Obsidian Flame [Mass Market Paperback]

Obsidian Flame is the 5th installment of the Guardians of Ascension and is is the best one yet! It follows the leader of the Guardians, Warrior Thorne, and his breh, the feisty Marguerite. Marguerite has been locked away for 100 years, with nightly visits from Thorne her anchor to life. She is set free, and runs to be free of everything....being the 2nd of the powerful flame triad that will help Endelle and the Warriors in the war against Greaves, and most especially Thorne. While she loves Thorne, she loves her freedom more. Without giving to much away, we get to see her and Thorne's journey and the trials they face as they, well she, fight the Breh. We also get more story of Leto and my heart has broken for him. I can't wait to read more and the next installment cannot come soon enough!

I really get tired of saying this.. but Caris Roane has done it again!! Obsidian Flame the 5th full book in her Ascension series completely and totally ROCKS!! This book could easily have lost itself in the dynamics of Thorne and Marguerite but instead Ms Roane crafts a dynamic tale of the choices of love. It is an amazing dance of delicious delight.

Thorne, the leader of the Warriors of the Blood for over Two Thousand Years, dedicated to saving the world and the lives of his men. A true second in command to Endelle.. so close they share a mind link. Strong, loyal, determined and suddenly he walks away to follow his Breh-Hedden. He manages to block Endelle and begins a journey that I think surprised even him. For a hundred years he has lied to his Warriors, Friends and even Endelle telling them that he was celibate and yet had found release and comfort in his sister's cellmate at the convent. Knowing he could go to her every morning after every battle has kept him sane. When she is finally freed and chooses a life of "freedom" on Mortal Earth Thorne all but looses it. Leaving it all behind he follows her trying desperately not to destroy the humans she chooses to interact with. As he observes her he discovers new powers that allow him a degree of sneakiness and the ability to keep sane.

Marguerite, the second member of the Obsidian Flame triad.. she is the strongest seer in Second Earth and she wants no part of it. After a horrid childhood, followed by 100 years of forced service in the convent all she wants is to be free!! She has strong urges and honestly wants to boink every man she can find. As she begins her journey she finds that while the body is willing the spirit, her heart, is not.. she dreams of Thorne even when she hunts and tracks other men. She has no want to accept the Breh-Hedden, she doesn't want to use her SEER powers.. She wants to be left alone.. She wants her time to grow, to discover, to for lack of better terms find herself. And yet... she is the Red Flame of the Obsidian Flame Triad, she is the strongest Seer on Second Earth and she is the Breh-Hedden to the leader of the Warriors.. As much as she tries she can not escape those facts.

Thorne and Marguerite dance a different dance than the other Breh's they have been lovers for a century and while she was restrained by her ankle bracelets, they were never aware of the Breh-Hedden bond. When it hit them, it hit them hard! Their choices are more about a couple that has been together for a while and find they want different things. How do they resolve their issues? It seems as much as she tries Marguerite can not escape who she is and when the time comes, she chooses to use her sight to help others. To be there for the ones who were there for her. To help those who need her strength. Together Thorne and Marguerite discover hidden sanctuaries of Seers. compounds dedicated for millennia to protect seers from the lack of rights given them on Second Earth. Besides having to decide whether or not she wants to accept her Breh, she must decide how she can help the hidden compounds and if she even wants to. Marguerite is forced, as so many of us are, to grow up. To realize that she was given gifts for a reason. She can either accept them, use them and flourish or she can deny them.

Thorne, amazes me.. He is this rock, this steady, sure source of strength. He knows he wants and loves Marguerite, he knows he will probably completely loose it if she leaves and yet.. he accepts her. For who and what she is. Oh sure he uses his whiles to convince her to see it his way but he knows in the end the decisions is hers. It's fun to watch Marguerite realize just what she has been given and how others see him. We also get an excellent look into Thorne's relationship with Endelle.. how much he is the Rock in that relationship as well. That she needs him as much if not more than he needs her. That without him she has no one.. Endelle, too has to grow up in some ways. She has to remember that relationships are not built on mind links.. rather the day to day being there for each other.. I cried with Endelle this time around.. She was so very lost when Thorne went to find Marguerite and left the Warriors to sorta kinda fend for themselves.

Leto, shows himself in this book as well.. oh my poor Leto.. his story is heartbreaking. I can not wait to see what Caris has in store for him. although I have a sneaking suspicion it's not exactly what we think it is going to be.. Or if it is, then there is something more to it. Leto's book promises to bring more gut wrenching tears... I love the way Caris, enter twines her next book into the current one so we think we know what is going to happen.. There are so many dangling strings.. are they red herrings or important links?

The battle with the psycho little peach continues and Thorne discovers a new way to combat him.. I Know there is just so much packed into this little book.. layer after layer after layer.. This book, this series is a MUST read!

Shauni

When we first meet Marguerite in previous books she is not a likable character, and I must admit I entered this book with doubts as to whether I would ever like her. Marguerite has had a terrible past, where she was unable to make any decisions for herself with the exception of loving Thorne. She was desperate to get out of her captivity, and part of that translated into the psychological need to indulge or overindulge in sex. It was he only way to stand against her status quo. When she finally gets her freedom, very much like when teenagers finally leave the home, she goes a little nuts. She finds out that she has a great responsibility being one of the three flames that are supposed to help the good guys win in the battle against evil and resents that she is once more left with apparently no options. She runs away from everything, even Thorne. Marguerite tries to figure out who she is, only to realize that some of what she left behind is exactly what she needs and wants, particularly Thorne. Marguerite is a strong character, but she needed the experience of temporary freedom and insanity to grow into her potential. I don't think she would have been a good mate for Thorne if she had not gone through that path. That does not mean that I enjoyed reading about it much. As a reader who has a degree of emotional investment in the character of Thorne, Marguerite just came off as ungrateful and immature. Then again, that is the whole point. She needed to mature. She gets better as the book progresses, but it is frustrating for readers initially. I can say that she is still not my favorite of the Brehs, but I do not dislike her quite as much now, and I am happy that Thorne got his happily ever after mate. He needed her desperately and can now be a little less self destructive and more at peace with the worlds.

Leto grabbed my attention from the start and is now at the top of my list when it comes to characters who stories I want told (right up there with Vengeance of the New Species series). His situation is BAD. His story is simply heartbreaking. The man became a covert agent for the good guys by supposedly defecting to the bad guys under the orders of a higher good guy who never told anyone else what was happening. In order to join the bad guy ranks he was forced into an addiction he never wanted, and is now seemingly trapped in his situation. While the good guys are starting to realize what happened with him, he has been alone in his mission for too long. I cannot wait for him to get out of it and find the emotional support he needs whenever he finds his Breh and is able to bond with her. His book is very highly anticipated.

This series is complicated and dramatic and action packed and basically very entertaining to read. People who like darker paranormal romance should definitely give it a try, although I do recommend starting from the beginning since the overall story arc may get a bit confusing if you start in the middle.