The Last Rising (Curse of the Phoenix, #1)

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The Last Rising (Curse of the Phoenix #1)

by Rachel Firasek (Goodreads Author)

4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 · rating details · 146 ratings · 61 reviews

After paying two millennia's penance to Osiris, world-weary Phoenix Ice has had enough. Saving souls without any hope for her own redemption isn't how she imagined spending eternity. Fed up, she decides her next death will be her last. But when she sacrifices her own life for a sexy Texan in a catastrophic plane crash, she has no idea the consequences will be so great...or...more

ebook, 94 pages

Published September 6th 2011 by Entangled Publishing

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Sep 04, 2011 Dahlia (yadkny) rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Paranormal Romance Lovers

Shelves: favorites

The life of a Phoenix is never-ending and Ice has had enough. This curse of a half life may serve its purpose of rescuing souls and as penance decreed by the sun god Osiris, but Ice is tired of rising from the ashes only to start over with no memories of the people she's encountered. Instead Ice has decided to do the unexpected... refuse the call of the next soul and fight the rising. By taking back control, she will force Osiris to end it, but not before she dies and rises one last time. Howeve...more The life of a Phoenix is never-ending and Ice has had enough. This curse of a half life may serve its purpose of rescuing souls and as penance decreed by the sun god Osiris, but Ice is tired of rising from the ashes only to start over with no memories of the people she's encountered. Instead Ice has decided to do the unexpected... refuse the call of the next soul and fight the rising. By taking back control, she will force Osiris to end it, but not before she dies and rises one last time. However, there are a few lessons she must learn first before Osiris is done with her and one man who was destined to teach them.

Turner's life changed forever the day he survived a plane crash. His scars run not only skin deep, but have embedded nightmares and suppressed memories of the crash and that of a woman who now haunts his dreams. When he meets his son's kindergarten teacher, déjà vu hits in a major way. Feelings long buried resurface along with hope for a better future for him and his son. He just has to convince the mysterious beauty that she too can have it all.

Wow, has Ms. Firasek captured me with this enthralling read! Deliciously rich in emotion and character depth, Ms. Firasek enchants readers with a contemporary mix of Egyptian mythology and serendipitous romance. Completely unexpected, but in a most incredibly unique way! The story unfolds as the characters are living it with minimal detail to character histories until it becomes necessary to reveal, so the suspense level is high. The heat factor is built upon in way that inspires a generous dose of sexual tension leading to a phenomenal release. Amazing character dynamics at play as well. Love, loss, and redemption are the core human elements to this story and is one of those intense reads that only takes one sitting to finish because you won't be able to put it down. Fair warning, it will eventually end and when it does, you'll want to read it all over again. Trust me, it's even better the second time! A priority must-read for lovers of paranormal romance. (less)

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Dec 27, 2011 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-and-reviewed

Normally, I don’t review romance but Rachel’s book premise intrigued me and I found myself entering Ice and Turner’s world and experiencing their all-consuming love and passion and couldn’t put the book down once I started it.
The mythical backdrop further interested me and I like the rendering of Osiris and Isis. spiritually speaking, it was a balm to soothe my reader’s soul. Love conquers all even death in the end and that was shown in this story.
The steamy scenes were more sensual than sexual...more

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Aug 22, 2011 Katrina rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Last Rising will have you hooked line and sinker within the first few pages, a unique story Im sure one of its kind, that will have you in turmoil with the characters - have tears in your eyes, and your pages smouldering from the speed in which you devour it. A great cast of characters, crisp dialogue and a storyline and plot- different from any other.

In The Last Rising we meet Ice - yes the title fits her well, cold as Ice and has not been in love for a very long time. She meets Turner on h...more The Last Rising will have you hooked line and sinker within the first few pages, a unique story Im sure one of its kind, that will have you in turmoil with the characters - have tears in your eyes, and your pages smouldering from the speed in which you devour it. A great cast of characters, crisp dialogue and a storyline and plot- different from any other.

In The Last Rising we meet Ice - yes the title fits her well, cold as Ice and has not been in love for a very long time. She meets Turner on her latest mission if you may call it that and dies = his life is spared. Turner's lost all memory from the plane crash, but the memory of Ice is still in his thoughts, he as been told its just his imagination - a dream. Ice is then sent back to Earth to stumble upon Turner once again, is this fate or is she being punished. Ice finds herself melting away slowly, falling in love with not only Turner but his son. A heart wrenching story, that Im sure will bring tears to your eyes, gasp in dismay and have you rooting for Turner and Ice just to get it on. ** Wait till you read the freezer scene !!!Oh my now that sent chills down my spine, and had smoke wofting from my reader - it was certainly hot ** lol.**

But will Ice let down her cold exterior to let Turner melt her heart and find her last chance of love and happiness?

Rachel has created an amazing story filled with paranormal elements, and a love that wil scorch your eyelashes and make your toes curl !! Wow tis all I can say !! I read it in one sitting - I am still in awe a must read !!

The characters are unbelievable, dialgoue sharp and a smooth flowing storyline Im sure will have you hooked till the very end. Sensual and loving - tantalizing and sexy The Last Rising will not only raise your heart beat but have you in love with Turner.. Rachel has certainly created a hotty for us to swoon over !!!

Rachel portrays her characters with depth and emotion letting the reader know exactly what’s happening. Pulling you along with the romance, builds the suspense until she creates a vat that will suck you in !!

A must read to add to your list !!! I eagerly await book 2 !!

(less)

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Sep 05, 2011 Nikki Brandyberry rated it 4 of 5 stars

As my first Rachel Firasek experience, I would say this was a stunningly good winner! I absolutely adored this novella and will be singing its praises for a long time. As a novella I like to be brought up to speed on back story quickly, given characters I can grow to love in short time spans and a storyline that is engaging as well as gives closure. This novella certainly delivered. I also highly enjoyed the paranormal aspect involving the Phoenix, which has always fascinated me. Mythology as a...more As my first Rachel Firasek experience, I would say this was a stunningly good winner! I absolutely adored this novella and will be singing its praises for a long time. As a novella I like to be brought up to speed on back story quickly, given characters I can grow to love in short time spans and a storyline that is engaging as well as gives closure. This novella certainly delivered. I also highly enjoyed the paranormal aspect involving the Phoenix, which has always fascinated me. Mythology as a whole is one of my favorite reads, combined with incredibly sweet love scenes, I was hooked.

The novella centers around Ice, a Phoenix, cursed to die over and over again while saving someone else, someone who has been marked to live. Forced to do this as atonement for a past sin, something she talks to no one about, at the hands of her ex-husband, Osiris. Her last mark, Turner, survived a plane crash as he was supposed to but now Ice is back in his life again. He doesn’t remember much of the fiery crash but he knows his sons new teacher, Ms Nix, is extremely familiar. He knows how he feels when he’s around her and how much he wants her to fill the void left in his life after Brody’s mom took off. The only problem is, she wants nothing to do with him. Breaking down her resolve becomes a pursuit he can’t ignore.

Ice is harboring major guilt from the death of her family centuries before. She even turned her husband into a God in an attempt to bring him back.Now she is cursed and she longs to be finally set free. To learn whatever lesson she is supposed to and live again.Getting involved with Turner is not in her plans since eventually she will have to leave again, once Osiris finally reveals her new mark.

I enjoyed the interaction between Ice and the rest of the Phoenixs. I thought Rachel effectively set up more novellas for the future in each of them. Ice and Turner were great together with their age old cat and mouse type relationship. I chuckled when Ice resisted him time and time again knowing eventually she would have to crack. Turner chinked at her personal shield continuously along with his son Brody. Brody was just to damn cute. The innocence of his age made me long for Ice to open up her heart to this boy. He was incredibly heart by his mother leaving and the fact that Turner saw that and was trying his best to do right by the boy, made me love them both.

Mythology is a great back drop for romance. Since most people know the basics already it’s such a great place to build upon. You can take stories people already know and add twists and turns wherever you like. I’m the kind of person that when I read about mythology wondered about who they were, what did they do in between these stories the school pounded into my brain. What were they like as individuals. With each new mythology based romance I read, my thirst gets more and more pronounced. I just love them. The Last Rising gave me the Phoenix, which is one of my favorite stories. I was totally enthralled and I can’t wait till I get some more!

I will say there were times as much as I understood Ice’s withdrawal, I wanted to smack her. She kept trying to separate feelings and sex. I thought for someone to who had lived for as long as she had, would know better. I mean, theoretically she had to have seen it played out hundreds of times. Perhaps not with herself, but still, she was constantly around others. I couldn’t understand how she might have missed that. At least Turner was tenacious. He certainly needed to be.

I give The Last Rising by Rachel Firasek 4 stars (less)

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Aug 17, 2011 *Babs* rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, romance, fantasy, adventure

Ice has been living with a cold heart for such a long time. She meets Turner on a plane, which is suppose to be her last death. Something about him makes her sacrifice herself to save him. Turner is the only survivor of the crash. He forgets about Ice as was told it was his imagination. He goes on with his life to find Brodie’s teacher one hot woman. She seems so familiar, but doesn’t know why. After the crash he wants a wife and a loving mom to his son.

What a thrilling and exciting read. I coul...more

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Dec 14, 2011 Vix (TToria) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: series-first-book, adult-pnr, authors-to-watch, fave-novellas, mythology, short-and-novellas

Full review & info on http://ttoria.blogspot.com

Worth the read?

Many thanks to the author for providing me a copy for my honest review.
I'm not going to go into too much depth with the plot, it would be impossible for me to without giving too much away and i don't want to spoil it for readers.
Anyway...

I absolutely loved The Last Rising! I rarely read novellas, mainly because I like my romances to have a lengthy period of time for the two protagonists to develop their love and chemistry. And...more

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Sep 10, 2011 Natalie rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is my second book I have read by Rachel, after reading her first novel, Piper's Fury, which by the way was absolutely amazing. It was a no brainer that I would be waiting on baited breath for her second novel to come out, and I jumped at the chance to be a part of this book tour for her. Rachel is nothing short of an amazingly talented writer and tells a story like no other, her ideas, plots and characters are so different and original but also reminds me of one of my most favorite paranorm...more This is my second book I have read by Rachel, after reading her first novel, Piper's Fury, which by the way was absolutely amazing. It was a no brainer that I would be waiting on baited breath for her second novel to come out, and I jumped at the chance to be a part of this book tour for her. Rachel is nothing short of an amazingly talented writer and tells a story like no other, her ideas, plots and characters are so different and original but also reminds me of one of my most favorite paranormal writers Christina Feehan, she also spins a story like no other.

Ice is a phoenix and tired of being one, she wants out and is willing to do whatever it takes to get out. Her job as a phoenix is to save someone deemed worthy by dying over and over and over, for or in place of that person, and let me tell you it is always very painful. She has to do this as penance for mistakes made in her previous life, a life she is unwilling to talk about with anyone, even her phoenix friends, who she is in charge over helping and teaching them. Ari, Sadie and Giselle. I really enjoyed these three characters, they brought a fun spin on the story, I really hope in book 2 we get to read more of the three Goddesses.

Turner and Brodie are so lovable you just want to eat them up. Brodie is just the cutest little boy I think I've read about, there's a saying "Out of the mouth's of babes", he really made me smile a lot with what comes out of his mouth, and when reading a book on the bus, I should really learn to hide my facial expressions more, I get some pretty weird looks when I start laughing while reading or give a little gasp lol.

Ice and Turners battle with their feelings for each other is played out very well, Turner trying so hard to get Ice to commit and love him and his son, and Ice trying so hard not to commit and love both of them, is both heart warming and heart wrenching. Along with some very sensual sexy scenes keep you totally enthralled in this novella and wanting more when its ended. From page one this book totally sucked me in and held me there until the end, its a roller coaster ride of emotions you won't want to miss out on.

I don't really want to say too much more or I will give away to much of the book, and we all know how much I hate spoilers. If you like mythology, paranormal, romance and Texan men with that Texan drawl and hot as hell, this is the book for you to read. I highly recommend it and hope you will all pick up your copy. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I can't wait to see where this story takes us in the next book. This is another hot book from Rachel Firasek. (less)

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Sep 09, 2011 Crystal ♥ RBtWBC rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: request-blog-tour, request-netgalley

The Last Rising was a sensational novella from author Rachel Firasek. The story itself was based in mythology with Isis, Osiris and the phoenix which I thought added a great element to the overall story arc and really made it unique. With a fast moving plot and Firasek’s fluid writing I devoured The Last Rising in no time at all. Being only a hundred pages or so, I was surprised at how much story was packed into it and how well it was developed. It flowed like a full length novel. The romance wa...more

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Sep 14, 2011 Krystal rated it 4 of 5 stars

http://livetoread-krystal.blogspot.co...

This was a surprisingly good novel, not quite your typical romance. The author actually focuses a good deal more on the main character, Ice, and her potential redemption. Ice has been paying penance for a long, long time. She finally decides that it just isn't worth it for the rest of whatever life she has to live. She decides to sacrifice her life for what she believes will be a worthy cause. What she doesn't know, is that Turner isn't quite ready to let...more

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Sep 09, 2011 Colette rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, netgalleyarcs

This book saved me from a serious reading slump and will forever hold a special place in my heart because of it. It's one of those rare stories that captures your imagination and doesn't let go.

Ice is as tough as they come. She was burned long ago for actions and has been paying for her mistakes ever since. Her job as a Phoenix is to save people, and to do that she's never in one place very long. Moving around doesn't leave room to grow close to people, and having your memory wiped after your la...more This book saved me from a serious reading slump and will forever hold a special place in my heart because of it. It's one of those rare stories that captures your imagination and doesn't let go.

Ice is as tough as they come. She was burned long ago for actions and has been paying for her mistakes ever since. Her job as a Phoenix is to save people, and to do that she's never in one place very long. Moving around doesn't leave room to grow close to people, and having your memory wiped after your last job doesn't help either. I just loved her as a heroine~she's so tough and maybe a bit detached on the outside, but on the inside she's as vulnerable and caring as they come.

Ice is the leader of a few other Phoenixes, and she might be pissed at Osiris for putting her in this position, but she's going to do her job well, and try her best not to get attached to Turner or his son Brodie, while at the same time looking out for those who are in the same situation she is in. What I liked about the other phoenixes is that you got to know them well enough to really like them and want to see them in other books, but they didn't take over any one scene. I loved their interaction with Brodie, and I have to say that little dude stole the show. He was one of my favorite characters in the book. That's saying a lot because I normally don't like books with single parents in it, but it just worked with this storyline.

Turner was really likable and I loved how his relationship with Ice developed gradually and that his emotions after surviving the plane crash weren't ignored. He is trying his best to be a good parent to his son Brodie, but knows he has to follow his feelings about Ice. Even though she backs away from him, he doesn't give up. I just adore books where the guy does most of the fighting for the girl!

The Last Rising was just a refreshing read, and I can't wait to read more of this series. Rachael Firasek is one to watch. I'm not just saying that because I follow her on twitter either~this is one novella that I can't wait to re-read.

Barrons Hero Hotness Meter: Medium
Martini Sigh Meter: High
Rhiannon Kick Ass Heroine Meter: High
Ethan/Merit Sizzle Meter: Medium
Curran Crush Meter: Low (But I still liked Turner)
Finn Sidekick Meter: High (less)

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Oct 19, 2011 Laurie Jenkins rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, fantasy, fiction, kindle, mythology, net-galley, nor, paranormal, read-in-2011, romance, shapeshifter

4.5 Stars

This is one of those stories that hooked me quickly. While Ice often is prickly and sometimes even unlikable, she still made me ache for her, and I truly wanted her to finally get her happily ever after. Ice truly has a generous heart that she has spent several millennia locking up and blocking away after having suffered a crushing hurt.

When she saves the life of Turner Alcott, Ice begins a journey that seems to make little sense to her at the time. Naturally, she fights the cosmic forc...more

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Sep 16, 2011 Elena R a.k.a. Lunies R rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: pnr-fantasy, favorites, will-make-your-body-parts-quiver

http://samsawesomness.blogspot.com/20...

4.5 Stars

Such a sweet story! My heart is still warm and melting.

Ice is one stubborn Heroine, but not for long. Everything changes in an instant. Turner Alcott is her Hero *sighs* what a sweetie he is. It's hard not to adore him. A man who wants nothing more in his life but to be happy, settle down with a wife that can also raise his child as her own. Hard to find men like him nowadays. *googly eyes*

There was just so much romance, love, tears and hurtful m...more

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Dec 01, 2011 Read2review rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-for-read-2-review

** For the full review please check out www.read2review.com **

I love Rachel’s incredible style. She has a unique power of writing so that each story she has written brings you into it. On a personal note, I love the way Rachel is as a person! She is great to work with and I also love the fact that she puts her feelings and thoughts into the stories that she writes.

The Last Rising is the first in a new series that Rachel is working on. In the first week we are introduced to Ice, a phoenix, and Tu...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, magic-paranormalcy-romance-vampi

Rachel Firasek weaves Greek mythology and romance into a tale not to be missed! A businessman on a trip is spared from death by a woman he had just met. Then... his son's new teacher enters his life. In a dejavue moment, she resurrects memories of the mysterious woman who still haunts his memories. This story is the tale of these two star-crossed lovers... a goddess and a mortal. Can their relationship survive their pasts? This is another winner by Rachel...

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Sep 13, 2011 Lynn Rush rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great job, Rachel Firasek, for The Last Rising. Intense from word one. I really liked ICE as a character. Tough yet vulnerable. The name is fitting, you know? Start out really cold and hard....then as it warms... And it DOES get hot **fans self*

VERY nice job taking me through the journey. It's a quick, yet intense read, and I enjoyed it a lot!

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Mar 01, 2012 Ashley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, arc, paranormal, for-review

The Last Rising follows the story of Ice, a phoenix. In this world, a phoenix takes the place of someone who is about to die, and essentially 'saves their soul'. Ice, (who bears this burden because she used to be the Egyptian goddess Isis) saves the life of a man on a plane. The lone survivor of the plane crash. And then regenerates herself (as phoenix(es?)) are want to do. But that's not the last she has seen of him...

I really enjoyed this story. Having never read a phoenix book, I really enjoy...more

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Jan 28, 2012 Katy rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars - This was a cute contemporary romance with a hint of a mythological twist. I thought the concept was really interesting, and it was intriguing how the story progresses.

I'm a sucker for single dads with little kids, and the story with Brodie is very touching. I liked how Ice was so reluctant to be trapped by Turner and Brodie but how they found their ways into her heart.

My only complaint was about the attraction. It seemed like Firasek focused way to much on the sexual attraction. I me...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Arlena rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 4-stars, fantasy, paranormal, romance

Author: Rachel Firasek
Published By: Entangled Publishing
Age Recommend: Adult (Language)
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Raven Rating: 4
Blog Review For: GMTA

Review:

"The Last Rising" by Rachel Firasek was a wild ride but a good one. I really liked the way the author was able to grab you and pull one into a unique story of the life of Phoenix Ice. I found the book was really a page turner... you will find it hard to put down until you are finished.

The beginning of this story Ice is with a man on a airplan...more

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Jan 12, 2012 Joey Butcher rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Last Rising begins on an airplane that leads to a fiery crash where both Ice and Turner are on board. So sick and tired of Osiris’ “game”, Ice is wearing thin and giving up on hope as she takes her last breath (again). When her next mission brings her right back into Turner’s life, she finds herself feeling confused with feelings she forgot were even possible. This story fluctuates from Ice’s point of view back to that of Turner’s, each exploring and revealing every thought, feeling and hesi...more

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Jan 23, 2012 Tiffany Allee rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am rarely inspired to review books beyond a simple star rating, but I found myself compelled to share my feelings about this story. But forgive me if this comes across as a little amateurishly written—writing coherent reviews is tough! ☺

This novella starts off fun—and hot. And then it leads into a very heart-pumping bit of action that reveals who the heroine is, and what she does. It took me a little bit to figure out what was going on, but I didn't mind the journey at all.

The Phoenix Ice is...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Cherie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Rachel Firasek’s THE LAST RISING sizzles in this new take on Egyptian mythology mixed with the modern day.

Once a goddess, now a phoenix, Ice must pay penance and hope for a chance for redemption. Yet she’s decided she has had enough of Osiris’s games. Yet when she saves Turner Alcott’s life, she may have to rethink her chances at redemption. Turner is arrogant, annoying, but she can’t stand to be away from him or his son Brodie. Ice must decide if Turner is her redemption or her newest curse.

The...more

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Dec 20, 2011 Chrystal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 50-book-challenge-2011, romance

This story sucked me in right away. The novella centers around the idea that as a phoenix, Ice is destined to serve her penance by savings others and dying in their place. Two thousand years later and she is still serving her time - hoping to one day be freed from this life filled with so much death.

She likes to keep her distance, never getting attached to the people she is sent to save. No memories, Ice. No conversations. She goes through so much turmoil when it comes to letting herself fall i...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Erin Dameron-Hill rated it 3 of 5 stars

What do you get when you mix Egyptian Mythology, a Texan, and a kid? Give up? A wildly unique story, that's what! But no matter the players, this story is as old as time. It's the classic premise of man wants woman, woman wants man, but something evil stands between them. How will they ever find each other in the dark?

Ice is a no-nonsense type of gal who just so happens to be a few thousand years old. During her stint among humans, though, she hasn't really learned the lesson that Osiris wanted...more

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Dec 15, 2011 Vicky rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a story that grabbed me at the beginning and didn’t let go. It is a steamy short story about Isis and Osiris, a unique take on old gods. In this one, Isis is known as Ice—ironic since she is also a phoenix and doomed to a fiery death.

Ice has spent centuries under the control of Osiris, attempting to atone for a wrong she committed that led to the death of their son, Horus. To teach her a lesson, Osiris sends her to Earth to redeem the soul of one person. Over and over again, Ice dies a...more

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Oct 02, 2011 Tracy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, arc, netgalley

~* 3.5 Stars *~
The Last Rises Nicely
She lives. She dies. She rises. She lives again. Such is the fate of Ice - once known as Isis, former Egyptian goddess and wife of Osiris, cursed to walk the earth until the mortal she's been charged with saving is in peril. Ice saves them in one-at-a-time increments by dying in their place, only to rise from her own ashes like the fiery phoenix she is and return to her realm to cross once more through the portal - an excruciating process in its own right - a...more

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Sep 12, 2011 Tania rated it 3 of 5 stars

I selected The Last Rising from netgalley to review because I thought that egyptian mythology in a modern setting would be an interesting read. And it was, but whilst I enjoyed this book but there were a few things that made it not receive a good enough rating go up on the Wandering Hues blog:

I enjoyed Ice's character but never really warmed to Turner. Which I should have. He's a single dad trying to juggle his career with raising his son. Or perhaps its because I never really brought the idea o...more

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Feb 29, 2012 MoonGlitter rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-reviewed-for-blog, kindle, read-in-2011

The last rising is book #1 in a new series written by Rachel Firasek. It's a quick read, just over 100 pages. But it sure does pack a punch!!

It took me a little while to warm up to Ice. She is cold and more then a little stand off-ish. Don't get me wrong. She has a very good reason for keeping people at an arms length. It wasn't too long before I began to feel a connection to with her and sympothize with her plight. Ice is a Phoenix. It is her job to save souls. When she does this, she dies in p...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Jess the Romanceaholic rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-read, paranormal-romance, plane-crash, gods-and-goddesses, child-or-children-play-a-big-part, major-character-death, major-illness-or-injury, short-story-or-novella, netgalley, steam-level-steamy

This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.

Expected Release Date: September 6, 2011 (Available Now)
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Imprint: N/A
Author’s Website: http://www.rachelfirasek.com/
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 1, Curse of the Phoenix
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Steamy

Ice is a Phoenix — a soul serving penance by sacrificing her life over and over to save other souls. Having spent 2000 years dying only to pai...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Nimue rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, romance, urban-fantasy, mythology, 2011

I picked this book up because of the egyptian mythology background theme, which is quite unusual. And the idea was indeed intriguing though the author only sparingly departs with more information throughout the story. That's on of the things I wasn't so happy with. First of all this book is a love story. A guy falls in love with his son's teacher. This teacher is an ancient egyptian goddess forced to save the life of some special humans. She doesn't ever get involved with anyone. Especially with...more

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Feb 06, 2012 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Last Rising grabbed me from the very first chapter and pulled me into a unique story that I really didn’t understand at first but as each paragraph and chapter unfolded pulled me deeper into the heartbreaking and frustrating life of Phoenix Ice. I just could not put this book down. I had to know how Ice’s situation was going to turn out. The opening of this book she is face with a man on an airplane when she knows it is going to crash and he will be the only survivor. She dies over and over...more The Last Rising grabbed me from the very first chapter and pulled me into a unique story that I really didn’t understand at first but as each paragraph and chapter unfolded pulled me deeper into the heartbreaking and frustrating life of Phoenix Ice. I just could not put this book down. I had to know how Ice’s situation was going to turn out. The opening of this book she is face with a man on an airplane when she knows it is going to crash and he will be the only survivor. She dies over and over again saving the souls and yet unable to save her own. Ice is completely done with this and decides that her next death will be her last and beings to take steps to prepare the other women who travel with her. In Ice’s next assignment, she is to be a school teacher, something that she know she will have very little patience for. But she is stunned when she meets the father, Turner, of a young student Brodie, and he seems so familiar. He feels the same way about her. Ice is forced to try to keep her distance from Turner because she just wants him too much and knows she can’t have this. But can these two stay apart is the real question.

Rachel Firasek does an outstanding job with character building for all of the characters in her stories not just the main characters. I felt like each character from Brodie down to Grey and Sadie, all had their own story that intermingled in with the main story line of Ice and Turner and their ups and downs. Not only do the character stand up but the locations of the story as well everything from the homes to the workplaces and the plane crash for sure. They are well defined but for me personally I like to know the names of places and things like that so that would have made me enjoy this book even more.

The other thing that was a huge plus for me in The Last Rising was the heat factor. There chapters that were just sizzling. Nothing that was over the top or just too much but a honest situation for two people who should be together and are having trouble letting go what what they think they should do and what they want to do. Also, a reason why it was so hard to put it down not to mention all of the drama with Ice’s internal debates with herself.

I am excited to know that this is only one of three books in this series. I am forward to finding out what is next in store from this series.(less)

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About Rachel Firasek

Rachel’s writing career began at the impressionable age of twelve with a poem dedicated to the soldiers of Desert Storm. A dark macabre affair that earned her a publication in an anthology and many raised eyebrows from family and friends, she hid her poetry and artistic style for years…

Tucked away in the heart of Central Texas, with the loving support of her husband and three children, she dusted...more

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Books by Rachel Firasek

The Last Awakening (Curse of the Phoenix, #2)

The Last Beginning (Curse of the Phoenix, #3)

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“Lesson Number One in controlling a man: find his weakness. Every man had one.” — 12 people liked it

“Hey, did you--"
"Read your mind?" Osiris shrugged. "It's like an open book full of blank pages. Wasn't very hard.” — 4 people liked it

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The Last Rising (Curse of the Phoenix #1)

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