OF FLAME AND PROMISE - Cecy Robson
Weird Girls , Book 6
Random House's Loveswept (eBook)
ISBN: 978-1-101-88653-3
January 2016
Paranormal Romance

Lake Tahoe - Present Day

A curse that backfired left Taran Wird and her sisters with powers they don't entirely understand or control. Between this and their parents' deaths, Taran's life has not been easy, and she has trouble believing that people will stick around, no matter what promises they make.  Though she is in love with Gemini, the second-in-command of the local wolf pack, and for the most part accepts that she is his mate, she's not willing to go through with the claiming. Her sister Celia is the mate of Aric, Gemini's Alpha, but Aric broke up with Celia and is about to marry another wolf.  Obviously, the mate bond isn't a guarantee that mates will stay together, so how can she commit to Gemini and risk heartbreak if he decides to leave her?

In spite of her reluctance, Taran agrees to meet with Gemini's ultra-conservative parents.  She goes all-out in order to impress them with a home-cooked meal, but things start going wrong before she's even started dinner. Then a battle with some demon children causes her to be late to her own dinner party, and things just keep rolling downhill from there.  Just when Taran thinks that things can't possibly get worse, they are captured by Tribesman, and it will take Taran and her powers working with Gemini and his wolves to get all of them out alive.

The sixth book in the Weird Girls series, OF FLAME AND PROMISE is the first book told from Taran's point-of-view, and takes place somewhere between books two and three in the series.  It could be a little confusing for those unfamiliar with the Weird Girls universe, so even though this book is a bit out of order, it's probably best to read the books in order.  The first five books focus on Celia, but now it's Taran's turn. She doesn't trust easily, and her love for Gemini scares her.  Watching Celia's devastation over losing Aric doesn't help Taran, it only proves to her that the mate bond isn't invincible.  She is willing to take the huge step of meeting Gemini's parents, but of course, like everything else in the Wird universe, everything that can go wrong does.

Taran is a fun character: a self-proclaimed badass who is comfortable in her own skin and unapologetic about who she is.  Yet, she's also been badly hurt in the past and is afraid of being hurt again.  She doesn't doubt Gemini's love for her, but Taran is too used to things going badly for her to believe that this will work out in the end. She doesn't see herself as the type of girlfriend you want to introduce to your parents, so her attempts – and all the backfires – to impress Gemini's parents are funny and provide great comic relief to all of the angst and demon-hunting. A truly enjoyable book, don't miss OF FLAME AND PROMISE.

Jennifer Bishop