Friday, October 24, 2014

All Fired Up by Morticia Knight: Review & Excerpt

Cover Artist: Posh Gosh
All Fired Up
(Sin City Uniforms #1)
by Morticia Knight

Genre: Contemporary, M/M Romance, Thriller
Officer Shawn Everly patrols the Strip and one night, fireman Trent Marshall saves him when danger strikes. But it’s still uncertain whether Trent can save himself from getting his heart broken by Shawn.

The party never ends on the Las Vegas strip but neither does the danger. Officer Everly is new to the beat, having recently relocated to Vegas from Los Angeles. Foot patrol on the Strip is a demanding assignment because he’s up close and personal with the public. But what he’d really like to do is get up close and personal with Station 32’s hunky fireman, Trent Marshall.

Trent has been a fireman for over ten years and is dedicated to his job. He’s built tough and is a no-nonsense man of few words. At a local blood drive, Trent meets the handsome new officer on foot patrol but won’t let himself get too close. He’s lost love before when his policeman lover was killed in the line of fire.

During an emergency, Trent’s over-protective instincts kick in when he believes Shawn is in harm’s way. He ends up embarrassing and angering Shawn in front of their fellow officers, which seems as though it will end any hope of Trent having a chance with the young man he can’t push from his mind. Shawn can’t decide whether he wants to punch or kiss Trent. Kissing wins. Once they spend some time together away from the stresses of their jobs, they find that they’re not just compatible—they’re combustible.

But Trent can’t seem to accept that there are hazards that come with working in law enforcement. Right as they’re discovering how much they mean to one another, the danger escalates on the Strip. The underground vigilante group, The Citizens Against Immorality, have raised the stakes. Will Shawn and Trent be their next targets?
Taking a sip of the coffee he’d just poured as he stood in the station kitchen, Trent endeavored to work through everything in his mind. It wasn’t easy - not when his emotions kept pushing rational thought out of the way and telling it to mind its own business. He was certain that what was happening was a good thing. That didn’t stop it from being scary. 
“Hey, there you are. You didn’t call me back last night.” 
Right after their second helping of dessert and he’d licked Shawn clean, he’d heard the phone go off. Shawn had been dozing, so he’d disentangled himself to check that it wasn’t something to do with work. He didn’t typically leave a friend hanging like that, but he’d had an inexplicable urge to keep them both safely wrapped up in their own world for a while, to not let anything else intrude. 
Lee stepped into the kitchen then grabbed the pot, pouring himself some coffee as well. 
Trent was surprised to see him. “I didn’t know you were in today.” 
“Took Ed’s shift. His mom is in the hospital.” 
Trent winced. “Again. That’s not good.”
“I know, poor guy.” 
They both nodded then sipped at their drinks.  
“So. Last night? I’d thought we could get together, maybe have a couple beers or whatever.” Lee chuckled. “And I could hear the whole Walt and Shawn story. Man, he looked pissed.” 
He’ll want details. 
Trent frowned. “Walt or Shawn?” 
Lee grunted. “Both, actually. But Walt made some snotty remarks to me before stomping off.” 
“I can imagine.” 
He took another swallow of the cooling liquid, keeping his eyes averted. 
Lee scrutinized him. “What’s going on?” 
“Nothing.” 
“Bullshit. It’s always hard to say for sure with you, Mr Stone Face, but you seem…satisfied. Or…happy?” Lee set his mug down then crossed his arms. 
“Or both.” He inhaled and dropped his mouth open. “You got laid.”
Trent whipped his head around. “Keep your voice down.”
“You did!” 
His shift had barely begun and already he was shaking his head. “Lee, we’re not in high school.” 
“Please tell me it wasn’t Walt.” 
“It wasn’t Walt.” 
Lee stared at him expectantly then pursed his lips. “It wasn’t Walt…” He made a gesture like he was expecting more. 
“Right.” 
Trent took his coffee then sat at the dining table. Lee followed him, obviously not willing to admit defeat.  
“Come on. I’ve wanted to see you get to this point for so long. Please tell me something good.” 
Lee had him there. A small twinge poked him in the gut. He knew how much Lee had suffered right along with him in his own way after Paul had died. If anyone deserved to know that he was feeling hopeful about things with Shawn, it was Lee. But it was no one else’s goddamned business. 
“Shawn and I spent the day together yesterday.” He cleared his throat. “After I apologized about my whole restaurant fire behavior the day before, of course.” 
“Please tell me you spent the night together too?” 
“Pervert.”
Lee smacked him on the side of his arm. 
“I don’t need details, dickwad. Just tell me you like him and you think there’s something there.” 
Trent snorted. “Definitely something there.”
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved that Shawn and Trent had opposite backgrounds. They were both afraid to give their attraction a chance, but for different reasons. The chemistry between them was smoking hot, and their emotional connection went even deeper. Some of my favorite stories are the ones where things weren't going smoothly, the characters were challenged, and have to change and grow in order to find happiness.

The adventure/thriller aspects of this story are engaging. I was trying to solve the mystery right along with them.  Well written, action packed, and with heartfelt emotions that tugged at my heart strings, ALL FIRED UP the perfect start to Knight's new series!

Author Bio: M/M and M/M/F Erotic Romance author Morticia Knight enjoys a good saucy tale – after all, who doesn’t? Since she loves several genres, you may find your heroes in a contemporary, historical, paranormal or sci-fi setting. One of her passions is bringing people's fantasies to life on the page, because life is too short for even one boring moment. Her stories are volcanic in heat, deep in emotion, and sprinkled with doses of humor.

When not indulging in her obsession for books, she loves the outdoors, film and music. The Pacific Northwest is the ideal spot to enjoy both hiking and beachcombing. Once upon a time she was the singer in an indie rock band that toured the West Coast and charted on U.S. college radio. She now resides on the northern coast of Oregon, where the constant rain and fog remind her of visits to family in England and Scotland when she was a child.

She is currently working on the Sin City Uniforms Series and a BDSM spin-off to the Gin & Jazz series entitled The Hampton Road Club. A follow-up to Bryan and Aubrey’s story in Rockin’ the Alternative will be available in 2015.

1 comment:

  1. I like any man in uniform - or out if you get the chance ;-)

    ReplyDelete