The Official Description: As Seacroft’s resident weirdo, Avery proudly flies a lot of freak flags. It’s a constant battle to be taken seriously when everything, from his red hair to his sexuality, makes him stand out in this small town.
Small towns are also a terrible place to keep secrets, and Lincoln has a bunch of them. But his demons aren’t going to hold him back from his dream job at the Seacroft Fire Department. His life is finally coming together, until the red-haired twink with the big smile and fast mouth calls in an emergency.
Pining or the hot firefighter is Avery’s newest flag, even if he agrees to be “just friends.” For Linc, every minute with Avery is a temptation. He needs to let go of his fear and admit the truth. Linc doesn’t want to be Avery’s friend; he wants to be his everything. But just as Linc is ready to risk it all, Avery gets an unexpected offer to spread his colorful wings and fly away.
Hot Potato is an 80k slow burn friends-to-lovers contemporary MM romance. It features a fast-talking accountant who’s cooler than he thinks, the closeted firefighter who loves him more than he should, and a great big happy-sigh HEA.
Just the facts: M/M contemporary romance, firefighter, slow burn, funny, angst, lots of sexual tension, gay main characters, lesbian supporting characters
A lovely pairing makes this novel entertaining, engaging and one that will tug on your emotions!
My thoughts bit: It’s a flaming sweet potato in a microwave that introduces accountant, Avery to firefighter, Linc and it’s attraction that forges their 
friendship. The problem is that Avery is out, he’s pretty much always been out. Linc is a firefighter with a homophobic father. He hadn’t figure out how to be himself in a world where people like his brutal father exist.
Linc’s life has been a bit challenging at times. Sure, he’s happy being a firefighter even in a small town where they mostly deal with false alarms. But, he’s estranged from his family. His father’s reaction to Linc having a “boyfriend’ when he was young was so violent that he ended up in jail and Linc was scarred for life. He doesn’t want to come out to anyone in case it provokes a similar reaction.
Avery, a red-headed clumsy yet adorable disaster, was disowned by his parents when he came out. His aunt and uncle took him in and became the family he needed. He still wrestles with some demons after growing up in a small town. Even the school bully is still in his life. But Avery is doing his best to be proud of himself.
This is a fun read. It’s called a slow burn, but I wouldn’t put it in that category myself. Sure, it takes a while for Avery and Linc to get together but the chemistry is there from the beginning. Of course, there are a few mistakes and misunderstandings along the way that make for an interesting story and may even make your eyes get a little teary. This is a quick, entertaining read with some brief forays into complex family dynamics.
The chemistry between the main character is always present, even when they’re hunkered down for an argument. A great summer m/m romance read! 4 stars from me!
The warnings bit: Please be aware, I’m by no means an expert on what may or may not have the potential to disturb people. I simply list things that I think a reader might want to be aware of. In This book: (SPOILERS) character has not disclosed sexual orientation, description of past hate crime, physical assault, bigotry, homophobia, bullying, mentions of past bullying, diabetic shock, family member dying of cancer, homophobic slurs.
Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link – Exclusive to Amazon and Available to Borrow With Kindle Unlimited
Length: 80,000 words approx.
Cover Design: Cate Ashwood Designs
Seacroft Series
Book #1 – Top Shelf – Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link
Book #2 – Cold Pressed – Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link
Allison Temple has been a writer since the second grade, when she wrote a short story about a girl and her horse. Her grandmother typed it out for her and said she’s never seen so many quotation marks from a seven-year-old before. Allison took that as a challenge and has gone on to try to break her previous record in all her subsequent works.
Allison lives in Toronto with her very patient husband and the world’s neediest cat. She splits her free time between writing, community theater stage management, and traveling anywhere that has good wine. Tragically, this leaves no time to clean her house.
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Readalikes: Other stories that are similar or give the same feel
- Another Dance by L.A. Ashton
- Relationship Material by Jenya Keefe
- There’s Always Something Collection by Schuyler L’Roux
I received an ARC of Hot Potato by Allison Temple via Signal Boost Promotions in exchange for an unbiased review.
Kinzie Things 