What do you think?
Rate this book
The Phoenix Institute #1
Phoenix Rising
He was born to be a weapon. For her, he must learn to be a hero.
Since birth, Alec Farley has been trained to be a living weapon. His firestarter and telekinetic abilities have been honed to deadly perfection by the Resource, a shadowy anti-terrorist organization—the only family he has ever known. What the Resource didn’t teach him, though, is how to play well with others.
When psychologist Beth Nakamora meets Alec to help him work on his people skills, she’s hit with a double-barreled first impression. He’s hot in more ways than one. And her first instinct is to rescue him from his insular existence.
Her plan to kidnap and deprogram him goes awry when her latent telepathic ability flares, turning Alec’s powers off. Hoping close proximity will reignite his flame, she leads him by the hand through a world he’s never known. And something else Alec’s anger over everything he’s been denied. Especially the passion that melds his mind and body with hers.
The Resource, however, isn’t going to let anything—or anyone—steal its prime investment. Alec needs to be reminded where his loyalties lie…starting with breaking his trust in the woman he’s come to love.
Contains telekinetic sex, nuclear explosion sex hot enough to melt steel, and various and sundry swear words.
Since birth, Alec Farley has been trained to be a living weapon. His firestarter and telekinetic abilities have been honed to deadly perfection by the Resource, a shadowy anti-terrorist organization—the only family he has ever known. What the Resource didn’t teach him, though, is how to play well with others.
When psychologist Beth Nakamora meets Alec to help him work on his people skills, she’s hit with a double-barreled first impression. He’s hot in more ways than one. And her first instinct is to rescue him from his insular existence.
Her plan to kidnap and deprogram him goes awry when her latent telepathic ability flares, turning Alec’s powers off. Hoping close proximity will reignite his flame, she leads him by the hand through a world he’s never known. And something else Alec’s anger over everything he’s been denied. Especially the passion that melds his mind and body with hers.
The Resource, however, isn’t going to let anything—or anyone—steal its prime investment. Alec needs to be reminded where his loyalties lie…starting with breaking his trust in the woman he’s come to love.
Contains telekinetic sex, nuclear explosion sex hot enough to melt steel, and various and sundry swear words.
230 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 8, 2011
5 people are currently reading
312 people want to read
About the author
Corrina Lawson
26 books95 followersWriter, Mom, Geek & Superhero, Corrina Lawson is the author of the superhero romance series, the Phoenix Institute, and the alternate history Seneca series, in which Romans and Vikings have settled in ancient North America.
She is also co-founder and Content Director for GeekMom.com and a mother of four, including twins.
She is also co-founder and Content Director for GeekMom.com and a mother of four, including twins.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 17, 2015
Beth is a young psychologist who is treating Alec, a 23 year old telekinetic who can control fire. He lives in a compound in the US, called the Resource. Alec is part of a team of soldiers who are contractors for different government agencies, particularly the CIA, to perform difficult anti-terrorist missions. Beth is actually a latent telepath, and she wants to 'save' Alec from the Resource, by showing him that this organisation has been training and treating him as a weapon surprise, by keeping him recluse since his childhood, without choice. Things will get complicated and a steamy hot romance will sparkle.
This is more or less the basic plot of this book. It did sound exciting, but in execution, not so much. The storyline, characters, development and outcomes was just meh... And the romance... Arghhhhh it was so bland.
Allow me a quick comparison. There is a US TV show called NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It's simple, predictable and has the worst jokes. The bad guys are ALWAYS caught or punished by the good guys. The moral lines are very straightforward and easy to define. Eagerly showcasing stereotypes of duty, honour, family and military service. However, whenever I stumbled upon it, I watched it.
This was how I felt reading Phoenix Rising. It's not bad. It's predictable. Highlights similar 'core' values to those of NCIS. But if you somehow end up with the book in your hands, you might read it.
Mainly, what bothered me the most was who the soldiers were fighting: how deeply stereotyped the villains where for their missions (nationalities, religion and agendas), and how unquestioning and naïve of these 'facts' our main characters were. This bothers me because media feeds so much into these 'common' identifiable enemies, that it becomes 'easy' to categorize just by naming country of origin and religion. Why does it make me cringe that fiction and literature tap into these 'easy' good/bad views? I don't have a straightforward answer, but I think reproducing these assumptions make people less prone to question what is presented as 'facts'...*sigh* I know, it's not the author's fault; it's how mainstream US oriented media views leaked into this book, which made me very uncomfortable.
If you're interested in the other stuff: telekinesis, telepathy and fire, well... I suggest Jus Accardo's Denazen series and Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers Trilogy.
If you're in for the romance, Phoenix Rising's romance was not believable... Specially the sex. I was promised a steamy apple pie and I received a tiny slice of frozen apple. I want my pie!
I originally gave it 1 star, but the book made a very appropriate reference to John McClane's "Yippee-ki-yay", in exactly the right time. I know I'm entirely contradicting my critique of good vs bad rant from above, but when you are able to nail a quote from Die Hard, you'll get an extra star on my rating.
This is more or less the basic plot of this book. It did sound exciting, but in execution, not so much. The storyline, characters, development and outcomes was just meh... And the romance... Arghhhhh it was so bland.
Allow me a quick comparison. There is a US TV show called NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It's simple, predictable and has the worst jokes. The bad guys are ALWAYS caught or punished by the good guys. The moral lines are very straightforward and easy to define. Eagerly showcasing stereotypes of duty, honour, family and military service. However, whenever I stumbled upon it, I watched it.
This was how I felt reading Phoenix Rising. It's not bad. It's predictable. Highlights similar 'core' values to those of NCIS. But if you somehow end up with the book in your hands, you might read it.
Mainly, what bothered me the most was who the soldiers were fighting: how deeply stereotyped the villains where for their missions (nationalities, religion and agendas), and how unquestioning and naïve of these 'facts' our main characters were. This bothers me because media feeds so much into these 'common' identifiable enemies, that it becomes 'easy' to categorize just by naming country of origin and religion. Why does it make me cringe that fiction and literature tap into these 'easy' good/bad views? I don't have a straightforward answer, but I think reproducing these assumptions make people less prone to question what is presented as 'facts'...*sigh* I know, it's not the author's fault; it's how mainstream US oriented media views leaked into this book, which made me very uncomfortable.
If you're interested in the other stuff: telekinesis, telepathy and fire, well... I suggest Jus Accardo's Denazen series and Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers Trilogy.
If you're in for the romance, Phoenix Rising's romance was not believable... Specially the sex. I was promised a steamy apple pie and I received a tiny slice of frozen apple. I want my pie!
I originally gave it 1 star, but the book made a very appropriate reference to John McClane's "Yippee-ki-yay", in exactly the right time. I know I'm entirely contradicting my critique of good vs bad rant from above, but when you are able to nail a quote from Die Hard, you'll get an extra star on my rating.
October 21, 2012
I really liked Phoenix Rising, a psychic powers/special ops/romance, which had a good balance in the smex/story department and with just about the right amount of steamy stuff (including one very explosive coupling). I liked both of the leads Psychiatrist Beth Nakimora, who is sent to help telekinetic/pyrokinetic Alec to learn to hone his people skills, but she actually has a hidden purpose for wanting to help Alec. And I like Alec, who with his impressive powers, is more than confident in some ways but, since he was raised in a pseudo military setting, is a bit naive when he's introduced to the world outside (I found that appealing.) There were also a couple other fairly well fleshed out characters in the background including the heroine's dad and the bad guy who could have been cartoonish if not for a bit of insight into him at the end. And with Alec and his team training and going out on several missions there was also some good action and when all is said and done there is a promising set up for more books.
So I enjoyed Corina Lawson's first Phoenix Institute story and I am looking forward to the second full length book, Phoenix Legacy which is Beth's father's book and is out soon (November 2012) – and happy that there is a short story for me to check out in the interim.
Phoenix Institute Series:
So I enjoyed Corina Lawson's first Phoenix Institute story and I am looking forward to the second full length book, Phoenix Legacy which is Beth's father's book and is out soon (November 2012) – and happy that there is a short story for me to check out in the interim.
Phoenix Institute Series:
December 8, 2014
The confused manboy was written well
As were the rest of the characters
Logic Broke Down towards the end
'Kay let's talk about the therapist falling in love with the patient trope. It's been done and done well! When the patient and doc are portrayed as equals. They were not in this case. Which simply leaves... SQUICK. I was VASTLY UNCOMFORTABLE reading about the romance and simply could not support it. Absolutely NOT Okay.
I didn't absolutely hate the book though, so not 1 star.
As were the rest of the characters
Logic Broke Down towards the end
'Kay let's talk about the therapist falling in love with the patient trope. It's been done and done well! When the patient and doc are portrayed as equals. They were not in this case. Which simply leaves... SQUICK. I was VASTLY UNCOMFORTABLE reading about the romance and simply could not support it. Absolutely NOT Okay.
I didn't absolutely hate the book though, so not 1 star.
January 2, 2015
Originally published at Reading Reality
Phoenix Rising is a fairly popular title. I mean that literally, there are a slew of books with the title “Phoenix Rising”. The first time I thought I was reading this book, I discovered after I finished that I had read the wrong book titled Phoenix Rising. (It was still good. And also steampunk, so somewhat germane).
I digress.
Phoenix Rising by Corrina Lawson is a “making of the superhero” book, especially if you parse that word as “super” and “hero”. Alec Farley was born a powerful telekinetic with the ability to control fire. He doesn’t just start fires, he can also stop them and direct them. It is an extension of his TK, he just makes the molecules move faster and faster, until they burn.
At the beginning of the story, while Alec may be super, he isn’t a hero. It’s not that he’s a villain (there is one in the story) but that he isn’t in control of his own life enough to be a hero for anyone else.
There is an element of Pinocchio becoming a real boy (a real man, Alec is 23). Alec is being manipulated and controlled by his foster father Richard Lansing, who is very definitely the villain of the piece.
Alec just thinks of Lansing as someone who plays mind games, without realizing that a big part of those mind games is controlling Alec’s entire life and convincing him that it is for his own good. Lansing has a contract with the CIA to investigate powers like Alec’s, and quite a few government military contracts to use Alec and his team of excellent ex-military soldiers to fight terrorism and criminals that need Alec’s special gift. Alec doesn’t realize that his team are also his minders.
Until Beth Nakamora enters his life. Beth is a counselor for troubled teens, particularly those with anger-management issues. The difference with Alec is that if he loses control of his temper, he also loses control of his fire. The CIA is worried that Alec is on the road to causing more collateral damage than any of his ops repair or prevent actual damage.
But Beth has a secret. Beth has several secrets, but her biggest secret is that Beth also has a gift - she is a telepath. However, her power is suppressed as a result of an extreme childhood trauma. Her other secret? Her foster father is a CIA agent who manipulated his contacts to get Beth assigned to work with Alec, because he knows Richard Lansing is keeping Alec a virtual prisoner, even if Alec doesn’t know enough about real life to figure that out.
Putting Beth together with Alec turns out to be explosive, in more ways than one. They have off-the-charts sexual chemistry, something that neither of them is quite prepared to deal with. Alec has some experience of sex, but none of real relationships. And Beth is too scared of revealing her secrets to have let many people into her life.
Their chemistry is explosive in another way - something about Beth’s telepathy amps up Alec’s power, and vice versa.
But the real explosion is the dismantling of all the secrets surrounding Alec’s life and his manipulation by Lansing. As Alec starts to see, not just what he’s been missing, but what an adult life is supposed to be, Lansing turns up the screws on Alec, Beth, and Beth’s mysterious foster father, Philip Drake.
Lansing is playing for ultimate power at any cost, and he won’t let anyone stand in his way - not even his sons.
Escape Rating A-: Phoenix Rising reminded me quite a lot of the X-Men movies. Phoenix Rising would be roughly equivalent to the story of the start of Professor Xavier’s Academy, but with Xavier as a firestarter instead of a telepath. There’s definitely that sense of the creation of the Phoenix Institute out of the ashes of “The Resource” in order for Alec to have the opportunity to give people like him a better start than he had.
Also the universes have a similarity in that so far, the gifted are born and not made in laboratories. There is some genetic engineering going on, but even that starts with at least one, or possibly two, parents with gifts. Also one of the gifted is 200 years old, born in a time when the genetic engineering necessary to produce a “super” from not much would have been pure fiction.
As an origin story for the Institute and Alec, it works very well.
One of the fascinating subplots is the relationship between fathers and their children, and how that can go both wrong and right, whether the children are born to the one who parents them, or whether that responsibility is taken on voluntarily.
In this particular circle of life, we have four people with gifts; Richard Lansing, Philip Drake, Alec Farley and Beth Nakamora. Lansing is a self-healer, and he’s over 200 years old and has gone nutso. He’s convinced that he is a superior being, and that superior beings should rule the world, under his direction, of course. He also has a large dose of Victorian era “white man’s burden” imperial racism just to make him even more intolerant (and intolerable).
Philip Drake is Lansing’s biological son, but Lansing rejected him because his mother was part Native American. It wasn’t until after Drake reached adulthood that Lansing discovered Drake had inherited his gift for self-healing. But they couldn’t come to terms because Lansing couldn’t get past his racism.
On the other hand, Lansing adopted Alec Farley and raised the firestarter as his son. He was a distant, manipulative and emotionally abusive father, but he actually did his best. It just wasn’t very good in the nurturing sense. Lansing raised Alec to be a living weapon, and it is a testament to Alec’s innate good nature that Lansing failed.
There’s a third hand in this one. Beth Nakamura is Drake’s foster daughter. He rescued her from a lab when she was 8, and he’s watched over her ever since. Now that Beth is 23, their relationship has changed a bit, but it is obvious in every scene they have together that they love each other and would do anything for each other. Even though Drake is not Beth’s biological father, he is her real father in a way that Lansing never was to him or Alec. Drake learned from Lansing, as well as from an abusive step-father, what not to do. So he did the opposite and raised a marvelous woman who is definitely her own person.
Phoenix Rising also lays the groundwork for the worldbuilding in this series, and it does an excellent job while still telling a heart-pounding adventure with a sweet, sexy romance.
Phoenix Rising is a fairly popular title. I mean that literally, there are a slew of books with the title “Phoenix Rising”. The first time I thought I was reading this book, I discovered after I finished that I had read the wrong book titled Phoenix Rising. (It was still good. And also steampunk, so somewhat germane).
I digress.
Phoenix Rising by Corrina Lawson is a “making of the superhero” book, especially if you parse that word as “super” and “hero”. Alec Farley was born a powerful telekinetic with the ability to control fire. He doesn’t just start fires, he can also stop them and direct them. It is an extension of his TK, he just makes the molecules move faster and faster, until they burn.
At the beginning of the story, while Alec may be super, he isn’t a hero. It’s not that he’s a villain (there is one in the story) but that he isn’t in control of his own life enough to be a hero for anyone else.
There is an element of Pinocchio becoming a real boy (a real man, Alec is 23). Alec is being manipulated and controlled by his foster father Richard Lansing, who is very definitely the villain of the piece.
Alec just thinks of Lansing as someone who plays mind games, without realizing that a big part of those mind games is controlling Alec’s entire life and convincing him that it is for his own good. Lansing has a contract with the CIA to investigate powers like Alec’s, and quite a few government military contracts to use Alec and his team of excellent ex-military soldiers to fight terrorism and criminals that need Alec’s special gift. Alec doesn’t realize that his team are also his minders.
Until Beth Nakamora enters his life. Beth is a counselor for troubled teens, particularly those with anger-management issues. The difference with Alec is that if he loses control of his temper, he also loses control of his fire. The CIA is worried that Alec is on the road to causing more collateral damage than any of his ops repair or prevent actual damage.
But Beth has a secret. Beth has several secrets, but her biggest secret is that Beth also has a gift - she is a telepath. However, her power is suppressed as a result of an extreme childhood trauma. Her other secret? Her foster father is a CIA agent who manipulated his contacts to get Beth assigned to work with Alec, because he knows Richard Lansing is keeping Alec a virtual prisoner, even if Alec doesn’t know enough about real life to figure that out.
Putting Beth together with Alec turns out to be explosive, in more ways than one. They have off-the-charts sexual chemistry, something that neither of them is quite prepared to deal with. Alec has some experience of sex, but none of real relationships. And Beth is too scared of revealing her secrets to have let many people into her life.
Their chemistry is explosive in another way - something about Beth’s telepathy amps up Alec’s power, and vice versa.
But the real explosion is the dismantling of all the secrets surrounding Alec’s life and his manipulation by Lansing. As Alec starts to see, not just what he’s been missing, but what an adult life is supposed to be, Lansing turns up the screws on Alec, Beth, and Beth’s mysterious foster father, Philip Drake.
Lansing is playing for ultimate power at any cost, and he won’t let anyone stand in his way - not even his sons.
Escape Rating A-: Phoenix Rising reminded me quite a lot of the X-Men movies. Phoenix Rising would be roughly equivalent to the story of the start of Professor Xavier’s Academy, but with Xavier as a firestarter instead of a telepath. There’s definitely that sense of the creation of the Phoenix Institute out of the ashes of “The Resource” in order for Alec to have the opportunity to give people like him a better start than he had.
Also the universes have a similarity in that so far, the gifted are born and not made in laboratories. There is some genetic engineering going on, but even that starts with at least one, or possibly two, parents with gifts. Also one of the gifted is 200 years old, born in a time when the genetic engineering necessary to produce a “super” from not much would have been pure fiction.
As an origin story for the Institute and Alec, it works very well.
One of the fascinating subplots is the relationship between fathers and their children, and how that can go both wrong and right, whether the children are born to the one who parents them, or whether that responsibility is taken on voluntarily.
In this particular circle of life, we have four people with gifts; Richard Lansing, Philip Drake, Alec Farley and Beth Nakamora. Lansing is a self-healer, and he’s over 200 years old and has gone nutso. He’s convinced that he is a superior being, and that superior beings should rule the world, under his direction, of course. He also has a large dose of Victorian era “white man’s burden” imperial racism just to make him even more intolerant (and intolerable).
Philip Drake is Lansing’s biological son, but Lansing rejected him because his mother was part Native American. It wasn’t until after Drake reached adulthood that Lansing discovered Drake had inherited his gift for self-healing. But they couldn’t come to terms because Lansing couldn’t get past his racism.
On the other hand, Lansing adopted Alec Farley and raised the firestarter as his son. He was a distant, manipulative and emotionally abusive father, but he actually did his best. It just wasn’t very good in the nurturing sense. Lansing raised Alec to be a living weapon, and it is a testament to Alec’s innate good nature that Lansing failed.
There’s a third hand in this one. Beth Nakamura is Drake’s foster daughter. He rescued her from a lab when she was 8, and he’s watched over her ever since. Now that Beth is 23, their relationship has changed a bit, but it is obvious in every scene they have together that they love each other and would do anything for each other. Even though Drake is not Beth’s biological father, he is her real father in a way that Lansing never was to him or Alec. Drake learned from Lansing, as well as from an abusive step-father, what not to do. So he did the opposite and raised a marvelous woman who is definitely her own person.
Phoenix Rising also lays the groundwork for the worldbuilding in this series, and it does an excellent job while still telling a heart-pounding adventure with a sweet, sexy romance.
September 11, 2012
4 1/2 stars!
“Phoenix Rising” by Corrina Lawson is the beginning of the ‘Phoenix Institute’ series and introduces the remarkable Alec Farley who has been raised and trained by a man who has a sweeping agenda that includes utilizing Alec’s telekinetic powers and ability to manipulate fire. Beth Nakamora knows what it is to have an unusual capability even though she has been unable to access her telepathic powers since her traumatic childhood and imprisonment. She is determined to use her abilities as a psychologist to free the charismatic man from what she considers to be imprisonment but he turns out to have his own agenda and may find a way to provide her with freedom from her own restrictions.
This fascinating science fiction tale provides a mesmerizing combination of adventure, science and suspense combined with a nicely building relationship and a chilling contrast in the concept of family as seen by two superficially similar men. The concept of brainwashing is alluded to as each of the main characters is influenced by a father figure with an agenda, the trick is to figure out which one has the most altruistic motivation. The remarkable concept of telekinesis and the possibilities that this talent can encompass is combined with a frightening examination of the properties of fire and displays of mind tricks that conjure up a popular science fiction movie series. Some of the characters are rather two dimensional and there are occasionally abrupt shifting of loyalties but overall this is a wonderfully entertaining read that will definitely lend itself to a great series of tales about these extraordinary characters. I look forward with great anticipation to the next in the series.
“Phoenix Rising” by Corrina Lawson is the beginning of the ‘Phoenix Institute’ series and introduces the remarkable Alec Farley who has been raised and trained by a man who has a sweeping agenda that includes utilizing Alec’s telekinetic powers and ability to manipulate fire. Beth Nakamora knows what it is to have an unusual capability even though she has been unable to access her telepathic powers since her traumatic childhood and imprisonment. She is determined to use her abilities as a psychologist to free the charismatic man from what she considers to be imprisonment but he turns out to have his own agenda and may find a way to provide her with freedom from her own restrictions.
This fascinating science fiction tale provides a mesmerizing combination of adventure, science and suspense combined with a nicely building relationship and a chilling contrast in the concept of family as seen by two superficially similar men. The concept of brainwashing is alluded to as each of the main characters is influenced by a father figure with an agenda, the trick is to figure out which one has the most altruistic motivation. The remarkable concept of telekinesis and the possibilities that this talent can encompass is combined with a frightening examination of the properties of fire and displays of mind tricks that conjure up a popular science fiction movie series. Some of the characters are rather two dimensional and there are occasionally abrupt shifting of loyalties but overall this is a wonderfully entertaining read that will definitely lend itself to a great series of tales about these extraordinary characters. I look forward with great anticipation to the next in the series.
January 5, 2016
3.5 stars
January 12, 2019
I Love this series! Corrina Lawson has created an awesome paranormal world set within the real world where real life superheroes are made. You get a satisfying steamy romance all wrapped up with a thrilling adventure. Her characters are well rounded and colored in, they draw you in and make you feel invested in the story.
I'm hoping this turns into a long running series as I want to keep getting my Phoenix Institute fix. The last series I was this excited about was The Black Dagger Brotherhood- and whilst this is no way like that world, nor has a similar tone or voice, this gave me the same feels- awesome action packed story line, super cool supernaturals with well thought out skill sets, a growing world of convincing characters... yup, she has me hooked and if you love a great series of standalone stories that build on each other, fully emerging you in the paranormal world, you will too.
I'm hoping this turns into a long running series as I want to keep getting my Phoenix Institute fix. The last series I was this excited about was The Black Dagger Brotherhood- and whilst this is no way like that world, nor has a similar tone or voice, this gave me the same feels- awesome action packed story line, super cool supernaturals with well thought out skill sets, a growing world of convincing characters... yup, she has me hooked and if you love a great series of standalone stories that build on each other, fully emerging you in the paranormal world, you will too.
January 23, 2019
This is my second book by this author and I enjoyed it just as much as the first. This one is wildly different than the steam punk novel I read, but I enjoyed it all the same. I read almost all of it in one sitting. Alec and Beth are likable characters and I hope we get to read more about their connection as the series progresses. Like, why things happen when they touch and why they seem to feed each other's power. There has to be a deeper reason for it with all the various gifted characters in the book and I hope the author explores this in later books
March 7, 2019
This was an enjoyable fantasy story about gifted people and the threats that surround them...the power-hungry, of course.
Telekinesis, control of fire and telepathy are just three of the special skill sets - the story did remind me of the Marvel Comic heroes.
There are some good characters and an interesting plot and although I don't really like sex scenes, they were done quite well and not just for the sake of it.
It was well-written and fast-paced with some great descriptions and emotional depth.
A recommended read.
Telekinesis, control of fire and telepathy are just three of the special skill sets - the story did remind me of the Marvel Comic heroes.
There are some good characters and an interesting plot and although I don't really like sex scenes, they were done quite well and not just for the sake of it.
It was well-written and fast-paced with some great descriptions and emotional depth.
A recommended read.
January 29, 2019
I'm not normally a fan of military romances, but this book changed my mind. The way the author intertwined the gifts of the characters with military operations was seamless. I loved every aspect of the book. Just enough action, just enough romance, and plenty of intrigue. I never knew what would happen next. I'm fully ready to see what happens to the Resource Institution in book two. Can't wait to read it. I'll be buying and reviewing it soon!
December 31, 2011
Originally posted at: http://whippedcream2.blogspot.com/201...
Nuclear airborne sex while saving the world? Yes, please!
Alec Farley defines himself by his abilities. He has been trained to control his skills in such away as to become a powerful weapon for unbeknownst to him a very corrupt father figure. He’s also been led to believe many things about life that are outdated and is inexperienced in many common and social aspects of the world. After being recommended to see a psychologist, Alec is initially wary, but soon warms up to the woman trying to treat him when it becomes clear the only threat she poses is in her physical beauty. Having thought he was in control during their sessions, he underestimates her, so Alec tries seduction as his weapon of choice. In doing so, strange things begin to happen and a mission goes awry. His powers become impossibly stronger and harder to manage, but there is something about Beth that sets him off in an entirely new and extremely pleasant way.
For Beth Nakamora, helping Alec realize he has choices in life like everyone else helps him see that the Resource and, most especially his father, is using him. Her own traumatic past, won’t allow her to abandon him. The problem is mutual trust and when patient/psychologist lines become blurred and eventually crossed, Beth makes a fateful decision to use force by kidnapping him. She shows Alec a different side to a world he hadn’t known existed or experienced outside of books and the Resource. When it becomes apparent to both of them that his father has kept him in the dark for much of his life, Alec decides to take matters into his own hands – literally.
The story has sort of a supernatural X-Men feel to it and by the end, you’ll definitely see why. Unfortunately, while the premise was good, some of the execution felt a bit lacking. There were some awkward scene changes or dialogue that didn’t seem to flow naturally. Getting into the story and forming connections with the characters took some work as the story and their relationship development is fairly fast-paced.
Alec is and is not a naïve hero. He is extreme on both sides as displayed by never having been to a Wal-Mart and takes a new interest to Motown music and learns to drive. Throughout the story, he shows an adorable innocence and enthusiasm for learning what would be considered social norms. However, the opposite extreme in his naïveté is displayed with his visits to strip clubs and his training to take on missions deemed too dangerous for regular civilian soldiers. Somewhat of the same can be said about Beth. While she may be extremely intelligent and retains a do-gooder fearless streak, she plays the victim card a bit too much for my taste. However, her determination is a valued redeeming quality.
Regardless to some of the pitfalls of the story, I was very attracted to the continued stream of action sequences that never let the story flatline. That action includes some really out of this world sex scenes that were enjoyably imagined. The graphic description may not have all been there, but Ms. Lawson definitely provides some unique sense exploratory ones. Some of the secondary characters as well were a welcome addition and occasional distraction.
I believe the series deserves further exploration and will be keeping an eye out for when the next is released. Readers looking for an adventure into a paranormally complex and political world with a quite literally hot hero, will want to check this out.
Nuclear airborne sex while saving the world? Yes, please!
Alec Farley defines himself by his abilities. He has been trained to control his skills in such away as to become a powerful weapon for unbeknownst to him a very corrupt father figure. He’s also been led to believe many things about life that are outdated and is inexperienced in many common and social aspects of the world. After being recommended to see a psychologist, Alec is initially wary, but soon warms up to the woman trying to treat him when it becomes clear the only threat she poses is in her physical beauty. Having thought he was in control during their sessions, he underestimates her, so Alec tries seduction as his weapon of choice. In doing so, strange things begin to happen and a mission goes awry. His powers become impossibly stronger and harder to manage, but there is something about Beth that sets him off in an entirely new and extremely pleasant way.
For Beth Nakamora, helping Alec realize he has choices in life like everyone else helps him see that the Resource and, most especially his father, is using him. Her own traumatic past, won’t allow her to abandon him. The problem is mutual trust and when patient/psychologist lines become blurred and eventually crossed, Beth makes a fateful decision to use force by kidnapping him. She shows Alec a different side to a world he hadn’t known existed or experienced outside of books and the Resource. When it becomes apparent to both of them that his father has kept him in the dark for much of his life, Alec decides to take matters into his own hands – literally.
The story has sort of a supernatural X-Men feel to it and by the end, you’ll definitely see why. Unfortunately, while the premise was good, some of the execution felt a bit lacking. There were some awkward scene changes or dialogue that didn’t seem to flow naturally. Getting into the story and forming connections with the characters took some work as the story and their relationship development is fairly fast-paced.
Alec is and is not a naïve hero. He is extreme on both sides as displayed by never having been to a Wal-Mart and takes a new interest to Motown music and learns to drive. Throughout the story, he shows an adorable innocence and enthusiasm for learning what would be considered social norms. However, the opposite extreme in his naïveté is displayed with his visits to strip clubs and his training to take on missions deemed too dangerous for regular civilian soldiers. Somewhat of the same can be said about Beth. While she may be extremely intelligent and retains a do-gooder fearless streak, she plays the victim card a bit too much for my taste. However, her determination is a valued redeeming quality.
Regardless to some of the pitfalls of the story, I was very attracted to the continued stream of action sequences that never let the story flatline. That action includes some really out of this world sex scenes that were enjoyably imagined. The graphic description may not have all been there, but Ms. Lawson definitely provides some unique sense exploratory ones. Some of the secondary characters as well were a welcome addition and occasional distraction.
I believe the series deserves further exploration and will be keeping an eye out for when the next is released. Readers looking for an adventure into a paranormally complex and political world with a quite literally hot hero, will want to check this out.
August 29, 2013
4 stars fr the first 3/4 ths and then maybe 3 for the last...it started out great, and it was exciting and fun....then it sorta fizzled out....the whole thing should have ended after , instead of dragging on for that last mission. To some extent I know why it was included, but meh, it was so loooooonnnnggg.
And the way .
Also while there is a good deal of background info, and world building it comes in at the end of the book...great for future title, irritating in this one.
And lastly, the ending...it sorta ends abruptly....I go to read the next page, and I got the 'about the author', one instead....can you say jarring?
Anyway, Phoenix Rising was an Altogether a well written action packed story ( though I still don't know whether it was a PNR or SFR....maybe a little bit of both?), and I'm definitely going to be looking for more titles from Ms Lawson.
June 25, 2013
An inventive thriller with a good balance of action, suspense, and romance. Alec Farley is a young man with special abilities -- he can move things with his mind, or create fires with a wave of his hand. He's been raised from childhood by a shadowy paramilitary organization to become the perfect soldier. Therapist Beth Nakamora is brought in, ostensibly to help Alec with his anger management issues. But she has her own agenda: to help Alec escape, whether he wants to or not. Soon the two of them are on the run, and they have to learn to trust each other as they try to evade Alec's handlers, as well as cope with a terrorist plot against New York City. The relationship between Alec and Beth is nuanced and complicated. The reader has little doubt that they're meant to be together, but the complications (internal and external) that get in the way are plausible and they both remain sympathetic, even when they're at odds. Alec's powers lead to some pretty spectacular action scenes (and "action" scenes, if you know what I mean...). This book is a real page-turner, and I enjoyed it a lot.
Read
January 6, 2016This story just didn't really do it for me. I'm glad this book wasn't my first intro to this author, because I would have shrugged and moved on. (Which would have been to my own detriment, since I really enjoyed The Curse of the Brimstone Contract.) There's nothing wrong with the writing in this book, I just didn't care for the main characters or story line very much. (The whole psychologist-falling-for-her-man-child-patient thing made me squidgy.) But I will continue to happily investigate Lawson's other books.
June 10, 2013
A great balance between action and adventure, between character development and love story.
A handsome hero. A beautiful (and courageous) woman. A great villain. A mysterious mentor. Throw in some intrigue, explosions and a car chase and you have a great book!
Corrina Lawson, intrepid Geek Mom and blogger, uses her story-telling skills to craft a well-balanced and fun read. (Okay, she doesn't have a car chase, but there IS a car scene.)
You'll like this book, or you wouldn't be reading my review. Go ahead and get it. Thank me later.
A handsome hero. A beautiful (and courageous) woman. A great villain. A mysterious mentor. Throw in some intrigue, explosions and a car chase and you have a great book!
Corrina Lawson, intrepid Geek Mom and blogger, uses her story-telling skills to craft a well-balanced and fun read. (Okay, she doesn't have a car chase, but there IS a car scene.)
You'll like this book, or you wouldn't be reading my review. Go ahead and get it. Thank me later.
August 1, 2013
I really liked this book. The abilities that both the characters had was awesome; however, I did not like the huge attention to sexual details. I felt that those scenes were unneeded especially the sexual seen near the end of the story. I feel that the emphasis on sex brought the book down. Although I did not care for those scenes, I did like the plot of the story. I would recommend this book for adults only. If you skip over the atrocious sexual scenes, it is actually a very good book.
November 7, 2014
I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into my first superhero romance. And wow! It sucked me right in and I blew it through so fast.
This book hit my hero sweet spots to perfection. It was a story about the hero, told mostly from his POV, and Alex himself is awesome. A wonderful change of pace from the usual dark and broody tormented hero. Everything about him was a perfect balance combining to make him one of my favorite heroes of the year.
This book hit my hero sweet spots to perfection. It was a story about the hero, told mostly from his POV, and Alex himself is awesome. A wonderful change of pace from the usual dark and broody tormented hero. Everything about him was a perfect balance combining to make him one of my favorite heroes of the year.
September 24, 2014
What an intriguing start to an interesting new series by Corrina Lawson! I loved Alec the firestarter, and Beth as his therapist/lover was really a great choice. He's a really strange character--so naive yet so powerful. And she's a good partner for him -- she's got the powers as well but she wasn't protected and was actually punished for them. Looking forward to more!
July 13, 2015
Phoenix Rising is a great summer read. There are three stories going on. The first is the current relationship between the hero, Daz, and the heroine, Renee. The second is dated several years back when they met and separated. The third is their story as parents of a child with Autism, and dealing with everyday issues. Corinna Lawson is a very imaginative writer. Get your copy today!
September 7, 2015
This wasn't a terrible read, but I can't say it was great either? There wasn't enough set up I think to explain the premise, and Alex ended up coming across as a kid way more than an adult in need of rescue.
Read
October 25, 2011Review posted @ Long and Short Reviews
November 27, 2015
so good. super heroes in love. some slow parts and minor questions I had when I finished, but so, so good.
April 18, 2015
Interesting paranormal/military(ish) romance.
Read
February 29, 2012I'm stilld deciding on how to rate this. Review to come.
October 20, 2014
Rating: 5/10
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews