Review: Heart’s Flame by Ann Gimpel

15 February of 2016 by

Reviewer's Rating: 5
5.0Overall score

Her destiny is written. Seizing his love is everything.

Heart’s Flame by Ann Gimpel
Heart’s Flame By Ann Gimpel

Paranormal Post-Apocalyptic Romantic Fantasy

Released February 8, 2016

Self-Published

Reviewed by Jean

Tumble into a world where magic won, but the price was high enough to annihilate almost everything—including love.

Life in a Were bordello is all Keira has ever known. None of the magicians’ guilds wanted her because of her mixed blood, and they didn’t protest when the Weres bound her as an indentured hooker. Mired in the hopelessness of her dreams, she longs for more.

Barrett’s a full-blood magic wielder who operates a magician supply shop in what’s left of Seattle. No one is more surprised than him when the Sidhe leader commands him to extricate Keira from the Weres. He knows her because she loves to while away time in his shop, but she’s always skittered away whenever he got too close. Too bad because she’s twenty shades of gorgeous.

Magic and intrigue throw Keira and Barrett together. Attraction ignites, burning white hot, but Keira has other priorities—like learning to control brand new magic she had no idea she possessed. Besides, Barrett is such a hunk of a man, surely he has lots of women stashed somewhere. He wants her too, has for a long time, but once he spirits her away from the Weres, his job is done. Far better to keep his distance and allow her to seize the destiny she was born for.

Except it’s not what he wants. Her, either. Can they bridge the gap between them before it’s too late?

 

Her destiny is written. Seizing his love is everything.

 

I wasn’t sure what to think when I first read the blurb for this one. A bordello? The heroine is a hooker? I mean that implies multiple sex partners. I had to ask myself how the heck was a romance going to play into all that? That being said I told myself, “come on it’s written by Ann Gimpel so it’s a shoe-in for being exceptional.” I’m happy to say I was absolutely correct.Heart’s Flame is set in a post-apocalyptic future where a war between the magic wielding denizens of Earth sparked a devastating reaction from the humans around them. Most, if not all of the humans are gone. Note I say “if not all” because there are no humans in this story.
The landscape is decimated and civilization is slowly recovering. However, the magical races no longer have humans to farm, clean up their cities or create and maintain what technology used to exist. Those left live in an uneasy peace. This is the world that Keira was born into.

Keira has grown up in a world where hybrids aren’t exactly wanted. She is supposedly a hybrid of werewolf descent with a smattering of magic thrown in of questionable origin. She can’t shift. So, her werewolf heritage isn’t of much more value. What magic she holds is weak and not worth mentioning. Her mother lived, worked and died in a bordello when Keira was just a babe. When none of the magic wielders would claim her at eighteen, Keira was left little choice other than indenturing. It’s not a glamorous life, nor is it particularly satisfying. If she could find a way out, she’d jump at the chance. What free time she’s allotted she spends browsing the magical shop owned by Barrett. Browsing is about all she does though. Resources are precious and she has none. Her fantasies are filled with the shop owner, but she just knows her fantasies have no basis in reality. Imagine her surprise when she’s told to prepare for a visit from Barrett in a Were only establishment.

Barrett is several centuries old. He lived the war at the side of the leader of the Sidhe. Now everyone scrambles to make a living and exist in the world left behind. He owns a shop that provides herbs and magical notions to the magic wielders. For several years he’s watched Keira when she visits his shop. She intrigues him. She excites him. He craves her. Then he discovers she lives at the bordello. Enough said? Apparently, not. Shortly after his discovery, the Sidhe leader asks him to liberate her from the bordello, a mission that may give him what he wants for the short term but, forever seal his fate to never have her in the long run.

Destiny has a plan for Keira. Things are going to be dicey and danger will dog their heels. Typical of an Ann Gimpel read you get action, adventure, romance and a good dash of magic. I couldn’t put Heart’s Flame down. If you like your shifters, fairies and fae I’m sure you’re going to love this quick read.

 

♥♥♥♥♥

O Factor: Spicy

XD Goodreads

All Romance eBooksAmazon USAmazon AUAmazon CAAmazon DEAmazon ESAmazon FRAmazon ITAmazon UKBarnes & NobleKobo USKobo CAKobo UK

Subscribe to Xtreme Delusions post notifications

Previous:

Mini Reviews For The Month of February… Part One

Next:

Release Blitz / Review / Giveaway: Hunter Forsaken by Nancy Corrigan

You may also like

  1. Thank you so much, Jean. I’m glad you dove in and checked out Keira and Barrett’s tale. This particular world has so many possibilities, I can see revisiting it and weaving a story around Caelin and Renn.

    Hugs!

Comments are closed.