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A Hidden Fire (Elemental Mysteries Book 1) by [Elizabeth Hunter]

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Elizabeth Hunter

A Hidden Fire (Elemental Mysteries Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Elizabeth Hunter (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4,282 ratings

Book 1 of 5: Elemental Mysteries

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The explosive international bestseller where history, romance, and the paranormal collide.

A phone call from an old friend sets Giovanni Vecchio back on the path of a mysterious manuscript he's hunted for over five hundred years. He never expected a young student librarian could be the key to unlock its secrets, nor could he have predicted the danger she would attract.

Now he and Beatrice De Novo follow a twisted maze that leads from the archives of a university library, though the fires of Renaissance Florence, and toward a confrontation hundreds of years in the making.

A HIDDEN FIRE is the first book by USA Today and international bestseller, Elizabeth Hunter, author of the Elemental Mysteries, the Irin Chronicles, the Cambio Springs Mysteries, and Love Stories on 7th and Main.

Print length

398 pages
Language

English
Publication date

October 13, 2011
File size

5695 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Elizabeth Hunter's books are delicious and addicting, like the best kind of chocolate. She hooked me from the first page, and her stories just keep getting better and better. Paranormal romance fans won't want to miss this exciting author!
-- Thea Harrison, NYT bestselling author of the Elder Races series

I'm not certain what exactly I expected when I first opened this book, but whatever it was, it could not have possibly lived up to the reality of how enjoyable it actually was. Ms. Hunter's writing voice is simply addictive, and her ability to make you actually care about her characters is going to take her very far in the publishing world.
--The Romanceaholic

A deep story of love, desire and noble intentions. A top-shelf reading experience.
--Douglas C. Meeks, Amazon Top 500 Reviewer

The story line is absolutely stunning. The world that the author has created is fresh, intriguing and original.
--The Romance Fox, Goodreads

A HIDDEN FIRE is saturated with mystery, intrigue, and romance...this book will make my paranormal romance top ten list of 2011.
--Better Read Than Dead

Instead of a dark, brooding hero oozing sex appeal, and a heroine who can't fall into the hero's arms fast enough, I was treated to a slow-cooking romance with a dash of mystery that centers around the search for BOOKS. Really, what's not to love about that?
--Rabid Reading

It was so fantastically amazing I am still reeling from it's punch of awesomeness! This is a paranormal romance and the BEST VAMPIRE-DRIVEN PARANORMAL ROMANCE I'VE EVER READ.
--Choice Book Reviews

I love this book. This one is a paranormal mystery/romance that caters to and stimulates your intellectual side. ...It takes what we all have come to know, love, or maybe even hate about this genre and puts a new spin on it. While keeping it intriguing, entertaining, touching, mysterious, sexy & erotic all at the same time.
--Princess Nhye, Goodreads

Hunter has a great writing style. Her unique take on the Vampire genre is thoroughly enjoyable and the solid storyline had me engrossed from the start.
--My Books n Things

From the Author

Sign up for Elizabeth Hunter's newsletter and receive a free short story, "Too Many Cooks," in your inbox. Newsletter subscribers receive monthly updates with exclusive short stories, bonus scenes, and contests. Subscribers also receive an alert when new books are released.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005VTVE0U
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Recurve Press LLC; 2nd edition (October 13, 2011)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 13, 2011
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 5695 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 398 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1478320192
Lending ‏ : ‎ Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #3,172 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #205 in Paranormal & Urban Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- #752 in Literature & Fiction (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4,282 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		61%
4 star		24%
3 star		9%
2 star		3%
1 star		3%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Skybluespirit

Not what I was expecting

Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2017

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By the description given, I thought this was going to be more of a DaVinci Code type of novel.

Spoiler Alert: If I had known that this was a vampire story, I would not have read it. By the time I figured out what this was actually about, I had read about 1/3 of the book. Since it was written fairly well, I decided to finish reading it. However, I will not continue reading the other books in the series. All that being said, many readers obviously liked this book quite a bit, so if you like vampire stories, you might like this story too.

35 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

AN ITALIAN FIRE ..... yum (must read)

Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2018

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SENSUALITY RATING: YES Profanity (does not take away from the plot); NO sexual encounter but mild references to a “desire”

GENRE: Romance, Paranormal, Fiction, Adventure

SETTING: Houston, Texas; Italy, Cochamo Valley, Chile; Los Angeles, Calif

CENTRAL FEMALE CHARACTER: BEATRICE DE NOVO – Student, consistent wearer of her Doc Marten boots, curious, daughter of a scholar

CENTRAL MALE CHARACTER: GIOVANNI VECCHIO – Italian, researcher, pale and many times accompanied by the smell of smoke; chose not to have close relationships with anyone.

SYNOPSIS: His habit was always the same, brief case and intense research. A man with a doctorate always showing up at the same time in the research department. From the briefcase, always his notebook, pencils and his notes. She could not understand why he always took the stairs because he was in perfect shape; a regular Greek god. But, her curiosity would be quenched when she witnessed the blue fire on a elevator ride down to the first floor.

WHAT I LIKED: Some humor in the plot. His friend is totally hilarious.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE: She cries too much

OVERALL RATING: (5) stars because well written and “ahhhhh…..wish it was me”. Perfect amount of dialogue as well as description of events. Mysterious, Adventurous, Discovery, Romantic. Great minor characters.

Please read my additional details on LIBRARY THING
/work/12234131/summary/156618848

15 people found this helpful

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chibilee02

A Different Paranormal Read Providing A Pleasant Surprise

Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2016

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As a reader and book lover, I always enjoy books whose characters reflect that same love and passion. Aside from that shared commonality with the characters, it also made A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter a different kind of paranormal read from what I’ve read before.

There’s a certain energy usually expected in a paranormal book that tells you danger and tension, both of the dramatic and sexual kind, is just around the corner along with those that goes bump in the night. While these elements (no pun intended) exists in this book, they vary from the usual fare due to the different energy/vibe that this book has. It was set from the first couple of pages where the main players, Beatrice and Giovanni, were introduced to the readers in a library. From then on, the story carried a steady and quiet tone. Now that may not sound exciting on face value, but it manages to keep you engaged in the story. This unique tone helped create a mysterious aura originating from Giovanni, who he is, what is his story and purpose and the inevitable consequence of Beatrice associating with him. This all enabled Hunter to write a character driven book which in turn created drama and tension that eventually helped set up the action towards the latter half of the book.

I really enjoyed how Hunter established Giovanni and Beatrice’s characters and their relationship. All too often I’ve read books (not necessarily just of the paranormal genre) in which there wasn’t enough time focusing on character development and was quick to form the relationship. However, Hunter basically spent the majority of the book focused on who Giovanni and Beatrice was and letting their relationship develop from friendship to love. I loved how these two people shared a passion and appreciation for books. It not only provided a common ground for our couple, but truly endeared themselves and the book to me. In Beatrice, it created a female lead that was smart and witty with a knack for spitting out some great one-liners and comebacks. With Giovanni, you got a cerebral, well-spoken vampire who carries a dangerous streak underneath the “hot professor” persona. Their relationship carries a tension that we’ve come to expect from stories such as theirs but I appreciated how understated it was without all the histrionics to along with the credible complications that exists between them.

Earlier I mentioned that Hunter’s book was a unique paranormal read. While there were familiar aspects, as whole this was a different reading experience. I really enjoyed the focus on books and written literature from the characters and the plot. Being the first book of her Elemental Mysteries series, Hunter did a great job of establishing the foundation of her characters, backstory, and plot which would be carried onto the next book of the series, This Same Earth (yes, this book does end in a semi-cliffhanger). While this book doesn’t have the “boom” factor of other paranormal reads, Hunter’s understated and steady story is just as engaging and dramatic and will surely get better as you continue on in the series. Plus, who wouldn’t like a sexy scholarly sort of vampire that can wield fire and literally keep you warm through a cold night?

18 people found this helpful

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Theresa

A smart, sexy read...

Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2018

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4 Stars... This was a journey into history coupled with a paranormal twist... Librarian, Beatrice De Novo, gets entwined into an ancient battle between vampires when she meets historian (and 500 year old vampire) Dr. Giovanni Vecchio... Together they must learn to trust one another and unravel a twisted mystery embedded in the past that puts Beatrice's very life at stake... This story pulls the reader into the very heart of the deception twisting and turning until the very end when all truth is revealed; the chemistry between Beatrice and Giovanni is a slow build with moments of explosiveness each learning to be vulnerable to the other... I enjoyed this read and look forward to continuing this mysterious journey into the past:)

6 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

S Payne

A slow burner but worth perservering

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 2, 2020

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I had never read any books by Elizabeth Hunter but, after a friend recommended ‘A Hidden Fire’ recently I checked my Kindle only to realise that I’d had this book for a couple of years but had never got around to reading it. This book is a paranormal romance novel and the first in a series of four; ‘The Elemental Mysteries’.

Our main characters are Giovanni (Gio) and Beatrice (B). Gio is a mysterious, centuries-old Italian vampire and B is a twenty-something human librarian-in-training who wears combat boots and dyes her hair black. We follow the pair as they form a friendship and then romance whilst dealing with a part of history they have in common as it comes back to haunt them. There are a few supporting characters but the main two are Carwyn (a Welsh priest with a fondness for Hawaiian shirts) and Casper (Gio's longstanding assistant/butler/general dogsbody), who keep the dialogue and interactions between characters interesting, fresh and funny.

The storyline took a while to get going but it’s worth persevering as I really started to get into it around chapter 5. It’s a real slow burner but the characters are really well developed, even the side characters like Carwyn and Casper. The writing flowed well but I found the pace a bit confusing. As I said, nothing seemed to happen for a very long time then all of a sudden, everything exploded. I don’t know if the author was being clever and matched the story pace to the pace and passion of the characters' relationship but it seemed to speed up all of a sudden.

This book does end but it is left open for the second book if you chose to read it. Although the ending is not very satisfying, you can leave it there and not know what happens next. The Kindle version of this book included a chapter from the next book and that was enough for me to want to read on. I will have a break but will probably return to the series at some point.

Wendy

Love every bit of it

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 21, 2021

Verified Purchase

I first bought this series around 7yrs ago, I loved it then as much as I do 2nd time around. I was reminded of this series when I reviewed a Midlife Paranormal series she did ( definitely recommend reading). This is honestly one of the best vampire series I've read. I discovered it via a colleague raving about it but kind of ignored it, within 4 weeks the whole office including me had started buying the books, I then got my daughter to read them. The books are so immersive, I found myself getting angry, crying and laughing along with B, they even interrupt my dreams. Someone reviewed this book as a Twilight wannabe or along those lines. Yes the main character calls in love with a vampire, there is a baddie who wants to kidnap her but there's so much more, the other books continue the story but it also tells the story of the corresponding elemental vampire, again some parts are heart wrenching, other times you wanna jump up and about YES!! I totally recommend the whole series then move I to her others.🤓📚

malc davies

Took a long time to become a good book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 16, 2016

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Note the number of reviews and the high star marks.

Have to say I did enjoy the book eventually. What let it down for me was the very very slow pace until the last third of the book. The author appears to be ensuring she has a required number of words in the novel and does so by repeating regular meetings between the 'heroine Beatrice' and her eventual vampire hero and ( love interest ??)

When the action does begin in earnest the book comes to life and saves it from being my first and last read in the series. Now looking forward to reading book 2 with the hope that the momentum continues.

My thanks to the author.

4 people found this helpful

Rae Else

the story could have fallen flat (this particular coming out having happened in so much literature of late) but this is happily

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 12, 2016

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A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter; a Paranormal Romance novel is the first book in a series of four, The Elemental Mysteries.

Enter: Dr Giovanni Vecchio, a bookish, handsome, mysterious, Italian academic.

(Waiting in the wing) Beatrice De Novo, an independent-spirited, quirky trainee-librarian.

Throw in some ancient manuscripts, archival research in ancient history and a healthy dose of mysteries and what do you get? A well-paced, suspenseful narrative with plenty of twists and turns and a lovely backdrop for the developing romantic relationship.

And, when Gio (Giovanni) comes out as a particular supernatural being, the story could have fallen flat (this particular coming out having happened in so much literature of late) but this is happily not the case. There is enough pace and intrigue in the rest of the plot to keep the momentum.

Even the side characters are well-developed, such as Carwyn, the gossipy priest, making the whole book a very engaging read.

Highly recommend taking a walk with Beatrice through the musty, archives of modern day Houston, where you’ll soon find yourself caught up int the mysteries of Renaissance Florence and Gio’s dark past.

One person found this helpful

Laura Greenwood

a trips down imagination road review

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 16, 2015

Verified Purchase

Title: A Hidden Fire
Series: Elemental Mysteries (#1)
Author: Elizabeth Hunter
From: Amazon
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal
Release Date: 18th October 2011
Challenges: June TBR Meme, COYER Summer Scavenger Hunt
Links: Goodreads - Amazon

Beatrice, known as B to her friends, never thought that working at a library would lead her to the ever so sexy, and ever so dead, Giovanni. Giovanni puts up a cold exterior, but he can't help but let Beatrice break through it. Faced with a mystery involving missing family memebers and mysteriously appearing letters, they are thrown into an adventure that could have severe consequences for the two of them...

Firstly, A Hidden Fire is the oldest unread book on my kindle, which was what I was aiming for with my TBR list, hosted by Michelle @ Because Reading, and I am almost ashamed to admit that this book has been sitting there for nearly three years waiting to be read. I'm an idiot, it was fantastic and any one else who one clicked really needs to get reading it!

Anyway, where to start with my review itself...as I mentioned on the COYER fb group, there were several moments where I found myself laughing aloud at this book (my favourite moment being when Beatrice asked Giovanni if he was Batman! Which then became a running joke throughout the entire book). I loved the comic moments but there was also more to it.

The mysteries in the book were varied and not actually very easy to guess at, which I loved (I really like it when I can't work them out!) and most of the answers were given when Beatrice herself worked things out. Not only did the origin of the letters become a mystery, or what happened to Beatrice's family, but even Giovanni's identity was a bit of a mystery.

I also liked that Beatrice reacted as could be expected in real life when things went very badly. Not necessarily in the scared way, but more of the retreating into herself way. She also didn't just forgive Giovanni for his bad decisions, she made him work for it.

The vampires in A Hidden Fire were also REAL vampires. As in couldn't go out in the sun, some of them are really evil, kind. I liked the more dangerous edge to them rather than the more 'normal' modern take. I really want to read more from this series now, I can't believe I waited so long to read it!

One person found this helpful