Fire Branded Leather by F. Gibbs

The coastal city of V-town is burning, and it’s up to one dalmatian to save it.

Will Hamish, the dalmatian assistant chief of one of V-town’s fire stations, is happy with his busy life. He works hard, and keeping his city safe is more than enough to keep him content. That is, until he answers an odd personal ad in the local paper. This leads him to meet the beautiful and mysterious Anne, who shows him that he might be missing more in his life than he realized. With Anne holding the leash, Will is drawn deeper into the tangled net of corruption surrounding his city and the shadows pulling the strings. As unrest and arson both reach critical levels, Will must confront and battle the darkness that has taken root in the heart of V-town.

On the whole, this book was a very enjoyable read. I loved the strong characters, the mysteries, and the attention to the details of firefighting that the author provided. It was a delight to immerse myself in the world that F. Gibbs has created. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed when the book ended. There were a few questions that were left unanswered, and as a stand-alone book, I wasn’t happy about that. However, this is just the first book in a proposed trilogy. I’m absolutely looking forward to reading the next installment and spending more time with these characters.

Fire Branded Leather has a lot of appeal. While it does have references to BDSM culture, they are not overwhelming, and the author actually does a good job of introducing these ideas: Like Will, the audience is led into these things gradually, without a lot of shock. Because of the BDSM narrative, there are some adult themes, but I strongly believe that furries and non-furries alike will both really enjoy reading this. It’s a fantastic start to a series that I am personally looking forward to.