Rain After Fire is the third series of Balsam Ridge, and as the series’ name suggests, it follows a story about two people involving themselves in a fake relationship. Later on, their relationships become more authentic. After all, the 37-year-old Corbin Tuttle and the 29-year-old Maxine “Maxi” Buffton love each other since the first time they met.
In Rain After Fire, Maxi lost her mother who had never been such a help to her life when she was alive. Now that Maxi’s mother has died, she goes to a little slice of paradise named Balsam Ridge in Tennessee, after burying her mother. After all, Balsam Ridge always becomes Maxi’s mother’s a favorite place to talk about when she was alive.
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On the other hand, Corbin Tuttle of Rain After Fire is the handsome Valley Fire and Rescue’s chief. In earlier chapters of Rain After Fire, Corbin is still involved in a highly toxic and tumultuous relationship with his ex-girlfriend. Nobody likes toxic relationships, so, Corbin hits a nearby brewery to have some dates with one of the bartenders.
Maxi was one of the characters in Rain After Fire who works as a bartender. As the story of Rain After Fire progresses, I wonder, how will the relationships between Maxi and Corbin turn out.
- Part 1: Meet The Characters Of Rain After Fire
- Part 2: Story Of Rain After Fire
- Part 3: The Author Of Rain After Fire
- Part 4: Alternative To Rain After Fire
Part 1: Meet The Characters Of Rain After Fire
Maxine “Maxi” Buffton
Maxine Buffton (or “Maxi”), the main heroine of Rain After Fire, is originally from Baltimore. She used to live with her mother who never seems to give anything valuable to her, except for some hard life lessons like self-love and guarding her heart. So, it’s not a surprise that Maxi is aware of toxic relationship dynamics.
I love a tough, independent, yet understanding main heroine like Maxi. Not only that she has successfully stood up for herself so many times in the chapters of Rain After Fire; she also becomes a confidante to Corbin, even though the relationship starts out to be a fake one.
Corbin Tuttle
Corbin Tuttle is the main hero of Rain After Fire whom everyone regards as the handsome chief of Valley Fire and Rescue. Corbin doesn’t only have a handsome face; instead, he is also a man who understands to treat women the ways they are, and he also enjoys his job as a chief. Not to forget that he is surrounded by loving families and friends.
One problem for Corbin: His (then ex-)girlfriend is an abusive person. I am glad that, in Rain After Fire, he breaks up with her, and eventually, starts a much healthier relationship with Maxi.
Part 2: Story Of Rain After Fire
Rain After Fire, which is the third book from the Balsam Ridge series, has a tagline, “If you play with fire, expect to get burned,”-Indeed, the story of Rain After Fire is revolved around fake relationships between a 37-year-old man named Corbin Tuttle and a 29-year-old woman named Maxine Buffton who used to never know each other before the relationship begins.
Maxine (or “Maxi”) Buffton, a woman who used to live in Baltimore, is working as a bartender in Balsam Ridge’s Appalachian Ridge Brewery. She works there shortly after she buries her deceased mother-after all, Balsam Ridge has been a place that her mother used to talk a lot about.
Maxi meets the handsome and sexy chief of Valley Fire and Rescue, Corbin Tuttle, when she works as a bartender. When we read Rain After Fire, we’ll realize that, at that time, Corbin is already in a relationship with someone else.
However, the relationship is so toxic and abusive. From reading the backgrounds, I can conclude that Corbin is in need of a woman who will pose as his girlfriend.
Soon, in the Rain After Fire novel, the fake relationship between Corbin and Maxi begins to grow fonder, as both parties are in love with each other and willing to support each other through thick or thin.
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Part 3: The Author Of Rain After Fire
Amber Kelly, the author of Rain After Fire, spends most of her time in North Carolina (NC), in which she proudly refers to as her home. Being a US-born writer, she’s an author with vivid imageries of US-based places.
Not only that the places like small towns in the novels exist in real-life settings; but the ways each character communicates also resemble the ways people communicate in the US.
Balsam Ridge in Rain After Fire doesn’t only remain as the series’ name and the primary setting in the novel. Instead, there are several sites with the same name in the US.
As we read through the Rain After Fire book, we’ll also find out more real-life-based US settings: Baltimore, the hometown of Maxi Buffton; Appalachian Ridge, the brewery place where Maxi and Corbin meet for the first time; and so on.
In my opinion, Amber Kelly doesn’t only make the novel closer to real-world settings. The romance and feelings between each character (tension, sadness, and more), are also highly relatable from the first few chapters of the Rain After Fire novel.
Overall, I would say that this novel is one of the most enjoyable novels to read. Bonus point: It has been available through at least six different platforms, and we can keep an eye on the updates by Amber Kelly herself in her social media websites.
Part 4: Alternative To Rain After Fire
Rain After Fire is a novel in which the story involves a fake relationship that’s getting closer to reality as we delve deeper into the chapters.
A fake relationship may be a result of “something that happens”, and only few can flourish into a more serious form of love. Speaking of Dreame novels with “fake relationships becoming real” as the central theme, we have The Greeks Contract Marriage.
Like in Rain After Fire, Dreame’s The Greeks Contract Marriage also has the handsome and rich Demetrius as the main character who wants to please his mother, including the times when his mother mistakes his business announcement as a wedding announcement. Soon, he is involved in a contract fiancé with a woman named Bailey Madison.
Summary of The Greeks Contract Marriage:
Demetrius Eros Evan, a billionaire property prince, is about to get a business deal with Louise, his business partner. So, he structures his business plans in ways that he’s sure Louise and his entire family understand the plans.
Unfortunately, Demetrius’ mother is so desperate to see her son married, so, she deliberately mistakes Demetrius’ business announcement as a marriage announcement.
Furthermore, Demetrius’ mother doesn’t care, even though her son has tried so hard in explaining the misunderstandings. So, Demetrius doesn’t have any choice but to please his mother by “fulfilling” the marriage announcement. This time, he goes even more extreme by following Louise’s advice in seeking his potential wife in a strip club.
Starting from that idea, he meets Bailey Madison, the top-ranked pole dancer in Ruby Strip Club. Bailey’s eyes glimmer with lights as soon as her face and sight meet the handsome-looking Demetrius with his Rolex watch. Soon, they are involved in a pretend-play engagement. At least, their relationships have no strings attached, until things become too complicated.