Heart of Fire by Kristen Painter(Book Club 26) may include spoilers...

"Don't judge him by your past. That belongs to you not him." An excellent quote and all too true.

Lady Jessalyne is an exceptional character, she grew up in a sheltered area as a healer for the Cervidae(deer shifters). When Ertemis, a dark elf, shows up in Farleigh Grove with her father's donkey and a fever she tends him and finds that her father died on his way to her but left Ertemis with a key and a message. The box contains a secret, Jessalyne was promised a position as the apprentice to a Mage in Shaldar City. Jessalyne contracts Ertemis to accompany her to Shaldar city as they travel they find themselves wanting one another but Jessalyne is told to remain chaste or lose her powers. Neither can deny the attraction but Ertemis feels that he's not good enough for Jessalyne so when they arrive at Shaldar they say goodbye.

I kept wondering if their paths would cross again and couldn't stop reading to find out if they would. A lot happens during their journey to Shaldar but that's only the beginning. When Jessalyne reaches the castle she finds it's not exactly what she thought it would be and she misses Ertemis more than she cares to admit. The King's magewoman has other plans for Jessalyne and she soon finds that outside of Farleigh Grove things are much different. This story is full of action, deceit, adventure and unconditional love. I really enjoyed the plot twists and characters!

I found very early on that I had picked out where this book was going, and that was my only disappointment. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride though.

I loved Fynna's spunk. And I kept thinking at one point "when is Ertemis going to come back?" I'm glad he was able to resolve the issues of his parentage in the end.

I wouldn't mind seeing more of these characters and this world. It opened so many possibilities. Who is the Legion and what is their main purpose in this world? What about
Valduuk? Sounds like there were some adventures between him and Ertemis that might make a good back story or prologue to another book.

I agree, it was a great adventure and definitely left you wanting more from the characters. I also thought at the beginning that there had to be a reason they ended up together on the journey and kept hoping he'd come back but they really kept us waiting for that one. He definitely pushed the time limit and I love that she slapped him! Keep me waiting for a month without a word and come back smelling like another woman and I'd slap him too! I might feel a little bad after he explained but I still think he deserved it.

Fynna was a great character, I was glad that she finally found a friend in the castle and I hated that she was treated so horribly.

I loved the scene where she slapped him. I don't care if he did explain it or not, that slap could have been for a number of other reasons too. Like walking away in the first place.

Overall all this was my first book by Kristen Painter. I enjoyed the writing style and it definitely added her to my watch list.