Scan barcode
lynguy1's review
4.0
Brian Feehan’s debut novel, Harmony of Fire is an intense paranormal romantic suspense novel with plenty of action, thrills, and edginess. It is the first book in the Alice & Owen series and is mainly set in Miami, Florida.
Owen and Alice are humans born with magic who are targets for beings that walk among humans called the We. When Alice was nine years old, she was tied to a powerful and evil member of the We against her will. After escaping from him, she is trying to break the bond between them. Owen is a musician trying to keep his friends safe until a group of hunters crosses their path. He decides to return home and seek protection. When Alice and Owen meet, their survival is at stake.
While Owen comes across as very likeable, Alice took this reader some time to warm up to. Owen is a musician, cares for others, and is a risk-taker while Alice is a warrior single-mindedly focused on breaking the bond to the We Kerogen. The chemistry between Owen and Alice creates an unusual dynamic through most of their difficulties.
The author’s creativity and great world-building stand out in this novel. However, it took a little while before I was fully engrossed in the story. The beginning sixteen chapters not only switch back and forth between the two main characters, but also move backwards and forwards in time ranging from years before they meet to hours before this significant event. While this interrupted the initial flow, these backstories gave great insight into their thoughts, behaviors, and actions.
The plot is solid and absorbing with both heartrending and pulse pounding moments. It kept me hooked and enabled me to empathize with the characters as they encountered struggle after struggle. This action-packed and suspenseful story kept me turning the pages. There was always something exciting about to happen. The story arc combines broken protagonists with themes of trust, protection, romance, selflessness, magic, family, racism, friendship, music, and much more. Written with skill in a way that blends magic with the inner lives of the characters, it’s an excellent start to what I hope will be a long series that meshes paranormal romance and suspense in an urban fantasy novel.
Overall, the story was engrossing, unique, and beautifully executed. If you enjoy contemporary paranormal romantic suspense and urban fantasy novels, then this author may be one you will enjoy as much as I do. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Berkley Publishing Group and Brian Feehan provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for June 28, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
---------------------
Review to be posted during the week prior to publication.
Owen and Alice are humans born with magic who are targets for beings that walk among humans called the We. When Alice was nine years old, she was tied to a powerful and evil member of the We against her will. After escaping from him, she is trying to break the bond between them. Owen is a musician trying to keep his friends safe until a group of hunters crosses their path. He decides to return home and seek protection. When Alice and Owen meet, their survival is at stake.
While Owen comes across as very likeable, Alice took this reader some time to warm up to. Owen is a musician, cares for others, and is a risk-taker while Alice is a warrior single-mindedly focused on breaking the bond to the We Kerogen. The chemistry between Owen and Alice creates an unusual dynamic through most of their difficulties.
The author’s creativity and great world-building stand out in this novel. However, it took a little while before I was fully engrossed in the story. The beginning sixteen chapters not only switch back and forth between the two main characters, but also move backwards and forwards in time ranging from years before they meet to hours before this significant event. While this interrupted the initial flow, these backstories gave great insight into their thoughts, behaviors, and actions.
The plot is solid and absorbing with both heartrending and pulse pounding moments. It kept me hooked and enabled me to empathize with the characters as they encountered struggle after struggle. This action-packed and suspenseful story kept me turning the pages. There was always something exciting about to happen. The story arc combines broken protagonists with themes of trust, protection, romance, selflessness, magic, family, racism, friendship, music, and much more. Written with skill in a way that blends magic with the inner lives of the characters, it’s an excellent start to what I hope will be a long series that meshes paranormal romance and suspense in an urban fantasy novel.
Overall, the story was engrossing, unique, and beautifully executed. If you enjoy contemporary paranormal romantic suspense and urban fantasy novels, then this author may be one you will enjoy as much as I do. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Berkley Publishing Group and Brian Feehan provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for June 28, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
---------------------
Review to be posted during the week prior to publication.
nekosan's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
craftingrama's review
3.0
I don't know. I spent half the book confused and seriously debating on tossing it. It wasn't bad but it was like it was missing parts.
mommasaystoread's review
4.0
Harmony of Fire is the first book in a brand new series and a debut by author Brian Feehan. The story is paranormal romance and suspense set in a world of urban fantasy. Being a fan of all three, I was excited to get my hands on this one, and it does not disappoint. As this is the first in the series, there's a fair amount of introduction by way of world-building, which can go either way for me depending on how it's done. Here, it's a lot, but it never felt overdone to me. The story is exciting, and Brian Feehan's world is a place I want more of. The characters are interesting, and the romance, while a little slow to start, is one that's easy to root for. This first Alice & Owen book is a good combination of paranormal romantic suspense and urban fantasy and a pretty impressive debut. I'll be looking forward to whatever comes next for these characters, and I have a new author to add to my watch list. I realize I've been vague, but this is one to be enjoyed without spoilers. Just know that I recommend Harmony of Fire to anyone who likes paranormal romance and/or urban fantasy.
loverofromance's review
4.0
This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance
This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
First Impressions
Harmony of Fire is a book that I have been highly anticipating and it was on the top of my list for 2022 of releases that were coming out. This author “Brian Feehan” is the son of Christine Feehan and Harmony of Fire is his debut novel. I was eagerly ready to read this one but I was a bit nervous as some of the reviews relayed that the first half is a bit slow going with the world-building style that happens. So I half-listened to the first half and then finished up the second half with the ARC that I received. I was impressed with this book and it’s not very often that I enjoy Urban Fantasy (as it tends to never have enough romance for me) but this one was very solid in the romance despite it being only in the second half of the story. I really was fascinated by the writing in the book as its vastly different from his mother and I am really happy about that. You can definitely see his flair and unique writing style and it completely worked for me and man can he write a romance haha
Summary
The story starts out with two main storylines, one that follows our hero, Owen. And the other that follows our heroine, Alice. Owen is the head of his troupe and is a protector and powerful in his own way. He keeps hidden, his power and his capabilities but are determined to keep his group protected no matter what. Then we have Alice, who as a little girl was forced to bond with an evil We. She has been apart from her family most of her life, and a priest has been protecting her and teaching her how to fight and protect herself. She is determined to find the evil We who bonded her so that she can be free of him. When Owen and Alice’s path’s meet in an interesting set of circumstances, Alice is captured by Owen and his people. Owen and Alice begin to build a bond, their chemistry is off the charts, but Owen is determined to win Alice’s trust and find out why she is so determined to kill all We and not just the evil ones. As Alice begins to learn the reality of the We and her relationship with Owen deepens, her true enemy will come to the surface, but only with them all working together can he be defeated and a future be available for Owen and Alice to forge their own path be possible…
What I Loved
There were so many unique aspects of the story that I truly found myself loving in this one. I will be honest if I was just grading the second half, this book would be a five-star read. But as the couple doesn’t even meet till past the 50% mark, it’s a solid 4-star. But I will say that I was impressed with how the romance developed, as it didn’t feel rushed, it felt completely natural in its progression. I adored the way that Alice and Owen interacted and seeing them form their bond. There is some angst, but despite them being a bit enemies to lovers, the angst level wasn’t super strong and I really enjoyed seeing the way that they developed their relationship and that there wasn’t this full-on hate, more like a distrust of each other at first. The world-building that is implemented was strong and does take over quite a bit of the first half, but as this is a UF type of world and the first in a series, that is expected to happen as there are some complexities to this world that is being created and it is good to have that foundation of knowledge going into this series. I really was intrigued by the world-building and the bit of Christian mythology that is portrayed within the story. It was truly fascinating and I can’t wait to see what this author has in store for the readership in future books. There are some unique and fun side characters that we see and I felt that they added a level of charm to the book that really balanced it out. The actual romance that forms between Owen and Alice is on point and the chemistry is steamy, and I was impressed with how it was built within the story. There is a level of playfulness within these more intimate scenes that I adored and was almost infectious and had me wanting more. The story ended with a HFN, with a slight teaser and I am curious to see Owen and Alice’s relationship build more in the next book.
What I Struggled With
I think the biggest aspect is there is a lot of world-building and the couple doesn’t meet until the latter half of the story and I would have liked more couple page time. I understand why it was written in this way but that is just my personal reader preference.
The Narration
I was impressed with the narrator, and this was my first time listening to him. I really felt like he pulled me into the story which is what I needed and I was impressed with his level of personalization of the characters and building upon the dramatic effect in the right moments.
Overall View
I found Harmony of Fire to be a stunning beginning to what is to be sure a fiery series. This book took my breath away, it held a captivating note all throughout the story that will charm and endear its readers and have you yearning for more of this power couple! TRULY AN EXHILARATING READ!
This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
First Impressions
Harmony of Fire is a book that I have been highly anticipating and it was on the top of my list for 2022 of releases that were coming out. This author “Brian Feehan” is the son of Christine Feehan and Harmony of Fire is his debut novel. I was eagerly ready to read this one but I was a bit nervous as some of the reviews relayed that the first half is a bit slow going with the world-building style that happens. So I half-listened to the first half and then finished up the second half with the ARC that I received. I was impressed with this book and it’s not very often that I enjoy Urban Fantasy (as it tends to never have enough romance for me) but this one was very solid in the romance despite it being only in the second half of the story. I really was fascinated by the writing in the book as its vastly different from his mother and I am really happy about that. You can definitely see his flair and unique writing style and it completely worked for me and man can he write a romance haha
Summary
The story starts out with two main storylines, one that follows our hero, Owen. And the other that follows our heroine, Alice. Owen is the head of his troupe and is a protector and powerful in his own way. He keeps hidden, his power and his capabilities but are determined to keep his group protected no matter what. Then we have Alice, who as a little girl was forced to bond with an evil We. She has been apart from her family most of her life, and a priest has been protecting her and teaching her how to fight and protect herself. She is determined to find the evil We who bonded her so that she can be free of him. When Owen and Alice’s path’s meet in an interesting set of circumstances, Alice is captured by Owen and his people. Owen and Alice begin to build a bond, their chemistry is off the charts, but Owen is determined to win Alice’s trust and find out why she is so determined to kill all We and not just the evil ones. As Alice begins to learn the reality of the We and her relationship with Owen deepens, her true enemy will come to the surface, but only with them all working together can he be defeated and a future be available for Owen and Alice to forge their own path be possible…
What I Loved
There were so many unique aspects of the story that I truly found myself loving in this one. I will be honest if I was just grading the second half, this book would be a five-star read. But as the couple doesn’t even meet till past the 50% mark, it’s a solid 4-star. But I will say that I was impressed with how the romance developed, as it didn’t feel rushed, it felt completely natural in its progression. I adored the way that Alice and Owen interacted and seeing them form their bond. There is some angst, but despite them being a bit enemies to lovers, the angst level wasn’t super strong and I really enjoyed seeing the way that they developed their relationship and that there wasn’t this full-on hate, more like a distrust of each other at first. The world-building that is implemented was strong and does take over quite a bit of the first half, but as this is a UF type of world and the first in a series, that is expected to happen as there are some complexities to this world that is being created and it is good to have that foundation of knowledge going into this series. I really was intrigued by the world-building and the bit of Christian mythology that is portrayed within the story. It was truly fascinating and I can’t wait to see what this author has in store for the readership in future books. There are some unique and fun side characters that we see and I felt that they added a level of charm to the book that really balanced it out. The actual romance that forms between Owen and Alice is on point and the chemistry is steamy, and I was impressed with how it was built within the story. There is a level of playfulness within these more intimate scenes that I adored and was almost infectious and had me wanting more. The story ended with a HFN, with a slight teaser and I am curious to see Owen and Alice’s relationship build more in the next book.
What I Struggled With
I think the biggest aspect is there is a lot of world-building and the couple doesn’t meet until the latter half of the story and I would have liked more couple page time. I understand why it was written in this way but that is just my personal reader preference.
The Narration
I was impressed with the narrator, and this was my first time listening to him. I really felt like he pulled me into the story which is what I needed and I was impressed with his level of personalization of the characters and building upon the dramatic effect in the right moments.
Overall View
I found Harmony of Fire to be a stunning beginning to what is to be sure a fiery series. This book took my breath away, it held a captivating note all throughout the story that will charm and endear its readers and have you yearning for more of this power couple! TRULY AN EXHILARATING READ!
More...