Hothead by Kent Holland came to me recommended by the marvelous Sara Cate, via Threads. Given that I have adored everything Sara Cate has ever written, I figured she probably gives pretty good book recommendations. Hothead is an MM firefighter romance featuring two sexy firefighter/paramedics in a kink-positive, BDSM love story.
Tristan Cavanagh is back in San Francisco after ten years in L.A. With a new career as a firefighter/paramedic on the horizon, an ailing father to care for, and grief over his late fiancé, it was time for a change.
After reuniting with an old friend, Tristan finds himself in a BDSM club. He’s never been before, but he’s always been curious about the lifestyle. At the club, he meets Nick Gutierrez. He’s hot, and there’s an instant connection, but it’s almost immediately followed by guilt.
Much to their shock and horror, Tristan arrives at work on Monday only to discover that Nick is a firefighter/paramedic too, and his new partner.
Despite all the complications, their magnetic attraction proves too much to ignore. They agree to be coworkers with benefits. It’ll be just sex, nothing to further complicate their already messy lives. But just sex can only last for so long before someone falls.
Nick and Tristan are fun and dynamic characters to read. They come off the page in an authentic, realistic way. By the end of the book, it feels like readers know them, and these two are impossible not to cheer on.
Hothead is very kink-positive, with consent and open communication at the heart of this relationship and every interaction between the main characters. This is a sexual relationship that is filled with passionate chemistry, but also a deep respect.
The author chose to have these characters’ first time together going all the way off-page. I didn’t love this choice. As a reader, it felt like we were robbed of an essential moment and an opportunity for spice, but there’s plenty of other sexy moments to make up for this omission.
The short, digestible chapters move the plot along nicely, making this book easy to tear through in a weekend. Several dramatic turns in the third act feel a little out of place in a book that’s firmly grounded in rom-com energy for the first two-thirds, but it pulls the story together in the end, and it gives the readers a little excitement.
Hothead has a lovely vibe and energy. It’s sweet, but retains an edge with the spice and drama. While this story follows the predictable beat of a rom-com, it still feels wholly unique and entirely its own.
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