Mastering the Flames

....Or, Yes But What About Angel? I can appreciate what S.J. Himes was trying to do in this latest installment of the Beacon Hill Sorcerer series, but it didn't quite work. Angel's brother Isaac is the alleged MC of the story, and his journey from a fragile, newly sober alcoholic to a more confident, secure man who is finally fully able to use his power is worthwhile. Too bad that almost all of the action and ass kicking in the book is done by Angel. Isaac is pretty much a sidekick in his own story. He does finally get all fiery in the last 20% of the book but by then it feels almost anticlimactic. Not every hero has to be all-powerful like Angel, but then don't keep reminding us about how Angel pretty much owns Boston and show him single-handedly saving the day more than once.

I haven't even mentioned the ridiculous love story between Isaac and Batiste (or, as we are now supposed to call him, Constans). The arrogant, all-powerful, stoic Master of Vampires is almost unrecognizable in this book. Instead he is all soft and gooey, a blonde copycat version of Simeon. I know the heart has its own reasons, but I never understood why, after thousands of years of solitude, Isaac is the one to stir Batiste's emotions enough to motivate him to take a mate. Seeing the Batiste we have come to know and reluctantly admire over the past 3 books fucking and cuddling just doesn't compute.

Oh well, there's always Daniel and Rory's story, which I am confident will be better. They are already sweet together, so their romance will not require any retconning of either character.