The Sagely Fox
Watching, Learning, Thinking
(Fire & Ice Trilogy 2) Raised in Fire by K. F. Breene Review
Raised in Fire Review, 02/06/2021
“You are wearing a leather outfit with a sword, gun, and fanny pack strapped to your person. What about that look says nice girl?”
“I probably will see humor in someone kicking your ass. But I promise to avenge you right after I stop laughing.”
(Fire & Ice 2) Raised in Fire by K. F. Breene
Narrated by: Nicole Poole
My thoughts about review spoilers, and ratings may be relevant before you venture below --- the spoiler line ---. Click the "<" button on your browser or the back button on the page to return here if you take a look. This is book two in the Fire and Ice Trilogy, or book two in the first of four trilogies (12 books) that makes up the Demon Days Vampire Nights series. Yeah... Whatever. I do love Katie's writing, despite whatever happened with the assorted name changes of the series that became the dozen books in the DDVN world.
My Rating: 
Recommended 3.5 star paranormal romance novel. That description and rating doesn't suit though as the romancee is a woman bounty hunter who stops bad magical people, beings, and demons. She's called in when the supernatural cops and others who deal with these things find themselves against something truly unholy. I sort of think of her as a special woman "Dog the Bounty Hunter".
I did mention romance. It's not one of those hot and spicy novels that leaves you craving love or sex but it isn't entirely void of some hot spots. You see, in the last novel a super powerful and very old vampire accidentally fell for her. Or one can deduce from the way he acts towards her. But with vampires, motives can be... let's just say "political" now that everyone clearly understands what that means.
Generally: --- the spoiler line ---
This is the second book in the series of possibly 6 or more books.
Reagan Somerset, is our protagonist heroic supernatural bounty hunter. This novel would have 3 sections, 4 with the Epilogue.
In the first section, Reagan is working for the local magic police force, now she has papers provided by her vampire elder 'suitor' as a result of a completed task in the previous novel.
Seems her biggest annoyance is trying to 'one-up' the local 'hero boy' in the local magical police office.. You know the guy. Idiot with some skills, moderate good looks, insecurity that can't overcome his black hole of an ego, but he can make other idiots believe that he walks on water.
Reagan has a temper. She likes kicking down doors. But she's assaulted 'pretty boy' so many times she should be fired. The Captain keeps upping the number of "write-ups" before she must be fired. The captain is also thwarting her anger management by installing stronger and stronger doors to kick down.
I mention because it's kind of a fun read too.
In the first section, a coworker asks her to help out in a case. It builds to the point where HELL has heard a rumor Lucifer may have an heir. The rumor is some faction in hell is trying to figure this out. A powerful demon Agnon sends an evil Aswang (yeah, I don't know) to determine if this is true.
So we start with a little "helping a friend" investigate a crime, which devolves into a near death all out war type of conclusion. Then this 'spiral to disaster' happens again -- two more times when she's hired by Seattle to help with a strange case...
My Notable Notes:
Reagan quits her job since her vampire suitor has made it know he doesn't want her fired. He's old (but forever young and attractive), influential, and rich, so the oversight board goes out of their way to please him, but she's now exceeded 5 assaults on pretty boy and deserves to be fired. The captain now can't fire her. So she quits and spends thirty minutes trying to kick down the Captain's new more Reagan-proof door.
I actually have 1600 words in my notes. Read the book, it's better than my notes.
What I do like about Mr. Breene's series is she continually "grows" her characters. You'd expect after 2-3 books it would become impossible, but she's managed to grow near all her characters through at least a six book series that I've read (twice.)
Likes and Dislikes:
Since I first read The Swordswoman (Ace Books 1982) by Jessica Amanda Salmonson I've always loved books with woman and swords, and Katie Breene writes a great number of these. For the record, I've sworn off authors with first initials and since I'm already hooked on K. A. Breene... well, it's the internet age. Not difficult to find things out. Besides, if you own a dozen of a person's books and audiobooks you ought to be on first name basis.
The Technical:
A writing critique? I'm old, trained in old ways of publishing. So when successful authors do unconventional things, I get pissy. This series started out as the Fire and Ice Trilogy. Now it is something like Dark Days and Vampire Nights. That's not okay folks.
I do get it, series evolve, expand, change. That's why you need an agent and other people to keep you from self destructing. But folks have become used to being abused by indie authors for cheap books, so we have to deal with it.
For the record, Ms. Breene is much more professional about everything than most indie authors, does good editing, tells great and fun stories, is prolific and fun. She run's 50-50 on good performers for her audiobooks, and she's grown on me, so I let most everything slide.
I did swear I'd never be able to endure Ms. Poole's narration, but she's grown on me too - once I figured out I could adjust the speed of the playback so my military damaged hearing could understand her voice frequency.
Conclusion:
I may say 3.5 stars, and up it to 4 on the rating thing, but everything is relative. Compared to Illuminae it might be a 1. Compared to most of her style of writing it is quality above standard stuff.
So far this has been a fun series for me. I sincerely was frustrated with the audiobook but that wasn't anyone's fault my own but my own for wanting to travel the world meet wonderful, nice, and strange people. Then be impolite to them with loud noises.
Read on: Jan 17, 21, 28, & Feb 04, 2021
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