The Flame and the Shadow (Paperback)

by Denise Rossetti (Author)
Key Phrases: tai yang, indigo lake, rainbow lakes, Great Lady, The Primus, Judger God (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
“Denise Rossetti is a stunning new voice in futuristic romance. She hits the scene with a thrilling view into a magical world of fantasy, magic and intrigue….I’ve not read anything like it….I’ve put Denise Rossetti on my list of authors to follow as I expect to see new and out of the box literary greatness from her.”
–Night Owl Romance

“Should appeal to fans of Storm Constantine and Laurel K. Hamilton.”
–Library Journal

“Denise Rossetti has taken the fantasy genre by storm with her print debut. THE FLAME AND THE SHADOW bursts with action, mystery and passion. Rossetti has a beautiful writing style, apparent in her descriptions of the world, her realistic dialogue and her highly developed characters who have weaknesses, learn lessons and grow as we turn the pages…. She has an extraordinary gift of language as if the words themselves create magical patterns on the page as they flow one into another so seamlessly…. I highly recommend this novel to fans of erotic romance and fantasy alike and can’t wait to get my hands on the next installment.”
–Romance Junkies

“Denise Rossetti transports readers of her romantic science fiction novel, THE FLAME AND THE SHADOW, to the five-mooned planet called Sybaris where an almost past- her-prime, seriously clumsy and not what anyone would call beautiful witch grieves the death of her only child. Maybe as recompense for the death, maybe something more sinister, The Lord and Lady of the afterlife endowed her with a new gift as they took Cenda's daughter during last winter's ague— the power of fire. She's the only fire witch and she's still very inept and naïve to think that it is just a run-of-the-mill ability. There are those who want her and her power and they are willing to pay. As well, there are those who will do anything to betray Cenda for their own ambition, money, power, greed, or well-being. She has no idea that she can trust nobody, least of all Grayson, Duke of Ombra, a troubadour harpist with a shadowy secret that he has come to hate. A secret shadow, that is…. THE FLAME AND THE SHADOW is the perfect blend of science fiction and erotic fantasy romance.”
–Romance Readers at Heart, Top Pick

“A witch whose gift of flame is born from heartbreaking loss. A man whose burden is carried from innocent boyhood, through desperate youth, to besmirched adult. These people come together for very different reasons…. Ms Rossetti opens her fantasy series with a fascinating story. Set on a pleasure planet called Sybaris, it is a world where magic and technology both exist but not contentedly. Readers will delight in the author's rich imagination as they are caught up between the dilemmas of the main characters, the fight for power between the magic wielding Pures and the Technomages, and a thorough fall into love…. One of the pleasures of reading is to find characters that so completely capture our attention. These are people who have known happiness, suffered greatly and now have some chance of joy in their lives, again. They are emotionally wounded, imperfect, and are lovable in spite of that.”
–Love Romance & More

“This erotica is suitable only for mature audiences, but quite pleasurable for those who enjoy spectacularly sexual romance.”
–SFRevu

“Captivating start to an erotic, mystical, futuristic world full of excitement and intrigue…. Denise Rossetti creates an erotic, mystical, futuristic world full of excitement and intrigue, promising even more adventure in the next book in this thrilling series. This is a great read!”
–Fresh Fiction


Product Description
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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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Ace Trade (November 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441016340
• ISBN-13: 978-0441016341
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #175,065 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Erotic Shadow Love (B- Grade), November 10, 2008

By	C. Garrabrant "Katiebabs" (Bloomfield, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

Denise Rossetti's The Flame and the Shadow is also an erotic romance where the shadow gets the same amount of loving just like his human counterparts. The shadow even has a name, called Shad, given to him by Grayson, the Duke of Ombra. Grayson is a very tortured hero and blames all his woes on Shad. If not for Shad, Gray would still be welcome at home, but since his shadow is thought to be a demon, and Gray possessed by it, Gray was disowned and ran away. But Shad loves Gray and shows him how much by giving Gray a helping hand when it comes to self love.

Gray thinks Shad is an abomination and finally has a way to rids himself of his shadow. All Gray has to do is kidnap Cenda, a fire witch, and bring her to the magician that can help him. Cenda is recovering from a sickness that almost killed her, but ended the life of her baby daughter, Elke. Cenda is inconsolable over the loss of her daughter, even though through this tragedy, her magic has grown, where now she can make fire at will.

Gray and Cenda meet, and Gray is able to seduce Cenda because he is quite talented in bed. At first, Gray only thinks of Cenda as a means to an end, but as he gets to know her better, he begins to feel for her pain. He helps her to feel, mainly through sex, that she is worthy of love and is beautiful. As Gray becomes more emotionally attached to Cenda, so does Shad. But instead of Cenda running away in fear from Shad, she welcomes him to join Gray and she when they have sex. Whenever Cenda is too overcome with emotion, she can't control her fire power and can burn Gray. But with Shad joining both of them while they make love, he balances the heat, since he is cool. That is where the ménage a trios comes into play. And when Shad joins in with Gray and Cenda, anything goes. Gray hates that Shad makes him feel so good, but even though his mind is saying, no, is body is telling him the opposite. Plus, Cenda becomes a bit more aggressive and open to new things with Gray if Shad plays along with them.

If you can open your mind to some interesting and out of this world sex that Denise Rossetti has come up with, than I would recommend The Flame and the Shadow. I am just wondering what else will be up for grabs in the books I read, now that a person's shadow can have some love also.

The song, Me and My Shadow now has a whole new meaning

Katiebabs

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dark romance with a love that heals, November 4, 2008

By	Jennifer Ray "Reviewer for Wild on Books (www... (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

**4 1/2 Bookmarks, courtesy of Wild on Books**

The death of her only daughter left Cenda a broken shell of a woman. Her heart was torn apart when that precious toddler was ripped from her life. But the illness that killed her baby left the fledgling witch with a new ability - the power to call and master fire. It is something she never wanted, certainly not at the expense of losing her child, but now Cenda must learn to master this power before it destroys her.

There are those who seek the power of the Fire Witch for their own questionable purposes. To this end, they have sent bounty hunters after Cenda to kidnap her. But one is more insidious than the rest - Grayson of Concordia, aka The Duke of Ombra. With his seductive ways and disarming charm, he proves more dangerous than the most heinous of henchman, for he steals her heart effortlessly.

Grayson's last hope to rid himself of the demon who has plagued him his entire life rests in this one mission. Yet when he meets Cenda, things don't seem quite so cut and dry any longer. He may have stolen her heart, but the Fire Witch causes emotions to flare inside this lonely man as surely as she can set any blaze. Can Grayson really betray her for his own needs?

If you are looking for a gritty, dark paranormal romance, then look no further. THE FLAME AND THE SHADOW by Denise Rossetti fits that bill perfectly. Both Gray and Cenda are two damaged people. Gray has sustained a lifetime of trauma, and Cenda has suffered more recently, but with no less pain than Gray.

In each other, they find the means to heal themselves, through love and understanding. Oh, they may not realize at first it is love, but the passion is undeniable from the moment they meet. Neither Gray nor Cenda has ever really experienced true love before, so the emotion is at first hard to recognize.

I was gratified to find that although they are slow to realize they are in love, they are certainly quick to recognize how much they genuinely like each other. That instant connection makes it easy to understand why Cenda would fall into the arms of a literal stranger so quickly. Then again, her deep despair and the need to feel something, some kind of human comfort helps with that as well.

Cenda goes through quite a few trials during this book, from the ache she feels from missing her daughter, to the frightening run for her life when she learns she has become a target of some nasty people, and finally to learning of Gray's intent to betray her. Beginning the story somewhat meek and unassuming, these trials build her character into a true heroine, resourceful and strong, determined to protect those she cares about while doing no harm.

Gray's hurdles are huge - he has to overcome both the external protagonists in the story and his own internal demons. Not only that, he must also win Cenda's trust not once, but twice. Through it all, Gray proves himself a hero worthy of Cenda, and is an inspiration to all as he finds a way to resolve his personal issues, which are undoubtedly even harder for him to overcome than their foes.

THE FLAME AND THE SHADOW is a story that is simultaneously heart-breaking and heart-warming. With people who inspire through their own growth a compelling plot, and passion as incendiary as the Fire Witch's power, Denise Rossetti offers readers a novel that is hard to put down until the last page.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Fantasy Romance, March 29, 2009

By	Amy (romancebookwyrm.blogspot.com - See all my reviews

Wow...This was quite a unique fantasy romance, but then again most fantasies are quite unique. Another author with an amazing way with words.

Cenda, the leading female protagonist finds herself mourning the loss of her baby, but with that loss she was given a most unique "gift"...the gift of fire. Once a witch who possessed nothing but a tall skinny form, a plain and forgettable woman, now she finds herself fleeing from people who want her so they can control her gift of fire, an extremely rare talent among witches.

Grayson, also known as the Duke of Ombra, has a secret. His shadow, otherwise known as Shad, is alive and of a separate mind from him. Once a mercenary, Gray is now a musician with the Unearthly Oprah. He sings most seductively, entrancing his audience. Hired by a technomage, his mission is to abduct Cenda and hand her over to her. But a wizard promises Gray that if he brings the fire witch to him he can restore his soul, relieving him of Shad, his once best friend, now his most hated, disgusting secret. Gray will do anything to eliminate the abomination that is Shad. His plan...seduce Cenda, hopefully to cause her to willingly accompany him to the wizard.

But what Gray does not realize is that Cenda holds the power to heal him in a way none other ever could. As his seduction of her intensifies he realizes that she is more to him than he ever bargained for.

Gray is a most complex character. His past, his relationship with Shad and the heartache and shame it has caused him, is gripping and engrossing. Denise Rossetti put together a fascinating story, rich with detail and well developed, multifaceted characters.

Speaking of characters. There is a boy, Slop is his name. He's maybe ten. Dirty, a beggar. His favorite thing to say is, "Fookin' 'ell". It's rather comical. Cenda asks him to come and stay with her. He asks if he would have to stay clean. She says yes and of course his reply is "Fookin' 'ell". It was a nice little touch of lightness to mix in with all the darkness of Cenda's and Gray's past.

The scenes were incredibly well written between Cenda and Gray. The role that Shad plays was an added bonus to the uniqueness of this story. The world had kind of a futuristic feel with mentions of otherworldly traveling but also had a historical feel as well. The two blended together, creating a fresh new world.

I really enjoyed this book and will definitely keep my eye on the lookout for the next books to follow. An intense and well satisfying read! A for sure keeper.