Into the Flame (Darkness Chosen Series #4)

Terrific ending to a terrific series.

I can say I really enjoyed this book. Despite the fact that Doug and Firebird's relationship is not the focus of this book as much as the larger war against the Varinskis and the conclusion of the prophecy, I thought the action was paced to move quickly, and I ended up devouring this book. I thought Doug was a unique, interesting character (I'm pretty sure I've never seen a campus cop in romance before) and his motivations were sound. This book was different because we meet Doug after he and Firebird have been an item and broken up and their struggle is an issue of trust in that aftermath, and that is, again, a subplot. Dodd, however, gives us enough glimpses of their time together that their feelings and internal conflict are believable. I particularly liked Doug's stalking scenes (eerie), and seeing the prophecy played out. My only qualm was probably that I would have liked to see Doug apologize clearly for his dastardliness but I guess they were preoccupied with the life and death issues, lol. And after all, he did redeem himself by the end. All in all, it was a satisfying end to the story (that's what it was, more than a romance) and tied up all loose ends. Dodd did have more snappy, back and forth banter in this one, often with the women complaining of the men and vice versa, but I thought it was well done, clever and amusing, and it fit in well with the close-knit Wilder family we've come to know. A keeper on my fave shelf.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Kudos to Ms. Dodd for crafting an excellent paranormal read!

With INTO THE FLAME, Christina Dodd gives her readers an immensely exciting and romantic paranormal tale, and a fantastic¿incredibly dramatic and impressively climactic¿conclusion to the ¿The Darkness Chosen¿ series¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿.. Twenty year old Firebird Wilder is smart, friendly, cheerful and warmhearted. As the much beloved daughter of doting parents Konstantine and Zorana, and the cherished sister of three very powerful and imposing brothers, she has always felt loved, safe and protected------But she has no idea that her cozy sheltered world is just an illusion that¿s about to come crashing down!...................................................... After celebrating the night at an ¿End of finals¿ party and a visit with some girlfriends on campus, Firebird Wilder is walking along a path on her way back to her dorm room. The evening hadn¿t gone exactly as she¿d planned and Firebird now had a lot on her mind. Tonight her boyfriend (one of the university¿s campus cops) Doug Black¿who rarely talked about his family or his past¿had finally started to open up and give her a glimpse into his background, but they¿d been interrupted. So Doug promised he¿d tell her everything about himself tomorrow, though she could tell he didn¿t really want to. But Firebird wanted to talk more because she too had something very important to tell him¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿.. Suddenly, she hears a strange rustling of leaves and her instincts tell her she¿s being followed. She feels it¿s some kind of animal stalking her¿she can sense it¿and she knows it¿s not on foot. Whatever is tracking her is doing it from above and moving through the massive trees that line the walk. Firebird tries not to panic, and especially not to give in to the impulse to run¿her father had taught her that only brings out a predatory hunter¿s desire for the chase. He had always told her she must remain calm and try to outsmart an assailant¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ As she mentally debated what she should do, a group of noisy students abruptly comes out of the dormitory providing just the distraction she needs to quickly get inside and rush to the relative safety of her room. Leaving the lights off she stealthily makes her way to the window and cautiously peers out immediately spotting her stalker, and would be attacker¿a sleek golden cougar¿sprawled upon a nearby tree branch. Then as she intently watches, the great cat jumps to the ground and rapidly begins to change¿ into a man! Yes, all of her worst fears and suspicions are confirmed a dreaded Varinski has found her!...................................................... But not just any Varinski this one has a devastatingly familiar face, one she instantly recognizes as belonging to the man she loves¿ Douglas Black is the Varinski!.......................................................... ******* I loved this book the story had so much going on ¿ there¿s ¿Evil¿ forces at work, mysterious prophesies, dark secrets, devious deceptions and heartrending betrayals ¿ a multitude of events fraught with conflict that threatens Douglas¿s and Firebird¿s ability to trust each other¿their love¿and ultimately, the lives of their entire family!......................................................... It¿s really hard to talk about the story and not give away some spoilers, even though I¿m trying not to. I will tell you this book grabbed my attention from the outset and just absorbed me I was captivated by the romantic elements, and all the exciting and surprising plot twists and turns. Whether of a supernatural quality or a poignant emotional nature, they drew me along to the¿much anticipated and tension filled climax that entailed a daring, fierce and pivotal battle between Good and Evil¿ and you¿d better believe the Devil was one crafty and manipulative villain!......................................................... I also want to mention that I loved the strong¿f

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Satisfying finish

Over all a satisfying finish to the series, much less squeemish factor for me compared to the third book. However, one major complaint, our heroine doesn't seem to learn from her mistakes. She keeps making the same one in her relationships. Without a huge spoiler, she jumps to conclusions about other peoples' motivation. Her significant other, as well as her parents. It is disappointing, since from the conclusions drawn about Doug Blacks motives and their inaccuracy, and the real circumstances surrounding his birth and abandonment, and considering the fact that the only person's word we have to go on is a baddie, I thought Firebird should learn to get her facts straight, preferably from the source. Sorry if that's confusing, but I don't want to be a spoiler. Other than that little bit of character development that seemed off, the book was good, and a quick read.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Loved Them!

I don't usually read paranormals, in fact this was my first time but I fell in love from the start. I love Dodd's writing! I could not put any of these books down. I read them one right after another and was so sad when it was over. Loved them!!!!

great series

Christina is one of my favorite writers and would suggest you get your copy.

FANTASTIC PARANORMAL READ!!!

Into the flame is fantastic, befitting of Christina Todd with this climactic resolve to a wonderful series of romance, action, adventure, and intrigue. I found myself immersed in, yet, another staple to the series. I could not put this one down. As a paranormal romance fanatic I can clearly say you will not be disappointed with this one. I highly recommend Into The Flame.

COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN

I am a huge fan of not only Christina Dodd, but Paranormal Romance. I admit being a little skeptical when it came to reading the Darkness Chosen series, because I believe that Christina does historical romance SO well, but from the first book to the last, you find yourself addicted and wanting to read on and on until it's over. Unlike other series writers, Dodd didn't push the Wylder family on us for 15 books 'although I admit I would have read them all'. Into the Flame is the perfect conclusion to the Darkness Chosen series, there's just the right amount of romance, suspense, danger, action and humor to make everyone happy. You will fall in love with every brother from Jasha to Doug, even though they have their faults and you will cheer on all the 'Wilder women' I really suggest reading the entire series it's amazing!

That was totally WICKED!

I had the honor to be able to read Into The Flame early. I read it back to back with Into The Shadow - which is the only way to read the two, since Flame picks up right after Shadow ends. ------ ------ Into The Flame is the much anticipated story of the Wilder's daughter and single mother Firebird. I rarely read book excerpts posted on websites - but I HAD to read the one on author's site for this book. Firebird so intrigued me in the first two books, I had to know more about her. The excerpt on Dodd¿s site only left me wanting more. ------ ------ I fear that reviews for this book might give too much away. Secrets and truths will be revealed, but I dare not ruin them for the reader. ------ ------ Into the Flame is a fantastic end to Darkness Chosen series! As sad as I am about seeing the great series come to a close, it was perfect end to a great series. I am a big fan of Dodd, and she has not disappointed me at all with this series and its final chapter.

superb paranormal romantic suspense thriller

At Seattle¿s Swedish Hospital, genetic disease expert Dr. Mitchell informed her patient Firebird Wilder that there is no way she is biologically linked to her parents or her three brothers Jasha, Rurik, and Adrik. The blood types are irrefutable proof regardless of what everyone insists. Twenty-three years ago, apparently two babies were born one a boy and the other Firebird who thought she had given birth to a son, but accepted her husband¿s explanation of drug induced confusion. Now they realize a switch occurred, but everyone loves Firebird and she knows they do.---------------- A single mom Firebird concludes that her own son¿s questions about his dad means she should find her college lover Doug Black, who sacred her when she saw him shapeshift into a cougar. She fled assuming he was a Varinski like she. Doug also seeks his beloved Firebird, who left him abruptly thee years ago when they attended Brown. When these two soulmates reunite, the millennium war with the devil over who owns the Wilders nee Varinski souls ignites too.---------------- The final exhilarating Darkness Chosen tale (see INTO THE SHADOW, A TOUCH OF DARKNESS and SCENT OF DARKNESS) is a superb paranormal romantic suspense thriller that grips the audience throughout starting with the shocking opening sequence. The cast is strong especially the lead couple and though one twist can be seen early on (purposely by Ms. Dodd) fans will fully relish this terrific conclusion to an overall enjoyable urban romantic fantasy.--------------- Harriet Klausner

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