Author: Andrew Grey
Narrator:: Peter B. Brooke
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Run Time: 2 Hours, 29 Minutes
Rating: 5 Stars
Blurb: Dirk Krause is an asshole of the first degree. His life is a hell of his own making, and he makes everyone around him just as miserable. When he’s injured on the job while fighting a fire, he’s nearly unbearable to the hospital staff, and of course no one from his unit cares enough to visit.
Lee Stockton is the new guy at the station, so he gets saddled with the job of bringing Dirk a sympathy bouquet from the guys at the firehouse. To Dirk’s surprise, Lee sees through him like a pane of glass and doesn’t take any of his crap. Lee’s determined to get Dirk to stop being a dick just to push everyone away. When their fighting turns to fucking, will the fireworks shine brightly on a possible relationship or leave them with nothing but ashes?
Review: I read Redemption by Fire a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it, so when I saw that it was out on audio I figured I give it a try. I liked Dirk. He may have been an asshole, but he’s an asshole who grows on you once you find out the circumstances as to the why he is the way he is. Poor guy.
Dirk lives in constant fear of being outed, and you can see why he built a wall around himself to keep others out. It’s a preemptive strike to keep his secret, but I don’t care how much of an asshole a person is, I felt it was really crappy that Dirk’s co-workers and Captain didn’t visit him once to see how he was recovering after his accident. Heck, it would have been on one hell of a pity party if that had happen to me.
So when Lee Stockton comes into the picture, he just crashes through Dirk’s walls like a wrecking ball. He doesn’t take no for an answer, and has Dirk wondering what the hell just hit him. And the first time these two are about to get it on, Lee asks Dirk what he really wants. The answer Dirk first gave was what endeared him to me. It was the kind of answer that reveals just how lonely this guy is.
While Lee did let it be known he didn’t like to deal with a closet case, I was impressed by how Dirk was making progress with himself and others as the story progressed. I had a couple of moments with Lee’s “my way or the highway” attitude with Dirk. Damn, Lee, haven’t you ever heard of baby steps? There were a couple of examples of that “all or nothing” attitude that youth can be guilty of. Ever heard the word compromise? But what’s revealed about Lee is that he didn’t exactly have an easy coming out either, but you’d think that would have made him a bit more understanding when it came to Dirk dealing with his father.
All in all, I did enjoy listening to this version of Redemption by Fire, though it took me a few minutes to get used to Mr. Brooke’s voice. Once he warmed up, however, I felt he did an excellent job of narrating.
So, this book still gets a 5 Star rating from me, made all the better because of the narration by Peter B. Brooke.
You can buy Redemption by Fire here:
