Anne Boleyn's Ghost's Reviews > Fired Up

3.5 stars. I almost rounded up for Ash’s Instagram post. It was that good. Alas, the book itself wasn't quite that good for me.

One of my first m/m reads was Crossroads (which reminds me that I’m sooo behind on rating books from "life before Goodreads”). Like Crossroads, Fired Up is sweet and sexy. Professional football player Ash returns to his hometown after his off-field antics hurt his on-field prospects. He encounters Beau, a firefighter who was his high school teammate - and first kiss (but Ash doesn't want to think about that). Beau and Ash have always straddled the line of friendship, feeling both aversion and desire for each other. The flame reignites (wink, wink) when they are reunited and Ash comes to terms with his sexuality.

The main reasons that I put the book in the "good-but-not-great" category? I found the romantic chemistry between Ash and Beau somewhat lacking. At times it seemed too much of a friendship, too much of a “bros with benefits” arrangement. The romance was better realized near the end, but I wanted a bit more. Ash also spends most of the story denying then hiding his sexuality, and while I appreciated that Beau didn’t pressure him to come out, it made for frustrating reading. But their relationships with Beau's brother Kenny, who has Down syndrome, were highlights.

Will I read more in the series? Probably. Although I’m not that interested in the mess between Lincoln, who got on my nerves, and the doormat dirt bike guy (you can tell that he made a big impression on me). Still, Fired Up was a better than average m/m contemporary romance with fun and funny moments, and another engaging story from Riley Hart.