Review: Trial by Fire by Ariana Nash

Posted October 27, 2022 by Lola in Fantasy, Review, Romance / 3 Comments

Review graphic

Trial by FireTrial by Fire (Shadows of London #3)
by Ariana Nash

My Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: MM

Blurb:
It’s not just Alexander Kempthorne’s secrets bubbling to the surface of London’s streets…

Time is running out for John “Dom” Domenici.

Outmanoeuvred at every turn by the figure known as “M”, only Kempthorne can free Dom, but juggling the horrors of his own past, containing a rising preternatural threat and the twisted machinations of “M” might just be too much, even for Kempthorne. Can Kage Mitchell be trusted to help?

Alexander Kempthorne lost an agent before. He’ll not lose another. He’ll do anything to save Dom, and if that means revealing who and what he truly is, then his time has come.

***

Trial by Fire is the mid-series finale, in this action-packed all-new Shadows of London urban fantasy series. Action, mystery, and gay romance combine in this fast-paced adventure from the author who brought you the award-winning Prince’s Assassin series.

Content warning: mention of past mental and physical abuse.

Please note the Shadows of London series is set in London and the characters are all British (so is the author). Although the series has been edited in US English for the US market, to include US spelling and grammar, many English slang words and spelling remain as part of the character of the work.

My Review

I received a free copy from Tantor Audio and voluntarily reviewed it.

Trial by Fire is the third book in the Shadows of London series and after the cliffhanger ending of book 2 I was eager to dive into this one. Trial by Fire is told from dual points of views unlike the previous two books. This book wraps up the main plot line surrounding M. It was an action packed read with plenty of twists and turns, but also plenty of slower and more emotional moments.

Trial by Fire starts off with giving us Kempthorne’s point of view in addition to Dom’s point of view. I thought that worked really well here. Due to the situation they are separated and having both point of views was handy and it also really helped to get a better insight into Kempthorne, who he is and how he thinks. Throughout the book the points of view keep switching even when they meet up again. I was happy to get both their point of views and understand both characters better and see their thoughts on the situation.

The plot of this one was fast paced and filled with exciting parts. There were twists and turns and some great reveals. I liked seeing everything play out and how the storyline about M got wrapped up. Then this book also has some slower more emotional and character driven parts that were very well written. This one kept my attention from start to finish and I am looking forward to the next books!

The romance really heated up here as well. As Dom gets closer to Kempthorne and even then it’s still a bit of a slow burn before it heats up later in the book. I really enjoyed seeing them together and thought they made for a great couple. There are plenty of emotional and bonding scenes as well as a few steamy ones.

The narrator for this series is awesome and fits the series so well. I like all the different voices he does for the characters. I was especially impressed with how while in Kempthorne’s point of view all the inner thoughts were narrated in his voice as well.

To summarize: This was a great installment in this series. The pace was well with plenty of twists and turns and reveals. There are some well written emotional scenes and scenes that deepen my understanding of the characters. I liked having Kempthorne’s point of view in additional to Dom’s in this book. It deepened my understanding of Kempthorne and seeing their romance deepen from both point of views was awesome. I really liked the romance with the sweeter moments and also the few steamy parts. The narrator for this series is really good and fit the series well.

4 Stars

Links:
Goodreads
Bookbub
Amazon
Audible

You can also read my review on Goodreads and Bookbub.

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3 responses to “Review: Trial by Fire by Ariana Nash

    • This series really strikes a great balance between all elements with the plot, characters and romance all being great. I have the next book already and plan to start it after I finish my current audio.

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