Flesh and Blood by Tory Temple

Publisher: Torquere 

Date published: March 2013

ISBN: 978-1-61040-445-7

Genre: Male/male contemporary romance

Book format: E-book

Obtained via: Publisher

Reviewed by Keldon

 

Chance is a fire department captain; his boyfriend Tucker is a fireman/paramedic with another company. The two have been together for a couple of years, and have an exclusive arrangement. The lack of acceptance for their relationship has begun to get under Tucker’s skin. When Chance’s engine company joins four others to fight a fire, another department’s captain is injured and taken to the hospital. Unable to get any information about the injured fire fighter, Tucker agonizes for three hours, waiting to see if Chance is okay. Thereafter a series of events highlights the problems with a gay partnership: a bigoted patient Tucker encounters during a shift, Chance’s disapproving mother, and Tucker’s visit to the Emergency Room—a visit during which Chance isn’t allowed to stay since he’s technically not family. Tucker’s frustration culminates in a fist fight with another fire fighter. There’s every indication that Tucker is headed for a fall that may get him fired, unless Chance can come up with a way to remind Tucker about what family really means.

The book is set in California, with visits to Las Vegas and Arizona thrown in. Few secondary characters are introduced—only what’s necessary to move the plot. One minor character isn’t introduced until the last quarter of the book, which was somewhat jarring and could have been foreshadowed earlier. I would like to have seen more character development for both Chance and Tucker—the two came off as somewhat flat. The plot is straightforward and unencumbered by subplots, which works for this short piece. There are multiple intimate encounters, none of which was particularly memorable other than an incident in Las Vegas.

Chance’s strategy to get Tucker back on track was workable, but not a fresh approach. With the build-up, I expected something more dynamic.

Overall, I liked the book, and would check out other offerings from this author.

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This is an objective review and not an endorsement