Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Hot Seat

SERIES: The Hot Cannolis (Book 1)

AUTHOR: Eli Easton & Tara Lain

PUBLISHER: Easton Lain Publishing

LENGTH: 72K

RELEASE DATE: February 22, 2022

BLURB:

Wait. Can a Canali be gay?

Hero firefighter, youngest of six macho Italian brothers and—in love with Shane Bower, who never met a unicorn T-shirt he didn’t love? How does that even work?

When Mike Canali meets Shane Bower, his attraction to the guy is off the charts. But then his huge family and intense job full of rules and expectations intrude and he never calls.

Until they both get a medal—
and his mom falls in love with Shane at the ceremony—
and all of a sudden Shane’s all over his life, whether Mike likes it or not.

The butch Canali family face-to-face with sparkly Shane Bower? This is a wildfire of its own.

Shane worked damned hard to be who he is—fantastic, femme and in-your-face. He won’t compromise that, even to have the super-hot man of his dreams. But can he really ask Mike to give up his family and future just to have his fabulous self? Especially when he’s falling in love with the Canali family too?

HOT SEAT is a hot firefighter, big crazy family, coming out, opposites attract, forced proximity, romantic comedy—with all the feels.

REVIEW:

I honestly and truly didn’t want this book to end! It was that heartwarmingly good💕

Mike Canali loves his big, loud Italian family. It’s his life being the baby of this firefighter family and a newbie Cal Fire firefighter that just won the Medal of Valor after only two weeks on the job. He should be flying high but all he can concentrate on is the other Medal of Valor winner, civilian Shane Bower…the man he spent cuddling together in that canoe to escape the fire. Now he going to have to come face to face with the man and he can’t face him because he’s a closeted chickenshit! When his Mama makes sure that the flamboyant man of his dreams is invited to Sunday dinner he’s scared to death Shane is going to blow his sexual identity secret. What he does know is that Shane would never, ever out someone. Not after what his family did to him. Thank goodness he has his Pops after all that disaster to lean on. When attraction s become too much can Mike and Shane ignore the inevitable or will true love and smoking hot chemistry put them in the Hot Seat???

I love, love, loved this book! These two hurting men just wanted love and acceptance. Poor Mike, he just is too scared to loose all that is important to him. He needs his family’s love and support. And all he has ever wanted to do is follow in his dad and brother’s footsteps. But coming out is so risky and he’s so afraid of loosing it all. The pressures are just to much for him and he is just an accident waiting to happen. I get why Shane had enough. But he didn’t know the whole story. And he just couldn’t take it any longer. His heart couldn’t take it any longer!

The hospital scene and the Christmas scene really got to me. First Mike’s bravery in the face of really almost losing it. It was heart wrenching to watch him be blasted when he came out but then I loved how important family members rallied around him that he didn’t expect. Donny’s speech not only shocked me but hit it home to them all. “The choice isn’t to accept Mike or say goodbye. The choice is to accept Mike or go to his funeral.” How could that not gut you? The Christmas present to Mike from his Ma and Pa was what really got to me though. What his Pa said helped. It didn’t erase the hurtful homophobic things said but it was a first offering, like a salve on burn wound. It won’t heal the wound immediately but it will help with the burn and eventually allow the wound to heal. This was a sincerely touching first step 💕

I can’t wait for more of this series. I seriously fell hard for Shane and Mike and hope we get more of their future in the next book. Great first book for what is shaping up to be a phenomenal series!

RATING:

BUY LINK:

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