Under the Covers: ARC Review: Blaze by Joan Swan

(more like 4.5 feathers!)

Blaze

(Phoenix Rising #2)

by Joan Swan

From the get-go, Joan Swan demands your attention, opening up with a killer scene that hooks you right in. At first, I wondered if everything was happening too fast, but it’s as if Swan heard my thoughts because right after that the action levelled out and she gave readers time to breathe. This, my friends, is what I called great pacing. I’ve mentioned this before in my FEVER review, but I’ll say it again, Joan Swan is fantastic at pacing her work so that she controls the way your heart pumps faster with the action and lets you breathe after an intense scene.

I immediately felt a kinship for Keira O’Shea. I loved how physically and mentally tough she was and her sense of morality. Even amongst trained men, she still held her ground in times of distress and that made her admirable. But even though she is one tough chick, later on in the book you also get glimpses of a softer side to her. Though she says she doesn’t want children, there she is, holding little Mateo protectively in her arms. I loved reading about the different sides to her. She was a multidimensional character that really displays her resiliency and also her vulnerability nicely.

Then there is Luke Ransom (what a sexy name!) who is fireproof (fireproof!!!) making him more badass and hotter than he already is. Though sometimes he can be a jerk, I think it only added to the drama that Luke and Keira have in their relationship. After ending their passionate relationship on bad terms, seeing each other for the first time in three years does not bring back pleasant memories. Both are bitter and neither one is able to forgive the other for what was done to them.

But there is one thing they have in common and that is a broken heart. Despite the hate they so obviously display for one another, there’s sexual tension brewing beneath the surface.

Added to the intense sexual tension of this book is the action-packed, thrilling and explosive journey that these two endure together. Clutching little Mateo to her side, Keira and Luke fight to get to the bottom of this strange predicament they are in. After rescuing Mateo from enemy hands, they find out that something in embedded into Mateo’s head. It could be a tracker or it could be something far more dangerous. Regardless, BLAZE will hook you right in and never cease its pulse-pounding ride until the very end.

BLAZE can be read as a standalone novel, but familiar faces are present. You see Teague and Alyssa. Mitch also has some great lines. I’m eager to learn more of him.

This second book in the Phoenix Rising series is better than its predecessor, hitting harder and upping the romance. With more endearing characters and intense scenes, readers will be panting with their need for more. I hardly had time to catch my own breath while reading this!

*ARC provided by author