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The Witches of Portland #2
By Flame
A witch in crisis. A shy man with an unusual occupation. To regain healing powers, the witch must fight for something bigger than himself. With magic. Tobias only wanted to use his healing powers for good. But with clients dying, he begins to doubt himself. When he meets a reckless man named Aiden, sparks fly, but can a witch and a Catholic find a future together? The houseless community Aiden works with is in danger from unscrupulous forces, and he asks Tobias for help. Tobias tries to refuse, but then a Goddess intervenes… With the help of his coven, Tobias must walk into the fire, while not losing the man he is rapidly coming to love. To protect his city, Tobias must reclaim his powers before the whole thing topples like a house of cards… By Flame is the second passionate story in The Witches of Portland series of paranormal urban fantasy novels. If you like fast-paced plots, real-world issues, and a dash of charming romance, then you'll love T. Thorn Coyle's magical series. Discover By Flame to break the spell of corruption today!
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 8, 2018
41 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
T. Thorn Coyle
89 books191 followersTT. Thorn Coyle has been arrested at least four times. Buy her a cup of tea or a good whisky and she'll tell you about it.
A salty-tongued, tattooed mystic, Thorn is author of the alt-history urban fantasy series The Panther Chronicles, the novel Like Water, and two short story collections. The Witches of Portland will be out in Spring, 2018. She has also written multiple non-fiction books including Sigil Magic for Writers, Artists & Other Creatives, Kissing the Limitless, and Evolutionary Witchcraft. Thorn's work appears in many anthologies, magazines, and collections.
She has taught magical practice in nine countries, on four continents, and in twenty-five states. Her other occupations have been numerous, and include working four years each on the Pacific Stock Options floor (as a young Anarchist punk with a blue, flat-top Mohawk), in a woman-run peep show, and full time in the San Francisco soup kitchen she ended up volunteering at for twenty years. All of this, along with her activism, informs her fiction.
An interloper to the Pacific Northwest, Thorn joyfully stalks city streets, writes in cafes, and talks to crows, squirrels, and trees.
Thorn is active on:
Twitter @ThornCoyle
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/tthorncoyle
Medium https://medium.com/@ThornCoyle
Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ThornCoyle
http://www.thorncoyle.com
A salty-tongued, tattooed mystic, Thorn is author of the alt-history urban fantasy series The Panther Chronicles, the novel Like Water, and two short story collections. The Witches of Portland will be out in Spring, 2018. She has also written multiple non-fiction books including Sigil Magic for Writers, Artists & Other Creatives, Kissing the Limitless, and Evolutionary Witchcraft. Thorn's work appears in many anthologies, magazines, and collections.
She has taught magical practice in nine countries, on four continents, and in twenty-five states. Her other occupations have been numerous, and include working four years each on the Pacific Stock Options floor (as a young Anarchist punk with a blue, flat-top Mohawk), in a woman-run peep show, and full time in the San Francisco soup kitchen she ended up volunteering at for twenty years. All of this, along with her activism, informs her fiction.
An interloper to the Pacific Northwest, Thorn joyfully stalks city streets, writes in cafes, and talks to crows, squirrels, and trees.
Thorn is active on:
Twitter @ThornCoyle
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/tthorncoyle
Medium https://medium.com/@ThornCoyle
Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ThornCoyle
http://www.thorncoyle.com
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 28, 2025
A witch in crisis. A shy man with an unusual occupation. To regain healing powers, the witch must fight for something bigger than himself. With magic. Tobias only wanted to use his healing powers for good. But with clients dying, he begins to doubt himself. When he meets a reckless man named Aiden, sparks fly, but can a witch and a Catholic find a future together? The houseless community Aiden works with is in danger from unscrupulous forces, and he asks Tobias for help. Tobias tries to refuse, but then a Goddess intervenes… With the help of his coven, Tobias must walk into the fire, while not losing the man he is rapidly coming to love. To protect his city, Tobias must reclaim his powers before the whole thing topples like a house of cards
February 1, 2019
It's crazy how excellent this book is. The first one in the series, By Earth, was good, but "By Flame" is superb. I honestly cried my way through, not because it's a weeper of a story, but because I have never in my life seen my own experience with the divine, magic, personal revelation, and spirituality reflected on the page before. And ya'll, I read a lot, particularly in the paranormal-fantasy-scifi-magicy area of the pool.
I was so moved by this. I can't rec it enough. Not only was it a personal reflection for me, it was a fantastic rendering of Portland, and a thoughtful fictional adaptation of a very real conflict and responsive activism that occurred a couple of years ago.
I loved both characters, that they were full people, not tropes. I love the coveners central to the series.
I can't wait to re-read this.
I was so moved by this. I can't rec it enough. Not only was it a personal reflection for me, it was a fantastic rendering of Portland, and a thoughtful fictional adaptation of a very real conflict and responsive activism that occurred a couple of years ago.
I loved both characters, that they were full people, not tropes. I love the coveners central to the series.
I can't wait to re-read this.
January 30, 2019
Are there no Muslims in Portland?
I wanted to love this book. I really did. The main characters, Tobias and Aiden, were likable, if rather dramatic, but that's what I expect from this series.
The author does an excellent job with social justice matters, as I would expect given the series seems to center on such things.
I don't consider the following a spoiler, but proceed at your own risk.
In addition to the coven, one of the main groups in this book was an Interfaith Council. The council was composed of various Christian denominations, at least one rabbi, some Buddhists, some Sikhs, and the coven, as well as, later, a few members of local Native American tribes.
Not even once did I see mention of a single Muslim, nor even the idea that Islam was a major religion. So I'm asking, are there no Muslims in Portland, OR?
I can't imagine that being true. Why then were there no Muslims mentioned in this book seemingly about interfaith relations in times of trouble? The first time the council was introduced, I thought perhaps the author had made an oversight. Just forgotten to mention Islam. That surely Muslims would be present the next time we met the Interfaith Council.
No such luck. The council was completely devoid of representatives of the world's second largest religion (according to Pew Research Center statistics from 2015).
Maybe this is weird thing to get hung up on. I'm firmly non-religious and most likely not even spiritual, so why does this bother me?
I just can't shake the feeling that this is the kind of casual Islamophobia that plagues even those on the political left. Was it the idea that Muslims would object against the witches even more vehemently than some of the Christians? Was it well-intentioned fear of offending actual Muslims? Was it just raw Islamophobia?
I don't know what it was. I find it hard to believe that the author simply forgot about Muslims when they remembered to at least mention Hindus (15.1% of world pop.) and Sikhs (<5% of world pop.). They could have just said that, like Hindus, Muslims probably wouldn't show up to the council. Easy.
So yes, I took off one star for no Muslims.
EDIT: One other thing, I wish Tobias had asked the people to whom he gave herbal remedies if they took other medications. Various herbs, including St. John's Wort, can interfere with other medications. Don't take things without knowing about interactions!!
I wanted to love this book. I really did. The main characters, Tobias and Aiden, were likable, if rather dramatic, but that's what I expect from this series.
The author does an excellent job with social justice matters, as I would expect given the series seems to center on such things.
I don't consider the following a spoiler, but proceed at your own risk.
In addition to the coven, one of the main groups in this book was an Interfaith Council. The council was composed of various Christian denominations, at least one rabbi, some Buddhists, some Sikhs, and the coven, as well as, later, a few members of local Native American tribes.
Not even once did I see mention of a single Muslim, nor even the idea that Islam was a major religion. So I'm asking, are there no Muslims in Portland, OR?
I can't imagine that being true. Why then were there no Muslims mentioned in this book seemingly about interfaith relations in times of trouble? The first time the council was introduced, I thought perhaps the author had made an oversight. Just forgotten to mention Islam. That surely Muslims would be present the next time we met the Interfaith Council.
No such luck. The council was completely devoid of representatives of the world's second largest religion (according to Pew Research Center statistics from 2015).
Maybe this is weird thing to get hung up on. I'm firmly non-religious and most likely not even spiritual, so why does this bother me?
I just can't shake the feeling that this is the kind of casual Islamophobia that plagues even those on the political left. Was it the idea that Muslims would object against the witches even more vehemently than some of the Christians? Was it well-intentioned fear of offending actual Muslims? Was it just raw Islamophobia?
I don't know what it was. I find it hard to believe that the author simply forgot about Muslims when they remembered to at least mention Hindus (15.1% of world pop.) and Sikhs (<5% of world pop.). They could have just said that, like Hindus, Muslims probably wouldn't show up to the council. Easy.
So yes, I took off one star for no Muslims.
EDIT: One other thing, I wish Tobias had asked the people to whom he gave herbal remedies if they took other medications. Various herbs, including St. John's Wort, can interfere with other medications. Don't take things without knowing about interactions!!
June 15, 2018
Full disclosure: I have been a fan of Thorn's for a long time, fiction & nonfiction. OK? OK.
This book makes me want to do a happy Kermit-flailing dance. Not only is it another installment in the Social Justice Urban Fantasy series Thorn is working on, it's got interfaith themes that resonate with my own personal experiences.
I loved Tobias and Aiden. Seeing how the same sacred entity interacts with people of two different faiths was great. Brigid/St. Brigid calls both men, and does it in ways they can understand. Aiden's intense spiritual experiences and his struggles around them are beautiful, and the budding relationship between the two men is sweet.
Where By Earth tackled predatory developers in Portland, By Flame takes on the treatment houseless people in the city. The police are becoming increasingly violent toward the houseless population, and it's up to Aiden and Tobias to rally enough people to help stop the cops. Their struggles to unite a bunch of different groups (Catholics, Buddhists, anarchists, etc), many of whom do not get along, ring so true. It's easy for a cobbled-together group to get bogged down in internal conflict. If only we all could have a divinely inspired young leader in every city!
My only gripe about these books overall is that they make me want a coven like Arrow and Crescent.
This book makes me want to do a happy Kermit-flailing dance. Not only is it another installment in the Social Justice Urban Fantasy series Thorn is working on, it's got interfaith themes that resonate with my own personal experiences.
I loved Tobias and Aiden. Seeing how the same sacred entity interacts with people of two different faiths was great. Brigid/St. Brigid calls both men, and does it in ways they can understand. Aiden's intense spiritual experiences and his struggles around them are beautiful, and the budding relationship between the two men is sweet.
Where By Earth tackled predatory developers in Portland, By Flame takes on the treatment houseless people in the city. The police are becoming increasingly violent toward the houseless population, and it's up to Aiden and Tobias to rally enough people to help stop the cops. Their struggles to unite a bunch of different groups (Catholics, Buddhists, anarchists, etc), many of whom do not get along, ring so true. It's easy for a cobbled-together group to get bogged down in internal conflict. If only we all could have a divinely inspired young leader in every city!
My only gripe about these books overall is that they make me want a coven like Arrow and Crescent.
July 9, 2018
Just as good if not better than the first. I loved that the main characters were both gay men from different religious traditions. I won't say more, because I don't want to spoil it, but loved it all! It was magic and romance and activism oh my! I have needed stories that resonate with my lived experience and this was it. Coyle shows the challenges that pagans have with gaining acceptance with mainstream religions, the connections between those religions and a lovely interlocking story about how we can make the world a better place in a local way.
July 4, 2018
Goddess bless! If each book in The Witches of Portland series is going to have such gripping, provocative endings, I'm going to be in a lot of trouble at the end of them all! It's quite a gift to keep your readers desiring more and T. Thorn Coyle has this gift in spades. It may be a divine gift from Brigid, so beautifully honored in By Fire. I highly recommend this book, especially if you are drawn to justice, activism, queer love, herbalism and/or interfaith work.
August 13, 2018
Thorn's stories speak to me in a deep way, both more prosaic and more magical than a lot of other urban fantasies. The ideals she brings to life blend seamlessly into compelling story, and the feeling of her characters as they work to build community is just wonderful. This series may make me fall in love with Portland as she shows it!
January 9, 2021
What I love most about this series is that it honors witchcraft and magic while demystifying it. Taking all of the oogie-boogie out of it, replacing it with simplicity and familiarity. It also adds to the story, as opposed to overpowering it. I found this book nearly impossible to put down, reading it in just a few hours and leaving me hungry for the next installment. Bravo!
August 16, 2018
I truly loved this book -- I was worried that, living in Portland as a queer witch in this climate it would be too close for comfort. But honestly, it gave me some new perspectives and forced me to ask hard questions of myself.
And you can't go wrong with queer witches fighting the good fight.
And you can't go wrong with queer witches fighting the good fight.
October 12, 2019
This one takes place the following Imbolc and it does a Really Good Job of portraying Brigid, as both Goddess and Saint, or perhaps one and the same! Again, the magic is pretty clearly based in real practices, with just enough extra intensity and sparkle to make it a great story!
November 4, 2019
This started out fairly cute and entertaining. I liked the two main characters, but I felt the plot was very cookie cutter, sort of a repeat of the first book. Sadly, I did not feel this was very good and my motivation to read it was gone by the time I reached the 70% mark. I skimmed the ending.
November 11, 2025
This is a fun, cozy series full of interesting characters that you want to care about with a side of social justice. I enjoyed this one just as much as the first and will likely read more of this series.
September 8, 2018
Wow, again I'm in tears. Mx. Coyle speaks so much truth in these works, touching a place deep within me that I didn't even know needed to be fed!
January 10, 2019
Wonderful continuation of the story. I like how the focus shifts among the large cast of characters.
July 8, 2020
Witchcraft, herbalism, activism and Brigid magiks, I loved this book!
February 19, 2022
Couldn't put it down
The story pulled me in and wouldn't let me go. I already have plans on who to recommend this book to. On to the next in the series.
The story pulled me in and wouldn't let me go. I already have plans on who to recommend this book to. On to the next in the series.
March 19, 2025
I fell in love with Tobias, and as the Mama of two LGBTQ young adults I wanted to go toe to toe with his so called parents. I am so glad that he found a family in his coven and a mother in Brigid.
May 23, 2025
I loved this series and inhaled it. Proper Pagan magic, social justice, a little romance. All good. The formula was super clear after I'd read a few, but I still found the books engaging.
August 6, 2018
A tale of two mystic activists in love, filled and inspired by the goddess Brigid's fire.
The presence of this goddess is felt throughout the book and reading it set me alight too, for the stories of Thorn Coyle are fiction but the magic is real.
As always I find the fusion of magic and politics very inspiring. I like the idea of people of different faith work for a common goal putting their differences aside. The message is united we stand..divided we fall...
I can only recommend this book. The story is sexy, magical and infused with wisdom.
I reviewed an advanced copy of this book
The presence of this goddess is felt throughout the book and reading it set me alight too, for the stories of Thorn Coyle are fiction but the magic is real.
As always I find the fusion of magic and politics very inspiring. I like the idea of people of different faith work for a common goal putting their differences aside. The message is united we stand..divided we fall...
I can only recommend this book. The story is sexy, magical and infused with wisdom.
I reviewed an advanced copy of this book
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February 3, 2019DNF - didn't like the writing and couldn't get into the story at all.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews