queer romance

Fire, Water and Rock

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The details…

  • Tittle: Fire, Water and Rock
  • Author: Alaina Erdell
  • Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
  • Publication date: December 13, 2022
  • Page numbers source ISBN: 163679274X
  • Available formats: ebook, paperback
  • File size: 1539 KB
  • Print length: 240 pages
  • Genre: contemporary romance
  • Trope: age gap
  • Themes: finding love, learning to forgive, letting go of past hurts, geology, nature, camping, bisexuality, women loving women

The blurb from the publisher…

A hot summer fling or true love?

When budding geologist Jessica Sterling arrives to work on her thesis while camping in Washington’s Dry Falls State Park for the summer, she shatters park ranger Clare DeVere’s hope for an uneventful season. Neither can deny their unexpected attraction, but their secrets make romance impossible.

Clare’s best friend since college, Lyn, works as one of the park’s dispatchers, and her long-standing and unrequited crush on Clare grows increasingly obsessive as Clare draws closer to Jess.

While Clare contends with Lyn’s infatuation and unwanted advances from her womanizing boss, and Jess grapples with her unexpected feelings for a woman, their fiery fling challenges them to confront their pasts.

My thoughts…

When I read a book with themes that I know next to nothing about and the narrative makes me want to go investigate…Well, credit must go to that writer. Fire, Water and Rock gives brilliant explanations of rocks and geological formations. Erdell explains the basics in a way that captures one’s interest. For someone like me who likes to learn new things, I found it all very interesting. Because Erdell makes it sound so majestic, I often stopped my reading to do a little Googling.

This is Erdell’s first published novel and one can easily see the passion she has for storytelling. Using colorful language and vivid detail, she immerses her readers in an impressive story world. The setting really comes alive on the page and readers can easily envision Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park (another place I Googled). The descriptive writing captures the imagination and initiates the senses, making the reading experience quite fun.

As splendid as the story world is, readers find the characters equally compelling. Erdell gives Fire, Water and Rock two captivating women to drive the storytelling forward. Jessica and Clare are well-developed and likable individuals. There’s a bit of an age gap between the women and Erdell portrays it nicely. Readers see Jess’s inexperience and poor decision-making play out well within the story arc. On the flip side, readers see Clare’s maturity. Her life experience enables her to communicate her emotions honestly and fairly. It all works to facilitate tension within the relationship and give it a sense of believability. Ultimately though the dynamics work to promote change, as this is a character driven story.

As fascinating as all the themes of geology and nature are in the storyline, Fire, Water and Rock still remains a romance at its core. Erdell captures a tenderness in Jess and Clare’s journey that’s heartfelt and sweet. She’s a patient writer though; she moves her readers through Jess and Clare’s story in a measured and intentional way. She doesn’t rush the romance between them. Instead, she chooses to build the chemistry slowly, brick by brick. When their HEA does finally come, readers are more than ready for it.

Final remarks…

Erdell’s debut is a compelling and read-worthy tale; it’s definitely a sign of exciting things to come. Though the storytelling isn’t perfect, readers can see the promise in the writing. Her style and tone are very engaging and I’m excited to see what her next book (Off the Menu—March 2023) brings.

Strengths…

  • Tenderly told
  • Heartfelt
  • Likable main characters
  • Vivid descriptions of nature
  • Interesting geology tidbits pleasantly worked into the storytelling

A peek inside…

“…I seem to recall you promising to show me your rock collection.” 

Jess’s mouth hung open. “Are you serious? I assume you’re just being nice. You don’t have to.”

“I know I don’t. I want to see it.” Clare looked at her expectantly.

Genuinely surprised, Jess walked to her car with its GEOGRRL license plate, opened the passenger door, and reached under the seat. She came back carrying a thin wooden box. She opened it up and displayed its contents. Small rocks occupied each little square compartment. 

Clare inspected the box. “I don’t see any fossils in here.”

“Oh, please. The fossils are in a separate box.”

Clare laughed. “What is this one?” She picked up a purplish rock that looked like dozens of tiny spheres glued together. 

“That’s purple grape agate crystal. It’s found in Indonesia.”

Clare’s fingers traversed the surface like she was memorizing each little protrusion. If Clare were to touch her, would she touch her the same way she touched the rock—delicately, with purpose? Jess shivered. It wasn’t cold. “It’s beautiful.” 

Clare pointed to another rock. “And this one?”

Jess handed it to her. She caressed the rock’s speckled black and blue surface with her fingertip. 

“That one is indigo blue covellite in copper ore from Butte, Montana.” 

She gave it back, her fingers brushing Jess’s palm. They were soft and delicate. 

“Where did you get this one?”

“That’s from Sparta, Illinois. It’s called a pyrite sun.” 

Clare hefted the golden disk. “It’s heavy. Did you find it while visiting there?” 

“No, my dad got me interested in rocks. He traveled a lot for work. He would always come home and reach into his pocket with a twinkle in his eye. He never failed to bring home a special rock for me. Most of my rock collection is from him.” She pushed away the sense of melancholy that rose with the memory. How strange that mere possessions could conjure up such conflicting feelings. This wasn’t the time for it.

“What a sweet story.” Clare looked at her with a kind smile before picking up another rock. “What is this?” She held a spherical rock. One side had broken away to expose a similar rock inside, like a core. 

“That’s called a concretion. That one’s from Croatia.”  

Clare asked a few more questions and examined each rock, ending with one of Jess’s favorites, the pink rhodochrosite. As Jess latched the box, to her surprise, Clare leaned over and quickly pressed her lips to her temple. 

“Thank you for sharing that with me,” she whispered. 

At that moment, Jess only knew two things. Whatever she felt, she’d never felt before, and if she could bottle the feeling, she’d be the richest person on Earth.

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A bit about the author…

Alaina Erdell lives in Ohio with her partner and their three crazy but adorable cats. She has a degree in psychology from Gonzaga University. Prior to writing, she worked as a chef. When she’s not focused on writing lesbian fiction, she enjoys painting, cooking for friends and family, experimenting with molecular gastronomy, reading, kayaking, snorkeling, traveling, and spoiling her beloved nephews.

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