Customer Reviews

Heart Of Fire

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I can't tell you how refreshing I found this book. This title is as fine as any classic fantasy tale I've read in a long while. And classic fantasy romance it is--complete with a very alpha elf (of the tall-dark-handsome-fearless-dangerous variety) and a halfling heroine. I especially loved the portrayal of the cervidae--think deer shifters--and their bucolic world. But it's not so happy for Jessalyne, and within the first chapter I really felt her heartsickness and wanted a happy ending for her. It took me a hair longer to warm up to Ertemis, our buff elf, but I did--especially when his life is in jeopardy.

I don't mean this as a negative, but I cared less about the plot to save a kingdom than the worldbuilding itself--immediately accessible, consistent, believable, and written with extraordinary care. I've written enough fantasy to know that's a tough thing to do well. And I've read enough bad fantasy to know the difference.

I also want to give a hearty nod to Kristen's dialog. I'm a big fan of good dialog--and usually someone who writes such lush description like that found in this book is not as good at dialog--that all important quality to help define characters. Kristen is great at both. Oh, and there's subtle humor here in the dialog that warms one to the characters. Well done!

I would recommend this title to anyone who likes romance, fantasy (not of the darkest horror variety), unique "species" for want of a better word, and flawless, flowing writing. I cheered for the protagonists to have a well-deserved happy ending, and they did. I would also recommend this book especially to older teens--although I think fans of light classic fantasy romance of any age will adore it.

I have read every classic fantasy tale out there, I think. I'd say this is in the vein of Shannara, which is saying a lot because I love me some Terry Brooks.

This one of the best fantasy romances I've ever read. Definitely the best one I've read recently. The writing is phenomenal, the plotting excellent, the world-building exquisite, the character development proficient, and the sexual tension, very hot.

I don't generally say "go out and buy this book, now", because I'm never quite sure if other readers have my same tastes. But if you haven't bought this book by the time you read this review, then I will be very sad. It has the most delicious love story, a very unique hero, an engaging heroine. This book, I will read again. I got it over at Smashwords, but I'm transferring it to my Kindle right now, and I'm going to reread it very soon.

Because the writer is an indie author, and the book has gotten so many five-star reviews, I worry that some people might assume I'm a friend of the author who came on Amazon to beef up the reviews for a crappy book. That is completely not the case. I don't know Kristen Painter. I'm an independent reviewer, a consumer. A reader. And I adored this book. Granted, it may not be for everyone, because tastes vary, but I consider myself to be a relatively discerning reviewer, and I don't rave about things that I don't honestly enjoy.

I hope, on a side note, that Kristen Painter continues to write in this particular world. The level of detail in her worldbuilding is just fantastic. It's hard to find a fantasy book that doesn't feel a little bit old and tired, because when it's been done well before, it's really hard to reinvent without making the reader think "I liked that better in _(insert book title here)_". But I didn't think that in this book. Not even once. The fantasy elements were original and engaging enough that I wasn't wishing she'd done things differently in her world-building. I was just engaged in the story.

Truly, if you like fantasy romance, you will not find a better quality book, especially given what you'll pay for it. I really hope you enjoy it. I know I did.

Let me start off by saying that I really liked this book. I like paranormal romances and medival romances. This story kind of put both together. The world building was good, and I always felt like I knew the surroundings. The hero was an aplpha male who was not afraid of his feelings. He was so gentle with the heroine, and the heroine was sweet and never annoying. The secondary charcters were interesting and made me want to hear their story as well. My only complaint was the lack of time the hero and heroine spent together. They spend a good chunck of time in the middle seperated. This seperation made me antsy and ready to move forward. Because of the seperation, the middle dragged a little for me. Don't get me wrong, it was still interesting, but I would have liked the characters to have more of a love story. There is lots of sexual tention but only one sex scene that may not even count, so if that bothers you be warned. All in all, this was a good read but could have been even better. I will read more of this author's works in the future.

This is the first time I was driven to write a review of a book I both liked but was disappointed by.
Fist off let me say this is A PARANORMAL HISTORICAL ROMANCE, think light elves, trolls, and mages.
So here is why I was disappointed... there is one small "love" scene that I can't even call a sex scene as that is giving it too much credit... Which I found majorly disappointing as the cover kinda made me think there would be some action and not the sword fighting kind! :( Am I alone in thinking naked chest= actual sex scene??
This normally wouldn't be a problem but because I was expecting some spice in there somewhere it made an otherwise really great story kinda flat for me...
This story is between a sheltered and innocence fire-mage and a dark elf assassin who was conscripted into a mercenary 'Legion' and has deserted to get revenge against a father he feels has wronged his mother. (Again, when you write about dark elves and within the book reference their supposed "prowess" you expect a sex scene...) Anyway, the world building was great and while predictable the story was a good one, I quite liked it. The love between the characters was the kind that upon meeting was just kinda there, no real build up or reasons why.
So if you are looking for a cute, sweet paranormal historical between a dark elf and a innocent fire-mage (a virgin until almost the last page! is that a spoiler?), than this is for you...

I really enjoyed this book. I like how the characters developed as they interacted with each other, and how unknowingly their lives had intersected (via the father of the young lady) before they had ever met.

The book had a good flow to it and was an enjoyable read.

Heart of Fire by Kristen Painter is the perfect summer read. It's well-written paranormal romance with a light, fun twist that will have you smiling from cover to cover!

While different from what I normally read, the quality of writing and characterization really drew me in and before long I was completely absorbed in Jessalyn and Ertemis' world. I loved how their relationship grew and developed as they faced their fears and insecurities to finally tell each other their feelings, with plenty of plot twists and suspense along the way. They are both strong lead characters, but Fynna almost stole the show - I just adored this little pixie! The dialogue was exceptionally well done, it was sharp and humorous and I laughed out loud on several occasions. And I loved the ending, the epilogue is awesome! This book is appropriate for young adults and fantasy lovers of all ages. I will say that there were several errors that should have been corrected before publication; however, the story and the writing were so good I will forgive the author and her editor in this case. I will definitely look for more books by this author.

Heart of Fire was the first book I have read by Kristen Painter. I much enjoyed the very believable world she created for her story.A good female lead who does what she feels needs doing, using her upbringing as a guide to life's trials. the Male lead is well thought out, I liked her take on the elves is this book.The antagonists were evil enough that you felt they got what they deserved. (It's a Romance, you know good wins in the end)Secondary characters were also well developed.
A very pleasurable read provided by Ms. Painter and I hope to read many more from her.

I grabbed this book (great price!) because I adored All Fired Up and was not disappointed. Kristen Painter has a strong, memorable voice and once again she created characters and a world that just make you want to keep reading.

Kristen Painter is an auto-buy for me, so I was super excited to see this story available for Kindle! It's got her trademark gorgeous writing and fantastic characters, with just enough lightness to balance the paranormal parts. And for this price? It's a steal! Grab it, you won't be sorry!