Reviewed by Sarina
TITLE: Forged In Fire
SERIES: Asheville Arcana #2, Dreamspun Beyond #19
AUTHOR: Ari McKay
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 220 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2018
BLURB:
The magic touch.
Ever since Harlan Edgewood was bitten by a possessed werewolf, his monthly shifts have been agonizing. When he meets Whimsy Hickes—a mage who specializes in transformation—the attraction is mutual. But Harlan believes his curse is too great a burden to inflict on any romantic partner.
Fortunately, Whimsy thinks he can help.
When Harlan is provoked into an unexpected change, Whimsy uses his magic to help ease Harlan’s pain, but with an unexpected consequence. While he’s shifted, Harlan’s wolf claims Whimsy as his mate.
As they draw closer, suspicious events in the Asheville magical community escalate. Shifters are disappearing, others are murdered, and Harlan’s curse makes him an obvious target. It will take all of Whimsy’s magic to force back the rising evil—and if he fails, Harlan will lose not only his life, but his very soul.
REVIEW:
So, when I originally picked up this book, I wasn’t aware that it was the second of the series; usually I’m pretty careful about that as I don’t like reading things out of order. That being said, while this is pretty much a direct continuation from the first book (near as I could tell, anyway) there is plenty of information given about events that happened previously so I had no problem following along and was able to enjoy the story with no issues. (PizzyGirl reviewed the first story for those that aren’t familiar with it or that need a refresher.)
I have to say that I pretty much liked the story right from the start; the characters were interesting and there’s a decent variety of paranormals introduced, which is great. I also really appreciated the fact that the author made a clear distinction between what I would think of as normal shifters and what Harlan is, a lycanthrope. I’ve seen both terms used interchangeably in the past and it was great getting to see a difference here! (It really is the little things that make me happy sometimes, lol) I liked Harlan a lot; he’d been through so much and for someone as old as he is, he’s rolled with the punches pretty well; I also really liked how he stuck to his upbringing in a lot of ways but was still willing to change and adapt as necessary. Personally, I think Whimsy was a great counterpart for Harlan; he isn’t afraid of what Harlan is capable of and is more than willing to prove he can take care of himself while helping to take care of Harlan. At least Harlan got with the program fairly quickly! 😀
The book was really easy to get into and I enjoyed the story a lot; like I said, it would’ve been better if I’d read the first book before diving into this one but the author did a great job of reiterating key events from the previous story without rehashing it word for word. I found the plot interesting and the story was well written and made for an entertaining read. I was drawn in fairly quickly and it made for a really pleasant way to spend my morning; even when I had to put it down temporarily I was sucked back into the story without issue.
Anyone who enjoys a good paranormal story with a nice variety of characters might want to consider checking this one out but I would recommend reading the first book before diving into this one; I certainly plan on going back to pick it up so I know exactly what I missed and I’m sure I’ll like it every bit as much as I liked this one.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
Great review!