Review and Giveaway: Drowning in Fire

Drowning in Fire (The Elementals - Book 3) by Hanna Martine

Publication Date: 04/01/2014
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Sensation
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 352
ISBN-10: 0425267539
ISBN-13: 978-0425267530

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Sensation)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Indiebound

Hanna Martine on the WEB: website, twitter, facebook, goodreads

Books in the series: 

The Elementals

1. Liquid Lies
2. A Taste of Ice
3. Drowning in Fire

Coverart: Click the Image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from, Drowning in Fire, courtesy of the author's website.

Synopsis:

Hidden in the Hawaiian islands, there is magic pure enough to heal a broken heart…
 
In his last audience with the Senatus, Griffin hoped to establish a connection between his water-wielding race and the other elementals. Instead, he found himself drawn into a forbidden affair with the Chimeran general Keko. When it ended in a storm of fire and ice, Griffin was banned from the Senatus and Keko was stripped of her status.
 
Just as Griffin is given a second chance to prove himself worthy of a Senatus seat, he gets a call from Keko. Despite how it ended between them, she wants to hear his voice one last time before embarking on a suicide mission to save her people and redeem her name.
 
Despite her good intentions, members of the Senatus want her stopped—and Griffin volunteers to go after her. As he tracks his former lover through the untamed Hawaiian wilderness, she leads him straight to the source of all fire magic. But will the intense power they discover draw them back together or destroy them both?

Thoughts:

Hanna Martine's Elementals series is what I would call a cross between paranormal romance and sci-fi romance. Her latest book in the series, Drowning in Fire is set in Hawaii and is very descriptive. Martine is skilled at writing dialogue and her characters are well developed and complex. Readers who are looking for a paranormal series that features more than the average vampire or werewolf titles will find this series right up their ally. Keko a fire elemental and Griffin a water elemental have a combustible chemistry and a hard road to their happy ever after, but once readers dive into this fascinating world, they won't come up for air until they've turned the last page. 

What I liked:

Having not previously read the prior books in the series, I was a little skeptical about coming in at book three. This series is so unlike most paranormal romances that I was afraid I would have missed too much. Happily, that was not the case, though I do think reading the entire series in order would bring the reader a greater understanding of the Elemental world and Martine's concepts behind how the Senatus and the different species interact and relate. There is a lot going on here that bears looking into.

Drowning in Fire is the third novel in the series and tells the story of a man on a mission. Griffin is determined to make the lives of his people better. By earning a seat on the Senatus, the Elemental council he will be able to give his people more opportunities an choices than ever before. However, he makes a fatal mistake by having an affair with Keko, a woman who is teaching him about the Senatus and how it works. 

Griffin in an honorable character who gives more of himself than he receives. He is sacrificial of nature and this affair was totally out of character for him. I thought Martine gave readers a character in Griffin that they could root for, to find happiness. He was also the total opposite to Keko's bristly personality. I liked the fact that he is finally doing something for himself here. When it becomes a choice between stopping Keko's attempt at redemption and taking the seat on the Senatus that his people so dearly needs, Griffin is forced to decide what is most important to him. It was a great struggle that I think readers will feel to their core. Martine is able to get that feeling of urgency across to her readers without seeming to overwhelm.

Keko was a bit harder to love than Griffin. Her motives were different. She had a tough exterior having been trained as a warrior. She may know defensive techniques and how to kill with ease, but simple conversations and social skills are far beyond her. She comes across as fierce and determined and redeeming herself after her affair with Griffin is most important to her. I think it was a real blow to her ego and her self confidence that she was punished and lost face. Definitely a character with a chip on her shoulder, but it really worked with the whole dynamic of the fire elemental and what she stood for.

Martine gives readers two strong lead characters here who beyond their passionate physical response to each other have very little in common. I had a bit of hard time trying to figure out how Martine would make this relationship work out in the end. But she comes up with a satisfying way for the story to play out. I think that this HEA was one of the most hard fought I have read about in a long time. Their priorities seemed so different from each other, but when it call comes together it's magical.

What I didn't like:

I had a few issues with the pacing. The middle lagged a little bit. In the beginning I was all about learning how the world worked and how the elementals interacted, and the end was exciting because it was so unclear how they would end up together. The middle was just a little slow and seemed to simmer a bit, rather than boil. The dialogue and banter between Keko and Griffin was probably the best part of the middle section of the book.

Bottom Line:

I was happy with this book, because it was so different than your average PNR. I liked the sci-fi elements and the elementals themselves were fascinating. I wish the middle of the book had, had a bit more bite and edge, but altogether it was an enjoyable read.

Drowning in Fire is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

Hanna Martine has loved stories—particularly the romantic kind—since she was very young. She spent a decade working in an office but has since dedicated herself to writing. She’s traveled to many wonderful places around the world, including the haunted Scottish castle in which she got married. Though she lives outside of Chicago with her family, her heart will always belong to Australia. She is the author of The Elementals series (Liquid Lies, A Taste of Ice).

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Drowning in Fire by Hanna Martine.

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~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, May 12th.

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