Reviewed by Carissa
TITLE: After the Rain
SERIES: Fire and Rain #2
AUTHOR: Daisy Harris
PUBLISHER: Samhain Publishing
LENGTH: 161 pages
BLURB: Henri’s list of bad exes is as long as his arm, but nothing prepared him for his latest, heart-stomping breakup. He thought he couldn’t feel more abandoned, until his ride for a group camping trip bails, leaving him stuck driving for hours with a guy who is absolutely not his type.
After breaking up with his girlfriend of five years, firefighter Logan is working up the nerve to explore his interest in men. He knows he’s gay. He just hasn’t had the guts to do anything about it…until now.
Henri’s big-city attitude and tight jeans push every last one of Logan’s buttons, and when he and Henri have to share a tent, Logan is thrilled. He should have realized Pacific Northwest weather would get wet—forcing them to strip naked.
Though the steam between them is thicker than coastal fog, Henri’s not sure he can let himself fall for another man. Not even the guy who finally treats him right.
Warning: Contains bad ex-boyfriends, even worse weather, and more than your average amount of sex in a tent. May not be suitable for those with germ phobias, outdoor aversions or fear of damp shoes.
REVIEW:
Logan knows he’s gay…he just has no clue what to do about it. Hugging the tail-end of twenty years old, he can’t go to bars (legally) and he knows exactly one gay man–and he is happily shacked up with his boyfriend. Logan has never kissed a man, let alone done any explorations below the belt (except self-reconnaissance, of course), but he figures it is time to give it a whirl. No matter how much he thinks he is going to blow it.
Henri has really rotten taste in men. He knows it, but even he is shocked to find out the depths his last ex has plunged to. As if cheating wasn’t bad enough, Henri’s ex may have left him with a little going away present: HSV2–or the Herpes simplex virus. Freaked, stressed, and just worn out, Henri wants to escape for a few days.
A weekend trip into the Canadian wilds may be just the ticket. For both Logan and Henri. Logan can finally meet some men who share his love of all things cock, and Henri can escape the cloud of Preston-doom-and-gloom. At least for a few days. Neither of them is looking to fall in love. Hell, Henri is going to go out of his way to not fall into anything–be it man, river, or mud–unless it is his own solitary sleeping bag. But a shared tent and some wet and frosty weather might just bring the two closer to what they need. Even if they never expected to want it.
This is the second book in the Fire and Rain series, and boy was it heavy on the rain. But I guess that is what you get for camping in Canada. It is cold and wet, and gives the men plenty of excuses to strip down in their comfy little tent–which I wholly approve of. But it wasn’t the sex romp I originally thought it would be, and I’m glad. Henri has a whole bag of issues…and that is before he finds out he might have an STI. I like that it took time for him to get to the point where he could admit that he wanted Logan. Or, well, admit that he trusted Logan enough to touch him. Not that I can blame him, ‘cause his track-record is pretty shitty.
Logan, on the other hand, has no clue how to go about seducing the brash and beautiful Henri. Half the time he is unsure whether he wants to throw the man out of the tent, or onto his bed. Henri sure has an abrasive attitude (which is understandable) but I liked that Logan, despite his cluelessness, went after him. He listened to Henri, understood why Henri was freaking out, but also made sure to show him that it wasn’t the end of the world, and that he could trust Logan. Logan really was the perfect blend of naiveté and strength.
I do wish that this book had been set over a longer time-frame. The few days at the campground was the setting of most the story, and it did make it hard to believe that they moved far enough along in their relationship to handle shaking up together by the end. Henri seems to have a bad habit of rushing into things, and it would have been nice to see him try and go it on his own for a bit before he and Logan move in. I get why Henri saw it as a good offer, I mean I would totally want to move in with Logan myself, but I wanted more time to build the relationship–for both of them.
At some points I had trouble feeling the connection between the two men. Especially at the beginning…but I guess I understand it. Henri is a bit of an ass, and Logan is just starting to really find himself. I think had they had more time to feel each other out, it would have helped me see the build-up to the flames that came later. That scene with wet-suit and the ‘helping hand’ was pretty hot though. It didn’t last very long, but I think that is where I started to feel these two.
I enjoyed reading this story, and I am glad that Henri finally found someone who wasn’t a complete douche. And Logan was just great. While I would have liked to see more of them than we were given, their little weekend away was a pretty great beginning to a relationship. Not sure if I would believe it was a HEA, at least not yet, but I think by the time it hits The End they are in a spot to try and build something together that might just last. I’m also really looking forward to Michael’s story.
RATING: 