Tempting the Fire by Sydney Croft

Title: Tempting the Fire

Author: Sydney Croft

Series: ACRO (book #5)

Previous in series: Taming the Fire

Next in series: Taken by Fire

My rating: 4 Stars

Synopsis: Deep in the Amazon jungle lies a mythical monster that can tear a man limb from limb. ACRO agents, Sela Kahne and Marlena West, are sent to capture the beast but will need the help of two men, Logan Mills and Chance McCormack, each with their own dark secret to keep.

Review: Another engrossing story from the Sydney Croft writing team. This time the plot involves two romances and a continuation of the Annika and Creed storyline from the first three books.

Even though I enjoyed both couples, I felt that Marlena and Chance’s story is overshadowed by Logan and Sela, whose characterization is better developed. Logan is an interesting mix of strength (both physical and psychological) and vulnerability. He is my favorite type of hero – tortured. Sela is supremely confident and definitely holds her own in the battle of wills with Logan. Their relationship is passionate, their banter witty and their chemistry undeniable.

While Logan and Sela’s plot is action packed, Marlena and Chance’s is more sedate. She is quite timid and submits completely to his dominance. I must point out that while Marlena’s curse seems well-suited to this particular book and is resolved intelligently within the story, it is incompatible with the series as a whole. It moves away from the X-Men theme and into the realm of fantasy and the supernatural, i.e. magic and witchcraft.

My favorite aspect of the book is the development of Annika and Creed’s relationship. I love the intimate and intricate direction that their story is going and can’t wait to see how it pans out.

As usual, the writing is well-paced and the steamy sex scenes, which are not that integral to the plot as in previous installments, contribute to the connection between the characters. The book also ends with a series of captivating cliffhangers that made me want to rush out and get the final book in the series – it should be a doozy.