Heart On Fire by Amanda Bouchet – Review, Excerpt & Giveaway
Heart on Fire
The Kingmaker Chronicles series – Book #3
by Amanda Bouchet
Release Date: January 2, 2018
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Description:
Who is Catalia Fisa?
With the help of pivotal figures from her past, Cat begins to understand the root of her exceptional magic, her fated union with Griffin Sinta, and Griffin’s role in shaping her destiny.
Only Cat holds the key to unlocking her own power, and that means finally accepting herself, her past, and her future in order to protect her loved ones, confront her murderous mother, and taking a final, terrifying step–reuniting all three realms and taking her place as the Queen of Thalyria.
What doesn’t kill her will only make her stronger…we hope.
Review:
Heart on Fire by Amanda Bouchet is the 3rd and final book in her wonderful The Kingmaker Chronicles series. Having loved the first two books in this series, I could not wait to read Heart on Fire. After only a few minutes in, I found myself wrapped in Amanda Bouchet’s fantastic writing. I was in my glory, reading once again about my two heroes, Cat and Griffin, and I finished this book in one day. I loved Heart on Fire and the conclusion of this wonderful series. Now to my review 🙂
When we last left off in Breath of Fire, Cat was now the Queen of Thalyria, and together with Griffin (her King), and her fantastic Beta Team, they headed to Fisa, to stop her evil mother and bring the world to peace. Cat has grown since we met her in Promise of Fire, but she still fights herself in her overall confidence, not to mention how better to use her powers. She and Griffin are now married and Cat is pregnant with a girl who will inherit some of Cat’s magic abilities.
Having lost some important people in her life, Cat must fight on in the upcoming fierce battles she and Griffin will face, including a betrayal by Griffin’s brother Piers. Cat will come face to face with Ares and Persephone, who will show their true faces to shock her and us, as she goes down memory lane and those who took care of her as a child (with an evil mother). I really loved this fun and intense part.
Back home, Cat and Griffin prepare for the battle that will either kill them or they will win and bring all the kingdoms (Tarva, Sinta, Fisa) together as one in peace. But first they need their team together as well as some help from other Olympian gods. Cat must also learn to believe in herself, and embrace her powers to have a chance to win. Griffin’s strong love and support for Cat, was beautiful to watch, even if frustrating at times. As Queen, everyone looked to her to be Elpis (hope), and defeat the enemy.
What follows is non-stop action in an intense, suspenseful adventure that had me constantly on the edge of my seat, unable to put the book down. At each epic battle, every member of the team will find themselves in death terrifying situations as they face the evil and ultra powerful witch and Queen of Fisa (Cat’s Mother). In fantasy, we have come to expect some of our favorites along the way won’t survive, and this is no different in Heart of Fire.
Cat and Griffin were such an awesome couple, with such hot chemistry and everything about them just poured through the pages filled with LOVE. It was so heartwarming how much they loved each other, and their loyalty to their family and friends. I loved the great secondary characters, especially the Beta team, Griffin’s family, new & old friends. Though she needed to have more faith in herself, Cat was amazing in her strength, loyalty, love, courage in facing every ordeal
Thank you, Amanda Bouchet for another fantastic story that left me sad to see this all end. We can never have enough of Cat & Griffin. If you have not started this series, and you enjoy fantasy, non-stop action, suspense, great characters, and a super wonderful couple; then you should be reading this series, starting with A Promise of Fire, then Breath of Fire, then to Heart on Fire Once again, Amanda Bouchet keeps rising up on my list of favorite authors to read. I for one will not miss anything she writes.
Reviewed by Barb
Copy provided by Publisher
I roll my eyes. “I’m not going to fall in, you know. The cliff is all the way over there.”
He loosens his hold. Sort of.
I glance up at him, trying to tame my sudden smile. Domineering and overprotective doesn’t even begin to describe my husband. There’s also deliciously jealous, but that’s another subject all together. The black stubble framing his mouth makes his full lips look impossibly kissable. It’s been hours since they were last on mine. And I love to kiss the hawkish curve of his nose. So strong and masculine. I adore that nose. And the rest of him. His powerful body. Muscle. Sinew. Bone.
I gaze up at him, nearly sighing. “I love you.”
Griffin stops dead in his tracks and glares down at me. “That’s it. We’re leaving.”
I blink. “What? Why?”
“You think something terrible is going to happen.”
“No, I don’t.” I frown. “I don’t think so.”
His eyes narrow, wariness hardening his expression. “You do.”
“What are you talking about?”
He scowls at me.
“Well, something terrible could happen,” I concede. “But that’s always true, no matter where or when. Tomorrow, I could trip over my own feet and break my neck for all I know.”
Judging by the look on Griffin’s face, I don’t think that helped.
“You only say you love me or you’re sorry when you’re scared or almost dead. You’re not almost dead, so what’s scaring you?” he demands.
“I say I love you all the time!”
“When we’re in bed. When I’m so deep inside you that you can’t feel anything but me. Not when we’re about to knock on a stranger’s door. What’s scaring you?” he demands again.
I huff. “At the moment? The way your jaw is popping like it’s alive.”
Griffin crosses his arms. “I want honesty. Right now.”
“Right now, Your Imperialness?”
His nostrils flare. His hard look is spectacular.
I’m not intimidated. It makes me hot. Then again, so does just about everything at the moment, but not in the same way.
“If you must know, the magic around here is a little intense and…disturbing, but it’s not scaring me. Not really. It’s probably just something coming from whatever is down there in that God Pit,” I say, waving toward the cliff. “I’m a shade nervous. That’s all.”
His eyes stay flinty and unconvinced. “That’s all? That’s not generally cause for a heartfelt declaration, at least not from you.”
I toss my hands in the air. “Fine. I take it back. I looked at you, found you incredibly desirable, and my body got all hot and tingly. I blame pregnancy for an excess of sentimentality and…and…urges!”
Griffin stares at me. Then his mouth splits into a grin that makes me all kinds of angry. He reaches for me again, his grasp lighter this time.
“Incredibly desirable?” Looking smug, he threads his fingers through mine.
Scowling, I poke him in the chest with my free hand. “Well, you do have that whole overbearing warlord thing going on. Plus, plenty of muscles in all the right places, some good ideas, and, you know, a really big sword.”
A laugh cracks out of Griffin, and my heart swoops like an off-balance bird. He’s rarely free with humor these days, or maybe there’s just not enough of it in our lives anymore. The happy flutter that wings through my chest takes any lingering irritation away with it.
Gah! Talk about mood changes!
Griffin captures my other hand and then pulls me in to him until I’m standing between his legs. “I love you, too, Cat.”
He kisses me, his mouth pressing softly against mine. Warmth rolls straight from his lips to my toes, which curl in my boots.
“Tell me again,” he coaxes.
I shake my head, our noses brushing.
“Say it,” he demands against my mouth.
“I don’t think so.”
“Last chance,” he warns, gently nipping at my lower lip.
“Big sword.”
Chuckling, Griffin swats my bottom. “There’s more where that came from.”
I look up at him through my lashes. “I sure hope so.”
He grins. “I think you just managed coy.”
“Good Gods! Has the Underworld frozen over?”
“Next, Centaurs will fly.” He brushes his lips over mine again, not lingering, and when he lifts his head, his black hair ruffling on the faintly sulfurous wind, the teasing gleam is already absent from his eyes. “You’re sure there’s nothing else?”
“Nothing besides our baby wreaking havoc on my moods?” I shake my head. “But I wanted you before. I want you always.”
He lifts his hand and brushes his thumb across my lips. Then his fingers fall away, trailing lightly down my arm until I shiver.
“You’re the air I breathe,” he says without a trace of humor in his voice.
My whole chest clenches hard, squeezing a tight, almost painful beat from my heart. “I admire you,” I reply. “I need you. I love you with all my heart.”
Griffin offers me a different kind of smile this time, small, lopsided, gentle, and so entirely genuine. It fades almost immediately, though, and he straightens to his full, imposing height, abruptly pinning me with his warlord stare. “If you feel anything off here, we leave, with or without the potion we came for. You’ve got great instincts, Cat. Trust your gut.”
I nod. I will. I always do.
USA Today bestselling author AMANDA BOUCHET grew up in New England and studied French at the undergraduate and graduate levels, first at Bowdoin College and then at Bowling Green State University. She moved to Paris, France, in 2001 and has been there ever since. She met her husband while studying abroad, and the family now includes two bilingual children, who will soon be correcting her French. Connect with her at www.amandabouchet.com.
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