#ARC #Review: The Fire We Crave – S. Cole

*I received a free copy of The Fire We Crave from via ARC Publisher. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review, which is honest and unbiased *

Quinn
Two things happened on my thirteenth birthday. My older sister went missing. And I told Smoke Callahan, the Iron Outlaws Road Captain, that it was his fault she was gone.
Fourteen years later, I still hate him.
But hate doesn’t keep me safe when the Bratva sets its sights on me.
I need protection. The kind only a ruthless, broken man like Smoke can provide.
So I make him an offer. I’ll help him recover from the burns that nearly cost him his life. In return, he keeps me breathing.
It should be simple. It isn’t.
Because the more time I spend in his orbit, the more I see the man behind the scars. The one who carries a past as heavy as mine. And when he looks at me, it’s not hatred I see in his dark eyes anymore.
It’s something far more dangerous.

Smoke
Quinn Moran was just a kid when she came at me, fists flying, blaming me for her sister’s disappearance. I let her. I deserved it.
Now she’s all grown up—sharp-tongued, stubborn as hell, and standing in my cabin, asking for my protection.
I should say no. I should send her away.
But I don’t. Because even if she still hates me, I’ll kill anyone who tries to hurt her.
Even if it means she learns the truth.
Even if it means she never forgives me.
Because she was never meant to be mine. But that won’t stop me from taking her.

The Fire We Crave is hot and very sweet in places, with Smoke’s underlying troubles coming to the front slowly but surely.

Of course, I had already ‘met’ both Quinn and Smoke, and I was anticipating their full story – grump, gumption and all. And my gosh, did I get a good story! Smoke had to go through something horrific before he was able to come back from fighting fires from the air, and he felt himself slipping, but he had no idea how to deal with it all. He was used to being the one who had the solutions, not the one who might become a problem. The Fire We Crave deals with that inner turmoil very nicely.

Quinn was scared to go back home, and even if she thought she hated Smoke, being in his house – with him – made her feel safe and calm. And when had he become so hot? And nice? She already knew the people from the Club, as her best friend is the president’s daughter, but she hadn’t truly seen herself become a part of them.

I loved how mental health truly took a front seat in The Fire We Crave, especially because it was the male protagonist who appeared to need help more than the female protagonist. I totally got why Smoke was trying to deal with everything on his own, but some of his brothers really got to him, and when he finally started opening up, he realized that it was much easier to have people at his back.

Quinn also had a lot to deal with, getting her back story, and the reason why she felt a little trapped in her bakery got to me in a big way. I wanted to help her fight, or fight people for her, that’s how mad I was in some places. However, she was able to deal with her own demons with Smoke’s help, which made The Fire We Crave even better 🙂

If you are looking for a hot Colorado motorcycle club, with some ladies who can keep up, The Fire We Crave, and the Iron Outlaws Colorado should make it to your TBR pronto!

About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.

Subscribe to Blog via Email