A Hidden Fire (Elemental Mysteries, #1)
by Elizabeth Hunter
Is he a vampire or maybe not? Does he sparkle? Is he truly the nice guy he presents? An immortal softie on a mission?
I really liked the beginning of the book, the characters and the set-up. The backdrop story of Renaissance Florence offered great opportunities.
Sadly, the middle part was entirely bland and lacked any kind of suspense. The interesting beginning flattened out, the romance was lackluster, the mystery did not really evolve. Everything just trickled along at a snail‘s pace. By the time the bad guy finally showed up, I had almost given up hope.
The book mostly takes place in Houston, Texas. Another missed opportunity to create atmosphere, as this setting was not explored and could have been anywhere.
The relationship between Giovanni and Casper was also pretty superficial, considering their circumstances.
The last part of the book was more interesting again, but did not rock my boat. Not sure why this is tagged as romance and PNR. It reminded me a little of Anne Rice, strangely enough.
Bottomline, not much of a romance, not much of an entertaining UF romp. It was ok, the vampires were a little different to the usual fare. I doubt I will continue with the series.
Playlist:
– Johann Sebastian Bach, Preludes and Fugues
– Eric Satie, Gymnopédie No. 1
Alternative reading list:
– Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet
– Tom Wolfe, Bonfire of the Vanities
– Dante Alighieri, Divine Comedy
– https://www.graywolfpress.org
Art to appreciate:
– Mark Rothko‘s black canvases, http://www.rothkochapel.org
– Fernand Léger‘s paintings
– https://www.widewalls.ch/surrealist-p…
– https://www.menil.org/collection
Cathy's Reading Bonanza 