Review: Light My Fire

Light My Fire by J. Kenner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Light My Fire is the eleventh book in J. Kenner’s Man of the Month series, and it was my most anticipated book of the series. With the focus of this story being on my favourite trope, I knew I was in for a good time. After all, every little glimpse we got at the characters in the prior books only made me more desperate for this one. Thus, I devoured Light My Fire when I got my hands on it. It may not have been all I had hoped it would be, but it was certainly one of my favourite books in the Man of the Month series.

The Man of the Month series is a collection of interconnected romance stories, proving individual stories as a larger story plays out. Each novel features a favourite romance trope, ensuring there is something for everyone. The first book, Down on Me, provided us with the friends-to-lovers trope; the second book, Hold on Tight, provided us with the second chance romance; the third book, Need You Now, provided us with the brother’s best friend trope; the fourth book, Start Me Up, provided us with the one-night stand; the fifth book, Get It On, provided us with the secret baby trope; the sixth book, In Your Eyes, provided us with the bad boy billionaire; the seventh book, Turn Me On, provided us with the friends with benefits trope; the eighth book, Shake It Up, gave us the May-December romance; the ninth book, All Night Long, provided us with the opposites attract trope; the tenth book, In Too Deep, provided us with the fake relationship trope. With book eleven, we received the Beauty and the Beast trope – and, as I’ve already mentioned, it’s my favourite trope of all.

Although each book is an individual story with a start and an end, I would recommend reading these books in order. To understand some of the details of the story in full, you need to understand how things came to be throughout the prior books. You’re certainly told, to ensure you have the basic facts to understand the story, but it is not the same as experiencing all that happened – for a bigger picture, read the series in order. It’s even more important now we’re down to the last couple of books – we’re constantly receiving references to the past books, we’re seeing couples from the prior books, and we’re able to see how things have been building throughout. By no means am I saying you need to go back and read all the books, but I am saying you will appreciate this series much more if you read things in order. Plus, it’s nice to watch how the underlying story is playing out.

With each book in this series you go in with certain expectations – you have an idea of how the trope plays out and you know who is to be the man of the month. Despite this, you’re interested in seeing how the little details play out – and for those following the series, you’re interested in seeing the additional elements added to the overall story. Although we’re never given anything new to the genre, we’re always given something unique to keep us wanting more. Plus, by this point, we’re so in love with all the characters, we’ll desperately take whatever we’re given.

With my expectations being so high for Light My Fire, a part of me had feared this book would not live up to what I had in mind. After all, I’d waited so long for this one that a part of me was worried it wouldn’t be one of my favourite books in the series, especially with how much I have loved some of the prior books. Fortunately, my fear was unfounded. Light My Fire was just as addictive as I’d hoped, containing all the things I love so much about the Beauty and the Beast trope. I admit that I would have liked to have spent longer with this couple, I would have liked to have slipped even deeper into their world, but this quick read provided all the essentials for a good Beauty and the Beast story.

Plus, for fans of J. Kenner’s Stark stories, we get another nod in this book. The nods received in prior Man of the Month books had me curious about the Stark universe, yet this book left me desperate to dive in. The information I received has left me with another series where I have high expectations – and if the Stark universe proves to be as interesting as the Man of the Month books, I’m sure I’m in for a good time.

We also get a lot of nods towards the final book in the Man of the Month series, Walk the Line, getting us ready for how it all ends. Saying goodbye to the series will be a sad time, but I’m crossing my fingers we end on a high. Admittedly the whole series has been great, but the last couple of books have been extra fun, leaving me sure the very last book will finish us off with a bang.

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