Title: Knight of Flames
Series: Inheritance #2
Author: Amelia Faulkner
Genre: MM Paranormal
Publisher: LoveLight Press
Pages: 460
Blurb
Headstrong. Telekinetic. Pariah.
On the run from his family, Quentin d’Arcy has settled in San Diego with dwindling funds and the growing suspicion that his gifts might not be limited to telekinesis. When he meets a psychic who can control people’s actions with a few words, his comfortable life starts to unravel.
Demigod. Oracle. Hunter.
Laurence Riley almost died killing one god only to discover that he’s descended from another. Before he can come to terms with that revelation, Quentin’s twin brother walks into his life, and there’s no way to know what his motives may be.
With great power comes great danger.
Kane Wilson wants to make a better world: a world in which psychics are open about who and what they are without fear of reprisal or hatred. With the power to control others he might be able to pull it off, but there’s going to be collateral damage.
If Quentin and Laurence can’t get to the bottom of Wilson’s plan, Kane will out the existence of psychics not only to San Diego but to the world, and all hell will break loose.
Knight of Flames is the second book in the Rainbow Award winning Inheritance series and contains mature themes and events which may be distressing to some readers. It has a mild heat rating and an HFN ending.
Review
If you haven’t read the first book in the Inheritance series, Jack of Thorns, I suggest you read that before you read this book. If you have read Jack of Thorns and are wondering if you should continue the series, you should.
The second book in the series gives you more of what you’ve grown to love, Laurence and Quentin and their hilarious and adorable personalities. Though we don’t find out much more about what Quentin is, we do come to understand that both boys are extremely unique and special–in a class all to their own, if you will.
Being able to watch those two interact again was the big win for me. On the downside, there were a lot of red flags about their relationship, which put a rather bitter taste in my mouth by the end of it. Starting with Laurence, we know he’s a drug addict and needs to stay sober because being drunk causes him to lose control of his addiction, and while Quentin is supportive–in that he doesn’t drink anymore either–their relationship has Laurence teetering on the edge of sobriety time and time again. At one point he flat out tells Quentin that he needs him to stay sober. That’s… really not good. In fact, that was so alarming I stopped seeing them as a cute couple and was immediately and severely concerned for the rest of the story. I no longer think they are suited for each other, and since there’s a third book on its way, I hope it addresses this issue or I may have to bail on the series. That’s how strongly I felt about it.
And Laurence isn’t the only one who’s a hot mess. Quentin is living outside his means, but seems incapable of making a decision–any decision–to gain control over his finances. He has powers he’s too afraid to use (most of the time), and he had intense anger/fear/denial issues. Not only that, but Laurence is a self professed slut and Quentin is… he doesn’t know what, but he’s certainly not interested in a sexual relationship with Laurence. He’s terrified of the idea of that, or of even letting Laurence see him naked.
Those are some pretty big obstacles to overcome, and to be fair, they are working on it, but meanwhile we have Laurence slowly losing his shit and Quentin slowly headed for the poor house. I’m not saying they aren’t made for each other just because Quentin may be asexual–far from it–but if they had asked my advice, I would have told them to both take a break from each other and work on themselves. Neither is fit for a relationship, especially not with each other.
The plot and the antagonist weren’t as great as I felt they could have been, but the pacing was good. I tore through this book rather quickly for the length, I must say. At the end of the novel I felt as if both characters had a larger purpose, but I still wonder if perhaps they could become more friends than boyfriends. It may help them focus.
All in all, a good read.
Ben Brock is a reviewer for The Novel Approach and Queer Sci Fi. He enjoys running, whisk(e)y, the mythical gluten-free doughnut, and fills his life with bent bunk. He especially loves to discuss LGBTQ+ literature. His website is http://www.babrockbooks.com. You can find him on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/BABrockBooks.