In 1812, Elinor Pembroke wakes to find her bedchamber in flames—and extinguishes them with a thought. At 21, she is old to manifest magical talent, but the evidence is unmistakable: she not only has the ability to start fires, but the far more powerful ability to control and extinguish them. She is an Extraordinary, and the only one in England capable of wielding fire in over one hundred years.
As an Extraordinary, she is respected and feared, but to her father, she represents power and prestige for himself. Mr. Pembroke, having spent his life studying magic, is determined to control Elinor and her talent by forcing her to marry where he chooses, a marriage that will produce even more powerful offspring. Trapped between the choices of a loveless marriage or living penniless and dependent on her parents, Elinor takes a third path: she defies tradition and society to join the Royal Navy.
Assigned to serve under Captain Miles Ramsay aboard the frigate Athena, she turns her fiery talent on England’s enemies, French privateers and vicious pirates preying on English ships in the Caribbean. At first feared by her shipmates, a growing number of victories make her truly part of Athena’s crew and bring her joy in her fire. But as her power grows and changes in unexpected ways, Elinor’s ability to control it is challenged. She may have the power to destroy her enemies utterly—but could it be at the cost of her own life?
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Sexual Content - 0/5
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Violence - 3/5
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Language - 3/5
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Drugs and Alcohol - 0/5
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Summary
Enter the world of Extraordinaries. Where special people are gifted with talents so special, they can win wars and change the world.
Burning Bright takes it’s readers on an adventure with the Extraordinary heroine Elinor Pembroke. As a single woman of the Regency era, her true value is what she can bring to the family through marriage. And that value rises tremendously when her Extraordinary talent of a Scorcher unexpectedly manifests. Rather than being shackled to an unsavory man, Elinor decides to forge her own future and joins the Royal Navy!
Elinor’s adventures in the Royal Navy are as extraordinary and rare as her Scorcher talent. She battles the enemy ships and wins the respect and friendship of her shipmates, all while learning to control her Extraordinary talent.
My only critique of Burning Bright is the plot moves very slowly. The writing was a bit formal for my taste, but the dialogue is well done and kept me engaged with the characters. Elinor is the heroine of the story and all the other characters are most definitely secondary.
The romance in the story is well done and nothing risqué. However, with battles at sea and life aboard a Royal Navy ship, there is definite, heavy violence and obscene language in the book.
If you enjoy Regency/Adventure novels with a bit of a paranormal twist, you will definitely enjoy Burning Bright.
I received a copy of Burning Bright in return for an unbiased review.