Master of Smoke [Mass Market Paperback]

Holy smokes, this book kept me on the edge of my seat and it was so exciting to read that I couldn't put it down!

First off, Ms. Knight is a riot. I found so many reasons to grin during this very thrilling book due to her quips from Monty Python. The author threw in other references to pop culture that totally livened up and made the heroine a blast to read about and easier to relate to. I mean Eva's sense of humor even when the chips were down had me liking her as a person and I would feel confident if such a person were in my corner when life's hard knocks sounded on my door.

The relationship between Eva and Smoke/David/Cat was simply fabulous. When Eva made the quip about Stargate, it was exactly what crossed my mind and I thought that was so cool. I snickered about the part where stress sent her into the kitchen. I giggled when Cat turned cat and the resulting dialogue from Eva had me smiling from the cleverness of it all. I enjoyed the family relationship that Eva had with her parents and I laughed out loud any time her father's geekiness peppered the story. It was so positive and upbeat even when things are spiraling out of control into nastiness.

David is a delightfully complicated man or whatever he is. A reader gets the real lowdown of what he sort of is and I was utterly fascinated. Despite his power and abilities, he needs love just like anyone else and it's that spark of vulnerability that made his character relatable and oh, so easy to like. He's no slouch in the bedroom, or on the beach or anywhere else he could have Eva. In fact, this is a very well balanced story between sheet action and just plain old suspense and adventure with plenty of intriguing plot to satisfy the seekers of meaty romantic suspense.

Another thing I liked about Master of Smoke was the repeat characters, like Arthur and Gwen. I also liked the sub-story between Belle and Tristan. I just know that Ms. Knight is setting them up for something but as to what, I can't wait to find out. As it is, they played a substantial supporting role in assisting Eva and David and it was riveting. There is even another sub-plot that is being set up in this book for a future adventure but I can't even begin to guess who will be the unlucky vampire to get stuck with that challenge. It's going to be a doozy.

As for the villains, there is one main one with his underlings doing horrid things because they're just as demented as he is, though not as powerful. Warlock is a convincing villain and a powerful one. The battle was gripping and well written because I could visualize it in my head. I'd love to see that on T.V. I bet the effects would be awesome. All the bad guys deserve no mercy and readers will totally agree once they read this book.

There are amazing twists and exciting turns in this tale that makes Master of Smoke one of the best books in the Mageverse series to date. This book satisfied me on so many levels and it made the romance reader in me extremely happy. I'm so glad Smoke finally got his happily ever after.
It's been a wild and furry ride and I can't wait until the next book.

Ms. Knight has done it again; readers of this series are going to be so happy because Master of Smoke has everything that they've come to expect from this talented author, plus more. I had such a good time reading this, I hated for it to end. More please.

Originally posted at The Long and Short of It Romance Reviews

Master of Smoke by Angela Knight
Paranormal Romance- Jan. 4th, 2011
4 stars

Fans who enjoy the Mageverse series will want to read this newest installment. It reveals a lot about Smoke's history.

In this story Smoke, a being of tremendous power, is being attacked by an evil shifter named Warlock. Warlock wants to strip Smoke of his powers and use them to create his own `new' world.

Eva was recently turned a werewolf. With her super strength, she now has a bit of a super hero complex. When she sees a man in danger, she is prepared to help but he saves himself before she can transform. Eva rescues him but soon discovers the gorgeous man has no memory of his past and names him David. Eva and David have a passionate attraction but David's pursuer wants him back. Fortunately, David is able to fight him back and regain part of his memory, but it transforms him into another person! They discover that David is a being named Smoke, who has untold power and he carries multiple personalities. But will Smoke's memories return before it is too late?

The chemistry between David and Eva is scorching. The 1st part of the book had me tearing through the pages. However, David's multiple personalities, while it added more complexity, made the flow of the book a bit disjointed. I enjoyed David's personality the best and my favorite scenes were when he and Eva are together. When David was a different person, my interest waned. I particularly liked Eva's courageous spirit and her need to help people. Because she is such a strong character, I am glad that she has a partner who could match her. I wish more time had been spent on David and Eva's relationship and less on the paranormal intrigue.

Master of Smoke is a solid romance with 2 sexy main characters. However, the multiple personalities of the hero distracted from the storyline.

Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club

Having read all the books in the Mageverse series, I can honestly say, this one was my favorite...Angela Knight created truly interesting characters, lots of action, and an very good plot...I loved Smoke and his multiple personalities..We finally learned his history and the true extent of his power..I enjoyed Eva too, she had a very good sense of humor, was likable, and learned to love all of Smokes separate entities...The supporting characters were also very good, with Belle and Tristan and their bantering, poor Miranda, who I didnt really like in the beginning, but when we learned more about her, she became someone who you could sympathize with and admire, and also all the other characters in Avalon, including Arthur...The story flowed nicely, with just enough humor to go along with the seriousness of the story...Warlock is a scary opponent!..Since the plot is continuing, you really need to read the previous books in order to not get lost....I highly recommend this book and look forward to the next one in the series!

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