Fire on the Mountain

Mountain, Book 1

By: P. D. Singer

Narrated by: Finn Sterling

Length: 6 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Fresh out of college, Jake Landon’s heading to the mountains for a season as a forest ranger. A gap year before returning to school might give him enough time to sort out his residency and his sexuality - he’s deep in the closet and a complete rookie. Some crusty old partner who speaks three words a day won’t entice him.

Except his partner turns out to be Kurt Carlson: Confident, competent, and experienced. He's also young, hot, friendly, and considers clothing optional when it’s just two guys in the wilderness. Sharing a small cabin with this walking temptation is stressing Jake’s sanity - is he sending signals, or just being Kurt? And how would Kurt react if he found out his new partner wants to start a fire of a different kind? Jake’s terrified - they have to live together for five months no matter what.

Enough sparks fly between the rangers to set the trees alight, but it takes a raging inferno to make Jake and Kurt admit to the heat between them.

©2012 P D Singer (P)2014 Dreamspinner Press

Great new series!

Jake had a bad experience with coming out and is determined to stay in the closet for the foreseeable future – unless he can be absolutely assured of not getting hurt. Since that is not likely to happen – the closet looks mighty tempting. He takes a summer off from academics to fight forest fires over the summer, hoping for an old, crotchety partner, who won’t serve as temptation. Unfortunately, he pulls Kurt, a super hot, young fire fighter, and the stress begins.

Kurt seems to be straight, though he gives off conflicting signals now and then, and pushes all Jake’s buttons. Though they begin to become friends as the summer moves on, it takes all Jake’s self control not to expose his desire for Kurt.
It takes a brush with death for Kurt and Jake to expose their desires for one another and even then, they aren’t sure the other wasn’t simply motivated by a “this could be the end” mentality. It takes some talking but the two figure things out and essentially enjoy the rest of the summer together. That’s not the end – now that they are together there are still obstacles to face: mainly Jake’s closet, and Kurt’s job(s). Luckily there are 4 more books in this series, so we get to follow these boys deeper into their relationship and see where it takes them.
**
This was a slow, slow burn. (See what I did there?) Lots of internal dialog and vacillation on the part of Jake as to should he/shouldn’t he act on his feelings for Kurt. However, it’s well done and all the while we get to learn about fighting fires in the mountains of Colorado.
I enjoyed the background story almost as much as the love story and when the two MCs do finally get together it’s very hot (Jake is a virgin) and very satisfying.
I give the book a 4 of 5 stars – I really liked it.

Audiobook:
I had listened to a few of Finn Sterling’s other narrations and I like him. He does a little voice manipulation and seems to have a good understanding for pacing and seems to “get” what he’s reading so that you can lose yourself in the story and not be distracted by his inflections or pronunciations.
I really, really liked his voice for Kurt. Deep, rumbly, kind of growly. Very hot. Jake was a little too effeminate for me, but not so much that it was distracting.
I give the Audiobook a 4 of 5 stars as well, and overall rating of 4 of 5 stars. I really liked it.
Overall Impression:

4 stars – I really liked it

Great Firefighter book!`

This books was just... sigh... excellent.

I loved every single part of the book and couldn't stop listening to it. The angst of revealing feelings and not knowing how they'd be received was frustrating!

There were so many little hot scenes through the book, while we also saw the friendship blooming between the main characters. I just fell in love with both of them.

The aspect of them being mountain rangers was excellent too. The strife and stress that the job put on them, not to mention the limitations of where they were living and how they had to deal with them.

I will say I was a bit disappointed between the final chapter and the epilogue. I felt like we missed the relationship developing past new and jumped straight into comfortable.

However, I wouldn't mind seeing where the relationship went from where it ended.

I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Inked Rainbow Reads.

Narration saved this story.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I'm not sure. The story itself was a bit of a let down, but Finn Sterling is such a good narrator that he did make the time pass quickly.

What could P. D. Singer have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Made the personal connection between Jake and Kurt stronger, more believable.

What does Finn Sterling bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Subtle nuances and inflections in his tone, his voice alone is sort of mesmerizing.

Could you see Fire on the Mountain being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Actually, yes! Hmmmmm, Channing Tatum could play Kurt and that cute guy that played Adam on The Secret Circle could play Jake.

Any additional comments?

Jake Landon takes a job as a park ranger to bide his time until he starts pharmacy school. He expected to be partnered with someone older and more seasoned, to pass his time waiting with working and fishing. He did not expect the distraction that is Kurt Carlson. Jake made the mistake once on acting on his attraction to another man, a friend, and it didn’t turn out so well. He is not about to make that mistake twice. In fact, Jake is so intent on ignoring his attraction to Kurt that he completely misses the signs pointing to that attraction, being a mutual feeling.

Kurt as well shared his feelings with someone in the past, only to be shot down and hurt in the process. And while Kurt doesn’t wave his rainbow flag, he is a very confident young man that tries to subtly tell his new partner he would like to put out HIS fire, not just the ones popping up on the mountain. It takes Kurt getting hurt and their lives endangered by an out of control fire before Kurt finally asks Jake for something more. When the danger subsides, Jake is left questioning if Kurt’s feelings were real, or just a mistake made in the heat of the moment.

While there was a lot of action and drama, and the backdrop of the picturesque mountains added a beauty to the storyline, the relationship between Jake and Kurt felt either forced or lacking at any given time. I wanted more of a connection between them, and what little they had didn’t come until toward the end of the book, and even then it just didn’t fit with their personalities. A couple of times the words or phrases they chose to use seemed too juvenile for them as well. They were both very intelligent and driven, so I didn’t connect with them when they spoke like twelve year olds.

The thing that really saved this story for me and kept me going through to the end was the narration. I love the little nuances and inflections that Finn Sterling adds to the stories he tells. So I loved the scenery set in the Colorado Mountains and the narration, but the story itself was not quite there for me.

it is good

I like it a lot the story is really good and a bit hard to get at but it is so worth it you will not be disappointed

Love it!

What made the experience of listening to Fire on the Mountain the most enjoyable?

The added description of beautiful nature surrounding the main characters and the setting in the mountains are the icing on a delicious cake:-)

What did you like best about this story?

The slow and steady rising of crackling, fiery eroticism by the minute.

Which scene was your favorite?

Kurt returning to Jake the very first time

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

ABSOLUTELY ! !

Any additional comments?

If you love carckling fiery erotiscism between to males go for it.

Good, but cheesy at times

Nothing super spectacular, but I admit I want to know what happens in the next book! The story did feel a little short, but it was steamy at appropriate times. If the book description made you interested, you might as well give it a shot. What are you waiting for?

Sexy rangers on the mountain...

that's a good premise, isn't it?

What we have here is very good writing, a delightful setting with lovely scenery, but, IMHO, the romance wasn't all that could have been. Jake seems... obsessed. And by the time he's hiding in the woods, while spying Kurt masturbating, well... is downright stalkerish.

And yes, that can be me being overly sensitive, but it kind of killed the story for me :/

And it's a real shame because I love the way the author writes, I like how they structure their sentences, the flow of words... and I'll read more of this author precisely for these reasons.

But the characters here didn't really grab me, sorry.

The short story that comes as a bonus, though... that one I really enjoyed. Yes, it's sad, and I got REALLY angry at Kurt's friend and his shameful, self-loathing attitude. But I truly engaged with the characters and I understood their reactions; even when I wouldn't justify them, I understood from where they were coming. A great, short story about Kurt's past.

Finn Sterling does a superb job with the narration.

Hot hot hot

Sometimes you pick up a book and you’re like – wow, that was just what I needed. This was that book for me. It was unexpected in a good way. Jake Landon is a good guy. He’s taking time off before heading to pharmacy school and figures a summer as a park ranger would be a good way to pass the time. He’s looking forward to some peace, quiet, and fishing. Oh, and putting out fires, should they crop up. He knows he’s going to be paired with somebody and he assumes it’ll be an old timer.

Nope.

He gets Kurt Carlson. Sex on a stick Kurt Carlson. Hot without a shirt Kurt Carlson. Often sees clothing as optional Kurt Carlson.

Now, Jake knows he’s gay. He’s just never acted on it before. He has desires but no way to express them. Plus, Kurt’s gotta be straight, right? Because what are the odds of two hot gay guys winding up on the same team?

Pretty good, apparently.

This story is told entirely from Jake’s perspective, so only when Kurt reveals his true feelings do we get the whole story. That the attraction is mutual – and has been almost from the beginning. Suddenly things are looking very interesting for the two men.

Except, you know, those pesky fires. I wasn’t expecting a high-intensity book, but this definitely had serious action. Like heart-pounding action. And a happy ending. Just the perfect book for me at the right time.

There is a bonus story at the end that explains a few events mentioned in the story. Worth a listen and nice to get Kurt’s point of view.

This is the first book I’ve listened to by Finn Sterling and it won’t be the last. He did a great job and I really enjoyed his performance. I can honestly say this is a great book.

Narrator and story are major sleep aids.

The title says it all. I knew from the first scene that the monotones narrator was going to make it a tough listen and was right. But the story did not help either. One thing that was notable was the lack of description for the main character. They just don't give you much to help you picture any of the scenes. He was tallish and had brown hair. That's it.

The sex scenes were also mediocre. Then the story just ends. One second they are just getting to know each other in the early spring then they are packing up in the fall. What happened to the months in between.