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The Fire Lord's Lover is a "historical" romance novel, wrapped in elves and magic. It's a tight story linking well written sex scenes between the two main characters. After I struggled through to page six, I couldn't put it down. Usually, after six pages of struggle, I won't pick a book up again.

The story takes place in an alternate 1724, where two centuries earlier, elves took over England and magically boarded it off from the rest of the world. Within the magical walls, elves have been dallying with their human "animals" while being ruled over by an immortal evil-overlord. This premise is just as engaging than it sounds.

While the technology and fashion are more or less in line with 18th century England, there is so much focus how free flowing magic and an immortal evil-overlord impact the social fabric, from society as a whole, to the motivations of the main characters, that this being 'England' is pretty irrelevant. The world that was created, however, was still quite fascinating.

The Fire Lord's Lover tells the tale of two deeply guarded individuals, each wearing very carefully constructed masks and hiding dark secrets. They enter an arranged marriage, but their charade falls as they actually fall in love with each through mutual appreciation of sex. General Dominic Raikes, is handsome but emotionally damaged. Lady Cassandra Bridges, is a sheltered, but well-educated, spunky, aristocrat thrown to the sharks in the darkly run court of her husband's father. Together, they try to save humanity. They work at cross purposes at first but the author weaves them together into a well oiled partnership for the climatic final encounter of the book. The ending sets up the series nicely, and I look forward to reading more from Kathryne Kennedy.

Michelle Enzinas, likes fancy hats, and the turn of a good phrase. She is a chick with a sword, but doesn't own a chain-mail bikini.