August 17th Release Date
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25800383-the-darkest-flame
From the author of There You Stand, a new male/male romance about an errant motorcycle recruit and the captivating bartender who sends his wheels spinning down an all too tempting road.
Vaughn O’Keefe has been part owner of the Hog’s Den for years. Privy to plenty of Disciples of the Road business, he’s never been more ruffled as when a new recruit named “Smoke” walks through the door. Something about the man gets his blood pumping, but he knows to keep his preferences under wraps around the club.
“Smoke” Callahan has done a couple of rehab stints and is finally clean, thanks to help from the Disciples. He’s on the right path and isn’t about to get sidetracked, no matter how much the guy who manages the bar gets beneath his skin. Besides, his last relationship with a man left him scared, alone, and with a nightmare of an addiction.
When the Hog’s Den becomes shorthanded, and Smoke is ordered to help out the one man he can’t have, his longing for the bartender reaches blistering proportions. Vaughn figures a night together should be enough to satisfy their mutual attraction. But neither banks on just how scorching hot it might be.
As Smoke’s past unravels and the one person he hopes never to lay eyes on again messes with all he holds sacred, it’s time to involve the Disciples. Problem is, he’ll have to risk his membership, his heart, and his own hide to keep everyone he cares about safe.
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Review
I’m a bit torn on this one. The book started a bit slow for me, and I had a hard time understanding the true connection Vaughn and Smoke have other than their respective lust for one another. It seems like they settle everything by having sex, thinking it might be their last encounter. I needed a bit more discussion and insight to fully feel the intensity of Vaughn and Smoke’s feelings; I wanted to be shown the progress of their relationship, and in a way, I felt like it was told to me instead.
Don’t get me wrong…I enjoyed reading Vaughn and Smoke’s story. Both characters worked for me as individual heroes struggling to find their own way and be comfortable with themselves and their choices. Lee does a good job of exploring that idea and forcing them to question what really matters and the cost of not owning up to who you are, but the various threads of the story line didn’t work that well for me; there was enough to figure out just based on the environment these two men were a part of and what they felt for each other so some parts of it felt like forced issues. But I also understand that Lee had a certain vision in mind, and she used the avenues that she felt would illustrate her points best and even if I didn’t envision it the way she did that doesn’t undervalue Vaughn and Smoke’s story because big picture wise, I liked it a lot, and it shed light on issues the definitely deserve discussion in today’s society.
The Darkest Flame was actually my first book by Christina Lee, and one thing I learned about her writing is that she sure knows how to write some hot as hell m/m sex scenes! Both Vaughn and Smoke are alpha males who need control and that commanding presence is acted on in the bedroom. For two men who wanting to do the owning, though, they also felt owned by one another, which made their sexual chemistry sizzle.
If you’re looking for a book with two sinfully hot alpha male heroes who can’t help but crave one another’s touch despite everything that seems to stand in their way then Vaughn and Smoke’s story is definitely one to one-click!
A complimentary copy was provided by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.
3.5/4 Poison Apples
Excerpt
I grabbed my hold of keys and tried not to slam my way out the door. I didn’t know why the hell I was so rattled by Vaughn tonight. I mean, I had been every night, but something about the idea of him being with somebody else right in front of my eyes, made me crazy with need. Need that it felt like only he could fulfill.
As soon as I got to my bike I realized I’d left my cut in the break room. I stood outside attempting to rein in my uneven pulse. I didn’t know what the fuck had come over me.
Breathing more steadily, I stepped back through the door only to find the bar empty. I’d just grab my leather vest and leave him in peace.
“I forgot my…” I stopped in my tracks because Vaughn stood motionless in the middle of the floor, veins bulging in his neck, as if he’d implode at the slightest touch.
He was always moving and talking with a restless energy in this bar so his stillness was a bit startling.
“Hey.” I gingerly placed my hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry if I—”
There was instant recoil, as if he were attempting to contain the vortex of tension between us by vacuuming it in through his skin.
He twisted toward me, his eyes latching onto mine, right before I was slammed against the door.
The wind was practically knocked out of me as Vaughn sank his weight against my smaller frame. We were groin to groin, heartbeat to heartbeat.
“Fuck, Vaughn, you’re—” Heaving breaths surged through my nostrils. “I was going to suggest a truce.”
“Yeah?” he mumbled, his gaze fastening on my mouth. “What sort of truce?”
About the Author
Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives in the Midwest with her husband and son–her two favorite guys.She’s addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything. She believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job.
Author of the Between Breaths series from Penguin. ALL OF YOU, BEFORE YOU BREAK, WHISPER TO ME and PROMISE ME THIS available now.
Book five in the series, THERE YOU STAND, a male/male romance just released in April, 2015.
Also, her first Adult Contemporary Romance, TWO OF HEARTS, released in May, 2015.
Stay tuned–more M/M, Adult, and New Adult romance to come!
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