Lovely story of two people who find each other as they’re going through some cr@p.

I adored how Reid and Charlie got together, with long looks, and charlie’s angst-free bi awakening. The way he *looks* at Reid….I love it.

Lots of career angst in this, as Reid is stressing about being cut from the team over and over. Whew it must be hard to be a ballplayer!! This is most of the conflict: he’s afraid to really fall for Charlie since he’s afraid he’ll be gone soon.

There are some really nice turns of phrase, especially descriptions of a summer evening etc.

This was good enough to read again!

Thanks to #Netgalley for the ARC. This is an honest review. #FireSeason

Ever since I read Unwritten Rules I've been wanting more of KD Casey's baseball romance books. Her writing is captivating, and at times, reminds me a bit of Casey McQuiston - the humor, the snarky comments, the writing style. It's a style that suits me, one I really connect with.

This story takes place in the same world as Unwritten rules, though it is set before Zach's and Eugenio's story, which confused me at first. Both books can be read as a stand alone, but if you enjoy reading about baseball and love a sweet, mature MM romance, you will love reading both books.

In this story we get to know Reid Giordano, a relief pitcher, who's been struggling for the last few years. To maintain his spot on the team (any team) and to remain sober. His career isn't what it was anymore, ruined by his own alcohol addiction and by the Youtube video that keeps coming up.
When the Oakland Elephants are willing to take a chance with him, he meets Charlie Braxton, their best player. The one whose face sells the merchandise, the most successful and rich player they have. Charlie is quietly going through a divorce, his ex wife still living in their old home, while he has moved out into an empty apartment. Charlie's a pitcher too, and when Reid is added to the team, they find common ground to develop a friendship.
Reid is always laid back, the funny guy, the one to crack a joke when the silence takes up too much space, while on the inside he's struggling with his self-worth, with staying sober. His Jewish upbringing provides a lifeline he's learned to hold on to because of his grand mother, the one he turned to when life was a little too hard on him.
Charlie is the more serious, introverted guy. He struggles with his failed marriage, and he struggles with the feelings that come to the surface once he gets to know Reid better.
Once he has asked him to become his roommate, their relationship grows and it also grows into new, unknown territory. There's pining, questioning and self discovery before they finally give into the mutual attraction. When that happens, they get really hot together!
Their relationship feels very mature, very organic. They talk about their struggles, there are no stupid or unnecessary misunderstandings and I loved that about them. The uncertainty about Reid's contract, about the possibility of a future together, was done really well, and I loved how supportive Charlie's (ex)wife was about them. She had something to tell herself as well!

There is, however, a lot of baseball in this book too. It didn't bother me, but I can imagine for some people it might be too much. For me, it was part of my enjoyment, even though I don't watch baseball and don't understand a lot of it. This book (as well as Unwritten rules) taught me more about the sport and I really loved that.

I would have loved to see a little more about Charlie and Reid in their future, but their hea was well deserved. All in all, a great, well written and enjoyable book, one I would truly recommend!

This baseball romance is second book in the Unwritten Rules series. It tells the story of Charlie and Reid who become teammates and roommates. Both are dealing with their baggage. For Charlie that is a pending divorce and social anxiety. For Reid its addiction (off page, but referenced frequently) and the challenge of maintaining sobriety. The pair become friends before exploring a physical relationship.

I really appreciated that this was a book that dealt with difficult subjects in a nuanced way. I really liked the approach that was taken for writing about Reid’s relationship with Judaism. I liked that there was both anxiety and addiction representation, however I was a bit concerned by the fact that no one was concerned about Reid entering a new relationship while struggling to maintain sobriety. I’m surprised that this was never addressed, especially where Reid was actively seeing a therapist. I was also extremely confused by Charlie offering Reid prescription pain killers and prescription anxiety medicine. Of all the people in the book, Charlie knew about Reid’s addiction, I don’t get why he would be that big of a moron to offer Reid addictive substances. On the subject of Charlie, while is anxiety was referenced, it was never really on the page, which felt like a missed opportunity. Sure, maybe that was just the author’s quiet way or writing about it, but where it was one of his defining characteristics that made it into the blurb, it should have been more present. Overall this book was enjoyable, but it just missed the mark for me in a few aspects.

Thank you to NetGalley, Carina Press, and Harlequin for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sweet, Emotional, Sexy, Alcoholism, Dog, Baseball, Bi-awakening, LGBTQIA.

Another home run for me from K.D. Casey. I adored this book and the lead characters were simply fantastic. This one didn’t quite have the same level of emotional whiplash as the first standalone book “Unwritten Rules” but still had enough to keep it interesting. Reid is a recovering alcoholic trying to get his pitching career back on track and make it onto a major league team roster. Charlie is one of the best starting pitchers in the game but is trying to find his way past his failed marriage. The two meet, sparks fly and they just seem to sync up seamlessly until their baggage catches up with them. I also love how well Casey knows the game, you can really feel the knowledge and passion for baseball in all of her books and this was no exception. I highly recommend this book for anyone, not just those in love with the game, it was such a fun and sexy read and I cannot wait for book three.

Special thank you to #NetGalley, #KDCasey and #CarinaPress&CarinaAdores for sharing this digital copy, these are my honest thoughts on #FireSeason.

[3.25] let me preface this review by saying that my baseball knowledge is limited to the difference between a strike and a ball.

when i tried to learn the rules during my first baseball game a few months ago, i was honestly too lost in engorging myself on America's finest stadium foods/refreshments and complaining of the heat to absorb what was happening on the field. <i>what a superfan, i know.</i> but despite my lack of interest in the sport irl, i have a disproportionate amount of love for mm sports romance, and the blurb had me intrigued to see how two characters playing the same position--relief pitcher Reid Giordano and star pitcher Charlie Braxton--would develop.

<b>what i liked:</b>
- the author is clearly knowledgeable about the sport, and the baseball portions never got to be too much, even for a complete novice like me
- mental health struggles were framed especially well in the context of professional sports
- the ex-wife wasn't needlessly villainized
- Charlie's bi-awakening was a pleasure to read. his path to acceptance wasn't overwrought with shame or self-loathing, but rather contemplative self-reflection. by reevaluating his past behavior, he picks up on a continued interest that he never acted on and organically realizes <i>oh i like guys too</i>
- the inclusion of diverse mcs and the clear acknowledgement that depictions of substance use disorders, religion, etc. here aren't the universal experience

<b>but while the bones were there, the story didn't feel fleshed out enough to garner the emotional investment i was hoping to feel for the characters.</b>

Reid's struggles with maintaining his sobriety on top of fears of being traded again were highlighted with a fervor that had Charlie's complexity paling in comparison. as a fellow owner of The Overly Anxious Mind, i could not relate to Charlie's reactions to social situations more. however, as i read on, i was disappointed to find no real opening up about his anxiety past the occasional mentions that only scratched the surface. the untapped potential 😔

while they were relatively slow acting on their mutual attraction, i had trouble buying their respective povs when they both caught feelings too quick for my liking. can't help but wish the relationship had a smoother transition between each stage.

that all being said, we have two teammates-to-roomies-to-lovers who accept each other as is and a cute doggo, so please don't let my review discourage you from giving this a chance!

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy of the book :) This is my honest review</i>

*3.5*
This story has a good premise and I enjoyed most aspects of it, unfortunately it just felt a little bit flat to me.
Reid has been a lot to get to where he is now, called up to play in the majors for Oakland's baseball team. Here he meets Charlie, their leading pitcher, and they embark upon a season like neither has had. Reid is dealing with his sobriety on a daily basis, something I think is well written throughout the book. Charlie is going through a divorce, though separated for a while, whilst also dealing with anxiety and his strong attraction to his new teammate.
Theirs is a slow burn romance that develops naturally with the storyline. I enjoyed how they take their time with everything, growing closer as feelings slowly build. Also, who knew trade deadlines were so stressful? I do enjoy reading sports romance, even having no interest in baseball IRL , and it's written well here, getting me invested in the players and the match outcomes. There's a good cast of supporting characters. Team players as well as Charlie's ex, Christine, all add something to the mix.
A good story but one that I didn't really connect with, even though I felt what the MCs we're sharing and going through.
I received an ARC via Netgalley and am happily giving a review.

I'll hand it to KD Casey, THE QUEEN of slow burn😆 she curates the best slow burn MM baseball romances for true baseball enthusiasts.

It's nice to be back in The Unwritten Rule universe. Fire Season takes place before Unwritten Rules (before Zack & Eugenio). It's a 3ed person present tense same as the 1st book (I'll admit it always takes me a while to get used to the writing style😅as it's only Casey's that I have read that uses this style, but after a couple of chapters, I get used to & so it doesn't take away my enjoyment of the story😁)
Also was so happy to get dual POV in this book❤️.

This is Reid & Charlie's story. Now I have a confession😆after finishing this book, I went back to reread the 1st book to see where Reid & Charlie fall into. Also, 5⭐️ for the lovely surprise to catch Zack again and understand why he is the way he is... it made me so sad for him poor Zack😭.

I love how Casey paints such a beautiful world with words. The story of the characters brings so many emotions & their struggles never overshadow the sweet romance they share. These 2 vulnerable men who are hurting finds love & healing in the most beautiful way.

Charlie & Reid's relationship from teammate to friends to lovers felt natural. It was never rushed.

Annnd, of course, it won't be Casey's signature touch if no angst is sprinkled in the story. The angst was delivered just right (I wouldn't say I like it when authors make miscommunication as angst that's not true angst). Here is how it was done right❤️. I almost forgot the steam level is🔥

What I appreciated the most was: no unnecessary drama, no misunderstanding, & no miscommunication. It felt mature & realistic in how it was handled.

What to expect:

✅Teammate.
✅Friends to lovers.
✅SLOOOW BURN
✅Jew character.
✅Bi awakening.
✅Pining
✅Steam🔥
✅Anxiety representation.
✅Addiction & Alcoholism.
✅HEA

🛑Please read CW listed at the beginning of the book before diving in.

Pick this gem up if you love mm baseball romance with such a delicious slow burn. After all. K.D Casey puts the slow burn in slow burn😆

*Thank you, KD Casey & Carinapress. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley.

Despite being a longer story, I devoured Fire Season in one sitting, and it was an interesting read- set in the midst of a baseball season that honed the contrasts between the protagonists...

Charlie is a sweet, almost naïve character who seems genuine and searching, while Reid is a mess....struggling with finding his place, with his sobriety, with so many things.. I just found that it was a bit imbalanced... and we learned so much more about Reid than we learned about Charlie...

I truly love Charlie's air of innocence and how his worldview changes by noticing Reid and by interacting with his teammates to see different perspectives.. I also love the fact that KD Casey made Reid Jewish and sprinkled the tale with information about his beliefs...

I can't quite put my finger on what would have made this a 5 Star read for me, but it's a good, solid romance with a good mix of baseball and relationship and it's a great read if you are looking for a Boys of Summer story...

Trigger Warning - substance abuse/recovering

This book was close to perfection, but missed the mark by not much.

My main complaint is about Charlie’s characterization. He was adorable, a gentle and silent giant who just plays ball, avoiding conflict and fixing things with money. But the discovery of his bisexuality bothered me. I felt that he had no doubt about it although it should have been more of a surprise and a struggle, especially given his anxiety problem. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it, but I think it wasn’t consistent with who he was.

Also his anxiety was mentioned in passing, and barely appeared in the story.

As for Reid, I felt he was a character too complicated. Of course, in real life, people like that exist, but in fiction, they’re usually limited to a few traits. It was interesting to have a character with so many layers and a complex back story, but it created a whole lot of subplots and past events that I felt weren’t necessary to the main story.

One aspect of Reid’s story that I loved was his forced nomadism and how it affected his marriage, and his current relationship with Charlie. His struggles, his fears, his coping mechanisms, everything was explained in minute details, and frankly, I loved it.

As much as the sports written into this sports romance. I know nothing about baseball, but from the clubhouse shennanigans to the way someone grips the ball, those details gave another dimension to the book. Suddenly baseball wasn’t just a context to the love story, but part of it.

The writing style was quite good. Sometimes the words brushed a quick sketch, sometimes they painted an ultrarealistic portrait. I loved that. It was slow–slow pace, slow burn–but never boring. You just have to take the time to feel the characters and their story.

Quickie

- Series: Unwritten rules #2 (can be read as a standalone)
- Hashtags: #MM romance #sports romance #baseball #friends to lovers #bisexual #jewish #mental health
- Triggers: past alcohol abuse
- Main couple: Reid Giordano & Charlie Braxton
- Hotness: 5/5
- Romance: 5/5
- + I loved the depiction of the journey of a low key player
- – I’m not sure about how Charlie’s discovery of his sexuality is treated

I don't think I've read a book about baseball ever ( I might be wrong so don't quote me😂) but I was excited for this story as most of the sports romances I've read had to do with either the NHL or the NFL or the college leagues for these sports.

Coupled with that excitement was me dipping my toes into the work of a new-to-me author which is always an experience; be it good, lukewarm or bad.

I'm happy to report that this was a good one.

Reid was recovering from something that had messed up his life and was constantly being moved around until he got a "lucky" break to relieve someone in Charlie's major league club.

Charlie ,from the outside, looked like he had his life together but nothing could be further from the truth as he was barely holding on most days until Reid came into his life.

I think my favourite part of this story was the progression of the bond between these two from team mates, to acquaintances, to friends and then to something more. I totally enjoyed how Reid managed (by just being his unfiltered self) to get into Charlie's life.

Another thing that made me love this book was the FEELS it evoked. Right from the very first page, we are pulled into Reid's constant struggle and then we moved on to his uncertainty, then to all the PINING and finally all the swoony stuff.

I really really enjoyed this and aside my zero knowledge of baseball which made some of the things fly past my head, I was riveted from start to finish.

I also realised (while posting this review) that I was right about Glasser's orientation because his book was Book 1! I don't know how I missed that this was book#2 but I will DEFINITELY be reading his book!

Recommended for lovers of sports romance done RIGHT.

I love sports romances, particularly baseball romances (if you've seen my twitter you know). But the way that KD Casey writes her romances just put her at the top of the baseball romance pyramid and this book is absolutely no exception.

From the characters to the plot there is no lack of things for me to praise about this book. Seriously it's one of my favorite I've read all year. Charlie and Reid are absolutely perfect together. Balancing each other where the other falls short, and come on you can't tell me that helping someone perfect a curveball isn't the most romantic thing? (You can try to argue this with me but idc it's top tier flirting.) Charlie is the sweetest man who is just going through it. Reid has been through it and is trying to prove himself again. Together they're truly perfect. Plus their discovery of their relationship together is amazing.

The plot is so good too. While this book is definitely character driven, the flow of the season and how the characters interact and continue to push the book along are great. I loved all of the side plots and characters and thought they made an incredibly compelling novel. The ending too! I was tearing up it was so perfect. Just trust me on this.

Also can we just take a moment to appreciate the baseball in this book? I mean the detail to the pitching, adding in catching with Zach Glasser (from Unwritten Rules--read this book too!!!), the ebbs and flows of baseball seasons, and some of the more unsavory aspects of professional baseball too. This book definitely has less of that than Unwritten Rules,, but it's the attention to those smaller details that really sells it.

Do I recommend this book? YES! Please, please, please do yourself a favor and read this book. Charlie and Reid deserve all of the love. Read it now during the season and savor. Or maybe wait until after season to give you happy memories of baseball. OR do both. Just read this book, but it on your TBR and enjoy. For Charlie's sake because he is a puppy of a man that needs to be read by all.

CW: Anxiety, references to Drug and Alcohol abuse/addiction, Homophobia/biphobia, classism, racism, antisemitism are all mentioned.

Full Disclosure: KD Casey and I are mutuals are social media and I have sent her best battery socks. This has no affect on my opinion on this book.

Original review will be published at Smexy Books:

Baseball might be my least favorite sport to read about, but I loved this book. Now I have to go back and read Unwritten Rules, the first in this universe. Fire Season can standalone, I will attest to that. I just want to read more KD Casey.

Two divorced men, both professional baseball players, meet during the fire season in the Bay Area of California. Through the course of a baseball season they fall in love. On the face of it this might not seem like the most scintillating premise but the strength of KD Casey’s Fire Season lies not in its deployment of tropes, but in the believability of its characters. Charlie Braxton is the star pitcher for the Oakland Elephants. A man of few words, his ex-wife is serving papers for their largely amicable divorce at the beginning of the novel. He seems barely connected with the everyday realities of his life when he meets Reid Giordano, feeling alone and apart and often anxious. Meeting Reid is an eye-opener for him in more ways than one. His immediate interest in Reid brings to the surface a part of his sexuality his never explored. But through Reid, he also begins to see that the business of baseball is not always fair. Protected by his successful career and reliable curveball, Charlie watches Reid as he tries to scratch his way to a permanent place on the team, or any team.

Reid has more to overcome than most bullpen players. Years before the novel starts, he ruined his league standing, his marriage, and his connection to most of his family, due to an alcohol use disorder and the lies he used to cover it up. Since that point, he’s been trying to hold it together, moving from minor league team to minor league team, patching short contracts together until the moment that Oakland calls him up. Reid is a work in progress, focusing on the day to day and his near goals. He has a set of strategies for staying sober and dealing with the moments and hours when life gets hard. He had never been an observant Jew growing up, but he finds structure and meaning from keeping kosher and observing the holy days. Sometimes he calls his grandmother, other times his therapist, who can reframe his catastrophizing and negative thoughts in a way that seems real and not textbooky. I appreciated the way the author did not make “love save the day” here, but instead reflected a more realistic view of managing this disorder.

One of my favorite things in this novel, and what makes the characters and their connection so believable, is the narration. KD Casey chose a dual POV narration, using a very close 3rd person voice – and by very close, I mean there’s not a lot of lengthy explanation, but we get to see and hear and feel what Charlie and Reid do. Thoughts and revelations are woven in, as well as flashbacks. The language is not excessively descriptive, but the details work so well to underline the emotion of each scene. Early in the novel, Reid is driving Charlie home from a bar, heading to Charlie’s old Victorian home in San Francisco for the first time:

Charlie presses his face onto the glass of the passenger’s side window, studying the lights of the city as they approach it, the ridges of the mountains in the distance. There isn’t much traffic, though Charlie finds himself wishing for a Bay Area snarl, for an excuse to sit and watch the line of cars in front of them move and listen to Giordano talk, interrupting himself to ask Charlie for directions.

Such an interior view of both characters , including the doubts and moments of panic, really made me connect with these characters, despite being meh about baseball. I believed how much they want each other and how much they cared. Most of the pressure on them as a couple is professional and not internal to the relationship. Will Reid be traded? How will the other players react to their relationship?

There is of course a HEA. I would have died if there wasn’t. But I can also say as someone who has an antipathy for epilogues, the one in Fire Season is in my Top 3. Reid does not get a ridiculous promotion within the Oakland Elephants, nor does the attention shift to a wedding, the clothes worn, the crudités served. Instead the epilogue stays within the reality of Reid and Charlie, happy together.

CW: Anxiety/panic attacks, alcohol abuse and recovery, homophobia and biphobia

Grade: A

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It had a bit more angst than I was expecting, but I thought the story was written beautifully and I felt immersed in the story of Reid Giordano and Charlie Braxton, two pitchers who become part of a pennant race.

Reid, a recovering alcoholic, and Braxton, who suffers from social anxiety, make a tenuous connection that leads to friendship, then eventually more. I liked how the story unfolded naturally, with Reid and Charlie both reluctant to be vulnerable with one another but finding that the other makes them not just happy but a better version of themselves. Of course there are some obstacles to overcome for the two, including institutionalized homophobia and some players out to sabotage the two men. While the ending wasn't necessarily a happily ever after, it felt a bit more realistic considering the situation, being a happy for now with the hope of a brighter future.

This was the first book I've read by Casey but it won't be my last. I enjoyed her writing style quite a bit, even though it took a bit of getting used to, using a third person present tense - once I got used to it I felt part of the story. And the sports touches rang true. The author definitely spent a lot of time on their jobs and the background work involved, which I appreciated a lot, as this was a large part of both men's lives.

I am a casual baseball fan and a a slightly-less-casual romance reader so I was eager to read this after hearing good things. It was fun. The romance was delightful, the characters well written, and the baseball honestly above my head. The dynamics between the two protagonists based on their different situations as players, though, was not only clear but juicy. I liked a lot that this book strongly affirmed bisexuality, and that care was paid to not paint the ex-wives as the villains of the story as is the case in a lot of writing about queer men. Also, Reid's Judaism was a great surprise and honestly is what is motivating me to pick up more of Casey's work. Charlie was also such a great character - his nerdy streak was hilarious and relatable. I will definitely be recommending this book.

Glancing at the reviews so far, it looks like I’m alone in thinking this, but in my opinion this book was very poorly done.

STORYTELLING
Sometimes we talk about telling rather than showing. In this one, the author has managed to take that common writing pitfall one step further and has offered a story where critical aspects of the central relationship and the relationship dynamics between the main characters and side characters are neither shown nor told. Part of me wants to say that the expectation is that the reader will intuit the characters’ thoughts and feelings based on context clues. More likely though, I think the author loves their characters so much they simply forgot to explain to the reader why. This author knows their characters so intimately that they didn’t think to share with the reader all those critical thoughts and feelings that drive these characters forward in the story.

For example, by 50% I believe I was expected to intuit that the romantic relationship existed between the MCs and was solidified. That the relationship existed was based on context clues peppered in the text here and there.

Clues like this one:

(50%) Charlie’s pulse ticks up. He imagines talking with Christine on the threshold of his former house. You remember Reid. He and I are together, because I’m… Whatever he is now that he spent the past three nights sleeping in Reid’s hotel bed, sneaking out each morning to longer and longer goodbyes.

On it’s own, this may seem straightforward. However, at this point there was no on-page conversation in the book between the MCs to discuss being together and/or to affirm that they are together. Besides the description of their first sexual encounter, that one bit, “he spent the past three nights sleeping in Reid’s hotel bed,” is all we get in terms of on-page description of the beginnings of their apparently acknowledged romantic and sexual relationship. Just those words. Everything else is implied.

Or how about this clue:

(51%) How different [Charlie] feels, has felt, for the past three days. As if the Charlie who left Oakland is still somewhere in Minnesota, and the one who landed just shares the same name.

We know from this that something big, bigger than just a sexual encounter, went down on the team's road trip, but only the author knows what and, for their own reasons which may or may not included a limited ability to tell a story, chose not share those events with the reader.

It’s clear from the outside looking in that Charlie and Reid share a beautiful relationship, one with its own language where both men understand each other at a deep level. And in real life, if these were friends of mine, I would not demand that they share the details of their intimate relationship with me. But this is a book and I’m here for the romance. I want the details on the inner workings of the relationship. In my opinion, it’s simply not a well-told story if I have to make a calculated guess.

ALCOHOLISM
The author has made a choice not to use the words “alcoholic” or “alcoholism”. If that choice was made to distance themselves from the language of AA, then I can respect that. However, there is a brief mention of the word “alcoholic” in this book used in a way that implies that that word and the people that use it are something gross. If that’s author’s honest intention, then I am enraged. But let’s be generous and assume it’s the former. And in that case, when referring to the author or to the character, I will use the author’s chosen term of alcohol use disorder. When referring to myself, I’m going to use the words alcoholic and alcoholism because even though AA is not right for me, these are the words that have worked for me when thinking about my own alcohol abuse.

Let me preface this by saying that if the author has alcohol use disorder, I am not aware of it. Meanwhile, I call myself an alcoholic but think I would actually be termed a recovered alcoholic as I have been sober for 10 years and have worked to understand and repair the underlying issues that resulted in my alcoholism.

Look, there’s no one right way to be an alcoholic or person with alcohol use disorder. There’s no one right way to get sober. There’s no one right way to recover. So when I criticize the portrayal here, I’m not saying that Reid is doing alcohol use disorder wrong. My criticism is this: the author has left so many holes and gaps in the portrayal of alcohol use disorder, sobriety, and recovery that what’s left cannot tell a complete story, making the portrayal feel sorely lacking and sometimes inaccurate. To me.

This book reads to me more like the author pieced together some very salient points pulled from articles that came up as the result of a google search. The portrayal is not complete. And I have no idea if that’s due to a lack of knowledge or a lack of writing skill, or both.

The primary thing that concerned me throughout is the nature of Reid’s relationship with Charlie. Reid is in recovery. Sobriety is something he’s actively struggling with and the desire to drink remains very close to the surface. It is so, so easy to replace alcohol with literally anything else that can offer or appear to offer the same kind of escape. The high that can come from sex and/or the thrill of a new relationship can so easily be that thing someone with alcohol use disorder turns to to cope with life in the absence of alcohol. This is never addressed in the book. Not even the therapist directly addresses it. And in my opinion, if the author wanted to tell the story of someone who is recovering from alcohol use disorder, excluding a discussion of this concern is irresponsible.

CHARLIE, WTF?
Finally, Charlie, what the fuck? Charlie is sort of a bumbling and inelegant giant of a man with no real sense of the way the world works. His outlook on life is based entirely on his own privilege and his lack of understanding that not everyone shares that privilege. Did the author intend his disconnect from reality to be charming? Because I found it to be kind of gross.

And while Reid isn’t fully developed as a character (see above discussion on the limited portrayal of his alcohol use disorder), Charlie is almost completely lacking in depth. As a person who also experiences severe anxiety, I began the book sympathizing with Charlie. However, the author quickly drops the anxiety storyline and outside two or three mentions later in the book, that aspect of his personality is never really explored.

And again, Charlie, what the fuck? While he hasn’t offered Charlie great detail, Reid has discussed his alcohol use disorder with Charlie. Charlie is aware. And yet Charlie offers Reid first prescription anti-anxiety medication and then later, prescription strength painkillers. At first I chalked it up to Charlie being ignorant, but late in the book Charlie says it’s “fucked up” that the doctor on Reid’s old team offered him sleeping pills?? Charlie is either too stupid to live or he is a terrible and unsupportive partner, or both.

In the end, I decided that Charlie is a shallow, inarticulate person wholly accustomed to getting his own way. And the last thing I want to do these days is cheer on another ignorant man so steeped in his own privilege that he can’t see the rest of the world around him.

IN CONCLUSION
The execution here was incredibly poor. Telling instead of showing is one thing, but this may be the first book I’ve read where the author did neither. Instead, we are left to intuit our way through the story based on the smattering of clues about the characters’ thoughts, feelings, and motivations that the author leaves behind. Even the HEA, while seemingly straightforward, only makes sense because it’s the kind of ending that on would expect in a romance. It did not make sense for these characters, in my opinion, because we are never shown or told who these characters are and what they want from each other. How can I know if these characters got the ending they deserved when I never really knew what they wanted in the first place?

Charlie and Reid are professional baseball players that have completely different experiences in the industry. Reid has to fight for his place in the major league whereas Charlie is the golden boy. I loved how the author handled Charlie’s anxiety and shyness (he’s my smol precious child). I appreciated learning about Reid’s daily struggles to remain sober, his commitment to his therapy and working to get better, and how he practices his Jewish faith, particularly eating kosher. Charlie and Reid’s teammates to friendship to roomies to lovers dynamic was such a good slow burn and it just melted my heart! I did think the fire (pun intended?) kinda sizzled in the middle of the story, but we were blessed with an amazing final third of the book. That ending was just so perfect and amazing!! I definitely recommend folks check this out! (Can we also talk about how cute it is that our jock Charlie is such a game nerd?!)

One of my favorite authors, Rachel Reid, highly recommends KD Casey's books, but after a second try I think I just have to conclude that it's not a fit for me. In Fire Season, I didn't hate it, but I wasn't drawn in by either main character, the dialogue sometimes felt contrived, and I didn't feel that the story built suspense well.

There’s something magical about books written by authors within the lgbt community, some quiet kind of understanding. The way they describe longing and yearning just hits you straight (ha!) in the heart, like nothing else would. And that’s where Fire Season excels.

Reid is attracted to Charlie from their first meeting, and that’s a common enough experience. But he’s actually attracted to him in a way that a bi man might be to a man he perceives as straight. It’s glaringly obvious to readers who know what to pay attention to. His pining is almost palpable, while at the same time also somehow subtle. Even more interesting (and rewarding) to read is Charlie’s side of things, though. Him slowly figuring out his bisexuality, reevaluating past actions & crushes. It was lovingly put to page, without any shame.

But Fire Season isn’t just a romance. It focuses heavily on Reid’s struggle with alcohol use disorder. He stays sober throughout the whole book, but his journey is present on basically every page. The subject is never forgotten, and very visibly shapes the story itself. And the same could be said for his identity as Jewish, and for Charlie’s ongoing fight with anxiety. All the issues the characters have to deal with feel real, because the characters themselves feel like actual people. They’re not perfect, but they’re allowed to grow, and even more importantly - to grow together.

Whether you’re a baseball fan or not, Fire Season is the slowburn bisexual romance you absolutely must read this summer!

Thoughts: Finally, a sports romance that doesn't gloss over the actual sport! KD Casey hands readers not only a sweet M/M romance with a budding friendship that leads to all the feels, but also realistic sports settings and circumstances. Trade deadlines, comeback seasons, clubhouse environments, off-field difficulties are all showcased in Casey's latest Unwritten Rules story. I didn't read the first in the series, but I fell in love with Casey's realistic writing and now I'm going back to read it. I loved the chemistry between superstar Charlie Braxton and comeback underdog Reid Giordano, and although Charlie lacks a bit in the personality department Reid's outgoing nature and difficult backstory more than make up for it. Readers may find Charlie difficult to connect to at first because he's so reserved and a bit closed off emotionally, but Reid helps bring out some of Charlie's fire and passion -- both on and off the field -- as the story develops. While there are a few interesting secondary characters, this story centers mostly around Charlie and Reid, with lots of passion and lots of baseball. I thoroughly enjoyed how descriptive Casey gets when it comes to not only the game situations but also just how day-to-day life looks for a professional baseball player. Casey weaves in to the story what it's like dealing with trades, preparing for upcoming games, the intricacies of curveballs, a pitcher's mindset on the mound, and other realistic aspects of the game that most sports romances gloss over -- it's not just about the romance but also the reality of their individual situations. I really enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to going back and reading the first in the series. K.D. Casey has earned a new fan!

Staying within the queer sports romance genre that I'm steadily becoming more and more obsessed with, I was lucky enough to get an eARC of Fire Season, a book about baseball. Sort of.

I was expecting a hot sports romance with some humour and while I definitely got that, I also got so much more.

Listen, did I go into this book knowing anything or caring at all about baseball? No. And honestly, I still don't really. And yet, I'm here to say that this book centered around baseball blew me away and I am getting myself a copy once it's released.

Fire Season is about baseball in the way Friday Night Lights is about football: entirely and not at all - both at the same time. Like FNL, Fire Season uses sports as a vehicle to showcase relationships, characters, growth, trauma, loss, and love in a way that made me ache reading it. I mean that in the best way possible.

Charlie (newly separated and totally, definitely straight) and Reid (recently sober, Jewish pitcher returning to the pros) are both baseball players in their thirties who've already done a lot of living, for better or for worse, and this makes them feel more like real people than characters. The book is gripping and wonderful and while it has a lot of humour and some steaming hot sex, it also doesn't shy away from heavier topics like alcohol addiction and divorce. Instead, it explores how people live lives that aren't what they imagined they would be, lives that aren't perfect or have a clear happy ending laid out. Lives that require you to fight, and to struggle, and to choose, and even then nothing is guaranteed.

Fire Season is a beautifully written book about rediscovering yourself later in life, about choosing your own path, about healing, about forgiveness in many forms . It's also a book about romance, about falling in love, about realizing things can and do get better, and about how you should never give up on love. And it's also about baseball.

This is the second book in the Unwritten Rules series but it can be read as a standalone (that's what I did.)