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The Divine Affinity #1
Firestorm
My affinity is unlike anyone else’s.
It acts on impulse and intuition, not my command.
After the death of our parents, my older brother and I have created a simple life for ourselves, running our small café. But when an unnatural storm threatens our livelihood, my affinity does what it always does – reacts without my order. Now, the government knows I hold more than one affinity, forcing me to attend the nearest training academy.
Leaving my brother and our home is hard, but I manage. I can make the best out of any bad situation.
The academy is full of surprises. One of which is Aiden, a fiery elemental affinate who doesn’t care if fate meant for us to be together or not. He declares that he’s mine, and that’s that. What’s worse? I can’t turn him away. I’m falling for him.
But what of the other two men fate has decided on for me?
There’s Wyatt, the brooding counselor who seems like he wants anyone else in the world but me.
Then there’s the Crown Prince, Rafael, who’s made no effort to meet me.
And what about the shadow who stalks me, the mystery man who brings me flowers and books?
Hiding my true affinities has never been more difficult, especially when an enemy turned friend admits that he knows what I am. But when the academy is attacked and those I’ve come to love are threatened, a haunting new reality sets in.
I may have no choice but to allow my affinity to save us…by killing anyone it deems a threat.
Firestorm is a full-length PNR reverse harem romance novel, where the FMC will not have to choose between her love interests, with dark themes and adult content meant for readers 18+. Story is written in first person, multi-POV. This is book one in the Divine Affinity series, and ends on a slight cliffhanger, though I promise it’s not too bad!
It acts on impulse and intuition, not my command.
After the death of our parents, my older brother and I have created a simple life for ourselves, running our small café. But when an unnatural storm threatens our livelihood, my affinity does what it always does – reacts without my order. Now, the government knows I hold more than one affinity, forcing me to attend the nearest training academy.
Leaving my brother and our home is hard, but I manage. I can make the best out of any bad situation.
The academy is full of surprises. One of which is Aiden, a fiery elemental affinate who doesn’t care if fate meant for us to be together or not. He declares that he’s mine, and that’s that. What’s worse? I can’t turn him away. I’m falling for him.
But what of the other two men fate has decided on for me?
There’s Wyatt, the brooding counselor who seems like he wants anyone else in the world but me.
Then there’s the Crown Prince, Rafael, who’s made no effort to meet me.
And what about the shadow who stalks me, the mystery man who brings me flowers and books?
Hiding my true affinities has never been more difficult, especially when an enemy turned friend admits that he knows what I am. But when the academy is attacked and those I’ve come to love are threatened, a haunting new reality sets in.
I may have no choice but to allow my affinity to save us…by killing anyone it deems a threat.
Firestorm is a full-length PNR reverse harem romance novel, where the FMC will not have to choose between her love interests, with dark themes and adult content meant for readers 18+. Story is written in first person, multi-POV. This is book one in the Divine Affinity series, and ends on a slight cliffhanger, though I promise it’s not too bad!
424 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 21, 2025
793 people are currently reading
999 people want to read
About the author
C. Marie
3 books94 followersCatherine is an emerging author of paranormal romance who writes what she likes to read - plot with a side of spice. While born and raised in the great state of Texas, she now lives in southern AZ with her husband, newborn daughter and their pet leopard gecko, Ravioli, (who also serves as her writing cheerleader). Common themes throughout her writing include angst, suspense, mystery, hurt/comfort, found family, and connections to nature. Follow along to be notified of new releases!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews
October 20, 2025
This was decent (especially for what I think is a debut novel). It's a pretty typical paranormal academy reverse harem at times, but it's an easy read and very entertaining. My main critique is that the characters had such abrupt mood changes from one scene to the next - I was getting whiplash. In one scene, the main characters would be fighting and crying, and literally the very next scene, with nothing bridging the scenes together, they would be making out and giggling. It made it feel like the book was very fractured and each scene was written separately. The characters seemed a little unstable tbh.
Aiden was pretty unlikable in the first half of the book, and his personality did a total 180 in the second half of the book. It was kind of explained, but it still felt like a totally different person. Also, the friendships were WAY too insta-besties. She literally met this character Dani once and then at the end of the book, she was like, I trust Dani with my life. Like girl you had one 10-minute conversation with her months ago?? Willow was super dramatic, and I couldn't really tolerate her.
That said, there's a good plot here. I liked Rafe. I also liked the FMC's brother. The plot twist at the end was not surprising at all (I literally immediately predicted it at the beginning of the book), but I'm curious to see what happens next.
Aiden was pretty unlikable in the first half of the book, and his personality did a total 180 in the second half of the book. It was kind of explained, but it still felt like a totally different person. Also, the friendships were WAY too insta-besties. She literally met this character Dani once and then at the end of the book, she was like, I trust Dani with my life. Like girl you had one 10-minute conversation with her months ago?? Willow was super dramatic, and I couldn't really tolerate her.
That said, there's a good plot here. I liked Rafe. I also liked the FMC's brother. The plot twist at the end was not surprising at all (I literally immediately predicted it at the beginning of the book), but I'm curious to see what happens next.
August 9, 2025
If a reformed playboy who now whimpers and likes to be told “good boy” is your jam then this might just be the book for you!! LMAO BUT NO SERIOUSLY, I had so such fun with this book. It’s WHY CHOOSE, in an academic setting, with FATED MATES (links), secret powers, and a plot that has so many twists and turns that it will give you whip lash… like the plot was plotting! I am so intrigued on how the series is going to continue to play out!! I am hoping that in the next book we get more from the other links, outside of that, this was good! 4/5⭐️ I’m readyyyy for book two! 🙂↕️🤏🏽
July 27, 2025
DNF 11%
I may try this one again, but for right now I'm just not feeling it. The FMC is a complete marshmallow. She cries and trembles about everything, but goes on and on about how she always has to be so strong. Where is the strength?
She's basically a whiny baby and I'm just not into her story right now.
I may try this one again, but for right now I'm just not feeling it. The FMC is a complete marshmallow. She cries and trembles about everything, but goes on and on about how she always has to be so strong. Where is the strength?
She's basically a whiny baby and I'm just not into her story right now.
July 16, 2025
DNF 24%
This book is so freaking juvenile! The FMC is supposed to be 24 but she talks and acts like a 16 year old. The slang used is ridiculous, she’s a hot mess and not in a good way. She cries constantly and doesn’t handle her trauma at all. Everything moves at the speed of freaking light in this book but there’s also massive time skips.
Wouldn’t waste my time if you’re looking for substance.
This book is so freaking juvenile! The FMC is supposed to be 24 but she talks and acts like a 16 year old. The slang used is ridiculous, she’s a hot mess and not in a good way. She cries constantly and doesn’t handle her trauma at all. Everything moves at the speed of freaking light in this book but there’s also massive time skips.
Wouldn’t waste my time if you’re looking for substance.
December 1, 2025
Really Decent
I was really surprised I enjoyed this book so much. I really didn’t expect to like it as much as I did.
There was a few things that confused the heck out of me the entire book. They used the letters GTA like the reader would understand but I even re read the first 20% ish of the book and there was no explanation. At first I thought it was a term for mean kids, then I thought it was termed for teachers assistant? But what does the G stand for? lol who knows. I even highlighted the letters and searched the entire book for any mentions and got nothing. The other issue was, when wildly weird things happened around her. Explosions, things moving on their own, etc.. typically we would be reading her point of view, reading her thoughts and things would happen. She wouldn’t be actively thinking about it so the reader wasn’t sure if it was her or someone else doing it. Telekinetic’s is a power that gets them murdered. Immediately. Don’t pass go. Not jailed. They get dead. Powers usually emerge young, and when a toddler is found to be telekinetic, they are immediately put to death. No ifs, ands or buts.
The prolog shows what happens to Skye’s/Zephyrs parents. Explosion. Dead, only Skye’s powers saved her and zephyr. Later, they own a cafe. And she gets found out that she has a second power on top of her air manipulation. She can also control water. She’s sent off to the academy, knowing one slip and she’s dead, being a telekinetic and all. She slowly meets some wonderful ppl. Willow (her roomy) and her chain mate Mia, Willow is also the brother to the guy that kissed her and ran after she was caught and told she had to go to the academy. She didn’t know they were siblings. Also, she didn’t know Willow was sent to watch her. Wyatt, the brother basically rejects her over n over again, not meanly but basically ignores any personal questions from her. Rejecting her hurts her heart and she’s constantly rubbing her chest. She meets Aiden, playboy Aiden. He changed after meeting her. Turns out he’s one of her links. Alongside a shadow that’s been stalking her from day 1. She doesn’t know until near the end, but the shadow is Rafe. Crown Prince. So she’s got 3 powerful mates… Rafe can shadow walk, Aiden can control fire, and played with lightening, and Wyatt, can heal and scramble memories. This book was entertaining. I wish it didn’t end. It was longer than most books tho, so I can’t complain to much. Next book is out in 10 days I think. Can’t wait!
I was really surprised I enjoyed this book so much. I really didn’t expect to like it as much as I did.
There was a few things that confused the heck out of me the entire book. They used the letters GTA like the reader would understand but I even re read the first 20% ish of the book and there was no explanation. At first I thought it was a term for mean kids, then I thought it was termed for teachers assistant? But what does the G stand for? lol who knows. I even highlighted the letters and searched the entire book for any mentions and got nothing. The other issue was, when wildly weird things happened around her. Explosions, things moving on their own, etc.. typically we would be reading her point of view, reading her thoughts and things would happen. She wouldn’t be actively thinking about it so the reader wasn’t sure if it was her or someone else doing it. Telekinetic’s is a power that gets them murdered. Immediately. Don’t pass go. Not jailed. They get dead. Powers usually emerge young, and when a toddler is found to be telekinetic, they are immediately put to death. No ifs, ands or buts.
The prolog shows what happens to Skye’s/Zephyrs parents. Explosion. Dead, only Skye’s powers saved her and zephyr. Later, they own a cafe. And she gets found out that she has a second power on top of her air manipulation. She can also control water. She’s sent off to the academy, knowing one slip and she’s dead, being a telekinetic and all. She slowly meets some wonderful ppl. Willow (her roomy) and her chain mate Mia, Willow is also the brother to the guy that kissed her and ran after she was caught and told she had to go to the academy. She didn’t know they were siblings. Also, she didn’t know Willow was sent to watch her. Wyatt, the brother basically rejects her over n over again, not meanly but basically ignores any personal questions from her. Rejecting her hurts her heart and she’s constantly rubbing her chest. She meets Aiden, playboy Aiden. He changed after meeting her. Turns out he’s one of her links. Alongside a shadow that’s been stalking her from day 1. She doesn’t know until near the end, but the shadow is Rafe. Crown Prince. So she’s got 3 powerful mates… Rafe can shadow walk, Aiden can control fire, and played with lightening, and Wyatt, can heal and scramble memories. This book was entertaining. I wish it didn’t end. It was longer than most books tho, so I can’t complain to much. Next book is out in 10 days I think. Can’t wait!
December 29, 2025
I like the world and the magic. It kept me interested to learn more. So far, she has only added one person to her chain and haven't advanced her relationship with any other. I'm a little confused as to why they kept mentioning a 'him' when taking care of someone. They didn't say his name until the last page even though we all clearly knew who it was. I didn't really find Skye to be as strong as depicted. She was constantly running away, full on sprinting really. And constantly crying, she forgave Aiden twice when he didn't do much groveling.
January 7, 2026
This started off so strong honestly! It did have a few similarities to other paranormal RH’s but I was having a lot of fun but around the half way point I just found my attention lacking. Skye annoyed me pretty quickly…
I think maybe I’m being too critical but I’m 3 books into 2026 and I’m not having a great time. Perhaps I’m in a slump, who knows??
I think maybe I’m being too critical but I’m 3 books into 2026 and I’m not having a great time. Perhaps I’m in a slump, who knows??
January 9, 2026
Wyatt has me pissed AWFFFF.
some of the problems could just be solved with communication and trust 💔 but I’m having funnnn 😛
3.75⭐️
some of the problems could just be solved with communication and trust 💔 but I’m having funnnn 😛
3.75⭐️
August 9, 2025
4.5 fun academy romance with pretty good world building. (reminded me a little of variant lost).
Skye, our MFC, was born with forbidden magic. Because of this and the fact a psycho cult leader was trying to find her, she stayed hidden. This worked until she made a stupid mistake in an attempt to save her family's store. She has no other choice but to enroll in the closest magical academy and be matched with her "link" or fated mates.
The world and characters are built pretty well. overall a great start to a series. looking forward to book two.
(slight spoilers)
Some things I didn't love:
1. One of her mates semi rejects her with no real reason given. he's mad at her? he wants to protect her? he doesn't like the idea of being linked?? who knows, but he's kind of a dick and it is not fleshed out.
2. The book got a little long in the middle with not a lot happening.
Skye, our MFC, was born with forbidden magic. Because of this and the fact a psycho cult leader was trying to find her, she stayed hidden. This worked until she made a stupid mistake in an attempt to save her family's store. She has no other choice but to enroll in the closest magical academy and be matched with her "link" or fated mates.
The world and characters are built pretty well. overall a great start to a series. looking forward to book two.
(slight spoilers)
Some things I didn't love:
1. One of her mates semi rejects her with no real reason given. he's mad at her? he wants to protect her? he doesn't like the idea of being linked?? who knows, but he's kind of a dick and it is not fleshed out.
2. The book got a little long in the middle with not a lot happening.
August 8, 2025
I got a really bad sense of déjà vu with this one, and I can’t pinpoint it.
It lacks a little bit of world building.
The drama/stakes aren’t really high. Everything’s just passively happening.
The first MMC brought into the relationship is well flushed out.
Povs from the MMCs should feel like presents not character builders. Their personalities should be shown from the FMC’s pov first. I struggled to like them due to this.
Worth giving it a read!
It lacks a little bit of world building.
The drama/stakes aren’t really high. Everything’s just passively happening.
The first MMC brought into the relationship is well flushed out.
Povs from the MMCs should feel like presents not character builders. Their personalities should be shown from the FMC’s pov first. I struggled to like them due to this.
Worth giving it a read!
September 14, 2025
Aaron was disgusting me
Dnf @ 42%. I think I really needed any other love interest besides Aaron. He just kept making me mad, and Skye becoming his door mat was hair pulling crazy. Aaron's personality was disgusting. I mean how much more head games was he gonna play? How much broken "whoa is me" was he gonna pull. I was begging for anyone, and i do mean anyone else to be interested in our fmc. She had no reason besides chest pain to keep this fool around.
Dnf @ 42%. I think I really needed any other love interest besides Aaron. He just kept making me mad, and Skye becoming his door mat was hair pulling crazy. Aaron's personality was disgusting. I mean how much more head games was he gonna play? How much broken "whoa is me" was he gonna pull. I was begging for anyone, and i do mean anyone else to be interested in our fmc. She had no reason besides chest pain to keep this fool around.
August 14, 2025
love it, need more
Oh I really need the book!
This is an academy reverse harem, but that is where all tropes end. This world of magic is new, different and unique to this author.
I am so here for more of this!
Oh I really need the book!
This is an academy reverse harem, but that is where all tropes end. This world of magic is new, different and unique to this author.
I am so here for more of this!
August 10, 2025
Strong FMC white knighting.
August 26, 2025
3.5⭐️ Reading time: 7 hours and 1 minute
An interesting take, if somewhat drawn out. Will be reading the next one when it comes out
An interesting take, if somewhat drawn out. Will be reading the next one when it comes out
October 12, 2025
Couldn't put it down
This story sunk its claws in and kept me obsessed. I enjoyed it so much!! Skye is a phenomenal main character! Can't wait to read the next book!!
This story sunk its claws in and kept me obsessed. I enjoyed it so much!! Skye is a phenomenal main character! Can't wait to read the next book!!
September 4, 2025
This was such a good read! I really liked it and I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next book😁
August 12, 2025
struggling to rate
Honestly this book had a lot of potential. It really pulled me in right away. The problem I have is the story is inconsistent with details and doesn’t follow logical sense. The characters kept acting in ways that didn’t make sense. The details were confusing and at times conflicting. I wanted to love it so much but can’t get past the illogical flow.
Honestly this book had a lot of potential. It really pulled me in right away. The problem I have is the story is inconsistent with details and doesn’t follow logical sense. The characters kept acting in ways that didn’t make sense. The details were confusing and at times conflicting. I wanted to love it so much but can’t get past the illogical flow.
August 12, 2025
4.5 stars.
Themes:
- PNR
- Reverse harem (no MM of FF within the harem)
- Academy romance
- Fated mates ('Links')
- Spice: 🌶🌶/5
A great debut novel.
MMCs: Golden retriever (reformed playboy who's really just super cute and shy), shadow daddy aka the prince of darkness, and the counsellor/academic. All MMCs have their own trauma, seemingly related to their parents, which is used to explain a lot of their behaviour. The characters are all distinct and likeable (some more than others - although this may change in the next book).
FMC: Firery yet kind and compassionate. Has a strong backbone except when it comes to her links (I felt she forgave them too easily for some of their comments/actions, also there were 1 too many scenes where she burst into tears especially for someone who says she can't imagine anything worse than crying in front of someone...).
World-building could have been better, but not a big drawback.
The spice was definitely there but didn't detract from the plot. To give you an indication, the FMC only 'connects' with 1 of her links by the end of the book.
Overall, it's a solid read, and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the next book.
Themes:
- PNR
- Reverse harem (no MM of FF within the harem)
- Academy romance
- Fated mates ('Links')
- Spice: 🌶🌶/5
A great debut novel.
MMCs: Golden retriever (reformed playboy who's really just super cute and shy), shadow daddy aka the prince of darkness, and the counsellor/academic. All MMCs have their own trauma, seemingly related to their parents, which is used to explain a lot of their behaviour. The characters are all distinct and likeable (some more than others - although this may change in the next book).
FMC: Firery yet kind and compassionate. Has a strong backbone except when it comes to her links (I felt she forgave them too easily for some of their comments/actions, also there were 1 too many scenes where she burst into tears especially for someone who says she can't imagine anything worse than crying in front of someone...).
World-building could have been better, but not a big drawback.
The spice was definitely there but didn't detract from the plot. To give you an indication, the FMC only 'connects' with 1 of her links by the end of the book.
Overall, it's a solid read, and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the next book.
January 18, 2026
I’ll start this off by saying I do not know if I will be putting spoilers, but I’m just gonna mark it as there may be spoilers so read with caution I guess
So I had saw this book a few months back probably sometime middle of last year and it sounded very intriguing but I didn’t pick it up. And I will say I’m glad that I didn’t yet because that cliffhanger left me enough time to be able to pick up book two immediately.
What can I say about this book? It definitely keeps you captivated the entire time throughout. There are some sometimes when I get mad a little bit just cause of the fact that none of the affinities are really being explained. And I know most of them are basic so they’re easy to understand it’s just I wish there was a guide of all of the affinities normal rare or even banned.
We don’t know much about our FMC at the moment. We just know that when she was 12, her and her brother lost two of her parents. I’m not gonna spoil the ending but one of her parents kind of survived does that make sense? You’ll see by the end of the book one what I mean by that.
Skye is a bad ass, but she’s also very emotional which is normal, especially when you understand just the magnitude of things that she’s been through in 24 years. Let’s also not forget to mention that her life is constantly in danger because of who she is. Now she does tell us exactly who she is by the end of the book, but I don’t know if that’s it for her. Or if there is more to her powers than just those two things that she tells us. Especially with what Landon has said to her. But I absolutely love her. She is such a great character. You can’t help but feel for her and understand why she’s so selective about telling people or even making friends in regards to who she is because her life is in constant danger.
Zephyr is her brother. Now he won’t understand this fully until you read the book, but when other characters bring him up, namely Wyatt and Rafe it’s absolutely hilarious. Because they both believe that he’s her lover. They never you know, decided to have a conversation or looking into her life to see that that’s her brother because they look nothing alike. They have the same mom but different dads and their dads are different skin colours so it’s absolutely hilarious that they think she’s his lover. Not gonna lie every time it was mentioned I just started dying because I just find it so funny. He is the best big brother ever. He is 100% in her corner cares about her so much and loves her despite everything and never ever blames her for anything. He is literally the best. I’m honestly kind of hoping he Willow Mia and Dani end up being a thing. Because that would just be absolutely wonderful.
Now to go onto the premise of this book. When you think about a normal non-paranormal type reverse Haram or why choose book you think of it as this a female, with three or more men and possibly even another woman in the relationship and that’s how we classify it. With this book, it works differently. Think about the centre always being a woman in a why choose book. In this case that’s the same but Skye is considered a Key. Her men are considered her Links. Together they make a Chain.
That’s really the easiest way I can describe it. I don’t know how to word it. Aiden is your typical F boy hiding behind that persona but actually is a big ass teddy bear deep down. Who just needs a woman to take control. He’s got a very hard life his family does not care about him at all. His own mother treats him the absolute worse. To the point where she belittles and beats him. And so it’s to kind of counteract how she makes him feel he turns the alcohol and drugs. He messes up a few times throughout the book but Skye understands his life isn’t easy and that his mom is not a good person and he does beg for forgiveness on his knees 😉
Rafe. He is the crown Prince. He’s basically her shadow stalker. Doesn’t get close enough to actually have a conversation with her but isn’t the same room with her constantly just hidden in shadows stalking her although he does approach her before the end of the book. How they meet isn’t the best of circumstances, but what are you gonna do? His life hasn’t been easy either except his mother is about to be crowned queen and she absolutely loves her son and his only kind to him. His father one of them but his bio one is an absolute ass. Don’t know if he’s playing stupid or if he actually is, but he’s definitely got an agenda and he’s working with the enemy. Also, he’s obsessed with Skye. You’ll see that when you read the book and see their first and only ever encounter.
Wyatt. You wanna feel bad for him but you wanna punch him at the same time. She met him first and he essentially kissed her and then rejected her. So their relationship is tumultuous the best. He thinks staying away from her is gonna protect her. Richard is his father. I say that word very loosely though he is not a good Dad and he does not give a shit about his son. He loves his daughter because she came from his Key but his son came from the woman he was with prior. You’ll have to read more about Wyatts but he definitely has a tumultuous family situation. Although him and Willow could be closer if he wasn’t such an ass.
The Crusader. He seems to be the villain. People follow him around like they’re in a cult and he’s their God. We’ve only had about two encounters with him so far and it was from MMC‘s or side characters.
Landon. You definitely hate him at first, but by the end you’re gonna love him and feel bad for him.
I absolutely loved this book and I’m about to dive into book 2 and I can’t wait. I know there’s two more books planned for this series. Book 3 is supposed to be out sometime this year and I’m not sure about book 4. Hopefully they’re both out by the end of the year.
Highly recommend this book
So I had saw this book a few months back probably sometime middle of last year and it sounded very intriguing but I didn’t pick it up. And I will say I’m glad that I didn’t yet because that cliffhanger left me enough time to be able to pick up book two immediately.
What can I say about this book? It definitely keeps you captivated the entire time throughout. There are some sometimes when I get mad a little bit just cause of the fact that none of the affinities are really being explained. And I know most of them are basic so they’re easy to understand it’s just I wish there was a guide of all of the affinities normal rare or even banned.
We don’t know much about our FMC at the moment. We just know that when she was 12, her and her brother lost two of her parents. I’m not gonna spoil the ending but one of her parents kind of survived does that make sense? You’ll see by the end of the book one what I mean by that.
Skye is a bad ass, but she’s also very emotional which is normal, especially when you understand just the magnitude of things that she’s been through in 24 years. Let’s also not forget to mention that her life is constantly in danger because of who she is. Now she does tell us exactly who she is by the end of the book, but I don’t know if that’s it for her. Or if there is more to her powers than just those two things that she tells us. Especially with what Landon has said to her. But I absolutely love her. She is such a great character. You can’t help but feel for her and understand why she’s so selective about telling people or even making friends in regards to who she is because her life is in constant danger.
Zephyr is her brother. Now he won’t understand this fully until you read the book, but when other characters bring him up, namely Wyatt and Rafe it’s absolutely hilarious. Because they both believe that he’s her lover. They never you know, decided to have a conversation or looking into her life to see that that’s her brother because they look nothing alike. They have the same mom but different dads and their dads are different skin colours so it’s absolutely hilarious that they think she’s his lover. Not gonna lie every time it was mentioned I just started dying because I just find it so funny. He is the best big brother ever. He is 100% in her corner cares about her so much and loves her despite everything and never ever blames her for anything. He is literally the best. I’m honestly kind of hoping he Willow Mia and Dani end up being a thing. Because that would just be absolutely wonderful.
Now to go onto the premise of this book. When you think about a normal non-paranormal type reverse Haram or why choose book you think of it as this a female, with three or more men and possibly even another woman in the relationship and that’s how we classify it. With this book, it works differently. Think about the centre always being a woman in a why choose book. In this case that’s the same but Skye is considered a Key. Her men are considered her Links. Together they make a Chain.
That’s really the easiest way I can describe it. I don’t know how to word it. Aiden is your typical F boy hiding behind that persona but actually is a big ass teddy bear deep down. Who just needs a woman to take control. He’s got a very hard life his family does not care about him at all. His own mother treats him the absolute worse. To the point where she belittles and beats him. And so it’s to kind of counteract how she makes him feel he turns the alcohol and drugs. He messes up a few times throughout the book but Skye understands his life isn’t easy and that his mom is not a good person and he does beg for forgiveness on his knees 😉
Rafe. He is the crown Prince. He’s basically her shadow stalker. Doesn’t get close enough to actually have a conversation with her but isn’t the same room with her constantly just hidden in shadows stalking her although he does approach her before the end of the book. How they meet isn’t the best of circumstances, but what are you gonna do? His life hasn’t been easy either except his mother is about to be crowned queen and she absolutely loves her son and his only kind to him. His father one of them but his bio one is an absolute ass. Don’t know if he’s playing stupid or if he actually is, but he’s definitely got an agenda and he’s working with the enemy. Also, he’s obsessed with Skye. You’ll see that when you read the book and see their first and only ever encounter.
Wyatt. You wanna feel bad for him but you wanna punch him at the same time. She met him first and he essentially kissed her and then rejected her. So their relationship is tumultuous the best. He thinks staying away from her is gonna protect her. Richard is his father. I say that word very loosely though he is not a good Dad and he does not give a shit about his son. He loves his daughter because she came from his Key but his son came from the woman he was with prior. You’ll have to read more about Wyatts but he definitely has a tumultuous family situation. Although him and Willow could be closer if he wasn’t such an ass.
The Crusader. He seems to be the villain. People follow him around like they’re in a cult and he’s their God. We’ve only had about two encounters with him so far and it was from MMC‘s or side characters.
Landon. You definitely hate him at first, but by the end you’re gonna love him and feel bad for him.
I absolutely loved this book and I’m about to dive into book 2 and I can’t wait. I know there’s two more books planned for this series. Book 3 is supposed to be out sometime this year and I’m not sure about book 4. Hopefully they’re both out by the end of the year.
Highly recommend this book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 4, 2025
Not good...
I tried pushing through to not DNF this book but just had enough at 30%. The heroine cried constantly and one of the h was a wimp with mommy issues and decided to be with his ex to do drugs than be with the pathetic heroine. Then we have the F/F roommate and M/M comment. The flow was all over the place on this one. Confusing at times and boring with immature characters. Lots of telling for sure and parental issues. Hard passed on this one.
I tried pushing through to not DNF this book but just had enough at 30%. The heroine cried constantly and one of the h was a wimp with mommy issues and decided to be with his ex to do drugs than be with the pathetic heroine. Then we have the F/F roommate and M/M comment. The flow was all over the place on this one. Confusing at times and boring with immature characters. Lots of telling for sure and parental issues. Hard passed on this one.
September 13, 2025
DNF +300 pages of not much. This book felt very YA in the sense that all the characters behaved like fk teenagers. The same scenes play out over and over but slightly different each time. Plus the constant push and pull between the main characters was exhausting. Didn’t feel the connection. Didn’t buy their I love yous. Overall, repetitive and childish.
December 23, 2025
💀 💀 ☠️ ☠️ 😵
This was… horrible. Truly. I almost don’t know where to start. Actually, I do: the FMC is the ultimate “not like other girls” final boss.
She’s sassy (read: rude), refuses to dress up because that’s “annoying,” yet somehow always looks effortlessly hot in a messy bun and old leggings. Naturally. She has a parade of men orbiting her, which she ignores because ugh, men. She explicitly says, “I don’t need or want a man,” while simultaneously flirting nonstop with several MMCs. Consistency is overrated, I guess.
Her internal monologue is… impressive. It’s basically a loop of abs, arms, sex, and more abs. She hates parties. She’s a genius but despises school and never studies because, you guessed it, that’s annoying too.
Despite having no formal education and hiding her powers her entire life, she joins an academy and within less than a month is outperforming men who have trained for years and are supposedly very powerful. This is all delivered alongside eye-rolling and cliché one-liners about how pathetic men are. Riveting.
And that’s just the base layer. Then we pile on every romance cliché known to mankind:
• Accidentally runs into a wall of muscle? ✔️
• Instant best friend roommate who exists solely to explain the world and worship the FMC? ✔️
• Multiple MMCs obsessively devoted to her? ✔️ (Yes, I know “fated mates,” but this was excessive.)
• Secretly the daughter of the Big Bad? ✔️
(Predictable within five minutes. He’s evil, powerful, wants her to join him, and yes she will defeat him we know that.)
I genuinely couldn’t find a single likeable character. Everyone is painfully one-dimensional.
The FMC herself is rude, inconsistent, and exhausting. Does she hate men? Does she want to date them? Sleep with them? All of the above? It changes every page. She also shames other women for sleeping around while lusting after basically every guy she meets. Bold strategy.
If you enjoy FMCs who roll their eyes constantly, think like a frat boy internally, claim to hate men while being surrounded by them, and pride themselves on being not like other girls, congratulations. This book was written for you.
For everyone else… maybe skip.
December 24, 2025
This started off a 5 star. Then dropped to 4 because of the games the author decided to play with the cohesion of the harem. Then it dropped to 3 because the whole plot just started spinning its wheels for about 3 or 4 hours in the middle. It was so yawn. The h (Skye) is a human with multiple (infinite????) affinities. Basically, a magic wielder of epic proportions in a world where 1 or 2 abilities are the norm. When she's introduced to us she's an orphan, living with her only relative (brother), and they run a cafe together. But she's also hiding because she's an anomaly, and she's terrified of what that might mean for her. At first her personality seemed weak, weepy, and very young for 24yo. She literally couldn't stand up in certain situations without the support of her brother (Zephyr). But when she got to the academy she had these ooc uber strong badass moments. I'm not complaining about the shift, but it was a little severe.
I really liked the way the h acted towards the only harem member that she bonded with (Aidan). It was very soft and loving and tender, even his male tears didn't bother me, because they were beautifully emotionally honest with each other. He even submitted to her sexually, which was nice turnabout. This genre is full of smirking superior mansplainers and it's gross, so it was nice to see a guy so in love that it twisted him in knots and a made him vulnerable.
BUT the levels of omission and repetition were brutal in this story. Seriously authors, don't write these pnr s if you don't have enough content to accompany the feels. The second harem member (Rafe) NEVER MEETS THE h! Instead he wields shadows and stays hidden in them, trying to endlessly read her mind for THE ENTIRE BOOK wtaf. It was the most irritating type of stalling. The 3rd harem member (Wyatt) is a waste of space. One of those confused, scared types that hides behind stoicism, his job and his dysfunctional family. He also avoided the h for most of the book. smh.
It was even more odd because the two holdouts seemed to get that their 'mate' (she's called a 'key' in this world) was powerful beyond imagining but still kept trying to 'protect' her 🤷♀️. Like the author said in the foreword, this isn't dark romance, but the villains were so all powerful that IMO it felt depressing.
I really liked the way the h acted towards the only harem member that she bonded with (Aidan). It was very soft and loving and tender, even his male tears didn't bother me, because they were beautifully emotionally honest with each other. He even submitted to her sexually, which was nice turnabout. This genre is full of smirking superior mansplainers and it's gross, so it was nice to see a guy so in love that it twisted him in knots and a made him vulnerable.
BUT the levels of omission and repetition were brutal in this story. Seriously authors, don't write these pnr s if you don't have enough content to accompany the feels. The second harem member (Rafe) NEVER MEETS THE h! Instead he wields shadows and stays hidden in them, trying to endlessly read her mind for THE ENTIRE BOOK wtaf. It was the most irritating type of stalling. The 3rd harem member (Wyatt) is a waste of space. One of those confused, scared types that hides behind stoicism, his job and his dysfunctional family. He also avoided the h for most of the book. smh.
It was even more odd because the two holdouts seemed to get that their 'mate' (she's called a 'key' in this world) was powerful beyond imagining but still kept trying to 'protect' her 🤷♀️. Like the author said in the foreword, this isn't dark romance, but the villains were so all powerful that IMO it felt depressing.
June 22, 2025
For a debut author, this wasn't a bad attempt at world building and writing.
A couple things dragged on: it took too long for the FMC to fully meet her chain/links; it took too long for the FMC to finally save all the students; the classes at the academy also seemed to drag on.
FMC is very weak when it comes to her chain/link and guarding her personal space. She allows herself to be manhandled all the time; allows people to touch her and play with her hair too much; she also forgives people too easily.
There are some plot errors/character directions that don't make sense to me. FMC will tell her roomies what she is, but not someone from her chain? That didn't make sense to me.
The beginning when the FMC was having a panic attack, the one guy kisses her to stop? That doesn't make much sense.
The author also fell into the trap of having one of the MMC's not want to "bond" with the FMC because "he's so tortured" and he's "just trying to protect her." *rolls eyes* He's 28 years old, grow up and be an adult.
The one thing that I did not like about the world building was that it was very confusing at points. It appears that there are several powerful people out there, but they all cozy up to the monarch. And like, what is the role of royalty? It seems like the world and the politics are only half thought out/developed.
This wasn't an amazing book, but it wasn't bad either. I'm intrigued enough to read book two when it releases and hopefully some of the writing will have tightened up by then.
A couple things dragged on: it took too long for the FMC to fully meet her chain/links; it took too long for the FMC to finally save all the students; the classes at the academy also seemed to drag on.
FMC is very weak when it comes to her chain/link and guarding her personal space. She allows herself to be manhandled all the time; allows people to touch her and play with her hair too much; she also forgives people too easily.
There are some plot errors/character directions that don't make sense to me. FMC will tell her roomies what she is, but not someone from her chain? That didn't make sense to me.
The beginning when the FMC was having a panic attack, the one guy kisses her to stop? That doesn't make much sense.
The author also fell into the trap of having one of the MMC's not want to "bond" with the FMC because "he's so tortured" and he's "just trying to protect her." *rolls eyes* He's 28 years old, grow up and be an adult.
The one thing that I did not like about the world building was that it was very confusing at points. It appears that there are several powerful people out there, but they all cozy up to the monarch. And like, what is the role of royalty? It seems like the world and the politics are only half thought out/developed.
This wasn't an amazing book, but it wasn't bad either. I'm intrigued enough to read book two when it releases and hopefully some of the writing will have tightened up by then.
November 3, 2025
Hold on I gotta go find my socks…
WHOOOOOO I don’t have any bookish friends so ima give yall ALL my feels about Fire Storm by C Marie. Like first off where the heck did this wonderland of a mind come from!?!??! 😳😳 this book was all the things! I drew the reading out over almost a week because I didn’t want it to end. 😞 I’m really hoping this is a long series. Her writing while it was frustrating in the beginning was actually just a way to keep reader interest and hold some mystery for the story development. Small things come to light here and there throughout the book. And while some of you will roll your eyes I liked the sensitivity of the FMC. She’s a really good hearted person, cries often because she feels too much. But do not get her twisted she will lay out anyone that steps out of line. You will cackle with glee at the “health class” chapter. 🤣 the ending tho, literally knocked both my socks off!!
• FMC that generally gives no uffs
• Sweet and squishy redheaded book boyfriend
• Evil secret society
• Affinities/Elemental power society
• A Dark Prince 🤤
• Unhinged mothers
• Nefarious fathers
• Big brothers that will tear the world apart for their siblings
• And besties that are ten toes down for their friends!
Gah I just finished it, but I kinda wanna read it again. 🤭🤭 second book to be released in December and I’m not doing well with the waiting. 😂😂 (it’s been like 10 minutes 🫤)
If you liked Bonds that Tie, Evelyn Maynard, Bonds of the Alpha Academy then this is your book. And the paperback is up for sale already as well.
WHOOOOOO I don’t have any bookish friends so ima give yall ALL my feels about Fire Storm by C Marie. Like first off where the heck did this wonderland of a mind come from!?!??! 😳😳 this book was all the things! I drew the reading out over almost a week because I didn’t want it to end. 😞 I’m really hoping this is a long series. Her writing while it was frustrating in the beginning was actually just a way to keep reader interest and hold some mystery for the story development. Small things come to light here and there throughout the book. And while some of you will roll your eyes I liked the sensitivity of the FMC. She’s a really good hearted person, cries often because she feels too much. But do not get her twisted she will lay out anyone that steps out of line. You will cackle with glee at the “health class” chapter. 🤣 the ending tho, literally knocked both my socks off!!
• FMC that generally gives no uffs
• Sweet and squishy redheaded book boyfriend
• Evil secret society
• Affinities/Elemental power society
• A Dark Prince 🤤
• Unhinged mothers
• Nefarious fathers
• Big brothers that will tear the world apart for their siblings
• And besties that are ten toes down for their friends!
Gah I just finished it, but I kinda wanna read it again. 🤭🤭 second book to be released in December and I’m not doing well with the waiting. 😂😂 (it’s been like 10 minutes 🫤)
If you liked Bonds that Tie, Evelyn Maynard, Bonds of the Alpha Academy then this is your book. And the paperback is up for sale already as well.
August 27, 2025
A Great Starting Point
With its rich world-building and unique magic system, this book had me hooked from the very first page. The intrigue within the plot was nicely complimented by the more lighthearted moments, creating a story that felt intense without being too dark. It had angst, tonnes of suspense, and an impressive amount of foreshadowing that combined into a story that felt fully-rounded and interesting.
The characters themselves were great. They felt complex and like individuals—which is so important in why-choose romances. The multiple POVs allowed readers in-depth glimpses of their motivations and fears, making the major growth they experienced so far that much more impactful.
The romance aspect of the book was another win. As a why-choose, it took the opportunity to play with a handful of fun tropes that worked really well within the story. Some moments were frustrating and a lot were downright sweet, leaving just enough unsettled for the romances to progress as the series continues.
All in all, this book was a great starting point for this paranormal academy series. It had minimal errors or typos and flowed nicely from point to point. A bit repetitive when it came to the angst, but enjoyable nonetheless.
It should be said that this series is still unfinished. The author’s afterword mentions plans for at least a trilogy but more books may be added if deemed necessary.
With its rich world-building and unique magic system, this book had me hooked from the very first page. The intrigue within the plot was nicely complimented by the more lighthearted moments, creating a story that felt intense without being too dark. It had angst, tonnes of suspense, and an impressive amount of foreshadowing that combined into a story that felt fully-rounded and interesting.
The characters themselves were great. They felt complex and like individuals—which is so important in why-choose romances. The multiple POVs allowed readers in-depth glimpses of their motivations and fears, making the major growth they experienced so far that much more impactful.
The romance aspect of the book was another win. As a why-choose, it took the opportunity to play with a handful of fun tropes that worked really well within the story. Some moments were frustrating and a lot were downright sweet, leaving just enough unsettled for the romances to progress as the series continues.
All in all, this book was a great starting point for this paranormal academy series. It had minimal errors or typos and flowed nicely from point to point. A bit repetitive when it came to the angst, but enjoyable nonetheless.
It should be said that this series is still unfinished. The author’s afterword mentions plans for at least a trilogy but more books may be added if deemed necessary.
July 22, 2025
4 stars
Why choose academy books are my kryptonite! I read all of them and my bar is extremely low. I'm there for the vibes and a fun story. Firestorm is a great addition to this niche genre and far and away clears my bar!
What I liked:
- The FMC was wonderful, I really enjoyed her. I loved her confidence as well as her struggle with PTSD after being pretty isolated. She didn't annoy me once! She is 24 and spoke and acted like an adult.
- The magic was X-Men like. A magic system I always enjoy.
- The MMC's were all well written and had clear/different personalities (something that doesn't always happen in these why choose books).
- The plot was (mostly) entertaining and flowed well. I really liked the villain and religious/cult aspect.
What needed work:
- My main gripe is the lack of world building or explanation. I was confused the whole time on what the world looked like- is it an alternative America? What exactly is the government set up? This hurt the plot a bit because it led to some confusion on the overall set up of the story. I don't need super descriptive world building, but some more explanations in book 2 would be nice.
Great job to this author!! I'm ready to devour book 2 right now.
Why choose academy books are my kryptonite! I read all of them and my bar is extremely low. I'm there for the vibes and a fun story. Firestorm is a great addition to this niche genre and far and away clears my bar!
What I liked:
- The FMC was wonderful, I really enjoyed her. I loved her confidence as well as her struggle with PTSD after being pretty isolated. She didn't annoy me once! She is 24 and spoke and acted like an adult.
- The magic was X-Men like. A magic system I always enjoy.
- The MMC's were all well written and had clear/different personalities (something that doesn't always happen in these why choose books).
- The plot was (mostly) entertaining and flowed well. I really liked the villain and religious/cult aspect.
What needed work:
- My main gripe is the lack of world building or explanation. I was confused the whole time on what the world looked like- is it an alternative America? What exactly is the government set up? This hurt the plot a bit because it led to some confusion on the overall set up of the story. I don't need super descriptive world building, but some more explanations in book 2 would be nice.
Great job to this author!! I'm ready to devour book 2 right now.
November 18, 2025
I love a good academic why choose! Fire Storm pulled me in from the very beginning! In a world where everyone has an “affinity” of some kind, our FMC can do things that’s unheard of. Her family keeps her powers hidden and she doesn’t go through testing to find her Chain group which is basically your fated group that’s connected by the “Key” which is the center person. I don’t want to give things away, but a storm comes in and Skye uses more than one affinity than she’s registered with and that lands her in a school for those with two affinities. While still hiding her full abilities, she meets Wyatt, the brooding counselor that she’s had a run in with before, Aiden, the fire welding play boy, and Rafe, the Prince with shadow powers. It’s a very slow burn with 2/3 of the guys that will carry over into book 2. All three guys are connected by their crazy parents that all have some sort of hand in a cult like group with their leader looking for “The Phantom” a person with crazy abilities. It has a great found family with Skye finding some great best friends. I don’t want to give much away so I’ll say that I went into this blind with no clue what all it was about and I was not disappointed!The ending has me itching for book two!
November 10, 2025
"𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐞. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞"
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Tropes:
Fated mates
Rejected mates
Academy setting
Why choose
Stalker shadow? 🤔
Hidden powers
Paranormal romance
Friends brother
I stumbled onto Firestorm by @ after being in the worst book slump. Did I proceed to binge the whole thing and put myself into an even worse book slump? I think it's highly likely 😂💀
This book has so many of my favourite tropes smashed into it! Fated mates, magic powers, a bad ass fmc, a slightly unhinged, smart mouthed, tattooed prince. Do I need to add any others?
Okay, it's also a why choose, set at a magic academy where the fmc is hiding her true powers. People with powers like hers end up *unalived* 👀
I really loved the plot for Firestorm! Our fmc Skye has a lot of trauma and as she battles through that, she's also thrown into an academy without her brother where it seems like a lot of people are out to get her. Add to that three Fated mates and Skye sure is having a hell of a time.
I am impatiently waiting for book two to come out because I need more answers and obviously more Rafe 👀😂🤷♀️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Tropes:
Fated mates
Rejected mates
Academy setting
Why choose
Stalker shadow? 🤔
Hidden powers
Paranormal romance
Friends brother
I stumbled onto Firestorm by @ after being in the worst book slump. Did I proceed to binge the whole thing and put myself into an even worse book slump? I think it's highly likely 😂💀
This book has so many of my favourite tropes smashed into it! Fated mates, magic powers, a bad ass fmc, a slightly unhinged, smart mouthed, tattooed prince. Do I need to add any others?
Okay, it's also a why choose, set at a magic academy where the fmc is hiding her true powers. People with powers like hers end up *unalived* 👀
I really loved the plot for Firestorm! Our fmc Skye has a lot of trauma and as she battles through that, she's also thrown into an academy without her brother where it seems like a lot of people are out to get her. Add to that three Fated mates and Skye sure is having a hell of a time.
I am impatiently waiting for book two to come out because I need more answers and obviously more Rafe 👀😂🤷♀️
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