A review by snarkymotherreader
A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter
5.0
I apparently purchased this book in 2013 and never read it. I'm now kicking myself - fiercely - for doing so.
There is so much to love about this book!! Let me count the ways in which I adore it...
1) The feel of the story was similar to The Mummy (the Brendan Fraser version not Boris Karloff original). Not the storyline itself but the FEEL of the story. There's a charming female Librarian and a dashing hero, and they spend the entirety of the book trying to uncover an ancient mystery. It was glorious!
2) The slow burn was on point. This novel is NOT smut, so don't go into it expecting that. It's a true, romantic slow burn that is way sexier than constant bumping and grinding.
3) Character building and dialogue were center stage throughout the entire novel. There wasn't a single time where I found myself wondering over paragraphs, bored by the exposition. Every detail was written to intrigue the reader and propel the story forward.
4) Doctor Vecchio. ::swoon:: At first, it cracked me up that his last name was literally "old" in Italian, but the character made up for the odd choice. He had both the brooding AND charismatic traits we love in our heroes and never pulled the insta-love cliched nonsense that is so prevalent in romance novels.
Fans of intellectual romance novels with humor, sizzle, and intrigue should pick up this book NOW and be prepared to devour the entire series!
There is so much to love about this book!! Let me count the ways in which I adore it...
1) The feel of the story was similar to The Mummy (the Brendan Fraser version not Boris Karloff original). Not the storyline itself but the FEEL of the story. There's a charming female Librarian and a dashing hero, and they spend the entirety of the book trying to uncover an ancient mystery. It was glorious!
2) The slow burn was on point. This novel is NOT smut, so don't go into it expecting that. It's a true, romantic slow burn that is way sexier than constant bumping and grinding.
3) Character building and dialogue were center stage throughout the entire novel. There wasn't a single time where I found myself wondering over paragraphs, bored by the exposition. Every detail was written to intrigue the reader and propel the story forward.
4) Doctor Vecchio. ::swoon:: At first, it cracked me up that his last name was literally "old" in Italian, but the character made up for the odd choice. He had both the brooding AND charismatic traits we love in our heroes and never pulled the insta-love cliched nonsense that is so prevalent in romance novels.
Fans of intellectual romance novels with humor, sizzle, and intrigue should pick up this book NOW and be prepared to devour the entire series!