I’d thought running from the Council would keep my family safe. Instead, it has exposed new dangers—undercurrents I never knew existed.
With Joshua left behind enemy lines and threats emerging from all sides, I have to do all I can to protect my mates and bring my newfound family together again.
As Damien, Theo, Ryder, Hiro, Killian, and I work to find our place among the rebellion and face the Council, I can’t escape the feeling that something else is coming for us in the dark, Alaskan winter.
Secrets and conflicting beliefs may just crumble what we’ve worked so hard to build, but I won’t lose a war that hasn’t even started yet. Especially not before I’ve been able to claim the six men that were always meant to be mine.
But fate is a fickle beast, serving up more than any one person should have to handle.
In the end, will we be broken by the new lives we are trying to create, or will we be Changed by Fire?
*Warning this book contains scenes and references of abuse that some readers may find triggering. This book also contains some m/m themes.*
With our core crew finally teaming up with the rebellion, I had high hopes for this book. I expected for the rebellion to you know..... actually do some rebel shit. However, that couldn't be further from the case. Between petty in-fighting, heavy and sad bonding moments, plus a lot of sex... nothing seemed to happen. At least not until we got to the end.
While the end was devastatingly action packed and emotional, it was also very predictable.
I should have known mentioning the last book ending in a bad place only jinxed me on this one. Heck I'm not even sure exactly what happened as it concluded. And boy this one was a doozy, so many deaths, almost deaths and close calls/resurrections. Nyx and her guys may have joined the rebellion but as high level shifters they are still regarded with fear. It's annoying to see so many people blatantly treat them disrespectfully and all the little squabbles only worked to sow the enemies seeds. The only good news is we are down another council member so there should only be the one or is it two left?!?! Evil characters are starting to blur here with so many names and faces. Still really enjoying this via audio but I am prepped and ready for a decent finale now.
I had high hopes for this book. I expected more about the rebellion. But alas. No major rebel stuff. As always these ladies work extremely well together and I really enjoy the world they have created together. Their writing is amazing and they co-write flawlessly. Unlike some other Co-Authors, i couldn’t tell which scene was written by whom and it flowed together really well. The storyline, characters and dialogue were amazingly consistent.
The ending wasn’t too surprising. I can’t wait for the final installment and see the council burning in the flames of the Phoenix! Maybe book 6 will end with a little phoenix?
Note: This book contains the sentence " I didn’t know where he ended and I began." :(
I really, really thought this series was finished.... and it’s close! But there is one more book, due out soon! My heart is hurting a bit now that I’ve seen that, but distinctly it won’t hurt for long. That cliffhanger... ouch. I was wondering, but that was NOT the way I thought that would go!
Most of this book could have been edited out. The ending was great but it was a struggle. I do like bonding moments they had together. A lot of the contents were there for no reason except to make the story longer. I saw reviews about how the ending could have been in the next book but the ending picked up hence the 2 stars. I feel like this book has so much potential. It’s an amazing world with complex characters but so much more can be done. It was disappointing. However I already got this far so definitely going to read the next one to see where it ends. I made it this far. The ending wasn’t too surprising I suspected the moment he was introduced in the earlier books.
Changed by Fire (Phoenix Rising Book 6) Kindle Edition
by Harper Wylde (Author), Quinn Arthurs (Author)
I borrowed this book via the Kindle Unlimited program. I am choosing to leave a fair an honest review.
We join Nix and her mates as she is training to fight with the revolution. But not all of her mates are there. Joshua is trying to feed information from the Council. There are several training sessions and a couple of really well done battle scenes, but most of the story is built around the fluffle growing their relationships and sexual encounters. This includes the thruple of Ryder, Hiro, and Nix finally accepting who they are to each other.
The narration duty is traded among the seven of them. Ms. Wylde and Ms. Arthurs do a wonderful job refining the voices we have become so familiar with – whether it be Killian's perpetual snarliness to Theo's logic.
The multiple love scenes were handled adeptly, including the BDSM component. Both authors keep to the truth of a BDSM relationship, the Dom/Domme is there for the sub, not the other way around. And in all the various scenarios, consent is giving and checked.
Much like the five previous novels, this book is about family, both the ones we are born into and the ones we make. Nix's family, her six mates and her friends sustain her as her connection to them sustains them
The battle scenes have a Marvel Movie feel to them, which is a compliment. While not Infinity War level, yet, this is definitely Capt America: Civil War as different groups clash with each other. These battles are clearly leading to a big boss fight in the future.
This book ticks all the boxes of Nix's Fans. Well done, you.
~REVIEW🖋~ The Quick and Dirty: Joshua is undercover with the Council while Nix and the rest of her men train for the war against the Council. The group loses someone very close to them and a massive truth bomb is dropped on Nix that could change everything.
I loved reconnecting with Nix and the guys and seeing how their relationship had grown. And um, that scene together? 🔥🔥🔥🔥 I also really enjoyed that we got to delve into some of the ancillary characters like Ciaran, Rini and Molly. My one critique was that the part at which they decide to share with each other felt long and like a therapy session; almost like a means by which to tell the reader these long held secrets without having to show it organically. Otherwise, it was a fun read and I can’t wait to see how the finale turns out especially after that final bomb was dropped at the end! 😱
~QD STORY DETAILS~ Genre: Fantasy, PNR, Fantasy, Reverse Harem Location: Alaska MC age range: mid-20s Lead:Nix (Phoenix shifter) Love interest(s): RH - Killian (Puca aka Bunny shifter), Theo (Kraken shifter), Ryder (Ceraptor aka Unicorn shifter), Hiro (Kitsune aka fox w/ 9 tails shifter), Damien (Gargoyle shifter), Joshua (Basilisk shifter) Tear jerker: No HEA: Cliffhanger
~QD BOOK INFO~ Kindle Unlimited: Yes Paperback page count: 475 pages Publisher: Self published Audible: No Series: The Phoenix Rising Series 1. Born of Embers -- released 01/31/18 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 2. Hidden in Smoke -- released 03/31/18 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3. Spark of Intent -- released 08/28/18 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4. Forged in Flames -- released 05/30/19 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 5. Blaze of Wrath -- released 08/15/19 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 6. Changed by Fire -- released 07/16/20 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 7. Beauty in Ashes -- releasing 09/24/20
Not the most action/plot filled book of the series but I greatly appreciated the chance for more character development. No spoiler, but I do feel like we got duped since this was originally supposed to be he last book but instead we got mostly a filler with some last minute (like last few chapters?) plot. That said, I still really enjoyed the book & honestly, it was needed. The gang needed a chance to be a whole group (since they just threw Joshua in there last book) and oh boy did the grow in this one.
On another note, there were a couple of scenes that felt unfinished. Not that I would want the book to be any longer but some heavy emotional and/or dramatic moments happened that just kinda ended without a real transitional type conclusion. It was *big heavy moment* one chapter and then the next some time had passed and we’re in a totally different mood. Idk, I just felt there was something missing from the one heavy scene where they tell all & then the gauntlet that got thrown down was also just kinda abruptly ended without any real conclusion. I’m not saying every scene needs an intro body conclusion, but they kinda do?
Overall, I still loved this book. I love the gang and I love Grandpa so so so much. Also, if I had someone like Theo to just point blank “that’s the depression, Sylvia” every time I said something caused by my depression, I think it’d be cured by now lol did that part stick out to anyone else, or was it just me? Just me? Ok. This book was entertaining if albeit filler, and I loved every second of it.
3.7 Stars (i know it’s a random number but i wasn’t comfortable giving it either 3.5 or 4 stars, leave me alone lol)
I’m still not completely sure how i felt about this book and I will come back to do a more in-depth review once i’ve wrapped my head around it.
But for now i’ll leave this simple: I enjoyed this book and there was lots of great character development. I did not appreciate the cliffhanger since we already waited so long for this book (which was originally supposed to be the last) and now are waiting for the 7th. I feel like they could’ve ended two pages earlier and started the last book with this scene and have been fine. Like at this point there aren’t any readers who aren’t going to read the last book so there’s no reason imo.
As always these ladies work extremely well together and I really enjoy the world they have created together. Their writing is amazing and they co-write flawlessly. Unlike some other Co-Authors, i couldn’t tell which scene was written by whom and it flowed together really well. The storyline, characters and dialogue were amazingly consistent.
Oh my heavenly days! So much happens in this book! It’s nonstop, go, go, go for Nix and her guys, and for the Rebellion. There is action, drama, and battle. Challenges are made and battles are won and lost. Throughout it all, Nix, her guys, and their friends, continue to grow and help each other as events progress to the penultimate battle.
I won’t lie or sugar coat this book. Be prepared for the loss of an important side character. That loss hit me in the feels like a speeding train. I’m not yet sure why it had to happen, but I have no doubt it will ultimately strengthen Nix and the gang.
There are a few surprises in store and that cliff! Yeah, I’m so glad I don’t have to wait for the final book and I tip my hat to those of you who did.
If you’ve made it to this point, I think you’ll be pleased with this book.
It's great to have the gang finally moving along with this rebellion thing. Only the rebellion isn't doing any rebelling. Most of this book seems to be personal problems between characters, sex, and coffee circles where we talk about our feelings and most horrible memories. These are mostly men here, they don't talk about feelings and have sit down international delight moments. That is just weird. Then suddenly when you wonder if the plot is ever going to appear, suddenly out of left field comes last minute action. Followed by a horror filled rush to a cliffhanger ending. This is not how to write a good book people. This is any orgy daisy chain followed by a mild workout. It just did not work for me.
had a hard time reading this book, the pace was too slow with the real plot of the war. i love the harem, including hiro and ryder but i wanted the main focus to be Nix, and yes, she is, but ryder was getting jealous when hiro is with the other guys from the harem. I love M/M and that’s okay on this genre but the focus should still be on Nix as the center.
Wow so this book was extra big/long and packed a punch! I was shocked to see how many hours the audiobook was and by the time I was done I could understand why it needed to be that length. The amount of detail and info that needed to be included was astounding and done really well. We had to get caught up on the rebellion life and camp, the procedure/relationships, and had to have some battles going on to keep everyone on their toes.
We get to see for a good portion of the book what Joshua was dealing with back with the Council as their spy. We get to meet his friend Tao who I want to learn more of, gonna say it right now already! We get to see Joshua's Dad step up and do the right thing (I hope we get to see him maybe in book 7). What Joshua had to endure in the short time he was separated from the harem and Nix was tough. He tried so hard to keep his position and stay genuine to himself and to the cause. I felt so bad for him, cementing him as one of my favorites, and he is pretty BA in battle with his abilities, not gonna lie. I was holding my breath when things went down at the clubhouse, but I was so happy to see him get to the rebellion in one piece. He was incredibly strong and leaned on his family when needed. Loved the dream scene btw, made me forgive Kieran just a little haha.
Back at the rebellion camp, we learn about the different factions. The new characters with the rebellion made my head spin a bit because there were so many. I was trying to remember which stone was which of the 4, and I was happy to see Nix do what she needed to with the haters. I enjoyed getting to read about more shifters at the camp. I loved the side characters in this series, especially in this book. We get more from Molly and Reenie (I feel so bad for her and want to shake Kieran so bad!!) and I hope we get to see more of Molly and her potential mates. The moms are awesome, loved the kids too! Gaspard is a fabulous grandpa and elder of the group (have no clue how to spell it since I am only listening via audio haha). The housing situation seemed a little off, but not a huge deal in my opinion.
That ending, I thought I was heartbroken after the ending of book 5....these authors decided it was a challenge and said hold my beer....I was hoping it wouldn't be the case, that maybe Nix could use her powers that hasn't been brought up again since she used them a couple books ago, but that wasn't the case. I am glad some of the baddies got their just rewards, but we lose a dear member of this rebellion family and it will hurt for awhile. I am intrigued to see how Ryder does with the change at the end of the book and the twists at the end was kinda confusing to me, I didnt really get the ramifications until listening to the beginning of book 7. A little clunky in terms of the flow/storyline.
This book was incredible, the mating bonds between the group strengthen once Joshua returns to them. Loved seeing the bromance grow and the guys accept Joshua instead of just tolerating him in the last book. I love that everyone can be themselves now, and more barriers are broken amongst the group. The steam in this one was fabulous, loved seeing more domineering scenes and some light BDSM, made for some fun moments and interesting interactions haha. Won't say more because I don't want to ruin anything.
Overall the story would have gotten a 10 stars but the most we can give is 5 haha. The audio is still a 4 star for me and thats because the feeling behind the performances was incredible, despite again the accent debacle with the female narrator. So many characters to do in this one, amazing job one after the other (excluding the accents again by the female character for some of the male characters). The male narrator did a fabulous job with the fight scenes, the frustration but the guys, the emotional destruction the characters have gone through, one after another. The female narrator really epitomizes Nix and does a great job with keep the story together and allowing this world to flourish.
If this book hadn't been on KU, there is no way I would have purchased it. The books are so very tedious to read. It had been so long since the last one that I had lost the need to know what happened next and there was no way I wanted to re-read the others to remember how we got to his point. Luckily, I remembered a lot of it as I went along.
I think the basis of the series has been good but things have been drawn out entirely too much. The story is wordy. The need for factions in the rebellion wasn't there. I don't remember much about the different ones but it didn't add any value to the story at all.
The things that stood out from the series before this book were all centered around the 7 main characters and Ciaran. The rest of the characters are not memorable and didn't deserve the time they were given. I really didn't understand the prologue being feom Molly's POV and expected to have more from her in the story as a result but she wasn't much of a part of it at all. The parts about the others in the rebellion were irritating.
The people in the rebellion treated the main characters like crap. They were mistrustful, rude, and derogatory. The seven of them were staying in a room with three bunk beds. How does that make any kind of sense? They were in a resort that had been repurposed. I can't imagine a resort having rooms with three twin beds. And considering they had been more successful against the council, it seems they earned at least a room with two queen beds or a king and an extra twin or two brought in. They earned respect but it wasn't given to them. So, the authors threw a fight into the plot so they could earn a cabin to themselves. That was cheesy.
Hiro seemed to be the lucky man in this book. He was in every sex scene except for some making out scenes. We got a scene with him and Josh, one with him and Ryder, and finally one with all six with as much participation as reasonably possible between 7 people at once.
The last page did bring a twist I didn't see coming but it wasn't concerning something I had been spent mental energy on thinking about. It wasn't shocking, though. Perhaps the method in which it was delivered was another bit of cheese.
I would have enjoyed this series more if the books hadn't been quite as dark. For instance, we learn about yet another bit of abuse Nix suffered as a teen that I don't remember us knowing about. She hadn't told anyone about it before, at least. It just wasn't needed, either. I would have enjoyed them more if you feel like you could catch a breath while reading. That goes back to the tedious comment I made earlier and not from a sense of continuous action. Almost this whole book is on training. It's a mix of training and sex and then one big action scene. I'm not complaining about the sex. The training was boring, though, but it was logical.
I would also have enjoyed it more if the shifters were things like unicorns instead of ceraptors. Or animals I've heard of instead of obscure mystical beings. It's almost as if the series was a cross between video game characters and Divergent. There is no way the factions were influenced by the latter. Complexity in the plot would be better than complexity of creatures or factions of the rebellion. Think how irritating Star Wars would have been if the rebellion was divided into factions that each snubbed their nose at the others and almost all considered the Jedi to be fifth instead of the strength of the rebellion. That is what part of this book was like. As if Luke had to fight with a no-named pilot who thought he was a monster because he could use the force and it wasn't until he could win a fight without the force that he could have a place to stay that wasn't insulting.
The good of the story is the RH. And Damien's grandfather, who is also treated like trash.
SYNOPSIS (of 7 Book Series): This is set in the modern world world but where humans and shifters live separately. The FC (Nix) is the last phoenix. She did not know she was a shifter and has been raised by an abusive father. She escapes to university and discovers that there is a whole shifter community. The shifter community is run by a corrupt council who try to control shifters’ lives and breeding and is run by a strict class system with rare shifters at the top. The series covers the FC finding her mates and bonding with them, discovering her background and trying to bring down the corrupt council. There’s a HEA.
The books are well written and edited with only a few typing and formatting issues. On the whole this is an enjoyable series with a decent amount of world, character and relationship building. The FC is likeable and strong - although not overly kickass and each of the MCs is distinct enough in their characters to give depth and diversity in the FC interactions with them.
The sex level is hot and well written. It ramps up over the books until, for me, it became too much and went on for pages. When you’re already looking at a 7 books series the last thing it needed was more padding. I also find 6 too many for RH and into the realms of ridiculous numbers and logistics!
The problem I had with this series is that it is too long with not enough happening to justify its length. The first 2-3 Books keep moving enough as the basic story line develops and the FC meets and gets to know the different MCs but then it just seems to dry up and start dragging. I was skimming large parts of the story by Book 4. The other issue I had was that whilst the author had no issue describing some pretty gruesome things that happened to the “good guys” and showing how evil the villains were when it came to meting out vengeance the Good Guys were all - can’t kill anyone despite how hideous and evil they are. Whilst you may not want your heroes randomly killing where there is no justification books where you have truly evil villains are let down by authors who do not then give their readers a real sense of justice and closure. Finally, and lastly, the final battle was ridiculously drawn out and then, whilst you get a description of the final fight with Stepanov you don’t hear what happens to the other villains. The whole climax left me with a sense of anticlimax and disappointment. I also didn’t see the point of the epilogues which seemed to add little to the ending.
There are a few inconsistencies and gaps in the story - unclear exactly what the phoenix blood does or what happened to the people on the Island who were supposed to be moved to a different place etc.
In conclusion, a decent enough story just long and drawn out with a disappointing ending.
Series review: It's just too long, too many books and not enough action to fill them. It becomes very repetitive. The beginning I was very into - I like the cast a lot, the guys have a lot of depth and dimension, and I like the atypical shifters. Bunny! But by the 3rd or 4th book I started becoming very irritated by most plot points, so I'm unlikely at this point to read the 7th book or even finish the 6th.
I'm so close to the end of book 6 and I just can't bring myself to continue. So many things make me mad: . I pick up to read, get immediately irritated, put it back down.
At this point, let me tell you the story is dragging. 50% is basically training which we don't see resulting in anything much. Like, the group could have been helping the rebellion more...maybe, go out in the world to retrieve info and people. Or, deal with enemy connections... instead, those training sessions were just boring. They could have been mentioned not detailed.
Rest of it is not bad, though there were flaws. Also, might be a spoiler * * * * The whole thing with Ryder's jealousy was disappointing, because before that both Annika and Hiro enjoyed Hiro playing with the other guys, not only Ryder. Then, all of a sudden Ryder wanted Hiro to share Nix only with him. That didn't seem a bit fair because the scene between Hiro, Nix and Joshua was hot. That had good potential for more.
I liked Ryder at the beginning, then he seems a bit childish to me. Joshua, Damien, Theo are great....just need more moments with them and Nix.
Wow I’ve waited so long for this next installment and it definitely didn’t disappoint!! A lot of relationship movements in this book between Nix and her men, Rini and her guys, and even Molly beginning to find her true mates. Ishida finally gets what he deserves. And wow what a twist at the end. I can’t wait to find out the truth behind Ishidas words to Nix and the invitation from Stepanov. What a tragedy at the end too for Nix and her guys. I won’t say more since I don’t want to spoil that heart wrenching moment that had me in tears. Then like everything had to peak at the end a quilin finally and his revelation completely upends Nix’s outlook for her and her guys future. what an amazing book!!! I can’t wait for the final installment and see the council burning in the flames of the Phoenix!!!
This installment was hard to get through. Most of it is filler for what is coming in the final book. My biggest disappointment is that Hiro is hardly mentioned in the first 30% of the book. He is my favorite of the group and I thought it odd they focused so much on Theo the majority of the time.
I’m still trying to get through the book but I have debated just skipping to the final book instead. There is so much potential with the amazing world they created and the skills each character has and I feel it has fallen flat in this book and the last one too.
I hope the finale is action packed and showcases pushes everyone’s ability’s to the limit. I’m hoping this book was created for them to do just that for the ending.
Overall I really like this series for the world they created and the creative shifters they came up with unique abilities.
Let me get this straight. Nix shares specific information about being painfully, sexually violated. The author/“mates” response is to use BDSM, pain, “punishments,” repeatedly during her sexual experiences. A person who has survived emotional, verbal, sexual, and physical abuse. Should be subjected to the very last type of sexual interaction in the world. If authors want to have domination, physical pain, punishments from MMC’s, then create a FMC with no abuse history. Newsflash someone like Nix would feel extremely triggered by the way she’s treated in these situations. The mates are constantly saying they won’t hurt Nix. That is exactly what they do with the spankings. Hiro said, “do you think I would let Josh hurt you.” Nix responds no. The very next chapter starts with “it hurts, but…” Those two chapters show the discrepancies that exists within these books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I hate to say it, but Changed by Fire was boring from start to finish. The pacing dragged so much that I ended up skipping most of the pages, and honestly, I still didn’t feel like I missed anything important. The only thing of note happened at the very end—but even that wasn’t worth pushing through the rest of the book.
This is, of course, just my personal opinion, but for me, it wasn’t engaging at all. After how uneven the series has been, I can’t say I’m surprised, but I am disappointed in how it turned out.
And even though there’s only one book left in the series, I feel like it’s already obvious how it will end—they’ll win the war, everyone will be happily together forever, and that will be that. Predictable and not exciting enough for me to stick around.
This book has convinced me to stop reading the series.
I am not a great fan of this series but it’s my OCD pushing me to finish the series. It’s almost end of the series but why can’t the authors let the leads actions? It was said several times that Theo is a strategist but nowhere in all these books demonstrated even though there were several opportunities and the same goes for Killian, Joshua and Hiro!!! Upto 85% of the book it was blabbering as off all of them were in a holiday and suddenly the council comes and the team wins by going bluntly into battle with powerful beings 😳 so much wash up and obviously the story has been dragged on and on to make up number of books. Up until now whatever said in 6 books could have been comprised in 2 and that itself would be a stretch😨
That is the sound of me screaming and cursing the authors for a couple minutes, then calming down because the next book is not far off.😅 I am not ok! This book got me bad!!😭 Every time I think this series can't get any better the authors prove me wrong! I love this series so freaking much!! And in this one there were soooo many more questions that I need answers to now!!! Like that cliffhanger!?!? Did that day what I think it said?!?! WTF!! I need the next book like I need air right now!! Not kidding! So glad it releases soon! I can't hang in limbo like that for long!! Just saying!!
If you have read the previous 5 Phoenix Rising Books, then be assured that this book is just as good, if not better then the last...
Absolutely loved this book. I was on an emotional rollercoaster. I laughed. I cried. I was turned on. I was on the edge of my seat with anticipation and anxiety that made me devour the book even more to find out what happened. Then going over those emotions all over again.
Thank you Harper and Quinn!! You both, ARE Goddesses!!
This book takes us thru the rebellion and the start of the war.
A lot of sadness, but we see our harem getting stronger and opening themselves up to each other, exposing weaknesses as well as strengths.
There is one part where Josh admits killing someone that infuriates Damien, to the point where he wants to hurt him, but why it was such an overwhelmingly reaction from him is not disclosed and I could not figure out why.
This book has the emotional drama of an entire series packed into one. The ratio of soul baring, connecting via deep group conversations, overcoming self doubts, future plans, and declarations of devotion to the physical romance and actual plot action was greatly skewed. We are repeatedly teased with dirty thoughts or intent of intimacy only to be cockblocked or the moment skipped over. Hiros touching of everyone was so incredibly intriguing and delicious- having that taken away to create a side relationship within the harem was a buzzkill.
Soooooooo. I love this series. Every single book is amazing and superb. But this installment? Hands down my favorite of the series. I absolutely adored it. And that ending? Just completely fitting. (And for any complainers: that was a revelation, not a cliffhanger! There's a difference.) Now the anticipation is out of control for the 7th and final book of the series. I can't wait for Nix and her family to kick some Council booty.
I absolutely just adore this series, thank you so much ladies. Nix, her harem and her amazing group of friends are spectacular. Each book is well written and filled with so much emotion and intrigue with a captivating storyline. Second last book of the series and I was on edge, unable to put it down for even a second. Cannot wait to see how things go in the finale. Definitely read this series/book!
I have absolutely loved this series, ot has kept be on the edge all the way. The characters are real they don't always agree, they argue they laugh they hide bits of themselves, they have insecurities but they love and pull together always their for each other. This book had me laughing and crying even sobbing at one point. Can't wait for the last book although I'll be sad that the adventure will end. Thanks Harper and Quinn