Wings of Fire: A Kickass Urban Fantasy Romance (The Last Phoenix)

Veronica (or the Falcon) is the last phoenix and she can shift into a bird when needed. She collects hard-to-find magical artifacts and this time she has a contract with a dangerous vampire to collect a special box. Unfortunately, the box is stolen before she can do so, and she soon finds she is wanted by the DEA (Death Enforcement Agency) for the murder of a fae and the box she stole. The only way to get the DEA of her back (and some bounty hunters) is to join forces with one of the DEA agents (and grim reaper) Thane Munro. I read this book in one day and really enjoyed it. I immediately pre-ordered book 2 (this is a 7 book series), even though this one does not end on a cliffhanger. There are some things that do bother me and I am not sure they are little plotholes or things that will be explained later. Like: why were the reapers at the party? Why does Veronica 'hide' her shifter identity by calling herself 'Falcon' (like: duh...). Why did her parents leave Veronica and her brother at such a young age when they have a very long lifespan? Etc. etc. Overall I just got engrossed in the story and liked Veronica as a character. She does lust after Thane (even though he is - in essence - dead) and I am not sure about him yet. He actually did not do any thing essential in the story as of yet in my opinion. So... on to the next in February. I look forward to it.

Do you love action? And fantasy? And murder? Then this is the book for you. V is the last of her kind. And she uses that to her ability. She acquires things for people. During one such job, things go wrong and she ends up in hot water, like boiling hot. Blamed for a crime she didnt commit she has to prove her innocence. Such a fun read. The characters are relatable and interesting, pulling you right into the story. The world building is easy to follow and makes complete sense. Highly recommend!

I love the characters, the world the villains. Ive been really interested to see where this will go with Veronica and Thane. It's funny looking back over all the time spent reading each book and the excited enthusiasm I had for her adventures and anticipation of falling in love. I'm getting so curious now that I'm skipping pages and trying to skip to the part where we finally see what happens. Like I'm the one who feels deprived because she's not getting any! What IS that! Book 4 I skipped half of it, turns out Thane isn't even in it except at the end where he's giving up the search...I'm just like...😵‍💫 Now I'm starting book 5 and she's sitting on her throne and STILL hasn't gone back, like are you daft? (No I'm not English just frustrated) Im again skipping pages like who cares about anything else ..what happens with Thane! This is THE slowest slow burn romance I have ever read, why the torture? So is he going to turn into an Angel and what! Will she EVER return, because she literally (fought and won a war and took over a kingdom, liberated her ppl) *SPOILERS* and several lifetimes seem to have passed since I started these books and she hasn't gotten her man. Although the author's warning at the beginning of book 5 is promising I'm not sure I believe you lol! 🐌❤️‍🔥🐌 ❤️‍🔥

The world building could use to be expanded - my one big criticism. A powerful, unique hero, a sidekick witch who won't use magic, and an almost love interest...who is dead, sort of. And it gets weird from there!

This is the first book of Stephanie I have read and I have to say she's stuck with me from now on 😁 This is a fantastic, action-packed, fast paced, unputdownable installment, with amazing MC, mysterious plot and great world building 💯 💕 V and Thane dinamic duo is explosive and hot, both are powerful in their own way but know almost nothing about each other, which makes this story more interesting and funny 🤗 Can't wait to read the next book... This is a must read series for lovers of UF with strong women, hot brooding love interest and a lot of snarky humor!!! 😍 ❤️

The author created a wonderful world combining the supernatural within the setting of Miami. She wove the supernatural elements into the setting quite nicely without it seeming too outlandish or clunky. The story has a good flow and an interesting cast of characters. I liked Veronica. She has her own moral code that doesn't necessarily make her a hero, but she has her own morals that she can life by. There were times when I did question how well she thinks out the consequences to her actions, but overall she's very likable and interesting. Kat the witch was pretty cool, too. She has her own backstory that I would like to know more about in the next books. Thane...I did have some trouble with that name and during the narration, I kept getting it and a different one mixed up, so I was confused at times (though, that's entirely a me problem and not a book one). He has depth and I would love to get his perspective on things in future books! Overall, it's a great start to a series with plenty of action, an interesting cast of characters, and a nice slow burn romance. I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator!! She was utterly delightful! I loved her performance. She did an excellent job pronouncing the Spanish names.

I absolutely LOVE what the author has done with this urban fantasy world and all the creatures in it. Magical DEA (Death Enforcement Agency - YES!!), angels, vampires, reapers, shifters, witches, fae, and NONE of them like what you expect or think you know. The ways this author has taken the traditional lore of these races and the magical world (plus blending it with technology, which is AWESOME) completely blew me away. It feels so familiar and yet still has a striking, kick-you-in-the-seat-of-your-pants new twist. Veronica Neill is so much fun! The last of her kind, still running from her past and trying to do better...or at least trying to NOT be bad, and she's hilarious. As something of a super-dorky-but-still-witty person myself, I fell in love with all the wordplay in both the dialogue and the narrative, which just made V that much smarter, funnier, and still badass to me. Sure, she makes a few dumb mistakes (who doesn't?), but the author draws notice to it perfectly and this MC LEARNS from those mistakes! **SPOILER ALERT** (Kinda) I was SOOOOO geared up to see V die and "rise again" at the end. The buildup was so perfect for it, and I was on the edge of my seat. Then it didn't happen, but the surprise twist about HOW it didn't happen was more than made up for (plus V gets to keep the secret of exactly what she is just a little longer). I felt the suspense with her and her ensuing confusion/relief when she came to and realized she HADN'T died, and it honestly made me laugh. The rising tension and drop into the complete opposite of the climax I expected was so perfectly well laid-out that I am not even a little upset about having V's epic resurrection dangled in front of me on a string! **END SPOILER** Ms. Mirro has opened up an incredible new world with fantastic characters and just enough tiny snippets of the MC's broken past that I'm still over here drooling for more. Also, why not get it on with a dead guy, right? (I really want to know what Thane was before he was a reaper ;P ) Can't wait to move on to Book 2! I haven't enjoyed Urban Fantasy like this in a long time!

I loved this book, but I was tricked. You know how when you touch the center of the kindle page it shows you that you can buy the next in series. Well imagine my sadness when I thought I was going to read the next in series right then and it was a pre-order!! Yes, I pre-ordered it, only an idiot wouldn't but still. I was so excited. Now I have to wait until February 4. I loved all the characters in the story. Our heroine/thief is strong and capable. She knows her strengths and weaknesses and uses them accordingly. I can't wait to see what happens next. I am hoping to learn more about the Reaper, Angels, and Mads in the next book. Disappointment aside, this is quite an enjoyable read.

Thoroughly enjoyed this riotous adventure with phoenix thieves, hot readers, vampires, betrayal, lust and angelic mystery. Give it a try. It's worth the ride.

Well written, good pace. I missed a little world building to understand the connections and actions a little better, but it was okay. Nice for in between.

What a brilliant first book in the series. A bit of mystery, intrigue, murder and a cast of intriguing characters made for an excellent read. Now to see what happens after the unveiling in the next book.

This is a book that although the blurb sounded interesting I wasn't burning to read it. I am so glad I decided to take it rather than leave it. About 95% of what I read is romance and although there is a thread of romance running through it, it is slow burn and very much just like an attraction running in the background. This didn't bother me in the slightest as there was a very strong, interesting and exciting plot line on the go in this book. I will read the rest of the series as it is well worth the read and would like to see what happens next between Thane and V as she tries to find out the truth about her brothers death

Stéphanie Mirro is on of my favourite Urban fantasy writers, and as with previous books she lives up to expectations with this series. Well written and structured she draws you in slowly. Little by little building both the unique world and it's likable charachters, whilst delivering excellent crash bang action and conundrums. Would recommend this series to anybody looking for engaging autonomous characters and enough fantasy and imagination to set the scene for great escapism. Whilst it is probably not on the YA lists it has its place there as well, young women could do with strong healthy role models who owns their sensuality and achievements/mistakes. There seem to be some sort of erroneous belief amongst editors reducing YA/young readers to mindless consumers of pap. The YA segment can relate to more than FWP/superficial teenage angsty wrist lashings. Case in point, here there is a relatable multi layored protagonist with back story, trauma and sexual attraction, and, hallelujah, without ridiculous blushing pandering to outdated social mores for youth and or nudity.