Chains of Fire
3.5 Stars

Series note: The Chosen Ones is a continuation of Dodd’s Darkness Chosen series and it is important to read the books in order to completely understand the events in this book and especially in the next one.

Stranded together after an avalanche in the Swiss Alps, Isabelle Mason and Samuel Faa are forced to reconcile their differences or die in the attempt.

While Chains of Fire is a solid installment in the series, it doesn’t quite live up to expectations.

The main conflict concerns Samuel and Isabelle’s rocky past. Although their love/hate relationship makes for some witty dialogue and steamy scenes, it feels forced and unrealistic. Yes, there is sufficient build up and background on their characters’ history together, but their interactions in the present are lacking that extra something that makes a romance truly captivating.

In terms of plot, there is no real development in the ongoing struggle between the Chosen Ones and the Others. The assassination storyline comes out of nowhere and the villain behind it is so forgettable that it took me a while to remember who he is. The final confrontation is also anti-climactic and the resolution too easy.

That said, the lead in into the next and final book in the series is seamless and compelling. Aleksander and Charisma seem an uniquely couple so it will be interested to see whether Dodd manages to pull it off. ( )

Samuel Faa, the adopted son of servants, is a Gypsy lawyer with the ability to control minds. Isabelle Mason has the ability to heal. Two of the Chosen Ones, they share a past of love and betrayal and a future denied by fate. The supreme battle of good against evil has begun. ( )

Too many characters are crammed into what is supposed to be Samuel and Isabelle's story. The climatic scene with the devil is an anti-climatic head game. ( )

Lawyer and sometime-blackguard Samuel Faa, a butler's adopted son, and lovely Boston Brahmin-daughter Isabelle Mason have a lot of history between them - but do they have a future? Mind control and healing talents aside, this is really a fairly predictable romance featuring two star-crossed lovers with a family history and past hurts between them.

Romance aside, a few revelations do move the underlying plot (Chosen Ones vs. Others) along. Charisma and Aleksander will apparently be the next pair featured, so for those awaiting a somewhat hairier tail (pun intended), your day is coming! ( )