Brief Encounters

Title:  Landfall
Author: Lori Toland
Length: 10,100 words (40 pdf pages)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Genre: m/m contemporary
Rating: B+

Blurb:

ER nurse and hospice worker Jared White is caught up in more than just high winds when a hurricane traps him with Deputy Fire Chief Mike Brown. The handsome firefighter has had Jared drooling every time he visits the ER, but as far as Jared knows, Mike is straight – until a downed bridge strands them alone in an empty firehouse. Will their passionate encounter outlast the storm?

Review:

A huge star of this sexy short is the storm itself bearing down on the men as they struggle to do what emergency and health care workers do during such events, put other’s safety over their own. Jared is called out to help an elderly hospice patient, and must be carried to her home on the island by the fire truck. He’s been crushing on Deputy Chief Mike for a long while, but assumes he’s straight. He finishes up his task and due to another emergency, it’s determined that Mike will drive him back alone, however when the next wave of the storm hits, they are forced to take refuge in the abandoned fire house where Jared finds out Mike is not so straight after all.

As I said, the real star of the first part of this book is the storm itself. I’ve never been in a hurricane (or an earthquake as Mike notes he’s from California and more used to earthquakes). Blizzards yes, but blizzards don’t pick up light posts and fling them at you, so I really enjoyed being in the heart of the action, from a nice safe literary distance. The descriptions are very evocative and your heart is in your throat as everyone struggles with Mother Nature.

Once Jared and Mike end up at the fire station, the focus of the story shifts to their relationship, or the start of it. The sex between the two men is sizzling and yet has an underlying gentleness. Jared doesn’t do one night stands and despite Mike being huge, he’s gentle and it’s got a romantic feel. There is a bit of a big misunderstanding at the end before our two heroes (in all senses of the word) get it worked out, but it doesn’t last long until it’s cleared up and they can move on.

If you’re in the mood for some wild weather and romantic but steamy sex with two nice guys, a perfect choice. I quite enjoyed the experience of both.