Nicole Pyland has ended the Fire Universe with the release of The System and done a superb job. With the introduction of Keiran, Carina, and Marin, the series wrapped up perfectly.
When Keiran starts a new job coding for a DNA discovery website, she is offered the chance to submit her own DNA for testing. As a baby, she was adopted, so she sees the opportunity as a chance to grow her familial connections.
What she never imagined is finding out she has a twin sister. One who is being accused of murder. Carina is the defence attorney who sits down with Keiran and shares what she knows about her sister, Marin’s case. The problem is Carina is going to be the one to send Marin to jail, and still, Keiran can’t stay away from her.
Keiran and Carina are from different worlds, but from the moment they meet, there is a connection that neither can quite explain. Actually, Carina can, she is a lesbian, and she knows she finds Keiran attractive. Keiran, on the other hand, is going through a divorce from a man and has never considered herself to be anything but straight.
Proving that Marin is innocent becomes almost an obsession for Keiran, who can’t help but feel guilty over the privileged life she has been able to live thanks to her adoptive parents.
The System is a slow burn romance with a huge mystery thrown in, which kept me guessing until the very end. The story is constructed nicely, with twists and turns and plenty of the steamy scenes Pyland has become so well known for.
Each MC from throughout the Fire Universe makes an appearance, and through heartache and triumph, this friendship group continues to expand.
I know I mention this most times when I talk about any of Pyland’s series that can be read as stand-alone, but it’s important to note that if you do miss the other books, there are wonderfully intertwined relationships that sometimes span years that would be missed.