Reviewed by Valerie

 

TITLE:  Wildfire

SERIES:  In Vino Veritas #1

AUTHOR:   Garrett Leigh

PUBLISHER:  Heart Eyes Press

LENGTH:  285 pages

RELEASE DATE:  September 8, 2022

BLURB:

A gorgeous new sexual awakening romance with sizzling first times, snarky British banter, and off-the-charts chemistry.

Life doesn’t always pan out as you expect. When it explodes in my face, literally, an old friend offers me a place to heal and a job renovating the kitchen of Burlington’s coolest wine bar.

V&V is a chill fest. Living above it should be a blast. But I’m not built to be a social butterfly. Not anymore. I’m a damaged man.

And I’m not its target clientele.

At least, I think I’m not until I come face to face with the most beautiful human I’ve ever seen. Joss is the new chef and my roommate. He has hair like spun gold and it’s as pretty as the rest of him. Crystal blue eyes. Megawatt smile.

I can’t stop staring. Or thinking about him. He chases my nightmares away. And when he spots my crush a mile off, his solution to our chemical attraction blows my mind.

An experiment of sorts. Science. Is this sexual exploration or sex education?

Either way, Joss is only here for the summer. He’s leaving.

I can’t fall in love with him.

I can’t.

Shame my foolish heart never got the memo

 

REVIEW:

Since we met, losing myself in him has been the most grounded I’ve ever felt, laced in a wicked irony because his simple laugh makes me feel like I’m flying. A balance exists, and I’ve spent my life searching for it. But I found it with him. I know I did.”

Wildfire is the first book in the new In Vino Veritas, multi author series. It’s a heartwarming, hurt/comfort, bisexual awakening love story – two of my favorite tropes – between two men struggling with conditions that are making life just a little harder. Together, they help carry the other’s burdens.

Kai has had a rough year after witnessing a terrible accident in which he was unable to save anyone. He’s now living above the V&V wine bar. Since Kai is plagued by PTSD flashbacks and depression, he can’t return to his mountain rescue work. Tanner kindly offers him a job building a kitchen for V&V so they can start serving food. You’ll remember Jax and Tanner’s romance in last year’s Heartscape, also by Garrett Leigh. Jax and Tanner figure prominently in this new book.

Joss is an old British friend of Jax. He’s a chef who Tanner hires for a temporary position to get the kitchen set up. He needs a place to stay and Kai could use the company so he moves into Kai’s apartment. Joss is gobsmacked when he first sees Kai:

“I’m not prepared for the rugged scruff, chiseled cheekbones, and honey-brown eyes that stare back at me. Is it possible to die from a hot dude meeting your gaze?”

Joss has ADHD and a non-verbal form of Tourette syndrome. His brain just won’t stop; he’s restless and never stops moving. It doesn’t bother Kai at all.

The living arrangement works well for Kai because, since he was traumatized, he’s scared to be in the real world peopling. He’s trying to take life one day at a time. Before Joss arrived, Kai would spend many nights sleeping on Jax and Tanner’s couch rather than lying awake all night in his own empty apartment. Interestingly, Joss has a calming influence and soon Kai is sleeping better in his own bed simply because he knows Joss is just down the hall.

It’s not long before Joss is a goner for Kai. He notices and memorizes everything about the strong, rugged man – his full lips, chiseled jaw, soulful eyes, and sexy legs among many other traits. The only problem is Kai is straight. Or so he thought.

Kai is attracted to Joss but it’s the first time he’s ever been interested in a man. He doesn’t struggle with his newfound bisexuality, however. It’s different than what he’s always identified as but it’s not a problem for him. I love sexual awakening stories where the man is not shaken by or in denial of his changing sexuality and just goes with the flow like Kai. Kai loves human touch but he’s never had that combined with sex before. Now he sees that possibility with Joss.

It was fun to revisit Burlington, Vermont, and see familiar faces including Jax and Tanner. They’re worried about the budding relationship between their friends. In particular they’re concerned that Joss will break Kai’s heart when he leaves, and the expiration date on Joss’ stay is fast approaching. Joss is worried about his own heart breaking – he says he feels like only half a person when Kai’s not around – and his ADHD addled brain tells him he’s not good enough for Kai.

I found Wildfire to be a compelling book (and I love the smoking hot cover). Both Kai and Joss are endearing, sympathetic characters. Joss’ Tourettes and ADHD are well executed. Garrett wrote in such a way that had me feeling Joss’ frenetic energy, particularly in his internal dialogue.

The epilogue, set five months down the road, provides a wonderful, satisfying HEA with something special. Actually, the whole book is something special. Although it’s part of the True North shared universe, it’s fine to read this as a standalone. Reading Heartscape is also not required but I would highly recommended it simply because it’s a great book.

RATING: 

BUY LINK:

Amazon