BOUND BY FLAME – Anna Windsor
The Dark Crescent Sisterhood, Book 2
Ballantine Books
ISBN: 978-0-345-498544-0
July 2008
Paranormal Romance

New York – Present Day

Cynda Flynn is given to the nuns as a child because her parents are afraid of the flames that she conjures up at every opportunity. They think she is a demon they cannot control, but Cynda discovers that she is a fire Sibyl, a warrior, and is taken to the Ireland Mother House for training. Cynda comes to understand that there are Sibyls for air, earth, and fire and they protect the population of the world from the Legion of demons.

Cynda is now living in New York with two Sibyls, Riana and Merilee. The triad works with the Occult Crimes Unit with Nick as their main contact. All Sibyls wear special demon-hunting goggles -- definitely not a fashion statement, but they help detect sulfur dioxide left by the demons. Cynda is very attracted to Nick, who is half human and half demon; smoke pours off of her body as she thinks about him. When they are attacked by invisible demons and one of the creatures grabs Nick’s talisman -- that keeps Nick in human form -- he suddenly turns into the other, an out of control, huge, eight foot Curson demon and destroys the invisible creatures. Cynda is able to retrieve his talisman so that he can return to his human form.

Nick’s twin brother, Creed, is married to Riana, an earth Sibyl (see their story in BOUND BY SHADOW). Nick and Creed have a younger brother, Jake, who is an Astaroth, an invisible winged creature, and part of the demon world. Nick speaks to his brother, who has been resisting fighting with the other Astaroths against the Sibyls. He is suffering because of his resistance, and, because he is missing part of his talisman, he cannot stay in human form and is under the domination of their evil leader.

The fire Sibyls have been targeted around the world for destruction. Nick vows to guard Cynda and keep her safe, but he is very worried about Jake. Will Nick be able to help Jake as well as protect the woman he cares about? Cynda is warned by the Mother House that she cannot have a relationship with a Curson demon and remain a Sibyl. Both Nick and Cynda have some tough decisions to make about their lives and their relationship.

Nick is a very brave man/Curson in BOUND BY FLAME, attracted to the fire Sibyl whose body smokes and fires up so easily. She can send out bolts of fire and has to reign in her emotions to stop the flames that can surround her body! Nick doesn’t seem to be that concerned about it and is quite able to handle the fiery Sibyl. She constantly burns holes in her clothing and has to be careful not to start fires. Ms. Windsor has created a fascinating and violent world where the Sibyls have unusual elemental powers to save humankind by fighting the evil demons. Nick keeps his Curson side tamped down, but sometimes it peeks through when he gets emotional. The invisible demons are even more frightening -- it isn’t easy to fight against something that you cannot see!

Another exciting and dark tale from the pen of Anna Windsor, BOUND BY FLAME will keep readers enthralled with this paranormal story of the good guys fighting the bad guys. It has appealing characters, a fiery romance, a lot of action, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the gorgeous covers on these books. Paranormal readers are sure to enjoy this imaginative tale that ends on a resounding crescendo.

Marilyn Heyman