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FIRE on Fire Universe #1
FIRE on Fire
One man is trying to retire early.
The other’s just trying to pay rent.
Asher Pierce has a plan for everything. As a tech manager at Query, he lives by spreadsheets and the gospel of Financial Independence, Retire Early. But a brutal demotion shoves his freedom date twenty years into the future, and a guest-speaker slot at a mountain retreat is his best shot at getting back on track.
Kael Wright is an artist barely holding his life together, with no patience for tech bros in Patagonia vests and a billionaire patron whose money comes with strings. When he accidentally books a FIRE retreat instead of the creative one he expected, the last person he wants to be stuck with is rigid, infuriating, and far too easy on the eyes.
Then a wildfire evacuation leaves them stranded in the Northern California backcountry with nothing but what they can carry and the increasingly inconvenient fact that they work better together than apart.
Getting out will take teamwork. Holding on to what sparks between them will mean surviving everything waiting off the mountain too, including Alistair Blackwood, the billionaire with money, power, and far too much control over both their futures.
FIRE on Fire is a forced-proximity, opposites-attract M/M romance with sharp banter, slow-burn heat, and a happily ever after that proves the best things in life don’t fit on a spreadsheet.
The other’s just trying to pay rent.
Asher Pierce has a plan for everything. As a tech manager at Query, he lives by spreadsheets and the gospel of Financial Independence, Retire Early. But a brutal demotion shoves his freedom date twenty years into the future, and a guest-speaker slot at a mountain retreat is his best shot at getting back on track.
Kael Wright is an artist barely holding his life together, with no patience for tech bros in Patagonia vests and a billionaire patron whose money comes with strings. When he accidentally books a FIRE retreat instead of the creative one he expected, the last person he wants to be stuck with is rigid, infuriating, and far too easy on the eyes.
Then a wildfire evacuation leaves them stranded in the Northern California backcountry with nothing but what they can carry and the increasingly inconvenient fact that they work better together than apart.
Getting out will take teamwork. Holding on to what sparks between them will mean surviving everything waiting off the mountain too, including Alistair Blackwood, the billionaire with money, power, and far too much control over both their futures.
FIRE on Fire is a forced-proximity, opposites-attract M/M romance with sharp banter, slow-burn heat, and a happily ever after that proves the best things in life don’t fit on a spreadsheet.
295 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 21, 2026
About the author
Lukas Gaines
2 books21 followersLUKAS GAINES lives in Cumming, GA with his husband. While that might sound like the beginning of a queer rom-com, it’s actually the continuation of a love story he still can’t believe he gets to live.
He writes adult queer love stories about flawed people with real chemistry. No matter the story, the promise stays the same:
Always queer. Always spicy.
Always happily ever after.
He writes adult queer love stories about flawed people with real chemistry. No matter the story, the promise stays the same:
Always queer. Always spicy.
Always happily ever after.
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July 23, 2026
MM Romance
Opposites Attract
1 Star ⭐️
Thank you for the arc netgalley but this didn’t work for me. I originally had this unrated but now that it’s out, I’m updating my review.
I want to make sure that everyone who picks this book up knows that the “Camp Fire” mentioned is an actual fire that happened on November 8, 2018 in Paradise, California. It is the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California and until last year was also the costliest. The Camp Fire caused 85 people to lose their lives, over 18,000 structures to burn down and destroyed over 156,000 acres of woodlands. This affected many towns in the area but the town of Paradise had a population of about 26,000 and in a matter of a minutes it was reduced to ash. Fires in California are named by what street they start on so this was not a runaway camp fire as the name suggests but caused by California’s electric company Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and their faulty equipment. PG&E has had a long history of corruption and this is not the first fire they had been linked to. Because I worked at a cat sanctuary less than an hour from the fire, I witnessed some of the aftermath when cats that miraculously survived were brought in with singed paws and burnt whiskers. Volunteers combed the ashes in the days and months afterward looking for animals that survived the unthinkable. Stories were shared about dogs/cats laying in the ashes next to where their house used to be waiting for their owners. Some would be reunited due to their microchips while others had no people to return to. It was incredibly heartbreaking and I wasn’t even on the front lines. The fire was so intense that it turned the San Francisco Bay Area skies bright red even though that area is almost 4 hours from Paradise.
Why am I mentioning this you may be asking? This book is about two men who meet at a retreat in a small California town in the middle of fire season. They get stranded there when a fire breaks out and the closest town is Paradise. They are rescued by a couple who survived the Camp Fire and it’s discussed briefly but not enough imo. If I hadn’t known about this fire I would have thought it was just made up for the book and that really affected how I felt reading this. I looked up this author’s bio and it’s mentioned he lived in Northern California for about 10 years before moving back to Georgia so while that appeased me a little bit knowing he may have been here when this happened, I still have issues with this fire being used as a plot device. Even though the fire is supposed to be a big part of the book, if it was taken out, nothing major would have changed. I just felt like it could have been done so much better with higher stakes and then using the Camp Fire would have made more sense.
But I also had issues with this couple. This is opposites attract and they are such polar opposites that I didn’t understand what they saw in one another. Ash is a finance guy who has been planning his financial independence for years, not really living so he could save for the life he wants to have later. He was very hard to relate to or like. Kael on the other hand was a starving artist having trouble paying his rent which led him to work for a shady businessman who was not looking out for his best interest. I felt like the shady businessman plot line made very little sense in this book and I expected more to happen. A lot of the book felt like that, plot build up but no follow through.
The most half baked plot was their relationship though. I legit could not figure out why these two fell for each other or when it happened but all of a sudden their inner POVs were mentioning falling in love. Huh? Two minutes ago they both annoyed each other and it wasn’t the kind of annoyance that holds a bunch of sexual tension which was disappointing. I almost DNF’d this around 70% because what was happening was so idiotic. People don’t talk like that! I wish I had DNF’d because how this book wrapped up made no sense. I had been so excited to get this arc and by the end I was so over it. I’m keeping this slightly vague since it’s not out yet but will most likely talk about the ending later.
#The52BookClub-Featuring a Natural Disaster
To summarize:
Camp Fire was such a big deal that there have been multiple documentaries about it. I’ll list the most popular ones below in case anyone wants to see why I’m not okay with this being used as a plot device.
Netflix: Fire In Paradise
Frontline: Fire In Paradise (different from Netflix one)
National Geographic: Rebuilding Paradise
American Greed: Season 14, Episode 11 Burned By Greed (Deeper look into PG&E & the Fire)
https://www.britannica.com/event/Camp...
Opposites Attract
1 Star ⭐️
Thank you for the arc netgalley but this didn’t work for me. I originally had this unrated but now that it’s out, I’m updating my review.
I want to make sure that everyone who picks this book up knows that the “Camp Fire” mentioned is an actual fire that happened on November 8, 2018 in Paradise, California. It is the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California and until last year was also the costliest. The Camp Fire caused 85 people to lose their lives, over 18,000 structures to burn down and destroyed over 156,000 acres of woodlands. This affected many towns in the area but the town of Paradise had a population of about 26,000 and in a matter of a minutes it was reduced to ash. Fires in California are named by what street they start on so this was not a runaway camp fire as the name suggests but caused by California’s electric company Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and their faulty equipment. PG&E has had a long history of corruption and this is not the first fire they had been linked to. Because I worked at a cat sanctuary less than an hour from the fire, I witnessed some of the aftermath when cats that miraculously survived were brought in with singed paws and burnt whiskers. Volunteers combed the ashes in the days and months afterward looking for animals that survived the unthinkable. Stories were shared about dogs/cats laying in the ashes next to where their house used to be waiting for their owners. Some would be reunited due to their microchips while others had no people to return to. It was incredibly heartbreaking and I wasn’t even on the front lines. The fire was so intense that it turned the San Francisco Bay Area skies bright red even though that area is almost 4 hours from Paradise.
Why am I mentioning this you may be asking? This book is about two men who meet at a retreat in a small California town in the middle of fire season. They get stranded there when a fire breaks out and the closest town is Paradise. They are rescued by a couple who survived the Camp Fire and it’s discussed briefly but not enough imo. If I hadn’t known about this fire I would have thought it was just made up for the book and that really affected how I felt reading this. I looked up this author’s bio and it’s mentioned he lived in Northern California for about 10 years before moving back to Georgia so while that appeased me a little bit knowing he may have been here when this happened, I still have issues with this fire being used as a plot device. Even though the fire is supposed to be a big part of the book, if it was taken out, nothing major would have changed. I just felt like it could have been done so much better with higher stakes and then using the Camp Fire would have made more sense.
But I also had issues with this couple. This is opposites attract and they are such polar opposites that I didn’t understand what they saw in one another. Ash is a finance guy who has been planning his financial independence for years, not really living so he could save for the life he wants to have later. He was very hard to relate to or like. Kael on the other hand was a starving artist having trouble paying his rent which led him to work for a shady businessman who was not looking out for his best interest. I felt like the shady businessman plot line made very little sense in this book and I expected more to happen. A lot of the book felt like that, plot build up but no follow through.
The most half baked plot was their relationship though. I legit could not figure out why these two fell for each other or when it happened but all of a sudden their inner POVs were mentioning falling in love. Huh? Two minutes ago they both annoyed each other and it wasn’t the kind of annoyance that holds a bunch of sexual tension which was disappointing. I almost DNF’d this around 70% because what was happening was so idiotic. People don’t talk like that! I wish I had DNF’d because how this book wrapped up made no sense. I had been so excited to get this arc and by the end I was so over it. I’m keeping this slightly vague since it’s not out yet but will most likely talk about the ending later.
#The52BookClub-Featuring a Natural Disaster
To summarize:
Camp Fire was such a big deal that there have been multiple documentaries about it. I’ll list the most popular ones below in case anyone wants to see why I’m not okay with this being used as a plot device.
Netflix: Fire In Paradise
Frontline: Fire In Paradise (different from Netflix one)
National Geographic: Rebuilding Paradise
American Greed: Season 14, Episode 11 Burned By Greed (Deeper look into PG&E & the Fire)
https://www.britannica.com/event/Camp...
June 12, 2026
3.5 ⭐️
Nothing creates the perfect environment for love like a traumatic experience you’re forced into together!
The premise of this book drew me in. This was a fun easy read. Some of the plot in their escape journey is a little unrealistic, but I never have a problem with that if the vibes are right 😂
The dynamic between Ash and Kael is really fun. A wealthy tech bro and a struggling artist from completely different worlds shouldn’t work, but their playful banter and chemistry totally work. I loved their opposites attract energy.
I loved all the side characters, including the inanimate ones. Rocky was always coming through with the emotional support.
My only critique is that once they acknowledge their feelings, the pacing feels a bit rushed and could use more development.
Still, this is a really enjoyable debut, and I’m excited to see what this author writes next
Nothing creates the perfect environment for love like a traumatic experience you’re forced into together!
The premise of this book drew me in. This was a fun easy read. Some of the plot in their escape journey is a little unrealistic, but I never have a problem with that if the vibes are right 😂
The dynamic between Ash and Kael is really fun. A wealthy tech bro and a struggling artist from completely different worlds shouldn’t work, but their playful banter and chemistry totally work. I loved their opposites attract energy.
I loved all the side characters, including the inanimate ones. Rocky was always coming through with the emotional support.
My only critique is that once they acknowledge their feelings, the pacing feels a bit rushed and could use more development.
Still, this is a really enjoyable debut, and I’m excited to see what this author writes next
Read
June 1, 2026Clever premise here: A poor artist dependent on his rich, skeevy patron meets a guy who's making as much money as he can so as to be able to retire early; they wind up outrunning a California wildfire together, the experience bonds them, and eventually there's an HEA.
I wish the execution was up to snuff, though. The men meet at a conference for retire-early sorts, which the artist fetched up at because he saw only the group's acronym and thought (without checking!) that it referred to an art movement. This unfortunately smacks the artist right into too-stupid-to-live territory, which costs him both believability and sympathy. There's a third-act miscommunication and breakup, which is unfortunate as readers who've spent a lot of time with the romance genre are pretty well fed up with that trope. And somehow I never got to believe in the MCs' appeal to each other, on any level. Not to mention, their choice of where to live at the end blew my mind:
On the sentence / paragraph / chapter level, though, FIRE on Fire is pretty good, which I know sounds like damning with faint praise, but really all I mean is that it's a pleaseant, non-taxing read. I would, in fact, be happy to read a future work by this author, because I expect that he'll improve with time.
Thanks to BookSirens and the author for the ARC.
I wish the execution was up to snuff, though. The men meet at a conference for retire-early sorts, which the artist fetched up at because he saw only the group's acronym and thought (without checking!) that it referred to an art movement. This unfortunately smacks the artist right into too-stupid-to-live territory, which costs him both believability and sympathy. There's a third-act miscommunication and breakup, which is unfortunate as readers who've spent a lot of time with the romance genre are pretty well fed up with that trope. And somehow I never got to believe in the MCs' appeal to each other, on any level. Not to mention, their choice of where to live at the end blew my mind:
On the sentence / paragraph / chapter level, though, FIRE on Fire is pretty good, which I know sounds like damning with faint praise, but really all I mean is that it's a pleaseant, non-taxing read. I would, in fact, be happy to read a future work by this author, because I expect that he'll improve with time.
Thanks to BookSirens and the author for the ARC.
June 14, 2026
I highly recommend reading the blurb before being charmed into picking this up solely because of the adorable cover. In case you’re like me and didn’t know (and because the book doesn’t explain it until about 25% in), FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. If that sounds like a sexy fun time to you, this might be your perfect romance.
When I saw “financial insecurity” listed in the content warnings, I laughed. I mean, sure, money problems can be traumatic. What I didn’t realize was that the entire book would revolve around finances.
We follow Ash, a tech bro and finance enthusiast (he has a podcast 🫨), and Kael, a struggling artist, as they attend a finance retreat in the woods. Yes. A finance retreat. Kael is there by mistake but decides to stay for a chance to win some much-needed prize money. Since Kael is completely broke and Ash is obsessed with retiring at 40, they couldn’t be more different.
Unfortunately, this book started off both boring and incredibly dense for me. I don’t pick up a romance novel hoping to read about yearly projections, stock portfolios, and investment strategies. I’m all for an opposites-attract romance, but the gap between these two felt too wide. Ash spends a good portion of the book looking down on Kael’s lifestyle and choices, which made it difficult for me to root for their relationship.
Their romance also seemed to develop through trauma bonding, and it happened so abruptly that I never fully bought into it. By the end, I just didn’t believe in the long-term viability of this couple.
Sadly, this one simply wasn’t for me.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book
When I saw “financial insecurity” listed in the content warnings, I laughed. I mean, sure, money problems can be traumatic. What I didn’t realize was that the entire book would revolve around finances.
We follow Ash, a tech bro and finance enthusiast (he has a podcast 🫨), and Kael, a struggling artist, as they attend a finance retreat in the woods. Yes. A finance retreat. Kael is there by mistake but decides to stay for a chance to win some much-needed prize money. Since Kael is completely broke and Ash is obsessed with retiring at 40, they couldn’t be more different.
Unfortunately, this book started off both boring and incredibly dense for me. I don’t pick up a romance novel hoping to read about yearly projections, stock portfolios, and investment strategies. I’m all for an opposites-attract romance, but the gap between these two felt too wide. Ash spends a good portion of the book looking down on Kael’s lifestyle and choices, which made it difficult for me to root for their relationship.
Their romance also seemed to develop through trauma bonding, and it happened so abruptly that I never fully bought into it. By the end, I just didn’t believe in the long-term viability of this couple.
Sadly, this one simply wasn’t for me.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book
May 10, 2026
Just finished reading "Fire on Fire," the unlikely m/m romance between Asher, a tech bro, and Kael, an artist. Their first encounter at a FI Escape retreat was electric—one tiny spark that ignited a wild story! The character development was incredible, making me want to follow every twist and turn until the very end. I couldn’t put it down and finished it in just two days. But the real tension? Alistair Blackwood, the billionaire Query founder with way too much control over their futures. Will he destroy them? Will the fire between Asher and Kael consume them or help them rise like a phoenix? I had to know the answer and now I’m desperate to dive into the sequel, "Life after Fire." Highly recommend this novel if you want a story that grabs you from start to finish. Huge thanks to Lukas Gaines for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Please follow him for more great reads!
June 27, 2026
First, I have to thank the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. Much like our one main character, I failed to realize that the FIRE in the title was all about the financial independence movement, which wasn’t exactly something I enjoyed. It delivered on the forced proximity, but the love was so instantaneous that there was almost no time to get invested in either guy.
Don’t even get me started on the “villain” of the book, whose entire relationship to our main characters felt so convoluted and cartoonish.
I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. Much like our one main character, I failed to realize that the FIRE in the title was all about the financial independence movement, which wasn’t exactly something I enjoyed. It delivered on the forced proximity, but the love was so instantaneous that there was almost no time to get invested in either guy.
Don’t even get me started on the “villain” of the book, whose entire relationship to our main characters felt so convoluted and cartoonish.
July 26, 2026
Ok, Fire on Fire was a WILD ride y'all. The epitome of opposites attract, this impressive debut by @lukasgainesbooks is about Kael, a struggling artist, and Asher, a tech bro who is obsessed with his FIRE spreadsheet. They run into each other (literally) in a romcom-level meet cute at a weekend retreat in the middle of nowhere, but then things get INTENSE when they have to evacuate from a dangerous forest fire.
I loved Lukas' writing, I really was impressed with the pacing and the storytelling. It's really easy to get lost in!
And I really liked both Kael and Asher - neither of them is perfect and their pasts haunt them, but being together makes them better people. I absolutely loved the ending and the sweet epilogue, such a relief after the devastating third act breakup! And I'm very much looking forward to seeing what Lukas has next, especially after realizing who one of the next MMCs is! Definitely an awesome new author to check out.
I loved Lukas' writing, I really was impressed with the pacing and the storytelling. It's really easy to get lost in!
And I really liked both Kael and Asher - neither of them is perfect and their pasts haunt them, but being together makes them better people. I absolutely loved the ending and the sweet epilogue, such a relief after the devastating third act breakup! And I'm very much looking forward to seeing what Lukas has next, especially after realizing who one of the next MMCs is! Definitely an awesome new author to check out.
August 28, 2026
DNF at 73%. I really tried. I REALLY TRIED.
I really wanted to like this book. At 73%, I still got confused about who was who. It would have been easier to tell the difference if their names were Tech Bro and Artist. Those were literally their only defining characteristics. It was impossible for me to tell the difference whose POV I was reading unless they brought up their profession.
I’ve never been so bored while reading a book. Five minute chapters were taking me 10-15 minutes to finish. Constant talk about finances had my eyes going crossed. Randomly falling in love when in reality these two guys would have just hate fucked and moved on. The pet rock was insane.
I finally DNFed because I was almost finished and I realized I didn’t have any attachment to the characters and I was still looking for the plot and I just didn’t care how it ended. I realize this was his debut and I really wanted to like it, but I just could not get into it. I was really looking forward to an MM romance actually written by a gay man.
I will still give his next book a chance, but will definitely manage my expectations.
I really wanted to like this book. At 73%, I still got confused about who was who. It would have been easier to tell the difference if their names were Tech Bro and Artist. Those were literally their only defining characteristics. It was impossible for me to tell the difference whose POV I was reading unless they brought up their profession.
I’ve never been so bored while reading a book. Five minute chapters were taking me 10-15 minutes to finish. Constant talk about finances had my eyes going crossed. Randomly falling in love when in reality these two guys would have just hate fucked and moved on. The pet rock was insane.
I finally DNFed because I was almost finished and I realized I didn’t have any attachment to the characters and I was still looking for the plot and I just didn’t care how it ended. I realize this was his debut and I really wanted to like it, but I just could not get into it. I was really looking forward to an MM romance actually written by a gay man.
I will still give his next book a chance, but will definitely manage my expectations.
Did Not Finish
May 22, 2026Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Unfortunately this one wasn’t quite for me. I ended up DNFing because I struggled to connect with both the story and the characters.
The premise sounded fun and I could see what the book was going for, but I found the plot a little too over-the-top for my personal taste and had trouble staying immersed in the story. The characters and relationship dynamic also didn’t fully click for me, which made it difficult to stay engaged.
While it may work better for other readers, it just wasn’t the right fit for me personally.
Unfortunately this one wasn’t quite for me. I ended up DNFing because I struggled to connect with both the story and the characters.
The premise sounded fun and I could see what the book was going for, but I found the plot a little too over-the-top for my personal taste and had trouble staying immersed in the story. The characters and relationship dynamic also didn’t fully click for me, which made it difficult to stay engaged.
While it may work better for other readers, it just wasn’t the right fit for me personally.
July 24, 2026
Congratulations @lukasgainesbooks on your debut novel!!!
I saw a review of this book by bookish.dude and knew I needed to read it. This book has love, struggle, humor, and the perfect drive and attraction between two mmcs. I love the connection and love story from two completely different people all while trying to survive a wildfire and their own life struggles. The book started out on a light hearted comedy of mistakes and financial struggles and quickly escalated into a high-stake drama. It dragged me in from the very beginning and the emotional depth caught me off guard. I loved everything about Kael and Ash's story. I will say California being my home state wildfires are one thing that really scares me. I live only an hour from Paradise and know many people who the Paradise fire really affected. I really felt for the town in the story and for Sharon and Walt, who you will meet and love.
Being a debut by Lukas the story was phenomenal and didn't disappoint at all. It shows real struggles couples face and does not make one or the other out to be the bad guy. They had to work together, communicate, and make sacrifices to make their lives, relationship, and careers/goals work as a happy couple. Can't wait for more of Lukas' work and the next books in the FIRE on Fire Universe.
#debutauthor #mmauthor #mmromance #fireonfire
I saw a review of this book by bookish.dude and knew I needed to read it. This book has love, struggle, humor, and the perfect drive and attraction between two mmcs. I love the connection and love story from two completely different people all while trying to survive a wildfire and their own life struggles. The book started out on a light hearted comedy of mistakes and financial struggles and quickly escalated into a high-stake drama. It dragged me in from the very beginning and the emotional depth caught me off guard. I loved everything about Kael and Ash's story. I will say California being my home state wildfires are one thing that really scares me. I live only an hour from Paradise and know many people who the Paradise fire really affected. I really felt for the town in the story and for Sharon and Walt, who you will meet and love.
Being a debut by Lukas the story was phenomenal and didn't disappoint at all. It shows real struggles couples face and does not make one or the other out to be the bad guy. They had to work together, communicate, and make sacrifices to make their lives, relationship, and careers/goals work as a happy couple. Can't wait for more of Lukas' work and the next books in the FIRE on Fire Universe.
#debutauthor #mmauthor #mmromance #fireonfire
July 25, 2026
Ash & Kael
I've been waiting for this book since I first started seeing it promo'd on Instagram, and I wasn't disappointed!
Being a California native fire season was a way of life, so reading a book that had a taste of that was intriguing. The topic of California's devastating wildfires, especially the Camp Fire and the town of Paradise, was handled tastefully and beautifully. Lukas did a wonderful job expressing the genuine fears and experiences.
Ash and Kael are absolutely wonderful characters, true opposites attract. Getting to see them push the boundaries of their attraction and the lives they thought they'd live kept me enthralled. I devoured their story, finishing this book in a day.
For a debut this was definitely a good one and I can't wait to see more in the future from Lukas!
I've been waiting for this book since I first started seeing it promo'd on Instagram, and I wasn't disappointed!
Being a California native fire season was a way of life, so reading a book that had a taste of that was intriguing. The topic of California's devastating wildfires, especially the Camp Fire and the town of Paradise, was handled tastefully and beautifully. Lukas did a wonderful job expressing the genuine fears and experiences.
Ash and Kael are absolutely wonderful characters, true opposites attract. Getting to see them push the boundaries of their attraction and the lives they thought they'd live kept me enthralled. I devoured their story, finishing this book in a day.
For a debut this was definitely a good one and I can't wait to see more in the future from Lukas!
August 16, 2026
This book was quite the experience. The main characters get caught up in a wildfire on foot, and have to escape. It’s not the entirety of the plot, but it’s a good half the book it focuses on . It takes place near Paradise, CA, which in 2018 my extended family lived through the Camp Fire. It was a traumatizing experience for my family and I. In the book, there are survivors of that fire, and Lucas captures the after effects of living through a fire perfectly. Oh, and add in another wildfire irl for me (the Fred’s Mountain fire) that took my mom’s house, literally as I’m reading this, and it was just a fully immersive experience! 🤣 It was WILD to say the least, but this book stole my heart, and helped me through the experience, and reminded me that what matters most are the people we care about.
July 21, 2026
This book has everything you could want in a MM romance. Love, fight, struggle, drive and action. Reading a story about two mismatched guys finding the best in each other all while trying to survive a wildfire was a fun and entertaining ride. This book being a debut by the author is phenomenal and it didn't disappoint one bit. I felt pulled into the story, rooting for Kael and Ash and getting all the feels throughout the book. I also enjoyed that it felt real and one of the guys wasn't the bad guy this time. They had to find a way to make life work and get away from the bad together. I look forward to more from this author and can't wait to see what comes next.
August 1, 2026
Not bad, though there was a certain amount of Telling in establishing the relationship. The ultimate message—that you should follow your dreams if you have $2m in the bank—perhaps lost a little of its force. And I wanted the skeevy billionaire to get a really brutal come-uppance.
May 27, 2026
Thank you to NetGallery for the advance copy
Financial Independence, Retire Early. It took me far too long to realise what the FIRE acronym was, which has been a bit of a theme in this book, it took a while to figure out exactly who people were. At first I was mixing up Alistair and Ash, had no clue who Jenny was or how she fit into the story.
After a few chapters I grew to understand and know the characters a bit more, although I’m still not entirely sure who or what PawPaw was, or is?
Ignoring all of the above, it is actually a really cute story, I read it in two days because I was hooked, the actual fire (not the acronym) isn’t really the main focus of the story. It’s about two men; Kael, an artist who loves his work but has no money, and Ash who has all the money, and does something in finance that he hopes will enable him to one day do the things he loves. Forced proximity, a raging fire and a few laughs see our two MC’s fall head over heels, but all this is put in jeopardy by poor communication, assumptions and Alistair who I dislike immensely. A sweet enemies to lovers, third act break up story that will have you kicking your heels at times. Thoroughly recommend if you want a low stakes easy read that won’t overly tax your brain but will make you smile.
I’m told this is the first in a series of books - I’m eagerly awaiting the next instalment.
Financial Independence, Retire Early. It took me far too long to realise what the FIRE acronym was, which has been a bit of a theme in this book, it took a while to figure out exactly who people were. At first I was mixing up Alistair and Ash, had no clue who Jenny was or how she fit into the story.
After a few chapters I grew to understand and know the characters a bit more, although I’m still not entirely sure who or what PawPaw was, or is?
Ignoring all of the above, it is actually a really cute story, I read it in two days because I was hooked, the actual fire (not the acronym) isn’t really the main focus of the story. It’s about two men; Kael, an artist who loves his work but has no money, and Ash who has all the money, and does something in finance that he hopes will enable him to one day do the things he loves. Forced proximity, a raging fire and a few laughs see our two MC’s fall head over heels, but all this is put in jeopardy by poor communication, assumptions and Alistair who I dislike immensely. A sweet enemies to lovers, third act break up story that will have you kicking your heels at times. Thoroughly recommend if you want a low stakes easy read that won’t overly tax your brain but will make you smile.
I’m told this is the first in a series of books - I’m eagerly awaiting the next instalment.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I am reviewing this book honestly, based on an ARC I received from NetGalley.
3 ⭐
2/5🌶️
I believe this is a debut for this author. I liked the premise. I got where the writer was going with the references to the wildfires and the trauma that brought up, while making the story and relationship building itself the main focus. Not making this into some wildfire documentary, just having it be their forced trauma and proximity.
The 2 men, Ash-spreadsheet lover, obsessed with future security and finance, and Kael-free spirited painter trapped in a messed up paint-but-look-pretty-for-rent situation, meet when Kael unwittingly signs up for a tech/retire early conference. They get caught up in a wildfire and have to hike to survive. They also have this obnoxious billionaire as this weird connection to each other. Alistaire Blackwood. What a douche.
I see the appeal of opposites attract, and the necessity that that brought to them and their story.
I was put out by Ash. I know his personality was to be obsessed with future and money. But as the book went on he had already made concessions to be with Kael, and was okay moving fast. But then to not even be man enough to listen to explanations when there was hurt feelings? He's a man who has spreadsheets and brains and can make money and plan his future 10-20 years out, but can't have a tough but needed conversation with a man he thinks he loves? Eh. That was a bit of a stretch. At least for me, if you've got that good of a head on your shoulders for future and growth and all that planning, you should at least be able to have the hard conversations....or at least try. Maybe it's just me. Maybe he's only money driven. But still. Even with a second shot at communication? To do it a-freaking-gain? I was over it. Made me dislike him when I wasn't so upset with him previously. He just had his money quirks.
Then it just made me think that Kael was an idiot who never got over his dependency issues if he went back that quickly after what? Barely a page of groveling? Come on. *shrugs*. What can I say? I was annoyed. Up till then, I was with Kael. The whole book. So those 2 things happening left me frowning and dissatisfied at the end of the book, despite the HEA itself. I liked how it ended....just was super unhappy how it got there.
I think that bothersome-to-me stuff aside, the writing is great and I look forward to more from this author and maybe more growth for his characters. I personally like a little less whine and a little more backbone from my characters if there's been growth throughout the book itself.
3 ⭐
2/5🌶️
I believe this is a debut for this author. I liked the premise. I got where the writer was going with the references to the wildfires and the trauma that brought up, while making the story and relationship building itself the main focus. Not making this into some wildfire documentary, just having it be their forced trauma and proximity.
The 2 men, Ash-spreadsheet lover, obsessed with future security and finance, and Kael-free spirited painter trapped in a messed up paint-but-look-pretty-for-rent situation, meet when Kael unwittingly signs up for a tech/retire early conference. They get caught up in a wildfire and have to hike to survive. They also have this obnoxious billionaire as this weird connection to each other. Alistaire Blackwood. What a douche.
I see the appeal of opposites attract, and the necessity that that brought to them and their story.
I was put out by Ash. I know his personality was to be obsessed with future and money. But as the book went on he had already made concessions to be with Kael, and was okay moving fast. But then to not even be man enough to listen to explanations when there was hurt feelings? He's a man who has spreadsheets and brains and can make money and plan his future 10-20 years out, but can't have a tough but needed conversation with a man he thinks he loves? Eh. That was a bit of a stretch. At least for me, if you've got that good of a head on your shoulders for future and growth and all that planning, you should at least be able to have the hard conversations....or at least try. Maybe it's just me. Maybe he's only money driven. But still. Even with a second shot at communication? To do it a-freaking-gain? I was over it. Made me dislike him when I wasn't so upset with him previously. He just had his money quirks.
Then it just made me think that Kael was an idiot who never got over his dependency issues if he went back that quickly after what? Barely a page of groveling? Come on. *shrugs*. What can I say? I was annoyed. Up till then, I was with Kael. The whole book. So those 2 things happening left me frowning and dissatisfied at the end of the book, despite the HEA itself. I liked how it ended....just was super unhappy how it got there.
I think that bothersome-to-me stuff aside, the writing is great and I look forward to more from this author and maybe more growth for his characters. I personally like a little less whine and a little more backbone from my characters if there's been growth throughout the book itself.
Review of advance copy received from Author
4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
Disclosure: I received a complimentary eARC of FIRE on Fire by Lucas Gaines in exchange for an honest review.
FIRE on Fire, the first novel in the FIRE on Fire Universe, is a triumph of realistic, character-driven storytelling. Lukas Gaines delivers a masterclass in the opposites attract trope, grounding the narrative in the often messy reality of financial survival. The story follows Asher Pierce, a tech manager strictly adhering to the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement, and Kael Wright, a struggling artist whose life is dictated by the immediate need to pay rent.
The clash of philosophies spirals into a high-stakes struggle for survival. As Ash and Kael are forced into the Northern California backcountry by a wildfire evacuation, they must confront the reality of their opposing life choices.
What elevates this from a standard romance is the nuanced exploration of freedom. Gaines dissects the protagonists' conflicting philosophies—Ash’s sacrifice of the present to secure his future versus Kael’s commitment to artistic autonomy in the present—without resorting to heavy-handed moralizing.
The forced-proximity necessitated by a wildfire evacuation serves as a catalyst for their character growth rather than a mere plot convenience, allowing for a realistic, slow-burn development of their relationship.
This is the most realistic concept I have encountered in recent fiction. Unlike standard narratives involving billionaire nepo-babies, Ash is a grounded protagonist—a man who turned his reaction to generational debt into his entire personality. Kael serves as the necessary counterpoint: a creative who refuses to sacrifice his passion for a paycheck. At first glance, they appear to be opposites, but the analysis reveals they are both chasing the same thing—freedom—just in different languages.
The author avoids the trap of a rushed HEA, using the wildfire and the forced-proximity trek as a vital, high-pressure environment that makes their eventual compromise both earned and believable. The inclusion of a high-stakes antagonist, Alistair Blackwood, adds a layer of tension that effectively tests the stability of Ash and Kael’s newfound connection.
FIRE on Fire is a beautifully written, highly relatable piece of fiction and one of the most underrated titles currently on the MM romance hype-train. If you enjoy character studies, forced-proximity tension, and stories that prove the best things in life don’t fit on a spreadsheet, this is a mandatory addition to your TBR.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary eARC of FIRE on Fire by Lucas Gaines in exchange for an honest review.
FIRE on Fire, the first novel in the FIRE on Fire Universe, is a triumph of realistic, character-driven storytelling. Lukas Gaines delivers a masterclass in the opposites attract trope, grounding the narrative in the often messy reality of financial survival. The story follows Asher Pierce, a tech manager strictly adhering to the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement, and Kael Wright, a struggling artist whose life is dictated by the immediate need to pay rent.
The clash of philosophies spirals into a high-stakes struggle for survival. As Ash and Kael are forced into the Northern California backcountry by a wildfire evacuation, they must confront the reality of their opposing life choices.
What elevates this from a standard romance is the nuanced exploration of freedom. Gaines dissects the protagonists' conflicting philosophies—Ash’s sacrifice of the present to secure his future versus Kael’s commitment to artistic autonomy in the present—without resorting to heavy-handed moralizing.
The forced-proximity necessitated by a wildfire evacuation serves as a catalyst for their character growth rather than a mere plot convenience, allowing for a realistic, slow-burn development of their relationship.
This is the most realistic concept I have encountered in recent fiction. Unlike standard narratives involving billionaire nepo-babies, Ash is a grounded protagonist—a man who turned his reaction to generational debt into his entire personality. Kael serves as the necessary counterpoint: a creative who refuses to sacrifice his passion for a paycheck. At first glance, they appear to be opposites, but the analysis reveals they are both chasing the same thing—freedom—just in different languages.
The author avoids the trap of a rushed HEA, using the wildfire and the forced-proximity trek as a vital, high-pressure environment that makes their eventual compromise both earned and believable. The inclusion of a high-stakes antagonist, Alistair Blackwood, adds a layer of tension that effectively tests the stability of Ash and Kael’s newfound connection.
FIRE on Fire is a beautifully written, highly relatable piece of fiction and one of the most underrated titles currently on the MM romance hype-train. If you enjoy character studies, forced-proximity tension, and stories that prove the best things in life don’t fit on a spreadsheet, this is a mandatory addition to your TBR.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I really, really wanted to enjoy this more than I did. The premise was just so promising, because I love seeing "opposite" personality characters, and these two were as opposite as you could get.
Coming from a medical student: there was this whole thing about people that are predominantly "left brain" thinkers, and "right brain" thinkers once upon a time. Left-brain thinkers were more creative, artistic, free, while right-brain thinkers were more rational, calculative, and rigid in their thinking
I've never really subscribed to that, and the reality is way more nuanced anyway, but these characters felt exactly like that. Asher is obsessed with his spreadsheets, money, calculations, and future planning, while Kael is creative, artistic, and more free-thinking. He's not concerned if he has money beyond wanting to pay his rent and have a roof over his head.
They meet at a retreat that Kael mistakes to be an art one, but is actually finance, aptly named FIRE. Fitting for them to be caught in a wildfire during that retreat!
I will preface by saying Asher has reasons for being so stringent about every cent. Especially with today's economy, it's really hard to not to worry financially, because it seems like no matter how much money you earn, there's always debt. (We're not earning proportionately to the way prices are shooting up, but that's a whole other discussion.) Point being, generational money troubles are something most people can relate to. However, at the beginning of this book, all that the obsession served to do was alienate me from him as a character. I warmed up a little to him as the book went on, but he looked down at Kael too much for me to get attached to the idea of them as a couple.
Speaking of them as a couple...I really wanted to enjoy them more than I actually did, but it was so hard to get into. I felt like I was spinning in circles, and even with the side characters, you don't get much development beyond that. It's hard to want to relate to either of them, because they're on such extremes of the fiscal thought-process spectrum, and never seem to find a middle ground.
The premise was wonderful, but I just found it very emotionally lacking. Maybe in another world, this could've been a much better book, but for now, it just feels like there are too many holes to truly enjoy it.
This is my own review and opinion, and I received this ARC from NetGalley.
Coming from a medical student: there was this whole thing about people that are predominantly "left brain" thinkers, and "right brain" thinkers once upon a time. Left-brain thinkers were more creative, artistic, free, while right-brain thinkers were more rational, calculative, and rigid in their thinking
I've never really subscribed to that, and the reality is way more nuanced anyway, but these characters felt exactly like that. Asher is obsessed with his spreadsheets, money, calculations, and future planning, while Kael is creative, artistic, and more free-thinking. He's not concerned if he has money beyond wanting to pay his rent and have a roof over his head.
They meet at a retreat that Kael mistakes to be an art one, but is actually finance, aptly named FIRE. Fitting for them to be caught in a wildfire during that retreat!
I will preface by saying Asher has reasons for being so stringent about every cent. Especially with today's economy, it's really hard to not to worry financially, because it seems like no matter how much money you earn, there's always debt. (We're not earning proportionately to the way prices are shooting up, but that's a whole other discussion.) Point being, generational money troubles are something most people can relate to. However, at the beginning of this book, all that the obsession served to do was alienate me from him as a character. I warmed up a little to him as the book went on, but he looked down at Kael too much for me to get attached to the idea of them as a couple.
Speaking of them as a couple...I really wanted to enjoy them more than I actually did, but it was so hard to get into. I felt like I was spinning in circles, and even with the side characters, you don't get much development beyond that. It's hard to want to relate to either of them, because they're on such extremes of the fiscal thought-process spectrum, and never seem to find a middle ground.
The premise was wonderful, but I just found it very emotionally lacking. Maybe in another world, this could've been a much better book, but for now, it just feels like there are too many holes to truly enjoy it.
This is my own review and opinion, and I received this ARC from NetGalley.
August 7, 2026
I loved these two together. Kael and Ash are complete opposites, but that's exactly what worked for me. They're both imperfect, both struggling with what they think their lives should look like, and both have very different relationships with money, success, and security. Watching them challenge each other, screw things up, fall hard, and eventually figure out what they're willing to change and compromise for was what made their relationship feel so human. I found myself getting so aggravated because Lukas' writing had me so invested that I just wanted to shake them both and tell them to get it together!!!
That said, I appreciated that being together didn't magically fix everything. They had to communicate, make sacrifices, and decide whether they could build a life where both of their dreams mattered. I appreciated how real world this was. Relationships are WORK. You don't wake up every day and spew sunshine and rainbows, sometimes life sucks and you have to choose to power through with your partner.
I also want to briefly address something I've seen criticized elsewhere...the book's reference to the real Camp Fire. I completely respect the enormity of that tragedy and understand why its inclusion could hit differently for readers personally affected by it. But I don't agree with the suggestion that Lukas Gaines simply used it as a plot device or treated it lightly.
That wasn't what I saw on the page. At all.
Sharon and Walt were such important characters that really displayed how trauma doesn't necessarily end when the fire does. Their story touches on grief, the lasting effects of surviving something so horrific...especially when others didn't...and how difficult, and yet so important, it can be to seek therapy and accept help.
There's a difference between wishing something had been explored *more* and suggesting it wasn't treated with respect at all.
Ultimately, though, this is Kael and Ash's love story and I loved watching two very different, very flawed men discover that the lives they'd convinced themselves they had to live weren't necessarily the lives that would make them happy.
For a debut novel, I thought Lukas Gaines delivered an awesome book that had me hooked into the universe very quickly and easily.
I certainly cannot wait for more FIRE on Fire Universe!!
That said, I appreciated that being together didn't magically fix everything. They had to communicate, make sacrifices, and decide whether they could build a life where both of their dreams mattered. I appreciated how real world this was. Relationships are WORK. You don't wake up every day and spew sunshine and rainbows, sometimes life sucks and you have to choose to power through with your partner.
I also want to briefly address something I've seen criticized elsewhere...the book's reference to the real Camp Fire. I completely respect the enormity of that tragedy and understand why its inclusion could hit differently for readers personally affected by it. But I don't agree with the suggestion that Lukas Gaines simply used it as a plot device or treated it lightly.
That wasn't what I saw on the page. At all.
Sharon and Walt were such important characters that really displayed how trauma doesn't necessarily end when the fire does. Their story touches on grief, the lasting effects of surviving something so horrific...especially when others didn't...and how difficult, and yet so important, it can be to seek therapy and accept help.
There's a difference between wishing something had been explored *more* and suggesting it wasn't treated with respect at all.
Ultimately, though, this is Kael and Ash's love story and I loved watching two very different, very flawed men discover that the lives they'd convinced themselves they had to live weren't necessarily the lives that would make them happy.
For a debut novel, I thought Lukas Gaines delivered an awesome book that had me hooked into the universe very quickly and easily.
I certainly cannot wait for more FIRE on Fire Universe!!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received a free ARC of ‘Fire in Fire’ via author and I am voluntarily leaving my unbiased review.
*******************************************************************
‘Fire on Fire’ takes a chapter or two to ‘catch fire’ and then becomes extremely hot. FIRE has more than one interpretation on these pages.
Well what a mismatched pair these appear to be. Struggling artist Kael worrying about paying his rent this month and Ash, a guy who has a couple million in savings and is worrying about having enough to retire at forty with at least 5 million in his Financial Independence Retire Early fund. (FIRE) He hosts a podcast on it with his bestie Jenny.
Both have a busy weekend workshop scheduled out in the woods near San Francisco. Ash is a speaker at FIRE (see above) and Kael is here for FIRE also. Except he thinks that is Futurist Illusionism Retreat Escape, and Art Workshop. He tries to leave when he discovers his mistake but his car won’t start. He goes back to get help and sees that he has been paired with Ash to complete an exercise, when he hears there is a prize of $500 for winning, he agrees to participate with him as he needs the cash.
Much later both guys are regretting their choices when they are surrounded by a forest fire. Struggling through the night to escape the oncoming flames they are slowly discovering their mutual physical attraction between all the banter flying back and forth. Unknown to either of them, there is someone that could put an end to whatever is growing between.
The setting for this MM romance is very unusual, different in so far there is no hockey sticks flying about, no baristas making your favourite brew, no office romance. It’s two guys struggling to save their lives in more ways than one.
I admired Kael who stuck to his principles all the way through Ash’s ramblings about financial security and holding off the attentions of Billionaire Alistair Blackwood. He is a wealthy businessman who sponsors young (male) artists by paying their rent. He expects them to be at his beck and call at his ‘special parties’.
I liked seeing how both changed their opinions of each other as they raced to escape the flames. They meet two great lifesavers, Walt and Sharon who become best friends. Jenny was the sounding board for both Ash and later Kael when everything starts to implode around them. Kael tries to fix the huge issue that arose between him and Ash, but Ash is not listening.😱😭
Lukas Gaines is a new author to me and he has a list of other books, a sequel to Fire on Fire, I believe, but different MC’s, one a character who is known to Kael. Yes, I’d read more of this authors books definitely.
*******************************************************************
‘Fire on Fire’ takes a chapter or two to ‘catch fire’ and then becomes extremely hot. FIRE has more than one interpretation on these pages.
Well what a mismatched pair these appear to be. Struggling artist Kael worrying about paying his rent this month and Ash, a guy who has a couple million in savings and is worrying about having enough to retire at forty with at least 5 million in his Financial Independence Retire Early fund. (FIRE) He hosts a podcast on it with his bestie Jenny.
Both have a busy weekend workshop scheduled out in the woods near San Francisco. Ash is a speaker at FIRE (see above) and Kael is here for FIRE also. Except he thinks that is Futurist Illusionism Retreat Escape, and Art Workshop. He tries to leave when he discovers his mistake but his car won’t start. He goes back to get help and sees that he has been paired with Ash to complete an exercise, when he hears there is a prize of $500 for winning, he agrees to participate with him as he needs the cash.
Much later both guys are regretting their choices when they are surrounded by a forest fire. Struggling through the night to escape the oncoming flames they are slowly discovering their mutual physical attraction between all the banter flying back and forth. Unknown to either of them, there is someone that could put an end to whatever is growing between.
The setting for this MM romance is very unusual, different in so far there is no hockey sticks flying about, no baristas making your favourite brew, no office romance. It’s two guys struggling to save their lives in more ways than one.
I admired Kael who stuck to his principles all the way through Ash’s ramblings about financial security and holding off the attentions of Billionaire Alistair Blackwood. He is a wealthy businessman who sponsors young (male) artists by paying their rent. He expects them to be at his beck and call at his ‘special parties’.
I liked seeing how both changed their opinions of each other as they raced to escape the flames. They meet two great lifesavers, Walt and Sharon who become best friends. Jenny was the sounding board for both Ash and later Kael when everything starts to implode around them. Kael tries to fix the huge issue that arose between him and Ash, but Ash is not listening.😱😭
Lukas Gaines is a new author to me and he has a list of other books, a sequel to Fire on Fire, I believe, but different MC’s, one a character who is known to Kael. Yes, I’d read more of this authors books definitely.
Review of advance copy received from Author
🔥 ARC Review: FIRE on Fire by Lukas Gaines
😮💨 I cannot believe this is a debut novel! Ash and Kael are a perfect opposites attract love story! Different passions, different goals, different personalities. But the chemistry was undeniable from the first run in. Literally.
From corny jokes to spilling closely guarded personal hangups, escaping a wildfire is like a push from fate. These two are stubborn but different in almost every other way. Thank goodness for best friends! Especially ones like Jenny and Jamal. Do yourself a favor and mark your calendars for July 21st, release date for FIRE on Fire! 🔥
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
“Always queer. Always spicy. Always happily ever after.” - Lukas Gaines ❤️
Ash is trying to retire early.
Kael’s just trying to pay rent.
Ash Pierce lives by FIRE: Financial Independence, Retire Early. He has a spreadsheet for his money, his workouts, and the freedom date when all his deprivation is supposed to become a life.
Kael Wright has paint on his jeans, overdue bills, and a billionaire patron whose generosity feels more like a leash. Worse, that patron is Alistair Blackwood, founder of tech giant Query, where Ash’s recent demotion has knocked years off his carefully plotted future.
When Ash trips over Kael at a mountain retreat, sparks fly before either of them knows better. Ash sees a walking financial emergency. Kael sees a spreadsheet in tech bro form. By the time a wildfire strands them in the Northern California backcountry, they’re both certain the other is a complication they don’t need.
Too bad the mountain keeps forcing them to trust each other, through smoke-choked trails, desperate shelter, and every mile between them and safety.
All that friction was bound to slow-burn into something neither of them planned.
But holding on to each other means facing everything waiting off the mountain, including the billionaire with far too much control over both their lives.
FIRE on Fire is a forced-proximity, opposites-attract M/M romance with sharp banter, slow-burn heat, and a happily ever after that proves the best things in life don’t fit on a spreadsheet.
#mmromance #queerromance #mmbookrecs
😮💨 I cannot believe this is a debut novel! Ash and Kael are a perfect opposites attract love story! Different passions, different goals, different personalities. But the chemistry was undeniable from the first run in. Literally.
From corny jokes to spilling closely guarded personal hangups, escaping a wildfire is like a push from fate. These two are stubborn but different in almost every other way. Thank goodness for best friends! Especially ones like Jenny and Jamal. Do yourself a favor and mark your calendars for July 21st, release date for FIRE on Fire! 🔥
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
“Always queer. Always spicy. Always happily ever after.” - Lukas Gaines ❤️
Ash is trying to retire early.
Kael’s just trying to pay rent.
Ash Pierce lives by FIRE: Financial Independence, Retire Early. He has a spreadsheet for his money, his workouts, and the freedom date when all his deprivation is supposed to become a life.
Kael Wright has paint on his jeans, overdue bills, and a billionaire patron whose generosity feels more like a leash. Worse, that patron is Alistair Blackwood, founder of tech giant Query, where Ash’s recent demotion has knocked years off his carefully plotted future.
When Ash trips over Kael at a mountain retreat, sparks fly before either of them knows better. Ash sees a walking financial emergency. Kael sees a spreadsheet in tech bro form. By the time a wildfire strands them in the Northern California backcountry, they’re both certain the other is a complication they don’t need.
Too bad the mountain keeps forcing them to trust each other, through smoke-choked trails, desperate shelter, and every mile between them and safety.
All that friction was bound to slow-burn into something neither of them planned.
But holding on to each other means facing everything waiting off the mountain, including the billionaire with far too much control over both their lives.
FIRE on Fire is a forced-proximity, opposites-attract M/M romance with sharp banter, slow-burn heat, and a happily ever after that proves the best things in life don’t fit on a spreadsheet.
#mmromance #queerromance #mmbookrecs
Review of advance copy
‘Fire on Fire’ is a hard one to rate. The blurb is sort of interesting enough for me to want to dive straight in: a struggling artist and a money-obsessed tech exec, brought together (bizarrely) by a FIRE finance retreat, which then really culminated in a wildfire. What came after however, felt more like a meandering journey of finding their footing with each other that on the whole, didn’t work for me at all. Apart from the odd circumstances under which Ash and Kael meet, I couldn’t entirely get behind the characters and found them equally difficult to empathise with.
Perhaps the ideological chasm between them is simply too great to bridge. Kael is a dreamer to the extreme, and while no one can fault his passion and desperation for wanting to create art as a living, his really seedy arrangement with a billionaire ‘patron’ had me grimacing at the very start. On the other hand, Ash’s insane drive to simply get all the money he can to achieve financial independence didn’t make him entirely likeable as well.
Granted, both have their reasons for behaving the way they do, yet neither seem to be able to overcome their personal histories or circumstances to see beyond what they could really build together because both simply seem too self-absorbed in their own lives and in themselves to care too much about anyone else. The trauma-bonding had undeniably created a moment between them, but the instalove/lust vibe did the heavy lifting instead and didn’t provide Ash or Kael that much of a solid foundation to stay together. In fact, their relationship progression was too uneven, and their realisation that they wanted to be together came too late and too unconvincingly so.
I know that there’s a sequel to their abrupt HEA, and that consequently, the epilogue demonstrates the leap from their rocky start to their new lives together. But I wish there had been more closure in this book that would have bridged that huge, emotional gap we needed.
*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Perhaps the ideological chasm between them is simply too great to bridge. Kael is a dreamer to the extreme, and while no one can fault his passion and desperation for wanting to create art as a living, his really seedy arrangement with a billionaire ‘patron’ had me grimacing at the very start. On the other hand, Ash’s insane drive to simply get all the money he can to achieve financial independence didn’t make him entirely likeable as well.
Granted, both have their reasons for behaving the way they do, yet neither seem to be able to overcome their personal histories or circumstances to see beyond what they could really build together because both simply seem too self-absorbed in their own lives and in themselves to care too much about anyone else. The trauma-bonding had undeniably created a moment between them, but the instalove/lust vibe did the heavy lifting instead and didn’t provide Ash or Kael that much of a solid foundation to stay together. In fact, their relationship progression was too uneven, and their realisation that they wanted to be together came too late and too unconvincingly so.
I know that there’s a sequel to their abrupt HEA, and that consequently, the epilogue demonstrates the leap from their rocky start to their new lives together. But I wish there had been more closure in this book that would have bridged that huge, emotional gap we needed.
*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
When I picked up FIRE on Fire I was expecting a cut and dry love story NOT a story that left me with an important feeling: Do you want security for the future or a life filled with happiness?
I wasn't sure I liked Ash or Kael in the beginning — they were both haughty in their own ways and pressed into their own issues. Or, perhaps, lack thereof in some ways. On paper they do not work, logic and statistics versus emotion and artistry. They grate against each other and they grated against me -
At least in the beginning.
Both men are very human characters making the most of their lives in the only way they know how in the only ways they think are even possible for them. Blinded by money in different ways, it's not until a chance encounter brings them into each other's life and under harrowing circumstances do they grow close.
It was fun exploring them learn about each other and go back and forth in this "would I even be appropriate for him," and then falling madly, dopely overhels for each other. They were trapped in a fire and now their relationship burns hot as they learn to navigate the things they want and need versus the things they've always told themselves they *had* to be.
Their traumas unify artistically and while they are not codependent, they breathe life into each other. As I said, they're very human characters and by the end of the book I was both groaning in all the ways they were fucking up to wanting to see how they played it out and then, finally, to gettiing to the last page and wanting more.
If there's one caveat I'll give that I wish was done differently, it felt like the circumstances they were in should have lasted longer. While not rushed and overall the pacing was fine, I would have liked more time in the circumstance that brought them together in the first place.
Either way, it was a very nice and comforting read. It never feels like it's pushing anything on you other than that question - what does happiness mean to you and how do you achieve it?
I'm definitely looking forward to the next books in the series!
I wasn't sure I liked Ash or Kael in the beginning — they were both haughty in their own ways and pressed into their own issues. Or, perhaps, lack thereof in some ways. On paper they do not work, logic and statistics versus emotion and artistry. They grate against each other and they grated against me -
At least in the beginning.
Both men are very human characters making the most of their lives in the only way they know how in the only ways they think are even possible for them. Blinded by money in different ways, it's not until a chance encounter brings them into each other's life and under harrowing circumstances do they grow close.
It was fun exploring them learn about each other and go back and forth in this "would I even be appropriate for him," and then falling madly, dopely overhels for each other. They were trapped in a fire and now their relationship burns hot as they learn to navigate the things they want and need versus the things they've always told themselves they *had* to be.
Their traumas unify artistically and while they are not codependent, they breathe life into each other. As I said, they're very human characters and by the end of the book I was both groaning in all the ways they were fucking up to wanting to see how they played it out and then, finally, to gettiing to the last page and wanting more.
If there's one caveat I'll give that I wish was done differently, it felt like the circumstances they were in should have lasted longer. While not rushed and overall the pacing was fine, I would have liked more time in the circumstance that brought them together in the first place.
Either way, it was a very nice and comforting read. It never feels like it's pushing anything on you other than that question - what does happiness mean to you and how do you achieve it?
I'm definitely looking forward to the next books in the series!
Review of advance copy received from Author
A big thank you to the author for and advanced copy of this book. 🫶
I wish SO badly that I good give this book a good review but I just, can't.
This book just did not hit the mark for me. The two main characters Kael and Ash are soo opposite from one another that it didn't make any sense in my head how these two ended up in a relationship. Everything about their relationship was so rushed. They decided they were going to give the relationship a shot after a day and half of being in each other's orbits and most of that time they were running for their lives. Then you get a time jump to like 6 weeks later and the inner dialog of both characters are talking about love and how much the other means to them. But like, where? We didn't get to see any of the relationship except for a few out of place bedroom scenes, and the story focused more on the problems that they were dealing with separate from the relationship. It made me as a reader not feel the connection at all that these two were supposed to have.
There's a third act breakup, and honestly the book could have ended there and I would have been glad for it. These two just did not mesh, and were both toxic for one another. If it were any other book I would have DNFed but I wanted to give this a full honest review.
The only thing that really kind of pulled on my heartstrings was the location. I spent my summers as a kid with my grandparents in Paradise, CA, which is where parts of this story take place. It was such a beautiful town and holds a lot of near and dear memories for me. Both my grandparents have long since passed and every now and then I could go on to Google maps and just take a peak at my childhood. After the Camp fire in 2018, I can't do that anymore. I look at the street my grandparents lived on and its all new houses, the trees are gone, and it breaks my heart. Paradise is one of those picturesque towns thats not really talked about, but the destruction was monumental and it truly was Paradise.
I wish SO badly that I good give this book a good review but I just, can't.
This book just did not hit the mark for me. The two main characters Kael and Ash are soo opposite from one another that it didn't make any sense in my head how these two ended up in a relationship. Everything about their relationship was so rushed. They decided they were going to give the relationship a shot after a day and half of being in each other's orbits and most of that time they were running for their lives. Then you get a time jump to like 6 weeks later and the inner dialog of both characters are talking about love and how much the other means to them. But like, where? We didn't get to see any of the relationship except for a few out of place bedroom scenes, and the story focused more on the problems that they were dealing with separate from the relationship. It made me as a reader not feel the connection at all that these two were supposed to have.
There's a third act breakup, and honestly the book could have ended there and I would have been glad for it. These two just did not mesh, and were both toxic for one another. If it were any other book I would have DNFed but I wanted to give this a full honest review.
The only thing that really kind of pulled on my heartstrings was the location. I spent my summers as a kid with my grandparents in Paradise, CA, which is where parts of this story take place. It was such a beautiful town and holds a lot of near and dear memories for me. Both my grandparents have long since passed and every now and then I could go on to Google maps and just take a peak at my childhood. After the Camp fire in 2018, I can't do that anymore. I look at the street my grandparents lived on and its all new houses, the trees are gone, and it breaks my heart. Paradise is one of those picturesque towns thats not really talked about, but the destruction was monumental and it truly was Paradise.
Review of advance copy
Incredible debut! This story was something a little different for me which is saying something with almost 1000 MM books under my belt. Ash and Kael survive a disaster together and while they are complete opposites by nature, the journey of survival brings them closer together.
The writing isn't overly complex so it's easy to follow and enjoy! The story progresses well, if not for a few moments where the timeline wasnt completely clear to me, and I loved how there really wasn't much conflict about them getting together. They both were a little commitment phobic for different reasons but then decided, hey lets try this thing!
Now for the conflict, it wasn't my favorite, but it was heavily rooted in realism. The non-communication is so frustrating as a reader, but I could easily believe that if these men were real this is exactly how it would play out. The only real issue I had was the conversation they have around 80% because while I know Ash had been on a somewhat redemtion arc through this story, I still felt that that made thier HEA seem slightly unbelievable. They both made plenty of mistakes but that one was a lot for me, poor baby Kael.
I thought the Alastair plot line was a little underdeveloped but i'm not mad about it. It's a good set-up for what seems like is book 2 with Marcus. And I do love some realism, Kael reaction v everyone else's to the recording was perfect. He did want that Disney resolution and i'm so glad we didn't get that. Great touch with that, I hate a too convienient wrap-up.
Overall, I think this was cute. I'm not sure I would say these characters undoubetdly make it in the long run but I enjoyed thier story and where they ended up in the epilogue. Again, fantastic debut and I will definitely be reading more from this author.
*I recieved an ARC from Booksirens and this is my honest review.
The writing isn't overly complex so it's easy to follow and enjoy! The story progresses well, if not for a few moments where the timeline wasnt completely clear to me, and I loved how there really wasn't much conflict about them getting together. They both were a little commitment phobic for different reasons but then decided, hey lets try this thing!
Now for the conflict, it wasn't my favorite, but it was heavily rooted in realism. The non-communication is so frustrating as a reader, but I could easily believe that if these men were real this is exactly how it would play out. The only real issue I had was the conversation they have around 80% because while I know Ash had been on a somewhat redemtion arc through this story, I still felt that that made thier HEA seem slightly unbelievable. They both made plenty of mistakes but that one was a lot for me, poor baby Kael.
I thought the Alastair plot line was a little underdeveloped but i'm not mad about it. It's a good set-up for what seems like is book 2 with Marcus. And I do love some realism, Kael reaction v everyone else's to the recording was perfect. He did want that Disney resolution and i'm so glad we didn't get that. Great touch with that, I hate a too convienient wrap-up.
Overall, I think this was cute. I'm not sure I would say these characters undoubetdly make it in the long run but I enjoyed thier story and where they ended up in the epilogue. Again, fantastic debut and I will definitely be reading more from this author.
*I recieved an ARC from Booksirens and this is my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
2.5 stars, rounded up
Unfortunately, I feel like this book had potential that it didn’t deliver on. The premise really intrigued me: a starving artist, Kael, and a tech worker who is obsessed with retiring early (and therefore saving lots and lots of money at the expense of his life now), Ash, have to escape a wildfire together which forces them into proximity with one another and sparks a relationship between them.
Unfortunately, the pacing for this book was all off; they don’t meet until almost 20% into the book, and then the majority of their initial time together is focused on the logistics of getting rescued from the wildfire. The second half, which is supposedly focused on their relationship, glosses over any moments where their emotional connection grows and instead we are just told they are together and it’s going well until actually, they are in crisis because there is a big bad billionaire threatening to tear them apart.
I really didn’t enjoy the set up for why and how Ash gets demoted in the first place. With this being the first thing we learn about him as a character, it kind of soured him for me for a while. The characterization felt somewhat inconsistent for Ash as well - I guess I never felt like I truly got to know or understand him beyond his desire to be free from financial ruin (and I completely understood his motivations there!) and so his reactions in certain situations in the second half felt out of left field for me. That, combined with the pacing issues, made it really hard for me to connect with them as a couple.
Thanks to the author for a chance to read an ARC of this book.
Unfortunately, I feel like this book had potential that it didn’t deliver on. The premise really intrigued me: a starving artist, Kael, and a tech worker who is obsessed with retiring early (and therefore saving lots and lots of money at the expense of his life now), Ash, have to escape a wildfire together which forces them into proximity with one another and sparks a relationship between them.
Unfortunately, the pacing for this book was all off; they don’t meet until almost 20% into the book, and then the majority of their initial time together is focused on the logistics of getting rescued from the wildfire. The second half, which is supposedly focused on their relationship, glosses over any moments where their emotional connection grows and instead we are just told they are together and it’s going well until actually, they are in crisis because there is a big bad billionaire threatening to tear them apart.
I really didn’t enjoy the set up for why and how Ash gets demoted in the first place. With this being the first thing we learn about him as a character, it kind of soured him for me for a while. The characterization felt somewhat inconsistent for Ash as well - I guess I never felt like I truly got to know or understand him beyond his desire to be free from financial ruin (and I completely understood his motivations there!) and so his reactions in certain situations in the second half felt out of left field for me. That, combined with the pacing issues, made it really hard for me to connect with them as a couple.
Thanks to the author for a chance to read an ARC of this book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
{3.5}
I really liked the first half of this book, where Kael and Ash were surviving and escaping the fire. It was fun to read such opposites attempting to work together to escape a shitty situation. Their dynamic was really fun to read. I also think Gaines did a great job on making the side characters likable.
My one critique is the pacing of Kael and Ash’s relationship itself. Right before they get together, one of the characters actively dodges the other’s initial advance and thinks about how bad a couple they would make. Then they get together, and there’s a big time jump, and their relationship is established? I really wanted to read the fun beginning couple of things, like them meeting each other’s friends (especially Kael meeting Jenny in person!) I think showing them as a couple would make us root for them more and make that third-act conflict more impactful.
Overall, I think this is a fun, quick read. This novel is the author’s debut, and I think this is a great first showing. I will actively look for more of his future works. (He teased at book two in this universe featuring a character that greatly interested me, so I will definitely be checking it out!) Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Tags/Warnings
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.
.
Tropes: Opposites attract, forced proximity, artist x tech bro, own voices
Triggers: Parental abandonment, shady billionaires, coercion (not MCs), natural disaster (fire)
Third act break-up: yes
OM/OW: Kael’s first chapter opens with a one-night stand, and Ash’s starts with an HR meeting for kissing a subordinate. This is before the two meet, and after they meet, they don’t get with anyone. Though Kael has a billionaire patron who is interested in him, the two don’t do anything physical, and Kael isn’t interested.
I really liked the first half of this book, where Kael and Ash were surviving and escaping the fire. It was fun to read such opposites attempting to work together to escape a shitty situation. Their dynamic was really fun to read. I also think Gaines did a great job on making the side characters likable.
My one critique is the pacing of Kael and Ash’s relationship itself. Right before they get together, one of the characters actively dodges the other’s initial advance and thinks about how bad a couple they would make. Then they get together, and there’s a big time jump, and their relationship is established? I really wanted to read the fun beginning couple of things, like them meeting each other’s friends (especially Kael meeting Jenny in person!) I think showing them as a couple would make us root for them more and make that third-act conflict more impactful.
Overall, I think this is a fun, quick read. This novel is the author’s debut, and I think this is a great first showing. I will actively look for more of his future works. (He teased at book two in this universe featuring a character that greatly interested me, so I will definitely be checking it out!) Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Tags/Warnings
.
.
.
Tropes: Opposites attract, forced proximity, artist x tech bro, own voices
Triggers: Parental abandonment, shady billionaires, coercion (not MCs), natural disaster (fire)
Third act break-up: yes
OM/OW: Kael’s first chapter opens with a one-night stand, and Ash’s starts with an HR meeting for kissing a subordinate. This is before the two meet, and after they meet, they don’t get with anyone. Though Kael has a billionaire patron who is interested in him, the two don’t do anything physical, and Kael isn’t interested.
June 15, 2026
Exhilarating, swoony, suspenseful, and fiercely intelligent.
I picked up FIRE on Fire because I loved the premise of a tech bro x artist romance, and FIRE on Fire delivered so much heart. Ash and Kael had to break down stereotypes, and they built such delicious tension through the forced proximity of being left behind at a financial retreat to escape a devastating wildfire. What started as a comedy of errors became an action-packed drama became a swoony romance became an agghh-just-talk-to-each-other-pull-my-hair-out-agghh!!
I could really feel the high stakes for both Ash and Kael, through how both had constructed their lives before meeting each other, and then how much that conflicted with the love they never expected to find with each other. I enjoyed the exploration of the value of money, time, life, and love as well as generational trauma. These wove a common thread through the lives and backstories of not only Ash and Kael but also standout side characters like Ash’s bestie Jenny, Paradise couple Sharon and Walt, and Ash and Jenny’s podcast guests.
The story painted a vivid picture of NorCal life with the beautiful nature, threat of wildfires, FIRE philosophy, and the power of money. Knowing the author wrote from experience makes it feel even more special to get a glimpse into post-wildfire reconstruction and what the terror of fleeing the historic 2018 Camp Fire wildfire might’ve been like.
I look forward to Lukas Gaines’ next two books in this series. Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys out characters and queer romance and joy! “Always Queer. Always Spicy. Always Happily Ever After.”
Thanks to NetGalley, Kraine Kreative, and Lukas Gaines for the advanced reader copy!
I picked up FIRE on Fire because I loved the premise of a tech bro x artist romance, and FIRE on Fire delivered so much heart. Ash and Kael had to break down stereotypes, and they built such delicious tension through the forced proximity of being left behind at a financial retreat to escape a devastating wildfire. What started as a comedy of errors became an action-packed drama became a swoony romance became an agghh-just-talk-to-each-other-pull-my-hair-out-agghh!!
I could really feel the high stakes for both Ash and Kael, through how both had constructed their lives before meeting each other, and then how much that conflicted with the love they never expected to find with each other. I enjoyed the exploration of the value of money, time, life, and love as well as generational trauma. These wove a common thread through the lives and backstories of not only Ash and Kael but also standout side characters like Ash’s bestie Jenny, Paradise couple Sharon and Walt, and Ash and Jenny’s podcast guests.
The story painted a vivid picture of NorCal life with the beautiful nature, threat of wildfires, FIRE philosophy, and the power of money. Knowing the author wrote from experience makes it feel even more special to get a glimpse into post-wildfire reconstruction and what the terror of fleeing the historic 2018 Camp Fire wildfire might’ve been like.
I look forward to Lukas Gaines’ next two books in this series. Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys out characters and queer romance and joy! “Always Queer. Always Spicy. Always Happily Ever After.”
Thanks to NetGalley, Kraine Kreative, and Lukas Gaines for the advanced reader copy!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I finished Fire on Fire feeling a bit conflicted. On one hand, there’s plenty here that works: the core premise is engaging, the main characters are likeable enough, and the fire escape sequence in particular is genuinely thrilling. That section, along with the storyline involving Sharon and Walt, was a standout—tense, emotional, and well-paced. I also really enjoyed the dynamic between the protagonists’ best friends, who brought some much-needed warmth and personality to the narrative.
However, despite these strengths, I found myself struggling to stay invested throughout the book. I often had to push myself to pick it back up, which made the reading experience feel more like a chore than something I was excited about. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly why, but overall the story lacked a sense of urgency or emotional pull that would have kept me hooked.
The third-act breakup, in particular, felt forced and somewhat disconnected from the rest of the story. Rather than adding meaningful tension, it came across as contrived, which weakened the payoff of the relationship arc. Similarly, the inclusion of the “creepy billionaire” antagonist added an odd dimension to the narrative. While I understand the need for a clear external conflict, the storyline didn’t fully develop, and the eventual confrontation didn’t deliver the impact I was expecting. As a result, it left me questioning what the real purpose of that subplot was.
In the end, Fire on Fire is an okay read with some compelling moments, but it never quite comes together in a way that feels fully satisfying. There are flashes of excitement and strong character interactions, but the overall effect is somewhat underwhelming.
However, despite these strengths, I found myself struggling to stay invested throughout the book. I often had to push myself to pick it back up, which made the reading experience feel more like a chore than something I was excited about. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly why, but overall the story lacked a sense of urgency or emotional pull that would have kept me hooked.
The third-act breakup, in particular, felt forced and somewhat disconnected from the rest of the story. Rather than adding meaningful tension, it came across as contrived, which weakened the payoff of the relationship arc. Similarly, the inclusion of the “creepy billionaire” antagonist added an odd dimension to the narrative. While I understand the need for a clear external conflict, the storyline didn’t fully develop, and the eventual confrontation didn’t deliver the impact I was expecting. As a result, it left me questioning what the real purpose of that subplot was.
In the end, Fire on Fire is an okay read with some compelling moments, but it never quite comes together in a way that feels fully satisfying. There are flashes of excitement and strong character interactions, but the overall effect is somewhat underwhelming.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
DNF at chapter two.
I couldn’t get past how unlikeable both main characters were.Just unpleasant in a way that made me not want to spend another page with them. If we're supposed to feel for a character who ONLY has 2.3 million dollars in the bank and panics buying guacamole...meanwhile is threatening someone who turned him into HR for kissing a subordinate...okay accountability. Meanwhile Kael has a one night stand...and then treats said one night stand like absolute shit..tips a dollar...meanwhile he gets to paint whatever he wants for a billionaire patron??GURL.
The dialogue was also a major issue for me. It reads like someone trying to prove the gay characters are “masculine” by having them constantly talk in hey man / yeah bro / dude shorthand. Instead of makingKael feel grounded, it made him feel artificial, like masculinity being performed at the reader rather than lived in by the characters.
Outside the text, I also have concerns about review transparency. I personally saw the author review his own book, and I saw a review from what appeared to be someone very personally connected to him; at the time, that reviewer’s profile image included the author, and I screenshotted it before the image changed. That does not inspire confidence. And frankly cant believe we still have to remind authors Goodreads is NOT for AUTHORS.
The social media promotion around the book also feels inflated to me, which adds to my discomfort, though my rating is based primarily on the pages I read. (Sudden increase of thousands of followers overnight with no viral moment)..
I’m not interested in continuing. This was a fast DNF.
I couldn’t get past how unlikeable both main characters were.Just unpleasant in a way that made me not want to spend another page with them. If we're supposed to feel for a character who ONLY has 2.3 million dollars in the bank and panics buying guacamole...meanwhile is threatening someone who turned him into HR for kissing a subordinate...okay accountability. Meanwhile Kael has a one night stand...and then treats said one night stand like absolute shit..tips a dollar...meanwhile he gets to paint whatever he wants for a billionaire patron??GURL.
The dialogue was also a major issue for me. It reads like someone trying to prove the gay characters are “masculine” by having them constantly talk in hey man / yeah bro / dude shorthand. Instead of makingKael feel grounded, it made him feel artificial, like masculinity being performed at the reader rather than lived in by the characters.
Outside the text, I also have concerns about review transparency. I personally saw the author review his own book, and I saw a review from what appeared to be someone very personally connected to him; at the time, that reviewer’s profile image included the author, and I screenshotted it before the image changed. That does not inspire confidence. And frankly cant believe we still have to remind authors Goodreads is NOT for AUTHORS.
The social media promotion around the book also feels inflated to me, which adds to my discomfort, though my rating is based primarily on the pages I read. (Sudden increase of thousands of followers overnight with no viral moment)..
I’m not interested in continuing. This was a fast DNF.
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