Liquid Silver Books, $4.50, ISBN 978-1-59578-516-9
Fantasy Erotica, 2009

To give Hailey Edwards some credit, Born of Fire is different from many other paranormal romances out there because our heroine Cilia Andrews is a Phoenix. The capital P is the author’s idea, so don’t look at me like that, people. This means Cilia not only can create fire with her hands and manipulate that element, she will also burst into flames and be reborn every 500 years. The bursting into flames part isn’t bad – it’s the loneliness that is the hardest part of being a Phoenix if you ask Cilia. Her kind siphon heat from creatures not of their kind, so any prolonged physical contact can be fatal on the other person. I can only go, “Awww, poor thing!”

And then the hero shows up and the whole story becomes… well, Fiach is a fae whose function in this story is to throw his sexual excesses at my face. Cilia and Fiach are soon enough having a sexual affair, and before I can blink, they are supposed to be in love. Where’s the plot? Buried under the sexy stuff, of course, and as a result isn’t particularly important when compared to the sex scenes. Why is Cilia in love with Fiach? I have no idea. That fellow has no personality – he’s just a walking pee-pee always ready to service all comers (women only, please).

Add in the use of words like “pussy” in a manner that is more juvenile than sexy and I have an erotic romance that really does not work for me.