When I think about when I was younger and what summers meant to me, I can’t say that going out into the wilderness being by myself for months at a time without any contact would have been high on my priority list. I wouldn’t call myself a wild child but back in the days I would have preferred contact and being out with friends in the clubs, rather than investigating a journalistic piece for the sake of my career. However, that’s exactly what Luca Torres, the main protagonist in Dylan Drakes new book, Cubs and Campfires does exactly.
As a character, I have great respect for Luca. A lot of the struggles that I found with Luca I also identified with myself and this may have been a really strong driving factor of why I resonated with this book so much.
Storyline
I want to use the wording “for the sake of science”, however, it’s a journalistic piece that has been the cause for this big chunky bear to decide to brave the wilderness and go celibate for a Summer. As a journalist, Luca is focused on creating meaningful stories of people who may not have visibility in mainstream media. His previous work focuses on sex columns to publish these very real and raw stories. When he’s interviewed and provided the opportunity to produce what could be the career break of a lifetime, he faces a difficult decision of whether to set aside his values, or, honestly, suck it up to corporate want and greed as the alignment just isn’t quite there.
Cubs and Campfires is set in a period where our current steamy articles that we can find regularly, are not necessarily being the most accepted. So whilst a little extreme side, our big man goes into the wild unknowns as a fire lookout in the Washington State for the summer to write about being celibate and hashtag #HeDontNeedNoMan. What then follows is a story of a little bit of sugar, spice, and a whole lot chonky boys. If the Powerpuff Girls intro song had included marshmallows, thick boys and body hair – Cubs and Campfires would have come out instead. (It definitely would not have made it onto Cartoon Network on the kids prime time however!)
The Characters & Tropes of Cubs and Campfires
Luca settles in, and we’re quickly introduced to our new hairy man of mystery; Altair. This man. My loves, this man. Altair is the fun mix of flirtation, mystery, and charming from the moment we meet him. Luca, caught in a very precarious position even if it was unscripted, was pleasantly surprised by the unexpected introduction. I think we all were. I cannot deny that he was kind of my love interest too, and so Red Bear has been ingrained in my head.
We are also introduced to several other cute and amusing supporting characters who complement the story without causing a distraction, or us wondering what place they have in this universe, so I find that a win.
“If the Powerpuff Girls intro song had included marshmallows, thick boys and body hair – Cubs and Campfires would have come out instead. It definitely would not have made it onto Cartoon Network on the kids prime time however.“
I’m still getting used to the terminologies when we were looking at tropes; I don’t know if slow burn is the correct wording I would use as we do kind of get into the action book quickly, but quickly enough that it kept my attention. This is one of the best things about this book in my opinion, is that the build up and the tension to get to where we needed to be was perfect. The chemistry between the two characters was amazing. The positivity and also the struggles we’re quite palpable. It was a horrid tease in places, which honestly so rude, but when we finally got to where the fireworks were – it was so worth it.
What about the Writing Style in Cubs and Campfires?
I really enjoyed the scene building; it wasn’t just a one-shot in there and let’s be done we had a beautiful world described for us. Dylan has a very beautiful way of describing the world and also the characters that are within the book. It’s well noting that Dylan has published poetry books before is very clearly reflected in his writing style. We’re not talking about a talking who can write for pages and pages and pages of that scene building, however, we do get to appreciate more about floral language that you may not come across in other books. It’s very enjoyable and flows without interruption towards the main build of the story.
It’s one of the first books in a very long time that I’ve read where I’ve had a strong LGBT cast. This in fairness is on me, however, but it’s been super refreshing to see what this looks like in modern print. What is more exciting to see, however, is the fact that we have got someone who has gone and written a book about boys with curves and is proud of it. As someone who has struggled being a chunky girl for the majority of her life, it was so validating to see people embracing their body shapes and not being ashamed for it.
Cubs and Campfires – Final Thoughts
I think if you are after a book to get into some cozy spice, or an introduction into body positivity and that supports a great indie Australian author with his first published novel, you wouldn’t be disappointed in reading Cubs and Campfires. There are a lot of extra surprises that I haven’t covered, and other characters that I haven’t mentioned – but you’ll just have to believe me.
I know I have been recommending it to a lot of my friends over the past few weeks and I’m excited to see the next book which I believe is a standalone, however may have crossovers, due to come out next year in 2025.
Cubs and Campfires is currently free on Kindle Unlimited.
