4 Stars
Publisher: Azure Spider Publications
Date of publication: November 15th, 2018
Genre: Paranormal, Mystery, Thriller
Series: Firemountain Chronicles
Whispers in the Woods—book 1 (review here)
The House of Fire and Rain—Book 2
Where you can find The House of Fire and Rain: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Amazon synopsis:
Dave Dobrowski is a detective in Firemountain. Things haven’t been the same in Firemountain since Dinah Steele took down Gleebelix. Now illegal prostitutes are dying in droves. Yet the legal brothel, The House of Fire and Rain, on tribal land is immune to a curse that is killing not only working girls but their clients. Dave and his alchemical partner Jolene Anderson, race to discover why legal girls are protected why illegals are dying and discover there is more than just morality at stake.
My review
Prostitutes and their customers are dying in Firemountain. But the girls who work at The House of Fire and Rain are immune. Dave, a detective, is put on the case to discover what is exactly causing the deaths. When it is discovered that a curse is responsible, Dave must figure out why the “illegal” girls are being targeted. As the curse goes worldwide, Dave and Jolene are racing against the clock. Can they discover who or what is behind the curse?
When I was approached by Victoria to review The House of Fire and Rain, I immediately jumped on it. Not because I had reviewed Whispers in the Woods. It was the blurb. It caught my attention. I wanted to know why the girls at The House of Fire and Rain were immune to the curse. I wanted to know what Dave and Jolene were going to find out about the curse. So, yes, I was thrilled to be reading this book.
I liked Jolene. I thought that her backstory was heartbreaking. Unfortunately, it is only too common. But, Jolene overcame her past. She was going to school to be an alchemist and had a job that she loved. I was surprised at her connection to The House of Fire and Rain. When it was revealed what she did for her second job, I had to stop and process it. I also liked how the author worked that into the plotline.
I didn’t know what to think about Dave. I was apathetic towards him at the beginning of the book. My initial observation was that he was weary of everything that was going on in Firemountain. But, as the book went on, my apathy towards him lessened. I actually felt bad for him, at one point in the book. I also thought that he had good instincts when it came to Lucas Dawnstar. My heart broke for him at the end of the book.
The main storyline of the book started off shortly after Dinah defeated Gleebelix in book 1. The author wasted no time in getting the plotline going. The plotline stayed fast until the middle of the book. The plot did falter when the curse was cured but the author did a great job at getting it back on track.
The secondary storylines were wonderfully written. They added depth to the plotline. They also gave me more background on what was going on.
I liked that the author chose to highlight what and how people view sex workers. She made some valid point about how society treats them. She also made a very valid point for legalizing prostitution. I will say that the cleansing camps that sprung up reminded me of the concentration camps in WW2. I got shudders while reading those scenes.
I will say that I was amused by the inclusion of Kirk Cameron in the plotline. I got a couple of good giggles out of it. Actually, I didn’t put two and two together until Dave mentioned it while watching him on TV. It was light a lightbulb went off over my head…haha.
I wasn’t expecting what happened at the end of the book. I was shocked by what Jezebel did. It went against everything that I thought about her. My heart broke for Dave. For a minute there, I thought that he was going to be happy. I hope that what happen fuels his need to find out what is going on.
The author did a fantastic job of wrapping up plotlines. She also left some plotlines open. The very end of the book made me go “Hmmm”. I can’t wait to read book 3!!!
I gave The House of Fire and Rain a 4-star rating. This was a fast moving book. It had complex characters that I connected with. I did have an issue with the plotline lagging halfway through the book. But the author did a great job picking the plotline back up again.
I would give The House of Fire and Rain an Adult rating. There are sex and sexual situation. There is violence. There is language. There are triggers. They would be sexual abuse and rape. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book
I would reread The House of Fire and Rain. I would also reccomend this book to family and friends.
I would like to thank the author for allowing me to read and review The House of Fire and Rain.
All opinions stated in this review of The House of Fire and Rain are mine.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
