book recs, author services, general badassery
  • Blog
    • Free Romance Reads
    • Our Thoughts
    • 1-Click Wonders
    • Author on Authors
    • Chattin' with Authors
    • So You're New To...
  • Book Recs
  • Reviews
    • 5-Star Reads
    • Contemporary Romance
    • Historical Romance
    • New Adult Romance
    • Paranormal Romance
    • Romantic Comedy
    • Romantic Erotica
    • Romantic Suspense
    • Teen Young Adult
    • Hall of Shame
  • About
    • Contact
    • Review Policy
    • Guest Post Guidelines
    • Advertising on Romance Rehab
  • For Authors
    • Romance novel blurb help
    • Referral Program
    • Romance Remedy
    • Romance Author Services
    • Online Writer's Resources
    • Proofreading Test >
      • Proofreading Test Answers
  • Blog
    • Free Romance Reads
    • Our Thoughts
    • 1-Click Wonders
    • Author on Authors
    • Chattin' with Authors
    • So You're New To...
  • Book Recs
  • Reviews
    • 5-Star Reads
    • Contemporary Romance
    • Historical Romance
    • New Adult Romance
    • Paranormal Romance
    • Romantic Comedy
    • Romantic Erotica
    • Romantic Suspense
    • Teen Young Adult
    • Hall of Shame
  • About
    • Contact
    • Review Policy
    • Guest Post Guidelines
    • Advertising on Romance Rehab
  • For Authors
    • Romance novel blurb help
    • Referral Program
    • Romance Remedy
    • Romance Author Services
    • Online Writer's Resources
    • Proofreading Test >
      • Proofreading Test Answers
Picture

Inside the Flame by Rose O’Brien

6/20/2019

0 Comments

 
Inside the Flame by Rose O'Brien

Paranormal Romance

Rating: 5/5
Heat rating: 3/5
Amazon buy button
Publication date: 06/20/2019
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No

Y’all know I’ve struggled with PNR lately. But this book is the follow-up to the author’s absolutely FABULOUS debut novel, Air of Darkness, so I made grabby hands at it until it was on my Kindle. I have no shame.

via GIPHY

Plot overview: Powerful fire mage, Theron, sets out to protect Jen, journalist and seer (she sees dead people, y’all) from the paranormal hordes who would use her powers against her and the rest of the world. Romance and action and smexy times ensue. This is slow-burn, action-packed, PNR.  

The heroine
First of all, this could’ve gone horribly awry for me because I have a super-low tolerance for about 99% of female reporters in romance novels. I’ve found that, for the most part, they are an annoying bunch of women who run head-long into danger to get their story and further their careers without giving any real thought to their own safety (or anyone else’s, for that matter).

And then they have a tendency to get ouchy when anyone tries to help or protect them, sometimes going so far as to stomp their pretty little feet and insist they can take care of themselves. Except they can’t. But Jen wasn’t AT ALL like that. She wasn’t some nincompoop who wandered into the Middle East as a naive reporter to make a name for herself. She was genuinely there to help people and overcome a little of her own emotional baggage along the way.

And not only was she good at her job, but she’d taken the time to learn the terrain, the language, and how to protect herself. She was truly a kick-ass heroine
, even though her super powers weren’t as active as Alayna’s (the heroine in Air of Darkness). Long-story-short? Jen was tough, smart, and NEVER TSTL. She was all kinds of awesome.


The hero
Second of all, Theron is a great hero, even though he ended up maybe being a little less fabulous than Jen. But hey, I don’t blame him, because honestly, it’s really hard for book boyfriends to hold up when compared to a truly kick-ass woman like Jen. And even if he wasn’t quite as phenomenal as Jen, he was consistently respectful of her and treated her well throughout the story, and he was never threatened by her skills or intelligence. Couldn’t really ask for more than that from a PNR hero, now could I?

Everything else
The other thing I really enjoyed about this story, and this series so far, is the world-building. It’s intricate and interesting, but not so complex that it’s hard to follow. You could read Inside the Flame without having read Air of Darkness and you wouldn’t be lost. The books stand alone nicely. Although, I don’t know why you wouldn’t read Air of Darkness first. Was I not clear when I said it was fantastic?

Cliffhanger-ish
I will say that even though it stands alone nicely, the ending doesn’t offer as much...closure as some of you might like. I’m OK with a few things being left up in the air a little, because hey, it’s a series. It’s not like you can tie up EVERY loose end by book 2 in the series. But I still felt the need to point it out for those of you who are intent on reading “and-they-lived-happily-ever-after” type epilogues in your romance novels. You won’t get that here. Now, that said, am I satisfied as a reader that Theron and Jen are going to work everything out and be happy together? Yep. I sure am.            


All in all, this was a really fun PNR read that I’d highly recommend to fans of the category. In fact, fans of urban fantasy would probably really enjoy this one, too.  

Full disclosure: We received an ARC from the author free of charge.

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
It’s stigma-free. No rehab needed. 

Other reading suggestions

The ULTIMATE badass heroines list
The ULTIMATE badass heroines list
Our all-time favorite wolf shifters
Our all-time favorite wolf shifters
Laugh out loud paranormal romance reads
Laugh out loud paranormal romance reads
Quirky paranormal heroines
Quirky paranormal heroines
Paranormal protagonists who AREN'T vampires or werewolves
Paranormal protagonists who AREN'T vampires or werewolves
Crazy talented paranormal romance indie authors you need to check out
Crazy talented paranormal romance indie authors you need to check out
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Romance Rehab newsletter sign up

    FOLLOW US 
    Reedsy Top Book Reviewer 2019

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017

Picture

BLOG
FREE Romance books
​Book Recommendations

Our Thoughts
1-Click Wonders
5-Star Reads
Authors on Authors
Chattin' with Authors
So You're New To...
What Not to Read
REVIEWS
​
Contemporary Romance
Historical Romance
New Adult Romance
Paranormal Romance
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Erotica
Romantic Suspense
Teen/Young Adult
ABOUT
Contact
Review Policy
Guest Post Guidelines
Advertising on
​Romance Rehab

​
FOR AUTHORS
Online Writer's Resources
Proofreading Test
ROMANCE AUTHOR SERVICES 
Romance novel blurb help
Romance Remedy program

Referral program

Romance author services
  • Book cover critique
  • Animated book covers and social media graphics
  • Beta reading
FREE Romance Rehab newsletter: ​Subscribe here
KnockinBooks LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
​© 2020 KnockinBooks LLC