readandburied | Out of the Ashes by MJ James (Reply)

Alex Porter’s life goes up in flames the night his tiny bookstore catches fire. Powerless to stop it, he can do nothing but stand by and watch as the only thing he’s ever loved is taken from him.

Fire sergeant Matt Fields is ordered to Cliffside, Maine by the privileged Porter family, which doesn’t mix well with his quick temper, to investigate exactly what happened. When he meets Alex, he can almost taste the sexual tension hanging between them and fights to focus on his job to find out what started the blaze.

Once Matt discovers arson, a simple case of accidental fire becomes much more dangerous, and Alex’s life is suddenly at risk. Someone is out to get him…and Matt wants to know who. As he digs deeper to find the person who torched the shop, he and Alex finally give in to the wild heat between them. From hot as hell phone sex to even hotter face-to-face encounters, they grow closer together as the case spins out of control.

In the end, their newfound love will be put to the test when secrets come to light and arson turns to murder.

In MJ James’ debut Out of the Ashes, Alex Porter loses everything when the bookshop that he rebelled against his wealthy family to build goes up in flames. His overbearing mother insists that a fire marshall be called for, so Matt Fields has to drop everything and devote himself to the case, and Alex.

I wanted to like Out of the Ashes. Queer mysteries are my wheelhouse, and I’m
always looking for new authors! The initial introduction of characters and problems hung together well, and the story was fast-paced enough that I burned through it in a day. Unfortunately, I still had several problems with it.

Full review available at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books.

[Caution warnings: abusive family members, references to infidelity and attempted suicide, drugging, kidnapping, poor depiction of mental health issues.]