Trial by Fire

Shadows of London Series, Book 3

By: Ariana Nash

Narrated by: Cornell Collins

Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

It's not just Alexander Kempthorne's secrets bubbling to the surface of London's streets....

Time is running out for John "Dom" Domenici.

Outmaneuvered at every turn by the figure known as "M," only Kempthorne can free Dom, but juggling the horrors of his own past, containing a rising preternatural threat and the twisted machinations of "M" might just be too much, even for Kempthorne. Can Kage Mitchell be trusted to help?

Alexander Kempthorne lost an agent before. He'll not lose another. He'll do anything to save Dom, and if that means revealing who and what he truly is, then his time has come.

Contains mature themes.

©2022 Ariana Nash (P)2022 Tantor

Great story. Great narration.

And I thought the last book was a bit intense. Phew. The epic angst and emotional torture is off the charts in this book. The action was paused long enough for a few romantic/steamy scenes. So much happens. So very much.

One thing I questioned about this book is the general public's apparent lack of empathy for latents. Not even a hint of public outcry for the unfairness of the latent registration policies. Huh. I appreciate what the author is trying to convey, but I think a little pushback is inevitable for any marginalized group.

I had fun listening. I stayed up way too late again. I really want to listen to the next book already. The narration is wonderful, and Cornell Collins is officially on my list of people who could narrate a physics book, and make it sound more exciting. Not that physics isn't exciting, but physicists generally aren't as good as Ariana Nash at filling a book with action and romance.

4.5 Stars 🌟

I was sad to find out that there is not an audio book out for this book yet. In fact, there are not audio versions for the next three books. That is a shame. But, because I was SOOOOO invested in this story (this is the last book in this story arc trilogy), I actually kept going and just read the ebook version.

This entire series has been so incredibly unique, giving the readers a new and interesting world where Latents are born with magic. Magic has become outlawed and restricted, yet it is magic that gives those who have it power. Unfortunately, magic is not hereditary and they still have no idea how magic is distributed to individuals.

At this point, let me just say that I honestly DO NOT LIKE Kage at all. Seriously. He's an a**. I am getting frustrated how he keeps inserting himself in these events, and his behavior changes depending on his mood. Ugh!

So, this is the climax of this original story arc and it does not disappoint. Without going into spoilers, let me just say that things get crazy. There is a truly awful "bad guy" and then a couple of other also "bad guys". Then there is Dom, determine to try to fix things, while only seeming to make things worse....or does he?

I DID like the progression that we have seen between Dom and Kempthorne (it's about time) and I liked getting Kempthorne's POV. All in all, if you have already read the first two books in this series....this book is a MUST!

If you have not read the first two books - Stop Now. Go back and read books one and two...then come back to this book.

You will not be disappointed.

this book is stressful and infuriating.

it breaks my brain that people so smart can be so stupid. also how is Dom military trained and part of a special unit and almost never kicks any but and is constantly detained and constantly screwing it all up and comes to the wrong conclusions. I mean it makes no since.