Firelight

Darkest London, Book 1

By: Kristen Callihan

Narrated by: Moira Quirk

Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2012 Kristen Callihan (P)2012 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

2012, RT Book Reviews' Seal of Excellence, Winner

"Callihan has a great talent for sexual tension and jaw-dropping plots that weave together brilliantly in the end."—Diana Gabaldon, New York Times bestselling author

"Beauty and the Beast meets Phantom of the Opera (with hints of Carrie and an abundance of Egyptian mythology) in this gripping, intoxicating story, simmering with incendiary sensuality and featuring a heroine who risks all to save the man she loves. An exceptional debut and the first of what promises to be a compelling series."—Library Journal, starred review

"Compulsively readable...a compelling Victorian paranormal with heart and soul."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

Enjoyable PNR

3.5 stars

Firelight started out holding my attention almost immediately. Miranda is a strong character with a witty sense of humor; she’s intelligent, brave, and loyal, and fights for those whom she loves. She holds a secret power that has both ruined her family’s fortune and saved her life. For much of the novel she internally struggles with the power and freedom of wielding such a thing.

Archer is my favorite type of man to read about – a beta male. It’s such a breath of fresh air to read about a man without the machismo “I am man. submit to my will” type of guy. He is also holding a secret about himself that was unique and surprising. I can’t say much more without ruining it, but i enjoyed the ‘unmasking’ of him, both emotionally and physically.

Plots can sometimes be lost within some PNRs, but the story-line in Firelight was strong and enjoyable. The series will continue with a different couple, which I much prefer to a series that drags on a relationship to the point of tedium.

I thought the middle was a little repetitive and I began to get frustrated with how long it took for Miranda and Archer to just come clean about their major secrets. There was insta-love which I can dig, but I know isn’t everyone’s style. I also figured out who was the killer pretty early on, which was regrettable because I love a good mystery. The thing that redeemed the story though was the strength of the characters, so I was able to look past those things.

Audio
I haven’t listen to anything of Moira Quirks before, but she was fantastic. Her cadence was smooth and the characters were easily distinguishable, which must have been a feat because the character list was extensive as Callihan did a lot of world building in this book to set up for the series.

Loved the British accent

Firelight was highly addictive. Right from the beginning this book/audio drew me in. It made me INSTANTLY miss reading historicals. I’m picky with the historical romance books that I read since they aren’t my favorite genre but I do enjoy them. Firelight had the perfect mixture of historical with a paranormal twist, a touch of mystery and romance.

The story is about Miranda and Archer, their tumultuous relationship. Both of them are holding back secrets from each other. Archer will not reveal what he looks like, not many people know why, but you can imagine in London 1881 there is tons of gossip about him. Miranda holds powers that only her family knows about and have no clue of it’s origin. Miranda and Archer hit it off from the start. Miranda being slightly different herself will not shun Archer like others do.

Miranda is one tough cookie, she is not the typical meek young lady that will sit back and do as her father or husband says. She always speaks her mind and will not wait idly for anything, whenever action need to be taken SHE WILL take care of it.

Archer is an old soul. He is dark and sexy and very far out of the norm. Like Miranda, I was falling in love with Archer throughout the book without even knowing what he looked like.
Their love for each other build through out the book. It was serious torture witnessing the sexual chemistry that crackled between them.

Callihan told Firelight from several point of views, although it was primarily through Archer and Miranda. Several other characters held the reins quickly but it was more so to enhance the story in my opinion not to take away from the main couple.

I think I would have enjoyed the book a little bit more if I had more info on how or why Miranda had her powers. But, I very much liked this book and can’t wait to hear more from Kristen Callihan and this Darkest London series.

Narrator Note: I heard some of my friends didn’t like this narration that much and was hesitant to start this one. I will say that I LOVED the narration in this audio. I’m a sucker for accents and her British accent I thought was right on. She also had very distinctive voices for each character, either male or female, boy or girl. I can’t wait to hear more of her narrations.

Didn't work for me

I made it to Chapter 29 and stopped. The story is not bad, but it didn't work for me. Spoiler Alert: This is the type of book that weaves the story around "explicit romance". Many times the "romance" started only to be stopped, interrupted, or not completed, and then in Chapter 29 there was a big pause for a long chat - but I didn't make through that chat. I would rather have just the story but I don't think that what this type of book is all about - it's all about the explicit romance. When I stopped I didn't care about the characters, or the mystery, or if anything was resolved. I will not continue the series. Maybe if you are new to reading, this will be a good read, but after too many books like this, it all seems the same.

What's behind the mask?

Any additional comments?

The story is about a beautiful woman, Miranda, forced into marriage by her father. She has the power to create fire but refuses to use it or tell anyone about it. She also has an identity in the underworld of London as Pan. This is where our main characters first meet. Ben hides behind a mask, like in the Phantom of the Opera, not letting anyone see him. They don't even have sex for the longest time because of it. Miranda said it the best...she was his partner but not his wife. So it is quite obvious that they both have trust issues to work through.

The weakest part of the book, for me, was the romance. It was easy to identify the systematic formula used to lead us into the passionate moments. Each time the characters came together they moved to a new base, until they finally reached home. I wanted to scream "About time!" Talk about being teased.

When we finally get to the unveiling of the mask, I didn't guess 100% correct, but I was on the right track. That was a neat twist and the solution to the problem took on two point of views. It was interesting to listen to Miranda's view and then take a moment to know what Ben was experiencing too.

I wasn't expecting the villan to be who I thought it would be...although, looking back, I didn't like the person in question, but I didn't know how they fit in to the over all mystery...all the clues lead to that person tho. I don't read alot of mysteries, but I think that is what a reader is suppose to do...keep guessing. And if you can guess who did it the author didn't do a very good job of writing. So good job!

Moira Quirk is so delightful

The story and characters are quite compelling, but Moira's performance really brings it/them to life and makes this a wonderful Audible choice!

VERY GOOD!!!

THIS IS A VERY SWEET STORY. THE AUTHER AND THE NARRATER MADE THIS BOOK INTERESTING AND A GREAT LOVE STORY. IT WAS STEAMY AT POINTS AND MYSTERIOUS AT OTHERS. THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATS!!! CANT WAIT FOR THE REST OF THE SERIES!!! KRISTEN CALLIHAN'S IS ONE OF THE GREATS!!! THIS BOOK IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

Humor and Irony Deftly Wielded by Moira Q.

I love this book. I read it paperback first, and I truly enjoyed it anew. Definitely will listen again. First rate.

Nothing I did not enjoy about this book

Would you consider the audio edition of Firelight to be better than the print version?

Which character ??? as performed by Moira Quirk ??? was your favorite?

Miranda.

Any additional comments?

Narration was good, which can make or break a book. Strong heroine. Wonderful chemistry between the hero and heroine. Excellent dialogue/action from characters.

Not My Usual - But Glad I Tried

Wonderful story. It took a while to get into but once there I was addicted. The author did her homework with Victorian England. The story was different from the norm and displayed very proper etiquette and manners of the day. This means control and quiet to the point of being staid. Perfect Victorian behaviour where loudness and excitability were definitely frowned upon by the upper classes. The street slang was perfect and the fight with soul demon was wicked. I loved Miranda's strength and fearlessness and Archer's fight with himself. Moira Quirk was the PERFECT narrator, with culture and fitness. I got the next two even before finishing this one. I had to find out what happened to the sisters.

nice story

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

yes it was a nice light read that you could enjoy without to much bother

Would you recommend Firelight to your friends? Why or why not?

yes...light reading

What three words best describe Moira Quirk’s performance?

three stars for it

Was Firelight worth the listening time?

yes

Any additional comments?

no