What do you think?
Rate this book
Phoenix Warriors #1
Captured Heat
The Phoenix Warriors, a group of immortals bound by the gods to protect the integrity of the human realm from otherworldly races, have been led for centuries by Cole, a guarded alpha male.
When Cole learns that an ancient demon has discovered the location of a tool that will enable him to escape from the prison realm, Cole vows to find and safeguard it before the demon's vampire minions.
Rebecca Powell is a high school guidance counselor who is everyone's "lucky charm." She's just not so lucky herself. After being used a time too many, she's through with men...until she runs right into the one she can't resist.
Cole and Rebecca have both been burned before, but can they put aside their misgivings to protect the human realm and learn to love again?
When Cole learns that an ancient demon has discovered the location of a tool that will enable him to escape from the prison realm, Cole vows to find and safeguard it before the demon's vampire minions.
Rebecca Powell is a high school guidance counselor who is everyone's "lucky charm." She's just not so lucky herself. After being used a time too many, she's through with men...until she runs right into the one she can't resist.
Cole and Rebecca have both been burned before, but can they put aside their misgivings to protect the human realm and learn to love again?
- GenresRomanceParanormal
158 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 25, 2014
4 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Karida Clarke
6 books12 followersKarida Clarke is a romance writer with a penchant for anything otherworldly. If it has scales, fur, poisoned talons, throws fire or casts magic spells, it might find its way into her stories. Karida likes her heroines multifaceted and her males swoon-worthy, Alpha-style. She believes that relationships matter more than things and places. In her free time, Karida enjoys lacing up for long runs and cooking ethnic cuisine. Pet peeves include Saran Wrap and people who don’t put their shopping carts away. Karida has an M.A. in English Literature, is a former college English instructor, and left a job in public relations and journalism to homeschool her kids. She lives with her nerd-tastic husband and two spunky tweens in Ohio.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 28, 2014
Reviewer: Tina
Disclosure: This ebook was provided by the author in exchange for an HONEST and not necessarily positive review.
This is first book in this author's new series. It has action from the beginning to the end. I liked that to two main characters aren't your usual vampire or werewolf characters. Instead, we have a feisty woman who thinks she is human but isn't and a hot male who is hotter than most because he is a Phoenix.
On the very fist page we get to see this hot male named Cole in action and he never stops until he gets finished in the end. Rebecca turns out to be just as surprising with her talents she uses. Put these two together and the heat really starts to spark.
This is a unique paranormal book, and yes we see all of the different paranormal creatures in this book. The storyline will have you wondering what is coming up next. Every other character in this story has a history that I believe will come out in the next book in this series. I can't wait to see what will happen next to all of these characters. I see that many twists are headed for the future of these characters and can't wait to see what will happen. Great start to this new series!
Disclosure: This ebook was provided by the author in exchange for an HONEST and not necessarily positive review.
This is first book in this author's new series. It has action from the beginning to the end. I liked that to two main characters aren't your usual vampire or werewolf characters. Instead, we have a feisty woman who thinks she is human but isn't and a hot male who is hotter than most because he is a Phoenix.
On the very fist page we get to see this hot male named Cole in action and he never stops until he gets finished in the end. Rebecca turns out to be just as surprising with her talents she uses. Put these two together and the heat really starts to spark.
This is a unique paranormal book, and yes we see all of the different paranormal creatures in this book. The storyline will have you wondering what is coming up next. Every other character in this story has a history that I believe will come out in the next book in this series. I can't wait to see what will happen next to all of these characters. I see that many twists are headed for the future of these characters and can't wait to see what will happen. Great start to this new series!
January 20, 2021
Great start to a series!!
This is honestly a book I would have never picked up but after being recommended to me by a friend, I thought I would give it a shot. Um WOW!! Characters that you want as friends, saucy and spicy love scenes, and a nice blend of supernatural and realism. I was sad it ended so quickly but I’m excited to jump into book 2!!
This is honestly a book I would have never picked up but after being recommended to me by a friend, I thought I would give it a shot. Um WOW!! Characters that you want as friends, saucy and spicy love scenes, and a nice blend of supernatural and realism. I was sad it ended so quickly but I’m excited to jump into book 2!!
January 5, 2020
This book is smokin' hot!
Karida Clark may be new to the romance writer scene but she's no stranger to a well written story. From the very beginning, she draws you in. The first chapter opens with a fight scene between a vampire and something else. You learn that the Phoenix Warriors are here to protect the fragile humans from the drudges of paranormal creatures like Vampires and Demons.
The characters are well developed and the action, both in the bedroom and out, is well written. The story would stand on its own without the bonus sex scenes but those are amazing. Let's just say the hubs got some extra attention after reading them!
I cant wait to see what more this hot new writer has to offer!
Karida Clark may be new to the romance writer scene but she's no stranger to a well written story. From the very beginning, she draws you in. The first chapter opens with a fight scene between a vampire and something else. You learn that the Phoenix Warriors are here to protect the fragile humans from the drudges of paranormal creatures like Vampires and Demons.
The characters are well developed and the action, both in the bedroom and out, is well written. The story would stand on its own without the bonus sex scenes but those are amazing. Let's just say the hubs got some extra attention after reading them!
I cant wait to see what more this hot new writer has to offer!
March 26, 2015
I always think it’s pretty cool to discover authors that live in the same area. However, when they are authors that you “know”, or even KNOW, it’s one of those things where it can be a tightrope to accept review copies from them. What happens if you think their stuff just totally SUCKS? You need to be honest so that no one wastes their money buying their stuff unless it’s on sale or totally in their wheelhouse, or they can borrow it from someone else, but you also want to be supportive — plus, horror of ALL horrors — what if you end up FACE-TO-FACE with them??!!!??? (Which reminds me. Not that I expect it to suck or anything, because I DON’T, but a friend of The Man sent me one of his books WELL over a year ago and I forgot to do a read & review on it. Guess that *I* am the one that sucks, eh Kirk Dougal??)
Anyway, Karida Clarke is a local friend of a local friend. Because the friend mentioned it, and said that she felt her books would be in my wheelhouse, I reached out & touched Karida regarding her books. She then turned around and sent me review copies… and even though it’s been a few weeks, she’s been VERY patient about it and hasn’t bugged me. (That I know about, but then again, I’m notoriously crappy about checking my Facebook messages, so, who knows?!!!?) Anyway, here I was with three books. There I was, knowing that Karida was wondering… and my friend was asking me what I thought… and I was nervous as all get out.
Well, I’m RELIEVED to say… I was COMPLETELY sucked in to these books! There are currently three in the series out, and since the puppy wasn’t ripping anything apart at the time, once I finished the first one, I just immediately clicked on the second one. (Why not just perpetuate the myth that stay-at-home Moms sit on their asses all day doing nothing??)
karida logo
Karida’s series is called THE PHOENIX WARRIOR series. Ten points to anyone who can guess what type of paranormal / shapeshifter is featured…?? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?? Yes, there in the back. You’re right! PHOENIXES!!! I’ve run across VERY few phoenix shifter stories so for me? That was a check mark in the positive column off the bat. The Phoenix Warriors have been tasked by Apollo to protect humankind from other paranormals. Typically the struggle between good & evil in this series is relegated primarily to immortals, but there are “baddies” that are humans that are involved. The government is aware of the existence of some of the paranormals, but is NOT aware that there are portals to other realms and species. There is some sex in the books, but nothing that would qualify as a battery burner (which can be a good thing or a not-as-good thing, depending on your perspective). Now that I’ve given you all that set-up info, SNARKY MOM PRESENTS THE PHOENIX WARRIOR SERIES BY KARIDA CLARKE!!
Publication Date: February 25, 2014
99 cents at Amazon ~173 pages
The Phoenix Warriors, a group of immortals bound by the gods to protect the integrity of the human realm from otherworldly races, have been led for centuries by Cole, a guarded alpha male.
When Cole learns that an ancient demon has discovered the location of a tool that will enable him to escape from the prison realm, Cole vows to find and safeguard it before the demon’s vampire minions.
Rebecca Powell is a high school guidance counselor who is everyone’s “lucky charm.” She’s just not so lucky herself. After being used a time too many, she’s through with men…until she runs right into the one she can’t resist.
Cole and Rebecca have both been burned before, but can they put aside their misgivings to protect the human realm and learn to love again?
vintage sm thinks Okay, here’s what I think. First of all, this start to the series is priced at 99 cents, so it’s a fairly safe gamble to take to see if you like the writing style, the world and the story lines. Go ahead. Take the risk – you’ll be glad you did! Karida has built a world where immortals are always in the background either trying to take advantage of and/or destroy humanity, or in the case of the Phoenix Warriors, protect humanity from the aforementioned immortal baddies. The book opens with Cole, the head of the Phoenix Warriors, battling a vampire who is after a “tool” that is wanted by an imprisoned demon, Damian. He comes to realize that the tool isn’t a what, but a who… and that who is Rebecca, a high school guidance counselor who is obviously “other” and has no earthly clue that she is. As Cole fights to get Rebecca to safety, and tries to determine exactly what she is, he comes to realize that he is drawn to her — and that he wants her as his flame bond.
Karida manages to bring mythology and a new twist on paranormal matings, along with a not-often used shapeshifter, to infuse life into a genre that has many “been there, done that” stories in it. I found the flame bonding interesting, and found myself chuckling quite a bit at the comments about humanity and its excessive need for sleep. Many times first books in series focus more on introducing the characters in order to set up future stories; I felt that while we got a good introduction to the members of the Phoenix Warriors it wasn’t done to the detriment of the original storyline. The introduction of portals to other realms, such as the prison realm where Darian is, was really interesting and I found myself disappointed when the book ended, simply because it did end!
Overall? Good solid introduction to the Phoenix Warriors by this new author!
Anyway, Karida Clarke is a local friend of a local friend. Because the friend mentioned it, and said that she felt her books would be in my wheelhouse, I reached out & touched Karida regarding her books. She then turned around and sent me review copies… and even though it’s been a few weeks, she’s been VERY patient about it and hasn’t bugged me. (That I know about, but then again, I’m notoriously crappy about checking my Facebook messages, so, who knows?!!!?) Anyway, here I was with three books. There I was, knowing that Karida was wondering… and my friend was asking me what I thought… and I was nervous as all get out.
Well, I’m RELIEVED to say… I was COMPLETELY sucked in to these books! There are currently three in the series out, and since the puppy wasn’t ripping anything apart at the time, once I finished the first one, I just immediately clicked on the second one. (Why not just perpetuate the myth that stay-at-home Moms sit on their asses all day doing nothing??)
karida logo
Karida’s series is called THE PHOENIX WARRIOR series. Ten points to anyone who can guess what type of paranormal / shapeshifter is featured…?? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?? Yes, there in the back. You’re right! PHOENIXES!!! I’ve run across VERY few phoenix shifter stories so for me? That was a check mark in the positive column off the bat. The Phoenix Warriors have been tasked by Apollo to protect humankind from other paranormals. Typically the struggle between good & evil in this series is relegated primarily to immortals, but there are “baddies” that are humans that are involved. The government is aware of the existence of some of the paranormals, but is NOT aware that there are portals to other realms and species. There is some sex in the books, but nothing that would qualify as a battery burner (which can be a good thing or a not-as-good thing, depending on your perspective). Now that I’ve given you all that set-up info, SNARKY MOM PRESENTS THE PHOENIX WARRIOR SERIES BY KARIDA CLARKE!!
Publication Date: February 25, 2014
99 cents at Amazon ~173 pages
The Phoenix Warriors, a group of immortals bound by the gods to protect the integrity of the human realm from otherworldly races, have been led for centuries by Cole, a guarded alpha male.
When Cole learns that an ancient demon has discovered the location of a tool that will enable him to escape from the prison realm, Cole vows to find and safeguard it before the demon’s vampire minions.
Rebecca Powell is a high school guidance counselor who is everyone’s “lucky charm.” She’s just not so lucky herself. After being used a time too many, she’s through with men…until she runs right into the one she can’t resist.
Cole and Rebecca have both been burned before, but can they put aside their misgivings to protect the human realm and learn to love again?
vintage sm thinks Okay, here’s what I think. First of all, this start to the series is priced at 99 cents, so it’s a fairly safe gamble to take to see if you like the writing style, the world and the story lines. Go ahead. Take the risk – you’ll be glad you did! Karida has built a world where immortals are always in the background either trying to take advantage of and/or destroy humanity, or in the case of the Phoenix Warriors, protect humanity from the aforementioned immortal baddies. The book opens with Cole, the head of the Phoenix Warriors, battling a vampire who is after a “tool” that is wanted by an imprisoned demon, Damian. He comes to realize that the tool isn’t a what, but a who… and that who is Rebecca, a high school guidance counselor who is obviously “other” and has no earthly clue that she is. As Cole fights to get Rebecca to safety, and tries to determine exactly what she is, he comes to realize that he is drawn to her — and that he wants her as his flame bond.
Karida manages to bring mythology and a new twist on paranormal matings, along with a not-often used shapeshifter, to infuse life into a genre that has many “been there, done that” stories in it. I found the flame bonding interesting, and found myself chuckling quite a bit at the comments about humanity and its excessive need for sleep. Many times first books in series focus more on introducing the characters in order to set up future stories; I felt that while we got a good introduction to the members of the Phoenix Warriors it wasn’t done to the detriment of the original storyline. The introduction of portals to other realms, such as the prison realm where Darian is, was really interesting and I found myself disappointed when the book ended, simply because it did end!
Overall? Good solid introduction to the Phoenix Warriors by this new author!
January 15, 2018
Great mixture of genres
This story is a mix of erotica and urban fantasy. Karida shows that she has researched the mythological creatures she features in her novel, I feel she wrote the characters in a way that you will like them, and there is a strong story with this novel.
This story is a mix of erotica and urban fantasy. Karida shows that she has researched the mythological creatures she features in her novel, I feel she wrote the characters in a way that you will like them, and there is a strong story with this novel.
March 30, 2020
Cole and Rebecca
Cole is a Phoenix Warrior, and Rebecca is a muse or ampath. They are attracted to each other, but need to keep a demon caged to protect the human world.
Cole is a Phoenix Warrior, and Rebecca is a muse or ampath. They are attracted to each other, but need to keep a demon caged to protect the human world.
July 6, 2014
The Phoenix Warriors, a group of immortals bound by the gods to protect the integrity of the human realm from otherworldly races, have been led for centuries by Cole, a guarded alpha male. When Cole learns that an ancient demon has discovered the location of a tool that will enable him to escape from the prison realm, Cole vows to find and safeguard it before the demon's vampire minions.
Rebecca Powell is a high school guidance counselor who is everyone's "lucky charm." She's just not so lucky herself. After being used a time too many, she's through with men...until she runs right into the one she can't resist.
Cole and Rebecca have both been burned before, but can they put aside their misgivings to protect the human realm and learn to love again?
I absolutely loved the story. Vampire Romance my favorite. I was hooked from the very beginning. I just couldn’t put it down. The romance between Rebecca and Cole is smoking hot.
You could almost feel the heat coming off the pages. This book is very well written with great detail. The characters are very well developed. The things that Cole and Rebecca have been through, even though it is a paranormal romance, people can really relate to them and I love that.
I would highly recommend this book
Rebecca Powell is a high school guidance counselor who is everyone's "lucky charm." She's just not so lucky herself. After being used a time too many, she's through with men...until she runs right into the one she can't resist.
Cole and Rebecca have both been burned before, but can they put aside their misgivings to protect the human realm and learn to love again?
I absolutely loved the story. Vampire Romance my favorite. I was hooked from the very beginning. I just couldn’t put it down. The romance between Rebecca and Cole is smoking hot.
You could almost feel the heat coming off the pages. This book is very well written with great detail. The characters are very well developed. The things that Cole and Rebecca have been through, even though it is a paranormal romance, people can really relate to them and I love that.
I would highly recommend this book
April 21, 2014
OMG! Cole is HOT HOT HOT! Karida sure knows how to give you the Alpha male you desire, however the story development fell a little short for me in order to give this a 5 star rating.
While I am fairly new to paranormal romance, I would still hope to see a little story and a whole lot of chemistry that brings my hero and heroine together. When this is done and done well, I can lose myself and finish the book within a day or two. LOL. Yes, I do not read as quickly as most of you! I had a tough time really feeling the connection of Cole and Rebecca so when they declared their love, I was like, “WHOA NOW when did this happen in the story?” A great sexual attraction is great but the falling in love is built through out the story and I missed that somewhere. Now do not get me wrong, there was a lot going on in this book and a ton of HAWTNESS. It just lacked some connecting which I am big on.
I did really enjoy that there is no major cliff hanger in this book. You know there is going to be another, but you are not left off in the middle of a chapter or right in the middle of the story, which is so annoying. So thank you very much, Ms. Clarke!
While I am fairly new to paranormal romance, I would still hope to see a little story and a whole lot of chemistry that brings my hero and heroine together. When this is done and done well, I can lose myself and finish the book within a day or two. LOL. Yes, I do not read as quickly as most of you! I had a tough time really feeling the connection of Cole and Rebecca so when they declared their love, I was like, “WHOA NOW when did this happen in the story?” A great sexual attraction is great but the falling in love is built through out the story and I missed that somewhere. Now do not get me wrong, there was a lot going on in this book and a ton of HAWTNESS. It just lacked some connecting which I am big on.
I did really enjoy that there is no major cliff hanger in this book. You know there is going to be another, but you are not left off in the middle of a chapter or right in the middle of the story, which is so annoying. So thank you very much, Ms. Clarke!
April 23, 2014
4 out of 5
I enjoy paranormal reads. Combined with historical romance, they were my reading staples for a long time when I was younger. Captured Heat is a prime example of why I love to read in this genre. The sky is the limit in paranormal books. It’s all a matter of what the author comes up with and writes into the story. Karida Clarke included all of the elements for a great paranormal read in Captured Heat. And she did it brilliantly. The Phoenix Warriors are all beautiful specimens with the powers of a Phoenix- fire, flight, regeneration, heightened strength and senses. In Captured Heat, our heroine, Rebecca, is a lucky charm of sorts to those around her, but what makes her lucky for others brings bad luck on her when the bad guy wants to use her gifts for nefarious purposes. But, Colton Phoenix will stop at nothing to protect her. Throw in the spunky best friend, realistic dialogue, some action scenes, and molten hot love scenes and you have a great read! I will be watching for the next book in the series, Heat Reborn, in June when it is expected to release. After Captured Heat, Karida Clarke found a dedicated reader in me.
I enjoy paranormal reads. Combined with historical romance, they were my reading staples for a long time when I was younger. Captured Heat is a prime example of why I love to read in this genre. The sky is the limit in paranormal books. It’s all a matter of what the author comes up with and writes into the story. Karida Clarke included all of the elements for a great paranormal read in Captured Heat. And she did it brilliantly. The Phoenix Warriors are all beautiful specimens with the powers of a Phoenix- fire, flight, regeneration, heightened strength and senses. In Captured Heat, our heroine, Rebecca, is a lucky charm of sorts to those around her, but what makes her lucky for others brings bad luck on her when the bad guy wants to use her gifts for nefarious purposes. But, Colton Phoenix will stop at nothing to protect her. Throw in the spunky best friend, realistic dialogue, some action scenes, and molten hot love scenes and you have a great read! I will be watching for the next book in the series, Heat Reborn, in June when it is expected to release. After Captured Heat, Karida Clarke found a dedicated reader in me.
June 25, 2014
This is first book in this authors new series. It has action from the beginning to the end. I liked that to two main characters aren't your usual vampire or werewolf characters. Instead we have a feisty woman who thinks she is human but isn't and a hot male who is hotter than most because he is a Phoenix. On the very fist page we get to see this hot male named Cole in action and he never stops until he gets finished in the end. Rebecca turns out to be just as surprising with her talents she uses. Put these two together and the heat really starts to spark. This is a unique paranormal book and yes we see all of the different paranormal creatures in this book. The storyline will have you wondering what is coming up next. Every other character in this story has a history that I believe will come out in the next book in this series. I can't wait to see what will happen next to all of these charters. I see that many twist be headed for the future of these characters and can't wait to see what will happen. Great start to this new series!!
August 20, 2014
**Karida's Phoenix men literally sizzle on every page**
Your looking for a new series of warriors, maybe something different? You won't go wrong with this series about Phoenix's.
I love PNR it's my favourite genre so getting to start a new series about men that turn into Phoenix's is a pleasure. The warriors all have their own personality, which will make for an interesting series. When you mix in a strong leading lady you cant go wrong.
Rebecca is a guidance counsellor, that helps people more than she realises, she has recently come out of a bad relationship. Now, all of a sudden there's a hunky man hanging around. As soon as she's in danger Cole can't leave her alone, then again does she want him too! Their journey is full of adventure, mixed in with sensual and sexy scenes.
The authors writing flows and the story and characthers will grab you.
A great read full of hunky hot men and strong women, can't wait to read book 2.
Five super sizzling stars.
**i was gifted a copy if this book for an honest review**
March 4, 2014
Not a bad start to a new pnr series. I thought the whole premise with the hero and his team being a Phoenix was a nice change of pace from the normal vampire/shifter stories. Heroine was very likable, and I hero was a good combination of possessive alpha-male. Secondary characters were entertaining, and author left door open for upcoming books about them. Writing style for me pretty good for a new author. It had a good flow, and enjoyable plot line. The sex scenes were spicy--but not "over the top", and there was a decent amount of action/suspense. World building was good--I do wish the author made the book a little longer to go into a little more detail, and add more suspense to conflicts. Still, I will definitely be looking for a second book in this series.
September 22, 2014
This was a fun book and a nice change from the normal paranormal fare (not that I don't love the normal paranormal--I DO!!!). Lots of sexy scenes, too.
March 19, 2015
Love this series!!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews