Reviewed for Blackraven Reviews
Publisher: eXtasy Books
Image courtesy of eXtasy Books
Genre: GLBT, Erotic Contemporary, M/M
Length: 106 pages
Stars:[rating=2]
Fire and Rain by D.V. Patton is a contemporary gay romance involving Chris and Ciaran, two young men from different backgrounds who meet during a summer in Spain. From the outset, the relationship between Chris and Ciaran is rocky at best. I had a hard time seeing this as a romance, since the attraction is almost non-existent during the first part of the novel. I wasn’t sure until half way through the book if Ciaran was even gay. There’s very little sexual tension or passion between these two and certainly no hot looks across a room.
Fire and Rain is a confusing collection of elements. It could be a crime drama with the mafia-type characters like Mattie and his sister, Donna compelling Chris to work off a major debt through a money-laundering scheme in Spain. I even briefly thought a relationship might develop between Chris and Peter, the older guy Chris meets while trying to make a phone call. The chemistry between Chris and Ciaran is interesting, but I never had the sense of any great passion, even from Chris who seems to be the only one attracted at the outset. Ciaran seems to spend all of his time shoving Chris away. A situation not helped when everyone suddenly leaves Spain under a cloud of police investigation.
Fire and Rain left me with many questions and very few answers. I got the feeling from the novel that this could have been a great story with some further plot development. The characters were certainly complex enough. I’m still wondering just what Ciaran’s role was in Spain.