Gathering Tinder (Kindling Flames #1) by Julie Wetzel Review

Hey readers! Happy Monday! I've got an awesome review for you guys to start out your week. You all know how much I love paranormal reads, but did you guys know that vampire stories are some of my favorites? I've been a big fan of this author for a long time now, but I've never even read any of her works! Boy was I in for a surprise! What book are we raving about this time? Kindling Flames: Gathering Tinder, the first novel in Julie Wetzel's acclaimed Kindling Flames series!

Fresh from college and with no real work experience, Victoria Westernly considers herself lucky to land the coveted position of personal assistant to Darien Ritter, the CEO and owner of a multibillion-dollar company. His busy schedule and eccentric ways are enough to keep her on her toes. But, all is not what it seems when she discovers the handsome man employing her just happens to be the most powerful vampire in the area.


This is the first book in The Ancient Fire Series
This is part one of two. The original book was divided due to length.

Julie Wetzel

Originally from Ohio, Julie always dreamed of a job in science. Either shooting for the stars or delving into the mysteries of volcanoes. But, life never leads where you expect. In 2007, she moved to Mississippi to be with her significant other. 

Now a mother of a hyperactive red headed boy, what time she’s not chasing down dirty socks and unsticking toys from the ceiling is spent crafting worlds readers can get lost it. Julie is a self-proclaimed bibliophile and lover of big words. She likes hiking, frogs, interesting earrings, and a plethora of other fun things. 

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*****

My Thoughts:

As I mentioned earlier, Julie Wetzel and I have been bookish friends for some time now, but I haven't had time to check out her series that everyone's been talking about. The team over at Crimson Tree Publishing raves about this read, but it's sat idly on my TBR waiting patiently for my to devour it. After months, I finally was ready for a new paranormal read and so I took the plunge. The synopsis really didn't tell me too much so I didn't know what I was diving into. After finishing, I am seriously regretting my decision to wait. Holy. Hell. People.

Since this is the first in a two part novel, I'll try to keep my thoughts short here.

Our novel opens with the story of Victoria 'Vicky' Westernly as she starts her new position as personal assistant to business billionaire Darien Ritter. The synopsis give off a very FSOG vibe which was completely unfounded. From the very first page I was hooked by the incredible plot, the developed characters, and a paranormal setting that's out of this world.

Right from her first day, Vicky knows something is different about Darien. Unlucky in love, Vicky can't help but feel attracted to Darien's persona. When Darien hands Vicky a handful of... confusing... tasks, Vicky takes in in stride and does her duty as an assistant, never defying Darien. While Darien was in need of an assistant, he never imagined he's grow to not only like Vicky, but possibly love her?

Throughout the course of the novel we see Vicky and Darien's complex characters unfold in awesome form, giving us two of the most well written and relatable main characters I have seen in some time. A recently graduated college alumni, Vicky is trying to make ends meet while finding her place in life. A millenia-old vampire who's  struggling with his immortality, Darien quickly grew into one of my favorite vampire characters of all time.

So we can already see that the characters are incredible, but it doesn't stop there.

Writing the first novel in a series is ridiculously hard because of the amount of world building a good author must put into it. Wetzel goes straight into my hall of fame (though not the actual one yet since I don't meet her until next month!) for her superb writing. The fact that Wetzel is about to not only perfect the vampiric lore present in her novel, but also include the lore and legends surrounding werewolves and fae is a true testament to her writing style. Wetzel goes all out with this first installment in the series and, having read all four now, I can tell you it only gets better form here!

The plotline is among the most interesting I have read, adding a touch of mystery and suspense into an already face paced and gripping story.

I'm keeping this one short since I'm reviewing book two right after this, but if you guys haven't had a chance to pick this one up, you definitely need to. This one right here is a classic. Make room on your paranormal shelves folks, Julie Wetzel is here to stay!

It should come as no surprise that I am granting Gathering Tinder by Julie Wetzel a near-perfect 5-star review. I was never disappointed and am still loving this book several weeks later. Huge kudos to Wetzel for writing one of my new all time favorite vampire series. Move over Charlaine Harris, you've got company!

*****

Alright folks, that's all I have for you on the topic of Gathering Tinder by Julie Wetzel. As you can see, I kind of fell in love with this novel. It's not one you are going to want to miss out on. Head over and pick up your FREE copy now. Also, head over to Julie's social media pages and give her a shout out, tell her Ethan sent ya! She doesn't bite, I promise! Until next time, Happy Reading!

-Ethan