Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: Fire and Fog
SERIES: Carlisle Cops #6
AUTHOR: Andrew Grey
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 200 Pages
RELEASE DATE: July 11, 2017
BLURB:
Carlisle police officer Dwayne knows what Robin is doing the moment he lays eyes on the young man at Bronco’s club. But he doesn’t know that they both come from families who’ve cast them out for being gay, or that they’re still lugging around the pain of those rejections. Robin leaves the club, and soon after Dwayne decides to as well—and is close by when things between Robin and his client turn violent.
When Dwayne finds out Robin is the victim of a scam, which lost him his apartment, he can’t leave Robin to fend for himself on the streets. Despite Dwayne’s offer of help and even opening up his home, it’s hard for Robin to trust anything good. The friendship between them grows, and just as the two men start warming up to each other, Robin’s sister passes away, naming Robin to care for her son. Worse yet, their pasts creep back in to tear down the family and sense of belonging both of them long for.
REVIEW:
Funnily enough, I’ve never been one of those madly devoted Andrew Grey fans, but I really like this series. The Carlisle Cops series and the Bronco Boys series (those characters always tend to pop up here) are my favourites by this author, and this book was no exception.
The plot isn’t a new one, homeless pretty boy resorts to prostitution and is rescued by the sexy do-gooder cop. But while it isn’t a new concept, it is one of my favourites when done well. And for any readers that don’t like books with prostitutes, never fear, Robin never successfully takes up the profession.
I enjoyed the way these two characters came together. I loved that Dwayne was “man enough” to offer physical comfort (I wanted in on those hugs) and Robin finally felt safe enough to accept what he needed. The sex scenes are rather flowery, but I actually don’t have any issue with that. I thought it rather matched the characters, especially Dwayne, who just felt like the emotionally flowery type. However, I know that lines like these can drive some readers over the edge…
“Painted his release on his belly in a glorious display of joy” and “Dwayne flew into orbit afraid to move as he danced happily on momentary clouds of white.”
So just be aware, I do recognise that this type of writing isn’t to everyone’s taste. But I find if pretty words and lack of angst are what I’m in the mood for, then this author is a safe bet.
As to the “bad-guy” part of the plot, I liked the way the author brought the two issues together. I thought it was fairly obvious early on which way the plot was twisting, but I’ll admit that I didn’t see every revelation coming. There were parts that weren’t expanding on though, that would have made it an even better story. For example, there was the very odd—didn’t quite fit the story—reveal of a man chasing Robin in the woods years ago. And then there was Robin’s almost inability to read and write. Both were mentioned but never expanded.
This is book six in the series, but can easily be read as a standalone. To be honest, I’ve missed a couple myself. I would suggest maybe reading the first book in the series first, but only because both main characters from that story play a notable part in this book. Red and Terry are my favourite couple in this series so fair, and they feature enough here that I think readers are going to want to know their story.
So, happily satisfied, I am recommending this book! Andrew Grey really knows how to give his target audience what they want. Everything about this book works for me.
RATING: 
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