As Seacroft’s resident weirdo, Avery proudly flies a lot of freak flags. It’s a constant battle to be taken seriously when everything, from his red hair to his sexuality, makes him stand out in this small town.
Small towns are also a terrible place to keep secrets, and Lincoln has a bunch of them. But his demons aren’t going to hold him back from his dream job at the Seacroft Fire Department. His life is finally coming together, until the red-haired twink with the big smile and fast mouth calls in an emergency.
Pining or the hot firefighter is Avery’s newest flag, even if he agrees to be “just friends.” For Linc, every minute with Avery is a temptation. He needs to let go of his fear and admit the truth. Linc doesn’t want to be Avery’s friend; he wants to be his everything. But just as Linc is ready to risk it all, Avery gets an unexpected offer to spread his colorful wings and fly away.
Hot Potato is an 80k slow burn friends-to-lovers contemporary MM romance. It features a fast-talking accountant who’s cooler than he thinks, the closeted firefighter who loves him more than he should, and a great big happy-sigh HEA.
Length: 80,000 words approx.
Cover Design: Cate Ashwood Designs
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Book #1 – Top Shelf
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Book #2 – Cold Pressed
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Avery and Linc.
I was so excited to get to know Avery, because I’d felt so bad for him in Oliver’s story when he gets the wrong idea and faces Oliver’s rejection, no matter how gently he’d let him down. I just hoped so hard he’d get his own story….
Avery was kicked out as a teenager when he told his parents he’s gay. His father hurled insults at him until he packed a small bag, but it would affect the way he sees himself well until his adult life. Not being wanted by your parents is bound to leave a lasting impression. Fortunately, he has an amazing aunt and uncle that took him in and they were the parents that he should’ve had. He now has his own apartment, he works with his uncle and he’s learning to be independent, even at twenty-six years old. You’ll understand the more you get to know him.
Now, Linc has made his way to Seacroft and is working as a firefighter. He’s used to moving around, also tainted by the actions and words of his father, he doesn’t stay in one place too long… running from a past he’s kept secret while his dad is in prison, even from his own sisters. It’s also kept him firmly in the closet, and I totally understood why. When a cooking mishap sends his crew to Avery’s new apartment, that’s when Linc sets his eyes on the red-headed embarrassed young Avery and becomes smitten.
Avery is humiliated, and although the woman firefighter was intimidating, he sure liked the cute one that noticed his gaming poster in his living room and thus becomes smitten with Linc too. Too bad he’s straight, right? A story for the ages…
Somehow, the two become friends of sorts and I loved watching them get to know each other and see their feelings grow for one another. It was a slow burn, though it was obvious to see how well they were together.
It was tricky, with Linc not being out and Avery not having a very high opinion of himself, but they made it work. They had great friends in Linc’s two work partners, I feel like Vasquez, his co-worker really did a lot in helping them both. I wasn’t sure I was going to like her in the beginning, but she and her girlfriend were amazing.
I got a little hung up on the big conflict towards the end. It was blown insanely out of proportion and I totally saw it coming too because it happened just when Avery transformed into this totally secure and in love person, like the exact day he decided to let everything go, trust Linc and be all happy and in love… it was a bit of overkill that leads right into something terribly dramatic that ruined everything. And though I could see where it would have been a big deal to Avery… I really do…. It surely wasn’t worth the relationship ruining temper tantrum he threw…. That was for sure. It lost some points with me on that one, especially because Linc had a legit reason to lose some boyfriend points. I mean, was it disappointing? Absolutely, but, did Linc deserve the crap he got because of it? Absolutely not. And did he ever tell his sisters why he never came back? Because I feel like he should’ve, then his sisters’ attitude might not’ve made me so angry. I didn’t blame Linc at all. He went through a traumatic experience with his high school boyfriend and a hate crime at the hands of his father. Get over yourselves ladies.
Other than that… I adored Avery and Linc and everybody who loved them and help them reach their HEA. And it was so sweet and well worth it… I really enjoy this series but this one might be my favorite, simply because I loved Avery.
4 Pieces of Candy
Allison Temple has been a writer since the second grade, when she wrote a short story about a girl and her horse. Her grandmother typed it out for her and said she’s never seen so many quotation marks from a seven-year-old before. Allison took that as a challenge and has gone on to try to break her previous record in all her subsequent works.
Allison lives in Toronto with her very patient husband and the world’s neediest cat. She splits her free time between writing, community theater stage management, and traveling anywhere that has good wine. Tragically, this leaves no time to clean her house.
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