Why did I wait and when can I get my next fix.

There are some books for what ever reason I just pass by, no rhyme or reason I just say nah. Bonfires was on of those books. I love Amy Lane books, I know this. So why did I wait! This book is amazeballs, middle aged men, grown up kids and small town hicks(ooohhh that’s why I passed by the drama level would be beyond the through theroof and I’m middle aged myself, not a tween), wow scary combination or what. But obviously Amy Lanes writing and Nick Russo narration is AMAZEBALLS. I could see Lark in a lot of people I know(even me). Still wanting to beat the system even though your part of it and forgetting some times you are the grown up and really shouldn’t say that thing you really want to say. As for Aaron love, love, love him. No angsts about his sexuality(love the fact his not got the perfect 6 pack as well) and realistically loveable.
I’ve already downloaded and listened to book 2, highly recommend and can’t wait for the rest of the series.

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4.25*

This is a tale of two men with teenage children who find love in their late-forties, of finding the courage to come out to the local community, and the impact that responsible and also homophobic adults can have on children’s lives. It’s a story of second chances for love, families, and individuals. It’s Amy Lane, so of course it is well-written, with superbly presented characters and situations. The dramatic climax was an especially intense scene and kept me riveted.

Larx and Aaron’s relationship is the main focus of the story and their romance made a refreshing change because they’re older guys; one is bisexual and in his first relationship with a man. It’s sort of insta-love although they’ve known each other for a few years, but they've suddenly hit it off. Their love-making scenes are particularly hot. I especially liked the roles the teenage children, the sheriff, and the vice-principal played in the story, and how they saw right through what was going on with Larks and Aaron, giving them undivided support and encouragement.

Isaiah and Kellan’s story was sweet and heartbreaking. It sort of fizzled out, so I’m hoping for a sequel to let us know what happens to them.

So, there's lots of positives here, and yet the story didn’t completely bowl me over and make me want to listen again. There seemed to be too much drama and conflict hitting the ‘good guys’ and my attention drifted during some of the dialogue.

The narration by Nick J Russo was superb as always. He has the knack of drawing the listener into a story and sets the tone for every scene perfectly.

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SUPERB MR RUSSO..... 5 STARS!!

This was Amy Lane back to her brilliant best. The last few years have seen some stories published by her, which to be frank, have outraged certain sections of the LGBTQ community. As an avid reader of all things Amy Lane, but an ally of that community, I was upset on their behalf too, and having read those stories myself, could understand why they were upset; however, I was persuaded that things have changed for the better, and I can definitely confirm that with this story.

Nick's narration of the story was perfect, and an absolute joy to listen to. His intonation, his characterisation, the happiness he seemed to radiate whilst reading told me that he too had immersed himself in the story and was really enjoying it. It was such a refreshing change to read about bisexual older characters and the immense but unfortunate hoops they had to go through, just to be together. Aaron and Larx (and their kids excluding Tiffany) were a delight to hear about, the characters from the town of Colton (especially Eamon the sheriff and the deputy principal of the school whose name escapes me at the mo) were thoroughly believable...in fact, you could practically tell who the pantomime villain was going to be (and wasn't she awful??) I just adored it, and would love more stories about Aaron and Larx, Kellan and Isaiah, and the rest of the town of Colton...read by Mr Russo of course!! 5 💜💜💜💜💜 from me.

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Beautiful story!

Story was fantastic, made such a change to have MC's who were that little bit older, they were so sweet to each other and their banter was great. Nick J Russo is one of my go to Narrators, his voice is so expressive and he really manages to give each character such a life of their own. Really liked this one!

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Simply Amazing

Where does Bonfires rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 5 easily!

What did you like best about this story?

I love the mature MCs and their family values.
The love they have for each other and the way they express it is so special.

What does Nick J. Russo bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Nick totally enhances this story and bring a whole different dimension to it.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When they're about to be intimate for the first time and Larx has a mini melt down about the grey hairs in his pubes and Aaron is so god damn sweet about it.

Any additional comments?

I absolutely adored this book when I read it and I loved it just as much listening to the audio. Nick J. Russo really brings the story and these characters to life and I was so totally emerged in it throughout. The way Nick transitioned between the many different characters voices (male and female!) was awesome and faultless throughout.

I love that both Aaron and Larx are pushing 50 and have totally realistic dysfunctional families and a mature outlook on their expectations for each other and what they can achieve together as one big family. It is so refreshingly funny and had me laughing out loud throughout.

Larx is first and foremost a teacher but was pressured in to being principal - a position he never wanted, so he set some ground rules and bought his friend Yoshi in as vice principal and insisted he still be allowed to teach his AP class. Aaron is the towns local deputy and his boss wants him to eventually run for Marshall.

The two have known each other many years through the school, the community and their children. They get to know each other better when Aaron advises Larx not to take his daily run on a busy road and offers to run with him in a morning instead.

This story is not just a man meets man and gets married tale. There's murder, mystery and bigotry to deal with alongside family dynamics and bratty children. The secondary characters in this book are fantastic and so well developed, I loved Kirby and Christina, Kellan and Isiah and of course Yoshi. But there were many more than that and they really all added another dimension to this story.

The romance is not the overwhelming theme of this story but when Larx and Aaron are working on their personal relationship its just so god damn sweet and realistic.

The ending was great and gave a true insight in to their lives as one big family. It's not all plain sailing and not all the kids are on board and theirs an added bombshell from one of the kids at the end but you just know these guys will stick together and work through everything as a team.

A fabulous story and brilliant audiobook!

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