Reviewer: Holly and Casee Fire Bound by Christine Feehan
Series: Sisters of the Heart #5, Sea Haven
Also in this series: Water Bound, Spirit Bound, Air Bound, Earth Bound, Bound Together (Sea Haven/Sisters of the Heart, #6), Turbulent Sea, Hidden Currents, Magic in the Wind, The Twilight Before Christmas, Oceans of Fire, Dangerous Tides, Safe Harbor, Turbulent Sea, Hidden Currents
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: April 26th 2016
Genres: Fiction, Fantasy
Pages: 400
Add It: Goodreads
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The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sea Haven novels returns to the circle of the six sisters of the heart, bound by the elements—and to one who possesses the power to inflame the most dangerous passions of all. Flame-haired Lissa Piner is a skilled glass blower whose delicate gift conceals a burning inner strength that can destroy as exquisitely as it can create. Commissioned to design chandeliers for a string of luxury hotels, her remarkable skills have taken her to Italy. But Lissa’s real mission there is a secret. For her entire life has been a lie, leading to a chance to avenge a terrible wrong. Enlisted as her bodyguard is Casmir Prakenskii, a trained assassin living off the grid. In Lissa, he sees a kindred spirit—something unexpected and wicked, mysterious and sensual. But more than desire is about to bring them together: because both of their pasts cry out for revenge. And for two people with this many secrets, this much passion, and this many enemies, someone is bound to get burned.
Casee: I love the Sea Haven series. I’ve read all the books she’s written but the Drake Sisters and Sisters of the Heart are my favorite. Fire Bound was like no other Feehan book. Mostly it’s the men that are killers and, as readers, we simply accept it. They are trying to protect their woman, right? Lissa was unlike any heroine that she’s written. Lissa is a straight up killer. It doesn’t matter that she’s doing it for revenge for the death of her family, it’s still murder. Yet, I wasn’t horrified. It was refreshing change from her normal heroines.
Holly: The Sea Haven books are my favorites as well. Lissa was a great heroine. I liked that she was just as deadly as Casimir and she wasn’t portrayed as someone who needed rescuing. I was actually surprised at the number of risks she took and that he didn’t try to stop her.
Casee: I did love how Casimir was partner, not a dictator. He didn’t “allow” Lissa to do what she needed to do. He helped her, understood her, and was generally there for her.
Holly: No, he didn’t “allow” her to do anything. She made her choices and he reluctantly followed along.
I do feel like Feehan keeps writing the same love story again and again. Lissa was a different sort of heroine and Casimir and different hero in that he wasn’t as overbearing and chauvinistic as the others, but the romance itself felt like the same thing we’ve read in all the other books.
Casee: I do agree with you about the love story being the same. How can she write different love stories when she’s written so many? While their romance didn’t fall flat, it was the same as the other Prakenskii romances.
Holly: It felt the same as all the other Prakenskii romances because it was the same. Almost exactly.
Casee: You’re right all the Prakenskii romances are all the same. Touch palms and you’re my mate, hear me roar. Have lots of sex, the heroine objects, then realizes she’s in love with him. Lissa accepted Casimir almost from the start. She didn’t fight it.
Holly: I really liked that Lissa accepted Casimir right away. Neither of them really fought it. The conflicts were mostly external.
Casee: The sex was the same as always, which I skipped through. I want the story, not the sex these days. Most of her books are over 10 pages per sex scene and there are always more than one.
Holly: I didn’t read the sex scenes beyond the first, either. I see other readers complaining about the lack of sex in books, but I feel just the opposite. I’m tired of pages and pages of sex scenes when, more often than not, the story suffers for them.
This book cleans up some story-arcs that started early in the series. It was nice to get some closure and see some things come to an end.
Casee: It’s been such a long time since the first book. What story-arcs did it clean up?
Holly: Lissa and Casimir going after the Russian’s who have been after the Prakenskii’s for so long. View Spoiler » Which makes sense since there’s only one book left in the series.
Casee: I didn’t even think about that arc being over. I’m really smart like that. View Spoiler »
I was very surprised by the oldest brother and how things played out there. I’m really looking forward to the last book, even though I will be the last. I will be sad to see it to, but I feel like begging her not to try to drag it on. It’s perfect the way it is. I’ll always re-read this series.
Holly: I’m curious about the oldest brother and how that will play out. Lissa chewing him out made me laugh. I guess we’ll see what happens when he meets Blythe again.
Casee: What I’m curious to know is if Blythe even knows she’s been “mated” to a Prakenskii.
Holly: I have a feeling she knows she mated, but I doubt she knows they’re married.
Heather on Goodreads said Feehan plans to continue the Sea Haven books (I haven’t bothered to look it up and confirm). I’ll be curious to see who and what that entails.
Casee: There are 29 Dark books. I read them diligently because Dark Prince was the first paranormal/vampire book I ever read. I don’t want the Sea Haven books to drag on like that.
Holly: I don’t want 27 books, but I’m not ready for the series to end.
Overall, I really liked Lissa and Casimir together, but it felt like a copy of all the other books. I’m not saying I didn’t like it, just that I felt like it was a story I’d already read.
Casee: I think it was a copy of all the other books too, with the exception on Ilya’s. Eventually you run out of material when you’re writing the same thing over and over.
Holly: I heart Ilya. He’s my favorite.
Casee: I do think this was my favorite of the series just because Lissa was so unique.
Holly: Water Bound is still my favorite of the series. Ricky is the best heroine Feehan has ever written, IMO. Lissa was unique and I liked her, but she doesn’t top Ricky.
I’m going to give this 3.75 out of 5.
Casee: I’m giving it a 3.5 our of 5.
Final Grades:
Holly: 3.75 out of 5
Casee: 3.5 out of 5
The Series
Spirit Bound
Air Bound
Earth Bound
Fire Bound
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