Rating: 3.75 stars
Buy Links: Amazon | All Romance
Length: Novella
Grey Hayes hasn’t done much to celebrate Christmas since his parents’ deaths, usually taking shifts for his fellow firefighters and volunteering at charitable events. But now that he is living with his boyfriend, firefighter Mica Cruz, Mica wants Grey to spend the holidays with him and his family. In addition to the stress of the holidays without his parents, Grey is also still getting used to being out with Mica, since before they started dating he had been only with women. Christmas will be the first time Grey is really going to be out in public with Mica beyond being with their friends at the firehouse.
Mica is determined to make this a good Christmas for Grey. Grey is so kind and giving and always doing for others and Mica wants him to have a special holiday as well. He convinced Grey to take a little time off for their family celebration, but Mica also has lots planned to make it a special holiday for just the two of them.
Fire and Mistletoe is the second book in St. James’ Firehouse Six series and features Mica and Grey from the first book, Grey’s Hidden Fire. This story picks up with the men living together, though it is unclear how much time has passed since the events of the first book. The two are happily in love, living and working together, but the upcoming holiday is a little stressful. Grey wants to work and volunteer as usual and Mica has had to persuade him to take a couple of days for the holiday. After losing his parents near Christmas, Grey hasn’t done much celebrating, but agrees to go with Mica. The exposure to Mica’s family and new holiday traditions end up helping Grey realize that there can still be holiday joy and a sense of family for him, even without his parents.
There are some other small subplots here. One focuses on their coworkers Simon and Michael who are sort of dancing around each other. I believe I read that they may be next in the series, but I am not positive. So they are sort of cute and sweet together, though this is just very initial steps into a relationship for them. There is also a segment focusing on the person who caused trouble for the men in the first book. Grey and Mica both encounter him and have to deal with their feelings for seeing him again and whether he has changed. But both of these are small subplots and the primary focus is on Grey and Mica and their Christmas celebration.
Personally I needed a little bit more plotwise here. We spend a lot of time with the guys being lovey and sweet with each other, and get lots of good sexy times. And we hear and see a lot about how wonderful Grey is, how sweet and kind and devoted to others, almost to near perfection. And lots of joy of Christmas and family. But there isn’t a lot of plot to really hold it all together. I wanted a little more conflict, or maybe just more to happen here. In many ways this reads more like a Christmas coda to the first book, than an independent story of its own.
I think this book will really work for you if you are looking for a super sweet (and sexy) holiday story where the focus is really on the holiday and the celebration. It is a nice add on to the first book, and I enjoyed seeing Grey and Mica again, as well as the guys from the firehouse. If you love a good Christmas story, I think this is a great choice. If you are looking for something broader than that, this may fall a little bit short. But overall, I continue to enjoy this series and am definitely looking forward to more. This is a nice addition and one I think a lot of people will enjoy.
