Crocus

The second part of the Bonfires series by Amy Lane does not disappoint. I really liked the first book and wasn’t sure what we would get next in the follow up to that. That being said, you really have to read book one in order to follow this one, as if not, I think you will be missing a major part of their storyline and will probably be lost and a bit confused. Also, book one is really good too, so you should really read/listen to it just for that reason - you don’t want to miss out on a great book!

Larx and Aaron finally made a home with all their kids and patched-together family and are getting into the groove of being not just fathers but lovers as well. They always put their family and kids first and I really respect them for that. They have a real down-to-earth relationship that includes actual talking and sorting things out, all the awkward moments that two people can have together, disagreements and fights. We get to see it all with them.

These guys are seriously amazing characters that seem so dang real. Aaron is a sheriff and Larx is a principal/science teacher, so they have dedicated their lives to helping others. So naturally when something happens that puts more kids in danger they just can’t help themselves, which ultimately puts them right into the face of danger.

While book one was more suspenseful, this book isn’t lacking on that front either. However, I do feel like this book was more family focused. We get to see Aaron and Larx and more on how they interact together, with issues arising with their kids, and Aaron getting hurt in the line of duty, and Larx having to hold up the fort at home. Larx's daughter, Olivia, has some major issues to deal with and work out in this book and it’s great that both men take the time to make sure that she is OK and not just avoiding what really needs to be done.

Let me also add that every single time Wombat Willy was said I could not help but giggle out loud. It is hilarious when Elton is given that nickname. The guys reinforce with all the kids that family is forever and that they should all feel safe and secure at home, all while opening Aaron’s home up to others who need a place to stay. God, I loved this story and these men, two fantastic books with the best plot and storyline throughout them.

I really recommend getting both these stories in e-book format at least, but you really cannot go wrong picking up the audio for both books as well, since the narration is wonderful too.

Nick J Russo is brilliant when it comes to narrating. I just like listening to his voice more and more with each narration I’ve heard from him. He has a really pleasant rhythm and cadence to his voice that pulls you into each story. I think he really did a fabulous job with both Bonfires and Crocus, and all the characters involved. And, there were quite a few; he gave the two main characters their own voices along with all their children, and their extended families and friends. He really did well giving us the full picture of the story overall with so much going on in each book.


*** Audiobook copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

I loved this story. I loved that Aaron and Larx are older, not perfect, and that life gets in the way of romance. They were busy with work, with kids, friends and challenged on a daily basis. I saw some reviews where readers were disappointed in how 'busy' this book was. As an over 50 'mature' woman, I saw my life sans kids, but still my life, my challenges. It's frozen pizza because I'm too tired to cook after working all day. It's living with a loved ones mental health that wears you down. Yeah, it wasn't perfect but it's real. Aaron and Larx have to work at their relationship. They have to talk to each other. They have wrinkles, grey hair, dreams, hopes, fears and they have needs. I just loved this book!

I loved getting to know Kellan more. His fear that Jaime was going to replace him. I hurt for Jaime and his brother Roberto. Needing a family but not knowing how to get it. Kirby so wise and still so young. Yoshi and Tane, who is also broken but knows how to help Roberto. Olivia and Elton, wow that's going to be an interesting family dynamic.

Another well done story by Amy. Thank you!

Larx and Aaron are together, in love, happy and try to make their life, work, and children work.
Between 3 teenagers, 1 pregnant daughter which is not okay, 1 daughter who is a queen B***, 2 teenagers in danger, 2 cats, 1 dog, 1 young adult with PTSD and Aaron’s dangerous job, Larx and Aaron have more in their lives and plates than they can deal with.

When their worst fears come true, Larx and Aaron will have to rethink everything from their love for each other to their kids’ lives.
Is love the only thing that counts? That’s what Larx and Aaron will have to find out.
Crocus is book two of the series Bonfire. The story takes place a few weeks after the end of Bonfire.
Amy lane did a great job with this book, as good as book 1 in my opinion. I was really happy to have Aaron and Larx back with their menagerie.

Larx and Aaron live and raise their children together, they also work together in order to help two teenagers in danger, but when Aaron is hurt, Larx has to deal with all the aftermath alone. And he’s angry and hurt. I loved Larx and Aaron’s relationship; they are so human, so real. How they try to have a “normal” relationship in the chaos of their life. How they have to deal with all the problems that life throws at them and how they try each time to reach each other, to fight for each other but also for others, and to stand united no matter what. They are two grown men with a lot of responsibilities, but at the same time, they are also like two teenagers trying to sneak into each other pants. I soooo love those guys.

In this book, a new POV is added, the one of Olivia, Larx’s daughter who’s pregnant. Having her POV was interesting. It wasn’t all the book, it starts at almost the end, but it was a good thing, at least for me, because until I had her POV, I wanted to slap her, like really slap her very hard until she wakes up.

We also meet two new characters, Jamie and his big brother Roberto. I totally swing for the brothers, they touched me at my first meeting with them, and it was also a good thing to get to know more of Tane, Toshi’s boyfriend. I only wanted to get to know those two brothers more, especially Roberto, this one completely got my heart.

This book is a super addition to the series. Amy lane touches a lot of subjects here, but she was able to make them all so real, not simple, but cruelly real.
It was a super read, I loved each word, and Larx and Aaron are magnificent, I so want to be adopted by them.
I highly recommend this book, you will love it as much as Bonfire (for the ones who had read this one), and if you didn’t read Bonfire, you could read this book easily as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading the series.

And I will just add to the author, thank you for this super book, and please, write a Bonfire #3 OR Roberto’s book.

It’s 5 OptimuMMs for the Principal, The Deputy, and their menagerie.

At the end of my review for ‘Bonfires’, book one in this series, I talked about how much I loved the realism of the author’s writing and how, even though she wrote a happy ever after love story, she certainly didn’t shirk when it came to the real-life issues of mature lovers in their late forties and blending their families. ‘Crocus’ continues in that vein touching upon teenage pregnancy, mental health issues, continuing a relationship amidst a sea of family crises, and dealing with abuse in the community. With Larx being the high school principal and Aaron as a sheriff’s deputy, both of their jobs put them in the path of the best and the worst that can happen in a smaller town. It takes everything both of these men have and the strength of the love they’ve built to keep their world from imploding.

It has only been a few months since Aaron and his youngest son, Kirby, moved in with Larx and his youngest daughter, Christiana. Of course, Kellan also lives with them as he’s a student Larx and Aaron took under their wing (basically adopted and made theirs) after some bad sh*t happened to him. Aaron’s other two daughters are already out of the house and Larx’s oldest, Olivia, has just shown up at home even though she wasn’t supposed to leave school until after the end of spring semester. Olivia is pregnant, which she announced at Thanksgiving, but things aren’t going well for her and neither man knows exactly what to do. They know she’s depressed and needs to see someone but she refuses to talk about anything. Two men in a fairly new relationship, three teenagers, and now a pregnant teen all sharing a small home. Does this give the big picture of all the stressors going on at their house?

There aren’t enough people who work in public service who care as much as Larx and Aaron. Oh, I know they’re out there, but I also know their numbers are swamped by the ones who are burnt out and have seen so much bad in their days that they can no longer see the good. The classrooms are way overcrowded and everyone expects the schools/teachers to raise their children but no one wants them to do any disciplining or life lessons. Sigh. So when I read about men like Larx and Aaron, I root for them all the way because they do so much to help at the risk of their very own lives.

“For a moment Larx was leaning against his broad chest again, relying on his strength. For just that moment, some of the burdens seemed to slip from his own shoulders, and he felt strong enough again—strong enough to face life, strong enough to care for his family. Aaron was here, and he was helping Larx carry the world again, helping to bear the burden of a busy house and too many kids and grown-up responsibilities that frightened him and rendered him powerless and weak.”

I am, once again, swept away by the joy, the drama, the upheaval, the life, and the love shared by this huge family Larx and Aaron have made. Olivia and her baby daddy, Elton, or “Wombat Willie” as Christiana nicknamed him and it stuck, have moved into Aaron’s old house and are working on being ready for this baby. Jaime and his older brother, Berto, who’ve been kind of adopted by everyone too, have also moved into the old house and neither one of them needs only to rely on each other anymore. Kirby and Kellan are set to graduate and Christiana is the same fabulous young woman who stole my heart. Actually, all of these kids have stolen my heart. Larx is still going to try to save his piece of the world and with Aaron, soon to be his husband, helping him shoulder the plan and keep one another sane I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Thank you to the author for another no-holds barred look at life with teenagers and all of its messiness but also the laughter and love. Larx and Aaron are amazing in their love for each other and I got teary a time or two with the best of memories.

NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review at Rainbow Book Reviews

I loved Bonfires, the first book in this series, and couldn’t wait to see what happened in the second. I was not expecting a continuation of the same couple and future endeavors/situations. If you have not read Bonfires, you do need to do so before reading Crocus. There is a ton of backstory that you’ll need to know for this to fully make sense.

Now, my favorite aspect of this book is that it doesn’t break Larx and Aaron apart to then come together again. Instead, it highlights the goings on (so many goings on for such a small place!) in their work and home lives.

Larx’s older daughter comes home from college unexpectedly with more than a pregnancy to contend with, as if that weren’t enough trouble on its own. She’s also acquired the clinical depression her mother suffers from, as well. Christiana, the younger daughter, is still at home and in high school, and is wise beyond her years, which is supremely helpful at several junctures.

Aaron’s daughters are less featured in this book, for which I am thankful, as I simply cannot stand the elder one, irrespective of the insight gleaned late in the book. However, younger daughter Maureen comes home for a week, and Kirby is, of course, still in high school and living at home.

The dangers inherent in Aaron’s job as a deputy sheriff are brought into play in dramatic fashion, and they intersect with Larx’s job as principal of the high school. This subplot is definitely my favorite of all that occurred.

The characters are all well-developed and excellently written, an accomplishment for which Amy Lane is known. Sheriff Eamon is a delight from start to finish and added a great deal of levity to what could easily have been a dragging storyline. It was fun having another teacher at the school more active in the whole, and then there is “Wombat Willie,” Olivia’s boyfriend, whom you simply have to love! He is an absolute joy – a little odd and quirky, but a joy.

This story very closely resembles real life, and for me that actually took away a little. The minutiae of day-to-day living is what I’m taking a break from, so in that respect, it disappointed me. Another issue is the over the top drama. It goes beyond standard angsty and into diva drama. Larx and Aaron are less storyline than subplot, which is a shame, because they really are amazing characters.

There are new kids collected in this book, and we finally gain some insight into Yoshi’s quiet other half, Tane, which thrilled me! All in all, this is a good book, but super busy. I’m rating this at 3.5 stars, rounding up for sites that don’t take halves. If you don’t mind a little over the top, you will enjoy this story, and I recommend reading both books. It appears that there may be a third coming, and while I hope it focuses on two secondary characters from the first book, I will still be grabby hands when I see it’s coming even if it’s another extension of Larx and Aaron.


**Same worded review will appear on Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.**