All Fired Up

This spin-off from Burke's [b:Not Dead Yet|41435160|Not Dead Yet (Not Dead Yet #1)|Jenn Burke|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1541418561l/41435160._SY75_.jpg|64662177] series features young vampire and fan favorite Evan Fournier. Set 5 years after the end of the series, Evan is working with Wes and Hudson in their detective agency and still dealing with the death of the man he was just starting to love. When Wes and Hudson go abroad to care for Hudson's ailing brother, Evan promises to stick to non-paranormal PI cases only. But of course something comes up that he can't ignore, and he soon finds himself in life-threatening danger while trying to figure out what or who is stripping the magic from show more paranormals. Even more disturbing is the fact that he is stuck in a strange bond with a very confused (but hot) guy named Colin, who may or may not be human.

Burke is smart to get Wes and Hudson out of the picture for most of the book, so that Evan has room to grow and shine on his own without being overshadowed by their powers and personalities. His wry, honest first person narration makes him an easy character to love (for those who hadn't already grown fond of him). I also liked the way Evan is very upfront about his mental health issues; he is being treated for depression and is pretty stable now, but it doesn't stop him from living his life and having some awesome vampire superpowers. There is a bit of TSTL (too stupid to live) behavior as the case reaches its climax and the plot inspires a few more eyerolls than I had hoped, but the interesting characters and snappy dialogue help to cover up any plot weaknesses.

Colin remains a bit of a cipher, and Burke wisely doesn't force a HEA on him and Evan, choosing instead a sweet HFN with promises of more good stuff to come. There is a lot left unresolved at the end of the book; a bad guy is taken down, but the Big Bad is still out there. Colin has a lot of baggage from his past that will likely come back to (literally) haunt him, and Evan is still finding his place in the world. I'm looking forward to spending more time with both MCs and the rest of the "family" as more mysteries are solved, issues are addressed and hopefully bonds are strengthened.

N.B. This book could be considered a standalone, but it will be much more enjoyable for those who have read the Not Dead Yet series, which introduces Evan and takes him through his vampire initiation, first love and loss.

ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for honest review. show less

While this story took a bit longer for the set up than I liked, I did enjoy seeing things from Evan's POV. He's not as good at capturing people's personalities as Wes is, but he's got his own skills worth exploring. His observations about Wes and his chaotic style is spot on, for instance.

I do wish Ms. Burke had spent a bit more time on explaining about what Phoenixes are in the context of her universe and just what they are. By the same token, I would have liked more character development for Colin, the Phoenix in question, but there are two more books in the series, so I can wait. This is a guy who's been yanked out of his own time and place through no agency of his own, so he's got some catching up to do. The last time he was aware show more of the world was in 1990 when he's basically kidnapped out of his life and turned into a magical siphon for an evil witch and his boss.

Looking forward to the next story featuring this pairing! show less

This is a spin-off series based on the Not Dead Yet series. I would suggest you read these first as the characters definitely overlap and you might be left scratching your head wondering what they are talking about and what's going on. I had been over 12 months since I read the last book of that series and even I had a moment or two where I needed to sit back and think about the other books before I was able to completely catch up with what was happening.

However, trust me, it's no hardship to read these books. I really enjoyed the first series and this was no different. The author creates an interesting urban fantasy setting with characters that you can sink your teeth into (and in Evan's case he does *grin*) and a story line that keeps show more you wanting more.

This series seems to follow the Not Dead Yet format, as in there is a beginning, middle and end, but there is an ongoing and overall story line that continues from book to book (and hopefully, like in the first series concludes in the last book). So not a cliffhanger, but the story definitely isn't finished.

So, if you are a lover of Urban Fantasy, love a good story line and characters that stay with you, this is definitely one for you! show less

It took me a long time to read this only because I was reading it in the middle of a long-ass book slump. I already love the characters and the setting from the Not Dead Yet series, and the mystery was interesting, but I was so very not in the mood for reading so my enjoyment was half of what it should have been. Rating it 4 stars because it's not the book's fault I'm in a slump and I'm pretty sure it would have been a 4 stars read out of slump.