Fire on Fire

by Kyrstie Nickles

Experience medieval Scotland like never before; meet the valiant admiral who has devoted his life to ensuring her survival…

What happens when his own family is at stake?

Aiden Shaw has sailed the known world and fought every monster known to man, but now, he just wants some peace. Unfortunately, tensions are brewing with England, and he is being forced to return to the one place he swore he would never go again: The Red Forest.

His wife, Evelyn, is a druid who can bend nature to her whim, but her lack of training makes her fear her powers. This compels her to rely on dark magic to survive.

When the King of England captures their children, the two set out through the Moorlands to rescue them. They must depend on others, live off the land, and above all, learn to forgive themselves and trust each other once again.

A fanciful, swashbuckling romance full of moral ambiguity, Fire On Fire shows us that some noblemen are monsters and not all scary creatures are evil. Most importantly, it reminds us that, time and time again, love prevails.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Ebooks, Romantasy

272 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 8, 2023

About the author

Kyrstie Nickles is a Georgia native who grew up playing in the woods, rain dancing with her Cherokee grandfather, and exploring cemeteries at night with her mother, who dabbled in writing and genealogy.

She is a cinema buff, so she prides herself on writing grand stories that immerse her readers into their worlds. She has differentiated between gothic, mystery, and fantasy, but there is always romance, and she typically leans toward historical fiction.

For the past two years, she has blogged her travels around the state of Texas and beyond, being featured in Wander Wheels blog and on various travel destinations' social media. She currently lives in San Angelo, Texas, and Fire On Fire is her first novel.

Reviews

[Dominique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fire On Fire: A Historic Fantasy Romance

Scotland has been on my bucket list for years… It has now jumped higher on my list of places to visit in the next 10-15 years- hopefully sooner!

Scottish Romance ✔️

Magic ✔️

Adventure ✔️

Love and Betrayal ✔️

There really isn't anything else I could ask for to be honest! I enjoyed reading this and I can't wait to read more by this author!

*I received this as an ARC, and I am leaving an honest and voluntary review*

[Melly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun fast paced Scottish adventure! I really enjoyed the magic and mythical creatures in the story. I love a good second chance romance and we get to see that in this novel! I love the flashbacks we get throughout the story! It makes the story even better. I loved Aiden and Evelyn’s love for each other and their family! I really enjoyed the action and adventure throughout the story! The only thing I struggled with was getting use to the Scottish dialect, as the story went on I started to get the hang of it though. Although this isn’t a book I would normally read, I overall enjoyed the story! The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars because it took me a while to get into it, nothing against the author it just wasn’t my cup of tea though the writing was good! If you are looking for a book with romance, action and adventure this book is for you!

Thank you so much Kyrstie for the ARC!
*This is my honest review and all thoughts are my own

[S.M. Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful country like Scotland deserves a beautiful book, and Fire on Fire is just that story. Compelling, breathtaking, and absolutely lovely. The world building the author does is beautiful. From descriptions of sweeping vistas and towering castles, to foggy forests and the rain-soaked highlands, this will make you want to pack up immediately and head to Scotland.

The weaving of the Scots dialect is superbly done, and serves to immerse the reader in the world authentically. I could not get enough of it and found myself reading in an accent.

Aiden and Evelyn are wonderful main characters with complex histories and motivations, and you will be rooting for them from page 1. I hear there are more stories coming in this world, and I cannot wait to get my hands on them. Magic, adventure, romance. It's in the book because it's in the country of Scotland.

[Ashley Elliott Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun Scottish romance filled with magic and adventure. The relationship between Aiden and Evelyn is lovely, and there is no end to the things they will do to save each other and their children. I loved when they both discovered how they could use their magic, and that is was more powerful together. Their kids were an absolute delight - I wish there had been more of them in the book! The Scottish dialect written out did make it a little difficult in the beginning to interpret what was being said, but I caught on pretty quickly and realized Aiden had a very particular voice in my head.

I definitely recommend this book! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Mandi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was there, but the choppy, unrefined writing ruined it for me.

[CiCi | bookameme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical Scottish Magical Realism Focused On Middle Aged Protagonists

Quotes:📖
💬The best journeys take you home.

💬"Ye're the only thing that has ever set ma heart on fire."

Thoughts: 💡
I liked that this book focused on middle aged characters. They had a family and a working relationship, but still had flaws and challenges. All of the characters in this book were entertaining and the dialogue made it even more fun. This might sound strange, but this book gave me Lost In Space vibes except it was set in 16th century Scotland with magical realism instead of space with alien robots and science.

Writing Mechanics: ✍️
The writing style wasn’t my favorite. It’s written in first person present tense and something about it just felt different from what I typically read. The plot was interesting and the characters were wonderful which was why I kept reading even when the writing style bothered me.

Fun Bits:
⚜️ Outlander Meets Princess Bride
⚜️ Love Prevails
⚜️ Fiery Druid FMC
⚜️ Seasoned Ship Captain Returns Home
⚜️ Quest Fantasy
⚜️ Tudor Era
⚜️ Older MCs (they’re parents)
⚜️ Conflicting Cultures
⚜️ Dialogue Reflecting Scottish Accents
⚜️ Chapter Titles

Important Note:✨
Standalone.

Stats:📊
Spice Scale: 3 🌶️🌶️🌶️/ 5
Character Dev: 4.7 💙💙💙💙💙/5
Genre: Historical Fantasy Romance📕
Tropes: 16th Century Scotland, Morally Grey, Swords & Sorcery, Second Chances, Found Family📘
POV: Multi
CW: Violence, Death, POW, Kidnapping, Mentions of PTSD, Alcoholism, and SA⚠️

[Devynn Buck · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best journeys take you home.

What a magical debut! When I came across a book that featured a second chance romance, older MC's, and Outlander vibes, you know I dove at the chance to read it.

Fire on Fire was fast-paced, sweet, and easy to immerse yourself in. While this was set in 16th century Scotland, there was also a touch of magic and lore that allowed the story to stand out against the other stories it has been compared to.

What I really enjoyed was Nickles' choice to follow older MC's and really showcase both their own love story, as well as the love for their children. The fantasy romance I usually find myself reading rarely includes children in general, so this was refreshing touch that I enjoyed more than I would've thought.

What this lacked for me was a further exploration of the creatures and magic of this world. Magic was such a huge part of the story, and yet there was still something missing for me. This goes for the creatures as well. Multiple creatures were introduced, but we know very little of them and how they interact with the world Nickles has built.

That all said, this was a thoroughly enjoyable story, and is the conclusion wraps everything up perfectly. I cannot wait to read future titles by this author and see how her writing develops!

[Hannah Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book starts with a captivating prologue to draw the reader into the story. Beautiful world building, I always had a clear vision of where the characters were.

I enjoyed the Scottish accents and respect the work the author put into the way each character spoke! I’m a big fan of the show Supernatural and Rowena in this show has a Scottish accent, so naturally, I loved this aspect of the book.

The timeline of Evelyn and Aiden’s relationship with easy to understand and I LOVED their flashbacks so much 🥹

This book also has CHAPTER TITLES!!!! I loooveee chapter titles.

Fans of LOTR universe would definitely enjoy this story!


I am excited to read the Alice & Colin (the MC’s kids) sequel based on everything we learn about them towards the end! I was happy to see that it will be coming soon. 😊

[Crystal Sutphin · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a reader familiar with Scottish lore/history/Gaelic language, I have so much respect for the author as you can tell they put in a lot of attention to be accurate and respectful. That being said, I wanted to give 4 starts but had to take a star away due to troubles reading through Aidan’s dialect as it broke my immersion into the story.

I loved Aiden and Evelyn’s love for each other and their family. It was refreshing to see an established relationship between them and their rediscovery of what it meant when they are reunited. The “spicy” scenes were tasteful and not overdone.

The action and adventure was thrilling and that last battle scene was epic! It got a bit confusing with all the names at times but it wasn’t too bad. I enjoyed Aidan’s core group of men with Three Musketeers vibes when they reminisced about their many years of adventure.

Druid magic has a HUGE part of the story which I throughly enjoyed but would love to heard more about it then just a quick conversation with Evelyn and an auxiliary character towards the later part of the book.

I recommend this book if you’re looking for a Scottish escape with a healthy FMC/MMC relationship, magic and adventure.

[Kara Kunselman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a good story. Magic, love, loss, betrayal, war, found family. It touches on a but of everything. I loved watching Aiden's story unfold and turn out right in the end. It was quite a journey, but "the best journeys take you home." 😉 I recommend this book for sure!

[Adventuresofabooktrovert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a wonderful adventure in a book. I loved this magical/historical/fantasy. The perfect second chance romance to warm your heart this holiday season.

[Keelia Brynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept, very mediocre execution.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fast paced read. I only had a little trouble with reading the language since I’m not use to this, but it gave the character more personality! It was a journey with a lot of emotions and situations. The chapters has titles (it’s been so many years since I saw this) and also it has a male POV, first time that I read a book with full male POV!! The ending is a good one and cute. Love the addition of witches, dragons and magic.

[Reader]

This was a fun ride of emotions, twists, turns, and mythical creatures. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and honestly couldn’t put it down. The chapters flowed well and made it a great easy read. The author did a great job getting the details of Scotland and research on the lores. You’ll thoroughly enjoy this book

[Ame McD · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and fast paced Scottish adventure, with a sweet HEA that ties everything up nicely.

Filled with magic and mythical creatures, this was a really fun read. I enjoyed the second chance at love that our MCs get & I really liked the flashbacks of how their story began. Throughout the book their relationship continues to heal and grow. Aiden and Evelyn will warm your heart!

The quest in this book is full of betrayal and twists and you’re always guessing if you should trust any new characters. When the enemy finally gets what’s coming to them it is perfect.

The characters words are written in Scotts and that took some getting used to. But once I was about a quarter of the way in it didn’t trip me up as much.

Thank you so much to Kyrstie Nickles for the ARC. This is my honest review and all thoughts are my own!

[Layla · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 44%

The concept had so much potential, unfortunately the execution was too poor. I couldn't continue, which is a complete shame as this could've been amazing.

[Abby Schneider · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fire On Fire by Krystie Nickles was a really fun fantasy romance based in Scotland. The real driving force of this book is familial love and it comes through in an absolutely adorable way. There was a lot of adventure and mystery along with great character dynamics and easy-to-read writing.

The characters of Evelyn and Aiden were great individually and as a couple. The story switches back and forth between when they first met and many years later after they have two children. Their relationship feels very genuine and they work well together as a team. The writing is relatively easy to follow. There is some pretty strong world building and mythology that I occasionally got lost in while reading, but I could still follow the plot even when slightly confused.

My only critiques of this book are that I had a hard time following all the many characters that are involved outside of the main family. There are a lot of characters and I often lost track of who were allies and who were enemies. Also, I sometimes got lost when the timeline would switch from the past to the present and vice-versa. It wasn’t always clearly marked apart from the opening sentence of the chapter. I was able to pretty quickly orient myself, however, within a page or two. Finally, sometimes I was a bit confused when Aiden spoke only in his Scottish dialect and the words were spelled out as they pronounced him. People who listen to this dialect often may easily be able to figure out what he is saying, but I struggled a bit and had to sound stuff out.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and found it to be a really fun standalone fantasy romance. I found myself excited for the family to be reunited when they were separated and I loved their dynamic. This book would be great for anyone who wants a nice, sweet, short, fantasy with a lot of adventure and love.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of Outlander for the past twenty years, and someone who loved her visit to Scotland, I was so excited to read this!

Evelyn and Aiden are a fantastic couple, and this story is driven by love for each other and for family. So much of what they experience is relatable to me, as a woman, a wife, and a mother. Misunderstandings, working through difficult emotions after betrayal, fighting for the love you know is there under the hurt feelings, it’s all brought to life very well. There are a number of significant, defining moments and you’ll experience a full range of emotions reading this book. Check the trigger warnings and also anticipate some good intimacy, both physical and emotional.

There are great historical and mythological details, and some significant world-building is woven into the story. There are magical creatures, druid lore, portal magic, elements of fantasy and romance, and plenty of action and adventure.

There are timeline switches, differing points of view, and a number of additional characters, so you may find yourself paging back now and then to clarify. I have a tendency to read faster when I get really into a book so this is a thing I end up doing!

Great fast read! Five stars!

[Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you again for the author and publisher for allowing me to receive a free copy in place of a review.

Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️
World-Building: ⭐⭐⭐
Character Development: ⭐⭐⭐


𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓼:

Scotland- need I say more?

This book was fast paced and full of adventure. I loved how magic was heavily incorporated into this story, and how well the author was able to include folklore and supernatural into this story while keeping the plot unique.

This couple fought tooth and nail to preserve their way of life and their love, and every page felt action packed!

There is:

Magic: ✔

Love/Betrayal: ✔

Scottish Romance: ✔

Powerful FMC: ✔

Adventure: ✔

𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓼:

The main reason I gave this book three stars is mainly for the writing style. I felt that it read more like a first/second draft than the final product. Also, the Scottish dialogue was difficult to work through (that's coming from an avid fan of another famous Scottish Romance series). However, I was able to finally get the hang of it.

All in all, I would recommend to a friend.

[carliereadsstuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many things I appreciated about this book: it is mainly set in an alternative version of 16th century Scotland during the reign of Henry VIII, which is a most welcome change and its protagonists are long married with two children, also a good twist on the romance theme. Because it is set in an alternative reality I didn't mind some of the food and cultural goods anachronisms (this is just an area of special interest of mine and I don't expect anyone else to care about e.g. potatoes or cigars popping up a bit earlier than they did historically). The writing style wasn't for me though. While I deeply appreciate a non-flowery style and didn't have any problem with presenting the dialect on page, this took the concept of conciseness a bit too far for my taste. With its paired-down sentence structures and dead-pan tone, the book often read like a lengthy summary of another book, which caused my brain to skim and miss important stuff and I wasn’t able to connect as much to the characters as I wanted too.

[Lisa Hilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Kyrstie Nickles for the ARC
Having lived in Scotland for the last 10 years this Scottish historical fantasy romance was just what I wanted to read. Kyrstie Nickles first novel was fantastical in the most amazing way I loved the character Aiden Shaw and his ferocious love he had for his Evelyn he would do absolutely anything for her. The dark magic she must learn to harvest and control. The close brother like devotion he and his friends shared. All of this is put to the test when The King of England kidnaps Aiden and Evelyn's children. The adventure they must go on to save the children and the plot twist of betrayal. I derived great pleasure from the romance, betrayal, found family and mythical creatures. I was squealing with joy at the cuteness of the whole family dynamic.
I didn't want this book to end and to top it off the Scottish dialect which I found myself reading along with in my head. I'm very excited to read any future releases from Kyrstie.

[Caitlin (cottagewitchreads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good fantasy novel debut that gave me ‘The Witcher’ vibes.

The book was different for me, not in genre but in its writing style, the language used throughout, and elements of the story. This was a nice different as oftentimes fantasy novels can be a little ‘samey’.

I liked all the mythology and folklore used. Being well read in these areas, I appreciated the apparent research that went into writing them into the story, and the general representation of using them. The way in which the author wrote these, as well as the imagery of scenery and events was great.

The overall plot was good but it didn’t grip me, I didn’t feel a desperate need to finish it and I did struggle to pick it up during my time reading it. The last part of the book however, did pull me in with its tension and action.

I recommend this book to all lovers of Scottish based fantasy, mythology, and magic.

Thank you to Book Sirens and Kyrstie for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Charity (Booktrovert Reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing read.

This fantasy book is set in historical Scotland. And this is also in a male POV. Which is different than what I normally pick up.

What I love about this book is that it is also an older MMC with his wife and several kids. More of a mature MMC who is just in pursuit of his lost family. Healing wounds from misunderstanding and hurt from his wife. Normal stuff that can happen in real life in a marriage.

This has monsters, sea travel, and the Scottish setting. Agh amazing!

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I received an advance review copy for free from the author, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sara McClaflin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my full review here: https://onreviewbysara.com/2024/01/06...

I was given this book as a gift from the author. My opinions and thoughts of the book are mine alone.

My Rating: I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. I found that there were a lot of moments that made me so happy that I found myself smiling. Each character was written as an individual, but also looped and tied together in the most positive of ways. I didn’t feel like I was out of place in this world, but I was on the ride right along with each person. The plot and the story was well developed and enjoyable. Over all, what an amazing debut!

[Angela Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re an Outlander fan, you’ll enjoy reading Fire on Fire, especially if you wish it had more fantasy magic. This story features a nice mashup of historical fiction, fantasy, romance, and Druid lore. The action scenes are particularly engaging. The author includes fascinating historical and geographical details and really did her research of Scottish colloquialisms. I especially enjoyed the Druid lore, portal fantasy, and magical creatures mixed with historical fiction details, as well as the mature main characters.

[Katie M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you BookSirens for the opportunity to read an ARC of Fire on Fire by Kyrstie Nickles. This was a historical fantasy novel that takes place in Scotland. There are lots of mythical creatures and magic throughout the story. The story was fast paced and original. It took a little while to get invested in the story and the Scottish dialect made it slightly hard to understand at times. Overall I would recommend this!

[Kristie Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fire on Fire is an action packed fairy tale about a man finally coming home to his family. He's been hunting monsters to survive for the last eight years, and when he finally comes home he's met with monumental surprises, both good and bad. Reconnecting with his wife and children is all he's ever dreamed of, but his days of danger aren't over yet. Will he be able to stay and carve out the piece of happiness he deserves, or will the dangerous life of adventure take over? 

[Pattie Fore · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ✨

This had the potential to be outstanding.

I enjoyed the storyline immensely.

Would have appreciated a bit more world building and character development.

Some of the fantastical details didn’t really sit well with me, as they all felt like afterthoughts.

Kind of like “oh yeah this is a fantasy”.

I enjoyed the way the book came together, but definitely would have preferred more in the way of world building and character development.

[McKenzie Nieman · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 60ish%. The plot was good and the fight scenes were great but the dialogue for our MMC was awful. I read on kindle, but I wish I would have listened to it.

This would make an amazing audiobook. The dialogue is literally a Scottish accent written in English, so when I’m reading intense fight scenes, I have to slow down and pay attention when anyone Scottish is talking to try and decipher what they’re saying.

[Amanda Zamorano · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story, wordbuilding, and lore in this book was really interesting to me. I haven't read many books in this setting, but I was here for it as a romance reader. lol The only struggles I had were that the accents didn't read easily for me. So the pacing slowed dramatically while in the middle of intense parts of the book. I also think putting the order of events as they were happening instead of flashing back would have given it added drama. I wasn't too worried about anyones survival since I knew in present time they were alive and fine.