Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Flirting With Fire
SERIES: A Shore Thing Novel #3
AUTHOR: Grace Kilian Delaney
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
RELEASE DATE: October 20, 2020
LENGTH: 287 pages
BLURB:
A stuntman with a love for fire.
A yoga teacher in search of zen.
A holiday season neither will forget.
Stunt performer and self-declared badass, Tate Astbury returns to his hometown to spend another dreaded Thanksgiving with his dad. But his father forgets and makes other plans, resigning Tate to a quiet and depressing holiday alone unless he can find someplace else to celebrate.
When Tate’s mischievous friend learns about the unfortunate twist, he dares Tate to enter a radio contest to become a fake boyfriend for a desperate caller’s holiday dinner, and Tate never turns down a dare.
Endre Michel is a mess. His yoga business is on the cusp of ruin, and his moms are visiting from out of state for the holiday, intent on meeting his boyfriend, a person Endre invented. Through the contest, he meets Tate, a crude, tattooed older man who plays the role of doting boyfriend so well, Endre suspects and hopes it’s not all for show.
Neither man can deny the unintended connection, and they struggle to overcome the distance between Tate’s put-together Hollywood career and the chaos surrounding Endre’s unsteady future—a situation that intensifies when an unthinkable tragedy uncovers a dark and painful truth.
Flirting with Fire is a standalone holiday romance with several cups of angst, questionable jokes, a bird with a wicked sense of humor, a bed with loud, squeaky springs, and an HFN/HEA ending. For best enjoyment, read Living on a Dare and Dancing with a Star, the previous books in the Shore Thing series.
CW: suicide, substance abuse disorder, grief, mental illness
REVIEW:
Anyone who believed that gay couldn’t mean butch hadn’t met Tate. A first-rate Hollywood stuntman with a penchant for setting himself on fire. He’s a man who sees life in two parts, Before (tragedy) and Now. Now, Tate has a group of friends who don’t turn down a dare. When one such challenge comes Tate’s way, he is duty-bound to see it through. What Tate doesn’t expect is to find a person who can tear down his well-built walls.
Endre has a past that works hard not to be overwhelmed by. Every day has its challenges. As a yoga instructor and a single man, his students seem to be on a mission to set him up. Wishing for their ‘good-will’ to end, he invents a boyfriend. Unfortunately, his lie comes to a head when his parents insist on meeting the elusive travelling man. Endre enters a contest to win a boyfriend for Thanksgiving – he gets Tate.
When Endre’s friend since college decides to bow out of the yoga business, the secrets that get revealed put Endre at a crossroads. The affection brewing between himself and Tate is also a factor in his eventual decision.
Flirting With Fire is the third book in the A Shore Thing series. I read an uncorrected proof, and therefore won’t be commenting on any technical aspects. The blurb says the novel can be read as a standalone, and it is right. I read the first in the series and missed the second. I remembered characters from book one and, although unnecessary, I believe it would be advantageous to read the others in the series, to give a more 360 view of the world, and characters.
The opening scenes of Tate at a graveside had me in tears and was the start to a heart-wrenching and inspirational novel, where the scene-setting, along with the storytelling, is superb.
Generally, Tate is laid back. His personal life experiences have made him accepting and open-eyed to Endre’s confessions regarding addiction. I liked how, from the start, Endre was honest about his life battles. They were not aspects to hide away until discovered, Endre got it out there and showed what he did to cope and get through the tough times.
Tate and Endre, quite rightly, dominate page space, though the cast adds extended family, fun, and a broader appreciation of the world in which the novel is set. Throughout, there are glimpses into the past that explain elements of the present. My only gripe is that being British, some of the abbreviations and local lingo were a challenge to my understanding. While I appreciate the authenticity, I also felt a little alienated from some dialogue.
Endre records his ups and downs in the hope that they will help others, and the process helps him too. These videos, give introspection, plus bring to light the demon voices of depression and the knowledge that addiction is always lurking in the background. Endre isn’t the only vulnerable one. Tate’s past leaves him emotionally raw, and the present brings those sensitivities to the fore. When Tate shows his feelings or has reflective moments, it pulls me into the page, and I wanted to hug him.
Flirting With Fire is a story that contains unrequited love, drama, true love, death, uphill battles, but ones that, with dedication and positivity, can be won. The love that develops between Tate and Endre is divine, and Tate is seriously – daauuuummmm.
I love a story that entertains, educates, and gives my emotions a run. I got that and more with this novel. The blurb advertises an HFN/HEA, but a Happy For Now ending seems so depressing, I much prefer to believe that Tate and Endre get their Happy Ever After – this is fiction after all.
RATING: 
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