“She who wields the mark is the barrier between man and monster. She is the daughter of gods, the mother of man, protector of all. Vigilati Usque Ad Mortem”
All Isla Macallen wanted was a simple existence on her little Scottish island, free from her mother’s insanity and the prying eyes of neighbors. What she got was embroiled in a war for the souls of mankind. A war of good versus evil, of witches versus demons, and Isla learns that she alone can end it.
Dr. Jeremiah Rousseau was a self-proclaimed nomad, traveling the world researching paranormal phenomena. He doesn’t expect his research to lead him to Scotland, and to the woman who will turn his world upside down.
Together with a facetious shapeshifting animal spirit guide, Jeremiah and Isla discover that she is part of an ancient bloodline bred to protect the gateways between the human world and the spirit world, to keep evil demons from destroying them. They must find the key to defeating Alastore, the demon king, and closing the gate before Samhain, when the veil between the worlds is lifted. As the war for their souls wages around them, Isla and Jeremiah will risk it all for love—a love neither had ever thought possible.
I always love a good witch story and of course this book definitely had me intrigued when it was set in Scotland. I absolutely adore Scotland! Cannot wait to make a trip out there myself. =) Isla Macallen has come to the little Scottish island to get away from what happened to her when she was 8 years old. The people on the little island are not so intrigued by her. They actually fear her because they’re not sure about her. Something is different about her and they are not sure what it is. Isla is trying to keep a low profile and she is working as a tour/hiking guide on the island….but when people in her tour come up missing, she is the prime suspect. Dr. Jeremiah Rousseau studies the paranormal and he knows there is something about witches that he has been fascinated with for awhile. He goes to Scotland to find the witch that he has heard stories about. In the mean time, he comes across Isla and falls for her the minute he sees her. What he does not realize, is that the witch he wants to find, he actually is looking at. Isla is attracted to the doctor as well, but she’s not too sure at first about him. It is up to the doctor to tell Isla what and who she is…but can Isla really believe it. Fire on the Island brings you the paranormal…which includes witches, shape shifters, and demons. My thoughts on the Fire on the Island is that it definitely is a great starter to a series. J.K. Hogan definitely builds up the story very well. She even leaves you hanging on what may be the next adventure for the characters. The ending with the bad guy though, happened to quickly though in my opinion. Maybe because the bad guy annoyed me and wanted more to happen to him. He was nothing, but a pain in the booty. Other than that, I really enjoyed reading about the witches and how everything came together. The love between Jeremiah and Isla is a love that is instantaneous, and J.K. Hogan explains why that it is in the book. =) I loved the shape shifter in the book (won’t go into details about him…because I don’t want to give away what role he plays). I recommend this book to paranormal romance readers out there who enjoy reading about witches and other paranormal creatures. =) Looking forward to seeing what J.K. Hogan does in Book #2. =)
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About J.K. Hogan
J.K. Hogan has been telling stories for as long as she can remember, beginning with writing cast lists and storylines for her toys growing up. When she finally decided to put pen to paper, magic happened. She is greatly inspired by all kinds of music and often creates a “soundtrack” for her stories as she writes them. J.K. is hoping to one day have a little something for everyone, so she’s branched out from m/f paranormal romance and added m/m contemporary romance. Who knows what’s next?
J.K. resides in North Carolina, where she was born and raised. A true southern girl at heart, she lives in the country with her husband and two sons, a cat, and two champion agility dogs. If she isn’t on the agility field, J.K. can often be found chasing waterfalls in the mountains with her husband, or down in front at a blues concert. In addition to writing, she enjoys training and competing in dog sports, spending time with her large southern family, camping, boating and, of course, reading! For more information, please visit www.jkhogan.com.
I guess I should type a bio here. I'm FranJessca, or Fran for short. I'm the owner/reviewer behind A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog. I've been reading and reviewing books on my blog since leaving the Navy in 2011, and I will keep doing it as long as possible. My favorite genres will always be Romance & Fantasy, and I read every subgenre underneath those two genres. (Sorry, not a fan of nonfiction, so don't try to convince me to read it.) My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)