The Fire

Love in O'Leary, Book 4

By: May Archer

Narrated by: Michael Pauley

Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Jamie

Parker Hoffstraeder is gorgeous, cocky, and totally irrational. He also broke my heart when he left town 11 years, four months, and 28 days ago.

Not that I’m counting. 

I don’t mind admitting it: I was young. I got burned. I learned my lesson.

But the guy swaggers back into O’Leary like he owns the damn place, and suddenly, I’m expected to welcome him to my town...to my life - like nothing’s changed?  

Yeah, that I mind.

It’s only a matter of time until he’s gone again. And there’s no way I’ll give him a chance to take another piece of me when he goes.

Parker

Jameson Burke is the most arrogant, infuriating human on the planet. He’s also taller, broader, and impossibly hotter than he was before I left town. 

But, whatever. It’s fine. I can handle it.

Coming back to O’Leary was supposed to be like coming home. I hadn’t realized that there’s no statute of limitations on how long your first love and former best friend is allowed to hate your guts or how much bad luck can befall a person in a short time.

But, I can handle that, too...or at least, pretend to.

When Jamie and I are thrown together in a blizzard, though, everything changes in the space of one single, scorching night. Suddenly, I’m dreaming of a future I can’t have, and he’s stuck in a past he can’t let go. 

It feels like we’re playing with fire, and this time, I’m the one who’s gonna burn.

©2019 May Archer (P)2019 May Archer

Disappointing - maybe due to narration change?

1/3 of the way into this installment of a series that I was really loving, and I'm giving up. I may try to finish reading the book without the narration and see if I can get into it. Unfortunately, Parker is nothing like the way he was portrayed in the previous books... he's made to look whiney and childish, but that's partly the voice the new narrator uses. However I can't connect the sensitive guy who kept desperately trying to open healthy communication with Jamie in the previous books to this Parker who is closed off and snarky. Jamie is just an A**hole and again, how has no one called him out on his selfish self destructive behavior? He's basically abusive to Parker in previous books, verbally and in destruction of property at Parker's business, he's verbally abusive to Parker in this book as well and for some reason Parker finds this hot? Personally I kept wanting to scream at Jamie to shut up and listen, and to Parker to lay out some truth bombs. Maybe we needed to understand their history better to get why this would be a compelling and healthy relationship to pursue.

Sometimes you needed fire to burn away what was..

...to make room for what's next"

There had been glimpse and hints with regards to these characters all through out the series and finally, I got to listen to what happened between Jaime and Parker.

I adore these two. They were best friends. They just "get" each other. Inevitably, they fell in love and got together. Theirs was young love and full of promises. And then comes the biggest misunderstanding, so massive it lasted 11 years and some change. My heart hurt with how much these two have been hurt and pined for each other even after all those years. They have the tendency to make decisions based on what they think the other person would prefer, or would be better off. Even when they're best of friends, they suck at communicating about things that truly important.

Mother Nature has had enough and made way for these two to deal with each other. There were times I just want to smack them both upside the head, yell at them to get on with it -- be honest and express yourself.

Thank goodness for second chances and for Brian (yes, Brian was a catalyst of some sort). When they finally let the walls down and decided to go for it, they finally got the chance to get their HEA.

This series made me want to move to O'Leary if such town truly exists.

As far as narration went, I'm a big Michael Pauley fan. He's always been consistently amazing with his narrations. The change from dual narrators was a surprise, but it didn't take away from the quality of the book and the storytelling.

Disappointed

narrator tends to chop his words and sentences and inflections were not natural; big disappointment from the previous books in the series.

great story, narrator not so much

love this story and May Archers style of writing but I am over this narrator, does he have to always in the thousands of books that he narrates make one character whiney? this story is about 2 strong men but now it sounds like a valley girl in distress and his rendition completely put me off. Honestly every MM book sounds the same now.

Wonderful!

Loved loved loved this one from May Archer! I loved the ebook version...but Michael Pauley brought so much depth to these characters! If you are looking for a really good romance with lovely characters, this one is for you!

🔥Quenching THE Fire🔥

Title: The Fire
Series: Love in O'Leary #4
Author: May Archer
Narrator: Michael Pauley
Publisher: May Archer
Format: Audiobook🎧
Release Date: 10/15/2019
Genre/ Trope/ Theme(s): MM Romance; Contemporary; Second Chances; Small towns; Friends to Lovers
Listening Length: 9hrs 36min
SteaMMy Swordplay: 3 out of 5⚔
Sharonica-Stars: 4.5 out of 5✨
GoodReads AVG: 4.29🌟


MMy Thoughts and Review:
I'm new to the writing style of May Archer, but always a sucker for a good small town romance. Finding the sexy voice of Michael Pauley as the narrator, well that's just like getting two paid vacations instead of just one... Divine!💗

Jamie and Parker grew up together, found their love for life and each other together. But one moved away for college and one stayed behind. Through the years and through outside influence the two became broken-hearted enemies.

Over a decade later Parker is back, though not for long, because he has lost his bar, his dream, and his only source of income to fire. So, he has packed his car to head to the airport only to find himself stuck in the snow on the side of the road. After calling for help, he just waits, along with his plants, hoping he and they don't freeze before help arrives.

When help does arrive, it is in the form of his ex, Jamie. As the two scream at one another in the middle of a blizzard, Jamie gives Parker two options, stay in his car and possibly freeze to death, or get in Jamie's truck and go back to Jamie's to wait out the storm.

Over the course of three days the men are pretty much isolated from the outside. I say "pretty much" because there is still cell service, so Parker is still in touch with his overbearing and neurotic mother, and of course there are a few well meaning if nosy towns people who discover the two men have hunkered down together to wait out the storm.

There are sweet and fun times as they reconnect over chicken wing cook offs, and conversations. But there are also moments of grief when old wounds are reopened thanks to mother nature interfering and forcing Jamie to face some truths about the future and moving forward.

I haven't read the former books in this series, so I can vouch for this being a true stand-alone. I will say, however that I do plan to go back and begin at the beginning. I would like to know how some of the other couples in O'Leary met.

If you enjoy stories that are meaningful for the MCs beyond just the romance, where relationships outside the couple are important in the community then you will enjoy this one. 💗

The Story: 4.25🌟
The Narration: 4.75🌟

I read/ listened to a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest and unbiased review. 💋

Disappointing end to the series

I really enjoyed the first three books in the series which were very well-written and performed. This latest installment lacked all the charm of the prior books. Gone were main characters I cared plus quirky side characters/background stories of O’Leary. Gone too were the Parker and Jamie I had somewhat already gotten to know during the prior books. In their place, were two bickering characters with a lot of internal dialogue and no chemistry. It was close to 2 hours in before our MCs were even interacting with each other and it’s not like the action picks up there. In fact, very little happens over the course of this droning 9.5 hour snooze fest.

Also, it was unfortunate that they not only decided switch readers (Alexander Cendese and Iggy Toma were fantastic for the other books), but they chose to use a single reader even though it was dual POV.

I can’t recommend this book.

Best one yet

I’ve listened to this entire series so far and this is definitely the best one yet. The end brought me to tears.

Tons of drama, not my fav of the series

First off, although this is NOT my favorite of the series, that doesn’t mean it won’t be yours. This story is full of drama and angst, well written as all Archer books are- with tons of small town charm built in. However, drama and angst are not my favorite. I felt like I was reading a teeny-bopper love story. Sad to see Iggy Toma and Alexander Cendese not narrating this continuation of the series, but KUDOS to Archer for picking Michael Pauley! He is one of my favorites and brings such a richness to the story with his voice!

When the kitchen gets hot, ooh la la

Another wonderful walk down O’Leary Lane. This time we get to witness to the story of Parker and Jamie. We caught a glimpse of the fire in The Gift, but it wasn’t focused on in that story. It just overlapped. When Parker’s bar burns down he is left feeling like he gas nothing left. He lost his pride and joy, and the one man he wants the most won’t talk to him. When his luck gets worse, and he’s out a place to stay, he decides to leave O’Leary again. It seems as though O’Leary isn’t quite done with him yet. A car wreck leaves him stranded, and Jamie comes to his rescue. The anger and ‘hatred’ come to a head when they are forced to stay together during a winter’s storm. Will they make nice or will they rip each other a new one? I highly recommend you read and find out. While this book can be read alone, you will find you want to know more avoutvthis lovely town and it’s inhabitants. There are neighbors from previous books that pop up throughout every book. Reading the entire series will enhance your time in O’Leary.

Great story, the narrator ruined it.

this is a great addition to the love in oleary series unfortunately for me the narrator just ruined it. Between the ridiculous voice he gave parker, the OTT spicy scenes, and not even taking the time to learn how to pronounce names properly. It all annoyed me so much that I stopped listening and just read the book instead.
Again great story, bad narrator

I miss Alexander & Iggy🥺

I love the universe May created.
The story is good, but I really miss dual narrators. Specifically Alexander & Iggy - they made the stories come to life.
But after a while I still enjoyed it.

Enough heat to melt the snow.....

I haven’t read any of the previous books in this series, so god help my bank account as I’m going back to the beginning! You don’t really need to have listened to the rest prior to listening to this one, I didn’t feel i missed too much by not having done - that said, I want to!

Enemies to Lovers, second chances, forced proximity, terrible communication all add together to make an enjoyable story. Parker and Jamie have tons of history and plenty of issues to wade through - getting snowed in gives them the ideal opportunity. I think there’s more of a backstory for them in the previous books but I need to hear them to find out.

Michael Pauley, of course, was fantastic narrating. He’s a definite favourite of mine and he sucks you in to a story from the first few minutes.

Friend to foe to lovers? A slow burn...

I've not yet read any other of the Love in O'Leary series, but it looks like I'll have to go back and read the others that are currently available as I love stories that are set in smaller communities that pull together in times of trouble.
Michael Pauley is one of my favourite narrators and he does an excellent job, as always, of bringing the story to life.
Having lost everything when his bar burned down, including his new place to live, Parker is struggling to hold it together with the insurance investigator seems to be dragging his heels over the investigation even though the fire department and the local arson investigator ruled it as not suspicious. To make matters worse, the guy who used to be his best friend has done nothing but throw shade at him since his return to O'Leary this past year. Jamie is finding it hard to get over his heartbreak from when Parker left the first time, so when he finds him stranded in a snowstorm on the verge of leaving town, they argue before Parker reluctantly allows Jamie to rescue him. Can the two let their walls down enough to give love another chance? I highly recommend that you read/listen along for yourself if you're a lover of Second Chance Contemporary MM romance.

A Great Continuation

This is the fourth book in The Love in O'Leary Series. A Great book with good writing. The plot was entertaining and it was steady throughout the book. I found the story and characters wonderful. The characters were developed and thought out. Jamie and Parker are the MC’s of this book. The narration was good and I can recommend this book as a good read/listen. I voluntarily read an advance copy of this book for an honest review.

Second chances!

Jameson and Parker were once an item. Young and best of friends, first loves until Parker left.
When he comes back to town, worn out from life and after a fire 🔥 leaves him with no business he finds Jameson, who is a total jerk to him. Some fires are hard to put out, because Parker and Jameson are smoking hot together. Sexy angry romance. Very well narrated!

Very enjoyable!

4.5 Stars!

I listened to this audiobook as a standalone, since I haven't read the first 3 books yet and while there were a couple of times in which Ms. Archer refers to some events that happened in those, it wasn't anything major or that made me feel too lost. I'll go back and read the first books in the series ASAP, because the characters we met and the town were so charming that I want to know more about them.

I really liked Parker and while it took me longer to warm up to Jamie, I ended up liking him quite a bit. That doesn't mean that I didn't want to strangle them both quite a few times! LOL, it really took them forever and a day to finally communicate as they should. 

I found the story compelling and entertaining and I really enjoyed Michael Pauley's narration. He was fantastic as always and brings a lot of emotion into his performance. 

Very Recommendable!

Second time’s the charm?

Forced proximity is one of my favorite tropes. Two guys stuck together, having to face their own problems, having a mirror held up to themselves. And if they have history? Even better. Parker and Jamie have issues. A whole bunch of them. Starting with how they split years ago and how they’ve been acting toward each other since Parker returned to town. Now, this is the fourth book in the series and although I wasn’t lost, it was clear there was a lot of backstory I was missing. But I was able to get caught up pretty quickly. There had been a fire at Parker’s pub and now, while waiting for the insurance settlement, he’s biding his time. His solution? Nurturing plants. And avoiding Jamie like the plague.

Jamie is in a relationship that isn’t working well. In fact, he rarely thinks of the man he’s in a relationship with. Instead, he fumes over Parker. That he had the nerve to come back to town. About the fact he’s close but still so far away. Or that he’ll be gone as soon as the insurance is paid out. Jamie believes Parker’s just going to run again, so why extend a courtesy and be nice? He figures he’ll just get burned again.

One fateful night, thanks to a shit-ton of snow, the two men find themselves hunkered down, waiting for the weather to pass. But it’s temporary, right? Just a night. Maybe two. One man helping another without expectations or, for that matter, a past. If everything that has come before is off the table, what does that leave? Well, combustion. The physical attraction hasn’t waned for either man. So they may or may not have found some interesting ways to pass the time.

But the past always has a way of catching up, sometimes delivering a punch to the gut. The men had met because of Jamie’s sister Molly and her loss is still felt acutely by both men, even years later. Jamie is a man stuck in the past while Parker has, to all appearances, moved on with his life. Yet he chose to come back to O’Leary when he certainly didn’t have to. And Jamie’d had every opportunity to move on with his life, but he never has.

This is one of those books where I wanted to knock the two men’s head together to see if sense might shake loose. But I didn’t get to. Instead I hung around and watched them do the dance of ‘we’re not really together but, yeah, we’re kind of together…’ I understood Parker’s desire to be more than fuck buddies and Jamie’s determination not to get left behind again. Wounded souls, eh?

Fortunately the men have interfering friends who make sure those miscommunications are resolved once and for all. Great to have those closest to us who can hold up a mirror so we can take a true look into our souls.

Michael Pauley narrated the book and I thought he did a great job. He’s talented and manages to differentiate even voice – even when there are a whole bunch of them. Another stellar performance for a great book.

This is a great series

Im really loving this whole seres. Each book is just as good as the one before it. I adore second chance romances, and this ticks all my buttons. The enemies to lovers aspect was on fire too, just like the title suggests. There was a lot of healing, angst and learning to trust again. I was able to connect with both guys and quickly got pulled into their connection.

Michael did a great job, as expected and these 2 make a great combo.

Loved it

I really enjoyed this audiobook.
I love this series, and I love listening to O’Leary brought to life on audio.
Great writing along with great narration make this a must listen.