Title: A Walk Through Fire
Author: Felice Stevens
Genre: M/M Romance
Publish Date: 25 November 2014
Years after running away from an abusive foster family, Asher Davis still inwardly struggles with the guilt of leaving his foster brothers behind. He’s climbed to unimaginable heights as a ruthless, high-powered attorney, creating a life of power and control. He takes whatever and whoever he wants.
Blaming himself for the death of his parents, Dr. Drew Klein retreats into a shell of loneliness, merely going through the motions of life. After a disastrous, short-lived marriage, Drew decides to leave his lucrative medical practice to set up a clinic for abused young men and women. The decision has more repercussions than Drew could ever imagine when the dark and sensual Ash Davis volunteers to help.
Although Drew isn’t gay, Ash is inexplicably drawn to him. He vows to simply bed him and forget him like he's done with every other man. However, Drew's sweet and caring nature and unexpected passion stun and frighten Ash, who questions his right to any happiness at all. And when Ash befriends an abused young man who unwittingly draws the clinic into danger, threatening Drew’s safety and that of his beloved grandmother, Ash discovers that there is nothing he won’t sacrifice to protect the love he never thought he’d find.
“Have a drink, Drew, and tell me why you’re here.” Ash sipped his vodka and stared at him over the rim of his glass.“No, thanks, I’m driving. But I do want to talk to you.” The man was a study in contrasts. Drew couldn’t think of a time he hadn’t seen Ash perfectly dressed, every hair in place, looking like he’d stepped out of a men’s fashion magazine.Tonight however…well he looked off-kilter. Though he still had on his clothes from earlier, that white button down shirt and black slacks, the shirt was wrinkled and unbuttoned lower than he’d ever seen. Dark stubble shadowed along his jaw, and his hair lay unkempt and disheveled. Drew shifted on the sofa. “Look, I know this may sound stupid, but my grandmother was concerned about you, so she asked me to stop by and check up on you.”“And of course you do everything your nana says.”Drew’s face flamed. “Fuck you, Davis.”A tiny smirk hit the corner of Ash’s lips. “What’s the matter, Doc? The truth hurts?”The bastard. After all the nice things his grandmother had said about him, how she’d worried about him, this was his response? To act like the snide sarcastic son of a bitch he was at their first meeting? How dare he treat her concern as if it were nothing? And to think he’d actually thought they were friends. “What the hell do you know about the truth, huh? No one knows anything about you; you have no friends, no lover.” He stood, ready to leave. “No wonder you’re all alone. No one cares about you. You aren’t worth it.” Shit, he’d never spoken so cruelly to anyone. But then again, no one had ever gotten under his skin like Ash Davis.Like a snake uncoiled, Ash jumped off the sofa and grabbed him by the shoulder. “Take that back.”“What’s the matter, Davis? The truth hurts?” He mimicked Ash’s earlier words to him, and saw a flare of anger gleam in those colorless, glittering eyes.“You fucking bastard. Who are you to say I’m not worth it, that no one cares about me? I have friends. People like me. Don’t you ever say I’m not worth it. I matter goddamn you. I fucking matter.”Ash tried to grab onto him, but Drew wrenched away and took off for the door, speaking over his shoulder.“People don’t like you, Ash, they want to fuck you because you’re beautiful. That’s not liking. That’s not a friendship. How many relationships have you ever had with another man? You’ve never even had a boyfriend or a permanent relationship have you, because you have to have a heart. You have to care about someone. How can you value someone else in your life when you don’t even value yourself?”
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Foxy Rating = Four stars
This is my first read of this new author and the blurb had
me itching to read it.
Drew Klein is recently separated from his wife who was only
out for the social climbing she could do from his profession as a doctor.
However Drew is not a high esteemed plastic surgeon for the riches but a
dedicated doctor who wants to only do good for his patients and the wider
community. As such he is in the process of setting up a clinic for young gay
people to go to seek help and support. Imagine his surprise when Asher Davis,
the flash lawyer and who is also representing his wife offers his professional
support.
Ash has a reputation of a love them and leave them which he
has never had a problem with as instant hook ups leave no room for any further
involvement. He has come from a difficult past which has lead him to be
standoffish and aloof, he never gets close to anyone and revels in his ability
to control all situations. That is until he meets Drew who he has an instant
attraction to but he tries to hide this from the attractive but straight
doctor.
Drew has always tried to please everyone in his life be that
his beloved Nana, his sister Rachel or his close friends Mike and Jordan. When
Jordan warns Drew about Ash’s reputation and that he cannot be trusted, Drew
declines Ash’s offer of help with the centre. This is the catalyst of the
change in the relationship of Ash and Drew.
I really enjoyed the battling romance brewing between the
controlling playboy and the straight and refined doctor. I wouldn’t say this is
a GFY story but it has that certain vibe as Drew has never been with a man
before. I love his philosophy in that it is not the gender but the person who
you are with, although it does take him some soul searching and angsty times to
get to that point. As for Ash there is nothing more pleasing than to read about
a man facing his demons from the past and finding that one person who can help
him to redeem his guilt.
There is some bigotry in the storyline but I would have
loved to have seen a better outcome for the perpetrators being the age they
were. Also with the values of Drew’s clinic surely there could have been more
that could have been done with young Stevie as his home life rather than
leaving him to suffer? I don’t know but I if I was in that clinic I would want
to have done more.
The story does bring forth some thought provoking which is
always a good point for any book to bring to the reader. Nearing the end
thinking we were moving towards a happy HEA, the author threw in a heart
wrenching curve ball that was integral to the conclusion of Drew and Ash
revealing their feelings, it did however have me blubbing into my kindle.
Overall a great read and one I would recommend. Four stars.
I have always been a romantic at heart. I believe that while life is tough, there is always a happy ending just around the corner. I started reading traditional historical romances when I was a teenager, then life and law school got in the way. It wasn’t until I picked up a copy of Bertrice Small and became swept away to Queen Elizabeth’s court that my interest in romance novels became renewed.
But somewhere along the way, my tastes shifted. While I still enjoys a juicy Historical romance, I began experimenting with newer, more cutting edge genres and discovered the world of Male/Male romance. Once I picked up her first, I became so enamored of the authors, the character-driven stories and the overwhelming emotion of the books, I knew I wanted to write my own.
I live in New York City with my husband and two children and hopefully soon a cat of my own. My day begins with a lot of caffeine and ends with a glass or two of red wine. I practice law but daydream of a time when I can sit by a beach somewhere and write beautiful stories of men falling in love. Although there is bound to be angst along the way, a Happily Ever After is always guaranteed.
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