Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - Up in Flames

This book gave me a lot of laughs as I always expect from an Eden Finley/Saxon James book, but also an unexpected depth of trauma & emotion that isn’t usually there. So much more complex, nuanced and angsty than usual, and it really moved me. It’s next-level writing from this pair.

Swoon /5 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

Angst /5 🥺🥺🥺🥺

Steam /5 ♨️♨️♨️♨️

Plot /5 🧐🧐🧐🧐

LOLs /5 🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭

Paramedic Remy is abandoned at the wedding altar by his fiancé Eman. Eman’s head groomsman, firefighter Sanden, is left to break the news to Remy, complicated by the fact that Sanden has had feelings for Remy for years. He’s also realistic about Eman’s personality, and suspects he hasn’t been treating Remy well for a while. When Remy is understandably devastated, Sanden offers to go on the honeymoon with Remy, to keep him company & help take his mind off it. This part is typical Finley/James writing - hilarious banter, lots of LOL moments, fun & flirty with s3xy times.

When they return home, the book takes a turn to an emotionally deeper, heavier read. We discover that Eman is emotionally abusive & manipulative. While he’s a truly odious character, he’s brilliantly written because he actually made me cry in frustration & distress over the things he did to Remy. And while Remy has revelled in his new connection to Sanden, he realises he needs time & therapy to get over Eman. At the same time, Sanden experiences a traumatic event as a firefighter that activates PTSD from an experience when he was younger. Phew, this one is bloody tough to read too. So both Remy & Sanden have significant mental health challenges that they need to work through. The way mental health & therapy is represented in here should be given all the stars.

Thank God, there is a wonderful happy ending for Sanden & Remy. And there’s also retribution towards Eman, which I’m embarrassed to say I was gleefully hoping for. And aI have to highlight a bloody brilliant reference to one of my fave movies “Love Actually”!

Content warnings for emotional abuse & gaslighting, toxic relationship, past death of a family member, grief, and mental illness.

Check out my reviews and MM content on Instagram, Threads, Facebook, Goodreads & Bookbub, all under the same name!

Content Warnings

zabeishumanish's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional

2.5

***Trigger Warnings*** God this book has so many, and god damn do you need to take them seriously. Everyone of the trigger warnings listed for this book has graphic effects on the mental health of our two main characters. In fact, the trigger warnings and mental health of the love interests is the only major plot of the book, so the focus on these issues is intense.

This is a fine book, but not what I was expecting. Based on books Saxon and Eden have written both together and separately, I never would have excepted a book this emotionally brutal. I’ve read both authors back catalogues and I’m not wrong to have anticipated some romcom elements in this book. There isn’t so much as a hint of comedy in the book. Nothing but emotional brutality.

This book isn’t what I was expecting. And it isn’t what I wanted. Had I been expecting the intensity I might have read it on a different day and enjoyed the story. But as is I did not have a good time. This was so emotionally brutal, I couldn’t even enjoy the sex.

Content Warnings

avahernandez's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

More...