Fire Season by KD Casey

Narrated by Jon Waters

When, about eighteen months ago, I was looking for a new sports romance series to become invested in, I picked up KD Casey’s Unwritten Rules – a baseball-centric romance – and wasn’t very impressed. The characterisation wasn’t great (the love interest was particularly poorly served), the romance was lacklustre and – for this Brit – there was WAY too much baseball. (A complaint I’ve seen from US readers, too.) Okay, of course there’s going to be baseball in a baseball-themed romance, but the problem was that because I have no idea whatsoever how the game works, I had no idea what was at stake for the characters and found it really hard to relate to them or to many of the situations in which they found themselves. That KD Casey can write was evident, but I didn’t pick up book two – Fire Season – because I didn’t want another disappointment. However, I did read book three (Diamond Ring), which was a huge improvement on Unwritten Rules, so when I saw Fire Season was going to be coming out in audio I decided to give it a try. Narrator Jon Waters is new-to-me; I’ve seen his name cropping up more and more often at Audible recently (especially in m/m romance) and this was a good opportunity to listen to him.

Fire Season is a comeback story as well as a romance between two pitchers, one of them a superstar, the other a relief pitcher whose career hit the skids some years earlier. Charlie Braxton is the star pitcher for the Oakland Elephants and their most successful player ever. He’s a ‘brand’ – his name sells tickets and merchandise – he’s popular, he’s respected, he’s well-liked and his career is the sort relief pitcher Reid Giordano can only dream of. Reid is a talented player who has – or had – a great fast ball, but his growing alcohol dependency led to a major career implosion, and he’s been bouncing around the minor leagues since getting sober, never staying anywhere for long and always looking over his shoulder, conscious he’s one bad throw away from being traded.

When the story begins, Reid has just been signed – to his own great surprise – by the Elephants as a relief pitcher. Because it was so last minute, he’s late to his first team meeting, which is where he meets Charlie for the first time. Charlie is a man-mountain with a marshmallow centre; he doesn’t talk much, but he’s perfectly pleasant and Reid is pleased when he manages to get the guy to utter more than the odd word or grunt in response to his cheery comments and questions. Both men are dealing with emotional baggage – staying sober is a daily struggle for Reid (some days are better than others) and Charlie has anxiety issues and is very quietly going through a divorce. He’s moved out of the home he used to share with his wife, and into a new, empty house; he feels lonelier than he’s ever been, but he hasn’t yet been able to face telling any of his teammates about it. Reid, however, notices the tan line on Charlie’s finger and the way he keeps rubbing the place where his ring used to be, and immediately works it out; he offers some of his own story (he, too, is divorced) and soon the two of them are forming a friendship and a bond outside of the one they’re forming as pitchers and team-mates. When Reid confesses he’s still living out of a hotel room – because he doesn’t know whether he’s going to sticking around or not – Charlie impulsively offers him the guest room in his house.

Fire Season is very much a quiet, character-driven story, a slow-burn/opposites attract romance that plays out against the backdrop of the day-to-day lives of two professional baseball players. Charlie and Reid are likeable and well drawn; Charlie is quiet, considered and something of an introvert where Reid is lively and outgoing, laid back and always ready to crack a joke to lighten the mood. They’re total opposites, yet are perfect for each other, and the author does a really good job of developing a deep emotional connection between them. The chemistry hums along in the background for a while, building slowly and steadily and leading to mutual pining and some serious questioning on Charlie’s part (Reid has long known he’s bi, although he doesn’t advertise it). This is the best type of friends-to-lovers romance, because the friendship is so believable and such a strong foundation for what happens next. Even though both men have issues to deal with, they don’t need someone to fix things for them; rather they need someone to support and encourage them, someone they can feel safe being vulnerable with – and these are things they provide for each other even after their relationship transitions from platonic to romantic.

While both characters have a lot of growing and changing to do, I found Reid’s story arc to be the more satisfying, possibly because he’s the underdog in this situation. He’s picked himself up and dusted himself off following his very public screw-up and is working to rebuild his career and his personal life. KD Casey clearly shows just how hard he works to maintain his sobriety and how difficult it can be, how it’s something he has to choose on a daily basis, and how his Jewish faith has helped him to stay on track. His situation as a relief pitcher is captured extremely well, expertly conveying his almost constant state of uncertainty about his future, his anxieties about being sent down or traded and how that might affect the possibility of a long-term future with Charlie. I really liked Reid as a character; he’s upbeat and funny, he doesn’t try to hide his problems and he’s a good foil for Charlie, giving him the space he needs to work through things. Charlie’s story is part bi-awakening – which is handled well and without a big freak-out (thankfully) – and part him opening his eyes to his own privilege. Reid makes several comments about things Charlie can get away with that he (and others) can’t, and I suppose, given Charlie has only ever played for the one team and has always been top dog, it’s easy to understand how he could have lost sight of the fact that nobody else on the team gets the same treatment and leeway he does. Casey takes care to show that the difference in Reid’s and Charlie’s contractual situations affects all aspects of their relationship, and never ignores the power imbalance that’s unavoidable when one partner has all the clout and the other has none.

I enjoyed the story although I had a few quibbles with some of the secondary storylines, particularly one involving Charlie’s ex – who is not an evil bitch – and her new partner, who is a member of the Elephants’ staff, and who, I felt, should have been handling certain issues differently. Charlie’s anxiety issues are mentioned and then just disappear, and I did have to wonder at his offering Reid sleeping pills and anti-anxiety meds when he knew Reid was in recovery. It was staggeringly insensitive.

As I said at the beginning of this review, Jon Waters is a new-to-me narrator who has been on my radar for a while, so I was pleased to have this opportunity to listen to him. He delivers an excellent performance – well paced and clearly enunciated with a good range of vocal characterisations and acting choices that work really well within the context of the story. His female voices are some of the best I’ve heard from a male narrator, and he does a good job of voicing the various secondary male characters as well, such as the harsh, gravelly tone he gives to pitching coach DaSparza, and the bad-tempered edge assigned to McCormack, who is a bit of a thorn in Reid’s side for much of the book. Mr. Waters’ portrayal of the two leads is really good; Charlie’s voice is deep and paced more slowly than many of the others, which works to mark him as both physically imposing and considered – someone who thinks a lot before speaking. There’s a very slight Texas ‘twang’ to his speech, rather than a full-on drawl as is sometimes mentioned in the text, but I liked that it isn’t overdone. The portrayal of Reid is the star turn, though – higher in pitch than Charlie, upbeat, friendly and energetic with just a trace of a New Jersey accent and a hint of hidden vulnerability. All the characters are well fleshed-out, and the differentiation is good across the board.

Despite the issues with the story I’ve mentioned, I enjoyed the listen overall and would recommend it if you’re looking for a new sports romance and/or a new narrator to try. My only caveat is that there is a LOT of baseball, so if you’re not a fan or (like me) know nothing about it, be prepared for some parts of the story to pass you by. Jon Waters’ performance is a big plus though, and I’ll definitely be looking for more of his work.

Caz