Review: Great read with well-written characters
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 13, 2013
FROM THE ASHES is a highly enjoyable MM romance with plenty of emotional intensity to match the sexual intensity. I really liked both leads and their strong, nuanced romance.Jesse came to Seattle to be an out and proud gay man but when his apartment burns and he's left homeless, he can't figure out what to do. Luckily, Tomas is a sexy fireman who also offers Jesse a place to live. Tomas is wildly attracted to Jesse but his Latino heritage has made him hide his attraction to men. Tomas wants to do right by Jesse but Jesse isn't willing to live without love, no matter how much he wants Tomas in his life.This is a more nuanced romance than I expected from the synopsis and I loved that. Jesse and Tomas are both fully developed people who have compelling reasons to do what they do. Tomas has deep guilt and issue with being gay and this is handled in an emotionally intense way in his relationship with Jesse. Jesse's honesty and refusal to shortchange himself made him more than just the twink that is too common in MM romance. Both these characters are highly likeable in their complicated natures.As a couple, Jesse and Tomas are delicious because they make each other better people by loving each other. I love romance where the leads connect on both emotional and sexual levels, and that's Jesse and Tomas's relationship. Their relationship is the catalyst they both need to grow as individuals and as a couple. This offers a more nuanced romance than a lot of MM romance and I applaud the novel for this.The secondary characters are also good here with their complicated humanity as well. Tomas's family is lovely but also keeps Tomas in limbo about his sexuality. I love his sister and her role in the book. Jesse's family is a big part of who he is and I was delighted with the book's refusal to take the easy way out with them. Jesse's gay friends are fun but also fully developed as they're not just the flamboyant gay friends who give relationship advice. Instead they're people with their own issues and hopes. I love the cast of characters here and hope we get to revisit them in future books in the Fire and Rain series.I highly recommend FROM THE ASHES for MM fans because of its stellar characters with a complicated but delicious romance.Reviewed by J9for TheRomanceReviews.com