One last dive into the world of fire and brimstone with Cuffs & Carnations, set years after the war has ended.
From the blurb:
It took one day to strip an Archangel of everything he held dear.
On the battlefield of Heaven, Uriel lost more than his left ear. He lost his Committeds and his will to live. Decades later, he’s drowning himself at the bottom of a bottle, with no escape in sight. He tried to end his misery, but death didn't take. Resigned to suffering eternity alone with only the ghosts of the ones he lost as company, the last thing Uriel wants is a new love.
It took one day for a hybrid to fall in love with a broken, lost Archangel.
As the hybrid spawn of Lucifer, Jesse isn’t exactly popular with angels; carrying the face of a monster tends to have that effect. So, he keeps his head down and secretly prays for the day someone can see past his golden eyes to the soul inside—the soul desperate for the solace only surrender can provide.
A grieving Archangel searching for hope and a reason to live. A hybrid yearning for a firm, loving hand, and a place to belong. Join Uriel and Jesse as they test the boundaries of love and the infinite limits of grace.
Cuffs & Carnations is a spin-off story within the Fire & Brimstone universe. It can be read as a standalone but is best enjoyed after reading the completed Fire & Brimstone Scrolls series. Trigger warnings include: non-graphic mentions of attempted suicide/suicidal thoughts, cavalier commentary/dark jokes about suicide, self-destructive abuse of alcohol and the resulting withdrawal symptoms, and elements of BDSM and kink, including bondage, impact play, power exchange, and light breath play.
Tatted_book_freak's Review:
This story shattered me to pieces. Understanding how Urial felt about losing his committed, along with excessively drinking to avoid feeling pain, took me on an emotional journey filled with depression, suicidal idealizations, guilt, and anger; which led to acceptance, healing, and love again.
Uriel is your typical, bitter-asshole drunk, holding onto so much anger and hostility for actions that were out of his control. How Jesse continued to deal with his arrogance is beyond me, but his persistence was just what Uriel needed to find himself again. Their dynamic was fierce, with a strong connection of fires blazing.
Kirt does such an amazing job of bringing these characters to life! Absolutely loved the distinction between Uriel and Jesse, something not a lot of narrators can pull off, but Kirt does this with so much ease and enthusiasm, I felt like I was there with them through it all.
Rating: 5 Stars
Lesetiger's Review:
I loved the Fire & Brimstone series. Cuffs and Carnation is a spin off of that series that can be read as a standalone. However, you will definitely enjoy reading it more if you already know the series, as I re-encountered some characters I already knew and loved.
Uriel's storyline pretty much destroyed me at the end of the Fire & Brimstone series. And I was very happy to see him get a story of his own. Archangel Uriel is broken after the death of his companions and he lives an unhealthy life of pushing everyone around him away. However, Jesse fell in love with Uriel a long time ago and Jesse never gives up hope.
This book was an emotional roller coaster. My heart broke for Uriel and thankfully was put back together in the end. I loved this story. It is dark but that was to be expected. However, it is also full of hope and I found this story very entertaining.
Kirt Graves did an outstanding job. As a listener, you could immediately hear every mood Uriel was in. i was able to tell the characters apart well. He brought the book to life in a fantastic way. Kirt Graves made a great and emotional book even better with his performance! I highly recommend this audiobook!
🎧Audiobook Review🎧
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Performance: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Alyssa P.'s Review:
This audiobook was everything I wanted, and more. This story centered around themes of culpability, forgiveness and of learning to live through grief and love. Uriel's story after the war happened, in a previous book, was not easy to read, and I definitely felt very emotional at times.
Yet I also laughed and found certain moments of the story to be endearing, since Jesse is able to bring Uriel back to life through utter force of will and just by being who he is. This story was well worth the read and listen! Kirt Graves did a great job narrating this story. His narration is always stellar.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Cuffs & Carnations is available to buy from Audible
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