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Scarlet Cherie: Vampire #1
The Fire Within My Heart
‘I was only twenty years old when I died. Who would have thought that with death came immortality?’
Just weeks after Scarlet’s twentieth birthday she finds herself brutally murdered by an unknown man who soon begins to plague the city of Brichtelmeston with a series of violent killings targeting young women.
Scarlet wasn’t just another one of his victims though, as she found a way to immortality.
Using her newfound skills and the aid of a Vampire, Therianthrope, Witch and Necromancer, Scarlet spends the forthcoming months developing her powers, discovering hidden family secrets and tracking down the man who killed her.
Just weeks after Scarlet’s twentieth birthday she finds herself brutally murdered by an unknown man who soon begins to plague the city of Brichtelmeston with a series of violent killings targeting young women.
Scarlet wasn’t just another one of his victims though, as she found a way to immortality.
Using her newfound skills and the aid of a Vampire, Therianthrope, Witch and Necromancer, Scarlet spends the forthcoming months developing her powers, discovering hidden family secrets and tracking down the man who killed her.
- GenresVampiresParanormal
ebook
First published November 9, 2019
7 people are currently reading
177 people want to read
About the author
Ayshen Irfan
11 books27 followersAyshen Irfan is a born-and-bred Brightonian with a passion for dark fantasy which began at a young age. She first established her predilection for vampires aged nine when she started reading paranormal and urban fantasy. Her first book, The Melancholy Killer, was written and self-published at age twelve.
Whilst she writes urban fantasy, her obvious penchant for magick and the paranormal is displayed throughout her work. As a practising Witch, Ayshen tries to incorporate some of her beliefs into her work.
The Fire Within My Heart, book one in the Scarlet Cherie: Vampire Series, was released on Amazon on August 15th 2020.
Whilst she writes urban fantasy, her obvious penchant for magick and the paranormal is displayed throughout her work. As a practising Witch, Ayshen tries to incorporate some of her beliefs into her work.
The Fire Within My Heart, book one in the Scarlet Cherie: Vampire Series, was released on Amazon on August 15th 2020.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 14, 2020
Scarlet is murdered and turned into a vampire at the age of 20. With the help of her master, Nikolaos, she sets off to find her murderer.
This book was recommended to me and it was a pleasant surprise. I love vampire stories and this one didn't disappoint. The novel is full of interesting, layered characters. I enjoyed reading about Nikolaos, a 2000 year old Greek vampire, and how Scarlet coped with her new life as a vampire. There are many other supernatural creatures in the book, including a witch, a demon, a werepanther and even a redcap from Scottish mythology.
I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next one.
This book was recommended to me and it was a pleasant surprise. I love vampire stories and this one didn't disappoint. The novel is full of interesting, layered characters. I enjoyed reading about Nikolaos, a 2000 year old Greek vampire, and how Scarlet coped with her new life as a vampire. There are many other supernatural creatures in the book, including a witch, a demon, a werepanther and even a redcap from Scottish mythology.
I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next one.
March 5, 2021
While reading this gorgeous, poignant, and entertaining book, I continually had to stop and marvel at the elegantly crafted sentences and the clear, precise, yet lavish descriptions. However, the momentum of the plot, and my concern for the fascinating and well-developed characters, drew me irresistibly onward.
I especially enjoyed the way that Irfan incorporates other supernatural creatures, in addition to vampires, into the story! I also loved the main protagonist’s meditations on concepts such as life, death, humanity, good and evil, which added a philosophical depth to the novel, without distracting from the narrative at all.
I will be looking forward eagerly to the next book in the series!
I especially enjoyed the way that Irfan incorporates other supernatural creatures, in addition to vampires, into the story! I also loved the main protagonist’s meditations on concepts such as life, death, humanity, good and evil, which added a philosophical depth to the novel, without distracting from the narrative at all.
I will be looking forward eagerly to the next book in the series!
Read
February 8, 2023Ayshen Irfan kindly sent me a copy of this book to review. I will start by saying I have immense respect for them as a self-published author. I think that’s frankly kick ass and incredibly inspiring. The last couple of chapters especially gripped me and I have a lot of thoughts I wish to convey. I’ll try to keep the first part spoiler free and then add some thoughts after going more in-depth.
The Fire Within My Heart follows Scarlet as she is catapulted into the world of the supernatural after being horrifically murdered by a serial killer and next granted immortality when the vampire Nikolaus finds her before she can take her last breath. Throughout the book, we follow her navigating seeking justice for her murderer, her new supernatural existence, and her complicated romantic relationship with her vampire master.
The story unfolds in a rich universe mixing your classic vampires with high fantasy and the arcane. I’d say that for the most part, the lore of the world and the supernatural powers are explained and described in a way that makes it easy to follow and doesn’t feel too heavy.
It has a great cast of characters. I think it’s very apparent in the text that the author has a great affection for their characters and there are some great character dynamics. I especially loved the ragtag family dynamic that develops amongst the most unlikely of supernatural creatures. The strength of the story in my opinion is really the characters and their strong and yet at times troubled ties to each other.
There are undoubtedly some heavy themes in here of death and violence and very questionable morals at best but the book manages to balance it with humor. There are tropes in here that I loved as well. The main character and her vampire master share a special bond almost like a contracted demon in which they can feel each other's pain and emotion. I thought it an interesting layer to their dynamic and I’m curious to see how it will develop. That said, the romance here is not a slow burner and the attraction between the two is apparent instantly. Some people might enjoy that, although for me personally, it felt a little rushed and I didn’t quite buy into the justification that the vassal/master relationship justified the instant attraction.
Ayshen's iteration of vampires takes the symbolism of vampires and makes it very literal. The sensual and tempting are explicit. It’s described in various places how vampirism in this book is quite literally sex, orgasmic, all the guilty pleasures you know you shouldn’t enjoy but do. An iteration I’m inclined to think writes itself into a wave of continued contemporary vampire fiction. It’s an evolution in vampire fiction that I’m interested in but haven’t read enough contemporary works of this sort to form a conclusive theory on.
The language in the book I feel can best be described as purple although I know this tends to have a pejorative meaning and that’s not my intention. It’s very rich with descriptions. Illustrious with poetic and ornate metaphors and imagery. I find that it’s very much a matter of taste whether this style is something that engages you or not. Personally, there were some parts I loved and found beautifully phrased and cleverly constructed. In some scenes, I appreciated how detailed a picture I was painted to imagine. Without any spoilers, I can’t come up with examples but in general, everything has a very gothic and decadent vibe. Other times I found it a bit redundant. I didn’t always care to get a detailed description of every character's outfit and sometimes I felt like the description of rooms or feelings stunted the pace of the narrative. I’d forget where a conversation was going or had to be reminded what the characters were doing amongst all the beautifully described scenery. Towards the end, I felt it may have added unintentional suspended tension waiting for the plot to move on or for someone to reply.
I’m still not sure what to make of Scarlet, the main girl of the book. She seems like she has the potential to be a great strong female character. First-person narratives are hard because the narrating character is under the constant scrutiny of the reader. I loved when she’d put Nikolaus in his place and insist on her independence. That to me was the real meat of the story. At other times I couldn’t sympathize with her in scenes where I’m pretty certain I was supposed to. She seemed very self-aware almost as if the narrator anticipated the reader's judgment. In general, I think I would have liked Scarlet better if she wasn’t so carefully written to be sympathetic and likable, I found myself almost rooting for someone to corrupt her a little to make her more interesting emotionally.
My final thoughts will contain light spoilers, you have been warned.
This mix of vampires of high fantasy is something I’ve only encountered in Empire of the Vampire and I’d say it’s a fun subgenre of vampire fiction that can be fun to explore but It’s not a genre I normally gravitate to. I think that my experience with the book is very much affected by the fact that romance and fantasy are two genres I’m somewhat cautious with. I think people who are avid readers of these two genres are gonna love this book. for me, all the supernatural stuff about her exploring her heritage and powers just wasn’t that interesting to me and all the feeling of aura and metaphysical battles just got too aloof. I felt like some of the potential of the plot was wasted on it. I would have loved it if the serial killer wasn’t a supernatural creature for example. I would have loved it if there had been a point to his murders. I would have loved it if Scarlet’s gift for reading memories played a bigger part in finding him. I got very excited at first thinking they were gonna go around and revive the undead to read their memories and piece together a puzzle to catch the killer, like the vampire version of Pushing Daisies. Instead, she reads the memories of ten zombies in paraphrase just to practice and then subtracts the killer’s identity the first time she tries. Even that I thought could have led to more. Like when discussing altering a memory could prove fatal I thought “oh! She can’t just sit and watch the victim be murdered, she’s going to alter the memory!” but no. I’m left to conclude that some of these things might not get a payoff until later books perhaps and furthermore that the serial killer plot wasn’t the focal point of the story. As much as I would have liked a more intriguing mystery, the priority in the story was on Scarlet figuring out what she was, and to some people, that’s a riveting story too. Her being a nymph is almost more centralized than all the vampire stuff.
I found the most gripping part of the story to be the strange dynamic she has with Nikolaus. The climax of the book to me is the confrontation she has with him right after he kills her killer, robbing her of the justice they all worked so hard to get her. The way he reveals himself to her. Reveals that he takes pleasure in her fear, how she’s just another vulnerable woman to him who gave herself to him blinded by his beauty. The fact that he isn’t at all very different from the person who murdered her, he loves murder himself. There’s so much at stake here, one because she can’t sever her ties to him because of the master/vassal relationship, and two because not only has he revealed this but he also proved to be terribly selfish and emotionally inept in a situation where she needed his understanding and support the most. He turns out to be more harrowing in my eyes than the two-dimensional serial killer. This was a moment I felt actually had some weight to it because it was built throughout the book. Their lust at first sight, magical connection, and insecurities come to a collision. After this fight, when there wasn’t a confrontation later, no talk or apology, no consequence I was left looking at my kindle in disbelief haha. I really hope this goes somewhere in further books. There’s potential for some interesting outcomes. Either Nikolaus becomes powerful enough to control Scarlet and their love turns into hatred, or Scarlet somehow manages to become the master because her powers keep growing too, what would that do to his wounded pride and desire to own her? Maybe they do sever the connection, I can almost see a sort of Geralt and Yennifer dilemma here of not knowing if you’re in love or just under a spell. Or perhaps Nikolaus manages to admit his faults?
In conclusion:
This is a typical contemporary iteration of vampires with an arcane fantasy twist. The plot is a little simple to give way to the main character's self-exploration. The mystery of the narrative is just a backdrop to project the complicated character dynamic between the two protagonists but it does hold its punch. For anyone who enjoys romance and fantasy with ornate language, this might just be your thing. I had some hesitations with the genre but ultimately still found lots of things to like about it and I’m curious to see how the story develops further.
The Fire Within My Heart follows Scarlet as she is catapulted into the world of the supernatural after being horrifically murdered by a serial killer and next granted immortality when the vampire Nikolaus finds her before she can take her last breath. Throughout the book, we follow her navigating seeking justice for her murderer, her new supernatural existence, and her complicated romantic relationship with her vampire master.
The story unfolds in a rich universe mixing your classic vampires with high fantasy and the arcane. I’d say that for the most part, the lore of the world and the supernatural powers are explained and described in a way that makes it easy to follow and doesn’t feel too heavy.
It has a great cast of characters. I think it’s very apparent in the text that the author has a great affection for their characters and there are some great character dynamics. I especially loved the ragtag family dynamic that develops amongst the most unlikely of supernatural creatures. The strength of the story in my opinion is really the characters and their strong and yet at times troubled ties to each other.
There are undoubtedly some heavy themes in here of death and violence and very questionable morals at best but the book manages to balance it with humor. There are tropes in here that I loved as well. The main character and her vampire master share a special bond almost like a contracted demon in which they can feel each other's pain and emotion. I thought it an interesting layer to their dynamic and I’m curious to see how it will develop. That said, the romance here is not a slow burner and the attraction between the two is apparent instantly. Some people might enjoy that, although for me personally, it felt a little rushed and I didn’t quite buy into the justification that the vassal/master relationship justified the instant attraction.
Ayshen's iteration of vampires takes the symbolism of vampires and makes it very literal. The sensual and tempting are explicit. It’s described in various places how vampirism in this book is quite literally sex, orgasmic, all the guilty pleasures you know you shouldn’t enjoy but do. An iteration I’m inclined to think writes itself into a wave of continued contemporary vampire fiction. It’s an evolution in vampire fiction that I’m interested in but haven’t read enough contemporary works of this sort to form a conclusive theory on.
The language in the book I feel can best be described as purple although I know this tends to have a pejorative meaning and that’s not my intention. It’s very rich with descriptions. Illustrious with poetic and ornate metaphors and imagery. I find that it’s very much a matter of taste whether this style is something that engages you or not. Personally, there were some parts I loved and found beautifully phrased and cleverly constructed. In some scenes, I appreciated how detailed a picture I was painted to imagine. Without any spoilers, I can’t come up with examples but in general, everything has a very gothic and decadent vibe. Other times I found it a bit redundant. I didn’t always care to get a detailed description of every character's outfit and sometimes I felt like the description of rooms or feelings stunted the pace of the narrative. I’d forget where a conversation was going or had to be reminded what the characters were doing amongst all the beautifully described scenery. Towards the end, I felt it may have added unintentional suspended tension waiting for the plot to move on or for someone to reply.
I’m still not sure what to make of Scarlet, the main girl of the book. She seems like she has the potential to be a great strong female character. First-person narratives are hard because the narrating character is under the constant scrutiny of the reader. I loved when she’d put Nikolaus in his place and insist on her independence. That to me was the real meat of the story. At other times I couldn’t sympathize with her in scenes where I’m pretty certain I was supposed to. She seemed very self-aware almost as if the narrator anticipated the reader's judgment. In general, I think I would have liked Scarlet better if she wasn’t so carefully written to be sympathetic and likable, I found myself almost rooting for someone to corrupt her a little to make her more interesting emotionally.
My final thoughts will contain light spoilers, you have been warned.
This mix of vampires of high fantasy is something I’ve only encountered in Empire of the Vampire and I’d say it’s a fun subgenre of vampire fiction that can be fun to explore but It’s not a genre I normally gravitate to. I think that my experience with the book is very much affected by the fact that romance and fantasy are two genres I’m somewhat cautious with. I think people who are avid readers of these two genres are gonna love this book. for me, all the supernatural stuff about her exploring her heritage and powers just wasn’t that interesting to me and all the feeling of aura and metaphysical battles just got too aloof. I felt like some of the potential of the plot was wasted on it. I would have loved it if the serial killer wasn’t a supernatural creature for example. I would have loved it if there had been a point to his murders. I would have loved it if Scarlet’s gift for reading memories played a bigger part in finding him. I got very excited at first thinking they were gonna go around and revive the undead to read their memories and piece together a puzzle to catch the killer, like the vampire version of Pushing Daisies. Instead, she reads the memories of ten zombies in paraphrase just to practice and then subtracts the killer’s identity the first time she tries. Even that I thought could have led to more. Like when discussing altering a memory could prove fatal I thought “oh! She can’t just sit and watch the victim be murdered, she’s going to alter the memory!” but no. I’m left to conclude that some of these things might not get a payoff until later books perhaps and furthermore that the serial killer plot wasn’t the focal point of the story. As much as I would have liked a more intriguing mystery, the priority in the story was on Scarlet figuring out what she was, and to some people, that’s a riveting story too. Her being a nymph is almost more centralized than all the vampire stuff.
I found the most gripping part of the story to be the strange dynamic she has with Nikolaus. The climax of the book to me is the confrontation she has with him right after he kills her killer, robbing her of the justice they all worked so hard to get her. The way he reveals himself to her. Reveals that he takes pleasure in her fear, how she’s just another vulnerable woman to him who gave herself to him blinded by his beauty. The fact that he isn’t at all very different from the person who murdered her, he loves murder himself. There’s so much at stake here, one because she can’t sever her ties to him because of the master/vassal relationship, and two because not only has he revealed this but he also proved to be terribly selfish and emotionally inept in a situation where she needed his understanding and support the most. He turns out to be more harrowing in my eyes than the two-dimensional serial killer. This was a moment I felt actually had some weight to it because it was built throughout the book. Their lust at first sight, magical connection, and insecurities come to a collision. After this fight, when there wasn’t a confrontation later, no talk or apology, no consequence I was left looking at my kindle in disbelief haha. I really hope this goes somewhere in further books. There’s potential for some interesting outcomes. Either Nikolaus becomes powerful enough to control Scarlet and their love turns into hatred, or Scarlet somehow manages to become the master because her powers keep growing too, what would that do to his wounded pride and desire to own her? Maybe they do sever the connection, I can almost see a sort of Geralt and Yennifer dilemma here of not knowing if you’re in love or just under a spell. Or perhaps Nikolaus manages to admit his faults?
In conclusion:
This is a typical contemporary iteration of vampires with an arcane fantasy twist. The plot is a little simple to give way to the main character's self-exploration. The mystery of the narrative is just a backdrop to project the complicated character dynamic between the two protagonists but it does hold its punch. For anyone who enjoys romance and fantasy with ornate language, this might just be your thing. I had some hesitations with the genre but ultimately still found lots of things to like about it and I’m curious to see how the story develops further.
April 25, 2021
"I was only twenty years old when I died. Who would have thought that with death came immortality?
What a thrilling ride! The Fire Within My Heart is an urban vampire story of intrigue, as we follow newly turned Scarlet as she attempts to find out who murdered her. It's also a story of romance and heartbreak as she falls deeper under the spell of the mysterious and enigmatic Nikolaos.
My heart truly broke for Scarlet throughout this story. Her reality changes in such a short time, she barely has time to comprehend it before something else rears its head!
I really enjoyed The Fire Within My Heart, and I'm curious to know where the story goes in the next book!
What a thrilling ride! The Fire Within My Heart is an urban vampire story of intrigue, as we follow newly turned Scarlet as she attempts to find out who murdered her. It's also a story of romance and heartbreak as she falls deeper under the spell of the mysterious and enigmatic Nikolaos.
My heart truly broke for Scarlet throughout this story. Her reality changes in such a short time, she barely has time to comprehend it before something else rears its head!
I really enjoyed The Fire Within My Heart, and I'm curious to know where the story goes in the next book!
September 28, 2020
Vampires not my usual genre but was gripped from the start! For such a young author the depth, vocabulary and explanation of characters was impressive. It was descriptive and compelling. I felt I learnt some interesting things and was intrigued.
September 27, 2023
i got reccomended this book on accident. When I looked up the author and saw her age, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. I've been a die-hard fan of The Southern Vampire Mysteries since 2001. The Fire Within My Heart brought back the nostalgia and charm of the series. I am particularly fond of Gwydion, a necromancer, and his husband, Kai. There is something endearing about the characters and their tales. The crime element was interesting and unique with twists and turns. I would recommend this book to those who like True Blood.
November 27, 2021
Intense work, would hook those who enjoy heavy paranormal fantasy
The Fire Within My Heart is an intense tale with a mysteriously powerful protagonist. Scarlet is on a journey in finding herself and her murderer, as well as trying to define her relationship with Niko.
Their decision to seek out others into this cause brought in enjoyable, mysterious characters that developed well throughout the novel. I found myself liking Kai the most, and the lore behind what was built for him.
The lore for creatures/magik in this world was impressive, as were the descriptions. The pacing was slower, but this is very appealing to those who enjoy taking the time to digest a work without as much action. The world was painted very nicely with rich language.
All in all, this was a well written work with characters that developed in an interesting manner. Those who appreciate heavy vampire/gothic themes would likely enjoy this.
The Fire Within My Heart is an intense tale with a mysteriously powerful protagonist. Scarlet is on a journey in finding herself and her murderer, as well as trying to define her relationship with Niko.
Their decision to seek out others into this cause brought in enjoyable, mysterious characters that developed well throughout the novel. I found myself liking Kai the most, and the lore behind what was built for him.
The lore for creatures/magik in this world was impressive, as were the descriptions. The pacing was slower, but this is very appealing to those who enjoy taking the time to digest a work without as much action. The world was painted very nicely with rich language.
All in all, this was a well written work with characters that developed in an interesting manner. Those who appreciate heavy vampire/gothic themes would likely enjoy this.
September 7, 2020
This book is the first in a series, it tells the story of Scarlett and her life after death. This mostly involves navigating new relationships with her "master" Nikolaos, a witch called Adalia, Gwydion the necromancer and Kai the wereanimal. Oh, and finding her killer.
The world building in the first half of the book is very immersive, with lots of new and interesting lore coming into play. Towards the end of the book I found the story really gripping and couldn't put down the book. Some parts were a bit gory for me, but not too off-putting.
I'd recommend The fire withing my heart to lovers of witchy vampire books, it gave me serious Buffy vibes.
The world building in the first half of the book is very immersive, with lots of new and interesting lore coming into play. Towards the end of the book I found the story really gripping and couldn't put down the book. Some parts were a bit gory for me, but not too off-putting.
I'd recommend The fire withing my heart to lovers of witchy vampire books, it gave me serious Buffy vibes.
August 11, 2021
The Fire Within My Heart has wonderful flowing prose and an exciting murder mystery. Written by a real, practicing witch, the use of Magick feels genuine and the characters are all diverse and incredibly fun.
November 24, 2019
I like the idea, there are some interesting twists on classic vampires here.
The whole thing reads a bit like fan fiction though, meaning the editor’s name was spellcheck. The entire book is peppered with wrong words that sound similar or are spelled similarly to the word the author was probably looking for. I encountered occasional pairs of words that could each be correct if the other is changed but are both wrong as is. These problems are pervasive and distracting.
The story itself wasn’t bad, though as it goes on it kinda started to feel like the author kept thinking of new things that would be interesting or cool to add, and it didn’t really feel like the mystery side of the story was very in-depth. The villain got next to no character development, though we did learn a little about where he came from. He was just a faceless bad guy, and seemingly not a very clever one.
I don’t regret reading it. It wasn’t a waste of time. I may not read any more books in the series though.
If the wrong word problem wasn’t so pervasive throughout the book I might have given it 3 stars.
The whole thing reads a bit like fan fiction though, meaning the editor’s name was spellcheck. The entire book is peppered with wrong words that sound similar or are spelled similarly to the word the author was probably looking for. I encountered occasional pairs of words that could each be correct if the other is changed but are both wrong as is. These problems are pervasive and distracting.
The story itself wasn’t bad, though as it goes on it kinda started to feel like the author kept thinking of new things that would be interesting or cool to add, and it didn’t really feel like the mystery side of the story was very in-depth. The villain got next to no character development, though we did learn a little about where he came from. He was just a faceless bad guy, and seemingly not a very clever one.
I don’t regret reading it. It wasn’t a waste of time. I may not read any more books in the series though.
If the wrong word problem wasn’t so pervasive throughout the book I might have given it 3 stars.
February 16, 2023
As someone who’s been obsessed with vampire books for an embarrassingly long time, I was so excited to read this one! The author's writing style is beautiful, with some of the description being almost poetic in places. I really enjoyed the world-building aspects, with the inclusion of many uncommon supernatural creatures being a welcome change from the cliches so rife within the genre. But, more than just the fantasy aspects, the characters themselves are wonderfully complex and layered- my absolute favourites being Kai and Gwydion. I'd heartily recommend this to anyone who loves supernatural stories, but is tired of the repeated tropes. The Fire Within My Heart is fresh, exciting and breathes new (immortal!) life into fiction.
July 8, 2025
Nothing wrong with the book at all, it just really wasn't for me. From the description I was expecting a bit more grit and darker murder mystery.
People who like a lighter mystery with a big heap of sexual tension thrown in will love this one.
People who like a lighter mystery with a big heap of sexual tension thrown in will love this one.
January 9, 2021
Was a good read, however it took a long time for it to go anywhere, after her death, learning new abilities, just took to long, I kinda got bored...
December 29, 2020
Vampires are new for me. I barely finished the Sookie Stackhouse novels so I was a bit wary going in to this.
The story pulls you in though. As a first in a series, we meet quite a bit of essential characters. Our main ones appear to be Scarlet and her 'master' Nikolas. Their dynamic is interesting which easily makes this story a page turner.
I'm invested enough to want to read more about this little band of misfits, so I can't wait for the next installment.
*I received this novel for free from Voracious Readers Only in exchange for an honest review*
The story pulls you in though. As a first in a series, we meet quite a bit of essential characters. Our main ones appear to be Scarlet and her 'master' Nikolas. Their dynamic is interesting which easily makes this story a page turner.
I'm invested enough to want to read more about this little band of misfits, so I can't wait for the next installment.
*I received this novel for free from Voracious Readers Only in exchange for an honest review*
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews