There were a few times I wished I had read the other series by this author before this one but for the most part it wasn't an issue. This was a great addition to the first book of this series!

This was the continuation I was hoping for and also surprised by. It wasn't what I was expecting and I was absolutely frustrated by some things that happened, a lot of push and pull when acceptance and growth would have been better, but overall this was the kind of irritant that I enjoy, one that sits with you, gets under your skin, and pushes you to read without stopping so you can see how they weather it all.

Another gripping and entertaining installment in this series. I had fun, rooted for the characters, and read it as fast as I could.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I absolutely loved this lgbt romance.

Such a great book with a solid storyline and great characters.

I eagerly look forward to reading more from this author.

A definite recommend

Book 5 of this universe and I’m excitedly awaiting book 6.

Even though I’m “only” rating this one 4 out of 5 stars. I’m kinda inbetween 4 and 4.5 stars to be honest and I can’t really put my finger on the why.

The story is great, the characters are even greater. The romance is… well, not lacking, because it’s just so damn realistic? Maybe a little bit shallow? But, again, realistic. I don’t know, maybe I’m projecting what I know now back into the past and I’m evaluating what has happened with my now-knowledge?

Colin is really growing on me and I love how his struggles are portrayed. Because let’s be honest. You can’t even call his situation “having his whole world turned upside down” because it’s so much more.

Putting aside my uncertainty – although I can’t even really call it that – I am really liking how the rest of the band get a slightly bigger part in the story and let’s be honest. I’m still rooting the most for Hud and Wes so every little tidbit of their story is something I treasure.

Either way I really enjoyed reading House on Fire and I like that Jenn Burke put that little twist into the story. I’m very dissatisfied with the ending though, because I need to know what’ll happen! Damn cliffhangers. There is a different drama whereveer you look basically and I’m excited how everything will turn out.

Kaetrin: Sirius and I decided to continue our joint review of this series with the latest release, House on Fire.

Sirius: This is a second book in the series, which in itself is a spinoff from the series by the same author called Not Dead Yet. I suggest very much reading the Not Dead Yet series first, because if you start here, even from the first book I think you will be confused about the world, about the relationship between the characters, about a lot of things.

Kaetrin: I agree. This book is not a stand alone at all and I’m not sure that starting with All Fired Up would really work either. Start with Not Dead Yet for sure.

Sirius: As the blurb tells you the things between Evan and Colin are still very complicated. They are bonded, but the bond between them just happened due to the extraordinary circumstances that they found themselves in the first book and the bond apparently does not act as a normal bond between mates is supposed to act. Come to think of it I am not entirely clear on how normal bond between two mates is supposed to act in this world, but it is not something that stopped me from enjoying the book.

I also want to make it very clear, Colin’s doubts about the bond and desire to break it up also something that I was perfectly fine with. As much as I love well done books which have shifters or any paranormals in the romantic relationship, the fated mates trope often makes me roll my eyes. It is not as if I mind the bond as a plot device , I get it is supposed to symbolize love from the first sight, or something like that. I want two mates to be in love as well, not just be bonded and have the bond as a shortcut for love if that makes sense.

So, I could totally sympathize with Colin, his growing attraction to Evan notwithstanding, he was trapped for so long and he wanted a chance to explore the world on his own, even if he was very much falling in love with the person on another end of it. I thought his doubts and Evan’s desire to balance his very demanding work as part of PI agency gave both characters more depth and the developing relationship became even more interesting.

So I thought *what* happened – made sense, but *when* it happened? Sorry, no. I fully admit that I hate cliffhanger endings, but sometimes I can see how it made sense for the plot development that I hate on emotional level to happen exactly when it happened on the story’s timeline. I saw *zero* reason for what happened at the end of the book to happen at the end of the book. Because we all know how that specific plot development is going to resolve itself right ? It felt as a sequel bait, nothing else . And yes, I was annoyed.

Kaetrin: I agree. I thought it was going to be the main romantic part of the story of this book. Instead it will be the main romantic thread of the third installment.

As it was, the romance in House on Fire felt a little flat to me. The characters were in a holding pattern rather than anything being truly advanced. When Evan said “I love you” it felt kind of clunky, way too soon and a bit out of left field. It felt like a forced way of moving things forward.

Sirius: To me, their relationship did advance a little bit, although surely not much. Evan’s “I love you” annoyed the crap out of me. It is not only that he said it and felt too early but also when he said it. I know it probably was not intended, but it felt like rubbing in to Colin.

I keep talking about the romance, but as all readers who like this series know in addition to the romance storyline these books usually have prominent mystery/suspense story and this book was no exception. Our characters were incredibly busy and I can give you no details whatsoever as to what they were busy with – the blurb is silent and I usually try to go by “what is not in the blurb are spoilers”. I loved mystery/suspense in this book as well. I felt that the mood was dark, but it still worked for me and I always love that the relationship is developing along the lines of them being busy and they manage to work and play in a way that does not make me think of them as unprofessional in what they do.

Kaetrin: I had mixed feelings about the book. How much was my reading mood I can’t say but felt largely disconnected from most of the story. I was very interested in what Colin learned about his ex-fiancee and I was extremely curious about the Priya/Lance “reunion” storyline (still am, truth be told) but those were the only emotional beats that really worked for me. I won’t give away spoilers but I do have a question about Lance and where the Priya subplot was heading felt too convenient so I’m expecting there’s more to it than we currently know.

There was another character introduced and I had massive consent issues about what happened – but I will say no more!

As for the mystery/suspense plot, some of the characters seemed to escape with no comeuppance – the internal justice of the world felt a little off to me as a result. However, it may yet be remedied in the third book. I did think the resolution Evan came up with was novel and fitting.

The first book, All Fired Up, worked much better for me. I’m giving House on Fire a C. Sirius?

Sirius: I enjoyed the mystery/suspense story which we cannot discuss due to spoilers, but actually Priya/Lance storyline was my least favorite part of it . I never liked Priya all that much and all that happened just felt weird to me even if the resolution is that what they claimed she did, she didn’t.

It was not my favorite book for sure, but I still liked it enough to give it B-.

“Colin moved to stand beside me, close enough that I could feel the heat emanating from his skin in the chilly night air. I had the sudden urge to lean into him, to sink into his arms, into his warmth, but I resisted it. No pressure, right? Space. I had to give him space. This whole no pressure thing was going to kill me. “

I enjoyed this continuation of the Ashes and Dust series. The first story introduced us to Phoenix shifter ex-firefighter Colin and how he ended up with vampire investigator Evan. They are still investigating what happened at the retreat house (where Evan met Colin in book 1) and there are some new characters to contend with - Colin's ex fiancee Cynthia and Hudson's brother Lance (neither of which is aware of the magical world). Evan and Colin's bond is still being established and Colin gets involved in Evan's investigations and it seems that someone is trying to expose the paranormal world with secretly filmed exposes. Dealing with all of that and their relationship gives Evan and Colin a bit of a rocky go in this book, but for the reader certainly makes for an interesting tale. There are some shocking twists later in the book, and I'm looking forward to seeing how everything will eventually be resolved when the trilogy finishes.

3.5*

J'attendais avec impatience ce nouveau roman de Jenn Burke qui m'a permis de renouer avec la romance paranormale que j'avais longuement délaissée.

Je suis un peu mitigée sur ce second opus...J'aime toujours autant l'univers crée par l'autrice avec cette famille si singulière qui s'est constituée dans la première série dans "Not dead yet" et que l'on retrouve dans "Ashes & Dust". L'intrigue est assez palpitante, j'ai tourné les pages avec avidité...Evan devra mener l'enquête pour savoir qui cherche à nuire aux êtres surnaturels et Colin livre un vrai combat pour accepter avec sa nouvelle vie sans renier pour autant son passé. Ces personnages offrent différentes facettes, ils ne sont ni lisses ni trop parfaits et on sent que ce qu'ils ont vécu les a changé à jamais mais... j'ai été un peu déçue par la romance entre Evan & Colin. Mon côté fleur bleue n'a pas été satisfait... je savais que cela allait être compliqué entre les héros, vu comment la nature de leur lien mais malgré tout arfff c"est rude ! Si je comprends Colin, je lui en ai voulu bien des fois pour la façon dont il traite Evan, sans grande considération, ça fait mal. Et pour moi, c'est d'autant plus cruel vu ce que ce dernier a vécu dans la série précédent ce spin-off. Le double POV aurait certainement aidé à faire passer la pilule plus facilement.

La fin est assez terrible pour les nerfs, vivement la sortie du 3ème tome !

Jenn Burke absolutely does it again! Oh My Gosh! That ending. Tears. Down the side of my face. Seriously, tho, Jenn. How could you do this to me? I mean, Us! I just... I need #3, now!

Evan and Colin are back. Colin is still coming to terms with his blackout period and where he stands in the world today. As he's bound to Evan, they are feeling through their labor pains of how they can work and be together without resentment and still being their own person. As per usual, in the Ashes & Dust and Not Dead Yet world, Evan is quickly drawn into a case of unusual and suspicious paranormal murders. Having to navigate his world while keeping Colin safe proves to be almost too much for both Evan and Colin to bear.

First, the Ashes & Dust series is not a stand-alone type deal. You should not attempt to pick up and just start reading. Also, you should start with the Not Dead Yet series before even attempting Ashes & Dust.

Jenn Burke has such a way of writing that you just can't help but get pulled in. The world-building, the emotions, pithy and supportive side characters, the smexy times. I honestly could probably read this woman's grocery lists and have a fairly good time.

Poor, poor Colin was put through the flippin' wringer in House on Fire. I just... He had so many things coming at him. His ex, his other thing that has to do with his ex, the bond, the dealing with his sexuality, the relationship with Evan, his feelings of self-worth, self-autonomy... gah! Someone give this poor man a hug. I'm still mad at him for doing what he did, but... I understand. I really wish we had dual POV so we could get a bit of what was going on in his head, but...

The mystery aspect was a stronger presence in this book than the romance. I totally get it. The things that need to be ironed out, worked through, et al took precedence. You can't have a good solid relationship if you are basically squashing the other all the time. Choice is a huge thing for me. I get it but... gah! That darn ending.

I am equally salivating and dying for more. If you didn't get the gist from mine and other reviews, House on Fire ends rather abruptly after a HUGE thing happens, and we're all in shock and dismay because... No.More.Pages! I am praying to the book gods that Jenn has a super quick turnaround for book #3!

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

This second installment in the Ashes and Dust series ups the romantic stakes for Evan and Colin, but there's a lot going on beyond their romance.

I liked the investigation and action of the mystery part of the plot. Someone is filming paranormals and sending the footage to a local news station, putting both the human and paranormal communities of Toronto on edge. Evan and his friends have to figure out the who and why of it all, which they eventually do, but not before Evan himself becomes a target.

On top of that, Colin is still adjusting to learning that he was turned into a phoenix and abducted from his former existence. He decides to meet with his ex-fiancée, only to get a surprise that further complicates his new life. I'm really looking forward to seeing how that pans out in the next book.

Evan and Colin’s relationship is a work in progress, but I liked the way the author handled their growing feelings for each other. Colin is still somewhat uncomfortable with being openly demonstrative toward Evan, although he’s improving. Evan is being very careful not to push Colin for too much too quickly, because he doesn’t want Colin to feel pressured into anything. Even with their connection deepening, though, the constraints of their bond leave Colin so frustrated that he wants to dissolve it entirely. That terrifies Evan, because he’s afraid that if they do, Colin will decide to leave.

The ending of the book leaves their romance at a crisis point, and a death that hits close to home is going to complicate things even more. Book 3 can’t come fast enough for me—I need to know what happens next!

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

Note: There are spoilers for previous books in this review.

Jenn Burke’s Ashes & Dust – a sequel/spin off to the Not Dead Yet series – got off to a strong start earlier this year with All Fired Up, which finds Wes, Hudson and Evan running a successful PI business in Toronto five years after the end of Graveyard Shift. This series puts “Baby Vamp” Evan Fournier into the spotlight as the PoV character, and All Fired Up introduced a new love interest for him in the form of Colin Zhang – a firefighter who was believed to have died in the 1990s but who had actually been kidnapped and held captive by a witch who forced him to suck the magic from other supernatural beings. I’d strongly suggest anyone thinking about reading this one should start at the very beginning with Not Dead Yet, as there are a lot of recurring characters in these stories and you’ll understand the relationship dynamics more easily.

It’s been five months since the events of All Fired Up, and Evan is no closer to discovering the identity of whoever was behind the operation at the Rising Sun Retreat. During those months, Colin and Evan have begun adjusting to their mistakenly-formed bond, although Evan recognises it’s a lot easier on him than on Colin, who has to spend most of his days just hanging out in the Caballero Investigations offices instead of getting out and making a new life for himself (if Colin and Evan get too far apart physically, the bond causes them excruciating pain). Evan recognises that his feelings for Colin probably go deeper than Colin’s for him, but is determined to give Colin the space he needs to work things through and not to push him into anything he’s not ready for. When Colin asks if it might be possible to break the bond, Evan is dead set against it; for one thing it could be very dangerous, for another – he believes Colin won’t want to be with him without it.

The lives of everyone in the Westerson-Rojas household has been further complicated by the addition of Hudson’s brother Lance, whom Hudson has brought to live with them. Lance has no idea about the paranormal world, so they all have to work hard to keep him in the dark, even though Hudson knows he really should tell him the truth. But when videos showing shifters actually shifting headlined with messages such as “this is not special effects” and “they are all around us” begin circulating, it’s clear that Evan and the gang have far more to worry about than someone letting something slip in front of Lance.

In the middle of all this, Colin decides he wants to contact his former fiancée, Cynthia, thinking that he owes her an explanation about what happened to him all those years ago, and that maybe it will give both of them some closure. Cynthia drops a bombshell of her own, telling Colin that when he ‘died’, she was a few weeks pregnant and that they have a son, CJ, who has always known that Colin is his real dad. The news hits Colin like a punch to the gut – his anger and grief at everything he’s lost are very well portrayed – but he and Cynthia both agree that it’s for the best that they don’t tell CJ the truth.

To talk about the other plotlines in the book would be heading into spoiler territory, so I’ll just say that there’s more hurt and heartbreak on the horizon for our heroes when there’s a horrific murder close to home and Evan finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place – his loyalty to Hudson, and his love for Colin.

I enjoy spending time with these characters and was pleased to re-visit them, but House on Fire is obviously a ‘middle book’ with a lot of set-up and few answers. The novel feels disjointed and episodic; we move swiftly from one event to the next, but none of them are given much more than a cursory explanation before we move on to the next one. And the romance between Evan and Colin still feels a bit superficial; it’s been five months since they met and accidentally forged their bond, but I’m not seeing much more than a surface physical attraction there, and as we’re never in Colin’s head I get no sense of how he’s dealing with everything he’s been through – losing thirty-four years of his life, forming a magical bond with a complete stranger, and then having his first same-sex relationship – or even if he IS dealing with it. He and Evan share a bed and have sex, but it seems that any relationship progression (and I’m not actually convinced there’s been any as I don’t feel any real emotional connection between them) has taken place off the page. In my review of the previous book, I said that Colin wasn’t particularly well-fleshed out as a character, but as it was the first book, there was room for that to happen – but I can’t say that it does. Colin gets a lot of on-page time (because he has to be where Evan is) but because we never get his perspective and he doesn’t have much dialogue it’s hard to understand his character and equally hard to understand exactly why Evan is falling for him. There’s no doubt that Colin trusts Evan implicitly – even though he doesn’t appear to understand him at all at one crucial point in the story – but I don’t get the same ‘meant-to-be’ vibe from them that was there between Wes and Hudson from the start.

I can’t deny being a bit disappointed in House on Fire, although it’s got good bones – I just wish there had been some more meat on them. I enjoyed catching up with everyone, the plotlines are all intriguing and the author delivers some real emotional gut-punches while continuing to show Evan’s growing confidence in himself and his abilities, both as a PI and as a worthy second-in-command to the King of All the Vampires. But be warned; the major plotlines are unresolved and there’s a cliffhanger ending, so you might want to wait to read this until you can dive straight into the final book, Out of the Ashes next year. I’m giving House on Fire a qualified recommendation because I’m invested in this group of characters and I enjoyed the book in spite of its flaws.

Grade: B- / 3.5 stars

Excellent follow up in a series I love as much as I love these characters. All of them. The story is always easy to follow, there is enough info, angst, a pinch of pain, and an ending that makes me want to fast forward time until I can read the following book.
Evan and Colin have a lot more talk time and I liked that they talk to each other. There's still a lot to unpack, but their relationship, however they want to call it, is growing. This series loves to make me suffer, though. You never see anything coming, good or bad, so you can't never just chill read. You panic-read this book, that was my constant state of mind.
There wasn't much action but the plot was plenty interesting even without much fight or magic use. There's someone leaking videos of shifters and vampires. It's definitely not good because we all know what humans do when faced with something they don't know: they kill. That's their only answer.
I really liked everything that happened in the book, even the ones that made me suffer. I can't wait to read the following book.

I think I'm giving this book 4-stars, but even as I'm writing this review I'm waffling back and forth on it. Was it stellar writing and an exciting plot, like Jenn Burke always writes? YES! But was the "romance" highly dissatisfying, and did it end on a cliffhanger-esk ending? Also, YES.

I adore this series, but I highly recommend you also read the "Not Dead Yet" series before starting this one. You will be HIGHLY confused if you try to jump into this series, even with book 1, without reading Not Dead Yet.

House on Fire is a continuation of All Fired Up, which I also adored. The story sort of picks right up where the other left off, which is great for those who like to follow one couple throughout many books.

What gets me pumped (I was going to say "fired up" but then just stopped myself) about this series is the exciting paranormal world-building and the non-stop plot. I was excited and intrigued the whole time, and I didn't want to put this book down.

However... the romance. *Big meh face* I really wish we got more than one POV here because Colin doesn't seem very into everything and the romance is VERY tentative. In fact, it's a bit hard for me even to view this as a romance in my mind. Sure, the two MCs are bound together and there are some feelings there, but I never get a good sense of these two as a couple. I wanted more from them.

The ending is a total WHAT????? finale, and I'm already dying for the next one, though the abrupt ending may annoy some readers. Still, for me, Jenn Burke delivered again with another engaging story in this fabulous series.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

I'm really enjoying this series so far and the story arc that has been created. Evan and Colin have been struggling with the bond that they didn't ask for or know about until it was in place, not helped by Colin's missing years when he was basically a prisoner. They are more settled together and a closeness has definitely developed between them but Colin is not doing well with having to constantly be close to Evan, unable to do his own thing.
While they have the burden of that going on there is also trouble brewing in town as videos are being released to the news of supernatural creatures. As the human population are not currently aware of them, this develops into a problem as more videos come out and fear grows in both the human and paranormal community. Evan and his group start digging into the case and seem to take one step forwards and two steps back. Hudson and Wes try to help both the community stay calm as well as work the case whilst dealing with Hudson's brother stating with them who just so happens to know nothing of paranormals. To say it's an exercise in patience and logistics is an understatement. There are funny moments but also sad and hurtful ones. This book has a really good balance between the relationship aspect for Colin and Evan, dealing with what they have going on, and then the plot that moves the series arc forwards. I thought maybe at time there the plot wasn't as hard hitting as some of the others from the series has been before but this one brought in new characters, dealt with current ones and the upsets that they experience and updates the series arc plot with new information. We do end on quite an intense moment and I am very eager to see how that develops and Evan and Colin move forward from that.
I really enjoy reading this series and know that I will get a story packed with emotion, action and great character moments. I'm excited to see what happens next.
I received an ARC via NetGalley and am happily giving a review.

If you've been following this series, or I guess more correctly the prequel series and the first book in this series, then you know that this author likes to layer her sweet romcom-esque stories with a heaping dose of PAIN and this installment is no different. The crew we've come to love is all here and they continue to look out for each other the best that they can. Which can unfortunately. In situations where the best of intentions can have unfortunate consequences.

I think readers will enjoy Evan's improvement in mental health and Colin getting to rediscover himself. The heat in this story is a lot hotter than the first book I would say as well.

I would recommend this to long time fans of this author and series. But also fans of paranormal mm romance as well. I look forward to reading the final book in the series.

This isn't a standalone so you need to read the first book in this series first and it wouldn't hurt to read the "Not Dead Yet" series first as well but you could get by with only reading the first Ashes & Dust book. This book takes off right where the last one left off with Colin and Evan trying to deal with their bond that didn't form correctly. Throw in someone trying to out the paranormal community, Colin deciding he wants to meet with his ex-fiance to get some closure, and Hudson's brother who knows nothing about the paranormal community. There's a lot going on and the one thing I really wish is that we got some of Colin's POV. I still don't feel like I really know him as well as I want to and I don't truly believe/understand his feelings for Evan. This book ends on quite the cliffhanger and I need the next book now!

I enjoyed the mystery in this one more than the one in All Fired Up. Colin's character development as he gathers his bearings was interesting to watch. With some snark and some healthy communication, i enjoyed seeing Evan and Colin come more into their own as paranormal beings. Add in Wes and Hudson, it was exactly what I've come to expect from this Toronto crew and it was a really fun read

A fantastic spin-off for the Not Dead Yet series. The characters were wonderfully well-written, as always, and the storyline grabbed me from page one. It was so easy to become wrapped up in the story and I had no problem reading it all in one go, it was engaging from beginning to end.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Netgalley*

You know the old adage, “Be careful what you ask for?” Well, this reader had to keep reminding herself throughout most of House on Fire that I had not only asked for this series, I had pretty much begged for it. Way back when I reviewed Graveyard Shift, the last book in the Not Dead Yet series, I made this comment:

“First and most importantly… this cannot be the end of this series. However, if this truly was the end of the Not Dead Yet series, then I seriously hope that there is a spin-off series in the works because some things were not totally okay at the end of Graveyard Shift.”


To be clear, the main “thing” that was not okay at the end of the Not Dead Yet series was how things were left with Evan. To be fair, Jenn Burke is now giving readers what they asked for, but in true #EvilAuthor fashion, she’s not making it easy for him… at all. *sigh*nNow that I’ve gotten that out of the way… House on Fire finds Colin and Evan still dealing with the bond and the emotions that they’re both going through. Even though the series is still being told solely by Evan’s POV, not being in Colin’s head didn’t bother me too much. There were still times that it would have been nice to know what Colin was thinking, but he was pretty transparent – especially when things weren’t going exactly how he wanted them to go – which given his situation, was pretty much all the time. Not only was the bond inconvenient at times for both of them, having to “tag along” was getting old and making Colin feel useless. As painful as Evan’s past was, Colin was obviously dealing with a lot too – and House on Fire added another layer to what he lost in the years he was locked away under a powerful and controlling spell. Unfortunately, their inner turmoil wasn’t all that they had to deal with.

Someone is going to great and dangerous lengths to reveal the existence of the supernatural – and it’s getting even closer to home than before. The mystery of figuring out “who” and “why” is top priority so trying to break the bond between Colin and Evan is taking a back seat, even though it’s causing more and more friction between the two – regardless of their growing feelings for each other.

There were so many twists, turns and WTF moments in House on Fire, it was almost impossible to put down. My heart broke more than once – and for more than one character – while I was reading. And just when you thought things had settled down just a little… yeah – my first comment when I finished reading was “May of 2022. MAY of 2022! That’s how long readers have to wait for #EvilAuthor @jeralibu to fix things!” And believe me, there is a LOT of fixing that needs to be done. Yikes! Needless to say, I’ll be waiting less than patiently for Out of the Ashes to be released.

When I had a chance at getting an ARC for House on Fire, I knew I had to take it. I've loved both the Not Dead Yet and Ashes and Dust series by Jenn Burke, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on what was next for Vamp Junior, excuse me... Evan. When we last left them Colin was still reeling from finding out about the paranormal world and the fact that he belonged to it. He also was having trouble coming to terms with his bisexuality and attraction to Evan. Internalized homophobia is a real thing, especially when Colin technically grew up in the culture of 30 years ago.

As usual, there was a lot going on apart from the romance. These books are plot driven and there is still someone out there who bankrolled the circumstances from book 1. Kudos to the author for knowing when to elaborate on things we learned previously. I read book 1 when it debuted 6 months ago, so my mind wasn't totally fresh on all the nitty gritty details. The reminders were subtle, not a major retelling, so it flowed perfectly within the story.

After reading the blurb for this book, I thought we were going to get some real headway on the relationship front between Colin and Evan. Unfortunately, we didn't get as much of that as I hoped. It felt like every time they got a step forward, Colin once again took two steps back. My heart hurt for Evan on more than one occasion. He was so dedicated to Colin and trying to make him happy, yet Colin took more than one opportunity to remind Evan that this wasn't the life he wanted. It was almost selfish in a way, because without Evan, Colin wouldn't have a life at all. He'd still be under the mind control of a psychopath. Colin could be a little more grateful in my opinion and it led me to not really buy his change of tune on some things at the end.

There were definitely some major surprises and upsets to get through in House on Fire. And be forewarned, the ending is a cliffhanger. Sadly, we have to wait until May 2022 for book 3 to come out to find out what happens next. I've finished this book with more questions than answers it seems so I'll be not so patiently waiting til then.