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Sweet Fire
Between Homeland Security's Gifted Agenda and the bigotry of a fearful populace, having paranormal Gifts is a dangerous thing. Pyrokinetic Aaron Flores knows firsthand how difficult it can be to control his power. Still, he runs his bakery and never gives up on finding his Happily Ever After. When Aaron's cousin asks him to check on her former EMT partner, Aaron’s chance has finally arrived. He's determined not to let anything stop him from catching (and keeping) his man.
Ramón Del Rio spent three days at the tender mercies of HOMSEC agents when his former partner was taken. He wants nothing to do with a Gifted guy, but Aaron is nothing if not persistent. He's a pastry chef, after all, and the way to a man's heart really is through his stomach. The physical passion they share is the icing on the cake. Just when Ramón decides that having Gifts might not be a deal breaker, someone close to Aaron decides his fire needs to be put out—permanently. Ramón will have to face his fears to save them both.
Ramón Del Rio spent three days at the tender mercies of HOMSEC agents when his former partner was taken. He wants nothing to do with a Gifted guy, but Aaron is nothing if not persistent. He's a pastry chef, after all, and the way to a man's heart really is through his stomach. The physical passion they share is the icing on the cake. Just when Ramón decides that having Gifts might not be a deal breaker, someone close to Aaron decides his fire needs to be put out—permanently. Ramón will have to face his fears to save them both.
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 2, 2015
2 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Brady
3 books1 followerSarah Brady lives in Eastern Washington with her husband and teenage son, dividing her time between her real life and all the voices in her head.
Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 4, 2015
Liked it but I bitched enough in the comments to tell why I can't do more than a 3.5 on this one. :/ which is a bummer cuz I really liked the MCs
February 14, 2015
Review can be read at It's About The Book
Aaron has a gift of being able to control and create fire. His cousin asks him to check on her previous partner Del Rio now that she’s in hiding from Homeland Security. Aaron visits the guy and gets a pretty cold response but he did his cousinley duty and heads home. Aaron’s sister also has a gift. She sees the future. She lets him know he’s recently met the one. The only person Aaron can think of is Del Rio. Aaron wants to fall in love so he’s willing to make the effort to woo Del Rio. Aaron is a baker so he surprises Del Rio at work with a buffet of yummies until Del Rio warms to him.
After Del Rio is held for three days of questioning about his partner, he has no desire to show up on their radar again. So when his ex-partner’s cousin shows up on his porch and admits he has a gift, it’s understandable he freaks a little. It’s not just him he’s worried about. He has to think about his sister and her kids. Aaron shows up at his work and charms his coworkers. One of them flirting with Aaron sets off some jealousy. The guys end up spending a little time together and give into feelings and their attraction for each other. A string of bad things start happening to Aaron and that just makes Del Rio more protective of him. Is it all coincidence or something more sinister?
While I was reading this book I couldn’t help but feel like I was missing something. It referred to character’s situations like I should know more than I did. It also seemed to be lacking some potentially good world building. It mentions Homeland Security like it’s this big bad corrupt government agency that is taking and using the gifting as they please. Which is totally intriguing IMO. I wanted more of that! However there really wasn’t much of that in this book. You get a little hint of the fear Del Rio felt when they kept him for three days but no real details so I wasn’t really all that worried about them. Well, I found out after I read the book that there is another het book before this one. I had no idea. Probably why I didn’t really connect with the story. I was missing pieces.
Aaron’s character was pretty cheeky and flirty. He was also totally oblivious to the bad guy which I thought was fairly obvious. I also couldn’t get over the scene where the street dogs were in the bakery. Seems like the character or somebody has some serious issues with dogs. I’m an animal lover so it was sort of off putting just how disgusted the character was with them. Probably a non issue with most but I certainly took note of it.
I didn’t really fall for the couple in this one. I did like Del Rio for the most part, minus his overreacting, but Aaron was just sort of too much for me personally. The mystery wasn’t all that exciting. I think if Homeland Security had actually been after Aaron this book would have been much more interesting. As it is it’s just a contemporary love story about a guy who has the gift of fire. Good but not all that exciting. To be fair if I’d read the first book this one may have been better for me. I’ll never really know though. Sadly I can’t say I liked this one enough to continue the series or read the previous one.
Aaron has a gift of being able to control and create fire. His cousin asks him to check on her previous partner Del Rio now that she’s in hiding from Homeland Security. Aaron visits the guy and gets a pretty cold response but he did his cousinley duty and heads home. Aaron’s sister also has a gift. She sees the future. She lets him know he’s recently met the one. The only person Aaron can think of is Del Rio. Aaron wants to fall in love so he’s willing to make the effort to woo Del Rio. Aaron is a baker so he surprises Del Rio at work with a buffet of yummies until Del Rio warms to him.
After Del Rio is held for three days of questioning about his partner, he has no desire to show up on their radar again. So when his ex-partner’s cousin shows up on his porch and admits he has a gift, it’s understandable he freaks a little. It’s not just him he’s worried about. He has to think about his sister and her kids. Aaron shows up at his work and charms his coworkers. One of them flirting with Aaron sets off some jealousy. The guys end up spending a little time together and give into feelings and their attraction for each other. A string of bad things start happening to Aaron and that just makes Del Rio more protective of him. Is it all coincidence or something more sinister?
While I was reading this book I couldn’t help but feel like I was missing something. It referred to character’s situations like I should know more than I did. It also seemed to be lacking some potentially good world building. It mentions Homeland Security like it’s this big bad corrupt government agency that is taking and using the gifting as they please. Which is totally intriguing IMO. I wanted more of that! However there really wasn’t much of that in this book. You get a little hint of the fear Del Rio felt when they kept him for three days but no real details so I wasn’t really all that worried about them. Well, I found out after I read the book that there is another het book before this one. I had no idea. Probably why I didn’t really connect with the story. I was missing pieces.
Aaron’s character was pretty cheeky and flirty. He was also totally oblivious to the bad guy which I thought was fairly obvious. I also couldn’t get over the scene where the street dogs were in the bakery. Seems like the character or somebody has some serious issues with dogs. I’m an animal lover so it was sort of off putting just how disgusted the character was with them. Probably a non issue with most but I certainly took note of it.
I didn’t really fall for the couple in this one. I did like Del Rio for the most part, minus his overreacting, but Aaron was just sort of too much for me personally. The mystery wasn’t all that exciting. I think if Homeland Security had actually been after Aaron this book would have been much more interesting. As it is it’s just a contemporary love story about a guy who has the gift of fire. Good but not all that exciting. To be fair if I’d read the first book this one may have been better for me. I’ll never really know though. Sadly I can’t say I liked this one enough to continue the series or read the previous one.
November 25, 2015
The jacket blurb puts all this emphasis on Homeland Security, but in the body of the story, HOMESEC was the big bad government agency in the background. Other than feeling some disquiet about Homeland Security behaving like the FBI or CIA during the Cold War, they weren’t the main emphasis.
Aaron comes from a family of Gifted – those people who have some kind of extra ability. His cousin is a Healer, his sister a Seer. He’s a pyrokinetic. They know to keep their heads down and stay out of site and out of mind.
Ramon is a paramedic who worked with Aaron’s cousin – the Healer – and was forcibly interviewed by the Evil HOMESEC prior to the story starting. Because of his forced three day interment, Ramon wants to protect his sister and nieces. His sister is portrayed as the typical female nosy busy-body who pushes her gay brother about his relationships (or lack thereof) and wants to know all the juicy sex details. Seriously? *I* don’t want to know about my brothers sex life. Gross!
And this is where things didn’t quite match – supposedly Aaron knows to keep his Gift under wraps as much as possible, but as soon as he meets Ramon, he’s making all sorts of quips about setting things on fire. Ramon was forcibly interviewed for three days in secret by Homesec – but his sister came right out and said other than being worried and later, spied on, they never threatened her or the girls. And I’m sorry, the supposed interrogation techniques just didn’t work for me, and thus my unease.
Another disconnect – Aaron sister’s (the Seer) gift doesn’t work at long distances. So she’s calling Spokane from Cuba with a warning? Does it or does not work long distances?
Then there is The Big Misunderstanding. Aaron was angry, he turned that anger, and his gift, on Ramon. Instantly everyone warps to “we broke up”, “he’s not returning my calls”, “I’ve screwed up and thrown everything away!” The authors did cover all the bases from why calls weren’t being returned (broken phone) to working extra shifts, so this is totally my quirk, but I really don’t like Big Misunderstandings and I didn’t care for this one.
It was during the Big Misunderstanding where the predictable plot played out. Despite the predictability, I did enjoy how the resolution played out.
So despite my grumbles, this occupied a quiet evening. While the idea of the “Gift” isn’t new, it was done in a refreshing manner. The boys are hot, the baked goods low calorie (because I couldn’t taste any) and the book left me with warm fuzzies. It is, ultimately, a feel good story.
This review cross posted on http://gaybook.reviews
Aaron comes from a family of Gifted – those people who have some kind of extra ability. His cousin is a Healer, his sister a Seer. He’s a pyrokinetic. They know to keep their heads down and stay out of site and out of mind.
Ramon is a paramedic who worked with Aaron’s cousin – the Healer – and was forcibly interviewed by the Evil HOMESEC prior to the story starting. Because of his forced three day interment, Ramon wants to protect his sister and nieces. His sister is portrayed as the typical female nosy busy-body who pushes her gay brother about his relationships (or lack thereof) and wants to know all the juicy sex details. Seriously? *I* don’t want to know about my brothers sex life. Gross!
And this is where things didn’t quite match – supposedly Aaron knows to keep his Gift under wraps as much as possible, but as soon as he meets Ramon, he’s making all sorts of quips about setting things on fire. Ramon was forcibly interviewed for three days in secret by Homesec – but his sister came right out and said other than being worried and later, spied on, they never threatened her or the girls. And I’m sorry, the supposed interrogation techniques just didn’t work for me, and thus my unease.
Another disconnect – Aaron sister’s (the Seer) gift doesn’t work at long distances. So she’s calling Spokane from Cuba with a warning? Does it or does not work long distances?
Then there is The Big Misunderstanding. Aaron was angry, he turned that anger, and his gift, on Ramon. Instantly everyone warps to “we broke up”, “he’s not returning my calls”, “I’ve screwed up and thrown everything away!” The authors did cover all the bases from why calls weren’t being returned (broken phone) to working extra shifts, so this is totally my quirk, but I really don’t like Big Misunderstandings and I didn’t care for this one.
It was during the Big Misunderstanding where the predictable plot played out. Despite the predictability, I did enjoy how the resolution played out.
So despite my grumbles, this occupied a quiet evening. While the idea of the “Gift” isn’t new, it was done in a refreshing manner. The boys are hot, the baked goods low calorie (because I couldn’t taste any) and the book left me with warm fuzzies. It is, ultimately, a feel good story.
This review cross posted on http://gaybook.reviews
October 25, 2015
Reviewed at The Blogger Girls.
When Aaron’s cousin asks him to check up on her former EMT partner, Aaron meets the man who could give him his happily ever after. But while Ramón Del Rio is more than attracted to Aaron, he doesn’t know if he can handle the consequences being around another Gifted could bring him. Del’s attraction to Aaron, though, means he can’t stay away, especially when Aaron pushes himself into Del’s life. Del has to make a choice: give in to Aaron’s advances even with the risk of HOMSEC or give up his chance of being happy.
When I read this blurb, I was very intrigued with it. I’m always interested when it comes to a world where people have supernatural abilities and there’s a secret governmental agency out there trying to annihilate them. So, I was eager to start this one and, in the end, I liked it. Del was my favorite character. I loved the struggle he had with wanting to be with Aaron and the risks being with him would mean.
I had a lot of issues with this one, though. Mainly, I didn’t really like the MC, Aaron. For some reason, he rubbed me the wrong way and I can’t exactly pinpoint WHY that was, just that I didn’t really care for him and his drama. Beyond that, even though DSP didn’t disclose this, the book is technically book two in a series (book one, Healer, is M/F). That becomes glaringly obvious in the beginning and because I wasn’t aware of this until after I finished the book, I always felt like there was something I was missing especially since events from Healer were constantly mentioned. Aside from that, there was way too much sex for my tastes and I also knew who the ‘villain’ was from the get go. It was pretty obvious to me and it seemed like the only person who didn’t have a clue was Aaron.
In the end, I liked parts of the book, especially Del as a character, but I had way too many other issues with the story to really enjoy it as much as I could have. I think if it had been disclosed that it was book 2 in a series, I could have enjoyed it more after I read the first book but I didn’t really like Aaron as a character to begin with. Although, the premise of the story was very intriguing and I wouldn’t mind learning more about other Gifted individuals.
When Aaron’s cousin asks him to check up on her former EMT partner, Aaron meets the man who could give him his happily ever after. But while Ramón Del Rio is more than attracted to Aaron, he doesn’t know if he can handle the consequences being around another Gifted could bring him. Del’s attraction to Aaron, though, means he can’t stay away, especially when Aaron pushes himself into Del’s life. Del has to make a choice: give in to Aaron’s advances even with the risk of HOMSEC or give up his chance of being happy.
When I read this blurb, I was very intrigued with it. I’m always interested when it comes to a world where people have supernatural abilities and there’s a secret governmental agency out there trying to annihilate them. So, I was eager to start this one and, in the end, I liked it. Del was my favorite character. I loved the struggle he had with wanting to be with Aaron and the risks being with him would mean.
I had a lot of issues with this one, though. Mainly, I didn’t really like the MC, Aaron. For some reason, he rubbed me the wrong way and I can’t exactly pinpoint WHY that was, just that I didn’t really care for him and his drama. Beyond that, even though DSP didn’t disclose this, the book is technically book two in a series (book one, Healer, is M/F). That becomes glaringly obvious in the beginning and because I wasn’t aware of this until after I finished the book, I always felt like there was something I was missing especially since events from Healer were constantly mentioned. Aside from that, there was way too much sex for my tastes and I also knew who the ‘villain’ was from the get go. It was pretty obvious to me and it seemed like the only person who didn’t have a clue was Aaron.
In the end, I liked parts of the book, especially Del as a character, but I had way too many other issues with the story to really enjoy it as much as I could have. I think if it had been disclosed that it was book 2 in a series, I could have enjoyed it more after I read the first book but I didn’t really like Aaron as a character to begin with. Although, the premise of the story was very intriguing and I wouldn’t mind learning more about other Gifted individuals.
January 14, 2015
4 star review by Amber
Sweet Fire is a spinoff series from the Authors’ Brady. It revolves loosely around a series that involves people who were born with special “gifts” (i.e. healer, fire, etc.) Knowing there was another series that involved some characters in this book I was a bit hesitant since I don’t read mainstream romance. My worry was for naught because I had no problem following along with the story. At times I did get confused but nothing to where it took away from what I was reading.
Aaron Flores is a bakery chef. He runs his bakery, Sweet Nothings, with excellent care. He has strong relationships with his family, friends, and employees. Aaron, however, has a big secret. He’s Gifted with the ability to start and control fire. Those close to him know and his family knows since it’s a family trait but he has to keep his abilities close because the government and others would like to exploit this gift he was given.
Ramon Del Rio is a firefighter. He lives with his sister and her two daughters, his nieces. Awhile ago, he was taken in by the government because unbeknownst to him his partner at the fire department was gifted and the government was watching her. To get to her they tried to go through Roman and that scarred him and he has grown prejudice towards those with “gifts.”
When they first meet their attraction is blazingly hot. Predictably when Roman finds out Aaron is “gifted” he immediately pulls away. Aaron is persistent, however, and Roman gives in. These two together are so unbelievably hot, DAMN, fire HOT!!! Roman is incredibly protective over Aaron and Aaron is so caring and nurturing towards Roman. It’s the most perfect balance. Together they are what it’s all about, perfection!!! I LOVED the singing part…so good and romantic!!!
Aaron combats severe harassment throughout the story. Roman is very concerned and does what he can to ensure Aaron’s safety.
The bumps in the road and then them coming back together just totally worked.
I would, without a doubt, read more in this series. I truly enjoyed the whole thing!!
A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review. Please visit www.lovebytesreviews.com to see this and many more reviews, author interviews, guestposts and giveaways!
Sweet Fire is a spinoff series from the Authors’ Brady. It revolves loosely around a series that involves people who were born with special “gifts” (i.e. healer, fire, etc.) Knowing there was another series that involved some characters in this book I was a bit hesitant since I don’t read mainstream romance. My worry was for naught because I had no problem following along with the story. At times I did get confused but nothing to where it took away from what I was reading.
Aaron Flores is a bakery chef. He runs his bakery, Sweet Nothings, with excellent care. He has strong relationships with his family, friends, and employees. Aaron, however, has a big secret. He’s Gifted with the ability to start and control fire. Those close to him know and his family knows since it’s a family trait but he has to keep his abilities close because the government and others would like to exploit this gift he was given.
Ramon Del Rio is a firefighter. He lives with his sister and her two daughters, his nieces. Awhile ago, he was taken in by the government because unbeknownst to him his partner at the fire department was gifted and the government was watching her. To get to her they tried to go through Roman and that scarred him and he has grown prejudice towards those with “gifts.”
When they first meet their attraction is blazingly hot. Predictably when Roman finds out Aaron is “gifted” he immediately pulls away. Aaron is persistent, however, and Roman gives in. These two together are so unbelievably hot, DAMN, fire HOT!!! Roman is incredibly protective over Aaron and Aaron is so caring and nurturing towards Roman. It’s the most perfect balance. Together they are what it’s all about, perfection!!! I LOVED the singing part…so good and romantic!!!
Aaron combats severe harassment throughout the story. Roman is very concerned and does what he can to ensure Aaron’s safety.
The bumps in the road and then them coming back together just totally worked.
I would, without a doubt, read more in this series. I truly enjoyed the whole thing!!
A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review. Please visit www.lovebytesreviews.com to see this and many more reviews, author interviews, guestposts and giveaways!
January 15, 2015
3.75 stars
Fair warning: it seems like this book is a sequel/spin-off of M/F book titled "Healer" by the same authors. I have not read the M/F book, so my review would likely be invalid if you read that book first.
First, I felt like I was dropped in the sequel of a series. There was a whole backstory I was not privy to except in snippets and conversations between characters. It was kind of annoying for a person who prefer to read her series in chronological order. There were Gifted people in this world, and it seem everyone knew it. What happened? Who were they? If the gov really took Gifted people for nefarious purposes, why didn't the world react in a noticeable manner? How did the government track the Gifted? There was no explanation in this book, it's like the authors assumed you just know (and maybe you did, if you read the book about Alex and Tyler first).
Second,I could spot the criminal a few chapters in and Aaron deliberate cluelessness irked me out. He even stepped into stupidity and I just could not stand stupid. I really wanted to scream at him to watch Simon, but except for a line that he was thinking of watching Simon more closely, he did absolutely nothing. For a guy with badass Gift and family, that was an unforgivable. He was tough, but stumped by a saboteur/stalker and did nothing about it. He just reacted, and it did not gel to the earlier assertion about his toughness.
That said, despite the few flaws, the characters and the world were very interesting. This book looks good as part in a series. The supporting characters are promising and they seem like MC materials for the next books. I am looking forward to reading more about the world.
Fair warning: it seems like this book is a sequel/spin-off of M/F book titled "Healer" by the same authors. I have not read the M/F book, so my review would likely be invalid if you read that book first.
First, I felt like I was dropped in the sequel of a series. There was a whole backstory I was not privy to except in snippets and conversations between characters. It was kind of annoying for a person who prefer to read her series in chronological order. There were Gifted people in this world, and it seem everyone knew it. What happened? Who were they? If the gov really took Gifted people for nefarious purposes, why didn't the world react in a noticeable manner? How did the government track the Gifted? There was no explanation in this book, it's like the authors assumed you just know (and maybe you did, if you read the book about Alex and Tyler first).
Second,I could spot the criminal a few chapters in and Aaron deliberate cluelessness irked me out. He even stepped into stupidity and I just could not stand stupid. I really wanted to scream at him to watch Simon, but except for a line that he was thinking of watching Simon more closely, he did absolutely nothing. For a guy with badass Gift and family, that was an unforgivable. He was tough, but stumped by a saboteur/stalker and did nothing about it. He just reacted, and it did not gel to the earlier assertion about his toughness.
That said, despite the few flaws, the characters and the world were very interesting. This book looks good as part in a series. The supporting characters are promising and they seem like MC materials for the next books. I am looking forward to reading more about the world.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2017
synopsis:
aaron is a pyrokinetic. due to bigotry of the majority of the population and the government wanting to do experiments on anyone who has a gift, he keeps it hidden. he meets his cousin's former emt partner and instantly feels a connection. unfortunately for him, ramon doesn't want anything to do with gifted people because he was interrogated thoroughly after his partner escaped. still, there is an instant connection that, try as he may, ramon just can't fight. then someone starts coming after aaron because of his gifts and ramon has to make a decision.
what i liked: the premise. i liked the idea of people having gifts being reviled and having to keep it secret. i liked the idea of part of the populace having these amazing x-men like abilities.
what i didn't like: the execution of said premise. it felt as though there was a lot of fluff and no substance. i mean, there wasn't really a reason for ramon and aaron to fall in love, nor was there a reason for ramon to get back with aaron after he left him.
aaron is a pyrokinetic. due to bigotry of the majority of the population and the government wanting to do experiments on anyone who has a gift, he keeps it hidden. he meets his cousin's former emt partner and instantly feels a connection. unfortunately for him, ramon doesn't want anything to do with gifted people because he was interrogated thoroughly after his partner escaped. still, there is an instant connection that, try as he may, ramon just can't fight. then someone starts coming after aaron because of his gifts and ramon has to make a decision.
what i liked: the premise. i liked the idea of people having gifts being reviled and having to keep it secret. i liked the idea of part of the populace having these amazing x-men like abilities.
what i didn't like: the execution of said premise. it felt as though there was a lot of fluff and no substance. i mean, there wasn't really a reason for ramon and aaron to fall in love, nor was there a reason for ramon to get back with aaron after he left him.
February 17, 2015
While I liked this, my mind kept wandering and I constantly felt like I was missing something. Come to find out, I WAS. This is the 2nd in a series and the first one is M/F, so I wouldn't have read it. However, in the blurb (or title) this never mentioned this was part of a series. I am kind of bummed. No wonder why I felt like something was off.
I liked both MC's, but I was kind of hoping for more fire from Aaron. I love that stuff and I wanted to see more of it :) The kids were a little much. 8 year olds giving "knowing smirks"? Yeah. My daughter will be 8 in 2 months and I'm around 2nd graders all the time and I've never witnessed that.
Not sure if I would move on if more came out in this series that are M/M.
I liked both MC's, but I was kind of hoping for more fire from Aaron. I love that stuff and I wanted to see more of it :) The kids were a little much. 8 year olds giving "knowing smirks"? Yeah. My daughter will be 8 in 2 months and I'm around 2nd graders all the time and I've never witnessed that.
Not sure if I would move on if more came out in this series that are M/M.
January 24, 2015
Sweet Fire was a really great book!! I really loved Aaron and Ramon!! I liked the paranormal aspect of the book, and the mystery was enjoyable. Nothing too deep and it was definitely sweet and sexy!! And like some other readers have mentioned in their reviews, you are going to want some cream puffs!!!
January 3, 2015
I really enjoyed this one. I thought this paranormal world was fascinating, but I loved the fact that the story revolved around the characters and not the paranormal aspect. I'll definitely be looking for more books by these authors.
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January 13, 2015Review coming soon to Love Bytes Reviews
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