Thank you, NetGalley and NineStar press!
Thoroughly enjoyed the premise of this book! Our main characters start off not liking each other, and we get to see their relationship develop over the course of the book. Both characters get a thorough amount of growth and development that we get to see, This character growth is one of the highlights of the book, especially if you like well-written and intricate characters. The world is full of magic and adventure. Valentino's fire magic is very interesting to read about and get to see the magic and demons of this world was awesome!

This was an enjoyable read with two fascinating and multi-faceted main characters. The plot and execution were a little lacking for me and while I remained interested throughout there were some elements I found a little bit dull and over-explained.

Overall this was a decent read and I'd be interested in revisiting this world.

I loved this book. I became so invested in watching this relationship develop. Each MC had a very distinct personality that really pulled me into their life. The fact that this is the first in a series really excites me. I highly recommend this novel!.

I picked this book up on the basis of the premise, which definitely worked for me, and was generally pretty satisfied with how things worked out - it's the first of a series, with a few threads of the story left hanging and if you're fine with that, you'll probably enjoy this too...

Our two main characters are introduced early on and don't particularly click - one (Valentino, not the most prepossessing name, tbh) is the spoiled but gifted son of a family of fire mages, who's just discovered he's about to be married off for his family's gain, while the other (Brand) is a man with a secret who needs the help of a powerful magic user to break the curse he's under.

He's also from a country where magic is strictly controlled to the point of enslavement but they both need to go there even though it's going to be extremely risky for Valentino? That part of the plot didn't quite work for me, as even if avoiding a potentially cursed marriage (the previous husbands have all died) is going to be a good idea, surely running headfirst into this kind of risk is not a great deal better?

Anyway, the author does a pretty good job of developing both characters from being (on Valentino's part, in particular) quite unlikeable into reasonable human beings and then into a plausible relationship. It's an enjoyable story with some interesting turns and I would be happy to pick up the next book in the series, or take a look at anything else from this author.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley. This is my honest review of the book in question.

A romantic runaway adventure full of magic, action, love, and loss. I love the flow of the conversations between Brand and Valentino. The back and forth is a lot of fun. I believe this is just the start of the series and the world building has a very good beginning.

A fun and intriguing romp, overflowing with charming characters. Worth a read! Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the advance copy!

What begins as a romantic runaway adventure soon turns out to be much more than they bargained for. It seems that Valentino’s magic isn’t worth as much as he thought when it comes to dealing with a willful demon, gunslinging bounty hunters, and his own fickle heart. He might be falling in lust with a monster, but will he sell his very soul just to run away from responsibility?

A fun read with a few surprises thrown in . Looking forward to continuing the journey.

Valentino is a talented fire mage. He has to deal with an overbearing mother, adoring fans and siblings who embrace their life of privilege. The time comes when he has to live up to his family obligations and make a political marriage to a woman. He's even forced to give up the relationship he's had with a man for a number of years.

When he meets a mysterious young man to whom he is instantly attracted, he finds himself facing a decision: does he want to leave the life of privilege and comfort he has. I was surprised that Valentino agreed to leave so quickly…but then he seemed to have a pretty horrible life with his family…and it doesn't look as though it has a good trajectory.

It took me some time to get to know the characters, but I feel as though that may be because this book is the first book in a series. The details and stories are revealed slowly throughout the course of the novel, and I think the author probably has the series planned out. This book is interesting and engaging and I think there's a lot of set up for the continuation. I'm already hoping for a sequel.

There are some significant reveals as Brand and Valentino progress along their journey, lots of adventure and twists. I won't reveal any of that as it's entertaining to go along with the two characters on their adventures. Definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.