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

 

 

 Purchase Links: Amazon

ARC Review: Fever by Joan Swan

 

Fever 

(Phoenix Rising  #1)

by Joan Swan

Debut author Joan Swan takes you on a pulse-pounding, no-holds-barred, suspense-driven ride from beginning to end!

Doctor Alyssa gets caught up in a royal mess. Two inmates, working together have taken her from her workplace and brought her along a ride that changes the course of her life. Scared beyond reason, Alyssa tries to wrap her head around the situation that is happening to her. I found that I really liked Alyssa. She showed courage in times when I would have crawled into a ball and wept. Joan does a fantastic job of evoking emotions from her characters. I felt Alyssa’s fear and her frustration.

Teague Creek is one of the inmates who have taken Alyssa. While he is the less violent of the two inmates, he is still scary as hell. I had a hard time liking Teague. He was pushy, demanding, frustrating and dangerous, but through the course of the book, there are glimpses of another side of him. The author eases the softer side of Teague slowly and when I saw these glimpses, I wanted to know more about him. However, I did have a problem with the racial slurs in this book. I found it difficult to read and although it was meant to make me hate a particular character, I do think there are better and more effective ways to accomplish this.

I mentioned earlier about feeling Alyssa frustration and what I mean by that is that Teague has several secrets that he holds back from Alyssa. Not one to simply do things as she is told, Alyssa stands up to Teague more than once. Again, I have to commend her for her courage. Teague is still a convict, after all.

But whenever Alyssa was frustrated with Teague, I was as well. I loved that she pushed him, asking him to trust her with his secrets. Teague bottles things in and his frustration is evident as well when his plans don’t go his way. However, all this is understandable because what Teague is after is very important and holds his heart.

In other circumstances, Alyssa and Teague would have found each other eventually. But I think with this thrill ride of a story, Joan Swan brings in the action and the suspense to another level, making their meeting a memorable and lasting one. Even in the early pages of the book, you can already see the natural way Alyssa and Teague interact with one another.

There is also a slight paranormal element in this book. Teague has a hot touch. Literally. However, to him, the gift is more of a curse. He doesn’t know how to wield his talent, so more often than not, he is harming someone by accident. As he struggles with this gift and towards the goal he desperately seeks, I grew to like Teague a little more. Reading about his struggles made me admire his determination.

All in all, FEVER is a solid start for a new series that blends the romance and the suspense in perfect unison, topping it off with a dash of the paranormal.

*ARC provided by author

 

 

Purchase Links: Amazon