One of my best friends Kathy is the expert on the Paranormal Romance (PNR) genre. She is responsible for all the PNR books I've read and loved so far. Lately, both our close friend Hannah, who is not particularly a fan of the genre, got into it thanks again to Kathy. Hannah was the one who suggested I read Kristen Callihan's Firelight, the first book of the Darkest London series, and I just started it without giving it a second thought.
The no-second-thought part was good because I got to read a story that differs from those of its genre, which left me excited and curious chapter after chapter. Yet it was a bad idea because the second book in the series, Moonglow, will be published later this year in August. I know, August isn't that far away, but what do we do when we read that too and there's no more?
Without getting all depressed about that thought, I shall talk about the book. The story of Miranda Ellis and Lord Benjamin Archer takes place in 1881 in London. This is all I knew before reading the book, and for me it was more than enough. And it did not disappoint. Just like it is in most of the PNR books, both our male and female characters have -deadly!- supernatural abilities of their own. Miranda's has to do with fire, as you can tell from the cover of the book. I will not reveal what's going on with Lord Archer because part of the thrill in reading the book is finding out what the hell's up with him. And I can assure you it'll take you an exciting ride to find out about it.
This book has lots of action of all kinds. I liked that the parts about the characters overcoming obstacles were told in detail. The story doesn't progress the way they usually do, that 'killed the bad guy! let's jump our bones now!' kinda way. There are clues to what the story's leading to throughout the chapters, but I still found myself surprised at the end of the book.
I myself usually picture whomever I fancy as the leading male character while reading these books (for those of you who are wondering, it's been Charlie Hunnam for a while now). But I'm sure those of you who fancy Italian guys will have no problem falling for the description of Lord Archer. He walks around wearing a mask throughout most of the book, and it's both a literal and a metaphorical mask to hide his secret. And you'll definitely find yourself going, "take if off already!"
I don't know what those of you who're not fans of the genre would think about this book, but I'm sure those of you who are will love it. Don't do what I did though-- read it when you have the time to finish it, 'cos otherwise you find yourself going crazy, wondering what will happen next.
The second book in the series will be Moonglow, which will revolve around different characters. You'll meet them in Firelight, so they won't be strangers, but it's still kinda hard to let Miranda and Archer go. I do get the feeling that they might just show up though, even if briefly.
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