Rating: 5 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Thaddeus is a vampire, and Sarasija (Sara to everyone) is his personal assistant/lover. They’re still trying to adapt to each other’s lives. Sara tries to sleep with Thaddeus during the day, and Thaddeus is trying to be a little more affectionate, although according to Sara, Thaddeus still Skypes a confession session with a priest every time they have sex.
Since it’s Christmas, Sara decides to decorate the house, and while Thaddeus isn’t exactly a festive kind of guy, he’s encouraging Sara and is willing to go along with him. All is not well in the bayou, though. Reports of mysterious lights and confused residents are being made. Feu Follet is suspected. That is the name for those lights, and their purpose is to lead people away from something/someone that doesn’t want to be found.
Sara and Thaddeus want to find the origin of the lights, but when a little girl disappears, Thaddeus becomes more of a suspect than a hero.
I want to begin by saying I loved, loved, loved Vespers, the first book in this series. The characters are wonderful, and they’re beautifully written, and I kind of can’t resist demon fighting vampires. I was overjoyed to see a sequel, a holiday sequel at that. I was definitely not disappointed.
Thaddeus and Sara are back, and they’re as perfect as they were in book one. Here in Bonfire, they’re more charming, though. I loved reading about how their relationship has grown, albeit slowly. Fighting demons can really bring you close, but it’s the everyday issues that will either bring you closer or sour you. I considered it a positive to read how Sara is trying to sleep with Thaddeus during the day, and that Thaddeus actually spoons with him a bit. It’s sweet and tells you how committed each man is to making their relationship work.
I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, but I would like to say how interesting it was. I have actually heard of the Feu Follet, but I didn’t realize how it could be a spell cast to confuse people. The way it’s written in the story is great, and it shows that spell doesn’t really have to be malicious. Also, some mob mentality comes into play here, and that has always fascinated me. The authors present this in the perfect way. It felt like a real situation without being over the top.
I think what I loved best was the final few pages. The mystery is solved and the Christmas Eve celebrations begin. Sara wants to enjoy the festivities, and rather than tell him “Enjoy yourself. See you at home,” Thaddeus joins him. He’s taking a big step, and I was so touched by it.
Bonfire is a sweet, sexy, and exciting story. I’m not going to tell you that you must read Vespers first. There is a nice bit of exposition in the beginning, but I’m going to encourage you to read it because it was just so, so good. There is a reason I included it in my top books of 2016. I think you’ll enjoy Thaddeus and Sara, as well as the many background characters that make life on the bayou interesting.
