Author: Devon Rhodes
Publisher: Totally Bound
Pages/Word Count: 65 Pages
At a Glance: If you are looking for a fun, quick read to satisfy your romance palate, this is a great book for you.
Reviewed By: Taz
Blurb: Sometimes fires burn and destroy, but from the ashes, new growth can heal and cleanse.
Thierry Alexander is the deputy mayor of Chicago, a city he loves but can’t save on his own from the corrupt political system. His assistant and lover, Eduardo, is also known as Cesar, the head of the underground resistance movement. He has been working behind the scenes for years and finally gets what he needs—enough information to get the US government involved and take down the criminal elements strangling the city he loves.
But they need to act fast because legislation is about to be enacted that will give rise to social and ethnic purging in Chicago. Not knowing who they can trust, they will have to put their faith in one another and risk everything to save a city.
Publisher’s Note: This story has been previously released as part of the An Unconventional Chicago anthology by Totally Bound Publishing.
Review: I have always been a big fan of Devon Rhodes. Not only a sunshiny person, but an author who knows how to deliver a story filled with depth. Shorter stories are usually hit or miss for me, mostly because with fewer words, there is less opportunity to develop plot, setting, and characters. While there was a small degree of that present in Bonfire Heart, I found myself drawn into the story from the opening pages. My only criticism: with more story I could have learned more about each character, the secondary characters, and the central problem in the story could’ve been fleshed out more deeply.
That being said, let’s get to what this talented author was able to deliver in such a short amount of space.
First and foremost, the two main characters, Thierry and Eduardo, are clearly in love. Their sex is piping hot, but more than that, they are clearly committed to each other. The central conflict in the story places both men in a dangerous situation, and they weather the struggle to persevere as a solid team. The tension within the story kept the pace fast and moving forward at all times. Even though I would have loved to learn more about the underbelly of Chicago and the sinister intentions of its corrupt leaders, the information would only have served to lengthen my reading experience (something I was yearning for but which the story certainly didn’t need). No part of the story was drawn out or disproportionate to other parts of the story, a difficult task when writing something under 15,000 words. What I mean by this is that Ms. Rhodes crafted an experience that gave us just enough to become invested, but avoided the pitfall of getting mired down on any one character or situation.
If you are looking for a fun, quick read to satisfy your romance palate, this is a great book for you.
You can buy Bonfire Heart here:
