Winterblaze

By: Kristen Callihan

Narrated by: Moira Quirk

Length: 14 hrs

Publisher's summary

Once blissfully in love...

Poppy Lane is keeping secrets. Her powerful gift has earned her membership in the Society for the Suppression of Supernaturals, but she must keep both her ability and her alliance with the Society from her husband, Winston. Yet when Winston is brutally attacked by a werewolf, Poppy's secrets are revealed, leaving Winston's trust in her as broken as his body. Now Poppy will do anything to win back his affections....

Their relationship is now put to the ultimate test.

Winston Lane soon regains his physical strength but his face and heart still bear the scars of the vicious attack. Drawn into the darkest depths of London, Winston must fight an evil demon that wants to take away the last hope of reconciliation with his wife. As a former police inspector, Winston has intelligence and logic on his side. But it will take the strength of Poppy's love for him to defeat the forces that threaten to tear them apart.

©2013 Kristen Callihan (P)2013 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Top Pick! 4 1/2 Stars! Like moths to a flame, readers will be drawn to the flickering Firelight and get entangled in the first of the Dark London series. Combining Stephen King's Carrie and Beauty and the Beast, Callihan crafts a taut tale filled with sexual tension. This is one of the finest debuts of the season." ( RT Book Reviews on Firelight

"Compulsively readable...a compelling Victorian paranormal with heart and soul." ( Publishers Weekly on Firelight)

She Does It All

Any additional comments?

Poppy, running a bookstore? No....well, yes. But she also turns out to be the person that's running things in Darkest London. Very cool to see a powerful woman, in charge of a secret organization, working out problems with the husband as they take on demons! And she does it all very well. Great love story and Poppy turns out to be a kick-ass heroine when she's not selling books. Love this series!

Third in the series

Setting is 1880's England, with flashbacks to 1869.
There was a sort of prequel to this as part of the wrap up in book 2, though the cliff-hanger nature of it didn't keep me on tenterhooks. But, hey, this one was on sale!
The reason I wasn't all that excited about this book was the heroine. She was dour and just not a lovable kind of woman, at least in the first two books. The hero in the first two books was sort of a non-entity that was meant to move things along. This book fleshes them out in such a way that you get to know them better, so you'll probably like them better.
The heroine is the eldest sister of the two in the previous books. Her character was there to provide explanation and some back story. Anyway, she runs a bookstore and has been happily married to the hero for 14 years. The hero is the very serious police inspector who was involved peripherally in books 1 and 2.
I guess I should have mentioned that in the world Ms Callihan built, most people don't know about paranormals, and there is an organization on the paranormal side that endeavors to keep it that way.
At the end of book 2, our hero is shocked to find out that his wife has paranormal powers, and that she is involved in that secret paranormal organization, so he leaves her.
The plot in this book revolves around how our heroine and hero deal with the change in their relationship, and the demon who is coming for the hero's soul. How does he get out of that contract he signed back in 1869, when he can't remember doing so? How does he deal with his wife being a kind of kick-butt action woman?
There's more introspection in this book than the others, though they have their share too. I think there's more angst in this one, but the growth of these two people is ultimately satisfying. The other part of the story about demon hunting is a puzzle you want to solve, and that solution is believable in that world.
I think the best thing about this book are the secondary characters and the cliff-hanger. This book was definitely worth the time and money. Moira Quirk continues as narrator and does a great job.

Devil’s Bargain

Another solid entry. The steampunk aspect finally comes out to play here, with purple glasses that see demons, mechanical arms, and lightning guns. And yet I still yearn for better painting of this alternate Victorian London world. There’s also a steep drop in fleshing out anyone other than the main pair, or those who will become main pairs in future books.

This installment features Poppy and Winston and a second chance romance. When their marriage broke upon the reveal of her double life as a monster hunter, I was hoping for some Mr. & Mrs. Smith fireworks. After all, the author excels at pairing alpha men with equally alpha women amid battling secrets and twisted mysteries. Unfortunately, the explosion-to-emotion ratio falls heavily on the emotion side; too much brooding and not enough venting.

Mz. Callihan’s gift for upending tropes continues, with a fresh take on vampires and a secret society chock full of strong, smart women. However, for a series that passes the Bechdel test, I am disappointed that, three books in, there is still no lady-Avengers moment where all the fiery femmes assemble to kick monster-A. As much as I enjoy the romance side of these books, I really wish the author would lean further into the paranormal adventure side.

Final random observations: The nooky is more frequent, but also more traditional regency fare.
The occasional Fwords continue. At 1.5x, Moira Quirk’s narrations still amazes.
This was my least favorite of the series, but still worth the listen.

Loved it!

This is the 3rd book in the Darkest London series. Winterblaze is Poppy Lane's story the eldest of the Ellis sisters. Poppy finds herself alone after her husband of 14 years abandons her after he discovers that Poppy has a paranormal double life. Poppy is forced to track down her husband Winston when the paranormal world threatens his life. There is a lot of funny moments as well as twist and turns of mystery. I love it when book catches me off guard and makes me say " I didn't see that coming". I am hooked on the series and I can't wait for the next book.

Not worth the sale price.

I read 2 books in this series and liked them. I just could not get into this book and stopped trying.

Don' believe the hype!

Have you ever listened to an audiobook and in retrospect wondered, "Did the author pay reviewers?" Well, this is that type of book. I read all the rave reviews. I bought the audiobooks with high hopes. Then, disappointment came crashing down. I have tried to get through this audiobook FOUR TIMES (excuse the all caps, but really! It's that bad!) Each time I try to muddle through, but I just can't seem to keep interest. The narration is great. But even great narration can't make up for a plot that flows like molasses. This audiobook might work for you if you have the patience of a saint. That's just not me, and I have completely given up on finishing this audiobook - the action is that lacking.

Not as good as the previous books in this series.

This book is by far my least favorite in the series. The narrator is fantastic, however the story not so much. I am a bit bummed because I was really looking forward to it. I still haven't finished it and its been on my audible app since it was released as I pre ordered it. sigh..... I am over half way through and its just boring. Sorry Kristin Callihan. But way to go Moira Quirk with your awesome narration!

Not like book 1. I really enjoyed the first book in this series but this one was a hot mess. Disjointed story with thin plot.

Not like book 1. I really enjoyed the first book in this series but this one was a hot mess. Disjointed story with thin plot.