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Baptism by Fire
When Secret Service Agent Rick McCoy punches his partner's murderer in the face after arresting him, he fears his dream of getting promoted to the President's personal detail is over. His boss has a different transfer in mind and partners him with the agency's top agent in the super secret Paranormal Investigations Division - an immortal phoenix cursed to human form. The problem is that Rick doesn't believe in the paranormal, immortals, phoenixes, or curses. Phoenix Dante Brand was cursed centuries ago to human form for daring to think himself more beautiful than a fae. Finding his purpose in stopping mythic crimes, he has been an agent of the US government since he escaped Revolutionary France. Breaking in a new human partner is always hard, and a rash of murders targeting human sidekicks doesn't bode well for their already rocky relationship. When one attack nearly ends their fledgling partnership, and another places Dante himself under suspicion, Dante and Rick find themselves scrambling to figure out who is blaming human murders on mythics before the flames of violence are fanned into full-fledged war. There are factions on both sides who would benefit from a human mythic war, and are more than willing to pour gasoline on the fire of prejudice and suspicion regardless of how many lives it costs.
- GenresFantasy
228 pages, Paperback
Published July 21, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 4, 2024
I loved the concept for this book! A phoenix cursed to remain in human form who investigates crime AND believes in God? Yes, please!
I tend to stay away from most paranormal fiction because of all the icky, anti-Biblical stuff that tends to pop up in genre, so the Christian aspect here was just refreshing in general.
The main characters were a blast(especially Dante), and I really enjoyed the dynamic of their partnership.
(Dante’s, um…predicament with his clothes burning up. Oh, goodness! 😅I didn’t know whether to laugh or hide my face in embarrassment—or both.)
Now, maybe they seemed to grow protective of said partnership a little too quickly, and maybe Rick got over his disbelief in the paranormal a little too easily, but those were only minor nitpicks for me. I would have also liked more time spent fleshing out Rick’s background, but maybe that will come in the next installment.
This was a fun, fast-paced story with some gripping action! I’m definitely keeping an eye out for book 2!
I tend to stay away from most paranormal fiction because of all the icky, anti-Biblical stuff that tends to pop up in genre, so the Christian aspect here was just refreshing in general.
The main characters were a blast(especially Dante), and I really enjoyed the dynamic of their partnership.
(Dante’s, um…predicament with his clothes burning up. Oh, goodness! 😅I didn’t know whether to laugh or hide my face in embarrassment—or both.)
Now, maybe they seemed to grow protective of said partnership a little too quickly, and maybe Rick got over his disbelief in the paranormal a little too easily, but those were only minor nitpicks for me. I would have also liked more time spent fleshing out Rick’s background, but maybe that will come in the next installment.
This was a fun, fast-paced story with some gripping action! I’m definitely keeping an eye out for book 2!
February 7, 2025
Fun, fast paced, funny.
Good quick buddy mystery with some interesting world building
Good quick buddy mystery with some interesting world building
September 18, 2023
I've been on the hunt for a good urban fantasy for a long time. One that doesn't lean too grimdark, with entertaining characters who aren't childish and stupid, with interesting worldbuilding, that isn't paranormal romance.
Well, this book fits the bill.
Like the TV show GRIMM, this book partners a regular human cop with a supernatural--in this case, a Phoenix cursed into human form. Dante's shtick is that if he dies, he resurrects 30 seconds later in a sheet of flame. He needs a human partner to deal with whatever killed him, and to bring him clothes. Dante is several centuries old and has the sensibilities of a gentleman. He wants to look his best at all times (Phoenix vanity) and invests in the most expensive suits possible ... and then burns them up.
Most of the book deals with other kinds of supernaturals and the sorts of job fields they align themselves with. They all know Dante and they do some really fiendish things to keep him from resurrecting. These are some of the most suspenseful parts of the book. Rick struggles with disbelief at first, as you do, but quickly comes to form a loyal friendship with this Phoenix.
I highly recommend for fans of old-school urban fantasy, and I eagerly await more books and adventures with Rick and Dante.
Well, this book fits the bill.
Like the TV show GRIMM, this book partners a regular human cop with a supernatural--in this case, a Phoenix cursed into human form. Dante's shtick is that if he dies, he resurrects 30 seconds later in a sheet of flame. He needs a human partner to deal with whatever killed him, and to bring him clothes. Dante is several centuries old and has the sensibilities of a gentleman. He wants to look his best at all times (Phoenix vanity) and invests in the most expensive suits possible ... and then burns them up.
Most of the book deals with other kinds of supernaturals and the sorts of job fields they align themselves with. They all know Dante and they do some really fiendish things to keep him from resurrecting. These are some of the most suspenseful parts of the book. Rick struggles with disbelief at first, as you do, but quickly comes to form a loyal friendship with this Phoenix.
I highly recommend for fans of old-school urban fantasy, and I eagerly await more books and adventures with Rick and Dante.
August 2, 2024
This book is utterly fantastic! I loved it from start to finish, and got quite ornery when I had to put it down. I read lots of fantasy, but not usually fantasy blended in the realm world, so I don’t have great comp titles for this one. But I’d call it SHERLOCK HOLMES meets SUPERNATURAL. Two detectives (one being super unique in his own ways) solve supernatural crimes!
The writing is fantastic and fits the story perfectly. Fast-paced and fun, with enough detail to entertain, but never so much it bogs you down. This author knows what she’s doing!
The characters are the highlight of the story, as is their relationship. Dante is an eccentric supernatural character, and Rick is his grounded companion. Both are unique characters, and they play off each other wonderfully. And their budding friendship is such fun to read. I LOVE friendship stories so much!
The plot is interesting and has fantasy/supernatural elements (werewolves, vampires, kitsune, OH MY) but also some cop/detective mystery thrown in. It was honestly well written and super fun to read. It never got boring, and nothing stood out as “doesn’t make sense in relation to the rest of the story.”
The content is generally clean, with some mild violence and blood. Nothing beyond PG-13, which is super nice (and is becoming harder and harder to find nowadays in well-written books). Some death scenes might rattle some wary readers (it IS a MURDER mystery, after all), but I’m not a huge fan of gore, and this one didn’t bother me.
I would absolutely recommend this story to Christian fans of fantasy, crime shows/books, and/or mystery books. I’m a fantasy fan, and I got into it just fine despite not reading the other genres, so you don’t have to like all the genres. It’s legit that good, it’ll suck you in!
I look forward to future books, I'd love to spend more time with these characters~~
The writing is fantastic and fits the story perfectly. Fast-paced and fun, with enough detail to entertain, but never so much it bogs you down. This author knows what she’s doing!
The characters are the highlight of the story, as is their relationship. Dante is an eccentric supernatural character, and Rick is his grounded companion. Both are unique characters, and they play off each other wonderfully. And their budding friendship is such fun to read. I LOVE friendship stories so much!
The plot is interesting and has fantasy/supernatural elements (werewolves, vampires, kitsune, OH MY) but also some cop/detective mystery thrown in. It was honestly well written and super fun to read. It never got boring, and nothing stood out as “doesn’t make sense in relation to the rest of the story.”
The content is generally clean, with some mild violence and blood. Nothing beyond PG-13, which is super nice (and is becoming harder and harder to find nowadays in well-written books). Some death scenes might rattle some wary readers (it IS a MURDER mystery, after all), but I’m not a huge fan of gore, and this one didn’t bother me.
I would absolutely recommend this story to Christian fans of fantasy, crime shows/books, and/or mystery books. I’m a fantasy fan, and I got into it just fine despite not reading the other genres, so you don’t have to like all the genres. It’s legit that good, it’ll suck you in!
I look forward to future books, I'd love to spend more time with these characters~~
Read
May 4, 2025A cute, urban fantasy flavoured Men in Black tale (newbie partner inducted into secret squirrel police investigation non-human homicides with eccentric old hand) with likeable main characters and a strong buddy loyalty and sacrifice theme. World building fairly light in the first book, and what in our world would have been a historical error on the first page threw me entirely into the wrong analytic frame of mind for a while, but overall I enjoyed this. One MC is a Phoenix and resurrects in incendiary fashion on death, and there was some interesting thinking about how villains might deal with or try to permanently kill him that which put this partly into the superhero-geek genre as well.
Note strong Christian themes including characters who pray a lot under stress, which I found a little weird in fiction because "providence" is actually in the hands of the author, but I guess as a character trait is actually a good thing and nice to see. Occasional darker and more violent moments.
Note strong Christian themes including characters who pray a lot under stress, which I found a little weird in fiction because "providence" is actually in the hands of the author, but I guess as a character trait is actually a good thing and nice to see. Occasional darker and more violent moments.
February 18, 2026
The percentage of fantasy books I've read this year with one or more superpowered Catholic leads is going from improbable to comical.
Entertaining, quick-paced, and very funny. Does a nice job laying the groundwork for a buddy-cop series that could be sustained for quite a few books, given the setting and the amount of mythos introduced so far.
Content: N/A really. The side effect of the phoenix character's resurrection is that he loses all his clothes, and it happens fairly frequently, but isn't dwelt on more than necessary.
Entertaining, quick-paced, and very funny. Does a nice job laying the groundwork for a buddy-cop series that could be sustained for quite a few books, given the setting and the amount of mythos introduced so far.
Content: N/A really. The side effect of the phoenix character's resurrection is that he loses all his clothes, and it happens fairly frequently, but isn't dwelt on more than necessary.
September 12, 2023
Can I just say... FINALLY.
I feel like I've been waiting for a book like this forever. It hits all the right spots for a feel-good buddy cop mystery with paranormal elements, but with none of the filth and cynicism that make the genre so typically cringy. The two main characters are people of faith, who act on their faith, even when having doubts about the rest of the world, and it's so refreshing! This is definitely going to be a re-reader.
I feel like I've been waiting for a book like this forever. It hits all the right spots for a feel-good buddy cop mystery with paranormal elements, but with none of the filth and cynicism that make the genre so typically cringy. The two main characters are people of faith, who act on their faith, even when having doubts about the rest of the world, and it's so refreshing! This is definitely going to be a re-reader.
April 11, 2025
Perfection bundled in an urban-fantasy buddy-cop story with a strong Christian foundation that never becomes preachy. No swearing, no sex, and violence is never graphic or gratuitous, but the action and banter and stakes are spot on.
July 8, 2025
Usually I don't read paranormal mysteries, but this one was fun! I look forward to reading the next one!
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May 24, 2026Full review and rating to come!
January 1, 2025
Very fun read
I really enjoyed this book. It managed to keep things light, yet still ask some thoughtful questions, yes, on the assumption that Phoenixes are real. My one complaint was that there were spots where it seemed clear to me that a female was trying to write about two males, some spots where I wish it had been a male author because it would remain more believable, but aside from those few spots, this is a really enjoyable book, and I am curious to see what else the author writes in this series. It should be exciting!
I really enjoyed this book. It managed to keep things light, yet still ask some thoughtful questions, yes, on the assumption that Phoenixes are real. My one complaint was that there were spots where it seemed clear to me that a female was trying to write about two males, some spots where I wish it had been a male author because it would remain more believable, but aside from those few spots, this is a really enjoyable book, and I am curious to see what else the author writes in this series. It should be exciting!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews