Review: An edgier Ivy bursts on the scene
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 19, 2014
Harborsmouth is the home of monsters, but not to worry because Ivy Granger, Psychic Detective is on duty and nothing is going to hurt her town.  Things could be going better for Ivy, she’s a woman who can’t come in physical contact with anything without having visions, which makes having a relationship with the king of kelpies, Ceffyl Dur a big tricky.  Her best friend and partner, Jinx has some sort of malady that seems to be sucking the life out of her, she owes two boons to the Green Lady and another to the city’s vampire master.  Fire imps seem to be setting her city on fire, a sign of things to come.  Oh, and if she can’t find her father, Will-o’-the Wisp, to help her reign in her powers before she is exposed to humans she faces a fae firing squad.Ms. Stevens is the author of a  YA series, Spirit Guide, which sadly has come to an end.  When she decided to dip her pen into the adult world I had a few moments of worry, could she succeed in a different genre, please the adult reader and maintain the distinct writing style that is hers alone?  When I read the first book in the Ivy Granger series, I was relieved that, yes, Ms. Stevens could cross genres.  It took a few books for her to come into her stride, each offering in the series getting better and better, the story evolving into more and more adult and urban fantasy.  In this book, she has hit her stride full on; she maintains her signature style, a little bit of quirky humor mixed with action and mystery.  Now she throws in some adult language, a few bedroom scenes and some slightly graphic fight scenes and instead of being shocked that our beloved YA author would go there, we are thrilled and hanging on every word.Ivy has grown with each book, she started out as a kick ass heroine who with the exception of Jinx and the witch Kaye, didn’t have many friends to a woman surrounded by friends who love her, a man who would do anything for her and a confidence in herself that has no bounds.  We get to see more of Ceff in this book, and I for one, an extremely grateful for that.  Forneus, a demon with a crush on Jinx, flits in and out and Torn, the king of cats who likes a good fight and also has an itch for Jinx plays a large part as well.  Not to worry though, we still get the quirky characters we love so well, a gargoyle with a sense of humor, a young witch in training, a grumpy hearth brownie and a new addition, a young demon who bonds with Ivy.While Ms. Stevens is known for mixing humor with serious subjects with well-rounded characters running amuck in her books, she normally keeps the stories on the light side.  Burning Bright has all that but is an edgier, darker story with hints of more the same to come.  You’ll note there are none of my niggles in this review, there wasn’t a thing I would ask to be changed.  I was well pleased, a little exhausted and just a tad surprised when I finished the book.  A story well told, what more could a reader ask for?Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild  Dual Review Team