Hot Head by Damon Suede

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Where there’s smoke, there’s fire...

Since 9/11, Brooklyn firefighter Griff Muir has wrestled with impossible feelings for his best friend and partner at Ladder 181, Dante Anastagio. Unfortunately, Dante is strictly a ladies’ man, and the FDNY isn’t exactly gay-friendly. For ten years, Griff has hidden his heart in a half-life of public heroics and private anguish.

Griff’s caution and Dante’s cockiness make them an unbeatable team. To protect his buddy, there’s nothing Griff wouldn’t do… until a nearly bankrupt Dante proposes the worst possible solution: HotHead.com, a gay porn website where uniformed hunks get down and dirty. And Dante wants them to appear there—together. Griff may have to guard his heart and live out his darkest fantasies on camera. Can he rescue the man he loves without wrecking their careers, their families, or their friendship?

"...people should not be punished for loving and hoping and holding their hearts open."

This may be the best M/M romance that I've read so far. To be honest, the majority of M/M novels that I've read have been written by women (the only ones that weren't were geared toward a teenage audience, so there weren't any sex scenes), and I must say, it was a verydifferent experience to read an 18+ M/M novel that was actually written by a gay male author. 

The protagonists, Griff Muir and Dante Anastagio, are best friends that work together for the New York City Fire Department in Brooklyn. The story is told in third-person from Griff's point of view, and describes the struggle that Griff goes through with his overpowering attraction towards his straight best friend. Everything about this novel was hot, hot, hot! Plus, I just could not help but picture Kevin McKidd as Griff and Jon Bernthal as Dante - I don't know why (they're just the actors that popped in my head while reading the character descriptions!), but I felt they fit the roles perfectly.

            

I think what I liked best about this novel, however, was the fact that it touched upon the very real subject of hate crimes and assaults towards the gay community. I see a lot of m/m romances which feature characters that are afraid to come out to their friends and family for fear of their response, but not a lot of them actually touch upon the subject quite like this novel does. I also liked that this novel illustrated how gay bars aren't just places for gay men and women to hang out, or for people to find someone to hook up with or date; instead, it showed how they're actually safe havens, where LGBT+ individuals can go without fear of judgement or retaliation. This isn't really how they're depicted in the media.

Anywho, I breezed through this novel quickly, and I was a bit sad when it ended - I wanted more! According to Goodreads, there seems to be a sequel in the works, but I haven't seen any updates or anticipated release information anywhere, so it may be a while before it's released (if it's released). I'm keeping my fingers crossed, though!