Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Too Close to the Flame

AUTHOR: Ryan Taylor & Joshua Harwood

PUBLISHER: Wainscott Press

LENGTH: 299 pages

RELEASE DATE: July 31, 2020

BLURB:

Can he ever learn to trust again?

Brandon Weber’s old boyfriend almost beat him to death. Brandon survived, but still bears the emotional scars. Eighteen months later, he has withdrawn into himself, convinced he’ll never be able to trust another man.

Devin Macadam, fresh out of law school, has an exciting new job. He is also on the lookout for just the right guy, someone to take care of and love.

When Devin shows up for the first day of work at his new office, he meets Brandon, a legal assistant there. Sparks fly, but Brandon is paralyzed by fear and isn’t about to give another man the power to hurt him again. Devin, never one to give up easily, doesn’t want to take no for an answer. Both men feel the magic, but can their relationship ever get past the friend zone?

Too Close to the Flame is a dark-to-light, sweet romance featuring out and proud gay men, lots of feels, steamy love scenes, and a wonderful happy ending. The book is approximately 86,000 words and has X-Ray enabled for your reading pleasure.

Trigger Warning: Too Close to the Flame contains specific memories of physical abuse.

REVIEW:

Ok, there is a small trigger warning at the end of the blurb, but that doesn’t even come close to describing the triggers that could be for some. It describes in detail what happens to one of the MCs, and it’s not pretty. Abuse, beaten, raped and left for dead. And that’s just a small part. So if this is a problem for you be careful.

I’ve never read anything by these men, but this was one heck of a story. It is one of great heart break, but of hope as well. After Bran is brutally beaten by his ex, he’s terrified to let himself feel again. But when Devin joins the office, sparks go off the minute they touch. And Bran is starting to feel things that he’s never felt or could never dream of feeling. But he can’t. He knows he is too broken for Dev and starts to pull away immediately. He can’t take the chance of letting Dev get too close. But Dev is not willing to give in. He is patient with Bran, willing to let Bran take everything at his own pace. Not putting anything on Bran that he can’t handle. Until one misunderstanding. And then things turn bad for a bit. But as Bran talks with others, he realizes he’s about to lose the one thing he’s always wanted in someone if he doesn’t learn to let go and start to move forward. But can he do it or will he lose Dev because he can’t let go?

Surviving what Bran did was a miracle on its own. The fact that he got up and kept going, was an even bigger one. Doesn’t mean he didn’t need therapy or that he wasn’t terrified of things. But I love that he had a support system. And as he and Dev started really getting serious, he had to stop and look at the fact that Dev really was the perfect guy. He was caring, patient, fun, and so much of a good man. And that was everything Bran needed. He needed someone who would love him, despite what he had been through. Someone that saw through the cracks. Someone that saw that he wasn’t broken. Just a little worn down and bent some. But not broke. Because he picked himself up and he was doing things for himself that showed he was going to be able to take care of himself. And when push came to shove, he did several times over. It was scary, but he faced his fears and did what he needed to do. And I love them both. They are what each other needs and for them, it’s not always sunshine and roses, but it’s pretty close. And that’s what counts. They keep trying. And holding on to hope.

RATING:

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