A taboo relationship…steamy passion…and secrets that can ruin everything. Single father Gabriel Baystock is rich and powerful, educated and handsome – and helpless when it comes to ensuring his son Michael recovers fully from a childhood cancer. He’ll do anything, even hire award-winning child therapist Shai Bonaventura.Shai is drawn to brooding, sexy Gabriel, and while she falls in love with … falls in love with the little boy she’s hired to help, she loses her heart to his father. Their powerful chemistry is off the charts hot, and Shai thinks he might be the one to help heal her own demons, even if it means crossing professional boundaries.
But when old secrets from Shai’s past are revealed, it’s not clear if their fragile relationship can survive the harsh reality of the real world…or whether they have the courage to fight for what they really need?
A Handful of Fire is a full-length stand-alone romance (about 80K words) with an HEA. It’s a contemporary love story with a high heat level and gorgeous, poetic prose.
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I oftentimes find that the more I enjoyed the book and admire the author, the harder it is to gather my thoughts and write a review. I worry that I can never show my appreciation for the story or convey my emotions for the characters. There hasn’t been a single book by Alexis Alvarez that I have read that I haven’t fallen in love with in every way, they are always steamy and have varying degrees of kinky, and the characters speak to me. A Handful of Fire had a completely different feel and left me a little battered and bruised emotionally and totally enamored with Gabriel, Shai, and Michael. Gabe and Shai knew how to keep things hot with dirty talk and sexy action, but they also had my heart melting like ice cream on a summer day.
Gabriel Baystock takes broody and hot to a whole new level. To say that he has been given the short end of the stick in life is an understatement. I wanted to wrap myself around this cold, surly man who believes that nothing can come from opening up about your life and sharing your thoughts in therapy. But have no fear, it takes him awhile but he is no match for the sunny disposition, soft hearted, practical Shai.
If Gabriel wasn’t enough to tug on my heart strings, Alexis created the most inquisitive, funny, endearing, sad, and intellectual ten year old boy that fiction has ever seen. I wanted to help him in every way possible and he brought the maternal instincts out in full force. Michael Baystock was more than my heart could handle even when he was at his worst, I still loved him in the fiercest way possible.
Shai Bonaventura is exactly what the doctor ordered when it comes to the two Baystock gentlemen. She may be there to help Michael cope with his past illness and loss in his life but she will end up being so much more to both of these beautiful men who need some sunshine. Shai’s big heart, wit, and shroud of mystery won me over and had me singing her praises early on in her story. I couldn’t get enough of her wealth of knowledge about all things about children, death, music, and art and wanted to dig deep and learn more about her with every page.
Alexis Alvarez delivers a love story about not only passion, but loss, survival, and moving on. She pays homage to the adage that it is better to have lost than never to have loved at all. She teaches her readers that after tragedy, we shouldn’t close ourselves off in hopes that we will never lose again but open ourselves up to a whole new world of possibilities. I highly recommend A Handful of Fire for a read that will inspire and resonate within your soul. Alexis thank you so much for creating something so vivid, poignant, and profound that shows us that we may not sparkle like a gem but we all have magical powers inside of us that is able to spark and become a beautiful flame.