Firelight: Number 1 in series (Darkest London, #1)

by Kristen Callihan

London, 1881
Once the flames are ignited . . .
Miranda Ellis is a woman tormented. Plagued since birth by a strange and powerful gift, she has spent her entire life struggling to control her exceptional abilities. Yet one innocent but irreversible mistake has left her family's fortune decimated and forced her to wed London's most nefarious nobleman.

They will burn for eternity . . .
Lord Benjamin Archer is no ordinary man. Doomed to hide his disfigured face behind masks, Archer knows it's selfish to take Miranda as his bride. Yet he can't help being drawn to the flame-haired beauty whose touch sparks a passion he hasn't felt in a lifetime. When Archer is accused of a series of gruesome murders, he gives in to the beastly nature he has fought so hard to hide from the world. But the curse that haunts him cannot be denied. Now, to save his soul, Miranda will enter a world of dark magic and darker intrigue. For only she can see the man hiding behind the mask.

• ISBN10: 1455508594
• ISBN13: 9781455508594
• Publish Date: 22 March 2012 (first published 1 January 2012)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 6 August 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Forever
• Format: Paperback (A-Format (178x111 mm))
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[booksandcats]

This was a weird mix between Historical Romance and Urban Fantasy and not a good book for eigher genre.

I did not conenct with any character and could not find myself interested in the plot, it did abolutely nothing for me. The chemistry and longing between the two is the only reason for two stars instead of just one.

[llamareads]

Oof, what a mess. It's kinda a mishmash of Beauty and the Beast and Hades and Persephone, and while I would normally eat that up, the gothic tone was just way too over the top for me.

Archer has a DEEP! DARK! SECRET! (which is also kept from the reader for like 80% of the book) and has apparently been obsessed with the heroine, Miranda, since a chance meeting years ago. So marrying her seems the perfect revenge on her thieving father... somehow? Except he didn't expect someone to start murdering members of the club that turned him into a "monster," and now their marriage has made the murderer set his sights on Miranda.

OK, describing all that, it sounds pretty awesome, but reading it was just, well, boring. The pacing seemed off to me, and I never really felt the chemistry between the characters. I'm not a big fan of the whole gothic atmosphere, so everything seemed a bit overwrought and angsty. While I normally enjoy books where the author strings the reader along by dropping tidbits of info, it just didn't work for me. Everything seemed a bit too confusing and I constantly felt like I was missing whatever would gel the plot together. By about 75% in, I just gave up and skimmed the rest.

I think this might work for someone who enjoys gothic romance, but it didn't work for me.

[wyvernfriend]

He's hiding behind a mask and she can set things on fire, an interesting romance. Regency meets urban fantasy and I enjoyed the read.

[Amanda]

Everyone knows by now my need to KNOW EVERYTHING, right? I fondly refer to myself as an information whore. Sometimes this works against my enjoyment of books when I don't get enough information to satisfy my curiosity. Sometimes it has the opposite effect; I have to keep reading because I must know more. Firelight falls under the latter category. This book was so addicting; Kristen Callihan managed to keep me guessing about everything that was going on, while still keeping me engaged and reading.

And not only was I continually guessing about ALL THE THINGS in this book, Archer's secrets were always just out of reach. The final reveal was one I was not expecting--but at the same time, it fully kept in line with all the hints that had been dropped along the way. And not only that, but it provides a unique element in the paranormal world. (No, I won't say what. You'll have to read it for yourself.) We get a brief glimpse at the world Kristen Callihan has built in 1881 London, and I think that the next book(s) will only continue to expand our knowledge of the world. And, I must say, I want to know MOAR.

Though the romance between Archer and Miranda doesn't really break any new grounds, it was familiar and comfortable, like putting on your pajamas and snuggling into bed on a cold day. Their push and pull was fun and entertaining. Nothing makes me happier than a romance with a headstrong heroine and the enigmatic hero who can't help falling in love with her. WIN. Firelight was one of those books that just hits all the right spots. And I can't wait for more.

[celinenyx]

I was very much excited to be reading Firelight. It sounded just like my cup of tea; supernatural paranormal historical romance featuring a strong and gifted heroine. almost everyone I know enjoyed this book, and it has a wonderful average rating on Goodreads. Sadly, Firelight wasn’t for me.

It took me a while to find out what was wrong with it. The characters are okay – pretty standard match between a strong-willed heroine and an overprotective alpha male who constantly bicker and have a great sexual attraction neither is willing to admit to. The plot has plenty of mystery. For a great part (read: almost the entire book) of the book the identity of the main male character Archer is left in the dark. There is a killer on the rampage and Archer knows who he is, but the reader isn’t privy to that information until the very end of the book. And exactly here lies the reason why I didn’t enjoy Firelight that much. For me the story was just plain boring.

There wasn’t anything to grip me and keep me reading. The characters were okay but not that interesting (I specially found Archer to be rather bland) and the plot is quite ridiculous in hindsight. Archer knows who the killer is, a killer who is killing his friends and the people he loves one by one, yet he never warns his friends. Shouldn’t you at least give them a heads up that there is someone who wants them dead, and that it would be a wise idea to go into hiding or at least leave the country? The plot barely moves at all throughout the story. People get killed. Archer is sad. Miranda is angry because she doesn’t know what’s going on. Archer doesn’t tell his wife who or why he is because that might scare her away (even though she’s frigging married to him, where would she go?). Miranda doesn’t tell her husband who or what she is because of absolutely no good reason. Sexual tension. People get killed. Rinse and repeat.

For me this book would have been way more exciting if the reader was actually involved with the plot. If we knew who the killer was, and what the stakes were for Archer, and more small clues as to what Archer is. There is no fun in having a mystery if there are no small clues that hint you in the right direction or put you on the wrong foot. If it’s just a big reveal towards the end, what’s the fun in that?

Firelight is a so-so read, but an interesting mix of genres. Recommend only for readers who don’t mind their plots sailing on miscommunication only.

[Angie]

Firelight has combined a few of my favorite things: Beauty and the Beast, Phantom of the Opera, and paranormal elements. I love me a scarred, masked hero and Lord Benjamin Archer is no exception. Kristen Callihan's writing is very descriptive. At times I loved this, since I could easily picture the setting and the characters. Other times it was too much and I'd get lost in the details and need to reread parts to pull out the important things.

The chemistry between Miranda and Archer is hot! The sexual tension is also thick, and I just kept thinking "do it already!!!" Gosh, those two were frustrating (not in a bad way). They both wanted each other, but she was too embarrassed to say anything, and he didn't want her to see his "deformities." They were hiding from each other for most of the book, then suddenly one night, all secrets come out and: "I've been your bride long enough now make me your wife." Woo, you go Miranda!

While I loved pretty much every scene between Archer and Miranda, I can't say the same for the other scenes. In fact, I was very confused for much of the first half. There's a lot going on with murders, secret societies, and paranormal elements. I don't know if I had missed something earlier on, but I found a lot of that confusing until it started coming together near the end.

Overall, I liked this one, but the "mystery" confused me and slowed me down. I loved Miranda's fierceness and Archer's passion, and wish there had been more scenes of them developing their relationship.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[EBookObsessed]

This novel needs a category all it’s own; part-historical, part-paranormal and all wonderful romance. When I requested a copy of this novel from netgalley.com, it sounded interesting, but I was not really sure what I would be getting. Let me tell you, as a romance, this book was sexy, sweet and funny. As a paranormal mystery, it kept me guessing until the final reveal. This story kept me enthralled until the very end, and I am refusing to tell you anymore since the very mystery of what happened to Lord Archer is the driving force of this story. Added to that mystery is the wonderfully written beauty and the beast/phantom of the opera type romance between Miranda and Archer. Who could not fall for the vulnerable, tortured Archer, or the bright and strong Miranda?

If paranormal romance is your thing, then I can’t recommend to you enough that you should try this story.

see more, go to http://ebookobsessed.com