Candlelight

The Luminary Saga #3

by P.S. Meraux

Romance is in the air for Emily Wren. Still trying to make sense of the mysterious event that nearly leveled her school, her social life goes from zero-to-sixty in five seconds flat, when not one but three suitors attempt to sweep her off her feet. Will their devotion and adoration help her decide on just one soul mate? Or is their attention putting her in mortal danger from a supernatural villain? When events spiral out of control, her protector, a super immortal and his Luminary companion from the realm between reality and the tangible have to intervene again, but at what cost. Read Candlelight, the third book in the Luminary Saga by P.S. Meraux.

ebook

First published May 17, 2015

About the author

P.S. Meraux writes books about paranormal chaos, sassy heroines, and creatures who are just a little unhinged (in the best way). She's an Indie and Amazon bestselling author—which sounds fancy until you realize it just means she drinks too much coffee and argues with fictional people for a living. Her stories mix sci-fi, mystery, romance, and a generous helping of “wait, did that just happen?”

P.S. has a thing for supernatural oddballs, morally gray weirdos, and badass women who save themselves (and occasionally punch vampires in the face). Her idea of worldbuilding is "let's break everything and see what grows back."

Originally from South Carolina, she now lives in Atlanta, Georgia, where her backyard is suspiciously full of fireflies and dubiously English for someone not living in a BBC period drama. There may or may not be faeries. There is definitely sarcasm.

Reviews

[J. Saman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series! Emily Wren has three, yes I said three, potential soulmates. They're all different and special and add something to Emily's life. So how do you cast away a potential soulmate? These books are so special and unique. Just when you think it's going in one direction, it switches everything up an goes in another. There are a lot of forces at play here and Emily seems to find herself stuck in the middle. I loved how it was written, giving us a clear insight into each character's thought process.
I still cannot decide if I like Josh, Charlie or David best. This book is a slow build in terms of Emily's decision making process. It's a very PG-13 book with with no sex. In fact, none of the men even pressure Emily (who is rather inexperienced in the love department) into anything she's not ready to give. I love that, especially for a YA book.
Meraux's writing is as always fantastic and sucks you into these two alternate worlds. Everything in this book is done with thought and a plan that only the author is in on and once again, we're left with a twist at the end.
I cannot recommend this series enough to anyone who is a fan of YA fantasy.

[Satrina Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an easy read and terribly sweet. Emily is a believable character without the author using the cliched technique of making her an odd ball. She's like a normal student that these extraordinary events have happened to. She's figuring stuff out as she goes along which I can see myself doing if I were in her shoes.
David, Josh and Charlie all make interesting yet realistic counterparts to Emily. She's connected to all three of these men because they're her soul mates---which is a definite hook and it's a big one. I liked that David has a troubled past. He may look perfect but he's not. He's got obstacles but then so do Josh and Charlie which means that the author isn't making it easy for Emily to choose. And even though Emily doesn't have any real experience with men, she seems like she's intelligent enough to figure this out. That's what drew me in to the story but I think she's gonna find that love isn't always logical. I guess that is another of the author's hooks.
Josh is swoon-worthy but he's got old demons in his closet which makes Charlie the obvious choice on the surface. But I suspect that he's there to show how awkward the other two guys are and to get them riled up.
I respect that Meraux didn't rush Emily into a relationship. Emily's decided not to sleep with anyone of the three until she decides. Again here, the character is acting with real intelligence and not portrayed as some kind of bimbo. I like that their relationships are not developing too fast--even though she's unmistakably drawn to each of them because they're her soul mates. I like that the author didn't make it instantaneous, you know like .."here's your soul mate" add water and be in love. Real love takes time and while there is that sense of connection, familiarity, they're still taking their time. All of which adds to the suspense. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that each guy has his own style when it comes to sweeping her off her feet.

[Maxine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this third installment thinking that it might be an acceptable alternative to the Twilight series based on how book 2 ended but it's really quite different. And that's not a bad thing. I liked that each chapter gave me insight into each new romantic prospect. I really loved the book, it sticks with me. The story was compelling and well told. I liked that the author let me know what each character was thinking. There are several points of view which give a clear picture of events. I even didn't mind that the vampires are the bad guys and not the love interest. I mean one is psycho.
The book is unlike anything else that I have read. It ended with yet another twist--frankly I think that must be the author's best hook, always changing things up to keep me guessing. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. It's worth your time. There's romance in the book but not anything that's inappropriate for a teenager or older.
But again don't go into it thinking of comparing it to Twilight or those other vampire love stories. This stands alone. You will not be disappointed though. It's well-written and unique. And I have to admit once you get this far into it, you will be hooked on Emily's story. I know that I am.

[Eddie B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was worried when I read the description of this book, yes one of my daughters was reading it before me, but I try to keep up. As a dad, the thought of my youngest reading a romance novel left me cold, and wandering if there was stuff in there that I'd have to explain. But this book is good clean fun. I actually enjoyed it. The writing is clear and fast paced. It has believable characters, entertaining dialogue and a decent plot. I've been informed by my youngest that I should be on team Charlie, but David and Josh seem like great young men too, neither is pressuring Emily for sex, which gets my approval straightaway.
Emily is determined to figure out who she is in love with before she sleeps with anyone. As a father, I most certainly applaud that decision, wholeheartedly and hope my own girls pay attention, hint. It's suitable for teens up to old foggies like me. Highly recommend.

[Alice Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emily Wren is in for a wild romantic ride, relatively speaking for a YA novel. After encountering two more soul mates, she must decide for herself who to fall for. But how does a girl toss aside a true soul mate? That's the focus of this book. I have a few theories. None of which played out, I'm pleased to say. The book is totally unpredictable which I loved. I really liked the way Josh, Charlie and David had this gentleman's agreement about how they would treat her, which each one secretly thinks shouldn't apply to him, as they vie for her undivided attention. The book is definitely PG-13 but for all that it has plenty of sizzle. I think the author is intentionally leaving the steak for later. Still it was an enjoyable read. Moving on to the next novel.

[PLC Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!!!! I'm officially hooked on this series.