Cuffs & Carnations

Fire & Brimstone Scrolls

By: Nikole Knight

Narrated by: Kirt Graves

Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

It took one day to strip an Archangel of everything he held dear.

On the battlefield of Heaven, Uriel lost more than his left ear. He lost his Committeds and his will to live. Decades later, he’s drowning himself at the bottom of a bottle, with no escape in sight. He tried to end his misery, but death didn't take. Resigned to suffering eternity alone with only the ghosts of the ones he lost as company, the last thing Uriel wants is a new love.

It took one day for a hybrid to fall in love with a broken, lost Archangel.

As the hybrid spawn of Lucifer, Jesse isn’t exactly popular with angels; carrying the face of a monster tends to have that effect. So, he keeps his head down and secretly prays for the day someone can see past his golden eyes to the soul inside—the soul desperate for the solace only surrender can provide.

A grieving Archangel searching for hope and a reason to live. A hybrid yearning for a firm, loving hand, and a place to belong. Join Uriel and Jesse as they test the boundaries of love and the infinite limits of grace.

Cuffs & Carnations is a spin-off story within the Fire & Brimstone universe. It can be read as a standalone but is best enjoyed after reading the completed Fire & Brimstone Scrolls series. Trigger warnings include: non-graphic mentions of attempted suicide/suicidal thoughts, cavalier commentary/dark jokes about suicide, self-destructive abuse of alcohol and the resulting withdrawal symptoms, and elements of BDSM and kink, including bondage, impact play, power exchange, and light breath play.

©2023 Nikole Knight (P)2023 Nikole Knight

what the fuck was that

how dare you make me feel all the things like what is wrong with you

Phenomenal

This one was one of my top listens of the year so far! This is a spinoff of Nikole Knights Fire and Brimstone series and is better if you read the ones that came before for best enjoyment. It rips your heart out and puts it back together again! Soooo good! Cannot wait to read the next one. Kirt Graves does a lovely job with the narration.

I Enjoyed It

This was a really good book and my first from this author. I thought the premise was very interesting, and having liked Kirt Graves' narration before, I was eager to pick it up. It was definitely an emotional read, and dealt with grieving, trauma, depression, emptiness, forgiveness, healing, and love. I liked the characters and the journey they took. Kirt Graves did a wonderful job with his narration. I could distinguish between the different characters' voices and everything was spoken well and clearly with good tone.

Overall: 4 stars
Performance: 4 stars
Story: 4 stars

I loved it

It was painful but sweet and I’m glad we got to see Uriel again and meet Jesse I’m happy Uriel decided to start to heal and I enjoyed the journey he and Jesse took to get to where there

Oh Uriel!

A Joyfully Jay review.

Text: 3.75⭐️
Audio: 4.25⭐️

What a heartbreaking journey "Cuffs & Carnations" is. Gone is the commanding but fair mentor that helped train Riley as a fighter both physically and mentally and the person who offered kindness, protection, and shelter to Riley. In his place is a bitter, self-destructive well of almost endless despair, guilt, and rage. Uriel won’t let himself grieve his loss because he believes he deserves to spend the rest of his existence in pain and mourning and, after decades, it’s easier and more familiar to let himself rot and wither away than to process his loss and face truly living. The narrative displays the poisonous combination of addiction, grief, and depression without it feeling performative and for the sake of angst. It also deals with the ugly and hard bits of recovery; how it’s a personal journey that isn’t linear; and that love and support alone can’t fix a person, only their perseverance, continued diligence, and hard work.

Jesse’s presence in Uriel’s life isn’t a cure, and he isn’t a one-note white knight sent to rescue Uriel from himself. He acts as a fresh pair of eyes for Uriel to see the world and what living may offer him, but Jesse has a personality and history beyond being a catalyst for Uriel’s recovery. Jesse is a lovely, kinky, sweetheart whose face inspires horror and loathing in most angels, no matter how kind, compassionate, and opposite to Lucifer in every way Jesse is. The story doesn’t delve much into the bigotry Jesse faces, but there’s enough to show how truly resilient and good his soul is, as he’s not resentful of growing up being disdained and orphaned for his unearned status as a villain. His longstanding crush on Uriel and his empathy for Uriel’s suffering enables him to forgive Uriel for almost anything just to spend time with the broken man in the hopes of making him smile, which makes it hard to see Uriel hurt him in the not fun way. Jesse quickly tumbles into love with Uriel despite his warnings that he has nothing to give nor does he want to give Jesse anything. The story is mired in grief, self-destruction, and selfless love, and Uriel and Jesse have a hard but satisfying road to happiness. Jesse’s friendship with his bi-gender bestie Kelly/Kelli adds some levity (and provides a nice set-up for a future pairing), and it’s immensely satisfying to see Uriel and Riley reconnect.

While enjoyable overall, there are some quirks I found irritating at times. The series always had trouble not making Utopia and the angels too human, and it seems this book doesn’t even try anymore, as there are quips about not speaking good English when everyone would be speaking Utopian or elements like angels using SSRIs to treat depression. I get that angels have similar genetics/physiology to humans to make breeding possible in this world and to be relatable as imperfect beings who share some of the same human experiences, but between all the English colloquialisms, the American feel of Utopia, and other remarks/elements that really make no sense in the context of this angelic society, this had me rolling my eyes. There’s also never any explanation for how/why Jesse ends up at the same bar as Uriel for their first sexual encounter. Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, Jesse walks into Uriel’s? Is Jesse low key stalking Uriel? Does he occasionally follow Uriel to keep tabs on his physical health since Uriel goes trolling for beatdowns? Did the Maker have a hand in bringing them together? Who knows! Since the Christian God exists in this world and isn’t a completely absentee father, I’m assuming it’s the latter.

However, it was pretty easy to breeze past Knight’s way too American Utopia and go with the flow as Kirt Graves again really brings this series and its characters to life. My one quibble is that sometimes Jesse sounds like Riley, and in certain scenes it pulled me out of the emotion because it felt wrong. However, it doesn’t happen often and mostly only in the first few chapters, so by the time the story hits its stride, Jesse’s voice becomes more distinct and his. Overall, Graves conveys all the characters’ turmoil, light-hearted moments, soul-deep pain, and everything in between well, and makes Uriel finding love again and Jesse being loved for the bratty, heart-eyes cinnamon roll he is even more satisfying.

Kirt nailed the narration!!

This story shattered me to pieces. Understanding how Urial felt about losing his committed, along with excessively drinking to avoid feeling pain, took me on an emotional journey filled with depression, suicidal ideations, guilt, and anger; which led to acceptance, healing, and love again.

Uriel is your typical, bitter-asshole drunk, holding onto so much anger and hostility for actions that were out of his control. How Jesse continued to deal with his arrogance is beyond me, but his persistence was just what Uriel needed to find himself again. Their dynamic was fierce, with a strong connection of fires blazing.

Kirt does such an amazing job of bringing these characters to life! Absolutely loved the distinction between Uriel and Jesse, something not a lot of narrators can pull off, but Kirt does this with so much ease and enthusiasm, I felt like I was there with them through it all.

Firm Hand Heals

I loved this audio. It is the best I have listened to all year. Archangel Uriel lost everything in the second world in heaven. His commiteds died and his reason to live with it. Jesse, a hybrid with the face of the most beautiful monster is searching for a firm and living hand. On the surface this is a hurt/comfort, grumpy/sunshine, but it is deeper. There are real scenes of alcoholism, bitterness, discrimination, and pain. There is plenty of humour, sweetness, and friendship.
Kurt Graves was amazing as always. I look forward to the audios by him. I will also be waiting for more books by this author in audio form.

Wonderful narration and deeply moving story-line.

Wonderful narration and deeply moving story-line. Uriel and Jesse's story is filled with angst, anger, depression and includes the journey to healing, acceptance and love. This story takes us through years of Uriel and Jesse's journey. From the depth of grief and loss Uriel finds his way to forgiveness and love with Jesse. Many parts of this story are painful and will bring tears to your eyes.

This is part of the Fire & Brimstone Scrolls.

Emotional listen!

I absolutely love the Fire and Brimstone Scrolls series. So I love that we get more of this world. This is such an emotional rollercoaster and I love it. Uriel broke my heart and I just wanted him to be happy. Jesse is such a sweetheart and so perfect for Uriel. This is such an amazing world and Kirt Graves does an amazing job with the narration. He does such an amazing job bring these characters to life. Amazing listen!

Emotional Goodness

Cuffs & Carnations: A Fire & Brimstone Story really should be enjoyed after reading/listening to The Fire & Brimstone Scrolls series. It's been decades since the battle that took Uriel's Committeds and he can find no desire to go on. Jesse has it bad for the Archangel and does everything he can to make him smile and know he's not alone. This is a wonderfully emotional story that tugged on my heart strings. Uriel's pain is consuming him and Jesse has no desire to let Uriel suffer his grief alone any longer. This story may be triggering for some as it deals with some tough topics. I was glad to see Uriel find happiness after such loss, he and Jesse fit so well together. I definitely recommend this book. 
Narrator Kirt Graves does another amazing job in this world. I loved listening to him in the original series and this book even more so. You can really feel the emotions come across. It's like being right there in the story. Listening to Kirt is always a treat. 

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. 

Uriel gets his HEA

I loved the Fire and Brimstone Scroll books. The ménage story between Riley, Jai, Noel, and Gideon. How four men could come together under such dire circumstances and make it work.

During that final battle, though, Uriel lost his committeds. That loss hit me, although I was still working through the injuries of my beloved four, and so the true depth of his sadness didn’t permeate. In this book, I got a real sense for how deep the pain went. From missing his lovely Delilah and their third, Obi, I saw the relationship through Uriel’s eyes. How he’d loved and lost. How he just didn’t want to keep going but couldn’t manage to die. How liquor kept him going.

Enter Jesse. As Lucifer’s spawn, he’s not well-regarded by the other angels. His friendship with Riley and some others brings him some comfort, but he’s missing out on a deeper connection. Then he meets Uriel and everything changes.

The relationship is not smooth sailing. Or all sunshine and roses. These are two men with profound feelings of pain. Men who struggle. Uriel especially, but Jesse’s not got an easy go of it either. As they formed the basis of their relationship – BDSM – feelings began to grow. Then one day they realized just how deeply they cared. Uriel has some crap to deal with first, but eventually things looked up. Now, this is a romance, so I got my happy ending but man, did Nikole ever make them suffer first.

Kirt Graves is the perfect narrator for this series. He’s got Uriel’s dry wit and accent down flat while also being the perfect Jesse with the freshness of a younger man. I highly recommend the audiobook.

Long awaited story performed perfectly by Kirt!

A story all of us fans of Fire and Brimstone have been waiting for and it did not disappoint.

Yes, I had to take breaks regularly because when Nikole delivers a heartbreak, Nikole delivers. Ouch. But it’s so satisfying because you sit there and root for the characters. You want them to get better. You want them to stop hurting. You don’t want them to ever hurt again. But you know that’s not how real life is. And therefore you commit yourself to sitting through it all with them, hypothetically holding their hand and giving Nikole hypothetical teary-eyed glares, while simultaneously saying: “please make it stop”. While knowing it in your heart it won’t stop until it’s time to stop because if the pain and hurt ended too soon, the story would be put down and become unbelievable, unrelatable. And at the end of the day, after all is said and done, you heave a big sigh of release. Because you just want the characters to love and be loved again.

It’s a heart stopping story with a beautiful ending. All of us who read the previous books knew this was going to be one hell of a rollercoaster. And of course it was. But it was just so satisfying too.

And then Kirt? My god his performance is magnificent. Uriel’s tones? Perfection. Jesse’s voice? Beautiful. Kelly’s tones? Remind me of another Kelly and I have a feeling it might be a personal little joke of our beloved narrator and I love him even more for it.

Fantastic and highly anticipated audiobook that ticked all the boxes and then some. Highly recommend.

Emotional listen

I loved the Fire & Brimstone series. Cuffs and Carnation is a spin off of that series that can be read as a standalone. However, you will definitely enjoy reading it more if you already know the series, as I reencountered some characters I already knew and loved.
Uriel's storyline pretty much destroyed me at the end of the Fire & Brimstone series. And I was very happy to see him get a story of his own. Archangel Uriel is broken after the death of his companions and he lives an unhealthy life of pushing everyone around him away. However, Jesse fell in love with Uriel a long time ago and Jesse never gives up hope. This book was an emotional roller coaster. My heart broke for Uriel and thankfully was put back together in the end. I loved this story. It is dark but that was to be expected. However, it is also full of hope and I found this story very entertaining.

Kirt Graves did an outstanding job. As a listener, you could immediately hear every mood Uriel was in. I was able to tell the characters apart well. He brought the book to life in a fantasic way. Kirt Graves made a great and emotional book even better with his performance! I highly recommend this audiobook!

All the feels

M/M
Fantasy
Archangel/Hybrid
Dom/Sub
BDSM
Enemies son ("spawn of Lucifer")
Hurt/comfort

TW: alcoholic, suicide ideation, self harm, pain kink, slapping across face.

This is a spinoff of another series in the same world but can be read as a standalone. This is a new to me author so I have not read that other series and I didn't feel like I was missing any info. I don't usually read this type of book and I loved it ao that says alot. I'll definitely be reading more by this author.

The narrator did a really great job. He had a pleasant reading voice, espeically during Uriel's chapters. His English accent was very convincing and easy to understand. He kept a good pace and he expressed all the emotions well. The distinct character voices made it easy to follow the story and brought it to life. I really enjoyed listening to this.

Interesting

Another fantastic story to add to the series by Nikole Knight. Uriel and Jesse was great to follow on their journey. Kirt Graves did a superb job with the narration.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Cuffs & Carnations

This story. These characters. The journey. This book broke me in all of the best ways. Dark yet powerful and beautiful. Kirt Graves does a fantastic job with the narration.

So many stars

This was an amazing continuation of the series. I love that it is dark and enjoyable and the characters are just so right for each other even though sometimes I thought that this wasn’t going to work for them they continually shock me. I loved this book and the series is just so enjoyable.

The narration adds so much to the book and I love that the characters are all clearly distinguishable from each other and it gives so much depth.

Intensely emotional and healing

I knew Uriel and Jesse's story was going to wreck me, but even at its most painful points, their journey was so worth it. I was utterly hooked on every second of this book, and not even the intense, overpowering grief Uriel was drowning in could snuff out my hope that things would get better for him. In those first chapters, it was brutal to experience Uriel's suffering. Because I read the Fire and Brimstone series, I already knew and loved Uriel, and watching him fall and fall and fall into depression was excruciating. The only bright spot in the beginning was Jesse, and his submissive sweetness and compassion for Uriel was a soothing balm. For a long time, Uriel fought against his connection to Jesse--considering himself too broken and damaged to deserve love, but Jesse never wavered in his feelings. Little by little, over chess matches and "no-strings" BDSM scenes, Jesse became a fixture in Uriel's life. The brightness he carried with him was a stark contrast to Uriel's despair, and though some may think they shouldn't have worked together, they genuinely did. I fell head over heels for their relationship before it even was a relationship, and every time Uriel pushed Jesse away it hurt me all over again. Uriel's healing journey was painful, so painful, but knowing that he finally saw something redeemable in himself was also wonderful. This story didn't gloss over the messy, terrible parts of grief, and I loved it more for that. Because I felt Uriel's pain so intensely, it made his recovery even more impactful. Uriel never forgot his Committeds, and loving Jesse didn't mean erasing their impact on his life. Choosing to risk love again was the bravest thing Uriel could have done, and he definitely made me cry when he opened up to Jesse and laid the last of his demons to rest. My heart is so full for these two and the happiness they built together, and I was crying happy tears listening their epilogue and seeing how sweet their life turned out.

**I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this book. This review expresses my honest thoughts and opinions.

Uriel and Jesse

Uriel lost his commiteds in the war and has since became an alcoholic who doesn't want to live, decades later the Hybrid Jesse comes along and slowly chips at Uriel's hard exterior. Very well written and wonderful narration by Kirk

Absorbing

I normally don’t read this genre but had really enjoyed the Foxxy series and something about the blurb caught my attention plus Kirt Graves being the narrator sealed it.
I enjoyed this story. Archangel Uriel is a mess inside and out. Having lost committeds and suffering numerous times being a standout for his scars he lost his will to live. Then Jesse gives him a reason to reevaluate everything past and present. There are triggers so before investing in the story it is a good idea to be aware. I have few triggers so this added to the story for me. Uriel’s struggle to decide if he really wants to live is heartbreaking. Jesse’s commitment to Uriel is amazing. Kirt’s narration as usual is excellent.