Simon Peters and his partner Mark Smith face a number of challenging life events in the fourth and final volume of this heart-warming saga. Because of his time working on the streets after being kicked out of home by his father, Mark worries he may have contracted HIV. Despite knowing the lack of treatment options if he were to test positive -- this is the late 1980’s before the age of retro-viral drugs -- Mark is determined to know his fate. Things become complicated when Mark receives a letter from his father wanting to re-establish contact. Roy entering their lives presents further challenges, ones which ultimately threaten Simon and Mark’s continued happiness. Gay teens Sam and Billy play an increasingly important part in Simon and Mark’s lives, often regarding the older men as surrogate fathers/big brothers. Can this unconventional family pull together and become stronger, despite all the world has thrown at them?

Fireside Romance Book 4: Glowing Embers

We’d used Roy’s old car, one of the first times Mark had driven it since his dad died. It had the advantage of a sunroof, something the boys used to great effect as they stood on the front passenger seat with their heads and shoulders sticking out of the top of the car. 


We saw a tram pass us that was illuminated and dressed up to represent a rocket, and then later we spied another one decked out as a ship. We all enjoyed looking at Blackpool Tower all lit up, but my favourite part of the lights was the animated tableaux near the end of the show, which depicted various nursery rhymes and other scenes. 


Mark wound down his window and threw a handful of coins into the large receptacles set out for such donations. 


“Okay, boys, that’s about it,” I said. “Time to come back in.” 


Mark pulled into a side street and stopped the car. The boys got out and swapped places with me and we began our journey home.


Chapter 59