Wildfire
by Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes
Sons of Olympus, Book 1
Wilder Pratt has given up trying to get his life together. Passed up for a promotion, left by his long-term boyfriend, nothing in his life seems to work how he planned. Wilder is just treading water . . . right up until the moment he trips over a dead student outside his office with a golden would-be murderer standing over the body.
Hermes has been running his whole life—from duty and danger, from a father who mistrusts him and siblings who outshine him. But when the students at Banneker College of magic start dropping dead one after another, Hermes’s ass is on the line. He finds himself playing bodyguard to a man who suspects him of murder, but that doesn’t seem enough to keep Professor Pratt’s hot hands off him.
An ancient evil has risen from the depths of Tartarus, and he’s coming for Banneker. The only thing standing in the way of a titanic apocalypse is one disappointing part-time professor and a god who’d rather abandon the world to its fate. But if they work together, they may just save everyone.
Universal Link
Excerpt
“Is . . . is he dead?” Wilder demanded, even though his breath was trying to freeze in his chest.
The man looked up at him. “What?” He glanced back down at the student and blinked like it was a surprise to find a corpse there. “Oh, you mean him. Wait, are you talking to me?” His eyes widened even more as he looked back up at Wilder, as if the body had been shock enough, but someone speaking to him was beyond comprehension.
Wilder glanced all around and back at the man, holding out his hands to indicate the empty hallway. “Who else would I be talking to?”
The guy gave a lazy shrug and grinned, far too casually to be keeping company with a dead body. “Dunno, you professorial types are always talking to yourselves, aren’t you? I think all those books make you funny in the head.”
“Maybe if you read a book or two, you would realize that ‘dunno’ isn’t a word,” Wilder pointed out. He didn’t have a problem with the slang, really, but he was surprised and bothered and feeling wrong-footed, and when he felt uncomfortable, he tended to ignore his therapist’s advice.
He hopped to his feet, grinning at Wilder like a man who belonged in a madhouse. “S’pose so, huh? Dunno what I’d do with all them fancy words, though. My head might explode if I filled it too full.”
Wilder opened his mouth and closed it once, and then twice. “Matthew,” he said, unintelligently.
“Huh?”
“His name is Matthew. I just remembered. One of his term papers is in my bag.”
The man looked once again down at the body between them, then gave Matthew a little nudge with his toe. Matthew didn’t rouse. “I guess you don’t gotta worry about grading that one.”
Even for Wilder, that was a little flippant. He looked at the man, expecting to find the same inappropriate grin in place, even as he joked about the death of a student. He was frowning, though, looking at the body like a puzzle, and one he wasn’t enjoying.
“Disappointed?” Wilder asked.
He looked up at Wilder and shook his head. “No. Just can’t figure it out. He’s the second one like this. Can’t see what killed him—he’s just gone.” He looked around the hallway. He seemed to think he’d find the young man standing somewhere else and no longer lying on the floor. Then he shook his head. “Gone.”
He was right. There was no sign of what had killed Matthew. He was just pale and cold, eyes staring sightlessly at the ceiling.
“Uncle H is gonna be pissed,” the guy muttered. “Nothing to be done now, though. I gotta get back to work. Later, Prof!”
“Hey! You can’t just leave. We need to call—” Wilder’s head snapped up to stare at the man, but he found himself alone in the hallway with his student’s corpse.
Carra's Review
This author duo has done it again. Another excellent story with characters right out of Greek mythology, Wildfire brings Wilder, a mage with the power of fire, and Hermes, everyone’s favorite love-to-hate-him smart aleck messenger god, together as they fight against the Titans trying to come back into power.
You may not think things look promising for Wilder and Hermes in the romance department, but keep reading—the tempestuous beginning to their relationship eventually leads to something deeper, even as each of them wonder how they could ever have anything solid together. They certainly do have plenty of physical chemistry…and though Hermes may wonder how he suddenly seems to have come to care for the humans at the Banneker school, he and Wilder do have that in common.
But there are baddies on the loose, and in addition to these new enemies you’ll find appearances of characters from the authors’ Lords of the Underworld series in supporting roles. Oh, and brownies. I’m finding myself craving brownies now. You’ll see.
I loved immersing myself in this story; I’ve always been one to devour Greek mythology when going to school, once out of school, and now in books that are crafted around the myths. This duo puts you right in the middle of the Greek gods and Titans, and impressively so considering all those mythological figures are part of the modern-day society in which the story is set.
Wildfire was a 5-star read for me, and I am excited for more in the series to see which gods will have their own stories told. If you’re a mythology addict like me, this book and the series from which it spins off are a must-have for your personal library. Note that the adult language and sexual content do make this story one for readers 18+.
Enter the Giveaway:
To celebrate Sam & Waverly's new release, we are giving you 1 of 3 chances to win an e-copy of Wildfire!
About the Authors:
Sam is an author of LGBTQIA+ fiction, mostly light-hearted fantasy romances. Most of her books include a little violence, a fair amount of swearing, and maybe a sex scene or two. Or four.
She is a full-time writer who lives in the Midwest with her husband and cat. Someday, she plans to be a full-time writer who lives near the ocean with her husband, cat.
Connect with Sam:
www.burnswrites.com
facebook.com/sam.burns.52459
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FlickerFoxBooks
goodreads.com/author/show/16897949.Sam_Burns
amazon.com/Sam-Burns/e/B07123MZ62
instagram.com/samburnswrites
Sam@burnswrites.com
Connect with Waverly:
fawkeswrites.com
waverly@fawkeswrites.com
facebook.com/w.m.fawkes
https://www.goodreads.com/wmfawkes
twitter.com/FawkesWrites
instagram.com/w.m.fawkes
