Review: Born of Fire

Life has kicked Syn in the teeth from the day he was born. His father was brutal killer. His mother abandoned him and his sister, Talia. They were horribly abused. Talia escaped by suicide. Syn thought he could escape by turning in his father to police. But the system betrayed him, throwing him into prison at just 10 years old.  He escaped, living on nothing but his wits and slowly built a life for himself. But he can't outrun his past. And he is constantly kicked down by the people he chooses to trust.

Shahara is a bounty hunter, who believes in law and order. And when she reads Syn's profile, she believes all of the horrible things he is accused of.  The huge bounty on his head will pay her sister's medical bills, and at the same time, she'll get a monster off the street. She figures it's win-win.  But of course, when Syn enters her life, she begins to learn just how naive she has been.

There are a lot of twists and turns in the book as Shahara ends up joining forces with Syn and going on the run.  She begins to fall in love with him, all the while knowing she may have to betray him to save her sister in the end.  It's heartbreaking to watch Syn slowly opening his heart, with the knowledge that Shahara will likely it break it to smithereens.  He has been through so much, and he deserves the love he so desperately craves. At the same time, it's hard to see Shahara as much of a villain. Her intentions are good and her feelings are genuine. It's all just a big fat mess.  Fortunately, in the midst of that mess, there is a great dynamic between Syn and Shahara. And when they finally let themselves connect to each other, it is very satisfying. I love Sherrilyn Kenyon love scenes.

This is almost as good as Born of Night. It's a solid sequel to Nykyrian's book, but it also works as a stand-alone.  I would definitely recommend this series.  4 1/2 stars.