Sandy M’s review of Fire Angel by Beth Kery
Historical paranormal erotic romance released by Ellora’s Cave 12 Mar 08

Beth Kery has definitely become a favorite of mine. She has a knack for plunging you headlong into in her characters’ lives so that you experience the evil, the lust, the happiness, the sadness, the erotic, and love right along with them.

It’s her heroes who take over the stories for me. They are larger than life, and they live life with an unparalleled zest and intensity that would overwhelm lesser women than her heroines. Vincent is a doctor, a man of science, and his recent activities have included debunking spiritualist mediums, thus providing evidence to their patrons of their fradulent ways.

One such spiritualist, Serafina Grovenor, stops him his tracks however. Not necessarily because of her otherworldly powers: her beauty reaches out to him. He is suspicious of her, thinking she was somehow involved with her father when Vincent’s wife and young daughter disappeared after associating with Richard Grovenor. But his attraction is so fierce that when he rescues her and a young girl, Emily, whom he believes to be his missing Melissa, from Grovenor’s lecherous hands, his suspicions die away little by little.

Sera has had a very difficult life after being removed from an orphanage by Grovenor. He discovered her fiery ability and has exploited that for years, but he also exploited Sera’s body for his male apprentices to enjoy as Grovenor enjoyed those same male bodies. Sera endured it only to keep Emily from having to experience such degradation and humiliation. It is an interesting and well-developed storyline that engrosses you from the beginning, another of Ms. Kery’s talents. You get a story along with your eroticism in her books.

And the eroticism is always well done. What I liked about the relationship between Vincent and Sera is though they both love with an equal intensity, Vincent, of course, is experienced but his lust for Serafina catches him off guard. He can’t keep his mind or his hands off of her, and when they come together he takes her wholly and completely but gives her just as much in return.

Sera, on the other hand, is innocent, but she also burns to have Vincent love her once she gets a taste of him and she yearns to learn at his hands every way he can show how to ignite flames between them. Every love scene in this book is intense and you can feel it clear to your soul. They’re wonderful scenes. Even when Vincent, near the end of the book, lets his suspicions creep back into the relationship and he takes her in anger is a moving scene.

As usual the secondary characters are many and varied. Richard Grovenor, the villain, is one sick puppy. But he’s damned good at it. Vincent’s former mistress, Eliza, is quite interesting and her character never went where I thought she would; and his best friend, Austin, is also one I enjoyed. Emily/Melissa is a very strong character for her age and one of the highlights of the book.

The only thing I wish there had been more of is Sera’s “gift.” We had only a few demonstrations of her control of fire and I kept waiting for more. Unfortunately that never appeared. Other than that, I once again thoroughly enjoyed a Beth Kery book. I look forward to the next one.

Grade: A-

Summary:

     London, 1897. A world that embraces both the logic of science and the ghostly explorations of spiritualism, a time period where one need only scratch at the surface of staunch morality to find outlets for the most carnal of appetites.

     Vincent Devonald is known for exposing occult charlatans. He has plenty of reasons to distrust the famous medium Serafina Grovenor, the most important being that her charismatic magician father was behind the disappearance of Vincent’s daughter ten years before. He doesn’t believe for a second that Serafina can communicate with spirits and he’s determined to expose her ability to create fire for the theatrical sham that it is. But he can’t deny the powerful effect that the mysterious woman has on him as she draws him in to her circle of intrigue.

     Serafina lives in a world of manipulation and fear. She’ll do anything to keep her younger sister safe…including putting her complete trust in the one man who has the ability to tame her potentially lethal fiery nature and show her the true meaning of passion.

     Read an excerpt.