Audiobook Review ~ Cleansing Flame by Andrew Grey
Title: Cleansing Flame
Series: Rekindled Flame: Book Two
Author: Andrew Grey
Narrator: Michael Pauley
Release Date: July 12, 2017
Category: Contemporary
Length: 6 hours, 10 minutes
Life has been grinding Dayne Mills down almost for as long as he can remember. First he lost the love of his life in an accident that also left him with a permanent injury, and then his mother passed away a year later. When his house burns to the ground, it’s the last straw. He can’t take any more, and if it wasn’t for kind and handsome firefighter Lawson Martin offering him a hand up and a place to stay, he doesn’t know what he’d do. Dayne would love for his relationship with Lawson to evolve into something beyond charity, but he knows going after a man so far out of his league will only lead to yet more heartache. It’s best to just keep his mind on his research.
It’s that research that leads Dayne to an old student journal that not only provides clues to the Native American heritage Lawson has been searching for, but chronicles a century-old love story. The tale that unfolds might be just what Dayne and Lawson need to remind them that no matter how dark life becomes, love can find a way to shine through.
Cleansing Flame is Book 2 in Andrew Grey's Rekindled Flame series. This book could be read on its own, even though there are some appearances from the couple in the previous book, but why not get the full enjoyment of the series and start with Book 1. :)
Firefighter Lawson finds himself comforting Dayne, whose house just burned to the ground. Lawson had noticed Dayne earlier in the day when they were both at the Historical Society. Dayne had noticed the hot guy at the Historical Society but never gave consideration that someone who looked like Lawson could ever be interested in him. The complete loss of his house is just another hit in Dayne's life. He lost his boyfriend in a car wreck that caused him damage to his own legs, then a year later his mother died, and now he lost his mother's house and almost everything he had left of her and everything he had. He can't stop his tears when he realizes everything's gone and to his embarrassment, he finds himself in Lawson's arms. Dayne isn't sure what he's going to do, but Lawson invites him to stay a couple of days at his house. Dayne is unsure, but Morgan and Richard vouch for him, so he agrees to stay the night but Lawson works to keep him there longer. Dayne struggles to get his life back in order, deal with issues with his legs, and to accept Lawson's interest.
Lawson is an adrenaline junkie, but once he has someone he's interested in, he doesn't have that same need. Like with Morgan in the first book, Lawson seems to be too good to be true. He's willing to open his home to someone in need and provide assistance where he can. He's interested in Dayne and encourages him in all aspects of his life. He's thoughtful, caring, and a firefighter! I liked Dayne, but his constant negative self-thoughts continued through 80% of the book, and it was a little difficult to reread the same negative thoughts throughout all of it. But, he did get better and slowly developed more positive thoughts. He'd had a rough life and instead of enjoying when things were going well, he was instead waiting for the other shoe to drop.
This book was really a great story of two men meeting, getting to know each other, and a relationship developing from that before love entered the picture. This story had a special storyline that added another layer to this book, and that was Dayne's research into Native American information, and what happened once white men decided to educate natives on the proper way to live and brought them to a school to teach them. I loved this plotline and thought the author did a great job!
The narrator of this story is Michael Pauley and he does a great job! I've listened to several books narrated by Pauley and I'm becoming a huge fan! He brings the characters and story to life and does a great job of bringing the emotions of the story out. The narrator has an easy to listen to voice, he keeps a great pace with no weird pausing, and for the most part, gives the characters unique voices. The narrator is a fantastic storyteller and just allows the listener to be immersed in the story!
Overall: 4.5 Stars
Performance: 5 Stars
Story: 4 Stars
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