Soul Fire

Soul Fire
R F Long
Kindle Edition
Published July 7th 2009 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

Iron born and iron bred. Trust not iron, it will see you dead.

Rowan Blake could really use a magic wand to keep her struggling art gallery afloat. But the faerie key she stumbles across is far from a lucky charm. It-s a magnet for danger, and by touching it she-s unwittingly put herself in the middle of a war between the forces of light and dark. And in the arms of its rightful owner, Prince Daire.

While searching for his brother, Daire finds himself trapped in the Iron World with a mere mortal woman who ignites his passion like no other. Each stolen kiss deepens their attraction and sends him spiraling closer and closer to the edge of his inherent dark desires. Desires that act as a homing beacon for the Dark Sidhe, who are intent on forcing him to fight on their side. The longer he lingers in her arms-and in her bed-the closer his enemies get to her door. And the greater the risk that the gateway to the Faerie Realm will shift, destroying not only his power to protect her, but his very life.

Warning: Contains enchantments, danger, some very scary monsters, a trip to the dark side and hot, soul-transforming sex with an immortal prince.

When his younger brother, Aidan, is lured into the mortal realm, Daire is pulled from the battlefield to go after him. He finds the fool not far from the gateway, enamored by the mortal woman, Rowan, and soon their bickering leaves both brothers unprepared for the attack rising up around them. One that targets Rowan as well as the two Seelie princes.

Aynia, Daire's betrothed from lifetimes ago, turned traitor in servitude to the descendants of those who fell with the Morningstar. She's determined to bring Daire to her side, or destroy him.

Meanwhile, Daire can't bring himself to comprehend the connection growing between himself and Rowan. Sidhe only bond once, and he was bonded to Aynia in every way possible. As they struggle to survive against Aynia's henchmen, truths of Rowan's bloodline emerge and the suspense never once lets up. The author developed one hell of a balanced storyline. It could have gone either way, and even a failed HEA would have been fitting. Having Daire come so close to unleashing the darkness inside of him was rather exhilarating and I always do love fantasy that finds its roots in some area of religion. The ending was beautiful and superb, and the characters-as innocent as they were-provided a great story worth being told. 4 out of 5 stars.

"My place is not with you!" he shouted, enraged, letting the insane anger burn unchecked in his veins for the first time in days. It blazed through his body, and deep inside him the seed of the Dark Sidhe stirred, uncoiled its questing shoots. For a moment he welcomed it. It was strong, vibrant. It would help help him defeat Aynia, help him find his way out of the iron world and back to the Fae Realm. A
     And then what? How could he go home as one of the enemy?
     He forced calm back through his body, quashing the dark seed as quickly as he had bid it grow.
     "My place is not with you," he whispered again, though he couldn't be sure if the words were meant for Aynia, or for Rowan.