In this third book of Faith Hunter’s Soulwood series, Probie Special Agent Nell Ingram is starting to find her footing in her PsyLED unit which handles paranormal cases. They are called out to a situation after a senator is attacked by a sniper during a party and then, suspiciously, the home burns down. Nell’s special talents in communing with the land and animals is essential in figuring out what kind of paranormal her team is dealing with and why the senator and his family are targets. Several strange clues do not make sense to Nell and her team including her bosses, Soul, and Rick LaFleur who keep sending her out to read the land. They assist the local and federal law enforcement agents in an effort track the shooter and protect the senator’s family.

While trying to handle her demanding workload, Nell also has the complicated task of figuring out how to help and protect her young sister, Mindy, who is like Nell: not human and also having her special talents and connection to the earth. Adding to all this, she is trying to deal with the bizarre and dangerous, almost sentient, vampire tree on church property, and the evil that is left of her old adversary, both of whom are causing problems so Nell has several challenges.

Those of you who follow the Jane Yellowrock series will be interested to see how Rick fares after his last encounter with Jane. Life is weighing heavily on the former player and ladies’ man who is still learning to deal with his recent ability to finally shift. With the full moon coming soon, Rick and Occam have catty issues to deal with adding to the fun.

So much of the townie world is still new to Nell including Occam’s romantic interest. Since they work together, Nell has to figure out not only what she wants, but how to deal with it on the job. She constantly fights with learned behaviors leftover from growing up in an extremely restrictive fundamentalist church coupled with her experiences as a very young wife and widow. In this book, Nell’s confidence in her skills and determination to be her own woman unfettered by the past figure greatly. She likes who she is becoming, but all the new complicated feelings especially for Occam, new people in her life, and her evolving connection to Soulwood keeps Nell very unsettled indeed.

Faith Hunter always gives her readers much to chew on concerning her characters, their complicated and often dangerous jobs, and complex relationships. Nell is a captivating woman whose continued evolution is quite unique and fascinating to watch. The unfolding story of what kind of being Nell is with her unusual growing abilities continues to be an exciting tale to be told.

Flame in the Dark by Faith Hunter is the 3rd book in her Urban Fantasy Soulwood series. Though this is a spinoff from Hunter’s wonderful Jane Yellowrock series, this is a totally different kind of storyline.

Nell Ingram is our heroine, and in Flame in the Dark, we learn more about her powers. Nell is now a member (probie)of Psyled, a Homeland Security division that investigates paranormal cases. Also on the PsyLED Eighteen team are two others we know from Jane Yellowrock, Rick LeFleur and Soul. There are werewolves, witches, empaths, and even a dragon that work together.

Nell is now a more confident and stronger person, and knows she is not human, but does not know what she is. Nell has an ability that allows her to feel and absorb the earth’s powers, to heal her or fight off enemies. By the end of Flame in the Dark, we will know exactly what Nell is.

At the start of Flame in the Dark, the PsyLED team is called on a case where a Senator and his family have been attacked. The team senses a paranormal element in the attacks, but cannot determine who the target is, which they originally thought was vampires. As more attempts and murders happen, it becomes apparent that the villains are pyro’s, with the victims being burned. Nell’s unusual ability allows her to put her hands into the earth to scent, vision or feel strange and dark vibes of something very dark and dangerous.

What follows is an intense, exciting, gripping and violent tale, where Nell will find herself in bad situations that threaten her own life. With people dying, she will have to go above and beyond to discover who and what is causing these horrific deaths. I was so engrossed into this story, I was unable to put the book down. Flame in the Dark was very well written by Faith Hunter.

What I also enjoyed was the team camaraderie between Nell and her team, especially as they learn more of what she is, and try to help her. We also get to know about Nell’s younger sister, who is slowly developing the same kind of powers, which Nell wants to help her slowly learn to control. But best of all, I loved the slow build budding romance between Occam and Nell, which we expect to become full blown in future books.

This is really a difficult review to do, as telling too much more would be spoilers. I will say that besides being suspenseful and exciting, it was also amazing & wild to see what Nell can do. There was so much more in this book (murder, strange fires, dark and horrific villains, and a fantastic cast of characters you enjoy the ride with), something you will need to read and find out.

This was a very nice addition to an extremely strong series. However, the pacing lagged a bit in places due in major part to a lot of explanation of police/FBI procedures and acronyms and I found it not quite as compelling as the first two. The core story/mystery was just as engaging as the first 2 though and for existing fans I think they would really enjoy this 3rd book, but not one to bring in new people. I just hope that if there is another one she can expand on the supporting characters a bit more and include a little less jargon and exposition. I like to discover things naturally and not have them explained constantly. Too much and it feels like a lesson and less of a fun read. That said, I quite enjoyed the growth of the character in confidence and her power came with distinct disadvantages and risks, so no MaryJane-like power ups to badass status with no consequences. She also showed personal growth in her relationships, I just wish more time had been taken with these and less with the central mystery/police procedural aspect. I wanted more dialogue and interaction with others and less internal monologues too. I do hope for more books though at this point and can still definitely recommend the entire series.

In this latest installment in the Soulwood series, Nell and her colleagues at PsyLED are brought in on a case where some prominent members of the community are attacked and there appears to be paranormal involvement. Nell still is a probie, challenged to find her place on the team and in her personal life as the attacks increase and become more bizarre.

In some aspects, the story was satisfying, with Nell learning more about herself and what she wants from her life. Other parts, though, were frustrating, with the investigation moving slowly and often off-track. Some mistakes could have been forestalled with some diligent investigation. <spoiler>The debacle at the DNA lab easily could have been avoided if when JoJo hacked into the company’s databases she had looked at the employees, licenses, etc.</spoiler> Other things were inconsistent or made little sense <spoiler>Why would the DNA lab supposedly send someone to entrap Nell into attacking them if they were legit? Were the PsyLED people mistaken about her being a plant? How did Rick heal so completely from getting hit with a fire blast and Occam was left so scarred when Occam was the far more experienced shifter? Why did the salamanders choose to eliminate the humans whose lives they wanted to take over in such an over-the-top, violent way? It only drew attention to them when they could have arranged for more subtle takeovers as they did with the boy and the security guy.</spoiler>

While the investigation at times moved painfully slowly even as the attacks worsened, some things changed a bit too quickly and too far. <spoiler>The ending with Nell becoming rooted for several months and with Occam being badly scarred/deformed in addition to the internal scars from his past felt like too much baggage dumped on them at once. While I was very happy to see Nell emerge from her ordeal stronger and more resolved, it made me wonder how much she and other characters will have to suffer in the future for their characters to grow.</spoiler>

Despite these issues, though, I did enjoy the story and am firmly hooked on the series. I look forward to seeing what happens next with Nell, her PsyLED family, and her Church family.

Thanks to Netgalley and the amazing publishers for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Five supernova, fiery, supernova, pick up this book (or book one) immediately stars!


Stop whatever you're doing and pick up Faith Hunter. Seriously, right now. This woman's Jane Yellowrock series is AWESOME as it is, but she's at the top of her game when she writes about Nell Nicholson Ingram, PsyLED probie and all-around kickass protagonist.


This time around, a Senator's family survives (mostly) an assassination attempt, and a bunch of different law enforcement agencies are called in -- including the PsyLED unit composed of Nell and friends, thanks to some vampire presence at the location of the attempted killing.


Things burn out of control (fire pun intended!) from there, as the twisted maze of clues and suspects and paranormal creatures pile up into a giant plate of spaghetti, story threads twisted together into a top-notch entry into her already top-notch Soulwood series. We get a ton of growth in a handful of the main characters, Nell included, and we even get a little more insight into her families -- her actual family in the church, and her "townie" PsyLED family.


Overall, Faith has created a very deep character that is easy to connect with, spun a fantastic yarn of a tale, and as always, left me begging for more... and thankfully, she's contracted for more now. I'm so relieved to hear that this isn't going to end as a trilogy, because it (along with Jane) has a rightful spot in my top favorite series.


Seriously, you read all this, even though I told you at the beginning to stop and go read Faith Hunter? I guess I'm flattered, but you're terrible at following directions! :)

Love, love ,love this series and this book. Doesn't get any better than Faith Hunter.

Love this series! I am now torn between these and the Jane Yellowrock books. I absolutely love the characters, and the sense of family that the author creates. It's been great seeing Nell come into her own, and tapping into her specific brand of magic. This one will be hard to top.

I really enjoy seeing Nell develop as a character, slowly breaking the restrictive ties to her former life, while trying to retain her relationship with her family. I look forward to seeing her relationship with Occam continue to develop as the series continues (and I hope it will!)

I like this series as it adds another viewpoint into the world of Jane Yellowrock without being told through her eyes. Nell's ability to connect with the land is unique and Ms. Hunter uses it in surprising ways to gain information for the reader.

Faith Hunter writes great urban fantasy. Our patrons love her.

Nell and the gang are back and trying to solve their most difficult case to date. Someone is trying to kill a senator and his family. The only clue to the identity of this assassin is they kill the vegetation where ever they walk. Also, Nell is faced with two suitors who want to date her. She has to decide if she is ready to take that next step in her life. Plus, this case will push Nell to test her powers to the limit and beyond. Faith Hunter is a master of her craft! I loved this book, and recommend it to everyone. I give Flame in the Dark (A Soulwood Novel) 5/5 stars.

Another great book about Special Agent Nell Ingram and the rest of PSYled. It starts right after Curse ended. They are on to a case of a shooting that may be targeting a Tennessee senator, high powered money makers or the vampires. Not everyone with this case are what they say are. And the land is not happy.

I am captivated by Nell, her background, the dynamic of her co-workers, Occam, just everything. I can't wait to see what happens next.

I received an advanced copy of Flame in the Dark (Soulwood #3) from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I am a huge fan of Faith Hunter, having discovered her first through her Jane Yellowrock series. So I may be a bit biased when I say I greatly enjoyed this novel. Soulwood is based in the same world as Jane Yellowrock (in fact they even interact at times). Being the third in the series, I strongly suggest you not just skip to it (though if you wanted you could go and read Soulwood without ever having read the Yellowrock series).
Nell is facing new and different challenges every day – a perk of working for PsyLED. This time her team is trying to protect a wealthy senator and his family – they don’t know who is target them, but they know they’re not human.

Spoiler Warning

Warnings first: There are multiple characters in this series (specifically Nell’s family) that have a past experience with assault and rape. Nothing new occurs (thankfully) but the past is brought up a couple of times. Additionally, animal deaths do occur. Nell refers back to her dogs that died before the first book, and a puppy is killed, but it is talked about after the fact, and while there are some details mentioned it shouldn’t be overwhelming as long as you don’t let yourself think about it too much (that was my way of dealing with it). A couple other minor events happen, but nothing as bad as the puppy.
I really enjoyed the latest installment of the Soulwood series. Nell has grown a lot, both in learning to cope with her past, and learning how to manage her abilities. Sure, she’s made mistakes along the way, but frankly that’s what happens when you don’t have anyone to teach you something complicated like that. I loved the little quirks that are occurring because of Nell’s overuse of her abilities (growing leaves at the nape of her neck, etc).
Speaking of Nell and what she is – I adore that she’s trying to help Mud figure things out. I’m not sure if having a helping hand will prevent the same quirks from coming about, or just increase their odds of it. I know their hope is to prevent them, but it sort of seems like they’re going with an all or nothing approach and that never works. I guess I’ll have to wait and see about that though.
Now onto the main plot (yep, I spent all that time talking and haven’t even gotten to the main event). There’s a new enemy in town, and it seems to be targeting one family in particular. Being that one of the family members is a senator, it causes a bureaucratic nightmare of who has jurisdiction over his protection. While the solution left me a little confused on the number of characters in play (having four different agencies working together will do that), it was actually really nice seeing Nell using her “Churchwoman ways” to get along with large groups of people.
Other noteworthy moments (because I’m not going to give the whole plot away obviously): most of the team Nell works with got some more character development, including Rick and Soul. I’m really curious about the silver streaking in Rick’s hair and what that correlates to. I’m hoping more will be revealed in later novels. As for Soul…yikes! She ended up taking their case way more seriously than I was anticipating (the reason why being revealed towards the end). It’s nice seeing more of her personality, as well as some arcenciel lore.
Since apparently I’m in a mood to talk about the characters in this book – I’m exceptionally curious to see what is happening with Nell’s cousin, Hamilton There’s no way Faith Hunter spent that much time building up his character just to have it peter out. He’s going to come up again in another novel, I guarantee it. And based on his personality we’ve seen so far, I don’t think he’s going to be one of the good guys.
I have to admit, I don’t normally do this, but I’m totally shipping Nell and Occam. They’re just so cute together! Their gradual relationship building is not only the exact thing Nell needs, but I think Occam needs it too. They are actually really good together, both as partners in PsyLED and on a personal level. Is there a ship name for them yet? I bet there is. If not we need to make one up ASAP.
The one downside to reading this book earlier than the release date? Now I have that much longer to wait until the next book comes out (yeah I know, I’m so greedy when it comes to books). Oh well, at least they’ll be a new Jane Yellowrock in the meantime!

I really enjoy the urban fantasy world that Faith Hunter has developed with both Jane Yellowrock and now the Soulwood series. The world building is solid, she tells a good story, and does solid character development, not trying to rely on the exotic nature of her paranormal heroines to disguise the lack of plot as many urban fantasists attempt. All in all, Flame in the Dark is a solid addition to the urban fantasy genre and a good example of how it should be done.

YIKES...while I really enjoyed the book I was really wondering where Hunter was going with the last couple of chapters! I thought maybe it was the end of the series. I'm hoping there will be more. Really love all the characters, especially Nell, sugar. By the way, totally in love with Occam. Such complex storylines that make putting the book down virtually impossible...but a person has to sleep sometimes, darn it. Can't wait to see if there is more and where the story will go.

Full review to be published online in early December.

FLAME IN THE DARK and Nell are so very different from Jane Yellowrock. Where Jane is pretty much straight UF, ‘Soulwood’ is kind of a funky UF/RS combination. Nell is now a fully integrated member of PsyLED Unit 18, and in this book the team takes on a paranormal case of multiple attempts at murder and spontaneous fire at each scene. It’s not long before the case turns into something different; darker and more paranormally sinister. Towards the end of the story things get really, really weird. The paranormal bad guys here were nasty, dangerous…and icky.

There is just a bit of time spent on developing the other members of the team. Rick has finally learned to shift into his werepanther, and finally gotten rid of Paka, his treacherous ex-lover who had held a magical control ever him. Nell’s tentative relationship with Occam is growing, as well as another 'office' romance. There was a short subplot with Nell being courted by a member of her church; something I found totally unnecessary to the storyline and distracting. (Although it did serve to point out the finality of her break from the church). Nell’s powers are growing, and she is changing physically. She’s coming a little closer to understanding what she is and can do.

There is a lot going in in FLAME IN THE DARK. The story was great, and very interesting; although I felt the case should have been wrapped up more quickly. I’m firmly hooked on the series...cracky good fun. I like Nell, want to know more about her life, both personality and professionally, and especially to find out more about what kind of human/paranormal being she really is.