Hot Head

4.5 Stars! So this is really the first M/M story I have read and I wasn't sure if I would like it or not. I'm so glad I did because I really, really enjoyed this story! The book centers around Griff and Dante, two fire fighters who were close growing up and became best friends. They are struggling with the fact that their love for each other is beyond brotherly or friendly. It's told from Griff's POV but amazingly enough you really feel like you got to know Dante as well. I was a bit worried that the sex would be too much but although there was quite a bit of it the writing was done really well and it was intense and smoking hot. This book was more than just sex...it was about the raw emotions of both and their intense attraction along with learning to accept themselves and being willing to risk everything to be together. In the backdrop was an amazing story about how Griff was "adopted" by Dante's family and how they had grown together. It also had a powerful story about Griff's struggle after 9-11 and how Dante helped him cope. Both Griff and Dante grow throughout the book. Griff who starts the book as quiet and not as confident as some of the other fire fighters however, he does not come off at all weak or boring. Dante appears to be a ladies man who lives life wild and with few limitations but behind all of that we get to find out there is a lot more to Dante. He could easily come off as arrogant but the author gives him just enough insecurities and vulnerabilities to keep that from happening. The supporting characters are wonderful and really add to the story. You can't help but love the Anastagio family. Both Tommy and Alek are interesting and integral to the story. If the book as any downfall it's that the dialogue can be a little over the top. However, this didn't detract from the overall book. I am so glad I read this book and I will definitely be back to read more in this series and from this author!

A well-written, sexy, down-and-dirty romance! I loved Damon Suede's hard-nosed Brooklyn narrative, with the colorful expressions (who knew there were so many different names for male "body parts!"). True, I'd agree with some of the other reviewers that this book could have used a bit more editing to tighten it up in parts (hence a 4 star instead of a 5), but I thoroughly enjoyed it, warts and all! VERY MILD SPOILERS FOLLOW: The story is told in third-person narrative, but mainly from the perspective of Griff Muir, a 6'5" hunk of a NY firefighter who is desperately in love with his best friend, Dante Anastagio. Dante is a "hot head" in his own right (downright crazy at times, larger than life most of the time) who, along with Griff, survived the horrendous attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11. As the blurb indicates, Dante gets himself in a bit of hot water financially, and decides internet porn is a quick answer to his financial woes. He drags the reticent Griff along, kicking and screaming. Not that Griff doesn't lust after his best friend, but because Griff is convinced that Dante will never return his feelings, and he knows he's just letting himself in for major heartbreak. You can imagine what happens, and there's a sweet revelation towards the end of the book which made me grin from ear to ear. Mr. Suede's "voice" is perfect in this book. Gritty, irreverent, it channels the blue-collar Brooklyn vibe (I have to admit I lived in the more swanky Brooklyn Heights, but my father grew up near the area where this book takes place). Yeah, I giggled a bit over the different...er...terminology, shall I say, for the various male body parts, but it didn't distract and, in most places, actually added to the overall feel of the piece. There were times when the story could have been more tightly edited, especially after the main resolution, and there are some repetitive bits that could have come out (for example, sometimes characters were described in the same manner in 2 or 3 places). That said, I was never bored reading this, and the sex scenes were very hot and well-drawn.

I'm only about 15% into this book and am thrilled with the quality of the writing. The author finds just the right word to describe situations, words most other authors have never even thought of.

Eu recomendo muito este livro. Amei a família do Dante e relação do Dante com o Griff como amigos. A única coisa que eu queria a mais é um livro sobre o Tommy.

very good dialogues and characterization, I was very surprised by this book as the story seemed quite simple at first but it was so well written that it ended up being very enjoyable, so far it is the best gay novel I've read.

もし洋書のM/M小説を読んでみたいと思うなら、この本をお勧めします。 いろんな意味ですごいです（笑）。 ラヴシーンがここまで書いていいのっ？！ってドキドキするほど書かれながら、 切ない感情がいっぱい詰め込まれてて、GriffとDanteのファースキスのシーンはBreathtakingのそのものです。 一番好きなところは彼らの話、一般の本のように単にお互いの気持ちが伝わったところで話が終了になるんじゃなくて、 ちゃんと【その後】のこともあって、一冊でお腹がいっぱいって感じです。 それも、ラフな内容ではなく、ちゃんと合理的な出来事と流れが書かれてます。 本当にちゃんとストーリのフレームとバランスをうまく計画されてる小説だと思います。 レベルの高いM/Mロマンス小説です。

I've bought this in Spanish as well and I have to say that it's one of my all time favorite m2m stories.