Me and romance novels, not the best of friends. They're just not my thing. With that said, this book totally tricked me into reading it, what with the promise of magic found in the darkest parts of London.

Exhibit A - taken from the back of the book itself: "Miranda Ellis is a woman tormented. Plagued since birth by a strange and powerful gift, she has spent her entire life struggling to control her exceptional abilities."

Exhibit B: "Lord Benjamin Archer is no ordinary man. When Archer is accused of a series of gruesome murders, he gives in to the beastly nature he has fought so hard to hide from the world. Now, to save his soul, Miranda will enter a world of dark magic and darker intrigue. For only she can see the man hiding behind the mask."

Dark magic? Huh? Unfortunately, the paranormal elements were scarce at best. However, magic or no magic, I enjoyed this novel. Color me surprised. Hooked, I eagerly flipped the pages. (Truth be told, it was mostly due to the fact that I was sure "dark magic" would Apparate at any moment.) The characters were great. Intrigue, check. Victorian period as a setting, not too shabby. Fantastic writing. The heroine was kick-ass. Mask or mask-less, Lord Archer was sexy and manly and chivalrous and . . . I'll have one of him please. I adored the Beauty & the Beast/Phantom of the Opera elements. I adored the relationship with Miranda and her sisters and their bantering and bonding and whatnot; I'd love to delve deeper into that familial relationship. Book two, perhaps? And can Kristen Callihan write a sex scene or what? The romance was hot and steamy. Holy moly!

So, again, if you're like me and are a-okay with romance as long as fantasy takes center stage, just know that that is so not the case within Firelight. In fact, my library catalogued this novel as Historical Romance. Can't put anything past them. Obviously the book's "liar, liar pants on fire" approach worked for yours truly, a self-proclaimed disliker of strictly romance novels. Its web of lies has trapped me, but I'm not struggling to escape its clutches for I'll definitely be continuing on with this series. And hopefully, hopefully book two will kick up the paranormal elements a notch or two or three. Fingers are crossed.