Audio Tour ~ A Walk Through Fire by Felice Stevens
A Walk Through Fire
Through Hell and Back Series, Book 1
Felice Stevens
M/M Romance
Cover Design: Reese Dante
Cover Photo: Alejandro Caspe
Narrator: Kale Williams
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Years after running away from an abusive foster family, Asher Davis still struggles with the guilt of leaving his foster brothers behind. He's climbed to unimaginable heights as a ruthless, high-powered attorney, creating a life of power and control.
Blaming himself for the death of his parents, Dr. Drew Klein retreats into a shell of loneliness, merely going through the motions of life. After a disastrous, short-lived marriage, Drew leaves his lucrative medical practice to set up a clinic for abused young men and women. The decision has more repercussions than Drew could ever imagine when the dark and sensual Ash Davis volunteers to help.
Although Drew isn't gay, Ash is inexplicably drawn to him. He vows to simply bed him and forget him like he's done with every other man. However, Drew's sweet and caring nature and unexpected passion both stun and frighten Ash, who questions his right to any happiness at all. And when Ash befriends an abused young man who unwittingly draws the clinic into danger, threatening Drew's safety and that of his beloved grandmother, Ash discovers that there is nothing he won't sacrifice to protect the love he never thought he'd find.
EXCERPT
“No, thanks, I’m driving. But I do want to talk to you.” The man was a study in contrasts. Drew couldn’t think of a time he hadn’t seen Ash perfectly dressed, every hair in place, looking like he’d stepped out of a men’s fashion magazine. Tonight however…well he looked off-kilter. Though he still had on his clothes from earlier, that white button down shirt and black slacks, the shirt was wrinkled and unbuttoned lower than he’d ever seen. Dark stubble shadowed along his jaw, and his hair lay unkempt and disheveled. Drew shifted on the sofa. “Look, I know this may sound stupid, but my grandmother was concerned about you, so she asked me to stop by and check up on you.”
“And of course you do everything your nana says.”
Drew’s face flamed. “Fuck you, Davis.”
A tiny smirk hit the corner of Ash’s lips. “What’s the matter, Doc? The truth hurts?”
The bastard. After all the nice things his grandmother had said about him, how she’d worried about him, this was his response? To act like the snide sarcastic son of a bitch he was at their first meeting? How dare he treat her concern as if it were nothing? And to think he’d actually thought they were friends. “What the hell do you know about the truth, huh? No one knows anything about you; you have no friends, no lover.” He stood, ready to leave. “No wonder you’re all alone. No one cares about you. You aren’t worth it.” Shit, he’d never spoken so cruelly to anyone. But then again, no one had ever gotten under his skin like Ash Davis.
Like a snake uncoiled, Ash jumped off the sofa and grabbed him by the shoulder. “Take that back.”
“What’s the matter, Davis? The truth hurts?” He mimicked Ash’s earlier words to him, and saw a flare of anger gleam in those colorless, glittering eyes.
“You fucking bastard. Who are you to say I’m not worth it, that no one cares about me? I have friends. People like me. Don’t you ever say I’m not worth it. I matter goddamn you. I fucking matter.” Ash tried to grab onto him, but Drew wrenched away and took off for the door, speaking over his shoulder.
“People don’t like you, Ash, they want to fuck you because you’re beautiful. That’s not liking. That’s not a friendship. How many relationships have you ever had with another man? You’ve never even had a boyfriend or a permanent relationship have you, because you have to have a heart. You have to care about someone. How can you value someone else in your life when you don’t even value yourself?”
***Audible code provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my listening pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.***
There's just something about Asher that just draws me in. I have a thing for broken characters, perhaps because there's more room for growth and change and Asher is so broken it just tugged at my heartstrings. Yes, he could be ruthless and a bit (okay, okay, a lot) of a jerk, yet, he had gone through so much and he felt so much, even if he tried not to show it, that I just wanted to cuddle him and make it all better for him and somehow Kale Williams made me feel even more connected with him, so kudos to him for that.
I don't particularly care for Drew for the first half of the book. For as much as he was a good guy, the fact that he told Ash that he was worthless (even if it was in the heat of a fight and all) just didn't sit right with me and listening to it was even harder than reading it. Drew eventually won me over once he stood up for himself and for Ash, fighting for him and what he knew was right, but it took me a bit to warm up to him.
The chemistry between Drew and Ash was undeniable from the start and Kale Williams managed to translate that to his narration. The sex scenes were already hot, but listening to them in Kale's voice, made the room's temperature go up quite a bit.
I loved the secondary characters' voices, especially Esther, Drew's grandmother.
I've read this book twice and it's one of my all-time favorites, and it has to be one of the best audibles I've listened to, as well, making an already fantastic, heart-wrenching, emotional rollercoaster kind of book even better with Kale Williams' fantastic narrating skills.
Highly recommendable!!!
Rating: 5 Stars!!!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Felice Stevens has always been a romantic at heart. While life is tough, she believes there is a happy ending for everyone. She started reading traditional historical romances as a teenager, then life and law school got in the way. It wasn't until she picked up a copy of Bertrice Small and became swept away to Queen Elizabeth's court that her interest in romance novels was renewed. But somewhere along the way, her reading shifted to stories of men falling in love. Once she picked up her first gay romance, she became so enamored of the character-driven stories and the overwhelming emotion there was no turning back.
Felice lives in New York City with her husband and two children. Her day begins with a lot of caffeine and ends with a glass or two of red wine. Although she practices law, she daydreams of a time when she can sit by a beach and write beautiful stories of men falling in love. Although there is bound to be some angst along the way, a Happily Ever After is always guaranteed.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
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