Kissed by Fire

Sunwalker Saga #2

by Shéa MacLeod

Vampire bounty hunter Morgan Bailey needs a break. A girl can handle only so much drama - and her latest assignments have definitely brought the drama. So when her boss mentions an assignment in London, Morgan jumps at the chance to get back to her roots and do what she does best: a good old-fashioned vamp hunt. She should have known better.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Vampires, Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy, Dragons, Magic

Audible Audio

First published August 18, 2011

About the author

Shéa MacLeod has dreamed of writing novels since before she could hold a crayon. She totally blames her mother.

Her favorite poem as a child was ‘Jabberwocky’, and Her favorite authors were Agatha Christie and Edgar Allan Poe. Which probably explains a lot.

After a six year sojourn in London, England, a dearth of good donuts has driven her back to her hometown. She now resides in the leafy green hills outside Portland, Oregon where she indulges in her fondness for strong coffee, Ancient Aliens reruns, lemon curd, and dragons.

Because everything's better with dragons.

Shéa is the author of the SUNWALKER SAGA (a fast paced urban fantasy series with a kick-ass heroine published by Montlake) and DRAGON WARS (a post-apocalyptic series with dragons)as well as the Cupcake Goddess novelettes.

Reviews

[Ronda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boy was this even better than the first book - and with a few twists that I didn't expect - oh, and I was totally wrong about someone I thought was on the wrong side ha ha!!

Morgan Bailey - first I want to ask, What about Jack??? second I want to say - I would too!!! (read it if you want to know what I mean, wink wink)... Morgan continues her search for the Vampire that killed her 3 years ago, sounds weird but it's definitely true, because her job as Vampire Hunter, takes her and Kabita, her boss/best friend, back to the UK where Morgan met her demise... Kabita's cousin, Alison is a young lady that has been murdered and the funeral is on UK soil, her death looks like it has been by a dragon, but Morgan and Kabita have other ideas... and so their skills are put to good use...

Inigo, back in America, runs into a spot of bother and the girls have to rush back - but not before discovering some valid information AND something in addition for Morgan... woah was I surprised when I found out...

I am loving these books, Shea MacLeod writes with such an easy flow and the story is on the move constantly. I love the characters and they are just getting better as I learn more about them... I am eager to pick up book 3!!!

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Morgan's best friend and boss Kabita has received some bad news, her cousin has been murdered and it looks like she was killed by a species that are supposed to be extinct. Morgan offers to return to London with Kabita and help her uncover exactly what happened to her cousin but she also has a bit of a secret agenda and is hoping to track down the vampire who attacked her several years ago. Was Kabita's cousin really killed by a dragon and if she was how will they track down a killer from a species that hasn't been seen in centuries?

I have to confess that I wasn't the biggest fan of the first book in this series. I felt that Kissed by Darkness had a lot of potential but hadn't managed to live up to that and there were a lot of things that irritated me about the story and Morgan in particular. It's fair to say I had reservations about continuing the series but I wanted to give it a second chance for three reasons; firstly I have read a lot of series that don't have the strongest start but have developed really well in subsequent books and turned into favourites; secondly I have been desperate to find more urban fantasy books with a London setting and although this whole series isn't set in the UK I knew this instalment would be; finally this book has dragons in it - I absolutely adore anything dragon related so that was the reason that really sold me. I have to say that Kissed by Fire was slightly better than the first book but it still didn't manage to wow me and unfortunately a lot of the things that irritated me in the first book continued to irritate me in this one.

Morgan has got a little better at showing that she has some kick ass vampire slayer powers but she still makes several stupid mistakes and she needs to stop repeatedly mentioning how she was attacked by a vampire and gained all of these special abilities. Readers only need so many reminders about things we've heard before - even in a sequel if you're going to recap parts of the first book it only needs doing once, anything more than that and it just gets annoying. The author is also running the risk of taking Morgan beyond kick ass and turning her into an unbelievable superhero by giving her too many abilities. I think there needs to be a bit more balance between the characters and the powers they each have.

Morgan's libido is still enough to drive me insane, she had actually calmed down a bit during the first half of the book which had me giving a huge sigh of relief but after a certain event with Jack she goes straight back into lust after anything in trousers mode. I am absolutely sick to death of hearing how hot all the guys are and I think it is hilarious that the only men she doesn't lust after always turn out to be the evil bad guys. If only she could realise that the bad guys are always the ugly ones she would save herself a hell of a lot of time and investigation work! I'm also not impressed with the way Jack suddenly turned into a selfish idiot after being such a nice guy in the first book. That just seemed like a convenient way of throwing Morgan back in Inigo's direction and I'm just so over the whole love triangle thing. It wouldn't have been so bad if I liked Inigo more but he was a creepy stalker in the first book and I'm still not a fan.

I did like the introduction of the dragons and I hope we get to learn more about their history and the abilities they have in later books. I also want to know more about the Sunwalkers and their connection to Atlantis and the Knights Templar. The discovery of a new relative in Morgan's life means she might finally start to get more answers about her heritage which I think she desperately needs. The problem is that each book seems to focus on bringing a new supernatural species into the equation and so far not enough time has been spent developing the ones that we are already aware of. I'm torn when it comes to this series, there are so many things that bug me but in spite of that I do find the books are quick and fairly fun reads, I'm just not sure that the good outweighs the bad or that I have enough patience to continue reading it.

[LadyTechie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit that I am happy I found this series, especially since I have walked away from two or three that I was following closely. The one thing I like about Kissed by Fire is that the author does not drag a storyline on and on, sort of like how just when you think Jayne has caught Red John on The Mentalist after all these years, bam! He still doesn't have him. I am not a fan of storylines that carry on for multiple books, especially major storylines. I like to see some form of resolution in each book, even in a series. I have to say that Shea MacLeod was consistent with very strong writing, storyline, and characters.

In this installment all three of our major players Morgan, Inigo, and Kabita all have their individual story arcs or issues they are dealing with and there is a nice major story arch with the addition of dragons. I love dragons. Another thing that this author does well is flashbacks as a means of giving historical backdrop to Morgan's history. The reader does not get confused with tense or when something is occurring. A few great twists with Morgan's friendships/relationships and I like the way things turned out. I hope there won't be a lot of back and forth because that is one thing that makes me run screaming from paranormal romance along with love triangles. I'm more on the urban fantasy side of things and Shea MacLeod does a wonderful job writing UF.


I wanted to check on Shea MacLeod's website for the spelling of Morgan's best friend and boss and had a very welcome surprise. Book 3, Kissed by Smoke, is being released next month. Excellent!

Review can also be seen at http://ladytechiesbookmusings.blogspo...

[Valerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

As far as UF goes, this series has been pretty weak. The heroine is a bit of a hot mess despite her ever growing super powers, the mythology is clugy at best, and the books are short on plot. I am not sure that I would say this book even has a complete plot. It sort of ties things up, but not really. Not to mention, that the tiny bit of resolution seems to come out of nowhere.

The relationships are about the same. The first book zoomed head long into romantic triangle and then a love connection, followed by a love disconnection. In this book, the heroine spends almost the entire book pining after Jack, then hooking up with him out of the blue, but by the end of the book she loves Inigo. I say, "Run Inigo! You don't want this drama mamma!" And what the heck with Jack? He can't be with Morgan and fulfill his duty to protect her, but does a terrible job of keeping up with her. Then he says, the heck with it and falls into bed with her out of the blue, only to run off again and leave her protection in the hands of other??? WTF just happened?

Why should this surprise me? I mean, the mythology seems to constantly contradict itself. This power is inherited. Well, no its not, it is actually created. But, it is still kind of inherited after all. And, only dragons can do this one thing. Well, dragons, and demented, bigoted super villains. But it is okay, because soon Morgan will have every known special power in the universe. Thank goodness she doesn't have enough brain cells to rub together to make her a serious threat.

[K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trigger warnings: murder, fire, kidnapping, mentions of rape.

Okay, so here's the thing: I bought this (and the first book in the series) for 99c each as a Kindle deal of the day back in 2014. And then it sat unread on my Kindle for literally three years because every time I thought about reading it, I'd see that abomination of a cover and nope my way to literally any other book. Seriously, though. Why is it SO PAINFULLY OBVIOUS that she's wearing a terrible wig??? Look at the cover for any book in the series. They're all equally atrocious.

Anyway.

This was...fine? Like, it was better than the cover would indicate. There were definitely some issues with the writing (it's fairly basic, and there were a bunch of moments where I was like "Yeah, this book set in England was DEFINITELY written by an American..."), I wasn't a fan of the instalove elements (or the vague love triangle elements, for that matter), and there were a lot of elements of the plot that were kind of glossed over.

But I sped through it in a couple of hours. So. (That said, I'm not sure I'll bother continuing with the series. And yes, those covers are definitely a contributing factor...)

[Emmalynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5-3.7 stars It was a passably good followup to book 1
Jack was an A%#% but Morgan was just so lust crazed she fell into bed with him only to be dumped again 🙄🙄
Then there’s Indigo who she never gave a chance until after the fiasco with Jack and now she’s “in love”. Gotta love that fickle old heart. If I were him I’d run.m, but whatever.
The book itself is fine, tts fast paced, Morgan finally catches up to the vampire Who killed her and learns he was hired. She also has a half sibling who’s been watching over her .. say whatttt????? The darkness inside her wants to come out and play and ehh but it protects her so let’s see how that plays out. And the dragons are here v

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second part of the Sunwalker Saga takes Morgan and Kabita to London, where their investigation of the murder of Kabita's cousin Julia puts them on the trail of a species believed to have been extinct for centuries: dragons. Additionally, Kabita has to deal with her father while Morgan tries to come to terms with Jack's sudden backing off after discovering her royal Atlantean ancestry. Action, suspense, humour, romance and a bunch of further revelations and intriguing plot twists ensure that this book more than lives up to the promise of the series opener. More please!

[Luisa Felice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I really enjoyed the second book in the Sunwalker series, but maybe not quite as much as the first. Just like the first book, this book is both imaginative and well written. The author seems to know exactly where she plans to take this series. The storyline isn't a rehash of the 1st and it didn't completely run a predictable course either. I thought the writing and flow of this book also greatly improved over the 1st.

However, a couple of things did keep me from giving this read five stars. The tone was definitely more somber than the first and the humor seemed to be missing. I'm not sure if it was a slower pace or somber tone, that kept me from joyfully devouring this one in just one go. Three quarters the way through, interest and pace did seem to pick up quite nicely and I quikly read through the rest without difficulty. I think the majority of my issue was the somber and somewhat depressive beginning. Hopefully the humor returns in the next book.

But as I said, I still really enjoyed this book, and it was a fairly quick read. Not many books have peeked my interest as of late, so I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from this author in the future. For those that haven't read the first book in the series, I strongly suggest reading these books in order.

[Norah Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very worthy follow up to Kissed by Darkness (which was awesome). And OMG - dragons! The protagonist, bad-ass vampire slayer Morgan Bailey, was as compelling as ever, but now she has something else inside her besides the Darkness. Yes, she's ever more bad-ass! It was good to dig a little bit more into Kabita and her family, not to mention the surprises that just keep coming about Morgan's family. Then, of course, there's Jack. And Inigo. Mmmmmm. All I can say is, bring on the next in the Sunwalker Series!

[Victoria (nocturnalintimacy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Le Sigh. I'm giving this 2.5 stars, but that's not a very fair assessment.

I read a fair share of PNR/UF, and I think this series has a lot of potential. I think the plot line is fun and the character backs stories are interesting.

The writing, however, is awful. I feel terrible saying that, I really do, but I can't NOT say it. What's that line about showing and not telling? This author tells and allows for pretty big plot holes too. With some harsh editing and rewriting, this could be awesome, and that's what's killing me about this series.

So yeah, le sigh.

[Jenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25
Tons of action and I thought it was even better than the first one! Morgan is so surrounded by secrets and each one that's revealed to her is huge. This series will keep you on your toes and it's not very predictable. Dragons are introduced in this second installment and they really added to the series element. I can't wait to see where book 3 takes Morgan!

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book better than the first. She had to fly to London and tackle another murder. There are dragons, new powers, and revenge in this book. Oh and she finally finds love.

[Faye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book as much as the first, wow! Really enjoying how the story is developing. Can't wait for book 3

[Mama Bear's Fabulous Book finds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yay!! Finally Inigo came back...sigh. ..and him being half dragon...even better. Really liking this series..plenty of twisty turns

[Auriane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sehr leichte Lektüre (und nicht im Hermine Granger Sinn). Die interessanten Ansätze des vorherigen Bandes werden insofern ad acta gelegt, als dass sie eine nur noch untergeordnete Rolle spielen. Stattdessen wird eine völlig neue Spezies in den Mittelpunkt gestellt: Drachen. Wiederum interessanter Ansatz, aber inkonsistent. Es wirkt mehr, als ob die Autorin einfach Ihren Spaß haben wollte: ich will Drachen und ha, ich mache das so wie es will. Das ist grundsätzlich auch kein Problem, nur verzettelt sich dabei die ganze Story in unendlich vielen Enthüllungen. Logiklücken liegen da mehr als nur nah. Zudem werden die Handlungen der Charaktere nur noch undurchsichtiger und sie verlieren ihre Eigenheiten. Man kann mittlerweile alle Charaktere auf zwei Beschreibungen reduzieren, sie werden immer eindimensionaler.
Daher wären es eher 2 Sterne, Vll. 2,5. Aber trotz allem, ist es eine leichte angenehme Lektüre: kurzweilig; spannend, aber nicht „kann das Buch nicht aus der Hand legen“-spannend; ein paar nette Ideen; etwas Romantik; etwas UF-Setting.
Ideal für Zwischendurch oder eine 4stündige Zugfahrt. Idealer KU-Vertreter.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting twists and of course, dragons, are an inducement to read this next installment. I didn't buy Jackson being such an a**hole. If honor and being a guardian was so important to him, he would never have left Morgan to go back to the States. But at least Morgan's hormones seem not to be all over the place. I wish there was a little bit more of a lead up to the romance with her next love interest, particularly because there are a number of books in the series. This seemed to abrupt. I liked Morgan's best friend's family, it flesh out some of the characters a bit.

[Carolina Firefly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars! I really enjoyed this book. It just loses a bit on the rating for me because it feels like the author is taking every single thing that is special and giving it to the heroine. Like, does she have to have ALL the gifts? Atlantean, royal, kisses the darkness, firebringer, vampire affinity, natural born hunter…Also, I am not a fan of a love triangle, nor of the transfer of affections within one. And I don’t think we’re done with the love triangle yet. I don’t think Inigo is totally in and Jack is totally out. It’s still the Sunwalker Series. Clearly there’s more story to tell there.

[MLL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brilliant Narration. Unimpressive Heroine.

Morgan is obsessed with getting revenge on the vampire who killed her. After taking a truckload of weapons with her to England she sets out to hunt the vampire that killed her armed with only 1 knife. When she finally tracks him to his hiding place she finds a locked door in the catacombs blocking her from him. In a fit of anger she spontaneously sets the door on fire. Then instead of getting him she leaves.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dragons?

Morgan is a vampire hunter, has recently discovered she is a princess of Atlantis, that she might be a Sunwalker, and men in general are stinkers! With all that going on, she isn't thrilled when new abilities suddenly manifest and she has to learn how to use them and control them, so they don't control her. Loved the storyline, the world building, and the characters.

[Lunyzbreid Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

More mythology in the mix

I liked this book more than the first one. Mainly because Morgan's hormones were not all over the place. Also adding more mythology made it more interesting.
In this second book, we get to know more about the origins of Morgan, the real nature of Inigo and Kabita.

[Brian Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining

Another good plot with engaging characters, told with a nice fast paced style. Morgan's growth and her changing relationships make for an entertaining tale. A little explicit heat, so be aware.

[Maryjo English · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

Loved every bit of book two. Now we finally know what Inigo is... yay! A lot of mystery, love and heartbreak in this one but man is it good. Can’t wait to dig into book 3 to see what the team is going to get into next!

[Sonja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

I like the continuation of the story from the first book to this one. I enjoyed reading this book and will continue with the series.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Book two us even better then one. The story is fast passed and well written with plenty of action. I can't wait for book 3.

[Airwreckah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love that the kindle narration is free with kindle unlimited- this helped me paint the babys room!

[Trigger Warning Database]

Trigger & Content Warnings

Rape mentioned
Murder
Kidnapping
Fire

[kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jam packed

This book was jam packed with adventures and more metaphysical transformations and reveals than I think I've ever read in one book. Can't wait to see what happens next.n

[Karen Mccollin]

Great book

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was great.

Its not perfect some parts stuttered while I was reading it but others I really enjoyed.

The dragon lore is probably my favourite part, looking forward to the next book.