Jessica Thorne certainly knows how to captivate and leave readers eager for more. I adored "A Touch of Shadows," yet "A Kiss of Flame" managed to surpass it unexpectedly. Fortunately, the wait for the third book won't be long, as it's set to release next month.

The saga of Wren unfolds as she is pursued for the throne, while her mother Elodie and Roland await trial. Wren's shadow magic is intensifying, making concealment increasingly challenging. Discovery by the people of Asteroth means certain death. Finn, going against all his teachings, aids in safeguarding Wren's secret. Their bond is tender, and the agony of separation is intense for him. Yet, could there be other forces at work? As enemies ready their invasion and peril looms, their allegiances face the ultimate test.

Wren starts to realize that the perceptions of light and dark magic are not as clear-cut as portrayed, witnessing the impact on Elodie firsthand.

Wren and Finn's tale captivated me, but the conclusion left me reeling, questioning all I had believed about their bond. I'm a fan of Jessica's cliffhangers, especially knowing another book is always on the horizon. I eagerly await the continuation.

The loves in this book will have you swooning!

Following Wren, Finn and Elodie right after the end of A Touch of Shadows was a blast and had me not being able to flip the pages fast enough! The story is nicely put together and the paceing is phenomal.

However- can we talk about that ending!!!

This is fantasy as it should be.

I loved book one of this series and was excited to dive into book two. I loved it even more.

This series has everything a fantasy should have - light and dark, a bottle of good against evil - although the lines between the two are beautifully blurred. The world building is great. and the characters wonderfully complex.

There are two great love stories in these books... young lovers finding their way in a confusing and dangerous world, and a love that had withstood the test of time, and the worst the world can throw at it. Both are compelling.

And talk about a cliffhanger! I need to read book three immediately or I may expire!!

All the stars - as many of them as I can find.

Wren is trying her best to fit in but she would be happy to be back in the forest with Elodie but she knows that it isn’t possible. She hopes that they can find a way to help her mother before it is too late. As Wren knows that things are about to get worse. Finn is trying to keep his distance from Wren but he is drawn to her & they both need each other. Elodie knows that she has to keep them from marking Wren Queen but she fears that she is too late. Roland will do anything to save them both. Enemies all around no one is to be trusted. Will they make it out alive? What will become of them?
Another read in the series Strong powerful characters that only add to the storyline. Can’t wait for the final book. Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for the copy. This is my voluntary review.

I absolutely loved this book! I loved getting to follow Wren, Finn and Elodie after the epic ending of A Touch of Shadows. We get more magic, more secrets, and even more betrayal in this book and I ate it up! The lost queen returns and Wren must continue to hide her magic all while hiding her relationship with Finn. The spice we do get is deliciously spicy and the tension is delightful. The villains will also surprise you. The ending was absolutely bonkers! If you are a fan of Romantasy, betrayal and forbidden love, this series is perfect.

I really enjoyed this second book in the series. It moves along the story nicely and throws in some very interesting plot twists. Some things were predictable, but others were definitely not as clear cut.

I really enjoyed the introduction of Finn's cousin. That was interesting, and I really liked her view on things and the balance between the Aurum and Nox, which is something I have thought would best serve the world from book 1.

The cliffhanger was something else though, and I desperately need to know what happens next!

I started A Kiss of Flame immediately after finishing A Touch of Shadows because I couldn’t leave it at that cliffhanger, I was totally immersed in this world.

Now Wren and Elodie are at The Royal Palace of Pelias a real political game is afoot, who can they trust?.

Wow and wow and just, this book was absolute perfection, so much happened I could hardly keep up.

Roll on next month for book 3

What a great continuation in this fantasy world. The constant struggle to decide between light and darkness that poor Wren has to endure is tested so many times. She also finally learns what she actually is. Finn is the one constant in her life and he has so much love for her. The twist at the end had me screaming and it better all work out in book 3. The magical systems of the light Aurum and of the dark, the Nox, keeps the story interesting. Read this as an ARC, will be reading book three next.

Book 2 does not disappoint. Love, suspense, plot twists, and betrayal that drives me crazy with a cliffhanger. A Kiss Of Flame was an ebook ARC, and after listening to A Touch Of Shadows on audio, I can’t wait till I can get the audiobook for book 2! If you like a well paced story and a unique magic system The Lost Queen series is for you! A fantasy with romance and spice giving mystery vibes. Great world building with glossary and chapter epigraphs. Warring kingdoms, light vs dark, hidden identity, shadow mommy. I am looking forward to getting into my ARC of book 3, A Crown Of Darkness! Thank you again NetGalley, Second Sky, and Jessica Thorne, you have a made me a fan!

I dropped into this world cold, having not read book#1 (bad Nikki)!  However I was soon at home in this world of magic, shadows and epic adventures.  I soon felt that I had traversed the world with Wren, Finn, Elodie and co.  I soon new their quirks and habits and what buttons we should NOT push!

Learning about the various courts and politicking between witches and animosity but political niceties between kingdoms.  It was like medieval Europe had come to life on the pages - just with a bit more magic added!

I really felt for Wren, she's so used to being free to do what she wants, she feels trapped in "her" castle.  But she still manages to undertake little rebellions to annoy The Maidens et al.  I did wonder how she'd react to all the royal retinue and she handled just as I thought she would, with huge disdain!

As in life nothing is completely black and white, good or evil.  You can see how both sides in this tale feel they are the good guys.  There is going to have to be a lot of compromise made to keep any kind of peace!

Spicy but not heavily so.  There are a lot of what I would call "hand clenching" Mr Darcy moments by Finn and to a certain extent Roland.  There is a big cliffhanger but the 3rd book is out soon so there won't be a huge wait to see where things go.

I didn’t think it was possible, but this book is even better than the first book! I loved Wren’s character development, and how the story continues to evolve and keeps you guessing until the end. Describing this as “an absolutely unputdownable and gripping Romantasy” is 110% correct.

Thank you Second Sky for providing me an ARC! I can’t wait for the 3rd book in this series. 🤞for a HEA.

The author did it again, oh my! These cliffhangers are killing me and I really need the 3rd book right now!
This book was a quick read, like the first one. It was suspenseful and twisted and again, unpredictable.

“They saw only a girl to be used, not a woman with a heart and mind of her own. They thought her helpless. But she was far from helpless.”

Wren is still super powerful and eventually learns to control her magic with some help of an ilanthian witch - I never thought this is possible, but I really liked Hestia, she is powerful and wise and somehow seems very trustworthy.

“‘I would leave with you in a heartbeat.’ She would if it would work. And why not? Why shouldn’t they? Just go, right now, and never look back.”

And oh I wished they would’ve ran away.. Instead Finn did something stupid I guess and it broke my heart. I’m still not sure what happened there..
Hopefully the next book will answer all my unanswered questions and be the perfect ending of this trilogy 🤞🏻

Is there anything better than a sequel that not only lives up to the first book, but is even better??

This book picks up immediately after the events of A Touch of Shadows, with Wren, Finn, Elodie and Roland all gathered together and awaiting the trial of the lost queen. Where the first book gave us a thrilling chase through the dark and enchanted forest reminiscent of the The Fellowship of the Ring, A Kiss of Flame gives us political intrigue and a richly expanding cast of characters, locations, and cultures.

Wren continues with her struggle to understand where she came from, and to find the balance of the light and dark forces within herself. As we are introduced to more of Finn’s family, devout worshippers of the embodiment of the dark side of magic, the reader gets to see that the Nox is not necessarily “evil” - and similarly, in understanding just how much it costs Elodie to be a vessel of the Aurum, that the light side of magic is not inherently “good”.

There is also an ever growing sense of much larger forces at work as the sentient magics seem to push and pull our characters towards a predetermined (if unknown) fate.

The spice level is perfectly done, adding to Wren and Finn’s growing relationship without distracting from the main plot of the book. The delicate balance of their relationship adds tension to the story, as the question of whether their attraction is real or the influence of the Nox remains uncertain. The love story between Elodie and Roland is also very well written, demonstrated in the ways they act for each other, even without any real moments of physical affection.

THAT CLIFFHANGER LEFT ME SPEECHLESS! I cannot wait for the next book to come out - I will literally be on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next!

Thanks to Netgalley, the author Jessica Thorne, and the publisher Second Sky for an advanced reader copy of this story to review.

A Kiss of Flame, by Jessica Thorne

Book 2 In the Lost Queen Series
Thank you to NetGalley, Second Sky Publishing and Jessica Thorne for the ability to read the ARC!

Possible Spoilers...

In a world we have so many series where book 2 tends to fall flat and be filler, Jessica did an AMAZING job with providing actual meat to the story!
We had SO much more world building, the plot thickens, and we get 4 POV’s.
We are able to see more of the secrets uncovered as we get further into the series.

My brain is still trying to wrap itself around that ending tho... 🤯 WUT?? PLEASE, I need book 3!!
Highlights:
“My little bird” - Okay, we have Leander AND Elodie both refer to Wren by this pet name. Did I miss an obvious reason why?? INTERESTING...

Finn:
“Lady of the Darkest night, I know you like I know my own heart”

‘Any moment with you is never wasted, Wren. I crave you like water, or air, don’t you know that? It’s so strong, it… it scares me.’

Wren asking “who did that to you?” I LOL'ed

Overall: I really enjoyed this book! The first book felt a lot like insta-love, and I was confused, but you find out it is al lot deeper than that in book 2! Rating a 4⭐️ Totally recommend!

Like when can I get the next book??
Wow, a lot of twists and turns! And oh my, this was very action-packed! I was so confused, but in a good way...
Need a little more romance, but hopefully in the next one....

A Kiss of Flame is the sequel to A Touch of Shadows. The story picks up not long after the events of book 1. Wren is forced to face a new reality, one where she questions everything about who and what she is, what is expected of her and who she can trust in her new surroundings. A Kiss of Flame was an exciting sequel which I very much enjoyed.. I look forward to book 3 - A Crown of Darkness.

Thank you to NetGalley, Second Sky and Jessica Thorne for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴛɪᴛʟᴇ: A Kiss of Flame
ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ: Jessica Thorne
ɢᴇɴʀᴇ: Fantasy
ꜱᴏᴜʀᴄᴇ: e-ARC
ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you Second Sky Books and NetGalley for the gifted review copy!

A Kiss of Flame by Jessica Thorne was the sequel to A Touch of Shadows and second installment of The Lost Queen series.

The second book was more enthralling and focuses on a lot of parts, mainly Wren and Roland. It's where all the action and adventure takes place and it's kind of refreshing and heartbreaking.

The first half of the book was kind of slow and dragged but almost towards the ending, the pacing picked up and we were left with a cliffhanger.

In this installment, we explore a lot about Wren and her origin, Aeryn and all the ballads and literature.

Elodie his so many secrets and twisted reality for the readers so many times and the revelations were unexpected and daunting. We get to see more interactions between Roland and Elodie which is never going to be enough for us readers.

I loved getting know the backstories of the characters --- especially Finnian's. It gave us more information about his family and insight to what was really going on.

Of course, there were mysteries and plots that were played by the characters but we just didn't know who was running that show.

There was immense power overload and magic. The chapter arcs were definitely my favourite part.

Can't wait for the next installment in the series!

Everyone at Knightsford has to keep what happened secret or Wren could be in trouble. Everyone was trying to keep Wren and Finn apart. Wren wanted nothing to do with being royalty and made sure everyone knew it. Wren struggles more with the Nox magic. Secrets about Wren come out that Elodie was keeping. Finn’s family comes and that adds more drama. Wren is betrayed by people she trusted.
This book was even better than the first. So many twists and turns, I never knew what would happen next.
I can’t wait to read the next book.

What a read this is! Just as I thought I had the characters sorted they flipped. This is a suspense filled intricately twisted book. Nothing is as it seems and the ending was shocking!

A rich and complex fantasy world of court politics, intrigue, betrayals, secrets, and a bit of magic. Of course, wouldn't be complete without some romance hovering about, especially somewhat forbidden! Great second installment, keep them coming.