FIRE KISSED – Erin Kellison
Shadow Kissed Series , Book 1
Zebra
ISBN-13: 978-1-4201-1897-1
ISBN-10: 1-4201-1897-8
July 2012
Paranormal Romance

Las Vegas, Nevada and Washington D.C. – Present Day

Fifteen year-old Kaye Brand is promised in marriage to a powerful old man, Ferro Grey.  Because she cannot call up fire, she is not of value to her father and the shadow mages.  When she hears that the gift for her intended is in the basement, she investigates to find a beautiful young man, an angel, tortured and manacled to the wall.  She wants to save him, but is afraid for her life.  The angel tells her to run and save herself.  Ferro's sister, Zelda, is angry that Kaye disobeyed by going into the basement.  Kaye is given to Zelda's servant, a wraith—a frightening creature, formerly human, who feeds on souls.  Kaye runs away and, when caught by the wraith, she fights for her life and shadow fire comes roaring through her body.  She is finally able to call forth her fire.

Ten years later, Kaye is in Las Vegas selling her power to the highest bidder.  She calls fire to allow a buyer to see his future in the flames.  Although mages and angels battle each other, Jack Bastian, an angel, hires Kaye to gather information on the wraiths, even though she is deathly afraid of the evil creatures that almost killed her and left her scarred.  Angels are determined to save the world from darkness.

Jack's mission is to save mankind.  He and Kaye come up with a plan, and they go to Washington, D.C.  She will return to the mage community and help Jack find a way to control the mages so that the wraiths can be contained.  Mankind is in jeopardy because the wraiths are devouring so many human souls.  Kaye decides she will play her fire game as she did in Las Vegas to draw people in and come to the attention of the mages.  Jack feels Kaye's allure, but because he knows mages and angels are natural born enemies, he doesn't want to get too close.  He dims his beauty and light to look human so he can accompany her and protect her on her venture.

Ferro hears about his former fiancée and comes to see her.  He has changed himself and grown younger; he desperately wants to find the right woman to have his heirs.  Kaye's beauty and strength attract him, but though she flirts with him, she tells him she wants to have a seat on the mage counsel since she is the last Brand.  Jack is shocked.  Has she signed her own death warrant with such a request?  Can he continue to protect her?  Will an angel and a mage be able to keep one step ahead of the all powerful mage, Ferro Grey?  Ferro sends a group of wraiths to test Kaye's power, and decides he wants this amazing woman for his own.

An angel is also a man, and things really heat up when Jack and Kaye come together with fire and light. What will Kaye do when she discovers the horrible truth of how the mage get power?

An imaginative tale, FIRE KISSED will draw readers in with an adventure of mages, angels, wraiths, and fae.  Kaye is a strong woman who tries to conquer her fear of the dreaded wraiths, and the handsome angel, Jack Bastian, although desperately needing her help, is determined to protect her at all costs.  And when he falls, he falls hard!  They are diverse characters, not meant for each other, but can love conquer all? Their romance sizzles.

FIRE KISSED is an incredible story where the survival of humankind is at risk.  A fascinating tale, it is well written and is sure to hold readers' interest.  Ms. Kellison has created a terrifying world where Ferro does whatever it takes to gain more power, but with Kaye always ready to thwart him.  It moves along at an excellent pace with some amazing characters that we are sure to hear more about in the remaining books in the series.  Of special interest is Khan, who used to be the grim reaper, but became mortal when he fell in love with a human.  Other angels in the Segue Institute are also relevant to the story.  If you enjoy an entertaining fantasy, this is the book for you.

Marilyn Heyman