Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE:  Fire Season

SERIES:  Unwritten Rules, Book 2

AUTHOR:  KD Casey

PUBLISHER:  Carina Press

LENGTH: 357 pages

RELEASE DATE:  July 19, 2022

BLURB:

“This book is EVERYTHING I want in a sports romance.” —Lyssa Kay Adams, author of The Bromance Book Club, on Unwritten Rules

Charlie Braxton has it all: a wicked curveball, a beautiful wife, and the kind of money and attention that’s attached to a professional baseball contract. Except his famous curveball comes with intense social anxiety, his wife is actually his soon-to-be ex-wife, and the money… Well, suffice it to say, he knows what it’s like to be treated like an ATM. But at least he’s better off than the new guy.

Relief pitcher Reid Giordano is struggling to maintain his sobriety—and his roster spot. The press, along with a heck of a lot of his new Oakland teammates, seem to think his best baseball days are behind him. Only Charlie Braxton gives him the benefit of the doubt—and a place to stay when Reid finds himself short on cash…and friends.

When their growing friendship turns into an unexpected attraction, and that ignites a romance, both Charlie and Reid must grapple with what it means to be more than teammates. And as their season winds down, they’ll need to walk away…or go out there and give it everything they’ve got.

REVIEW:

KD Casey’s Fire Season is an impactful MM romance with a gravitas that makes you sit up and take notice.  It’s not a witty, funny, flirty, fluffy book. It’s serious and meaningful. It shows two broken men finding kindred spirits in each other. The story is as much about Charlie and Reid’s relationship as it is about Reid’s journey back to trusting and believing in good things. In himself.

Casey tells a love story that is sexy and sweet, heartbreaking and heartwarming.  But for all its gravity, there are no histrionics or high angst.  The whole story is a painful but worthwhile struggle where we see two endearing men find their best selves with each other.

Casey does an excellent job with character development, particularly with Charlie.  He is uber successful and uber talented, yet all the fame and money haven’t tainted him. Charlie has a good, kind soul and a wide-eyed naivete borne of the entrée and cache his talent and prestige has afforded him.  It has shielded him from the realities and harshness of the real world in a way that Reid has never experienced.

The most endearing part of Charlie is that he wants to understand, and he wants to try.  He wants to get it right. His perfectionism paired with talent pays dividends on the pitcher’s mound, but he’s out of his depth trying to apply that perfectionism in the real world.  He can’t fix everything.  He can’t make everything right, much as he might want to. But his indefatigable optimism is one of his best traits, and you can’t help but fall for him as quickly and smoothly as one of his famous “Charlie Braxton curve balls”.

In Reid, Casey presents an authentic portrait of the real day-to-day struggle of a recovering alcoholic.  His constant apprehension and expectation of rejection and defeat are palpable things.  But he finds support and some relief in Charlie’s arms, especially through Charlie’s easy acceptance and deep-seated unwavering belief that Reid deserves good things so good things will come to him.

I loved this story, and read it through in one sitting.  It’s not a difficult read, but it’s not light either – not if you are engaged with the message Casey conveys. In Fire Season, Charlie and Reid burn the rule book and find their own way.  You’ll burn through the pages like a conflagration, and you’ll finish with your heart alight with the solid “it will all work out” feeling that only a well-written HEA can deliver.

RATING: 

BUY LINK: 

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