Book 1,083: Cubs & Campfires (Sweet & Stocky #1) – Dylan Drakes

I stumbled across this when someone on my knitting Instagram posted it. I was intrigued because it was a fat positive/plus size/big and tall romance and you don’t see those very often in any genre, let alone MM Romance. It was an added bonus that one of the protagonists was BIPOC, making it even more diversely representative than 99% of MM Romance novels. And when you add in it was written by a man it’s legit just like “WHOA!” across the board.

Cubs & Campfires is the story of Luca, who for reasons beyond the reader and Luca takes a pledge of celibacy to write a story for a publication. Ultimately, he thinks it’ll be his big break, but he almost immediately realizes it’s a mistake. He’s in his sexual prime, there are men everywhere, and he’s gotta get out of the city, so he applies for a SUPER remote job manning a fire watch station in the middle of nowhere. Cue Artair, the renaissance man who usually staffs the station, but doesn’t believe in phones or emails so missed out this year and has decided to try and make it off the land for the summer.

You can imagine what happens from there. Luca stays strong despite Artair’s ridiculous flirting until a kiss happens and then for some reason, in for a penny in for a pound, they then go at it like rabbits for the rest of the book and of course feelings just happen.

For the most part I enjoyed the book. Drakes did a great job with both characters and I freakin’ adored the woman on the radio who had her own wild life and stories that Artair knew, but Luca only slowly found out at the same time we did.

Of someone who’d make your ass clap like ship sails in a sharp breeze, then snuggle you for hours afterward. (33)

I’m a little split on the writing style and the humor. At times it was a little crass, perhaps not as crass as Damon Steele, but it got up there. And when you add in the (bordering on) immature humor there were a few times I almost set the book down for good.

Aside from those two things, the descriptions fell a little short. They read more like a debut novel that struggled a bit with reigning it in, but this isn’t his debut. Don’t get me wrong, they weren’t bad, just a little over the top. I think a good editor could’ve helped tighten them up a decent bit and made the book even stronger than it was in the end. At the same time, I’ve been to the Pacific Northwest and it is very grandiose, so maybe they weren’t too exaggerated.

In the haze of the heat, Luca thanked the universe for versatile men—those who loved topping as much as bottoming. Men who knew exactly what to do because they knew what made their own ass squeal. (149)

The other thing that I truly enjoyed about the novel was Drakes walking the walk (over and over again) with vers characters. Don’t get me wrong strict top/bottom characters are fine, but when an author hints at or teases vers characters and then just doesn’t follow through it’s one of my biggest pet peeves. There was no way Drakes was going to do that with how quickly things kicked off once they did!

Recommendation: Worth the read. I enjoyed it even though I found some things not quite to my taste. The first half/third of the novel when the tension was building was really well done, but the second Luca and Artair started having sex it seemed to lose some of its charm for me. But, that’s definitely more a personal preference rather than I think a writing issue. There were a few things Drakes could work on as an author, but overall not bad. I still haven’t decided if I’ll check out Bears & Bakeries, the second book in the series, but never say never.

Opening Line: “Luca Torres grimaced, hoping he’d heard the question wrong.”

Closing Line: “Why don’t we think of it as an adventure?” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)

Additional Quotes from Cubs & Campfires
“Instead, they’d told the school to get bent. And framed the leaflet for him, too. So you always remember to follow your beliefs, Niño.” (9)

“And contrary to the mainstream beauty aesthetic that demanded smooth, fat-free skin, his own curvy ass never had any shortage of men wanting a good, long taste.” (10)

“However, it was equally true that the last five years living in Seattle had involved a bigger focus on keg-stands and computer screens than fifteen-hour hikes to remote fire watch towers. And whatever cardio he’d honed as a child had been replaced with late-night pizzas and just enough weights to look poundable in a jockstrap.” (17)

“‘Hold onto your ass, wise guy, but two-thirds of forest fires in this state are started by lightning, not people.’ Luca gasped unironically and tugged the obligatory Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires! poster from its hangnail beside the axe.
‘But Smokey said it was all down to campers!’
‘Sorry, kid. Sometimes cartoon bears lie.’ (26)

“He came to a stream, one among many, and filled his metal canteen with contents so clear it was practically invisible. When he splashed a handful against his sweat-beading forehead, it still carried the kiss of high mountain peaks, like the snowmelt of early spring was staying long into this slow and peaceful summer.” (66)

“A quick learner. We love to see it. Now just take your other hand here and move it up and down on the D. That’s it. You have to stroke the D confidently if you want the payoff. No one wants a wobbly D in their hands.” (100)

“Luca huffed. ‘Because I know that I’m writing something no one will ever read? That it won’t do anything? Won’t spark any conversation? Won’t change anyone’s mind about anything? That it’s just one big waste of time?’
‘Like I said, maybe one day it will get published?’
‘But I don’t think it will. I’m not going to wake up in a year or two and have everyone demanding my stories. Maybe this is what I should accept—defeat. I had one shot and it’s gone. No one will ever be able to publish what I want to write. Any reputable company would be fined into bankruptcy if they tried. They’d have people picketing outside their headquarters and be turned into pariahs by the conservative media.’
‘So sell it to a disreputable company?’ Luca snorted.
‘What? Gay porn mags and badly photocopied zines? That’s not what I want, though. These articles need to be read by the mainstream. They need to show a world to people who wouldn’t usually see it. It needs to be shocking. To force conversations. To force change. And I can’t do that if I’m publishing to a tiny audience who already agrees with everything I’m saying.'” (203)

“One night, late with chatter and full with freshly roasted vegetables, they spoke of where they might go next. The Northeast, maybe. Massachusetts was apparently great. Thanksgiving in Plymouth. Halloween in Salem. Christmas in Boston.” (221)

“If Cubs & Campfires started as a story written just for me, then let me finish by dedicating it to you: to all the people out there who struggle with their weight. To all the people who will never have abs or fit into a size four dress. To all the people who think they aren’t hot and aren’t worthy of love. You are beautiful. You are amazing. And there are people out there who see that.” (236, Afterward)