Fire and Sand

Jake & Maddox #3

by Louise Collins

Being trapped on a tropical island sounds like paradise to most, but not to Jake.

Sent away as an inconvenience, he must face some truths about him and Maddox.
The ruthless mafia boss saved him, claimed him, but pushed him away in the face of a new danger.

But Maddox doesn't realize, the biggest danger to Jake, is Jake himself.

Alone, rejected, and doubting his worth to the Mafia Boss, Jake seeks out adrenaline from the paradise he's been trapped in.

A storm rages.
There's every chance when he's pushed down by a wave, he won't be returning, but the danger fuels his heart.
Being so close to death makes him feel alive.

He needs his fix.

With or without Maddox...

*****Completed series*****
Adrenaline Jake #1
Mad Dog Maddox #2
Festive Dog #2.5
Fire and sand #3
Jealous Dog #3.5
Guns and Shadows #4
Diamond in the Rough #5

Genres: M M Romance, BDSM, Romance, LGBT, Contemporary, Crime, Novella

104 pages, ebook

First published April 9, 2018

About the author

Writer of mm romance and erotica.

I write the stories I'd love to read, I hope you enjoy them too.
Lover of Romance but not without angst along the way.

Seduced by the dancing of a neanderthal and now a mother of two monsters.
Drinks tea with a passion, adores dogs, and their sea dwelling cousins.

Failed two chocolate eating challenges but will return for round three.

https://mailchi.mp/ad6955eed18f/louis...

♥

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Reviews

[Nazanin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I skipped book 2 because apparently the story was the same as book 1 but in Maddox’s POV. So I read this, it wasn’t as good as book one but still I liked it. Told in single POV, 3rd person. It’s the third installment in the "Jake & Maddox" series, a quick read, a bit angsty and should be read in order.

[True Loveislovereview · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yessss my first 5+++ of 2018!!
Maddox and Jake part three

This all... here in this story... is exactly what I desire in a book!!
Goddess help me... I didn't know it could be even more intense... dark...the love, the hate, the jealousy, the despair... the claiming..
Amaaaaazing powerful, I just wanted to scream...

After some insane event Jake is put away on a lonely island without Maddox... it's driving him crazy... doubts are sinking in and he knows he is inconvenient and replaceable.... with all his frustration he still is the seeker of adrenaline shots... and his overheated head needs some distraction, he has to find some danger...

OMG at one point in this story I couldn't breathe anymore.... *the most intense claiming sentence I ever read in a book came from Maddox mouth* my body shuddered and tingled all over.... I almost fainted.... and just had to stop for a moment...

The dynamic between these two men is almost impossible to describe because the intensity is on such high level....

Maddox with his claiming animalistic lust and behavior and Jake desperate and in awe

Initiative always came from Maddox and Jake knows what is expected from him.... his mind and body are obeying Maddox wants in an unbelievable impressive way.
The combination of dark and intimate with these two man is strong written.

There are parts that made my eyes sting and my heart squeeze....

Highly recommend
Kindly received an arc from the author.

Please please read 'Adrenaline Jake' and 'Mad Dog Maddox' first...
there is also a short Christmas between read, not necessary for this story but one very nice add.

[Elisa Glendenning · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally feel like I know Jake better after this installment, and I actually cried for him while he was questioning everything.

Maddox is still an absolute mystery but he's slowly growing on me, like toxic mould I guess...

I like these two together, but I feel like I need to know more about Maddox to decide if I actually like him as an individual or not - totally empathise with Jake!

[W · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I’m gonna write my name inside your body.”

Fire and Sand is the most emotionally revealing and satisfying book of the series thus far.

Jake insecurities combined with not truly knowing his place , importance or lack thereof in Maddox life causes him to doubt and take risks.
Maddox being Maddox deals with it by delivering one of the most touching, intense, erotic and romantic claiming, I have read!

Be still , old heart of mine, Maddox and Jake have stolen my imagination , love and heart.

Favorite quotes:
“If I couldn’t save you from the smoke, or the fire, then I’d burn with you.” Jake shook his head and curled back his lip. Maddox took another step forward, and Jake didn’t retreat. “If the ocean filled your lungs, and I couldn’t empty them, I’d swim until the waves claimed me.” Maddox lifted his hand to run his forefinger up Jake's cheekbone. Jake allowed the touch, and his eyelids fluttered. “If a gun is pressed to your temple, and I’m not quick enough drawing mine, I’ll turn it on myself.”

“I’m gonna write my name inside your body.”

“You are not disposable,” Maddox said in his ear. “You are mine, the only man that has ever been mine, and the only man that will be.”

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Stars
🔥🔥🔥🔥.5/5 Heat

Best one yet. This one, in addition to being ridiculously sexy, had a nice amount of feels and romance.

[Gabi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series. :) This part was more emotional, with less action.
Jake was his usual, a bit childish, adrenaline-seeking self. He started to break Maddox's though shell.
I'm waiting for the moment Maddox will give up the control. I don't think it will actually happen.
Based on the title, the next installment will be more action packed.

[Kyuteepie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - 4 stars

[Preeti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 3- Fire and Sand
Series-Jack and Maddox
Rating - 3.5 Star
Pages- 100
Recommended-BDSM/ Dom-Sub lovers

In this instalment, we get a lot of feel and no doubt some hot, smutty scenes. We also see the insecurities of Jack and for the first time Maddox talks about feelings.

Definitely a fun, easy read.

[AngelFire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was very different from the first two books. The first two focused on getting the MCs together through scenes filled with smutty goodness and exciting action while this book has the MCs in an established relationship and trying to figure out how to make their relationship work. The honeymoon phase is over and both Jake and Maddox are struggling because they don't have a lot of prior experience with relationships, never mind one with a person who is from a completely different world than their own.

Since the story is from Jake's POV only, the main focus is on Jake's issues. After Maddox's home burns down, Maddox panics and decides the best way to deal with the situation is to ship Jake off to a tropical island so he's safe and Maddox won't be distracted by his presence while he deals with the arson situation. The problem is that a) Maddox doesn't tell Jake his reasoning and just chucks him onto the island and b) there's literally nothing to do on the island (there's the villa that contains bedrooms, kitchen and living room) but nothing else. No other people (except Tom, who is just there to be a bodyguard), no electronics, no sports equipment, no other buildings, nothing. This is great in terms of security, but it's awful for Jake's mental state. The guy has severe abandonment issues anyway from being in foster care his entire life and having no family and very few friends but Jake is an extrovert who thrives off action and energy from his surroundings. Having Maddox force Jake onto this island combines a lot of things that Jake hates and due to Maddox not communicating properly with Jake, everything snowballs to make Jake's mental state sink. The entire drama is a result of these two dumb-dumbs not properly communicating their needs and intentions and jumping to their own conclusions of what they think the other person is thinking.

It was put together really well and I loved how the author did the resolution. Yes, there are plenty of sexy times once Maddox comes to the island but the author had Maddox realize that making sex be such a dominant part of their relationship is part of what's leading to Jake questioning his self-worth and his role in Maddox's life. I loved having Maddox come to this realization and responding by adding more non-sexual intimacy (like taking turns putting sunscreen on each other) and non-sexual activities that made Jake feel good (like having Big Bad Mafia Boss Maddox building sand castles purely because Jake mentioned never having done so before but always wanting to, which was adorable!).

I loved how the author moved Maddox and Jake's relationship forward in a realistic but also enjoyable way in this installment. Their relationship is now on a more serious level than it was before so I'm looking forward to seeing what else the author has in store for these two!

[~nikki the recovering book addict · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome awesome awesome!!!

This was by far the best book in this series. Again, all I did was sit and read but my heart doesn’t seem to get the memo. Adrenaline coursing through my veins yo.

This was sweet, angsty, and dramatic. Can’t believe it when I turned the last page. Can’t say this is a romantic series or even dom/sub although it has elements of it. It’s a little different and I like it!

Very, very well written. I’m hoping we have more to this series because Jake and Maddox, as unconventional as they are, are compelling as a couple.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maddox and Jake grow closer in this third part of the story. After a fire burns down Maddox's house, Jake is sent away. He is upset and hurt by this and feels rejected by Maddox. Jake wants to be with Maddox and isn't concerned about the danger he may be in. I think Maddox finally put Jake's mind at ease, letting him know that he was incredibly important to Maddox.

[Courtney Bassett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angsty but good

I was warned by the blurb, but was thrown off by fully half of the novella spent by Jake thinking he was disposable and unwanted. That made my heart hurt. Maddox, of course, came through and made things better, but ouch.

Spoiler: there was a part at the beginning that really bothered me, which was leaving someone locked up and helpless while unattended. I get that this relationship doesn’t exactly follow safe, sane, and consensual guidelines, but he literally could have died had things gone a bit differently. I don’t really blame Jake for questioning his value to Maddox.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one. Interesting and emotional. There were a few inconsistencies and typos that broke up the flow but did not detract from my enjoyment of the story.

[Yue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do love Jake and Maddox together, and I don't need them to say sweet things to each other to see they do care for each other. However, I am taking a star from my rating because Maddox did some questionable things in this volume.


**SPOILERS**

First, to leave Jake tied-up and on the highest of his arousal, and leave Carl to bring the key! What an embarrassment, how could he do that.

Then, making Jake leave without saying a word. And more or less keep him in jail... true, a golden cage (beautiful beach, white sand, villa, etc) but a cage nonetheless... without a single word!

All things Tom said... if I were Jake I would have hesitated as well. Did Maddox really love him or was Jake just a convenient sex-toy? Would Maddox discard him in a near future? Every word from Tom was a stab to the heart.

Then Maddox comes to him and they have a sort of confrontation in the beach, and while a proper conversation would have been too much, Maddox being Maddox, at least he let Jake know that he is very important to him, and all the things he's done, such as sending him away, was for his own safety. The holding of hands was super cute.

So while Maddox did behave incorrectly because he didn't know any better, his words to assure Jake were very sweet and I love them together.

[Nile Princess · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. Needed a bit more patience with this one as I totally understood Jake's frustration at being kept in the dark re Maddox's movements but, after a bit, it got a bit wearing. I wasn't really mad at him or felt he was being bratty (ok, maybe a little) but I just wanted Maddox to come and make it all better already, and boy did he. I absolutely love them together, even that part of their relationship where there is a bit of imbalance power wise, not just in a strictly D/s sense, but in the sense that Jake is still vulnerable where Maddox is concerned and not totally comfortable with his place in his life. It is equal parts heartwarming and sad to see how much he needs and depends on Maddox, without understanding why, and without feeling like Maddox feels the same desperate urgency for him. By the way, Tom is a jerk and should be shot.

[Elin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jake makes me feel so much for him in this book as all he wants is to matter to Maddox and is left feeling like the thrown out trash.
The more bored and lonely he feels, the more he acts out which this book shows. He can't be left to his own devises without a guiding hand.
It makes me want to dislike Maddox, but I can't because he's clueless and so sweet when he knows he need to fix things. And because there are sandcastles.
I do love a good claiming and Maddox does it perfectly, earlier choices might have me questioning him but he makes up for it in the end.

[Esther Alayeto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love seeing Jake and Maddox again in this spectacular story. Maddox is just as demanding as he's always been and Jake is just as insecure as always especially when Maddox sends him away. Stashed away on an island, Jake needs his adrenaline rush. Maddox and Jake have an intense relationship with dark moments and a great dynamic between them. This is a very hot chapter in the lives of Jake and Maddox. Can't wait for the next one!
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

[Dena · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75*

[B. Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a 3.5 from me, but still a good read. I appreciated that these two - despite all the secrets - still manage to communicate.

[Mfelovesstories:) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A more appropriate title: A Dairy of Jake’s Insecurities.
Tagline: Jake being a crybaby (and drooling excessively)
How come these people don't brush their teeth?👀
Still love them anyway.

[J. Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5