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3.14 AVERAGE
3.14 AVERAGE
*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*
After a secretive break-up with his fellow firefighter, Dale takes the first job available somewhere away from his ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend. Dale ends up in small-town Calminster. But after some mistakes, Dale has not made a good impression on the Baron of Calminster. The two clash from the first meeting, but as they see each other more, they can no longer deny the attraction.
Both characters took a little time to like. Dale was easier but he was so awkward. His first week on the job was awkward and I felt so bad for him. Ben really seemed like quite the a-hole and took a lot longer for me to like. Once getting to know him, his behavior made sense and he turned out to be a caring, down-to-earth man. Dale and Ben were a sweet couple and I enjoyed watching them find love.
There was a little mystery in the story and I would have loved more of it. It was a very small part of the story and did not overtake the love story taking place. Other than the arsonist, Calminster seemed a great place to live. I actually didn’t read the blurb for this book but the title of the book gave me a laugh and I couldn’t pass it up. And I was not disappointed in the story! This was a sweet romance with more of a HFN ending but you can definitely draw the conclusion that Ben and Dale got their HEA.
Rating: 4 stars
After a secretive break-up with his fellow firefighter, Dale takes the first job available somewhere away from his ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend. Dale ends up in small-town Calminster. But after some mistakes, Dale has not made a good impression on the Baron of Calminster. The two clash from the first meeting, but as they see each other more, they can no longer deny the attraction.
Both characters took a little time to like. Dale was easier but he was so awkward. His first week on the job was awkward and I felt so bad for him. Ben really seemed like quite the a-hole and took a lot longer for me to like. Once getting to know him, his behavior made sense and he turned out to be a caring, down-to-earth man. Dale and Ben were a sweet couple and I enjoyed watching them find love.
There was a little mystery in the story and I would have loved more of it. It was a very small part of the story and did not overtake the love story taking place. Other than the arsonist, Calminster seemed a great place to live. I actually didn’t read the blurb for this book but the title of the book gave me a laugh and I couldn’t pass it up. And I was not disappointed in the story! This was a sweet romance with more of a HFN ending but you can definitely draw the conclusion that Ben and Dale got their HEA.
Rating: 4 stars
4 Hearts
I am going to jump up on a soap box for a moment… I adore the Dreamspun Desires stories as they reflect on the beginnings of my romance reading as a young girl. There is a comfort in knowing when I open one of these books, I am going to get a romance; not erotica or sex filled pages, but a romance between two men and how they fall forward toward an HEA. This series and I have had our ups and downs, but it delivers on the promise of the publisher, “Where the men are hot, the romance is rockin’, and there’s always a happily ever after!” I have said this house line reminds me of the Hallmark Movies I can’t get enough of, just with more diversity. Anyway, I think for anyone wanting to read a story in the Dreamspun line needs to be aware what the line represents before judging a book on what you thought you were getting…
*jumps down*
So, this story was fun. I am a fan of the author's work and this line fit Sue Brown’s story telling beautifully.
We meet Dale Maloney as he is starting a new job with a new firehouse after moving across the country to leave behind his old life. You see, Dale was dating a fellow fireman but they kept their relationship in the closet. When Dale was ready to propose, he caught his boyfriend in bed with another crew member, a female crew member. Devastated and betrayed, Dale is ready to move on but with his first call away to a cottage fire gives way to a terrible first impression of Lord Calminster and his attitude.
Benedict Raleigh, nineteenth Baron Calminster of Calminster Hall, is used to living life a certain way. He’s been raised with responsibility of being Lord of the Manor of Calminster. He also takes the lives of those who work for him seriously. When his cook’s cottage catches fire and he can’t get to her to make sure she is okay, he frets and takes his frustrations out Dale who has no clue who he is.
Granted, Ben and Dale don’t have a traditional meet cute as they more have a calamity of situations that throw them together, the men have a spark of enemies to lovers that I love. They truly aren’t enemies, they just rub one another the wrong way when they first meet but both men have an attraction and through both their POV’s we know how they feel.
I was worried when I found out Ben had a beard; a woman he’s been “dating” for a few years who is the daughter of a man he would like to merge business with. It’s bad to marry for business, but Ben has resigned the false life so that he could again do what’s right and produce heirs. I absolutely love that when Ben owns his interest in Dale, he decides to break off the relationship with Sabrina and their whole dinner conversation was fantastic. Thanks to the author for not making Sabrina out to be some vapid girl and instead makes her to be an amazing, strong and professional woman wants nothing for the best for Ben in his personal and professional life. Sabrina is pretty kick ass and I love how she remained in Ben’s corner even when her father was trying to destroy everything Ben has.
But back to the romance. Ben and Dale do take their time with the relationship. They acknowledge the attraction and respect one another’s boundaries; Ben wanting to keep the relationship quiet as he isn’t publicly out and Dale wanting to take things slow as he is getting over his breakup. Though Ben wants to keep things quiet at first, he does understand that Dale won’t go back in the closet and let’s just say that nothing in a small town is ever kept secret when everyone already knows your business.
These two were really sweet and the relationship was built on honesty and trust from the get go. Ben and Dale talk about their issues and share their dreams with one another. We know Ben has a fantasy of being rescued by a fireman and we know how much Dale’s mother would love to see a place like Calminster House in person. We get a small conversation about children early on with these two and I found it true to who the men were to be open about wanting kids someday, having them together and Dale commenting about the offer from his sister. I don’t think it was too soon to talk about anything when it came to their relationship or their future, even if the talks happened *gasp* before they fucked.
I adored the crew of the Calminster firehouse and the staff at Calminster Hall. It cracked me up when Dale would mention how hot Colson the butler was and when we learn about Joe, I felt for Dale wanting to hide from Colson and his hearing and yet I nodded along to the porn scenario. The small village feel of Calminster was warm and inviting. The added mystery of an arsonist was handled in a way I would expect of a small town where everyone knows one another and dealt with reasonably. That end was a bit rushed for me but I just wanted a bit more from the couple and wasn’t ready for the book to end.
The Fireman’s Pole (yes take every innuendo with that and you’d be right) was simply a light and sweet romance about two men met under non perfect conditions but found they wanted one another more than first impressions allowed. Ben and Dale were a delightful couple to get to know as they became friends, as they found dark corners, had sexy AF picnics and realized that letting go of the past allows them to live fully in the present and plan for one hell of a future together.
*side note*There is a cat on the cover and while the cat is not front and center of the book, there is a cat mentioned in the story. Ben’s dogs just take over and as a dog person, I am a-okay with that.
I am going to jump up on a soap box for a moment… I adore the Dreamspun Desires stories as they reflect on the beginnings of my romance reading as a young girl. There is a comfort in knowing when I open one of these books, I am going to get a romance; not erotica or sex filled pages, but a romance between two men and how they fall forward toward an HEA. This series and I have had our ups and downs, but it delivers on the promise of the publisher, “Where the men are hot, the romance is rockin’, and there’s always a happily ever after!” I have said this house line reminds me of the Hallmark Movies I can’t get enough of, just with more diversity. Anyway, I think for anyone wanting to read a story in the Dreamspun line needs to be aware what the line represents before judging a book on what you thought you were getting…
*jumps down*
So, this story was fun. I am a fan of the author's work and this line fit Sue Brown’s story telling beautifully.
“The minute I laid eyes on you, I wanted to….”
“To?”
“Do I really have to say this?”
“Yes, you do.”
“Dale Maloney, I wanted you to take me to bed and fuck me senseless.”
We meet Dale Maloney as he is starting a new job with a new firehouse after moving across the country to leave behind his old life. You see, Dale was dating a fellow fireman but they kept their relationship in the closet. When Dale was ready to propose, he caught his boyfriend in bed with another crew member, a female crew member. Devastated and betrayed, Dale is ready to move on but with his first call away to a cottage fire gives way to a terrible first impression of Lord Calminster and his attitude.
Benedict Raleigh, nineteenth Baron Calminster of Calminster Hall, is used to living life a certain way. He’s been raised with responsibility of being Lord of the Manor of Calminster. He also takes the lives of those who work for him seriously. When his cook’s cottage catches fire and he can’t get to her to make sure she is okay, he frets and takes his frustrations out Dale who has no clue who he is.
Granted, Ben and Dale don’t have a traditional meet cute as they more have a calamity of situations that throw them together, the men have a spark of enemies to lovers that I love. They truly aren’t enemies, they just rub one another the wrong way when they first meet but both men have an attraction and through both their POV’s we know how they feel.
I was worried when I found out Ben had a beard; a woman he’s been “dating” for a few years who is the daughter of a man he would like to merge business with. It’s bad to marry for business, but Ben has resigned the false life so that he could again do what’s right and produce heirs. I absolutely love that when Ben owns his interest in Dale, he decides to break off the relationship with Sabrina and their whole dinner conversation was fantastic. Thanks to the author for not making Sabrina out to be some vapid girl and instead makes her to be an amazing, strong and professional woman wants nothing for the best for Ben in his personal and professional life. Sabrina is pretty kick ass and I love how she remained in Ben’s corner even when her father was trying to destroy everything Ben has.
“Going out with Sabrina was lazy and convenient, but it was wrong of me to lead her along. Although I might have ended up marrying her, because I’m a coward.”
“But you’re gay.”
“I’m also someone who is expected to marry and produce heirs.”
“So what stopped you?”
“I met you.”
But back to the romance. Ben and Dale do take their time with the relationship. They acknowledge the attraction and respect one another’s boundaries; Ben wanting to keep the relationship quiet as he isn’t publicly out and Dale wanting to take things slow as he is getting over his breakup. Though Ben wants to keep things quiet at first, he does understand that Dale won’t go back in the closet and let’s just say that nothing in a small town is ever kept secret when everyone already knows your business.
These two were really sweet and the relationship was built on honesty and trust from the get go. Ben and Dale talk about their issues and share their dreams with one another. We know Ben has a fantasy of being rescued by a fireman and we know how much Dale’s mother would love to see a place like Calminster House in person. We get a small conversation about children early on with these two and I found it true to who the men were to be open about wanting kids someday, having them together and Dale commenting about the offer from his sister. I don’t think it was too soon to talk about anything when it came to their relationship or their future, even if the talks happened *gasp* before they fucked.
I adored the crew of the Calminster firehouse and the staff at Calminster Hall. It cracked me up when Dale would mention how hot Colson the butler was and when we learn about Joe, I felt for Dale wanting to hide from Colson and his hearing and yet I nodded along to the porn scenario. The small village feel of Calminster was warm and inviting. The added mystery of an arsonist was handled in a way I would expect of a small town where everyone knows one another and dealt with reasonably. That end was a bit rushed for me but I just wanted a bit more from the couple and wasn’t ready for the book to end.
The Fireman’s Pole (yes take every innuendo with that and you’d be right) was simply a light and sweet romance about two men met under non perfect conditions but found they wanted one another more than first impressions allowed. Ben and Dale were a delightful couple to get to know as they became friends, as they found dark corners, had sexy AF picnics and realized that letting go of the past allows them to live fully in the present and plan for one hell of a future together.
*side note*There is a cat on the cover and while the cat is not front and center of the book, there is a cat mentioned in the story. Ben’s dogs just take over and as a dog person, I am a-okay with that.
3.5 stars..A great start to the book but not a good start with Dale and Ben first meeting. There's definitely fire between them in this book with a thin line for dislike and lust. Unfortunately I didnt feel their chemisty and noticed a few things at the start which bugged me. I wasnt a fan of Ben's actions sometimes being rude to others and to Dale. Trouble with Ben's ex's father with threats for the estate but Ben had Sabrina's help.
I wanted to love this since its a fire fighters story but it didnt quiet get there for me.
Dale's first day with a new fire station of to good good start.. Not. After ending a relationship with his Ex cheating on him he vowed he'd never be closeted again.
Lord Calmister aka Benedict was the owner of the town estate with a girlfriend, Sabrina he didn't want to marry.
I wanted to love this since its a fire fighters story but it didnt quiet get there for me.
Dale's first day with a new fire station of to good good start.. Not. After ending a relationship with his Ex cheating on him he vowed he'd never be closeted again.
Lord Calmister aka Benedict was the owner of the town estate with a girlfriend, Sabrina he didn't want to marry.
This was funny and sweet with really adorable characters, including all the supporting characters.
Terrible story, boring characters, no plot, and worst of all, no sex. How can you write a book with that title and not have any sex? An absolute waste of everyone's time.
Ben and Dale were good together but sometimes it felt like they really didn't like each other! :(
I do like the people in the village though!
I do like the people in the village though!
Originally posted over at JLR: https://justlovereviews.com/2017/10/15/the-firemans-pole-sue-brown/
3.5 stars
I don’t really know how I feel about this book. The romance was ok, the MCs were ok, the plot was interesting, but things went too fast for me. There was kind of too much going on with minimal development. I think the reason why I gave this book a lower rating is that it had so much potential that was completely wasted because of the short length. Give it more development and this book would have been five stars for me. Totally unfair given that this is a Dreamspun Desires book, but that’s how I feel.
The problem is that I have read books with more ridiculous and unbelievable plots that had more chemistry between the two MCs. The chemistry was significantly lacking in this book and it made it hard to look away from some other issues I had with it. The biggest issue was that the romance was mainly derived from announcing feelings without us really seeing it. I want to see their chemistry, not have them tell me they like each other. It falls flat for me when that’s the case and it was frustrating because I really liked the idea of them together. They would work really well together as a fighting-to-loving type thing if it wasn’t so rushed.
I feel that the romance started too quickly and then fell victim to not enough development. The romance starting quickly would be fine, but Ben was really aggressively mean to Dale the first times they talked. I don’t understand how Dale would have gone head over heels for someone who treated him like that (especially after a bad breakup). Ben got sweeter later in the book but that was after Dale was all into him. Also, it bothered me that Dale announced that he wanted to wait to have sex because he was feeling vulnerable after his breakup, but then he jumped right into bed with Ben.
On the other side, Ben meets Dale, is mean to him, and then suddenly decides Dale is worth breaking up with his girlfriend (beard) and coming out. Ben was adamant about not coming out too quickly but then was all over Dale in public. The village wasn’t homophobic or judgmental so I understand why he felt comfortable doing this, but his words did not match his actions. This book had a serious case of “I wouldn’t before but he’s just so special.” Yuck.
Onto what I liked about the book… The writing was well done and I thought there were a lot of interesting characters in it. I actually enjoyed Ben and Dale as characters, but I think the sudden romance made them kind of boring. They actually became more interesting when they were around the other interesting characters from the village, but they were boring together. I could really see how this romance would work but it needed more development. Could I write the words “more development” more in this review???
Sadly, the mystery with the fire stole the show. I liked how it got resolved and that it wasn’t too serious (I mean arson is always serious but no one got killed). It gave the characters more reasons to interact and brought Dale into contact with more of the villagers.
Overall, I think this book would have done better not as a Dreamspun Desires but as a full-length book. There were some interesting plot points that got glazed over and I think the romance should have been more of a slow burn. However, if you can suspend your disbelief better than I could or not get frustrated at the short length, then I think you would enjoy this book a lot more. Especially since the Fireman/stuffy Royalty thing was really hot and the mystery was engaging.
I received an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.
3.5 stars
I don’t really know how I feel about this book. The romance was ok, the MCs were ok, the plot was interesting, but things went too fast for me. There was kind of too much going on with minimal development. I think the reason why I gave this book a lower rating is that it had so much potential that was completely wasted because of the short length. Give it more development and this book would have been five stars for me. Totally unfair given that this is a Dreamspun Desires book, but that’s how I feel.
The problem is that I have read books with more ridiculous and unbelievable plots that had more chemistry between the two MCs. The chemistry was significantly lacking in this book and it made it hard to look away from some other issues I had with it. The biggest issue was that the romance was mainly derived from announcing feelings without us really seeing it. I want to see their chemistry, not have them tell me they like each other. It falls flat for me when that’s the case and it was frustrating because I really liked the idea of them together. They would work really well together as a fighting-to-loving type thing if it wasn’t so rushed.
I feel that the romance started too quickly and then fell victim to not enough development. The romance starting quickly would be fine, but Ben was really aggressively mean to Dale the first times they talked. I don’t understand how Dale would have gone head over heels for someone who treated him like that (especially after a bad breakup). Ben got sweeter later in the book but that was after Dale was all into him. Also, it bothered me that Dale announced that he wanted to wait to have sex because he was feeling vulnerable after his breakup, but then he jumped right into bed with Ben.
On the other side, Ben meets Dale, is mean to him, and then suddenly decides Dale is worth breaking up with his girlfriend (beard) and coming out. Ben was adamant about not coming out too quickly but then was all over Dale in public. The village wasn’t homophobic or judgmental so I understand why he felt comfortable doing this, but his words did not match his actions. This book had a serious case of “I wouldn’t before but he’s just so special.” Yuck.
Onto what I liked about the book… The writing was well done and I thought there were a lot of interesting characters in it. I actually enjoyed Ben and Dale as characters, but I think the sudden romance made them kind of boring. They actually became more interesting when they were around the other interesting characters from the village, but they were boring together. I could really see how this romance would work but it needed more development. Could I write the words “more development” more in this review???
Sadly, the mystery with the fire stole the show. I liked how it got resolved and that it wasn’t too serious (I mean arson is always serious but no one got killed). It gave the characters more reasons to interact and brought Dale into contact with more of the villagers.
Overall, I think this book would have done better not as a Dreamspun Desires but as a full-length book. There were some interesting plot points that got glazed over and I think the romance should have been more of a slow burn. However, if you can suspend your disbelief better than I could or not get frustrated at the short length, then I think you would enjoy this book a lot more. Especially since the Fireman/stuffy Royalty thing was really hot and the mystery was engaging.
I received an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.