"don't miss this series... It's a keeper!"
Five years ago, Ryan Hawthorne, lead singer for the band
Pure Wildfire, nearly died from a drug overdose. His lover
Maria wasn't so lucky, and Ryan has never gotten over her
death. Now, he and the band are in New York for the release
of their second studio album, striving to build public
recognition. But Ryan has always had questions about the
circumstances surrounding his and Maria's overdose, and he
intends to do some investigating while they're in the Big
Apple. Maria's stepsister Gina, a successful publicist, is
dumbfounded when her dad (and boss) calls her in to tell
her who their newest client is—Pure Wildfire! Gina holds
Ryan and the band responsible for her sister's addiction
and death, and has spent the last five years doing her best
to ignore their meteoric rise in the music world. She is
forced to confront her own demons, and face some hard
truths about Maria, as she comes to know Ryan better—and as
she struggles to deal with her feelings for the talented,
sensitive, wildly beautiful musician who has blazed into
her life. To further complicate things, it seems Pure
Wildfire has been targeted by malevolent forces, which will
stop at nothing to destroy them and all they love. Icefire is the second book in Lynne Connolly's Pure
Wildfire series, and is a pleasure from start to finish.
I'm a sucker for anything involving music, but it has to be
done well—that is, the author needs to make me believe she
knows whereof she speaks. One of the things that shines
through both Sunfire and Icefire is Ms. Connolly's love for
and familiarity with music and musicians. Her descriptions
make it easy to see—almost hear—the band; the intensity,
communion, and joy of making music and bringing together a
performance fairly leapt off the pages at me. I'm also in
love with her phoenix shifters, and her descriptions of
them are so beautiful I'd love to see a good fantasy artist
interpret them. As far as the individual characters, I
appreciate the time she takes to build and flesh out Ryan
and Gina. They are both strong, mature personalities, but I
saw growth in both of them over the course of the story,
both as individuals and as a couple. Though they both felt
an immediate attraction and connection, Ms. Connolly didn't
take the easy way out; Ryan and Gina had to hash everything
out and work for their HEA. If you like your romances hot, if the paranormal intrigues
you, if you're a music lover—or any combination of the
above—don't miss this series. It's a keeper!
Reviewed by Julia Clark
Posted June 21, 2008
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Shape-shifters rock! Ryan Hawthorne is the charismatic vocalist for the band Pure Wildfire, with the world at his feet. He's also a shape-shifting firebird more than a hundred years old, torn apart by the death of his lover. Maria died of a drugs overdose but Ryan always suspected foul play. Now he's back in New York to find out. Gina always blamed Ryan for her stepsister Maria's death, but when she meets the devastatingly sexy singer she finds Ryan is the embodiment of all her wet dreams, and she's had plenty. They set each other's worlds ablaze but they have to find Maria's killers before they get to Gina. Or Ryan will lose her too.
Sexual Content: Rated S-ensuous
Genre: Shape-shifter
Book Length: Plus Novel
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