Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE: Dark Flame

SERIES:  Flame Born Book 1

AUTHOR: Kat Silver

PUBLISHER: Self-published

RELEASE DATE: February 6, 2021

LENGTH: 264 pages

BLURB: 

“I know who you are, Michael, because you belong to me. You were born to be mine.” ~ Alexei Vasiliev, the vampire prince.

Haunted by the death of his parents, Michael Blakeley wants answers. The twenty-six-year-old martial artist seeks their killer, but he also wants to know why electronics short out at his touch, and why his libido is a raging fire.

When a group of soldiers calling themselves Guardians rescue him from a back alley ambush and claim to have the answers he needs, he agrees to go with them. Especially when they tell him the attackers were vampires. But nothing in this supernatural underworld is as it seems, and when the silver-eyed commander cages him instead, Michael’s answers slip further away.

Can Michael find safety from the vampire prince who claims him? Can he escape the dark destiny he discovers is written into his blood? And will he break the chains of the commander who keeps him captive? The one man he has no desire to leave?

Dark Flame is the first pulse-pounding book in the Flame Born LGBT urban fantasy series. If you like enemies to lovers, shifters, sexy vampire princes, and scorching heat, you’ll love this smoldering tale of bloodlust and magic. Dark Flame has a HFN ending, and is the first part of an ongoing story with the same protagonist. There is content some readers may find distressing. Meant for mature audiences. See inside for details.

REVIEW: 

To be honest, I‘m not sure exactly how to describe Kat Silver’s Dark Flame.  It’s an urban fantasy which I think is also intended to be a romance.  There’s definitely heat and a bit of kink, but unless you consider sex acts as an form of enslavement to be romance, I really didn’t see it, and definitely didn’t feel it.

The author’s intent is clear, though. She was aiming for a combination of epic fantasy with raw sexual energy, and that I think she pulled off.  The main character, Michael Blakeley, is stubborn, volatile, and impulsive while also being sweet, caring and thoughtful.  He’s instinctive – act first, think later – which makes him equal parts freedom and frustration. He is adamantly independent, believing down to his core that he belongs to no one other than himself.  But he’s also oblivious to the fact that he is infused with a superpower of sorts – the ability to wield and also draw to himself Flame (the energy that supernatural beings need to survive).  Gabriel (Flanagan), one of the strongest Channelers, finds Michael and then makes it his mission to protect him from the evil vampires, led by Prince Alexei, and train him on how to use these latent powers that are beginning to surface.

Michael’s identity, in name, composition and powers, is the mystery in this book.  Sorry to tell you, this is the first installment in an ongoing storyline so we do not get all of our answers in Book 1.  There’s no HEA here;  it’s just a lull in the action until Book 2 releases and the story picks up again.

Reading this book is like going on X-rated roller-coaster ride with a host of supernaturals – vampires, witches, werewolves, and other shifters as well.  Gabriel and Michael definitely have potential as romantic partners and we see glimpses of it throughout the story.  But the relationship development was vastly overshadowed by all of the action (and there’s a lot!) and the unraveling of Michael’s mystery origins and powers.

Sex and sexuality were used throughout the book in a way I didn’t expect and, personally, didn’t like. With rare exception, the book does not link sex to any kind of romance or emotional connection.  It’s a means to an end, employed aggressively and often. Note the trigger warnings. There are some unpleasant, potentially upsetting scenes in this story.  One of the underpinnings of Michael’s character is his staunch belief that he’s straight.  Yet despite being faced with all kinds of unbelievable, crazy truths (see said supernaturals), it’s the possibility that he’s gay that gives Michael pause?

Dark Flame has a raucous energy to it, pulse pounding, steamy, raw bloodlust and hatred. If you’re looking to relax, this story’s not going to do that for you.  It will, however, engross you in the storyline and keep you on the edge of your seat during the many action-packed scenes. There’s rich world-building, original, creative details and a diverse, fascinating cast of characters.

Overall, there’s really nothing particularly novel about the premise of this story.  But Ms. Silver takes the typical tropes and twists them into something unexpected and new.  Ms. Silver gives us a story that is as captivating as the magic that inhabits the Dark Flame fictional world.  This is pure escapism.  You will lose yourself in this story.  It has all of the action, suspense and mystery to keep you hooked.

RATING:

BUY LINK: 

Amazon