Firelight, by Kristen Callihan

Rating: 4/5
Publisher: Forever
372 pages
2012
Source: Barnes&Noble.com

Description: Miranda Ellis is a woman tormented. Plagued since birth by a strange and powerful gift, she has spent her entire life struggling to control her exceptional abilities. Yet one innocent but irreversible mistake has left her family's fortune decimated and forced her to wed London's most nefarious nobleman.

Lord Benjamin Archer is no ordinary man. Doomed to hide his disfigured face behind masks, Archer knows it's selfish to take Miranda as his bride. Yet he can't help being drawn to the flame-haired beauty whose touch sparks a passion he hasn't felt in a lifetime. When Archer is accused of a series of gruesome murders, he gives in to the beastly nature he has fought so hard to hide from the world. But the curse that haunts him cannot be denied. Now, to save his soul, Miranda will enter a world of dark magic and darker intrigue. For only she can see the man hiding behind the mask. (From the back cover)


Review: I enjoyed the book. The chemistry between the main characters worked for me. Miranda and Archer both saved each other, and themselves, at various points in the story. Other than Archer not telling Miranda who the killer was, nobody acted incredibly stupidly. And the author left enough hints to Archer's condition, that when she did do some tap-dancing around describing him before the big reveal, it didn't seem too forced.

The murder mystery part seemed a bit weak. I didn't figure out who the killer was, but when it was revealed, I felt I should have. However, I'm not sure many people are picking up paranormal historical romances for the murder mystery.

Based on this book, I look forward to reading the other two books in the series.