably romantic to menacing, where will Alex turn?
He’s lucky to have Gabe in his life. A tall, handsome firefighter with the Emberford FD, he sweeps into Alex’s world just in time to catch wind of the monster that haunts Westing House. Gabe is strong, brave, and fiercely protective. But it may be the case that even Gabe can’t save Alex from the entity that wants Alex all to themselves… on pain of death.
Will Gabe be able to save Alex from the faceless evil that pursues him? Or will their love go up in flames, along with Alex’s sanity?
THOSE WHO FAVOR FIRE is a terrifying dark romance with adult themes. Readers should be warned of scenes containing graphic violence and peril. Discretion is advised.
For Alex, Westing House represents a new beginning. Eighteen years old and fresh from a cruel and uncaring foster system, he’s suffered plenty of setbacks in his short life. But a job as the caretaker for a dilapidated historic house is the perfect opportunity for him to start anew. To get some money in his pocket and have a place to call his own, even if it’s just for a year.
His tentative hopefulness is shattered by the arrival of several creepy messages and presents from someone who signs themselves only as “X.” This person knows everything about Alex, and they want it all—all his deepest, darkest secrets. His body. His heart. When the messages shift from uncomfortably romantic to menacing, where will Alex turn?
He’s lucky to have Gabe in his life. A tall, handsome firefighter with the Emberford FD, he sweeps into Alex’s world just in time to catch wind of the monster that haunts Westing House. Gabe is strong, brave, and fiercely protective. But it may be the case that even Gabe can’t save Alex from the entity that wants Alex all to themselves… on pain of death.
Will Gabe be able to save Alex from the faceless evil that pursues him? Or will their love go up in flames, along with Alex’s sanity?
THOSE WHO FAVOR FIRE is a terrifying dark romance with adult themes. Readers should be warned of scenes containing graphic violence and peril. Discretion is advised.
273 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 17, 2024
49 people are currently reading
179 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 4, 2025
I NEED THE SECOND BOOK RIGHT THIS SECOND
May 17, 2025
UM this was GOOD. I liked it immensely. Good writing, good storytelling, good character building, good all of it.
I’m coming back a day later to add on that I can’t stop thinking about it. I loved it.
I’m coming back a day later to add on that I can’t stop thinking about it. I loved it.
April 9, 2025
3.5 stars ⭐️
I didn’t care for the main love interest so i was disappointed with who ended up being the stalker, but that doesn’t take away from how the plot really ramped up at the end. it was a wild ride but i enjoyed every second of it ngl, i will probably be reading book 2 when it comes out!
I didn’t care for the main love interest so i was disappointed with who ended up being the stalker, but that doesn’t take away from how the plot really ramped up at the end. it was a wild ride but i enjoyed every second of it ngl, i will probably be reading book 2 when it comes out!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2025
4.5 stars
Warning for animal lovers:
Disturbing doesn’t even begin to describe this book. Yes it’s dark, very dark, and it just gets worse as the story progresses. It ends on a cliffhanger but reading the blurb for the second book, I’m not sure I want to read it. There are spoilers for book one so I don’t recommend reading the blurb before you’ve read this book.
There is so much suspense in this. I kept thinking so and so was the stalker and he was in danger. I didn’t trust anyone. They all did creepy things. It made me so nervous. I was enjoying it but I was terrified for him. I don’t know what the authors did to make me so tense. It was really well done
I’m not sure where this takes place. It’s a fake city. The reader speaks in an American accent but the book uses UK English words like “boot” and “lift”. But then he referred to a snooty British butler’s accent. Canadians don’t use those words either. I think it takes place in the US but at least one of the authors is probably British.
The authors don’t know much about foster care. It’s way easier to place younger children in homes to begin with. It’s usually teens who end up in group care because no one wants them. This is true in England as well. The bad homes do exist absolutely but there are requirements put in place to prevent a lot of this. Sometimes it falls down like with overworked social workers and we hear about it in the news when something truly terrible happens. But if the rules are followed, children should be safe if not necessarily loved. I have no problem with portraying bad homes and his portrayal of a “good” home was sad but probably realistic too. But I spent 20 years as a (hopefully good) foster parent and a lot of what they talk about doesn’t make sense.
The ending is awful and I didn't like it but it was good, creative, if that makes sense.
I’ve already said I’m not sure if I want to read the sequel. I’m not sure of other books by the author either. (The other is the editor of some of his books so I don’t know if they are really an author or the editor.) He has another full length book series and it’s supposed to be a hilarious romantic comedy. I can’t picture this author writing that.
The reader, Scott Paige, did a great job. He had different voices and the two MCs sounded completely different which was great. My only complaint was that he put the emphasis on the word “house” when saying Westing House which was just weird.
Warning for animal lovers:
Disturbing doesn’t even begin to describe this book. Yes it’s dark, very dark, and it just gets worse as the story progresses. It ends on a cliffhanger but reading the blurb for the second book, I’m not sure I want to read it. There are spoilers for book one so I don’t recommend reading the blurb before you’ve read this book.
There is so much suspense in this. I kept thinking so and so was the stalker and he was in danger. I didn’t trust anyone. They all did creepy things. It made me so nervous. I was enjoying it but I was terrified for him. I don’t know what the authors did to make me so tense. It was really well done
I’m not sure where this takes place. It’s a fake city. The reader speaks in an American accent but the book uses UK English words like “boot” and “lift”. But then he referred to a snooty British butler’s accent. Canadians don’t use those words either. I think it takes place in the US but at least one of the authors is probably British.
The authors don’t know much about foster care. It’s way easier to place younger children in homes to begin with. It’s usually teens who end up in group care because no one wants them. This is true in England as well. The bad homes do exist absolutely but there are requirements put in place to prevent a lot of this. Sometimes it falls down like with overworked social workers and we hear about it in the news when something truly terrible happens. But if the rules are followed, children should be safe if not necessarily loved. I have no problem with portraying bad homes and his portrayal of a “good” home was sad but probably realistic too. But I spent 20 years as a (hopefully good) foster parent and a lot of what they talk about doesn’t make sense.
The ending is awful and I didn't like it but it was good, creative, if that makes sense.
I’ve already said I’m not sure if I want to read the sequel. I’m not sure of other books by the author either. (The other is the editor of some of his books so I don’t know if they are really an author or the editor.) He has another full length book series and it’s supposed to be a hilarious romantic comedy. I can’t picture this author writing that.
The reader, Scott Paige, did a great job. He had different voices and the two MCs sounded completely different which was great. My only complaint was that he put the emphasis on the word “house” when saying Westing House which was just weird.
June 14, 2024
Ohhhh I liked this! I’m not sure how I feel about the ending but I liked it! Not entirely unpredictable but still a refreshing take on the stalker romance.
I can’t write this review the way I normally write my reviews without completely spoiling it so I have to tread really carefully because part of the enjoyment of this book is not knowing. Usually for romance, there is an element of predictability because it’s a romance, so you know the couple it’s going to have an HEA, that’s a requirement of the genre, but I would say this is more of a romantic thriller, and so there is , a little bit more wiggle room here and while I will say again, it wasn’t entirely unpredictable. The way it was done was refreshing.
I’m unsure how I feel about the ending only because Alex is sort of in a Bella type situation in that there are multiple people vying for his affection but I’m not sure that any of them are actually great choices. And so usually I have a pretty good idea of who I want to be endgame and I wasn’t entirely sure where I wanted the dice to land in this one. Tom was not great, Gabe felt shady and had some unattractive moments IMO, and Mike seemed OK but we knew the least about him. I can assure you he does end up with one of them and we do eventually find out who his stalker is, but yeah, I don’t know how I feel about where Alex ends up. I can say again that I enjoyed the journey there and that it was done in a way that felt unique to other stalker romances.
I would caution you against reading this if you need a traditional, HEA and I really can’t say more without ruining it. I would consider this an HEA sort of, but definitely a non-traditional one. And again I wouldn’t call this a romance I would call it a romantic thriller.
Also, if you were reading this because you are rooting for the stalker, whoever it may be, I can also tell you that they are morally black, not morally gray. Which I actually really appreciated. I recently complained that I feel like authors will have a “dark MC” But they only do bad things to bad people and that just feels like an easy out to make the dark MC still palatable to the masses. And that is not the case here. So if you are rooting for the stalker to be the MC just know that your potential Love interest is morally black, not morally gray because they do hurt innocents And their does not seem to be a line that they won’t cross.
I can’t write this review the way I normally write my reviews without completely spoiling it so I have to tread really carefully because part of the enjoyment of this book is not knowing. Usually for romance, there is an element of predictability because it’s a romance, so you know the couple it’s going to have an HEA, that’s a requirement of the genre, but I would say this is more of a romantic thriller, and so there is , a little bit more wiggle room here and while I will say again, it wasn’t entirely unpredictable. The way it was done was refreshing.
I’m unsure how I feel about the ending only because Alex is sort of in a Bella type situation in that there are multiple people vying for his affection but I’m not sure that any of them are actually great choices. And so usually I have a pretty good idea of who I want to be endgame and I wasn’t entirely sure where I wanted the dice to land in this one. Tom was not great, Gabe felt shady and had some unattractive moments IMO, and Mike seemed OK but we knew the least about him. I can assure you he does end up with one of them and we do eventually find out who his stalker is, but yeah, I don’t know how I feel about where Alex ends up. I can say again that I enjoyed the journey there and that it was done in a way that felt unique to other stalker romances.
I would caution you against reading this if you need a traditional, HEA and I really can’t say more without ruining it. I would consider this an HEA sort of, but definitely a non-traditional one. And again I wouldn’t call this a romance I would call it a romantic thriller.
Also, if you were reading this because you are rooting for the stalker, whoever it may be, I can also tell you that they are morally black, not morally gray. Which I actually really appreciated. I recently complained that I feel like authors will have a “dark MC” But they only do bad things to bad people and that just feels like an easy out to make the dark MC still palatable to the masses. And that is not the case here. So if you are rooting for the stalker to be the MC just know that your potential Love interest is morally black, not morally gray because they do hurt innocents And their does not seem to be a line that they won’t cross.
May 17, 2024
“ I was never going to walk again. Might as well summon the ambulance now.”
Omg this made me laugh 🤣
Who’s stalking Alex (young and looking for love in the wrong places ) tell it walks in this front door
Tom the cruel unreliable but protective ex bf who still loves.
Mike a quite colleague
Gabe the new bf true gentle men sweet kind understanding
It’s quick read if your look for something, short dark and interesting. Thus is you book. It’s well written, it has a great plot and writing, twists and wonderful dark romance. Sadly I knew it soon as he came into the story I just knew it.
It doesn’t disappoint on being dark at all like it says. I see it coming but it still made me wait to the end to confirm it but I do hate a cliffhanger ending what happens to Alex, will he ever be safe again? I hope there is a squeal.
Spice 🌶️🌶️
Omg this made me laugh 🤣
Who’s stalking Alex (young and looking for love in the wrong places ) tell it walks in this front door
Tom the cruel unreliable but protective ex bf who still loves.
Mike a quite colleague
Gabe the new bf true gentle men sweet kind understanding
It’s quick read if your look for something, short dark and interesting. Thus is you book. It’s well written, it has a great plot and writing, twists and wonderful dark romance. Sadly I knew it soon as he came into the story I just knew it.
It doesn’t disappoint on being dark at all like it says. I see it coming but it still made me wait to the end to confirm it but I do hate a cliffhanger ending what happens to Alex, will he ever be safe again? I hope there is a squeal.
Spice 🌶️🌶️
Read
May 16, 2025I have no idea how to rate this, so I'm not.
WTF!
Okay, the stalker was not a surprise. It was dead obvious right away.
But I wanted to see the reveil.
When the words The End popped up--what? Ballsy to end it there. I like that. But then again, I think it would have dragged if it had gone further.
I thought there was two options. 1. the next book picks up where this one ends. or 2. That was it, and the next book is a new couple? But I took a peak at the blurb for book 2. Sounds like it's the same story, but from the other pov. Now that caught my attention. To be honest, if I hadn't peaked at that blurb when writing this review, I never would have gone back to the series. But now, I wanna see that view.
Tom--Bleh. Alex--ehh. but the stalkers view would be interesting.
WTF!
Okay, the stalker was not a surprise. It was dead obvious right away.
But I wanted to see the reveil.
When the words The End popped up--what? Ballsy to end it there. I like that. But then again, I think it would have dragged if it had gone further.
I thought there was two options. 1. the next book picks up where this one ends. or 2. That was it, and the next book is a new couple? But I took a peak at the blurb for book 2. Sounds like it's the same story, but from the other pov. Now that caught my attention. To be honest, if I hadn't peaked at that blurb when writing this review, I never would have gone back to the series. But now, I wanna see that view.
Tom--Bleh. Alex--ehh. but the stalkers view would be interesting.
May 11, 2024
This is definitely something different and refreshing in the world of mm romance.
It is a romance, but not a traditional one, it's also a pure thriller, one of those that keep you on the edge of your sit trying to figure out where the danger lies until the very end.
An unreliable ex, a creepy colleague, who is Alex's stalker? Will he ever be safe?
And then Alex meets Gabe, a gorgeous firefighter, the perfect boyfriend who's finally giving him all the love and care he deserves.
Now he only needs to get away from the misterious person who's obsessed with him.
Great plot and writing, twists, and I loved Alex.
I really enjoyed it and I'll love if there's a sequel!
It is a romance, but not a traditional one, it's also a pure thriller, one of those that keep you on the edge of your sit trying to figure out where the danger lies until the very end.
An unreliable ex, a creepy colleague, who is Alex's stalker? Will he ever be safe?
And then Alex meets Gabe, a gorgeous firefighter, the perfect boyfriend who's finally giving him all the love and care he deserves.
Now he only needs to get away from the misterious person who's obsessed with him.
Great plot and writing, twists, and I loved Alex.
I really enjoyed it and I'll love if there's a sequel!
August 10, 2024
Okay I think I may explode....wtf was that? I really loved the book, the main character ,Alex was great the setting was also very nicely written. I thought there could have been a little more info on Tom and Gabe's back stories but still good.
You fall quickly in love with Alex than there is Tom who comes across as rough around the edges but still liked how he wanted to protect Alex. However, he lost some points for the whole Jenny thing....really disappointing. Now here comes Gabe who by all descriptions is what anyone would love even he's darker lustful side.
But my real question is WTF happened to the end and why are we not reading a second book? I need to know what happens next please. I need a rescue mission led by Tom and Caliber.
You fall quickly in love with Alex than there is Tom who comes across as rough around the edges but still liked how he wanted to protect Alex. However, he lost some points for the whole Jenny thing....really disappointing. Now here comes Gabe who by all descriptions is what anyone would love even he's darker lustful side.
But my real question is WTF happened to the end and why are we not reading a second book? I need to know what happens next please. I need a rescue mission led by Tom and Caliber.
May 19, 2024
Alex grew up in foster care. His life wasn’t pleasant. He stuttered and was gay. He had one friend, Mike, who got him through it. His first real job was a caretaker, helping refurbish an old house. A place that was all his for a year was a dream come true. Then creepy stuff started happening. But Gabe entered his life. And life was good.
WOW. This was amazing. Creepy, sad, hopeful, sweet, and did I say creepy? Can’t say much about it other than it ended way to soon and on an epic cliffhanger.
I received an arc of this book.
WOW. This was amazing. Creepy, sad, hopeful, sweet, and did I say creepy? Can’t say much about it other than it ended way to soon and on an epic cliffhanger.
I received an arc of this book.
May 21, 2024
I mean wat?????
This book did not end how I thought it would’ve ended. I could’ve guessed who the stalker was but it just didn’t make any sense until the very end. At the end it also doesn’t tell you directly who the stalkers true identity is but from getting glimpse of here and there you can sort of put it all together.
Am I mad how it ended? Definitely not, maybe I’m sick but I am definitely a fan of the stalker.
This book did not end how I thought it would’ve ended. I could’ve guessed who the stalker was but it just didn’t make any sense until the very end. At the end it also doesn’t tell you directly who the stalkers true identity is but from getting glimpse of here and there you can sort of put it all together.
Am I mad how it ended? Definitely not, maybe I’m sick but I am definitely a fan of the stalker.
August 7, 2024
Interesting take. Saw the stalker bit coming, but not the ending. I'm just going to assume the end of this book is a cliff hanger and the author isn't just sadistic.
Four star writing. It was good, but there were plenty of parts I felt could have been cut to streamline things. Not mad about it though.
Four star writing. It was good, but there were plenty of parts I felt could have been cut to streamline things. Not mad about it though.
June 11, 2025
I very much enjoyed this collaboration by Christopher Chance and Bella Liddel. Told from multiple perspectives, we learn how terrible Alex’s life in the foster system was, how his relationship with a fellow foster child, Tom, brought mostly pain, and how grateful Alex was when a strong, kind and beautiful fireman, Gabe, asked him to date.
There’s a few unexpected psychological twists to the tale so be prepared for a little horror and a unique end to the story.
There’s a few unexpected psychological twists to the tale so be prepared for a little horror and a unique end to the story.
May 18, 2024
Well thought out and written story with a really sweet Alex and a variety of people in his life who could potentially all be his stalker. The way Alex was written with all his insecurities was excellent. I did guess the right culprit and I really hope there will be a sequel to find out more details about who and how and especially what happens next.
May 22, 2025
I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it either. It’s impressive that Alex says the gay community is few and far between in his town yet EVERY new stranger that comes to the Westing House just so happens to be gay. Weird. It’s one of those stories that is very predictable with….drum roll please, you guessed it, a TERRIBLE ending.
May 21, 2024
I was hooked from the first page. The plot was amazing. I've never related more to a character than I did Alex. The way he feels about going into public places with a lot of people and noise. Great representation of social anxiety. I can't wait for the next book!!!
May 17, 2025
This was fine, and I quite liked how it ended (though words cannot express how unlikeable Tom is). I would have liked it to be a bit creepier, and Gabe a bit less... I don't know... dopey? It kept ruining the mood.
January 15, 2025
Best book so far! I loved it so much!!!
October 1, 2025
So yeah, that was bad. I can't say if it was a poorly written book, or a poorly performed audio, but that was not great. I wish I didn’t buy the second one.
August 26, 2025
What the fuck. That was my reaction after everything. This is one of my biggest surprises of the year and I couldn't be happier. One of the most well done and satisfying books with stalking as main element that I've encountered.
The plot is about Alex, a guy who became an orphan after losing his mom. He gained a close friend-turned-lover while in foster care, Tom. Both have history and their dynamic is complicated in the present due to Tom's decissions. Alex starts working as a housekeeper. He meets Gabe, a charming guy who's job is being a fireman and hired as part of the crew. Both fall for each other. The problem is: Alex has started receiving letters along with gifts, messages that become more aggressive as time passes. He'll try to find out who is the stalker before that person is able to hurt him more.
There were times where I suspected all the "possible" characters, and while I got it right midway, my jaw still dropped at certain details. The was strong, it makes sense that Alex didn't see that coming. There were hints easy to guess, but I think the narrative did a good job because I even .
About the love interests, I am very into many characters falling for the same MC, so this was perfect. Perhaps a bit silly, but I don't care, it added drama and I love that. The tension between Tom and Gabe once they're face to face was delicious, adding Mike to the mix had me excited. I wish we got more scenes like that. About Tom, he is an asshole, and while he . About Gabe, .
Really glad that this will have a sequel. I'd be reading it as soon as it comes out. This one was incredible, the writting was engaging and not a single moment felt boring, I couldn't stop reading. The mystery wasn't drawn out for too long, and the feelings the situation evoked on Alex, the victim, felt real since the reader comes to care and root for him.
The ending was a great wrap up considering this is book 1 and it's very understandable it finished there. Now the tension is up to a hundred. Cannot wait for book 2.
Tags: (can miss some, heads up that I don't tag everything)
-POV: first person
-Content warnings:
-Elements:
-Kinks:
-Sexual act(s):
-Dynamic:
The plot is about Alex, a guy who became an orphan after losing his mom. He gained a close friend-turned-lover while in foster care, Tom. Both have history and their dynamic is complicated in the present due to Tom's decissions. Alex starts working as a housekeeper. He meets Gabe, a charming guy who's job is being a fireman and hired as part of the crew. Both fall for each other. The problem is: Alex has started receiving letters along with gifts, messages that become more aggressive as time passes. He'll try to find out who is the stalker before that person is able to hurt him more.
There were times where I suspected all the "possible" characters, and while I got it right midway, my jaw still dropped at certain details. The was strong, it makes sense that Alex didn't see that coming. There were hints easy to guess, but I think the narrative did a good job because I even .
About the love interests, I am very into many characters falling for the same MC, so this was perfect. Perhaps a bit silly, but I don't care, it added drama and I love that. The tension between Tom and Gabe once they're face to face was delicious, adding Mike to the mix had me excited. I wish we got more scenes like that. About Tom, he is an asshole, and while he . About Gabe, .
Really glad that this will have a sequel. I'd be reading it as soon as it comes out. This one was incredible, the writting was engaging and not a single moment felt boring, I couldn't stop reading. The mystery wasn't drawn out for too long, and the feelings the situation evoked on Alex, the victim, felt real since the reader comes to care and root for him.
The ending was a great wrap up considering this is book 1 and it's very understandable it finished there. Now the tension is up to a hundred. Cannot wait for book 2.
Tags: (can miss some, heads up that I don't tag everything)
-POV: first person
-Content warnings:
-Elements:
-Kinks:
-Sexual act(s):
-Dynamic:
December 6, 2024
I am wrecked by the cliffhanger ahhhhhhhhhhhh
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