Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Our Radiant Embers
AUTHOR: Zarah Detand
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 394 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 7, 2024
BLURB:
Their rivalry? Explosive. Their chemistry? Magical. When a regrettable drunken hookup becomes your partner in a high-stakes magical project, sparks are bound to fly—just not the kind Liam Morgan was hoping for. Teaming up with Adam Harrington, the golden boy of a legendary magical lineage, was not on his to-do list.
Adam, the epitome of tailored perfection, has accepted the need to lock his true self in the closet. Liam, on the other hand, wears his nonconformity like a badge of honour, challenging the elite’s silken norms with every step he takes.
Tasked with revolutionising urban development in an eco-friendly manner, their forced collaboration is marked by snark, resentment, and a magnetic undercurrent of attraction. But as their reluctant partnership turns into a bond that’s hard to deny, a plot for power simmers, threatening to unleash chaos that could sweep the city into a maelstrom of uncontrolled magic.
This contemporary magical realism MM romance interweaves snappy banter, enemies to lovers, and political intrigue with a slow-burn kind of love that can save a city.
REVIEW:
A few months ago, I came across a delightful M/M romance called Wear it Like a Crown, which I quickly followed up with the (very) loosely related Pull Me Under and Be My Endgame from the same fictional universe, and my love affair with Zarah Detand’s love stories was born.
Detand’s latest, Our Radiant Embers, is a very different type of story than the three I just mentioned, but just as enjoyable. It is an enemies to lovers, urban fantasy romance with a political backdrop, plenty of magic and some twists and turns – but at heart, it still features Detand’s special type of storytelling. Like all of her stories, Embers works well as a standalone, so it’s an easy entrée into Detand’s writing and her amazing characters.
In Embers, we meet Liam and Adam, two relatable, likeable, realistic characters with depth and complexity. They are a well-matched couple, and Detand excels with their witty, snarky banter and the undeniable chemistry that heats up the pages. This is a long story – almost 400 pages – and I did find it moved a bit slowly in the early parts. But I never once lost interest and once the pace picked up, I couldn’t put it down. Everything escalates as the story progresses towards its conclusion, including the plot, pacing, emotions, and yes, even the angst. The story is engrossing and refreshingly original. But at heart, Our Radiant Embers is simply a ridiculously good romance that anyone would enjoy. While magic and fantasy are integral to the storyline, the modern world reality is prominent enough that even those who don’t love fantasy romance can love this story.
I’m looking forward to making my way through the rest of Detand’s backlist and look forward to plenty of new romances from her in the (hopefully) near future. In the meantime, I highly recommend her writing and her thoroughly enjoyable latest romance, Our Radiant Embers.
RATING: 
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