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Bonds of Magic #2.5
Fire of the Frost
A midwinter holiday fantasy romance anthology…
A Wynter Fyre by Darynda Jones
In a world where vampyres have been hunted to near extinction, the daughter of a demon is sent to save their race. Wynter ends the Blood Wars, but a single drop of vampyre blood accidentally crosses her lips. As punishment, she’s encased in stone for a hundred years. When she awakens, she vows revenge. Even if it means her demise. Her quest leads her to the vampyre prince who supposedly started the wars. He comes to her aid after she’s attacked, and Gareth’s deadly prowess may be exactly what Wynter needs to defeat the woman who created her. Or exactly what she needs to thaw her frozen heart.
Of Fate and Fire by Amanda Bouchet
The Kingmaker Chronicles meets modern-day New York City! Piers, an exiled warrior from Thalyria, finds himself in the Big Apple just before the holidays. The world and everything in it might be utterly foreign to him, but that won't stop Piers from helping to complete a vital mission for Athena and protect Sophie, a French teacher from Connecticut who's suddenly knee-deep in inexplicable phenomena, danger, and henchmen after an Olympian treasure that should never have ended up in her hands—or remained on Earth after the Greek gods abandoned it.
The King of Hel by Grace Draven
Castil il Veras, daughter of lesser boyars, attends the gatherings that celebrate her best friend's upcoming marriage to the cursed king of a sorcerous kingdom. She soon learns that even marked by the magic of the Wastelands, Doranis of Helenrisia is everything she's ever desired in a mate—and absolutely forbidden to her. Bound by duty to crown and country, Doranis has traveled to the Caskadan empire to marry a woman who loathes the sight of him. During the prenuptial celebrations, he meets a scribe who finds him fascinating instead of repellent, but Castil is beyond his reach. Fate, however, would have it otherwise, and a beseeching letter from a dying queen will bring them together again in a land gripped by endless winter and old magic.
Familiar Winter Magic by Jeffe Kennedy
It’s holiday time at Convocation Academy, but best friends Han and Iliana are finding it hard to celebrate. As a familiar, Iliana is facing her assignment to a life of servitude to a wizard, very soon. And Han… despite being tested by the oracle daily, he is still uncategorized. As Iliana and Han face being separated forever, they at last find the courage—or desperation—to break the rules and acknowledge their deeper feelings for each other. But it will take more than true love to save them from the laws of the Convocation…
A Wynter Fyre by Darynda Jones
In a world where vampyres have been hunted to near extinction, the daughter of a demon is sent to save their race. Wynter ends the Blood Wars, but a single drop of vampyre blood accidentally crosses her lips. As punishment, she’s encased in stone for a hundred years. When she awakens, she vows revenge. Even if it means her demise. Her quest leads her to the vampyre prince who supposedly started the wars. He comes to her aid after she’s attacked, and Gareth’s deadly prowess may be exactly what Wynter needs to defeat the woman who created her. Or exactly what she needs to thaw her frozen heart.
Of Fate and Fire by Amanda Bouchet
The Kingmaker Chronicles meets modern-day New York City! Piers, an exiled warrior from Thalyria, finds himself in the Big Apple just before the holidays. The world and everything in it might be utterly foreign to him, but that won't stop Piers from helping to complete a vital mission for Athena and protect Sophie, a French teacher from Connecticut who's suddenly knee-deep in inexplicable phenomena, danger, and henchmen after an Olympian treasure that should never have ended up in her hands—or remained on Earth after the Greek gods abandoned it.
The King of Hel by Grace Draven
Castil il Veras, daughter of lesser boyars, attends the gatherings that celebrate her best friend's upcoming marriage to the cursed king of a sorcerous kingdom. She soon learns that even marked by the magic of the Wastelands, Doranis of Helenrisia is everything she's ever desired in a mate—and absolutely forbidden to her. Bound by duty to crown and country, Doranis has traveled to the Caskadan empire to marry a woman who loathes the sight of him. During the prenuptial celebrations, he meets a scribe who finds him fascinating instead of repellent, but Castil is beyond his reach. Fate, however, would have it otherwise, and a beseeching letter from a dying queen will bring them together again in a land gripped by endless winter and old magic.
Familiar Winter Magic by Jeffe Kennedy
It’s holiday time at Convocation Academy, but best friends Han and Iliana are finding it hard to celebrate. As a familiar, Iliana is facing her assignment to a life of servitude to a wizard, very soon. And Han… despite being tested by the oracle daily, he is still uncategorized. As Iliana and Han face being separated forever, they at last find the courage—or desperation—to break the rules and acknowledge their deeper feelings for each other. But it will take more than true love to save them from the laws of the Convocation…
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 22, 2021
217 people are currently reading
2063 people want to read
About the author
Darynda Jones
59 books16.6k followersNYTimes and USA Today Bestselling Author Darynda Jones has won numerous awards for her work, including a prestigious RITA, a Golden Heart, and a Daphne du Maurier, and her books have been translated into 17 languages. As a born storyteller, Darynda grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, certain they went away the better for it. She penned the international bestselling Charley Davidson series and is currently working on several beloved projects, most notably the Sunshine Vicram Mystery Series with St. Martin's Press and the Betwixt and Between Series of paranormal women's fiction. She lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys.
Click here to read one of the more popular short stories by Darynda called The Monster:
https://theneverneath.com/2018/02/02/...
She can be found at http://www.daryndajones.com
Click here to read one of the more popular short stories by Darynda called The Monster:
https://theneverneath.com/2018/02/02/...
She can be found at http://www.daryndajones.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
January 30, 2022
4.5 Four really good stories, all left me wanting more. The last one was a cliffhanger, I mean a dangle you out in midair cliffhanger. Not cool ! Still I enjoyed all, three of the authors are already top of my reading list favs, only one was new Jeffe Kennedy> i call her the cliffhanger author.
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December 24, 2021Wynter Fyre by Darynda Jones - The bones of the story a decent but this hit a major trigger for me early in the story
Familiar Winter Magic by Jeffe Kennedy - I liked this friends to lovers short. This world sucks for familiar s though.
Of Fate and Fire by Amanda Bouchet -
King of Hel by Grace Draven -
Familiar Winter Magic by Jeffe Kennedy - I liked this friends to lovers short. This world sucks for familiar s though.
Of Fate and Fire by Amanda Bouchet -
King of Hel by Grace Draven -
June 14, 2022
"Fire of the Frost" contains four short stories by a few authors I've enjoyed in the past. It's a mixed bag review, so I'll try to keep it brief.
"A Wynter's Fyre" by Darynda Jones - I choose not to rate
The explicit sexual assault scent tainted the entire short story for me. The character's emotions were baffling to me. The characters reaction to the rape is like that of a bad prank and creates an inconsistency between the h/h.
"Of Fate and Fire" by Amanda Bouchet - 1 star
I found this short story utterly ridiculous. This is my second try of this author's work. Over-the-top and 'To stupid to live' (TSTL) are not endearing traits.
"The King of Hel" by Grace Draven - 4 stars
This short story was the best of the lot. I'm a fan of Ms. Draven and she does not disappoint in this fantasy romance inspired by King Louis XIV of France and Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon.
"Familiar Winter Magic" by Jeffe Kennedy - 3 stars
This short story could be a young adult fantasy romance except for the one sexy time. It was enjoyable. I just can't understand how a world with a vital symbiotic relationship between 'familiars' and 'wizards' has such radical disparities.
library eloan
"A Wynter's Fyre" by Darynda Jones - I choose not to rate
The explicit sexual assault scent tainted the entire short story for me. The character's emotions were baffling to me. The characters reaction to the rape is like that of a bad prank and creates an inconsistency between the h/h.
"Of Fate and Fire" by Amanda Bouchet - 1 star
I found this short story utterly ridiculous. This is my second try of this author's work. Over-the-top and 'To stupid to live' (TSTL) are not endearing traits.
"The King of Hel" by Grace Draven - 4 stars
This short story was the best of the lot. I'm a fan of Ms. Draven and she does not disappoint in this fantasy romance inspired by King Louis XIV of France and Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon.
"Familiar Winter Magic" by Jeffe Kennedy - 3 stars
This short story could be a young adult fantasy romance except for the one sexy time. It was enjoyable. I just can't understand how a world with a vital symbiotic relationship between 'familiars' and 'wizards' has such radical disparities.
library eloan
February 27, 2022
Read this review on Fresh Fiction
The FIRE OF THE FROST anthology is packed with amazing authors. These stories are all Fantasy Romance, so I was very excited to dive into the intricate unique worlds created by these authors.
Darynda Jones’s story was the one that I was the most excited about because she is one of my favorite authors. I haven’t seen her dabble too much in this genre before so that was another reason why I was so interested in it. Jones flexes her writing skill in this short story, showing readers that she can write in multiple genres with ease. I very much enjoyed this story.
Amanda Bouchet’s story very much fits her style and voice. Known for her Fantasy Romance skills, this modern story definitely stood out from the bunch. I think I will be exploring more of her stories in the future.
Then there were a few new-to-me authors included in this anthology, such as Grace Draven and Jeffe Kennedy. Since I haven’t tried these authors before, I was looking forward to sampling their styles. Anthologies are a great way to discover new authors and after reading this one, I think I’ll be exploring more of their work in the future.
Some of these stories are part of existing series but there is a standalone in there as well. So all in all, I definitely think this anthology is worth checking out. I liked that there weren’t so many authors in one collection. That way, you can really focus on each story and enjoy them to the fullest!
The FIRE OF THE FROST anthology is packed with amazing authors. These stories are all Fantasy Romance, so I was very excited to dive into the intricate unique worlds created by these authors.
Darynda Jones’s story was the one that I was the most excited about because she is one of my favorite authors. I haven’t seen her dabble too much in this genre before so that was another reason why I was so interested in it. Jones flexes her writing skill in this short story, showing readers that she can write in multiple genres with ease. I very much enjoyed this story.
Amanda Bouchet’s story very much fits her style and voice. Known for her Fantasy Romance skills, this modern story definitely stood out from the bunch. I think I will be exploring more of her stories in the future.
Then there were a few new-to-me authors included in this anthology, such as Grace Draven and Jeffe Kennedy. Since I haven’t tried these authors before, I was looking forward to sampling their styles. Anthologies are a great way to discover new authors and after reading this one, I think I’ll be exploring more of their work in the future.
Some of these stories are part of existing series but there is a standalone in there as well. So all in all, I definitely think this anthology is worth checking out. I liked that there weren’t so many authors in one collection. That way, you can really focus on each story and enjoy them to the fullest!
December 28, 2021
'Puedes quedarte con tu adorno brillante para el cabello'. No necesito uno propio. Estoy feliz de reclamar el título más codiciado: esposa de Doranis de la Casa Alisdane'. Da la casualidad de que es un rey, pero eso realmente no tiene importancia'.
•Mi opinión puede contener Spoilers
•Esta destinada a ser un descargo personal no para que alguien más lea pero si lo haces y te ofende, me disculpo porque sé lo que es que te guste un libro y otros lo critiquen
💝Fire of the Frost, antología romántica de fantasía navideña en pleno invierno con novelas de Darynda Jones, Amanda Bouchet, Grace Draven y Jeffe Kennedy
Argumento:
Una antología romántica de fantasía navideña en pleno invierno ...
❄️A Wynter Fyre de Darynda Jones, una novela independiente ambientada en un mundo donde los vampiros son cazados por deporte. Lo único que se interpone entre ellos y la aniquilación total es Wynter, una guerrera criada para salvarlos de la extinción. Prohibida enamorarse, Wynter solo se preocupa por sus juramentos ... hasta que conoce al príncipe diabólico del inframundo.
❄️Of Fate and Fire de Amanda Bouchet
¡The Kingmaker Chronicles se encuentra con la actual ciudad de Nueva York!
Piers, un guerrero exiliado de Thalyria, se encuentra en la Gran Manzana justo antes de las vacaciones. El mundo y todo lo que hay en él puede ser completamente extraño para él, pero eso no evitará que Piers ayude a completar una misión vital para Athena y proteger a Sophie, una profesora de francés de Connecticut que de repente se sumerge hasta las rodillas en fenómenos inexplicables, peligros y secuaces detrás de un tesoro olímpico que nunca debería haber terminado en sus manos, o permanecer en la Tierra después de que los dioses griegos lo abandonaron.
❄️The King of Hel de Grace Draven
Una expansión de novela corta de una historia corta independiente en la que un rey mago maldito de un reino helado está obligado a casarse con una mujer de nobleza de alto rango, pero conoce a su alma gemela en un humilde escriba.
❄️Familiar Winter Magic de Jeffe Kennedy
Es tiempo de vacaciones en Convocation Academy, pero a las mejores amigas Han e Iliana les resulta difícil celebrar. Como familiar, Iliana se enfrenta a su asignación a una vida de servidumbre a un mago, muy pronto. Y Han… a pesar de ser probado por el oráculo diariamente, todavía no está categorizado. Mientras Iliana y Han se enfrentan a la separación para siempre, por fin encuentran el coraje, o la desesperación, para romper las reglas y reconocer sus sentimientos más profundos el uno por el otro. Pero se necesitará más que amor verdadero para salvarlos de las leyes de la Convocación ...
Mí humilde opinión:
❄️A Wynter Fyre de Darynda Jones:
Esta pequeña historia era oscura, sexy y con mucha acción! El mundo era increíble junto con los personajes.
Quería saber la historia completa de Wynter y Garet, quería quedarme más en ese mundo peligroso y retorcido con reyes y reinas vampiros y de magia.
Una penita que fuera independiente.
Me encantó!!!🎄🎄🎄🎄
❄️Of Fate and Fire de Amanda Bouchet:
Esta historia fue interesante, los dioses griegos no son un mito, hay otros mundos como la Atlántida y otros que existen, magia, acción y romance. Había mucho que me atrapó.
Me gustaban los protagonistas, y su rápida conexión romántica no me molestó con una historia tan breve, fue linda.
Pero me hubiera gustado que fuera más larga, era un montón de información de una sola vez y tan rápido que me quedaron muchas dudas.
Me gustó como se resuelve todo al final con Pierce y Sophie. La parte cuando aparece la diosa griega Atena me encantó. Y ese final navideño con toda la familia fue muy dulce. Adoré ese final con las niñas y los labradores!
Me gustó! 🎄🎄🎄
❄️The King of Hel de Grace Draven:
Esta pequeña historia fue tan buena! Me recordó un poco a La bella y la bestia.
Estaba impresionada por el mundo que trajo la autora a pesar de lo breve de la historia. Pude imaginarmelo todo, las descripciones de los reinos y los personajes fueron geniales. Hay una trama atrapante aquí, la historia de una amistad y la de un amor imposible.
Castil se enamoró del rey que llega a casarse con su mejor amiga, es un matrimonio arreglado y su amiga no lo quiere principalmente por su aspecto pero a Castil el aspecto del rey no le desagrada, lo encuentra guapo. Doranis queda fascinado con Castil, por su inteligencia y por ser una mujer que habla por si misma pero debe casarse con su amiga que tiene un título. Dios mio, había un gran drama sucediendo! Me gustó cómo se solucionó la parte romántica que parecía triste e imposible.
Disfruté tanto del drama como del romance. Adoré a Castil y Doranis y su historia de amor. Me encantó el final!
Muy buena! 🎄🎄🎄🎄
❄️Familiar Winter Magic de Jeffe Kennedy:
Qué librito más emocionante! Estaba totalmente enganchada con este mundo de hechiceros y la sociedad de la magia, todo lo que pasaba me tenía tan emocionada como al borde de los nervios porque esta gente no es buena con los protagonistas. La historia de amor de Iliana y Han, fue un de amigos a amantes tan lindo pero había problemas con su 'estatus' y una malvada hechicera llamada Sabrina no deja de amenazarlos. Yo estaba tan contenta de que decidieran escapar juntos y que Alise los ayudara. Se viene una gran aventura y no puedo espero a saber qué pasará cuando encuentren a Nic!
Me encantó!!!🎄🎄🎄🎄
❄️Esta colección es muy buena, las historias de fantasía estaban repletas de aventura, romance y magia. Realmente sentí que me sumergía en cada historia de invierno de estos geniales autores. Lo único malo? Me dejaron con ganas de más!!!
December 27, 2021
- Review of A Wynter Fyre by Darynda Jones -
A Wynter Fyre was such a steamy paranormal romance novella. I was hooked to the story from the start and the characters were amazing. Darynda Jones writes the best characters, and she was able to make me care for them in such a short amount of time. The steaminess was incredible and I wanted more. The two main characters Wynter and Gareth had so much chemistry, and their banter was great. I also enjoyed the twist. I wish this novella was part of a whole series, because I couldn't get enough. I really hope Darynda will decide to write more stories about this world and characters because there is just so much potential.
A Wynter Fyre was such a steamy paranormal romance novella. I was hooked to the story from the start and the characters were amazing. Darynda Jones writes the best characters, and she was able to make me care for them in such a short amount of time. The steaminess was incredible and I wanted more. The two main characters Wynter and Gareth had so much chemistry, and their banter was great. I also enjoyed the twist. I wish this novella was part of a whole series, because I couldn't get enough. I really hope Darynda will decide to write more stories about this world and characters because there is just so much potential.
January 16, 2022
‘Fire of the Frost: A midwinter holiday fantasy romance anthology’ is a quartet of short stories by 4 amazing authors I have read and loved. I will separate this review into each of the stories and then a summary with an overall rating at the end.
A Wynter Fyre by Darynda Jones
Darynda Jones is one of my all-time favourite authors as I am a huge fan of her Charley Davidson series and Sunshine Vicram series, so this was the story I was looking forward to the most. However, out of all the four stories this is the one I disliked the most. I felt grossed out from Chapter 2 onwards when the main character is assaulted and its just brushed aside like its not an issue. Apart from that I struggled to make sense of the mechanics of the magic and creatures, its all jumbled up and there is never any clear information about how it all fits together. I am not going to go into any detail as I would prefer to not think about this story every again. If you are going to read this book, I would give this story a hard pass.
1 out of 5 stars!
Of Fate and Fire by Amanda Bouchet
If you have read The Kingmaker Chronicles by Amanda Bouchet then this is the story about what happened to Griffen’s brother Piers. If you haven’t read the series, then never fear as this also reads wonderfully as a standalone story. Set in the present day, we are introduced to Sophie, a French teacher in Pinebury Connecticut. Her Greek parents saddled her with an appropriate Greek name:
‘Sophronia Iraklidis. Her first name meant sensible or wise. Her last name meant son of Heracles.
Sophie finds herself fleeing the evil clutches of a billionaire tech wizard who wants a crystal shard that a childhood friend sent to her and asked her to return to Athena. As in Athena goddess of wisdom and war and one of the Gods of Olympus. Sophie really has no idea what is going on and then accidentally runs into Piers in the middle of New York City. However, Piers is a warrior and scholar from a different realm who also has no idea what is going on, compounded by being completely out of his depths with the world he now finds himself in. Lots of running and fighting ensue with some funny interludes – wait for the revolving doors is all I will say. Overall, this was my favourite story in the book. For such a short story, Amanda Bouchet sure does pack a punch. Highly recommended.
5 out of 5 stars!
The King of Hel by Grace Draven
‘The King of Hel’ was originally a short story that Grace Draven entered into a contest back in 2005 – and won! She has extended the story into a novella. The story is loosely based on Louis XIV of France and his second wife, Francoise d’Aubigne, marquise de Maintenon. I was not familiar with their story but since reading ‘The King of Hel’ I have been reading up on their story. The story centres around Castil il Veras, the daughter of a lesser boyar (nobility) that works for a living and is looked down upon for doing so, and Devilos, King of Helenrisia. They meet when Devilos comes to wed Kareena a beautiful young girl who is closer than a sister to Castil. However, Kareena is terrified of Devilos and whilst resigned to becoming his wife and queen, is distraught at the thought. Castil tries to support Kareena as much as possible whilst also battling her attraction to Devilos. Whilst there are only 4 chapters in the story, the narration switches between Castil and Devilos allowing us to see things from both their perspectives. It also takes place over 6 months which I like, no insta-love story here even though they were attracted to one another. Overall, this is my second favourite story and a close tie with ‘Of Fate and Fire’ by Amanda Bouchet. I hope that Grace Draven revisits this world again as I would love to read more about the characters.
5 out of 5 stars!
Familiar Winter Magic by Jeffe Kennedy
The last story in the book is a tough one for me. Whilst I appreciated the overall story and the well written characters, I found the world it was set in to be disturbing and bleak. This is a place where those who have magic are either Wizards or Familiars. If you are a Wizard well the world is your oyster, and you can pretty much do whatever you want… and I do mean whatever you want. If you are a Familiar though, well your only purpose in life is to be a battery of magic power for the Wizard that OWNS you and to provide them whatever they want… and again I mean whatever they want. It isn’t explicitly written but I struggled with a world where the characters just accepted that because they were Familiars, that they would need to submit to whatever Wizard purchased them. I felt like the author could have given the story a little more hope and light. It was rather a depressing for me to read as all I kept thinking was that they main couple would inevitably get separated and would just accept it as their lot in life. I won’t go into too much detail for this one but if what I have written above doesn’t bother you then you will likely enjoy this story.
3 out of 5 stars!
Overall, I am glad I purchased ‘Fire of the Frost’. The stories by Amanda Bouchet and Grace Draven made it well worth the money and I would recommend it to anyone on the strength of those two stories alone.
3.5 out of 5 stars! Rounded to 4 stars!
A Wynter Fyre by Darynda Jones
Darynda Jones is one of my all-time favourite authors as I am a huge fan of her Charley Davidson series and Sunshine Vicram series, so this was the story I was looking forward to the most. However, out of all the four stories this is the one I disliked the most. I felt grossed out from Chapter 2 onwards when the main character is assaulted and its just brushed aside like its not an issue. Apart from that I struggled to make sense of the mechanics of the magic and creatures, its all jumbled up and there is never any clear information about how it all fits together. I am not going to go into any detail as I would prefer to not think about this story every again. If you are going to read this book, I would give this story a hard pass.
1 out of 5 stars!
Of Fate and Fire by Amanda Bouchet
If you have read The Kingmaker Chronicles by Amanda Bouchet then this is the story about what happened to Griffen’s brother Piers. If you haven’t read the series, then never fear as this also reads wonderfully as a standalone story. Set in the present day, we are introduced to Sophie, a French teacher in Pinebury Connecticut. Her Greek parents saddled her with an appropriate Greek name:
‘Sophronia Iraklidis. Her first name meant sensible or wise. Her last name meant son of Heracles.
Sophie finds herself fleeing the evil clutches of a billionaire tech wizard who wants a crystal shard that a childhood friend sent to her and asked her to return to Athena. As in Athena goddess of wisdom and war and one of the Gods of Olympus. Sophie really has no idea what is going on and then accidentally runs into Piers in the middle of New York City. However, Piers is a warrior and scholar from a different realm who also has no idea what is going on, compounded by being completely out of his depths with the world he now finds himself in. Lots of running and fighting ensue with some funny interludes – wait for the revolving doors is all I will say. Overall, this was my favourite story in the book. For such a short story, Amanda Bouchet sure does pack a punch. Highly recommended.
5 out of 5 stars!
The King of Hel by Grace Draven
‘The King of Hel’ was originally a short story that Grace Draven entered into a contest back in 2005 – and won! She has extended the story into a novella. The story is loosely based on Louis XIV of France and his second wife, Francoise d’Aubigne, marquise de Maintenon. I was not familiar with their story but since reading ‘The King of Hel’ I have been reading up on their story. The story centres around Castil il Veras, the daughter of a lesser boyar (nobility) that works for a living and is looked down upon for doing so, and Devilos, King of Helenrisia. They meet when Devilos comes to wed Kareena a beautiful young girl who is closer than a sister to Castil. However, Kareena is terrified of Devilos and whilst resigned to becoming his wife and queen, is distraught at the thought. Castil tries to support Kareena as much as possible whilst also battling her attraction to Devilos. Whilst there are only 4 chapters in the story, the narration switches between Castil and Devilos allowing us to see things from both their perspectives. It also takes place over 6 months which I like, no insta-love story here even though they were attracted to one another. Overall, this is my second favourite story and a close tie with ‘Of Fate and Fire’ by Amanda Bouchet. I hope that Grace Draven revisits this world again as I would love to read more about the characters.
5 out of 5 stars!
Familiar Winter Magic by Jeffe Kennedy
The last story in the book is a tough one for me. Whilst I appreciated the overall story and the well written characters, I found the world it was set in to be disturbing and bleak. This is a place where those who have magic are either Wizards or Familiars. If you are a Wizard well the world is your oyster, and you can pretty much do whatever you want… and I do mean whatever you want. If you are a Familiar though, well your only purpose in life is to be a battery of magic power for the Wizard that OWNS you and to provide them whatever they want… and again I mean whatever they want. It isn’t explicitly written but I struggled with a world where the characters just accepted that because they were Familiars, that they would need to submit to whatever Wizard purchased them. I felt like the author could have given the story a little more hope and light. It was rather a depressing for me to read as all I kept thinking was that they main couple would inevitably get separated and would just accept it as their lot in life. I won’t go into too much detail for this one but if what I have written above doesn’t bother you then you will likely enjoy this story.
3 out of 5 stars!
Overall, I am glad I purchased ‘Fire of the Frost’. The stories by Amanda Bouchet and Grace Draven made it well worth the money and I would recommend it to anyone on the strength of those two stories alone.
3.5 out of 5 stars! Rounded to 4 stars!
Read
January 6, 2024
Fire of the Frost
Source: B & N
Dates Read: 1/2/24 - 1/6/24
Average Stars: DNF - No Rating
A Wynter Fyre - Darynda Jones - 4 Stars - Wynter, Gareth - Dare I say there is a Darynda Jones book I don’t like? The back story is boring me and the lack of consent in the first smex scenes makes me want to turn away. It is missing the humor I usually get from Ms. Jones’ wor. All of this together makes me uninterested and therefore I am DNFing.
**** I picked this book for Darynda Jones but considering my disappointment with the story I’m not going to stick around for more, shame on me. I may revisit one day but who knows when.
Of Fate and Fire - Kingmaker Chronicles, Book 3.5 - Amanda Bouchet - Stars - Piers, Sophie -
The King of Hel - Grace Draven - Stars - Castil, Doranis -
Jeffe Kennedy - Stars - Hans, Illiana -
Source: B & N
Dates Read: 1/2/24 - 1/6/24
Average Stars: DNF - No Rating
A Wynter Fyre - Darynda Jones - 4 Stars - Wynter, Gareth - Dare I say there is a Darynda Jones book I don’t like? The back story is boring me and the lack of consent in the first smex scenes makes me want to turn away. It is missing the humor I usually get from Ms. Jones’ wor. All of this together makes me uninterested and therefore I am DNFing.
**** I picked this book for Darynda Jones but considering my disappointment with the story I’m not going to stick around for more, shame on me. I may revisit one day but who knows when.
Of Fate and Fire - Kingmaker Chronicles, Book 3.5 - Amanda Bouchet - Stars - Piers, Sophie -
The King of Hel - Grace Draven - Stars - Castil, Doranis -
Jeffe Kennedy - Stars - Hans, Illiana -
December 23, 2021
Read via library.
May 31, 2022
Kat's Book Report - Contains Spoilers - For my own failing memory...
Fire of the Frost is a Fantasy Romance anthology consisting of four distinct novellas, which is quite an ambitious undertaking. Writing Romance novellas is hard, and compiling four well-executed Romance novellas even harder. Why? Because Romance novellas often suffer from the problem that there isn’t the page time to develop the characters in enough detail to make the plot or the romance believable. Layer on top of that a genre like Fantasy, and you’re faced with an even trickier prospect – now you also need page time to flesh out the world-builidng to the degree needed in support of the story or the romance.
However! It can be done! In the right hands, an author can construct a novella-length story that delivers on the promises of the premise of both Fantasy and Romance. In my opinion, Fire of the Frost accomplishes that, and I’ll try and unpack why it is so successful here by looking at each of the four novellas separately.
This review was originally written as part of a personal project to complete an all Fantasy Romance card for r/fantasy’s 2022 Book Bingo. All opinions are my own.
A Wynter Fyre by Darynda Jones – 5/5
This is the shortest novella in the anthology, and despite the story being standalone, it really worked for me, I think, for three reasons. First, much of the page-time is dedicated to the world-building, and since the world itself is what drove the plot, the author made a good choice here. This is great literary device for managing page time – tie your world into the driving plot points and suddenly you’ve created a page efficiency that you wouldn’t otherwise have.
Second, the steaminess is not tied to the HEA. I know – you’re thinking gratuitous sex? Well, maybe a bit gratuitous, but I don’t think so. If you don’t have time to have your characters fall in love, add steam another way, avoiding insta-love altogether. That’s what the author did here. I’d be remiss if I didn’t add a content warning – there is dubious consent in the opening scene where the FMC is assaulted by vampires after being bitten and injected with what is essentially aphrodesiac vampire venom. This didn’t bother me and, like I said, I thought it was an ingenious way of getting the FMC and MMC into a steamy situation (he did not perpetrate the assault – their encounter came after), but I know that this is a big trigger for some folks, so reader beware!
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, this book had an HFN as opposed to an HEA, making the relationship arc far more believable. Our couple doesn’t go all the way to love and a full HEA, but you get the sense that their HFN will lead to a true HEA and that is enough to make you feel complete while avoiding the feelings of the end being contrived and reeking of insta-love. The plot twist and relationship reveal is key to achieving this story. It was unexpected and made the plot work.
Of Fate and Fire by Amanda Bouchet – 4/5
Another way to make a Romance novella work? Write the story of a secondary character from an ongoing series. The world has alrady been established, the backstory of at least one of the characters is already in the mind of the reader, and you’re able to use your page time to develop the plot and Romance. That’s exactly what Bouchet does in Of Fate and Fire, which is a novella set in her Kingmaker Chronicles world. It contains the story of what happens to Piers after he is banished from Thalyria by Athena.
For me, that was always a tough scene – I was SO conflicted about Piers’s fate, and for him to get a bit of character redemption and an HEA was extremely satisfying. The story is set in NYC at Christmastime, and the “big bad” is this billionaire tech mogul, both of which were extremely satisfying plot points (especially the downfall of the billionaire). I also love how much Bouchet leans in to her Greek heritage and mythology. She really leveled up with those elements in this novella, having the FMC being a part of a Greek immigrant family and a descendant of Heracles. I’m really looking forward to book 4 in the Kingmaker Chronicles series, which comes out this fall!
The King of Hel by Grace Draven – 4/5
If you follow my posts and reviews, you know that I’m a huge Grace Draven fan. She consistently delivers, and this story is no different; it has the tone, prose, and world-building I’ve grown to love in her works. This was the first story she ever published, expanded into novella for this anthology. It is standalone, and effortlessly tackles world-building and character development within the confines of a novella’s short length. Draven is truly a master of Fantasy Romance.
The novella is as much a love story between Castil and her best friend as it is between Castil and Doranis. The tone is rather somber, tackling themes of inequity and loss. Each of the three main characters is bound by the expectations of their birth, relegated to class expectations and rights. Yet amid the unfortunate outcomes of being forced to live within those societal strictures, love and friendship perservere. A poignant tale that fans of Grace Draven will thoroughly appreciate.
Familiar Winter Magic by Jeffe Kennedy – 3/5
This novella was my least favorite of the anthology, but that had more to do with my personal taste in tropes than anything else. In general, I am not a big fan of magic schools or YA-leaning characters, and since this story followed the relationship of two students of the Convocation Academy – the magic school in Kennedy’s Bonds of Magic world – it wasn’t my preference. However, I know this isn’t a turn off for others, so if you like that series and Kennedy’s writing (which is fantastic!) and want to delve deeper into the unique world-building that is an allegory for slavery and caste systems, this might be a great novella for you!
Familiar Winter Magic is another example of a novella set in an existing world, but unlike other examples I’ve read that employ this approach, this novella is far more tied into the main storyline of the series than usual. Although the characters and relationship are well-developed, it reads almost like a prelude to book 3, with multiple references to the series plotline and a cliffhanger ending that ostensibly will be resolved in book 3. I recommend this novella primarly to fans of the Bonds of Magic series as its an excellent and compelling entry into that world.
Fire of the Frost is a Fantasy Romance anthology consisting of four distinct novellas, which is quite an ambitious undertaking. Writing Romance novellas is hard, and compiling four well-executed Romance novellas even harder. Why? Because Romance novellas often suffer from the problem that there isn’t the page time to develop the characters in enough detail to make the plot or the romance believable. Layer on top of that a genre like Fantasy, and you’re faced with an even trickier prospect – now you also need page time to flesh out the world-builidng to the degree needed in support of the story or the romance.
However! It can be done! In the right hands, an author can construct a novella-length story that delivers on the promises of the premise of both Fantasy and Romance. In my opinion, Fire of the Frost accomplishes that, and I’ll try and unpack why it is so successful here by looking at each of the four novellas separately.
This review was originally written as part of a personal project to complete an all Fantasy Romance card for r/fantasy’s 2022 Book Bingo. All opinions are my own.
A Wynter Fyre by Darynda Jones – 5/5
This is the shortest novella in the anthology, and despite the story being standalone, it really worked for me, I think, for three reasons. First, much of the page-time is dedicated to the world-building, and since the world itself is what drove the plot, the author made a good choice here. This is great literary device for managing page time – tie your world into the driving plot points and suddenly you’ve created a page efficiency that you wouldn’t otherwise have.
Second, the steaminess is not tied to the HEA. I know – you’re thinking gratuitous sex? Well, maybe a bit gratuitous, but I don’t think so. If you don’t have time to have your characters fall in love, add steam another way, avoiding insta-love altogether. That’s what the author did here. I’d be remiss if I didn’t add a content warning – there is dubious consent in the opening scene where the FMC is assaulted by vampires after being bitten and injected with what is essentially aphrodesiac vampire venom. This didn’t bother me and, like I said, I thought it was an ingenious way of getting the FMC and MMC into a steamy situation (he did not perpetrate the assault – their encounter came after), but I know that this is a big trigger for some folks, so reader beware!
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, this book had an HFN as opposed to an HEA, making the relationship arc far more believable. Our couple doesn’t go all the way to love and a full HEA, but you get the sense that their HFN will lead to a true HEA and that is enough to make you feel complete while avoiding the feelings of the end being contrived and reeking of insta-love. The plot twist and relationship reveal is key to achieving this story. It was unexpected and made the plot work.
Of Fate and Fire by Amanda Bouchet – 4/5
Another way to make a Romance novella work? Write the story of a secondary character from an ongoing series. The world has alrady been established, the backstory of at least one of the characters is already in the mind of the reader, and you’re able to use your page time to develop the plot and Romance. That’s exactly what Bouchet does in Of Fate and Fire, which is a novella set in her Kingmaker Chronicles world. It contains the story of what happens to Piers after he is banished from Thalyria by Athena.
For me, that was always a tough scene – I was SO conflicted about Piers’s fate, and for him to get a bit of character redemption and an HEA was extremely satisfying. The story is set in NYC at Christmastime, and the “big bad” is this billionaire tech mogul, both of which were extremely satisfying plot points (especially the downfall of the billionaire). I also love how much Bouchet leans in to her Greek heritage and mythology. She really leveled up with those elements in this novella, having the FMC being a part of a Greek immigrant family and a descendant of Heracles. I’m really looking forward to book 4 in the Kingmaker Chronicles series, which comes out this fall!
The King of Hel by Grace Draven – 4/5
If you follow my posts and reviews, you know that I’m a huge Grace Draven fan. She consistently delivers, and this story is no different; it has the tone, prose, and world-building I’ve grown to love in her works. This was the first story she ever published, expanded into novella for this anthology. It is standalone, and effortlessly tackles world-building and character development within the confines of a novella’s short length. Draven is truly a master of Fantasy Romance.
The novella is as much a love story between Castil and her best friend as it is between Castil and Doranis. The tone is rather somber, tackling themes of inequity and loss. Each of the three main characters is bound by the expectations of their birth, relegated to class expectations and rights. Yet amid the unfortunate outcomes of being forced to live within those societal strictures, love and friendship perservere. A poignant tale that fans of Grace Draven will thoroughly appreciate.
Familiar Winter Magic by Jeffe Kennedy – 3/5
This novella was my least favorite of the anthology, but that had more to do with my personal taste in tropes than anything else. In general, I am not a big fan of magic schools or YA-leaning characters, and since this story followed the relationship of two students of the Convocation Academy – the magic school in Kennedy’s Bonds of Magic world – it wasn’t my preference. However, I know this isn’t a turn off for others, so if you like that series and Kennedy’s writing (which is fantastic!) and want to delve deeper into the unique world-building that is an allegory for slavery and caste systems, this might be a great novella for you!
Familiar Winter Magic is another example of a novella set in an existing world, but unlike other examples I’ve read that employ this approach, this novella is far more tied into the main storyline of the series than usual. Although the characters and relationship are well-developed, it reads almost like a prelude to book 3, with multiple references to the series plotline and a cliffhanger ending that ostensibly will be resolved in book 3. I recommend this novella primarly to fans of the Bonds of Magic series as its an excellent and compelling entry into that world.
January 11, 2022
I was so excited about this anthology and yet somehow like every anthology I’ve read lately it left me cold. Please do not let my review dissuade you from reading this anthology. A lot of this is a me thing and I’m clueless when it comes to these stories.
Wynter Fyre be warned it does have sexual assault via vampire bites and her blood driving them into a frenzy (sound familiar?). For those who are triggered by that sort of thing you might want to skip the first half of the book. For those who aren’t, let’s just say I read it over four days ago and I’m still trying to figure out the plot points. 3 ⭐️ 4 💧
Amanda Bouchet’s I was stoked for it because I adore the Kingmaker’s Chronicles to bits. I gave up about half way through because I was starting to feel validated in not like Piers throughout the Kingmaker’s Chronicles. Well that and I wish it was some other city instead of New York like everything always happens in New York from alien invasions to floods to giant monsters to fairytales coming out of the sewer. I almost wished it was in a city similar to a place he knew if only to mess with his mind. This one hurt because it was the whole reason I got the anthology. And it gave me all the feels just not the right ones, but I’ll continue to love the Kingmaker’s Chronicles and all the other characters to bits and highly recommend people read those books. 2.5 ⭐️
The third book gave me such Beauty and the Beast vibes but it was so slow. And it almost has a love triangle in it except the first wife has no love for him and he had no love for her. I finished it but Lord knows I’m clueless as to what happened I’m also disappointed in the ending because it felt too abrupt. 2 ⭐️ 3 💧
The fourth book gave me Harry Potter vibes which is probably why I didn’t like it as much as the other books. I made it to chapter three before skipping to the ending because I didn’t like how the romance was being handled (it’s a me thing you might like the angst of the whole it’s forbidden thing). Warning: it ends on a
2 ⭐️ 2 💧
Wynter Fyre be warned it does have sexual assault via vampire bites and her blood driving them into a frenzy (sound familiar?). For those who are triggered by that sort of thing you might want to skip the first half of the book. For those who aren’t, let’s just say I read it over four days ago and I’m still trying to figure out the plot points. 3 ⭐️ 4 💧
Amanda Bouchet’s I was stoked for it because I adore the Kingmaker’s Chronicles to bits. I gave up about half way through because I was starting to feel validated in not like Piers throughout the Kingmaker’s Chronicles. Well that and I wish it was some other city instead of New York like everything always happens in New York from alien invasions to floods to giant monsters to fairytales coming out of the sewer. I almost wished it was in a city similar to a place he knew if only to mess with his mind. This one hurt because it was the whole reason I got the anthology. And it gave me all the feels just not the right ones, but I’ll continue to love the Kingmaker’s Chronicles and all the other characters to bits and highly recommend people read those books. 2.5 ⭐️
The third book gave me such Beauty and the Beast vibes but it was so slow. And it almost has a love triangle in it except the first wife has no love for him and he had no love for her. I finished it but Lord knows I’m clueless as to what happened I’m also disappointed in the ending because it felt too abrupt. 2 ⭐️ 3 💧
The fourth book gave me Harry Potter vibes which is probably why I didn’t like it as much as the other books. I made it to chapter three before skipping to the ending because I didn’t like how the romance was being handled (it’s a me thing you might like the angst of the whole it’s forbidden thing). Warning: it ends on a
2 ⭐️ 2 💧
December 26, 2021
First of all, I loved this book! I’m a huge Amanda Bouchet fan, so I was excited to discover more about her collaborating authors: Jeffe Kennedy, Grace Draven, and Darynda Jones. I’ve added a book from each to my WTR list.
All four novella’s were excellent, but I especially enjoyed the tie-in story to Amanda’s The Kingmaker Chronicles Complete Set series, which I adore. I am such a sucker for the fish-out-of-water time-travel romance, and the tie-in to her Nightchaser series was brilliant! Villainy clearly is hereditary. (And props to Piers. I still think revolving doors are kinda cool, so no judgment!)
Anyway, I’m starting Darynda’s A Lovely Drop ebook that I received for joining her newsletter mail list.
As always authors, bravos.
All four novella’s were excellent, but I especially enjoyed the tie-in story to Amanda’s The Kingmaker Chronicles Complete Set series, which I adore. I am such a sucker for the fish-out-of-water time-travel romance, and the tie-in to her Nightchaser series was brilliant! Villainy clearly is hereditary. (And props to Piers. I still think revolving doors are kinda cool, so no judgment!)
Anyway, I’m starting Darynda’s A Lovely Drop ebook that I received for joining her newsletter mail list.
As always authors, bravos.
January 29, 2022
This is a nice compilation of stories that are nice for a pick-up-and-read-whenever kind of vibe. I’m a HUGE lover of fantasy and romance, so combine the two and its just my fav. The stories are good, though there were times I did not feel as engaged as I could have. It may be because the book itself is a compilation of shorter stories, so I did not really get the kind of developed stories I personally like. The writing was good, and even though it was cool to be able to read this book on and off, I am the type of reader that likes a longer book with characters I can get to know over the course of many, many chapters. But for a book where you can get multiple types of stories in a fantasy and steamy and paranormal romance genre, this is a good choice. Consensus: 3/5
For more reviews and book boards check out my instagram! @katiebreads
For more reviews and book boards check out my instagram! @katiebreads
February 8, 2022
FIRE OF THE FROST brings us four holiday stories of romance in winter. Readers will find their own favorite. This varied collection has plenty of delightful romance and adventure to recommend it.
My very favorite of the four stories is THE KING OF HEL by Grace Draven. Draven’s books are an auto-buy for me, and this story is no exception.
Bouchet is another auto-buy author for me, and this playful tale has her signature panache.
See my full review at Fresh Fiction.com https://freshfiction.com/review.php?i...
My very favorite of the four stories is THE KING OF HEL by Grace Draven. Draven’s books are an auto-buy for me, and this story is no exception.
Bouchet is another auto-buy author for me, and this playful tale has her signature panache.
See my full review at Fresh Fiction.com https://freshfiction.com/review.php?i...
February 13, 2022
This quartet creates a beautiful symphony out of words. Whenever I see an anthology by these four, I must read it. I know I am going to be enthralled by the story they weave. This latest one delivers in magic, loss, love, and betrayals.
To read the rest of my review, click on the image below to see it on my website.
To read the rest of my review, click on the image below to see it on my website.
December 25, 2021
I have read only the stories by Darynda Jones and Amanda Bouchet, and frankly, they were nothing special, even if getting to see Piers again was funny.
Ho letto solo le storie di Darynda Jones ed Amanda Bouchet, e non erano niente di che, anche se tornare a incontrare Piers di nuovo, é stato divertente.
Ho letto solo le storie di Darynda Jones ed Amanda Bouchet, e non erano niente di che, anche se tornare a incontrare Piers di nuovo, é stato divertente.
January 3, 2022
Not spectacular but just what I was looking for during a sporadic reading period. Little bits of immersion into Fantasy and Romance with wintery themes. Enjoyed some more than others, preferably the fully complete short stories. An interesting introduction to some new-to-me authors with inventive storyline. Sexual violence TW in 1st story.
December 23, 2021
fantastic!
A wonderful collection of magic and whimsy. Exceptional stories from all four authors with special notes to Jeffe Kennedy and Grace Draven, who are two of my very favorite writers.
A wonderful collection of magic and whimsy. Exceptional stories from all four authors with special notes to Jeffe Kennedy and Grace Draven, who are two of my very favorite writers.
January 17, 2022
This was a fantastic collection!!!! I mean, I would not expect anything less from these authors, but there's always a slight risk with anthologies that at least one or two stories will leave me wanting. Not this time! They were lovely, steamy, and exciting, all of them. To re-read, for sure!
March 15, 2022
A Wynter Fyre by Darynda Jones 3.5 stars
Of Fate and Fire by Amanda Bouchet 4 stars
The King of Hel by Grace Draven 4.5 stars
Familiar Winter Magic by Jeffe Kennedy Did not read
Of Fate and Fire by Amanda Bouchet 4 stars
The King of Hel by Grace Draven 4.5 stars
Familiar Winter Magic by Jeffe Kennedy Did not read
June 7, 2024
So lovely!
I just read Grace Draven’s story and it’s such a treat! I’ve read it before but I didn’t know it was inspired by history.
I just read Grace Draven’s story and it’s such a treat! I’ve read it before but I didn’t know it was inspired by history.
Read
January 5, 2022Multi-author collections are almost always hit or miss, with varying ratios of miss-to-hit depending on the editor. Datlow/Windling, for example, tend to be aces, Trisha Telep much less so. I'm not even sure who the editor is here, which. Anyway, to the individual stories.
"A Wynter Fyre" by Darynda Jones
I'll get to this, but as I have some shit to say, I'll save this 'til last. I'd rather frontload my happy comments.
"Familiar Winter Magic" by Jeffe Kennedy
I generally like-but-don't-love Kennedy's work, and this novella was no different. Her prose is serviceable, but tends to sound too modern in magic/fantasy settings. Like I can't remember the exact example, but one of the characters says something quippy, and whatever it was made me start thinking of the origins of the phrase which had something to do with technology -- something like a bug in the system -- and then I spiraled into a whole thing about how that phrase could even exist in this world. And look, I get that that is nitpicky as fuck, but the real problem is that I'm so lightly engaged with the text that my brain can hare off on etymology or whatever.
That said! This was a fascinating little world she created here, and I would certainly be interested in seeing how the problems with this novel magical structure get worked out, narratively speaking. (Like most of these novellas, this story exists within one of the author's already established series.) The events unfold in a magical academy which trains both wizards and their familiars -- magic users and the magic-used. Once can't tell whether a child will be a familiar or a wizard until the mid- to late-teens, and one of our protagonists has gone into his 20s without being properly sorted. And yo, wizards be classist af. He's got a whole yearning thing with a classmate who is a familiar, and whichever class he ends up getting sorted into won't be great. The antagonist is a little over the top, but then entitled people are assholes, so it's not unbelievable. The end was a little open-ended, but I appreciated the restraint: not everything has to tie up into a bow, midwinter holiday theme notwithstanding.
"The King of Hel" by Grace Draven
This story is why I read this collection in the first place, as I think that Grace Draven is just aces, and one of the best writers of fantasy romance out there. "The King of Hel" is notable as Draven's first published story, found here in an expanded and revised form. As such, it has all the earmarks of her writing -- a pragmatic heroine, a subtly unsettling hero, careful environments and unexpected magic -- but the story feels tentative in some ways. A young burgher woman who is the childhood friend of a girl of the nobility ends up in accidental courtship with the witch king her friend must wed in an arranged marriage. Her friend dies in childbirth, and the courtship continues through the grief.
It's an unusual setup for this sort of fantasy -- largely arranged marriages exist so the heroes can thwart convention and remake their own destiny. I got some Brishen and Ildiko energy off this pair -- Brishen and Ildiko are the protagonists in Radiance -- and as that is my favorite Draven novel, I was well pleased.
"Of Fate and Fire" by Amanda Bouchet
This is the only one of the novellas to be set in contemporary times, and tbh, I almost chucked it in the first pages. The heroine, Sophie, says a bunch of asinine romance heroine bullshit real early on -- oh I'm so beautiful and blonde and quirky that no modern man will have me! -- but once the ancient Greek dude gets dropped in modern NYC and her lap, she doesn't have time to humblebrag how spankable her ass is or whatever. I liked that the Greek gods continued to be dicks, and how Sophie makes a lot of Thor and Outlander jokes while running for her life. The antagonist is a billionaire tech bro, and fuck those guys. This story is also a part of Bouchet's other novels, but it stands alone quite cromulently. Rompy fun.
"A Wynter Fyre" by Darynda Jones
I probably should have known that a story that misspells two out of three words in the title -- with the other one being an article -- was going to get under my skin. First off, this story, like a couple others in this collection, must exist in one of the author's preexisting worlds. Unlike the other two, it's virtually impossible to follow what in the hell is going on, how the magic works, and how the characters are related to one another. Second off, the main character, the titular Wynter, is sexually assaulted by not one but three men who were first introduced as boys she taught in their youth. They're vampires now -- sorry vampyrs -- who in this universe have sex venom which basically roofies whomever they bite.
They're run off after one has stuffed his dick in her mouth and the other two are eating her out and sucking her tits. You'll pardon my crudeness, but I want to be crystal clear how horrific this assault is, especially because the sex venom has erased all of her agency. After they are run off by the "hero", she's still coursing with the sex venom, so the "hero" obliges by letting her sit on his face, etc, but won't straight up fuck her because that would be wrong. Also, she describes their encounter as her sexually assaulting him. For the rest of the story, when she's reminded of the assault, it's treated like this wa-wa-wahhh funny about how she's totally going to kill those scamps, haha. Just what in the pickle fuck.
I have seen this sort of agency-destroying sex venom deployed in PNR with caution and care. The vampires in Meljean Brook's Guardians series, for example, often struggle with the twinning of blood and sex, and how they can assert their agency in situations where conscious thought can be overwhelmed. Even Mac becoming priya in the Fever series by Karen Moning is dealt with better, not partially because it happens at the end of a book as the horrible finish, and it takes Mac another whole novel to get a handle on the effects of the rape. She certainly doesn't shake it off and then think, oh those rascally unseelie princes!
A short novella is no place to throw a fucking gang rape in the first pages if you're not willing to deal with the effects of that assault. I don't even know how to get into the fact that Jones seems to think that because these vampyrs don't penetrate Wynter with their penises into her vagina -- because she is penetrated by a penis in the mouth -- that it's not actual rape? I just, I hate this all so much.
Look, I don't know. Maybe Jones is better than this, and this is just a bad day. But it makes me real fucking cautious to try anything else by her because my disgust level was so high. I've often said PNR is often where writers work out body trauma, which can include sexual trauma. This didn't so much examine the effects of rape, instead it enacted them.
"A Wynter Fyre" by Darynda Jones
I'll get to this, but as I have some shit to say, I'll save this 'til last. I'd rather frontload my happy comments.
"Familiar Winter Magic" by Jeffe Kennedy
I generally like-but-don't-love Kennedy's work, and this novella was no different. Her prose is serviceable, but tends to sound too modern in magic/fantasy settings. Like I can't remember the exact example, but one of the characters says something quippy, and whatever it was made me start thinking of the origins of the phrase which had something to do with technology -- something like a bug in the system -- and then I spiraled into a whole thing about how that phrase could even exist in this world. And look, I get that that is nitpicky as fuck, but the real problem is that I'm so lightly engaged with the text that my brain can hare off on etymology or whatever.
That said! This was a fascinating little world she created here, and I would certainly be interested in seeing how the problems with this novel magical structure get worked out, narratively speaking. (Like most of these novellas, this story exists within one of the author's already established series.) The events unfold in a magical academy which trains both wizards and their familiars -- magic users and the magic-used. Once can't tell whether a child will be a familiar or a wizard until the mid- to late-teens, and one of our protagonists has gone into his 20s without being properly sorted. And yo, wizards be classist af. He's got a whole yearning thing with a classmate who is a familiar, and whichever class he ends up getting sorted into won't be great. The antagonist is a little over the top, but then entitled people are assholes, so it's not unbelievable. The end was a little open-ended, but I appreciated the restraint: not everything has to tie up into a bow, midwinter holiday theme notwithstanding.
"The King of Hel" by Grace Draven
This story is why I read this collection in the first place, as I think that Grace Draven is just aces, and one of the best writers of fantasy romance out there. "The King of Hel" is notable as Draven's first published story, found here in an expanded and revised form. As such, it has all the earmarks of her writing -- a pragmatic heroine, a subtly unsettling hero, careful environments and unexpected magic -- but the story feels tentative in some ways. A young burgher woman who is the childhood friend of a girl of the nobility ends up in accidental courtship with the witch king her friend must wed in an arranged marriage. Her friend dies in childbirth, and the courtship continues through the grief.
It's an unusual setup for this sort of fantasy -- largely arranged marriages exist so the heroes can thwart convention and remake their own destiny. I got some Brishen and Ildiko energy off this pair -- Brishen and Ildiko are the protagonists in Radiance -- and as that is my favorite Draven novel, I was well pleased.
"Of Fate and Fire" by Amanda Bouchet
This is the only one of the novellas to be set in contemporary times, and tbh, I almost chucked it in the first pages. The heroine, Sophie, says a bunch of asinine romance heroine bullshit real early on -- oh I'm so beautiful and blonde and quirky that no modern man will have me! -- but once the ancient Greek dude gets dropped in modern NYC and her lap, she doesn't have time to humblebrag how spankable her ass is or whatever. I liked that the Greek gods continued to be dicks, and how Sophie makes a lot of Thor and Outlander jokes while running for her life. The antagonist is a billionaire tech bro, and fuck those guys. This story is also a part of Bouchet's other novels, but it stands alone quite cromulently. Rompy fun.
"A Wynter Fyre" by Darynda Jones
I probably should have known that a story that misspells two out of three words in the title -- with the other one being an article -- was going to get under my skin. First off, this story, like a couple others in this collection, must exist in one of the author's preexisting worlds. Unlike the other two, it's virtually impossible to follow what in the hell is going on, how the magic works, and how the characters are related to one another. Second off, the main character, the titular Wynter, is sexually assaulted by not one but three men who were first introduced as boys she taught in their youth. They're vampires now -- sorry vampyrs -- who in this universe have sex venom which basically roofies whomever they bite.
They're run off after one has stuffed his dick in her mouth and the other two are eating her out and sucking her tits. You'll pardon my crudeness, but I want to be crystal clear how horrific this assault is, especially because the sex venom has erased all of her agency. After they are run off by the "hero", she's still coursing with the sex venom, so the "hero" obliges by letting her sit on his face, etc, but won't straight up fuck her because that would be wrong. Also, she describes their encounter as her sexually assaulting him. For the rest of the story, when she's reminded of the assault, it's treated like this wa-wa-wahhh funny about how she's totally going to kill those scamps, haha. Just what in the pickle fuck.
I have seen this sort of agency-destroying sex venom deployed in PNR with caution and care. The vampires in Meljean Brook's Guardians series, for example, often struggle with the twinning of blood and sex, and how they can assert their agency in situations where conscious thought can be overwhelmed. Even Mac becoming priya in the Fever series by Karen Moning is dealt with better, not partially because it happens at the end of a book as the horrible finish, and it takes Mac another whole novel to get a handle on the effects of the rape. She certainly doesn't shake it off and then think, oh those rascally unseelie princes!
A short novella is no place to throw a fucking gang rape in the first pages if you're not willing to deal with the effects of that assault. I don't even know how to get into the fact that Jones seems to think that because these vampyrs don't penetrate Wynter with their penises into her vagina -- because she is penetrated by a penis in the mouth -- that it's not actual rape? I just, I hate this all so much.
Look, I don't know. Maybe Jones is better than this, and this is just a bad day. But it makes me real fucking cautious to try anything else by her because my disgust level was so high. I've often said PNR is often where writers work out body trauma, which can include sexual trauma. This didn't so much examine the effects of rape, instead it enacted them.
March 31, 2022
I had my doubts that Piers would ever be a likeable character after Heart on Fire, but I shouldn’t have underestimated Amanda Bouchet. This was so cuteee. The complete fish out of water experience for Piers in nyc was absolutely hilarious and the romance was so cute. Loved this
Read
November 16, 2022There were two stories in here I was looking forward to, and Amanda Bouchet's truly delivered, somehow managing to bridge the Kingmaker Chronicles and the real world. Piers (Cat's reluctant BIL) finds himself exiled to another realm... that happens to be modern day New York. I loved this spin on his life after what went down in the Kingmaker Chronicles, can't wait to read more on them with the spin-off series.
Jeffe Kennedy was a surprise in here too. For someone I hadn't heard of or read anything from, it was my second favourite of the collection. It's very obviously part of a larger world, but the MCs had great chemistry, and who doesn't love a tale of star crossed lovers?
Jeffe Kennedy was a surprise in here too. For someone I hadn't heard of or read anything from, it was my second favourite of the collection. It's very obviously part of a larger world, but the MCs had great chemistry, and who doesn't love a tale of star crossed lovers?
December 25, 2021
I bought it for the Draven story, which I enjoyed.
The Darynda Jones story was a weak excuse for paranormal insta-lust with little plot and 2 dimensional characters.
The Amanda Bouchet story was ok, with some of the foibles of the sub-genre being handled nicely, and I didn't hate the MCs, but the end was abrupt & unsatisfying, and I still don't care much for "ancient pantheon impacting modern life."
The Jeffe Kennedy story was a pleasant surprise. I may actually go back and read some of the preceding titles in the series.
The Darynda Jones story was a weak excuse for paranormal insta-lust with little plot and 2 dimensional characters.
The Amanda Bouchet story was ok, with some of the foibles of the sub-genre being handled nicely, and I didn't hate the MCs, but the end was abrupt & unsatisfying, and I still don't care much for "ancient pantheon impacting modern life."
The Jeffe Kennedy story was a pleasant surprise. I may actually go back and read some of the preceding titles in the series.
December 25, 2021
Originally published at Reading Reality
This holiday treat dropped into my lap this week and I couldn’t resist starting it immediately! Isn’t that what holiday treats are for? Immediate consumption for the yes! Especially as I’ve received earlier versions of this confection of a collection (Under a Winter Sky, Seasons of Sorcery and Amid the Winter Snow) and they’ve all been wonderful reading treats.
For the most part, this year’s collection of winter fantasy romances was a very sweet treat indeed – with just enough naughty in the mix to give Santa a blush or four.
My absolute favorite story this year was Grace Draven’s The King of Hel, and not just because it’s a standalone story that isn’t set in one of her other worlds. It’s the kind of fantasy romance that didn’t really have to be a fantasy romance. In fact, its real world inspiration was not. Inspired by the real life romance between Madame de Maintenon and Louis XIV of France, this is the story of Doranis, the magic-touched king of Helenrisia and his queen’s best friend, the modestly born Castil il Veras. What made this story so beautiful is the way that Castil’s deep, life-long friendship with Doranis’ queen is not broken by the romance. Rather, Castil is heartbroken when her best friend dies in childbirth yet still honors that friendship. But life goes on, and the queen’s death gives Doranis the freedom to marry the woman who is suited to him in all ways but birth, and lets Castil acknowledge her love for a man who was otherwise twice beyond her touch.
This was just a beautiful winter romance between two strong and surprisingly equal partners and I loved every page of it.
On the other hand, my least favorite story in this collection was Familiar Winter Magic by Jeffe Kennedy. It’s not that it’s not a good story, because it is, and it’s not that it’s not well done, because it is that as well. It’s that the protagonists of the story are fundamentally, by law and custom, absolutely powerless and their powerlessness gets rubbed like salt into their wounds and the reader’s psyche at every turn. This is just one of those cases where I know it’s good and I know there’s an audience for it and I’m just not it.
Of Fate and Fire by Amanda Bouchet was just plain fun, kind of in the way that the first Thor movie was fun. At points, literally in the way that the first Thor movie was fun, a fact that the heroine references more than once during the course of her whirlwind romance while running from bad guys story plays out. Although Piers of Thalyria, an exile from the world of the author’s Kingmaker Chronicles, has no godlike powers, it turns out that his heroine does and he’s been jerked across time and space in order to protect her while she figures out how to either use them or give them back. The story here is kind of a lighthearted romp – in spite of being chased down by evil entrepreneurs and their henchmen at every turn.
Last but not least, my second favorite story in the collection, Darynda Jones’ A Wynter Fyre. The beginning had a bit of an “aliens made them do it” start – not that any of the characters in this story are actually alien to this world. But there’s a common fanfiction trope for series like Stargate and its spinoffs where the characters are compelled by unbridled libidos to have sex because of “alien sex pollen”. The way this story begins, with vampyres biting Wynter in order to infect her with the equivalent of “vampyre sex pollen” had a very similar feel. Particular when the hero fends off the bad vamps in order to woo her for himself, once he’s helped her take the edge off, so to speak.
After that hot, heavy, creepy and slightly rapey beginning the story itself takes a surprising turn. Wynter has been awakened from 70+ years as a statue because her mother the demon (yes, the being she believes is her mother is an actual demon) needs her to rescue a kidnapped vampyre princess.
But it’s all a setup. Not that the princess hasn’t been kidnapped, but it’s all part of the plot to give Wynter the chance to do her job of protecting the vampyres properly – by killing the greatest threat to their existence – her demon mother. That the setup also manages to change the romance from a sex into love story into a second chance at love story is all part of its charm – something this one had absolutely oodles of.
Escape Rating B+: This collection is always a lovely holiday treat. But like any collection, some stories hit the mark with this reader – or any other – while others aren’t quite as close to the bullseye.
If I were giving individual ratings, A Wynter Fyre would get an A; Of Fate and Fire would receive a B; The King of Hel hits the high spot at A+ while Familiar Winter Magic just didn’t work for me at all. Your reading mileage – even through the snowy landscape of these winter tales – will definitely vary.
No matter which stories in the collection tickle your holiday reading fancy, the collection is definitely worth curling up with some hot chocolate and a cozy blanket for a delicious holiday read!
This holiday treat dropped into my lap this week and I couldn’t resist starting it immediately! Isn’t that what holiday treats are for? Immediate consumption for the yes! Especially as I’ve received earlier versions of this confection of a collection (Under a Winter Sky, Seasons of Sorcery and Amid the Winter Snow) and they’ve all been wonderful reading treats.
For the most part, this year’s collection of winter fantasy romances was a very sweet treat indeed – with just enough naughty in the mix to give Santa a blush or four.
My absolute favorite story this year was Grace Draven’s The King of Hel, and not just because it’s a standalone story that isn’t set in one of her other worlds. It’s the kind of fantasy romance that didn’t really have to be a fantasy romance. In fact, its real world inspiration was not. Inspired by the real life romance between Madame de Maintenon and Louis XIV of France, this is the story of Doranis, the magic-touched king of Helenrisia and his queen’s best friend, the modestly born Castil il Veras. What made this story so beautiful is the way that Castil’s deep, life-long friendship with Doranis’ queen is not broken by the romance. Rather, Castil is heartbroken when her best friend dies in childbirth yet still honors that friendship. But life goes on, and the queen’s death gives Doranis the freedom to marry the woman who is suited to him in all ways but birth, and lets Castil acknowledge her love for a man who was otherwise twice beyond her touch.
This was just a beautiful winter romance between two strong and surprisingly equal partners and I loved every page of it.
On the other hand, my least favorite story in this collection was Familiar Winter Magic by Jeffe Kennedy. It’s not that it’s not a good story, because it is, and it’s not that it’s not well done, because it is that as well. It’s that the protagonists of the story are fundamentally, by law and custom, absolutely powerless and their powerlessness gets rubbed like salt into their wounds and the reader’s psyche at every turn. This is just one of those cases where I know it’s good and I know there’s an audience for it and I’m just not it.
Of Fate and Fire by Amanda Bouchet was just plain fun, kind of in the way that the first Thor movie was fun. At points, literally in the way that the first Thor movie was fun, a fact that the heroine references more than once during the course of her whirlwind romance while running from bad guys story plays out. Although Piers of Thalyria, an exile from the world of the author’s Kingmaker Chronicles, has no godlike powers, it turns out that his heroine does and he’s been jerked across time and space in order to protect her while she figures out how to either use them or give them back. The story here is kind of a lighthearted romp – in spite of being chased down by evil entrepreneurs and their henchmen at every turn.
Last but not least, my second favorite story in the collection, Darynda Jones’ A Wynter Fyre. The beginning had a bit of an “aliens made them do it” start – not that any of the characters in this story are actually alien to this world. But there’s a common fanfiction trope for series like Stargate and its spinoffs where the characters are compelled by unbridled libidos to have sex because of “alien sex pollen”. The way this story begins, with vampyres biting Wynter in order to infect her with the equivalent of “vampyre sex pollen” had a very similar feel. Particular when the hero fends off the bad vamps in order to woo her for himself, once he’s helped her take the edge off, so to speak.
After that hot, heavy, creepy and slightly rapey beginning the story itself takes a surprising turn. Wynter has been awakened from 70+ years as a statue because her mother the demon (yes, the being she believes is her mother is an actual demon) needs her to rescue a kidnapped vampyre princess.
But it’s all a setup. Not that the princess hasn’t been kidnapped, but it’s all part of the plot to give Wynter the chance to do her job of protecting the vampyres properly – by killing the greatest threat to their existence – her demon mother. That the setup also manages to change the romance from a sex into love story into a second chance at love story is all part of its charm – something this one had absolutely oodles of.
Escape Rating B+: This collection is always a lovely holiday treat. But like any collection, some stories hit the mark with this reader – or any other – while others aren’t quite as close to the bullseye.
If I were giving individual ratings, A Wynter Fyre would get an A; Of Fate and Fire would receive a B; The King of Hel hits the high spot at A+ while Familiar Winter Magic just didn’t work for me at all. Your reading mileage – even through the snowy landscape of these winter tales – will definitely vary.
No matter which stories in the collection tickle your holiday reading fancy, the collection is definitely worth curling up with some hot chocolate and a cozy blanket for a delicious holiday read!
February 8, 2022
Loved Grace's portion of this anthology. Wasn't too keen on the others, but won't harp on it.
January 28, 2022
Review courtesy of Romance Junkies
FIRE OF THE FROST is a collection of fantasy-romance stories set during a midwinter holiday. Each novella is distinctively different. The anthology has four amazing authors, ones who are well-known in the fantasy genre.
FAMILIAR WINTER MAGIC by Jeffe Kennedy
Haniel “Han” Hanneil is uncategorized – a student who has not yet manifested as a wizard or familiar. Iliana is a familiar from House Ariel. The two are secretly in love. However, the Convocation forbids undergraduates and uncats to fraternize. When Han is finally categorized, it spells doom for the forbidden lovers. Can Han and Iliana escape their fates? What reckless risks will the lovers take to be together?
I feel for Hans. It must have been difficult for him, especially when others his age, and younger, were already classified and graduating. What I adore the most about Hans is his protectiveness towards Iliana. Even as an uncat, he always thought of her welfare over his own.
Iliana surprised me. She starts off on the timid side, the model student and familiar. Iliana has no reason to fight the normal expectations forced on her kind, until Hans is categorized. What I admire the most about Iliana is her bravado. She refuses to allow her and Hans’ emotional attachment to be cruelly severed. I cannot wait to see how she further grows in upcoming stories.
FAMILIAR WINTER MAGIC is book 3.5 in Jeffe Kennedy’s fantasy romance series, BONDS OF MAGIC. This story can easily standalone. The novella takes place in the same world; however, it revolves around a new cast of characters. I still find it deplorable how familiars are treated in this world. This story does give readers a glimpse of the unfairness familiars face from wizards. Gabriel and Veronica are only mentioned.
KING OF HEL by Grace Draven
Castil il Veras is from a low-ranking noble house. She works as a scribe. Castil attends her friend’s wedding, only to find herself attracted to the otherworldly groom. When that friend sends her a letter, she travels to Helenrisia to visit. Doranis is the witch king of a frozen and mysterious kingdom. He could never forget the fascinating woman he met in Caskadan. When his queen dies in childbirth, Doranis intends to choose his next wife. Can Doranis convince Castil to be his? Can the two ignore the gap between their social statuses?
Doranis is a fascinating hero. He sparked my curiosity from the beginning. I would have liked more of Doranis’ point-of-view. It did feel a little one-sided. What I adore the most about Doranis is how he acknowledged Castil’s true worth. He admired her intelligence and her forthrightness. Plus, she is the only woman who was not repulsed by him.
I liked Castil from the start. She is a woman who accepts her lot in life. Castil has no interest or aspirations in improving her social status. She openly ignores the higher noble houses’ disdain of her interests. What I admire the most about Castil is her loyalty towards her friend. She tried to be there for Kareena when the woman needed her the most. Castil even approached Doranis on the best way to win Kareena.
KING OF HEL is a standalone novella. Originally, it was Grace Draven’s first published story. She revised and expanded it for this anthology. I really enjoyed the uniqueness of this world. It differs from the author’s THE FALLEN EMPIRE series, the one I am familiar with.
WYNTER FYRE by Darynda Jones
Wynter of Skadeesh is the daughter of an ice demon. She has one task: to protect the vampyres from extinction. If Wynter tastes vampyre’s blood, she turns into stone. Gareth of Abilene is known as the vagabond. He has been hiding from Skadeesh. Gareth asks Wynter to help him kill her demonic mother. What secrets will Gareth reveal about the Blood Wars? Will he and Wynter succeed in defeating Skadeesh?
I had a difficult time connecting with both Wynter and Gareth. I would have liked more of Gareth’s point-of-view. It would have helped with the story’s pacing.
WYNTER FYRE is a standalone novella. I have heard about Darynda Jones from other book friends. This is my first time reading this author’s works. I had a rough time getting into this story, especially the characters and plot but I am not a fan of vampire stories.
OF FATE AND FIRE by Amanda Bouchet
Sophronia “Sophie” Iraklidis is a high school French teacher. She receives a mysterious yet dangerous package from her friend. Sophie needs to evade Novalight and to deliver the Shard of Olympus to the Goddess Athena. Piers is a warrior from the world Thalyria. He finds himself in an alien city with no memory of how he got there. Piers jumps to Sophie’s rescue. Can Piers and Sophie keep the Shard of Olympus from Novalight’s hand? What sacrifices are the two willing to make?
Sophie is not your typical, run-of-the-mills heroine. She is just an unsuspecting woman thrust into a perilous situation. What I like the most about Sophie is her lack of interest in magic. She knows the modern world is dangerous enough with our advanced technology and magic would add another unnecessary danger.
Piers is a total love! He may have found himself in a strange land; however, that did not stop him from coming to a woman’s aid. What I adore the most about Piers is his ability to swallow his male pride. He knew to survive in this new world, he needed to rely on Sophie for almost everything, despite how it rankled.
OF FATE AND FIRE is book .5 of Amanda Bouchet’s fantasy series, KINGMAKER CHRONICLES SERIES. I have been curious about this author and this series for some time. I quite enjoyed the harmonious blend of mythology and fantasy. I will check out her other books in the future.
FIRE OF THE FROST is a fantasy lover’s dream. Jeffe Kennedy and Grace Draven are the main reasons I wanted to read this anthology. It also gave me the opportunity to sample Darynda Jones and Amanda Bouchet.
FIRE OF THE FROST is a collection of fantasy-romance stories set during a midwinter holiday. Each novella is distinctively different. The anthology has four amazing authors, ones who are well-known in the fantasy genre.
FAMILIAR WINTER MAGIC by Jeffe Kennedy
Haniel “Han” Hanneil is uncategorized – a student who has not yet manifested as a wizard or familiar. Iliana is a familiar from House Ariel. The two are secretly in love. However, the Convocation forbids undergraduates and uncats to fraternize. When Han is finally categorized, it spells doom for the forbidden lovers. Can Han and Iliana escape their fates? What reckless risks will the lovers take to be together?
I feel for Hans. It must have been difficult for him, especially when others his age, and younger, were already classified and graduating. What I adore the most about Hans is his protectiveness towards Iliana. Even as an uncat, he always thought of her welfare over his own.
Iliana surprised me. She starts off on the timid side, the model student and familiar. Iliana has no reason to fight the normal expectations forced on her kind, until Hans is categorized. What I admire the most about Iliana is her bravado. She refuses to allow her and Hans’ emotional attachment to be cruelly severed. I cannot wait to see how she further grows in upcoming stories.
FAMILIAR WINTER MAGIC is book 3.5 in Jeffe Kennedy’s fantasy romance series, BONDS OF MAGIC. This story can easily standalone. The novella takes place in the same world; however, it revolves around a new cast of characters. I still find it deplorable how familiars are treated in this world. This story does give readers a glimpse of the unfairness familiars face from wizards. Gabriel and Veronica are only mentioned.
KING OF HEL by Grace Draven
Castil il Veras is from a low-ranking noble house. She works as a scribe. Castil attends her friend’s wedding, only to find herself attracted to the otherworldly groom. When that friend sends her a letter, she travels to Helenrisia to visit. Doranis is the witch king of a frozen and mysterious kingdom. He could never forget the fascinating woman he met in Caskadan. When his queen dies in childbirth, Doranis intends to choose his next wife. Can Doranis convince Castil to be his? Can the two ignore the gap between their social statuses?
Doranis is a fascinating hero. He sparked my curiosity from the beginning. I would have liked more of Doranis’ point-of-view. It did feel a little one-sided. What I adore the most about Doranis is how he acknowledged Castil’s true worth. He admired her intelligence and her forthrightness. Plus, she is the only woman who was not repulsed by him.
I liked Castil from the start. She is a woman who accepts her lot in life. Castil has no interest or aspirations in improving her social status. She openly ignores the higher noble houses’ disdain of her interests. What I admire the most about Castil is her loyalty towards her friend. She tried to be there for Kareena when the woman needed her the most. Castil even approached Doranis on the best way to win Kareena.
KING OF HEL is a standalone novella. Originally, it was Grace Draven’s first published story. She revised and expanded it for this anthology. I really enjoyed the uniqueness of this world. It differs from the author’s THE FALLEN EMPIRE series, the one I am familiar with.
WYNTER FYRE by Darynda Jones
Wynter of Skadeesh is the daughter of an ice demon. She has one task: to protect the vampyres from extinction. If Wynter tastes vampyre’s blood, she turns into stone. Gareth of Abilene is known as the vagabond. He has been hiding from Skadeesh. Gareth asks Wynter to help him kill her demonic mother. What secrets will Gareth reveal about the Blood Wars? Will he and Wynter succeed in defeating Skadeesh?
I had a difficult time connecting with both Wynter and Gareth. I would have liked more of Gareth’s point-of-view. It would have helped with the story’s pacing.
WYNTER FYRE is a standalone novella. I have heard about Darynda Jones from other book friends. This is my first time reading this author’s works. I had a rough time getting into this story, especially the characters and plot but I am not a fan of vampire stories.
OF FATE AND FIRE by Amanda Bouchet
Sophronia “Sophie” Iraklidis is a high school French teacher. She receives a mysterious yet dangerous package from her friend. Sophie needs to evade Novalight and to deliver the Shard of Olympus to the Goddess Athena. Piers is a warrior from the world Thalyria. He finds himself in an alien city with no memory of how he got there. Piers jumps to Sophie’s rescue. Can Piers and Sophie keep the Shard of Olympus from Novalight’s hand? What sacrifices are the two willing to make?
Sophie is not your typical, run-of-the-mills heroine. She is just an unsuspecting woman thrust into a perilous situation. What I like the most about Sophie is her lack of interest in magic. She knows the modern world is dangerous enough with our advanced technology and magic would add another unnecessary danger.
Piers is a total love! He may have found himself in a strange land; however, that did not stop him from coming to a woman’s aid. What I adore the most about Piers is his ability to swallow his male pride. He knew to survive in this new world, he needed to rely on Sophie for almost everything, despite how it rankled.
OF FATE AND FIRE is book .5 of Amanda Bouchet’s fantasy series, KINGMAKER CHRONICLES SERIES. I have been curious about this author and this series for some time. I quite enjoyed the harmonious blend of mythology and fantasy. I will check out her other books in the future.
FIRE OF THE FROST is a fantasy lover’s dream. Jeffe Kennedy and Grace Draven are the main reasons I wanted to read this anthology. It also gave me the opportunity to sample Darynda Jones and Amanda Bouchet.
November 28, 2023
A Wynter Fyre by Darynda Jones
In a world where vampyres have been hunted to near extinction, the daughter of a demon is sent to save their race. Wynter ends the Blood Wars, but a single drop of vampyre blood accidentally crosses her lips. As punishment, she’s encased in stone for a hundred years. When she awakens, she vows revenge. Even if it means her demise. Her quest leads her to the vampyre prince who supposedly started the wars. He comes to her aid after she’s attacked, and Gareth’s deadly prowess may be exactly what Wynter needs to defeat the woman who created her. Or exactly what she needs to thaw her frozen heart.
Of Fate and Fire by Amanda Bouchet
The Kingmaker Chronicles meets modern-day New York City! Piers, an exiled warrior from Thalyria, finds himself in the Big Apple just before the holidays. The world and everything in it might be utterly foreign to him, but that won't stop Piers from helping to complete a vital mission for Athena and protect Sophie, a French teacher from Connecticut who's suddenly knee-deep in inexplicable phenomena, danger, and henchmen after an Olympian treasure that should never have ended up in her hands—or remained on Earth after the Greek gods abandoned it.
The King of Hel by Grace Draven
Castil il Veras, daughter of lesser boyars, attends the gatherings that celebrate her best friend's upcoming marriage to the cursed king of a sorcerous kingdom. She soon learns that even marked by the magic of the Wastelands, Doranis of Helenrisia is everything she's ever desired in a mate—and absolutely forbidden to her. Bound by duty to crown and country, Doranis has traveled to the Caskadan empire to marry a woman who loathes the sight of him. During the prenuptial celebrations, he meets a scribe who finds him fascinating instead of repellent, but Castil is beyond his reach. Fate, however, would have it otherwise, and a beseeching letter from a dying queen will bring them together again in a land gripped by endless winter and old magic.
Familiar Winter Magic by Jeffe Kennedy
It’s holiday time at Convocation Academy, but best friends Han and Iliana are finding it hard to celebrate. As a familiar, Iliana is facing her assignment to a life of servitude to a wizard, very soon. And Han… despite being tested by the oracle daily, he is still uncategorized. As Iliana and Han face being separated forever, they at last find the courage—or desperation—to break the rules and acknowledge their deeper feelings for each other. But it will take more than true love to save them from the laws of the Convocation…
Heather's Notes
I read this story for the AB story, which I actually ended up not really caring for. I probably should have waited until I got to in the story line, but it is Christmas and it was a "Christmas" story. Still .... My favorite was the GD story, for some reason I just really like that world. The JK story was ok, but part of a series. I think I would have liked it more, if I was current with the series. The DJ story seems to be a stand alone. It was ok after the first part where, which I didn't care for.
In a world where vampyres have been hunted to near extinction, the daughter of a demon is sent to save their race. Wynter ends the Blood Wars, but a single drop of vampyre blood accidentally crosses her lips. As punishment, she’s encased in stone for a hundred years. When she awakens, she vows revenge. Even if it means her demise. Her quest leads her to the vampyre prince who supposedly started the wars. He comes to her aid after she’s attacked, and Gareth’s deadly prowess may be exactly what Wynter needs to defeat the woman who created her. Or exactly what she needs to thaw her frozen heart.
Of Fate and Fire by Amanda Bouchet
The Kingmaker Chronicles meets modern-day New York City! Piers, an exiled warrior from Thalyria, finds himself in the Big Apple just before the holidays. The world and everything in it might be utterly foreign to him, but that won't stop Piers from helping to complete a vital mission for Athena and protect Sophie, a French teacher from Connecticut who's suddenly knee-deep in inexplicable phenomena, danger, and henchmen after an Olympian treasure that should never have ended up in her hands—or remained on Earth after the Greek gods abandoned it.
The King of Hel by Grace Draven
Castil il Veras, daughter of lesser boyars, attends the gatherings that celebrate her best friend's upcoming marriage to the cursed king of a sorcerous kingdom. She soon learns that even marked by the magic of the Wastelands, Doranis of Helenrisia is everything she's ever desired in a mate—and absolutely forbidden to her. Bound by duty to crown and country, Doranis has traveled to the Caskadan empire to marry a woman who loathes the sight of him. During the prenuptial celebrations, he meets a scribe who finds him fascinating instead of repellent, but Castil is beyond his reach. Fate, however, would have it otherwise, and a beseeching letter from a dying queen will bring them together again in a land gripped by endless winter and old magic.
Familiar Winter Magic by Jeffe Kennedy
It’s holiday time at Convocation Academy, but best friends Han and Iliana are finding it hard to celebrate. As a familiar, Iliana is facing her assignment to a life of servitude to a wizard, very soon. And Han… despite being tested by the oracle daily, he is still uncategorized. As Iliana and Han face being separated forever, they at last find the courage—or desperation—to break the rules and acknowledge their deeper feelings for each other. But it will take more than true love to save them from the laws of the Convocation…
Heather's Notes
I read this story for the AB story, which I actually ended up not really caring for. I probably should have waited until I got to in the story line, but it is Christmas and it was a "Christmas" story. Still .... My favorite was the GD story, for some reason I just really like that world. The JK story was ok, but part of a series. I think I would have liked it more, if I was current with the series. The DJ story seems to be a stand alone. It was ok after the first part where, which I didn't care for.
December 23, 2022
I’m going to start with Darynda Jones, who is really the reason I wanted to read this book. I think of her as the queen of urban/paranormal fantasy. She is one of my favorite laugh-out-loud authors. In A Winter Fyre, the classic fantasy setting means coffee quips are absent. But that does not mean that Winter and Gareth don’t exchange the familiar snarky banter! Or is it flirting. Either way, it is fun to read! As the couple get to know each other, they plot to take down an evil queen. A marvelous tale!
Amanda Bouchet’s Of Fate and Fire features Piers, the bad boy from her Kingmaker Chronicles. This time the setting is modern-day, holiday time, New York City where he meets Sophie who is in possession of a powerful artifact. Keeping it way from the bad guys and getting it to the good guys leads to an adventure. And a romance! Is Piers about to get his happy ending?! If you have read Bouchet’s Kingmaker Chronicles, you will have a deeper understanding of Piers and his past. But it is not necessary to know the back story in to find this story delightful.
Grace Daven is one of my favorite fantasy romance writers. In The King of Hel, the cursed king, reigns over a country frozen in cold and ice. He is obligated to marry for politics but loves a woman who could never be queen. Star-crossed lovers at the beginning, Castil and Doranis pine over each other but sad circumstance will bring them together again. In the author’s note, she writes that the story is based on real-life historical figures of Louis XIV of France and Francoise d’Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon – which makes the story even more moving.
The collection ends with Jeffe Kennedy’s Familiar Winter Magic. It takes place in a school of magic where familiars are winnowed from wizards. Kids start out as friends and become adversarial when the oracle head categorizes them. Bullying begins and friendships are destroyed. Okay, there is more to the story than that, but that is what I got out of it. School/academy settings are among my least appreciated tropes, which made this story my least favorite of the four. However, Jeffe is a fantastic storyteller and I have a feeling that readers of Jeffe’s Bonds of Magic Trilogy are going to enjoy this one.
In Fire of the Frost, you will find four tales, told by exceptional storytellers. Enjoy with a warm beverage and a comfy seat!
Amanda Bouchet’s Of Fate and Fire features Piers, the bad boy from her Kingmaker Chronicles. This time the setting is modern-day, holiday time, New York City where he meets Sophie who is in possession of a powerful artifact. Keeping it way from the bad guys and getting it to the good guys leads to an adventure. And a romance! Is Piers about to get his happy ending?! If you have read Bouchet’s Kingmaker Chronicles, you will have a deeper understanding of Piers and his past. But it is not necessary to know the back story in to find this story delightful.
Grace Daven is one of my favorite fantasy romance writers. In The King of Hel, the cursed king, reigns over a country frozen in cold and ice. He is obligated to marry for politics but loves a woman who could never be queen. Star-crossed lovers at the beginning, Castil and Doranis pine over each other but sad circumstance will bring them together again. In the author’s note, she writes that the story is based on real-life historical figures of Louis XIV of France and Francoise d’Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon – which makes the story even more moving.
The collection ends with Jeffe Kennedy’s Familiar Winter Magic. It takes place in a school of magic where familiars are winnowed from wizards. Kids start out as friends and become adversarial when the oracle head categorizes them. Bullying begins and friendships are destroyed. Okay, there is more to the story than that, but that is what I got out of it. School/academy settings are among my least appreciated tropes, which made this story my least favorite of the four. However, Jeffe is a fantastic storyteller and I have a feeling that readers of Jeffe’s Bonds of Magic Trilogy are going to enjoy this one.
In Fire of the Frost, you will find four tales, told by exceptional storytellers. Enjoy with a warm beverage and a comfy seat!
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