Mastering the Flames

Beacon Hill Sorcerer Series, Book 4

By: SJ Himes

Narrated by: Joel Leslie

Guilt-ridden after the massacre of his family, Isaac Salvatore turned to binge drinking to escape the pain. Now 24 years old, Isaac is a recovering alcoholic woefully out of practice in the magical arts, leaving his fire affinity hanging on the edge of disaster. After a month of rehab, he returns to Beacon Hill and his family, determined to remain sober, learn to control his magic, and figure out a plan for his life that doesn't involve drinking.

Constantine Batiste is the oldest, most powerful vampire in the city. Born in ancient Gaul, the bastard son of a Celtic king, his long life has been shrouded in tragedy and horrors. Recent mistakes have left him wary and determined to guard his clan from all foes. When two of his clan members fall victim to an ancient evil, he summons the Necromancer of Boston for aid. Accompanying his older brother to the Tower is the handsome young fire mage once wounded by Constantine's arrogance, and their encounter reignites an attraction that burns within both Constantine and Isaac.

Contains mature themes.

©2019 SJ Himes (P)2020 Tantor

Flame hot 🔥

Both characters were so opposite of each other I’m surprised the author S.J. Himes made it work but for me the narrator Joel Leslie helped them blend beautifully well together and the individual personalities complimenting each other.

Constantine was so refined and well spoken and respected by his clan where as Isaac Salvatore had a foul mouth at times with no filter, low self esteem and was a recovering alcoholic. He was very kind and considerate to the clan members which helped endear him even more to Constantine and my own personal opinion of him. He also had the drive to be a sober person and was truly doing his best to accomplish that.
There seemed to be an interest from the beginning of the series but Isaac wasn’t in a place in his life for a serious relationship. Actually being a recovering alcoholic probably wasn’t one either but I think Constantine helped him find some of his confidence without taking over and he also helped ground Isaac.
I loved the interaction and close friendship Danial and Issac shared in this book.
I just can’t enough 🤗 of the Salvatore family and friends and the growing little dragon 🐉, hopefully we can learn more about the Salvatore ancestor and his vampire mate in the painting at the mansion.

This book went to so many places, Constantine’s mortal life and we even got to visit with Rory’s brother in prison. In this series there is always more than the individual characters which makes it such an exciting series to read! 👏🏻
MORE PLEASE 😊

A Masterpiece on Mental Health

There is a 1 star review here from the previous book that I feel is inaccurate. I've reviewed this title before. It is even more beautiful the second listen. The One Star is wrong. They conclude the substance abuse was tacked on to the tale, the sex trauma was unnecessary, and characters boring. I do not know what books that reader read but they surely were not this series. SJ Himes has been building this series towards something. This is not the Tale of Isaac nor is it the Tale of Necromancer Salvatore. This is the Tale of Perseverance, a tale of being broken, hurt, and lost both by life and by oneself then clawing your way back. This is a tale of Healing on a backdrop of Urban Fantasy.
SJ Himes is truly a masterful writer and has built a world full of hidden lore. But at the end of it all what ends up being more important is the message they bring: I am broken but I am worthy .

Come for the magic and world building, stay for the message.

Great listen!

I've been waiting for this one for awhile now and Joel delivers. Tone and flow match the epic plot, past and present scenes jump out at you. Can't wait for more.

Loving this series

Isaac finally gets his story told! He has not had an easy time and has masked his pain with alcohol. After getting treatment he begins his new life. One that includes the Master vampire Constans. I liked how they got together. Their story along with the continuing story of his made family with Angel is so interesting. I love how it was written and can’t wait for more.

The one thing that bugged me was the use of Constans name way too much. Other pronouns would have helped it flow better. I got tired of hearing it!!

5 Stars Across The Board

So SJ H isn’t as prolific as some MM authors, but she has accomplished great world building with three dimensional characters. They have depth, humor, and personality. She does occasionally fall back on tired MM tropes (protective supernatural partner goes GRR and sassy partner says something sassy and gets rescued), but overall still entertaining, and Joel Leslie is terrific as always.