 | Title: Within the Flames
Sexual Content: Several sex scenes, mentions of child abuse and rape. Rating:
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Description
From bestselling author Marjorie M. Liu, here comes an exciting new installment to her award winning "Dirk and Steele" series in which high stakes and sizzling passion keep readers riveted.
A pyrokinetic and former car thief, Eddie cannot refuse an assignment to cross the continent in order to rescue an extraordinary woman in peril…even though he fears losing control of the destructive power of flame at his fingertips. The last of her shape-shifting kind, Lyssa hides in the abandoned tunnels beneath Manhattan. Like Eddie, fire is her weapon, her destiny…and her curse. For beneath Lyssa’s extraordinary beauty are dangerous secrets…and even darker, nearly irresistible urges…
Review
The Dirk & Steele series has a long and varied history with me, and may deserve the title of “First Paranormal Romance I Ever Read”. I picked up WITHIN THE FLAMES expecting the same generally pleasurable experience that had kept me coming back for more (but not hurrying to gulp down the whole backlog). I was pleasantly surprised to find not only a nice romance, solid paranormal plot, and a familiar guy stepping into the role of Prince Charming, but also a memorable heroine who stands head and shoulders above her series predecessors.
Lyssa, the heroine of WITHIN THE FLAMES, is one of those rare heroine's whose happily ever after still has a hint of darkness. Like sea salt on a chocolate truffle, that flavor lent the whole story a richer and more unique tone. Liu makes many nuanced choices with her narrative that raised this book a step above simply “enjoyable”. Lannes (the hero from THE WILD ROAD), was one of the first characters to learn about Lyssa’s troubling past. Having one of my favorite heroes from the series be the mouthpiece for concerns about Lyssa lent an air of credibility to the drama in the story. Like all of the Dirk & Steele novels, the soul mate mechanism provided an initial connection between Lyssa and Eddie, but we are also given numerous reasons to believe in their Happily Ever After.
Though I was a few book behind in this series when I started reading WITHIN THE FLAMES, I found this story very easy to fall into. Someone completely new to the series wouldn’t have a hard time embracing Eddie and Lyssa, or in following the main plot, but would probably be lost when the action flashes back to agency headquarters. A wonderful romance and a heroine I adored, this book represents Dirk & Steele at its best.
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