The Flame

Koranen of Nightfall is the seventh-born son and it is time for his involvement with the Curse of Eight prophecy. His older brothers have each found a woman and now, supposedly, it is his turn. More than over his ability to turn anything he touches into flames, Koranen also mourns the fact that he will more than likely never find a mate. Who wants a man whose touch burns and blisters? Not any of the women Koranen has previously come into contact with, that's for sure. His despondency comes to an end however when Aquamancers arrive at his home. Koranen's Destined Bride has got to be amongst the guests. He just has to find her - and he does in the womanly form of Danau, the highest ranked member of the Aquamancy Guild. Her magic? Water. Don't hold your breath - things are definitely about to get steamy! Following Ms. Johnson's Sons of Destiny series, I was overjoyed to read Koranen's book. I found myself upset at his curse, which is the flame, because I didn't think he would ever be able to find the one woman that could endure his fiery touch. But he did. Oh boy did he ever! Danau has been turned off of love ever since a failed relationship. Living only for her job and being made fun of because of it, I loved how Koranen turned her world upside down. More than once they made me laugh at the banter and quick wit each portrayed while talking to each other. The Flame was worth waiting for. I have to caution new readers - not a bad thing - but new readers will definitely have to read this enigmatic and addicting series in order. I found myself going back more than once to clarify details in previous books. Fiery passions ignite the pages of The Flame and I loved every single spark! Talia Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I've read each of these books and am about to eagerly snap up the last in the series, the Mage. The world is an imaginative blend of romance and fantasy fiction, something you don't get to see done well often. Each of the eight brothers has their own special quirks that make them easy to love. The story of the brother who could never touch anyone had great potential and Johnson didn't disappoint. If you're a lover of fantasy and romance, this is the series for you, just make sure you read them all in order.

I love the fact that each couple in Jean Johnson's delightful "Sons of Destiny" series has their own unique dynamic. This is hardly one of those series that exists solely so the reader can experience virtually the same romance over and over again with mildly different characters. Koranen is fully aware that one of these women is his destined bride and eager to seal the deal, but afraid of hurting another woman by making a mistake and picking the wrong one. Danau has resigned herself to a life alone and thrown herself into her work, closing herself off and leaving Koranen with the impression that she's hardly the one for him. Because it's immediately obvious to the reader that Danau is the right woman, the length of time it took for her and Koranen to figure things out seemed mildly overkill to me. Only mildly, however--by and large it was well-done. As always, I absolutely adore the world-building in Jean's novels. The fixing of the artifact was pretty interesting, although perhaps mildly less compelling at times than some of the other topics that have been broached in this series. This is the perfect series for the kind of person who reads a fantasy novel or watches a movie and finds themselves picking apart the bits that don't feel realistic, or for the reader who loves imagining what if. The family is trying to build a kingdom from the ground up. They have access to the ruins of a previous city, a lot of magic, a bunch of knowledge imported from our modern-day universe, and a limited set of physical resources. It's fantastic to see how they use these things to solve various physical, practical, and political problems. I know I mentioned a couple more complaints above than I did for the previous two books, but I want to stress how mild they are. If anything, they're ways in which the book mostly suffers in comparison to its own series' high standards, and they aren't a big deal.

While I have enjoyed all of the "Sons" books, I think "The Flame" may be my favorite, largely because of the development of the hero (Koranen) over the course of the previous 6 books, as well as the development of the heroine, Danau. While all of the love-interests are well-developed, some of them have been ones I almost had to make myself like/root for (Alys, Amara), and others were almost silly (Serina). However, each lady complemented her chosen mate well. And the guys - well - all of them are well-developed (pun intended). Even when it wasn't "their" book, each brother's own story moved along. The over-all arc has moved along much better than I thought it would. One enemy was dealt with, with another coming along. While I look forward w/ bated breath to "The Mage", I do so w/ sadness, that one of my favorite romance series (which also has a healthy dose of rather explicit sex - yum) is coming to its end.

The seventh brother Koranen is perhaps the loneliest of the siblings as his skill pyromancy means no passionate touching; he literally burns women. He knows what the prophecy says for him and bolstering his hopes that his bride is an aquamancer as predicted is the recent success of his six brothers in finding their mates. Kor believes she is finally coming to him when four aquamancers from the underwater city of Menomon come to Nightfall to examine the desalinator. Danau is Kor's polar opposite as her touch leads to frostbite. Although a pariah in terms of personal relationship, she is in charge of the Menomon delegation. Her icy persona hides her lonely heart, but also angers Kor who wants nothing to do with the frozen beauty. However, destiny could not care less what either thinks even as evil has creeped onto the island. Events are reaching a climax as Johnson delivers the penultimate chapter in her magical Sons of Destiny series. Watching these characters and this new monarchy develop has been pure fun, with practical kingdom-building considerations mixing cleverly with high-risk danger. Johnson's impressive talent is on full display. Though somewhat a set up for the grand finale tale in this terrific romantic fantasy saga, this seventh Sons of Destiny tale is kept fresh and exciting by the uniqueness of the lead couple as he is fire and she is ice. Separately they are loners as no one can touch them without being burned; together they make a perfect match. However, in spite of being destiny's darlings they must overcome their learned response that touching including passion literally burns. Jean Johnson provides a character driven enjoyable book seven. Harriet Klausner