I don’t usually read a lot of fantasy except the classics and popular works of late. I also don’t usually read any romance which is why The Fire Lord’s Lover took me so much by surprise. It was exactly the type of book I usually would get a few chapters into and then abandon if I picked it up at all. Honestly I usually don’t even begin this type of book. It’s just not my regular niche but for some reason I started this one, one night right before bed and simply could not put it down. This book had me reading until late in the night and then waking wanting to return.
It’s a set up that immediately had me wary….a London taken over by fantastical magic, elven lords, an assassin bride and sex, sex and more sex (this book is for mature readers only)….not really my general cup of tea but somehow Kathryne Kennedy had me hooked. She does a wonderful job of taking a plot and spectacularly real characters that could seem rather fantastical and even stereotypical for the genre and yet she makes it all work. Kennedy is a great writer and that’s the key. Any story in the hands of a true storyteller can work for almost any reader if delivered in the right way. I have seen that again and again with other people but rarely with myself until The Fire Lord’s Lover.
The characters are definitely what drew me into the story initially. Dominic is such an interesting play on fantasy, strength and yet vulnerability that he immediate pulls you in while Cassandra is his perfect match that you find yourself rooting for at every turn. The plot is expertly crafted but I would have to say my only criticism is that the ending seemed abrupt and somewhat too “easy”. I would have liked more lead in and more of a scene. However readers must make that decision for themselves. I now find myself awaiting the next installment of The Elven Lord Series. So while I wait for the second book give the first a try and let me know if you were pulled in as well. There may be magic at play!
The Fire Lord’s Lover by Kathryne Kennedy
“If his powers are discovered, his father will destroy him…
In a magical land ruled by ruthless Elven lords, the Fire Lord’s son Dominic Raikes plays a deadly game to conceal his growing might from his malevolent father-until his arranged bride awakens in him passions he thought he had buried forever…
Unless his fiancée kills him first…
Lady Cassandra has been raised in outward purity and innocence, while secretly being trained as an assassin. Her mission is to bring down the Elven Lord and his champion son. But when she gets to court she discovers that nothing is what it seems, least of all the man she married…
Then Dominic and Cassandra together uncover an unspeakable evil, one that threatens the destruction of the magical realm they would give their souls to save…”
Stiletto Storytime 