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)

Marriage, Secrets and Demons

The oldest Ellis sister, Poppy, and her husband of 15 years, Win, have been estranged as a result of the secrets each is keeping from the other, but also due to the guilt they feel as a result of the choices they each made in the past. One of them has sold their soul to a demon so they could be together, but now it's time to pay up. Ms. Callahan writes the interaction between these characters so well that it feels like a real marriage. These are two very strong and stubborn individuals who are deeply in love with each other, but who have no illusions about the obstacles they'll have to overcome in order to have a future together.

For me, this was an unusual book for the PR genre, mainly because we very rarely see the story of an established married couple struggling in their marriage within a supernatural context. I thought it was very well done. Moira Quirk was good, as usual, and this book is one I will listen to it again.

All three books in this series fit together beautifully, but if I have one complaint it's that the three sisters don't come together to help each other when one of them gets in trouble. The author stays within the industry standard that each book deals with different main characters, and the previously introduced characters, however related, are only peripheral to the story. I think this standard is getting a bit tired, and this book would have benefited by having all the sisters get together to battle the baddies. (Otherwise, what's the point of their special powers?) I kept waiting for Miranda to come in and burn the place down, but nope. No love.

I don't know if there will be another book or not, but if there is another I wish it would allow all the characters to work together. This is one of those books I'd love to join a discussion group to talk about.



NOTE to PR fans: There is a great new series (Night Prowler) by J. T. Geissinger, currently available on Amazon, but not yet on Audible. Give it a look. It's pretty amazing.

5 Blue Ribbons from Romance Junkies!

The DARKEST LONDON series just gets better and better! Author Kristen Callihan is at the top of her game in WINTERBLAZE, an exciting, sensual, imaginative story that will sweep you away to a world unlike any other.

The paranormal Victorian-era world of the DARKEST LONDON expands by leaps and bounds in WINTERBLAZE, so I recommend reading the first two books in the series -- FIRELIGHT and MOONGLOW -- before reading WINTERBLAZE. There are new supernatural creatures to be discovered, paranormal politics to be played and a host of surprises that are sure to have you avidly turning the pages of WINTERBLAZE. Again, I'm afraid I'll have to be vague to avoid giving away any of the fantastic twists and turns in WINTERBLAZE. Suffice it to say that you will NOT want to miss this book.

WINTERBLAZE is a phenomenal romance that I highly recommend. Kristen Callihan is an author to watch -- it's clear she's a master at her craft. I foresee many, many more spellbinding stories coming from her and I, for one, cannot wait to read them!
Moira Quirk was outstanding as the narrator.

Amazing Sequel!!!

Winterblaze is more than a book. It's an emotional adventure into a highly addictive paranormal world starring two well-crafted characters who command every scene, complete with a stellar supporting cast who leave a mark of their own.

The Narrater Moira Quirk gives life to the story with her wonderful seductive voice.

The novel and the narrator left me wanting more of the Darkest London stories, and that’s how I want every book I read to end.

it was ok

i found myself dazing off and not really paying attention a few times during this book

This series is on my favorite list!

We are introduced to Poppy and Winston Lane in the first book of the series. Poppy is Miranda and Daisy's older sister and Winston, a savvy police inspector, is her husband of several years. After the events of the previous book leaves Winston and Poppy's marriage in shambles it takes the threat of a demon to bring these two back together to mend their relationship.

This story was fantastic! I loved the way Callihan weaved the beginnings of Poppy and Winston's courtship and relationship within the tale. This couple was clearly in love, but it took a huge betrayal to bring out the depth of their emotions for one another. So much is revealed in this story regarding the Ellis sisters and the overall paranormal world. It is becoming an even more intriguing storyline as we delve further into the characters, histories, and events in the series. I cannot wait for the next book because it will feature two characters I am dying to know more about their past and eventually their future. Another character I am curious to know more about is Lena (spelling? I listened to the audio version so I'm not sure of the spelling).


Narration
Narrator: Moira Quirk
Performance: 5/5
Speed: 1.25x
Another great narration from Quirk. Accents, distinctions, tone, and inflection was spot on. The pace was perfect when I set the reading at 1.25x the normal speed.

You will love it

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes I would. The action the love story and way the couple worked everything out and love concurs all atmosphere for all the relationships in the book

What other book might you compare Winterblaze to and why?

The first two books about her sisters compare to this one but I still like Moonlight the best

Have you listened to any of Moira Quirk’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

She is a good narrator

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I liked all the times when he promised to support her after he found out he caused them to be in the position they were in. In the first books I never saw him the way he was presented in this book. I am glad he got back with his brother in the end

Any additional comments?

Hurry with the next book I can't wait.

Onward!

After barely surviving a werewolf attack and feeling betrayed by his wife's secrets, Winston takes a holiday to Paris to pull himself together. Feeling lost, he knows he must return and find out the whole truth of Poppy's other life.

While Winston and Poppy try to work things out between them, a demon is on the hunt and he's looking for Winston. It seems that Winston has secrets of his own and it's coming out in the open now. There's always a price to pay when bargaining with the devil.

I really enjoy this series. It has that HR-PNR combo that I love. Another thing that I really like is that you get a good mix of Supes, not just vamps and werewolves. And steamy sex scenes- Bonus!

I'm really looking forward to the next book and fully expect to enjoy each one in the series. Onward!

These Books Keep Getting Better

Poppy and Win what a pair. The epitomy of a proper cultured Victorian couple with secret lives - and when it blows up, fireworks or should I say snowstorms. Poppy won't let anything stop her - even pregnancy. Win nearly pulls his hair out because of it. The trick to thwart the demon was inspired. It was great to see the sister's and their respective husbands come together, burying old hurts and form a support system. Book 4 is Talent's story, I hope there are more - possibly for the sister's lost brother. Moira Quirk was fantastic as usual she really brings the era to life.

Worth every penny!

This was an all around good experience. Very good story. Great narration... and trust me, I'm supremely picky when it comes to narration. Supremely. But Moira Quirk does a wonderful job. I totally love this series and the audiobook experience was worth every penny.

Dark but good

Winterblaze was darker than the first two books in the series. If you have a trigger when it comes to sexual abuse, you might want to skip this one. It is also different in the fact that the couple is already married. There is a lot of fall start sex scenes which are kind of hilarious.
The secrets and lies have finally come out now Poppy and her detective have to work past them so they can be together. Archer and Ian along with Jack play roles in the story, the sisters are not as involved as I would hope. They do have their own trials to get through in regards to lies though. I have a feeling the next book will be on the darker side as well as Jack deals with the trauma he suffered in this book.