“What’s happening to me?” I breathed out as I shivered in want. “You’re going into heat,” Elijah whispered, his eyes shining liquid blue, his face twisting with restraint. “The mating call is in my blood, too. My control is slipping.” His words didn’t make sense, but it no longer mattered. Lust burned through me like wildfire. In its wake, nothing could survive, except my savage need for this … savage need for this archangel.
I must take him raw and hard until he couldn’t take it, and then I’d still have him, marking him as mine over and over. He’d beg and scream, but I still wouldn’t stop…
Escaping hell is nothing compared to the mating fever. One just feels a lot better.
My name is Calamity.
My past is dust and my future is a life to fight to the death in hell. I never expected this to change, but then three smoking-hot warriors–a primordial vampire, a fae prince, and a Sváva archangel–arrive in my wrecked world, claiming I’m the lost queen and their fated mate.
They come to return me to the great Atlantis to claim my stolen birthright, despite the fact that no one has ever escaped the Underworld.
I don’t trust anyone, but I can’t deny the terrifying power awakening inside me any more than I can deny my fatal attraction to the immortal males who fight with me.
This is a full-length reverse harem fantasy romance that features one hell of a warrior queen and her four fated powerful mates. It contains battles, explicit love scenes, curses, magic, dark fae, vampires, shifters, fallen angels, and a lot of demon assholes.
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*** No Spoilers ***
Very interesting! Meg has made a storyline that is unique and captivating. The characters and environment development are spectacular. Calamity is the female main character. She is a strong, fiery, extraordinary woman. There are 3 men that help Calamity. Ash is a fae shifter and very competitive. Max is half-time vampire and half-archangel. Max is merciless and protective. Elijah is full archangel and is cold and cunning. With the whole underworld after her, Calamity needs as much help as she can get.
I highly recommend this book/series. Looking forward to book 2!
*** I have Kindle Unlimited, and I used that service to read this book. ***
With a name like Calamity you would think she would be a walking disaster, but you’d be wrong. She is strong, fierce, determined, true, loyal, daring, generous, and a warrior woman. She fights for who and what she believes in from the very beginning and doesn’t let her fear hold her back. This is a personality trait I have come to appreciate in all of Meg’s books. Her female characters aren’t the typical damsel in distress, but they do like to be rescued if it’s convenient for them. I love the change from wanting to be saved by the men to wanting to kick them in the teeth. It’s such a realistic contradiction.
Then you have the men…While there are four mates for Calamity, you really only get know two of them very well in this one, Ash and Max. The other two, Elijah plays a small yet very sexy part, and Merlin is mostly mentioned in passing. One thing I have to say about these men is that they are all very different. They each have different ideas on how to treat Calamity, and they have different nicknames for her. I really appreciate this because it makes it easier for me to keep them separate while reading the story. I also appreciate that they are all different types of mythical/supes with unique abilities. The interactions between them are a beautiful blend of sexy, funny, and sweet, with plenty of heat. And while Calamity feels that she can trust them, and she is drawn to them on an elemental level, she doesn’t shy away from standing up to them.
I am always down to read a steamy RH story, but Ms. Xuemei X delivers so much more than that. The steamy scenes just add to the exciting adventure her characters are on. There is beautiful world building, lots of battles against the evil ones, and complex characters that have tiny quirks that make them endearing and believable. Those are the things that keep me coming back for more and leave me sad when I reach the end of the book. I already know that this is going to become another series that I will read over and over again.
Gotta love a strong capable female warrior as the main character! Did feel like there were multiple aspects of the story that were left without explanation. But if you’re reading for the sexy times, you will not be disappointed!
The Burn of the Underworld (Of Shadows and Fire, Book 1) by Meg Xuemei X and narrated by Gwendolyn Druyor is a good story with decent narration. Recommend if you’re looking for a supernatural reverse harem. 4 stars all around.
Calamity is a female slave in the Underworld and has been concealing her identity since she was a child in order to avoid forced work into the brothel. Her brother is supposed to fight in the pits, but he is sick and she volunteers to take his place. During a fight it is revealed she is a female. From there, the story picks up and doesn’t let up. There are twists and turns that help make it stand out. I’m going to leave it at that due to spoilers. The focus is either on the story or on the sex and while it feels a tad disjointed, it’s still worth the listen. Initially I thought I wouldn’t make it through (it’s a bit slow to boot), but once it got going, I wanted to learn more and didn’t want to put the book down. The MC is turning out to be a strong female lead.
The narrator, Gwendolyn Druyor, is a decent narrator. Pace is good, emotions good. My only complaint is a couple of the voices, but maybe you’ll feel different.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and will be checking out the second book in the series.
Parental guidance/trigger warnings: The story takes place in the Underworld and it’s a reverse harem. Women are treated as sex slaves, anything goes, death, weapons, violence, sex (pretty graphically detailed), and other like things occur.
*I was given a free review copy of the audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Thank you for allowing me to listen and review the book!
I enjoyed ‘Of Shadows and Fire’ it was a very original premise, but I felt like it was rushed in places, that maybe the story should have been spread over more than a 2 book series. I really liked that Calamity kicked butt in the arena! I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book!
Such a fun listen! A reverse harem with so many magical characters and the drama of a hidden queen making her way to finding out who she really is… what more can you ask for. The narration of this book was done beautifully. I am excited to see where this goes in the future.
Great Fantasy Read
Fierce heroine, underworld monsters, fated mates, danger all around and a Destiny to fulfill. Whew! What’s a girl to do?!? Ha! Oh yeah, and some hot lovin! Enjoy!
Another amazing story by Meg Xuemei. I loved this story and how it tied into the others. It is beautifully written with beautifully developed characters. It is action packed from beginning to end. It is gripping and like a aphrodisiac to my soul. You can picture each scene wuth the amazing descriptions. Calamity with Max, Ash, and Elijah have a chemistry that doesn’t stop. It is felt throughout the story. This is most definitely worth reading and doesn’t disappoint.