Cenda of Sybaris always felt like the awkward, ugly
duckling in her world, but she accepted her fate calmly
until the day her sweet baby girl died from fever.
Overwhelmed with despair, Cenda's heart turned to ash and
her soul became a gaping wound of never-ending pain.
However, out of respect for the intense love Cenda felt for
Elke, the Lady and Lord gave her an incredible power that
day, the ability to create and control fire.
Six months later, Grayson of Concordia has arrived
on Sybaris to kidnap the fire witch and bring her back to a
buyer on Concordia who has offered him the one thing he
desires most; freedom from his shadow. Gray has the gift
of Shadow magick, but he views the gift as a curse, one
that forced him from his homeworld as a youth, cast him
into the hands of evil men who abused his body and soul,
and isolated him forever from those who view his shadow as
an abomination. Shad, Gray's shadow, doesn't agree with
Gray's plans, preferring to focus on better times when he
and Gray were children and loved each other like brothers.
But all Gray feels is hatred for the shadow which is as
much a part of him as his cold, dark heart.
However, a cold heart doesn't stand a chance
against the warmth of a fire witch's touch, which Gray soon
learns after meeting Cenda. Suddenly he finds himself
struggling with conflicting emotions and desires, trying to
keep Cenda safe from those who wish to cage her and use her
as a force of destruction, but needing to keep his own
plans for her a secret as well. Gray despises himself for
using her, especially after Cenda meets Shad for the first
time and, rather than recoiling in horror, embraces his
dark twin as a being of beauty and love, not an
abomination.
But when the forces of evil succeed in caging the
fire witch and revealing Gray's intended betrayal, Gray
must face a different side of the woman he has grown to
love, a woman who can destroy him body and soul with a
single touch.
While I am not normally a reader of erotic romance,
the premise of this book hooked me in early and held my
attention throughout. I loved that Cenda was an
unconventional heroine, older than most heroines by a good
ten years and living a rather unremarkable life until the
untimely death of her daughter. Gray and Shad provide a
dynamic struggle between dual heroes, but since they're the
same person, either they both get the girl, or they both
lose the girl, so you can root for both. The world Ms.
Rossetti has created is beautiful and heartbreaking and
completely believable, and I enjoyed sharing the adventures
of Cenda and Gray. THE FLAME AND THE SHADOW is a great
choice for those who like their fantasy and romance on the
super spicy side.
A sizzling new fantasy series from a hot new
talent.
Some are drawn to the light. Some are
drawn to the dark. Some desire both…
Grayson of
Concordia, known on countless worlds as the Duke of Ombra,
is a mercenary, a sorcerer of shadows—a man whose soul is
consumed by darkness. For Gray, the bleak savagery in his
heart is manifest in an entity he calls Shad. He has long
resisted Shad’s enticements, but when he is hired to
kidnap a fire witch, he seizes the chance to restore his
soul—no matter the cost.
Cenda’s heart is ash.
Since the death of her precious baby daughter, life has
lost all meaning for the fire witch. Slowly, she has
worked to master her powers and go on living. But when she
encounters Gray, her will is no match for her desire. But
her love may not survive the terrible discovery of Gray’s
betrayal…
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