Fireman's Carry

The Hot Cannolis #0.5

by Eli Easton

In the midst of a California wildfire, two opposites find that their only hope for survival is each other.

This was Shane’s worst nightmare—a wildfire that threatened the California mountain town where his grandfather lived. He had to get Pops out of there. Thank God for the young firefighter they assigned to him at the barricade. With the handsome but oh-so-butch Mike Canali along for the rescue mission, everything would be okay. Or at least that’s what Shane kept telling his inner drama queen. This wasn’t the time to panic!

Mike had been on the job with Cal Fire for only two weeks, but he came from a big Italian family full of firefighters, so he recognized serious trouble when he landed in it along with the flamboyant gay guy named Shane, and Shane’s crotchety grandfather. Trapped, with no way to escape, Mike had to come up with a plan to save their lives—and the lives of all the other drivers stuck on the road.

One day can change the course of a life—especially when that day involves surviving an inferno. Even two opposites can find they’re stronger together. When the superficial is burned away, what’s left is what’s real—true bravery, the true self, and, maybe, true love.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Short Stories, Ebooks, Novella

70 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 31, 2023

About the author

Having been, at various times and under different names, a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, the author of paranormal mysteries, a game designer, an organic farmer, an avid hiker, and a profound sleeper, Eli is happily embarking on yet another incarnation as a m/m romance author.

As an addicted reader of such, she is tinkled pink when an author manages to combine literary merit, vast stores of humor, melting hotness and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, three bulldogs, three cows and six chickens. All of them (except for the husband) are female, hence explaining the naked men that have taken up residence in her latest fiction writing.

Her website in www.elieaston.com
You can email her at eli@elieaston.com

COMING SOON:
See what's in the pipeline here: http://elieaston.com/work-in-progress/

Reviews

[Rain · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5* What a sweet and intense short story!

I couldn't help thinking how cute he was. And how we were probably going to die together. Which might sound romantic in a book but turned out to suck balls in real life.

Easton really nails the intensity of a fire creeping into town and the frantic struggle to survive when there’s no way out!

I couldn’t wait to dive into the next, a full-length with these characters, but was disappointed by the bad reviews. Sounds like I can just simmer with this short taste of these characters.

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semicolons~✡~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book. I know I did. But somehow my rating/review disappeared. Weird.

Per my friend Marthea who posted this link in the comments below, here are the original reviews and ratings: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

4.5 stars. Here's the link to my original review of this "NOT A BOOK":

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

ETA: If you go to your Read bookshelf and Search for "Not a Book," you can see how many free books GR declassified. I found 16 on my shelf. So annoying, seriously.

~And the plot thickens~

It's not just my review that disappeared. All of them did. The earliest review for this book is February 2023, and there are only 3 reviews total.

This novella was released in January 2022, BEFORE The Hot Cannalis #1, which continues Mike and Shane's story. But because it was originally published as a free Prolific Works story, Goodreads deleted it, along with all ratings/reviews. Apparently, a book has to be punished on Amazon to count.

That's fucking outrageous. Can you fathom how many free books have completely disappeared from GR? Hundreds, I bet. How the hell does GR justify that?

[Drusilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because firefighters ...
That was very nice, but it's only the prologue to the actual story, so there's not much development yet.
But I like how the characters are introduced and how the initial sizzle builds up. Unfortunately there are already the first signs of melodrama. And although I can't stand that at all, I've been made very curious ... bad book, no cookie.

He tasted like smoke, and both our mouths were a little dry, but it was still the best damn kiss I'd ever had in my life. Sweet lust rolled through me, and I wanted to kiss him forever. 🫠🥰

Yes, I already downloaded the next book 🙄

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd had sort of a bad run with Eli Easton recently, which has been bumming me out so much because she was an OG favorite of mine, but I decided to read Fireman's Carry while I was camping because, well, fire = campfire. And let me tell you, that was a good decision.

This book was the perfect start to a little spicy romance. It had nicely developed characters and an engaging plot, all in about 50 pages of reading. Honestly, for a novella it doesn't get much better than that. I had a hard time putting this one down, and I pretty much blew through it in one sitting.

I really can't wait to see where this series takes me. Hoping for a HOT (wink, wink) ride.

goodreads|instagram|twitter|tiktok

[Meags · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars

Holy shit!! That was edge-of-my-seat INTENSE!

Regardless of its short story status and despite the fact it’s a freebie, Fireman's Carry packed a serious wallop!

Serving as a prologue to Easton and Lain’s upcoming new series, The Hot Cannolis, this story kept me glued to the screen, as leads Shane and Mike, a college junior and a newbie firefighter, become unexpected hero’s in a dangerous rescue mission, when a Californian wildfire threatens to wipe out a small mountain town and its stranded inhabitants.

It was like watching a great survival/disaster movie unfold in real time. I was riveted.

Shane and Mike get their full story soon in Hot Seat, so this only just touched on the chemistry and feels these two will share, but this story was so good and so enthralling that I was instantly endeared to two these men, ensuring I’ll be back for more.

For a 60-page freebie, this was damn impressive—so much so that I couldn’t help but dish out a coveted 5-star rating, just for wowing me in such a short amount of time, in so few pages.

I can’t wait to see what happens after the fire for Shane and Mike. I have a feeling this series and I will get along very well indeed.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book the first time I read it, and now I feel the need to reread every time there's a big fire nearby or in the news.

[annob [on hiatus] · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
My previous experience with Easton's writing had given me high expectations, so I'm a bit disappointed in this sort-of-ok-but-didn't-grab-me prequel. The budding romance relied too much on internal monologue musings, and all the while I was wondering how they could breathe in such thick smoke. It was nice and sweet, so I guess I was in the wrong mood, can see others might like it better.

[Hamed Manoochehri · Rating 4 out of 5]

به مناسبت عید مبعث خوندمش‌. قبول باشه.

[Jennifer☠Pher☠ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this blind, not realizing it was a prequal to an upcoming series so believe me, I had no idea how in such a short amount of pages we were going to get a romance set in a WILD FIRE!

This was a little intense and way more serious than I was expecting and I look forward to maybe a little less fear of death in the upcoming books.

I enjoyed this and am glad that the romance part will be forthcoming and it wasn’t inserted into a situation where it absolutely should not have been.

Good stuff.
*******
Originally part of the 2022 Your Book Boyfriends Boyfriend Giveaway. Original review listed under a NOT A BOOK listing. Adding review here since this is now an actual book.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

About 4 stars-ish... cuz I forgot to rate and review back in April 2023! I hate when I do that.

[Plumpka · Rating 4 out of 5]

W zasadzie to 3,5 gwiazdki, ale nie chcę psuć książce statystyki, więc wyjątkowo zaokrąglam do góry.

Krótkie wprowadzenie do serii o mężczyznach z rodziny Canali.

Wprowadzenie zaprojektowano z przytupem, wpadamy bowiem w sam środek zaimprowizowanej akcji ratunkowej, którą przeprowadza Shane Bower, aby ocalić swojego dziadka przed pożarem. Shane'owi towarzyszy Mike Canali, młody strażak wywodzący się z dużej rodziny z ugruntowanymi strażackimi tradycjami - to prawdziwy klan, w którym ludzie albo są strażakami albo w jakiś sposób strażaków wspierają. Mike jest przystojny, męski i w szafie, bardzo obawia się ujawnienia przed swoją rodziną macho. Shane wręcz przeciwnie - jest dość kobiecy i całkiem oczywisty, co na początku deprymuje Mike'a. Jednak wspólny wysiłek ucieczki przed ogniem i współpraca w celu uratowania ludzi szybko zbliżają mężczyzn do siebie.
Za szybko, jak dla mnie, stąd tylko 3,5 gwiazdki. Łyknęłabym szybką seksualną fascynację, ale te romantyczne rozkminy w środku szalejącego ognia to coś, co mi się niespecjalnie podobało. Zobaczę, co dalej, marzy mi się porządna seria o strażakach. 😁

[Andi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is actually my second read. I enjoyed it just as much the second time.

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great intro short. I loved getting the full story of how Mike and Shane met. This felt like a really intense experience of surviving being trapped in a wildfire. I felt Shane's fear as he was determined to get to his grandfather and get him out before the fire got there. And once things took the turn they did, I loved how Mike and Shane worked together in spite of the fear as they did everything they could for those around them. Great start to this series and can't wait to read the rest of Mike and Shane's story.

[Gaby · Rating 4 out of 5]

It felt like a good enough short intro to the Hot Cannolis

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I generally enjoy Easton's books, and I thought this short story was really solid. The tension was great and I thought the characters and their connection came across really well. It functions as a prequel to a full-length novel featuring the same pairing coming out in the next few months, but it also ends with a satisfying HFN that would work even without that future novel, which is a hard line to walk and I was pleased to see it. Definitely looking forward to this series!

[♥ Rebecca ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty intense

[☾⋆⁺ Nurse After Dark · Rating 5 out of 5]

To the Canalis two things were gospel. One: family. And two: being a man.

This was an adventuresome prequel to the Hot Cannoli series! I really enjoyed how balanced the story was - action, drama, and the hint at romance that makes me want to pick up Hot Seat ASAP! The Canali's are promising to be a fun bunch to help find HEA's with!

[Tj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as a freebie from the writer. Alas, my original review was vaporized. Zap. Gone. My reading history violated.

The book on Prolific Works was a nice gift and meant as an introduction to the series. I repaid the favor and bought the other books in the series from Amazon. It is a good series, and you should definitely read it if you get the chance.

[Linda ~ they got the mustard out! ~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very short and despite the harrowing disaster of a California wildfire being the setting, it had it's cute moments. I really liked Shane, and Mike had potential. Unfortunately, reviews for the next book tell me that potential was mostly wasted in a drama llama, so I'm treating this as a standalone.

You do have to suspend disbelief a little. There's no way they'd have allowed Shane into the town after they had it blocked off. The author also doesn't seem to know that Priuses are keyless and don't have ignitions that turn over like older cars. It's either going to start, or it's not. There's no in between. Those two little quibbles aside, I really liked how the imagery of the fire was written. Though I imagine it might be quite harrowing if you've actually been in a fire like that. I was thankfully living out of town when the last fire went through it, so I didn't have to go through that, but I sure do remember the aftermath. :(

[Amanda Nan Dillon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mike and Shane’s meet-cute is probably one of the most intense I’ve ever read. Lots of books with firefighters tend to not get into the weeds (or fossils, as Fated Mates podcast calls it) about actual wild fires and fire fighting, but my heart rate was elevated reading about their near death experience. Shane’s the real MVP of keeping a level head as a civilian in such a harrowing situation.

[Penumbra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Dani(ela), I realized that GR changed my original review for this story and posted it under 'NOT A BOOK' because at the time this story was free from Prolific Works. Seems like GR and Amazon only consider books to be books, if a monetary transaction has taken place. Reminds me of some politics where up is down and down is up, but I digress.

If you go to the following link, you'll find my original review for this story: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... I gave this book 5 Stars.

I'll update this review a little more later. In the meantime this is a place-marker for the other review.

Here's the update. I had to copy over my review from the other book entry to this one.

Fireman’s Carry is the intro book to a new series called ‘The Hot Cannolis’. It stars Shane, a twink who’s a bit on the flamboyant and dramatic side. The fireman is Mike Canali, the youngest in a family of macho brothers and men who are all firefighters. This story is told in first person through Shane and Mike’s pov.



I picked up this book from the ‘Your Book Boyfriend’s Boyfriend’ free giveaway on Prolific Works. Over a hundred authors wrote books and joined together to give away their books for this event. The event lasts for a year, so there’s enough time to grab whatever books you want from this giveaway. This story is the first one I chose to read.

First I’ll talk about the cover. I like it. It fits the description of Mike and how Shane sees him.

As to the story, it was terrific! Terrifically intense on the edge of your seat intense. Downright scary, heart beating wildly and fear-filled in such a short book. It starts right in the midst of danger as Shane is heading back into the fire zone to rescue his stubborn grandfather who refused to leave his home. On the way back, he runs into a barrier that stops traffic returning. Luckily for him some firemen arrive and one is assigned to go with him to collect his grandfather. That man is Mike. This story is a quick get to know you between Shane and Mike, the rescue of the grandfather and a lot of other trapped residents. It’s just the very start of their relationship. At the end Shane realizes Mike is not out to anyone, but he decides to take a chance anyway. Their date is set up for the next book.

On the subject of the next book, it will be co-written with Tara Lain. I’m going to voice my honest opinion here. I like Tara Lain’s stories. I’ve read many of them and will read more in the future, but I don’t think this series should be co-written. The two authors write differently. Tara Lain’s men tend to be over the top, more fantasy type men not based so much in reality. While Eli Easton, even though writing fantasy, like her ‘Howl at the Moon’ series, tackles topics and men more realistically. Shane is a twink, Tara Lain likes to write stories about twinks, and they’re usually over the top caricatures of men. ‘Betting on His BF’ is an excellent example of TL’s handprint. Shane is somewhat dramatic in this story, but there’s a core of steel to him and Eli Easton wrote a very good Shane. It would be a shame if Shane’s personality changed because a different author was writing him. I really wish the authors hadn’t teamed up to write the ‘Hot Cannolis’ series, and that Eli Easton had decided to write it herself instead. I’ll likely read it because both authors are two of my favorites. I just don’t think the upcoming series should’ve been co-authored. I have a feeling it will be more superficial because of the co-writing. I hope I’m wrong.

Anyway, Eli Easton did a terrific job with characterization and the feelings of fear, desperation and the whole atmosphere of being caught in a wildfire. I live in California and am very familiar with the wildfires we get here every year and the tragedies that follow in their wake. This book really captured those feelings.

The author did an excellent job writing Fireman’s Carry. I just wish she had decided to write the series herself instead of co-writing it. I give this book 5 Stars because it was really that good. I’m crossing all my fingers and toes that the next book in the series is going to be as good, but I won’t hold my breath.

[Marthea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dobre, intensywne wprowadzenie w historię Shane'a i Mike'a. Zacieram łapki na właściwą opowieść, bo preludium do niej tylko zaostrzyło apetyt i, szczerze, trochę sfrustrowało - no bo jak to tak - trzeba czekać na resztę 😉

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shane Bower has to rescue Pops in Crest Lake.

Shane goes to Sacramento State University. He’s studying “Literature and English.” 💀 He likes pink hoodies—with rhinestones and bitchy sayings on them.

Shane’s family are Seventh Day Adventists, so the whole gay thing wasn’t exactly welcomed. After his parents kicked him out, Shane lived with Pops for two years.

Shane is…flaming. We’ll just put it out there.

But he’s not the only thing that’s aflame. A massive wildfire has broken out.

Mike Canali is a fireman. He’s really hot. And very closeted.

Pops is a firecracker.

Ends with the barest hint of an HFN. No action, no lust…one kiss.

Typical M&M’s generic nonsense.

Basically…

Mike: I don’t…I’m not into fem guys
Mike: Well, maybe…
Shane: oMg GrAmPs is GoNnA dIe we’re all gonna die but omg Mike so damn fine

Or…
Shane: 💅 😳 😍 🥰
Mike: 👎 🤔 💥 😘

[GB DiGregorio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Story!

Yeah, it’s a bit shorter than I’d care for, but my attention was grabbed from first to last page.

This story packs a lot of action, and surprisingly, a lot of character building as Mike and Shane live through an incredible life experience of surviving a forest fire. They are opposites, with Mike being closeted and Shane being wayyyyyy out of the closet, but there is a definite attraction between the two of them.

I’m guessing this is serving as a prequel to Book 2, so I’m starting it as soon as I hit submit.

If you’re looking for a short, action-packed story, with an underlying sweetness to the characters, you’ll love this.

[Toddles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this novella as a tester to see if I was gonna be interested in the series. First, it more like a really long prologue than a novella. Second, DAMMIT! I'm hooked! Opposites attract, fireman style. The story of Fireman Mike and Fem Shane was adventurous, dangerous and thrillingly heartfelt. Shane is trying to get to his grandfather before a wildfire burns the town down. Mike is assigned to make sure he gets there and out safe. Sparks fly pun intended. And their story continues in HOT SEAT, the first full book in the series.

[Chetana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️

I unknowingly started Hot Seat before reading this novella. While reading the 1st chapter, I realized I was missing some context. It felt like I missed out on maybe a chapter or two and I was right. I immediately remedied that by getting my hands on this novella and reading it.

This was a good start to the story and now I am going ahead with Mike and Shane's story in Hot Seat.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shane is desperate to get to his grandfather before the fire reaches his town. Fighting road blocks and arguing with a fire captain he ends up with one young fireman who would try to get him there.
Things get dire, there's not only Grandad to save but a lot of others, and the fire is closing in.
A short but very engrossing read of determination, love and a hot young fireman's sexy eyes.

[ANNBOOKSHELF · Rating 3 out of 5]

Go from life or death & waiting for happy ever after - cold splash!

Mike a new firefighter that has the great to suceed. Shane a compassion soul that rises to the occasion to be a Hero! The story was great but I felt dropped like give me more. MM romance

[Sedoo Ashivor · Rating 5 out of 5]

My fave couple from the Hot Cannolis series. One of my favourite MM series EVER! I absolutely love Mike and Shane together and I just wanted to know how it all started. Excellent little gem of a book.

[Cheezie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this little gem. It's a prequel to the Hot Cannolis series so I am expecting great things! Full of action and a surprising amount of heart for such a quick read. I'm amazed at how well these characters are drawn! Can't wait to read more...