Fire and Flint by Andrew Grey

Narrated by Greg Tremblay

Fire and Flint is the first Carlisle Deputies book, a new spin-off of the author’s earlier Carlisle Cops series (which I haven’t read or listened to). It will come as no surprise whatsoever when I say that the big draw on this one was the narrator, who I’d cheerfully listen to if he were reading me Haynes Car Manuals. Fire and Flint proved to be a cute, fairly low-angst story that concentrates mostly on the developing relationship between the main characters, with a bit of drama injected courtesy of a crooked judge who could derail the adoption of a little boy by the man he already calls “Daddy”.

Deputy Pierre Ravelle is pulled off regular duty and temporarily assigned to the courthouse – specifically as protection for Judge Crawford, who has recently received a number of threatening letters. At the judge’s office he meets the judge’s paralegal and assistant, Jordan Erichsohn, with whom he feels an instant rapport. A few days later, he’s out with colleagues, when he comes across a rather agitated Jordan who is desperate to get back to his mother’s house where his four-year-old son, Jeremiah, has become unwell. Jeremiah had leukaemia, and although the cancer is gone, there’s always a chance it could come back, or that it’s caused other complications, and Jordan is worried. The trouble is that he’s on a very rare night out with friends and has left his car at home – and the friend he came with is reluctant to leave the club so early. This is when Pierre steps in and offers to drive Jordan home so he can pick up his car and drive to his mother’s. Pierre ends up doing more than that when Jordan’s car won’t start; he takes him to collect Jeremiah and then drives them both to the hospital, staying with them until the boy is seen by the doctor, treated and then discharged.

After this, Pierre asks Jordan out on a date – specifically one he can bring Jeremiah along to – and they have a great time, agreeing afterwards that they’d like to continue seeing each other. Jordan makes it clear that right now, Jeremiah is his priority; he’s in the process of adopting him and nothing can be allowed to get in the way of that, which Pierre understands, and is happy to help and support him in any way he can.

It’s not long before Pierre realises that something is bothering Jordan – and eventually, Jordan is persuaded to open up to him, not wanting to carry his burden alone any more. In the course of his job keeping records for the judge, he came across some documents that indicated that Crawford may not have been impartial in some of his cases, having deliberately made improper rulings and decisions that caused wrongful convictions and imprisonments. Pierre is appalled and wants Jordan to pass along his information so it can be investigated – but Jordan is adamant that he will do nothing that could jeopardise his adoption of Jeremiah, and Crawford could very easily throw a spanner into the works if he finds out that Jordan is the one who turned in the evidence against him.

Pierre and Jordan are likeable, engaging characters and the bulk of Fire and Flint concentrates on developing their romance, which is both sweet and hot. Pierre is open, honest about what he wants and dependable; he’s very much a calming force for Jordan at a stressful time, and in Jordan and Jeremiah, sees something he wants very much – a family he’d like to be part of. Jordan is a real sweetie; taking on the raising of a young child and wanting to do the best for him while also wanting to do the right thing for those adversely affected by Crawford’s actions… it’s no wonder he’s conflicted and anxious, but Pierre is there for him – and Jeremiah – every step of the way. And even though their romance takes off fairly quickly, the author creates a believably strong bond between them that meant I had no problems buying into it.

I’d have liked there to have been a bit more detail when it came to the part of the story that dealt with the judge’s illegal activities – all is resolved pretty easily in the end – but it didn’t spoil the story, which is ultimately a fluffy, feel-good romance – and what I was in the mood for at the time.

Greg Tremblay’s narration is – as usual – flawless, with appropriate voices for each character and clear differentiation between them all. His interpretation of little Jeremiah is incredibly cute; I may well have uttered the odd “awwww” under my breath as I was listening, and I’m not normally one for cute kids in romances! His ability to hit all the emotional highs and lows in any story he narrates is seemingly unerring, and there’s no question that his performance contributed greatly to my overall enjoyment of the story.

Much as I like drama and angst, sometimes there’s something to be said for the straightforward and uncomplicated, and I enjoyed Fire and Flint for what it was – a tender, sexy romance between two people who are clearly perfect for each other. Add in another wonderfully nuanced performance by Greg Tremblay and you’ve got the perfect comfort listen for those grey winter afternoons.

Caz