After years spent under the thumb of his cruel uncle, Prince Aiden finally has an escape—an arranged marriage. But is his match the monster everyone says he is, or is he the one person who can warm Aiden’s cold heart?
Forced into marriage by his terrible uncle, the man who stole his brother’s crown, Aiden fears his future will be even more miserable than his present. Prince Fagan, his uncle’s chosen suitor, has a reputation—he is nothing less than a monster. Aiden will need every ounce of strength he possesses to survive.
Youngest son of his father’s large family, Prince Davin has waited years to be able to follow in his brothers’ footsteps and be a dutiful son. His opportunity comes in a way he never expected. He must pretend to be his half-brother, whose name he shares, and marry an omega in his brother’s place. Prince Aiden is a lost soul, scared and hurting. Can Davin coax some life back into the lonely omega and make their marriage a haven from the cruel world of Aiden’s past?
And when Aiden’s uncle rears his head once again, and duty wars with love, will their marriage be strong enough to fight the tides that pull them apart?
Firelight is a novella-length m/m shifter romance and part of the Lost Princes of Morona series. A companion series to Stormshield, it features arranged marriages, princes, mpreg, angst, secrets, and a dash of magic.
Claire Cullen is an author and aspiring baker. Since she was a toddler, she has loved making up stories. Getting them down on paper proved a challenge in the early years when her preferred medium was finger puppets. She moved on to pen and paper, and later to keyboards, and hasn't looked back since, except for occasional bouts of nostalgia.
In another life, I'd have called this book boring. There's low angst and medium stakes. But the way this man handles his omega? My goodness. The adoration jumps off the page.
If there's ever been a greener flag MC than Davin, I'd like to meet him. This man learnt proper intentional communication as a child and could give a TedTalk on it.
He calls Aiden 'my beloved', and when I tell you I feel it in my bones. 😫
I've read many a book that handles the idea of omegas being nervous or scared at their reality, especially with arranged marriages. The omega MC in this book is severely depressed, and it's not pretty.
But the way Davin treats him????? Yeeish. We should all be so lucky. The patience. The consideration. No wonder Aiden falls in love. He didn't stand a chance.
And there's so much going on with the political intrigue subplot but THIS is exactly what I mean when I say I don't mind any subplot but the romance must take center stage. Literally, the drama doesn't even get resolved. Kingdoms fall and coups happen and our MCs fall in love amidst all the noise.
Kidnap attempt? Okay, let's dispatch these fucks and get right back to our honeymoon. The content I love to see.
Anyway. A brief recap of all the things I loved about Davin.
1. Clear, proper, intentional communication.
“I love you, Aiden. I don’t want you to go—I won’t lie and say otherwise."
In another book, we'd have the MC prevaricate, not wanting to put himself out there, not wanting to influence the other's decision. None of that here.
For Davin, everything to do with Aiden is of utmost importance and he doesn't play games. Lays all his cards on the table first chance he gets. And it's sooo important with someone like Aiden who tends to get in his head a lot about stuff.
And there's sooooo many instances of this. So many times when I thought 'Great. Miscommunication coming right up', and it just didn't. Every single time, Davin chose clarity.
2. Chooses Aiden over everything else, including his country and he doesn't need time to think about it.
“Please, Aiden. You are everything I fight for, so I must know you’re safe.”
He knew his man was struggling with guilt and doubt over what his uncle was suggesting and with one sentence he clarified his priorities and communicated his immediate needs. I need you out of the way, baby, so I can fight for us.
Of course Aiden didn't listen because what would romance be without a headstrong MC but still.
This book is a masterclass in one MC choosing the other, and making that choice again and again and again. Leaving no room for doubt, until eventually the other believes that someone is in his corner again.
3. He has wanted to find love for aaaages and now that he has his chance, he doesn't play silly games. His omega comes first. Always.
“I assure you. What are alphas made for if not to bring pleasure to omegas?”
4. He doesn't run from emotional intimacy and he takes Aiden with him, every step of the way.
“No, my love. Like this. So I can see your eyes and your pleasure, and you can see mine.”
5. He loves Aiden so totally, so completely and he doesn't care who knows it.
"He smiles and laughs, and… he completes me. I had not realized I was only half a man until he grew to fill that space within me.”
Guys😭😭😭if ever there were an omega that needed an alpha that could go the extra mile with reassurance and actions and 24/7 babying, it's Aiden.
These guys are the literal definition of a perfect match.
There are levels of 'down bad' that have you cringing. And then there's this. Where you can't help but approve. Like, how could they POSSIBLY be anything other than down bad for each other.
A novella to tell the story of Aiden after he was left alone in Morona.
From the first book it became clear that all of the alpha princes of Morona were dealt with one by one, until the only omega prince, Aiden, was left alone with his uncle. Knowing what his uncle would do Aiden wanted to leave, but as a prince the only way out was by marriage, and it was one his uncle arranged. Aiden learns that his uncle has married him off to another man that will control him just the same, leaving him to a further hopeless life.
Davin does not expect much in his marriage prospects, being a third prince, but he is happy to be able to do the marriage circuit and perhaps find a true match. When he finds out that their newest ally, Morona, has insisted that they will not go through with their trade agreements unless Davin's brother weds their omega prince, Davin is confused. His brother was horrible, committing acts against omegas that couldn't be ignored or excused, and he was banished. But the trade agreement is vital for their people so Davin must pretend to be his brother and wed Morona's omega prince. If Davin cannot choose love he hopes he can at least make a happy match.
These two men struggle with their new marriage and the future that it means. Davin had his choices for love dashed away at the last second, but he is optimistic enough to hope for at least happiness and companionship in his arranged marriage. Aiden however feels hopeless and lost, always stuck being a pawn and alone without his family. To make a future Davin has to show Aiden that life can still be believed in, even after all he has suffered, and that hope can be found again.
A beautiful novella that gives context to the one omega prince of Morona and shows more of what happened to the missing brothers. Looking forward to the next book of the series!
I received a free copy with no obligation to review. I want to say beforehand that I liked the book, it has all the characteristics that make Claire Cullen's books so special. The sweet omega in danger, but still a fighter. And of course, the brave and full alpha is honored. The story is sweet and grabs you, making it very easy to read. My but comes because it seems more like a prequel than the second installment, then its development seems very rushed to me; it all happens very quickly and the book is over before you know it. There are romantic scenes like the one at the lake, however for me the plot has lacked something substantial. Although maybe I'm just sick to Claire's stories, since the story itself is beautiful and talks about overcoming a slight depression and all that goes with it. Conclusion, read it you will not regret it. Waiting for the third, to continue enjoying this wonderful universe.
Not the pirate story that was hinted at in the previous book, but still an enjoyable read with all the abuse happening off page and almost entirely before this story. Maybe the pirate story will be up next. Still hoping for the pirate story but with two lost brothers out there the pirate will probably be last in the series.
This novella is another great story in the Stormshield/Lost Princes of Morona series. In this book, Prince Aiden is an omega who has been physically and mentally abused by his uncle for some years. Three of Aiden's alpha brothers have disappeared under suspicious circumstance, with his evil uncle cleared to assume the throne. When Aiden finds out his uncle has arranged a marriage for him to another sadistic prince in a neighboring land, Aiden is frightened for his life.
Prince Davin is not the prince who Aiden's uncle expects to marry Aiden, but he does bear the same name and he is much kinder. The marriage takes place, but Davin finds Aiden so traumatized that he is reluctant to pressure him to proceed with consummation. Instead, he determines to take things slow and let love and healing develop. This story has danger, paranormal shifting and magic, and the start to a beautiful love. It is a HFN that will likely continue to develop from the side in the next book in the series.
Claire Cullen is an auto-read author for me when I need my shifter or mpreg fix. The Lost Princes of Morona series takes place in the Stormshield universe. It is not necessary to read the Stormshield series, but both series are outstanding, so why not?
Firelight storyline runs concurrent with Firestone, so I would definitely suggest that book one this. It is very well written with an intriguing storyline. In true Cullen style, the world-building is fantastic.
Prince Aiden is looking for a way out, and it comes in the form of an arranged marriage orchestrated by his uncle. What Aiden doesn't know is that his uncle has promised him to a monster of a man. Prince Davin has been ordered by his fathers to pretend to be his brother, they share the same name after all, to wed the unsuspecting Prince, to keep the peace. Even though Aiden was informed of the ruse early in the marriage, his mind and his body doesn't do well with the isolation and missing his brothers, and he slides into depression.
I loved Davin's patience in helping Aiden heal and eventually fall in love with him. Aiden and Davin were perfect together. Davin, being the kindhearted alpha that Aiden needed.
Definitely can't wait to read more about the Lost Princes of Morona.
relationship progression zero i fear! wish aiden's healing was actually done properly because what we GOT was a sped up recovery SO we could have a romance. either let the healing from abuse and a major huge depressive slump (and the minute aiden slept for so long i went Oh. Okay so i have to read about depression cool. im not depressed or anything this is fine.) happen and take its natural course or be unrealistic and make the romance happen. the amount of pages this book had was not enough for both of those things to happen in tandem. i couldnt believe he was suddenly fine and ready to fuck so fast and so that soured any sweetie romance they had. and then the climax of his uncle coming back. i dont careeeeee. also we did NOTHING with the fact that davin can shift into MULTIPLE animals??????? hello??????
This is another great addition to the Lost Princes of Morona series and I really enjoyed it. Davin is amazing and I love how incredibly sweet, caring and patient he is with Aiden. They have both been forced into a situation that neither of them is prepared for but Davin is willing to make the most of it. Even though Aiden has been badly mistreated in the past Davin is determined to help him. I like how their relationship develops but the abrupt ending and lack of a real resolution left the story feeling unfinished to me. I look forward to reading the next book in this series and hopefully we will find out what happened to Aiden's brothers.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book.
Absolutely enjoyable! Prince Aiden, the only omega son of King Galeran is to be married off to Prince Fagan according to Uncle Lorgan. Uncle Lorgan delights in tormenting Aiden and Prince Fagan has a reputation of delighting in torturing omegas. Davin, the youngest Prince is recruited to marry Aiden in order to save the Kingdom. He is loyal to the Kingdom and his Father, the King. Aiden, has lost all his Alpha brothers and his Dad the King and feels he has no one and on his side. His Uncle Lorgan, as the King is not the nicest man. Can Aiden and Davin get along and form a union that solidifies the treaty between the two kingdoms? How will Lorgan take any misdirects? Good story, great characters. Nice twists and turns. Well done!
1.5 stars I'm extremely disappointed with this one: On one hand, this was a sweet, tender, well-edited story between two very loving men. On the other, it was not a book, it was a novella. A novella with zero plot, zero character development, zero world development, cardboard MCs, no chemistry, no progression of the overall arch of the series, nada. An extended courting scene between two very good but very bland men. A bit of fluff that barely had any taste, much less managed to satisfy any craving in me. I love Cullen's futuristic series, but this one was not good. Not good at all :(
In Epilogue of 1st book Pirates are reaching at coast and Daegan is going to look after the situation and i am more excited to know what happened next 😒
so not expecting Aiden's book as in first book we already know he is happy
This book is also sweet, encouraging omega to open their wings. Alpha love to omega is cute and pure
Now the story is incomplete and i don't know if the author is going to publish story about their missing brothers 😕
And a good addition to the series. Ms. Cullen has written a well crafted story, supported by good character development and with enough of a mystery to maintain the reader’s interest. While the primary story thread was resolved, there are several other potential storylines waiting to be expanded and these leave this reader with expectations for future installments.
Firelight could have benefited from some extra chapters. Just to tie things up neatly. Instead the ending was rather abrupt, leaving me unsatisfied. I also felt that the pacing pretty much tripled in the final 30% of the book, which is a shame because I enjoyed the buildup.
This was low on angst nothing much happened other than the 2 MC getting to know eachother and falling in love. Although I like angst and drama I m enjoying this series, especially bc forced marriage is my favorite troupe.
It saddens me to learn that there will be no more books in this series as well as many more amazing stories from the author. My thoughts and prayers are with the family of Claire Cullen.