Title: Redbird Fires
Author: Madeleine Ribbon
Genre: Paranormal
Length: Novel (219pgs)
Publisher: Silver Publishers (16th March 2013)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥3 – 3 ½ Hearts
Reviewer: Pixie
Blurb: Michael is a phoenix counting down until his next death and rebirth. One of his coffee shop customers is determined to set him up with her grouchy older brother, and the new relationship has unexpectedly explosive results.
Michael, immortal phoenix and coffee shop owner, is getting ready for his rebirth. Burning to death hurts like hell and he wants a little moral support. He’s hoping to enlist the help of his new boyfriend, but the relationship isn’t turning out the way Michael thought it would.
Michael’s best customer and weekly coffee-and-gossip date, Avery, takes it upon herself to make sure Michael knows he’s getting played. She also plans to hook up the handsome café owner with her brother Bren, a grouchy botany professor at the local college. When Michael’s boyfriend turns out to be a cheating asshole, Avery does everything in her power to push Michael and her brother together.
Her plan has unexpectedly explosive results.
Purchase Link: https://spsilverpublishing.com/redbird-fires-ebook-p-1417.html
Review: Michael is the phoenix. An immortal being created by Ra. his five hundred year rebirth is approaching and he wishes he had someone to help him through the scary time. When he meets Dylan, he thinks he might have found the man to help him. But, he soon learns that trusting Dylan would be a huge mistake. Michael’s coffee shop friend, Avery, wants him to meet her brother, Bren, but when they do meet, it isn’t in the greatest of circumstances.
This is an interesting paranormal story that has a fresh look at the Phoenix legend. Michael has lived for a long time, and he is preparing for another rebirth and he has met a man who he hopes will be there for him during the difficult time. Discovering the truth about his lover knocks him on his ass especially when he discovers he has inadvertently hurt a friend. Bren is protective of his sister, Avery, and he doesn’t quite trust her new friend, Michael. Discovering the truth about Michael’s origins is shocking, but he swears to help him. As they grow closer, the sparks fly between them, but Michael’s rebirth is more explosive than either of them thought.
I found this story to be interesting with the intricate ceremony that Michael has to prepare for his rebirth and also his simple memories of historical artifacts. Michael is a pretty simple character to get to know. He’s the phoenix who is reborn every five hundred years and he has had love in the past and always lost them to death. When he falls in love with Bren, it sparks something inside and when he confronts Ra, he demands relief for his long existence. Bren is a character that we don’t get to know all that well; we actually get to know his sister, Avery, and his mother better. We discover he has lost a loved one before and that he is a professor and that he adores his nephew, but he does seem to fall for Michael quite quickly.
I will be honest and say although we can clearly see Michael’s attraction to Bren, it was a lot harder to see Bren’s attraction to Michael, and I believed he was only tolerating Michael for Avery’s sake… until he actually confessed to the attraction. After that, the flames between them had to be cooled down because they were that explosive together, and they shared their pasts and secrets together as they became closer. So they did convince me in the end that they were perfect for each other.
I will recommend this to those who love paranormal love stories, sacrifices, dangerous situations, taking chances, some hot sex and a happy ending.