The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sea Haven novels returns to the circle of the six sisters of the heart, bound by the elements—and to one who possesses the power to inflame the most dangerous passions of all.

Flame-haired Lissa Piner is a skilled glass blower whose delicate gift conceals a burning inner strength that can destroy as exquisitely as it can create. Commissioned to design chandeliers for a string of luxury hotels, her remarkable skills have taken her to Italy. But Lissa’s real mission there is a secret. For her entire life has been a lie, leading to a chance to avenge a terrible wrong.

Enlisted as her bodyguard is Casmir Prakenskii, a trained assassin living off the grid. In Lissa, he sees a kindred spirit—something unexpected and wicked, mysterious and sensual. But more than desire is about to bring them together: because both of their pasts cry out for revenge. And for two people with this many secrets, this much passion, and this many enemies, someone is bound to get burned.

Rating: 3/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: a good amount of action/adventure; this wasn't all sex, which I'm celebrating!; I'm not sure I believed the romance, regardless (maybe I'm just more cynical than I used to be?); stubborn, sassy characters; the banter was lively and fun; this is much more like the Feehan I used to adore

HALLELUJAH, for this book Feehan seems to be much more like the writer I used to adore! I mean, yeah, this still got only a 3-penguin rating from me...but GUYS! GUYS, this book wasn't just sex scenes! This book didn't only take place in the bedroom! It might seem like a little thing to celebrate, but I'm celebrating it anyway, because I can. You're just going to have to deal.

She was bound to fire. Inside, deep, where it mattered, at her very core, there was nothing cool and collected about her.

So let's get into this, yes? I've always had a soft spot for Feehan's Sea Haven characters. I think I started my obsession with one of the Drake sister novels--there's just something fun and whimsical about the magical realism in these books, I guess. Although honestly, this one? Didn't really focus on the Sisters of the Heart.... and I'm slightly disappointed with that, thinking about it now. Lissa, instead, spends the entire book AWAY from Sea Haven--and her chosen family--and instead the focus is upon her. Overcoming the demons of the past, figuring out the mysteries of things she never thought to question before, the budding romance with Casimir. You get what I'm driving at here, yes? And we didn't even get much of THEIR powers, honestly. Casimir loses control all of ONCE, and sets a building on fire....but aside from that, the magical realism in this? Falls very, very flat overall.

Now, don't get me wrong--there is action and adventure in this book. But...again, even then the writing is a BIT sub-par compared to the action/adventure scenes of books prior to this. While there's a lot of fighting the bad guys, overcoming their struggles, etc... I feel like we only got a very small glimpse into this world, and this couple.

In fact, the romance itself seems flat to me. I'm not entirely sure I bought it completely. It feels like lately, Feehan has stopped trying to write up a romance realistically--with the fun arguments, and the entertaining drama, and the lively banter--and instead has been crafting more "insta-love." Which, ICK?! What happened to our feisty characters who "fought" the romance? HELL, what happened to LISSA in this?! One second she's snarling, claiming she'll never ever let a Prakenskii brother brand her like the others have done to her "sisters"........and the next, she's doing exactly that very thing. What? I miss the badass characters who stood up for themselves, who didn't immediately swoon at the sight of their destined partners, who put up a bit of a fight. The loves Feehan's been crafting lately? Flat. And boring. And predictable, all things considered.

"You made my heart beat again, Giacinta. I know that sounds ridiculous, but it's the truth. I had nothing left."

So... while I was entertained, and enjoyed this read for the most part, I'm still pretty disappointed. Maybe I've just grown more cynical than I used to be? I don't know. Regardless, this romance felt a bit like taffy--pulled and molded into some sort of rubberized mockery of love. Still, given how some of her recent novels have been for me, I'd recommend this to those who've read the rest of the Sisters of the Heart series--it's cutesy, and dark, and there are some pretty steamy scenes (that HORSE scene, guys. That horse scene is my favorite).