Review ~ Rising Fire by Terri Brisbin

Rising Fire by Terri Brisbin
Series: Stone Circles #1
Published by Signet on March 3, 2015
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 352

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I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

What if the standing stones and stone circles across the old Celtic world had a secret origin and use? What if some opened into another world? What if the goddess of fire was trapped beneath one?

Lovely and innocent, Brienne of Yester has always been able to manipulate fire, but when her powers suddenly surge, the simple life she once knew explodes.

Handsome, fearless, and commanding, William de Brus has been summoned by the king to investigate a nobleman rumored to have powers linked to the fabled fire goddess. When he chances upon Brienne, his desire for her is immediate. But as his mystical quest unfolds, William realizes that she is at the center of it — for Brienne possesses the very power he has been sent to vanquish....

As their attraction deepens, William attempts to free Brienne from the dark force beginning to control her — even when his duty demands that he treat her as an enemy. With emotions flaring, fire rising, and evil threatening at every turn, can the two lovers survive the coming battle and save all of humanity?

The setting for Rising Fire is in a historical world where the magic is not really a known possibility by most people. The story kicks off with a trigger to an event not a lot of people are aware of. The synopsis confused me because I didn’t see the situation between William and Brienne as it was described. It made me think that characters were aware of the actual events, but when I read the story, it was like it was a basic treason investigation. William and his crew discovering the whole story and the magic as the story went along. I just found it misleading.

There was a bit of romance between Brienne and William. It was not a hot relationship, but I don’t think it was meant to be. Despite what I felt was a weak relationship connection, it comes to be an important part of the story. After the climax, their HEA felt a bit like it was jumped to.

I found Rising Fire very difficult to get into and took a while for me to become interested in the storyline at all. The story was slow building for me and did not keep my attention. When it becomes clear what the crew must do to save the world, and the race starts, my interest picked up. There was more action and that always attracts me. The final battle to save the world from the evil being released was much faster paced. It also left a bit of an opening to continue the series.

The setting itself kind of caused problems for me. I think that my interest lays more in urban fantasy than straight fantasy. Those that read more basic fantasy would probably be attracted more to this story than me.

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