4.75/5 ⭐️

I was so incredibly lucky to receive this book as an ARC. My thoughts, views, and opinions on The Earth and The Flame are entirely my own, and are not influenced by the author in any way.

I loved “The Shadow and the Draw”. It got a 4.25/5 ⭐️ for me because it was a different kind of romantasy. It brought in a unique magical and “creature”/supernatural take. It also began an interesting spin on the angels vs demons saga of fantasy, drawing on real life angels and “religious struggles”. Oh, and it was fucking sexy as hell. TSATD was pure smut with some added plot in it. That was what brought my rating down a little for book 1, I wanted just that little bit more plot.

Did book 2 deliver that desire? Abso-fucking-lutely. “The Earth and the Flame” is also romantasy, although it features some very delicious romance/smutty scenes, TEATF is a lot more plot driven and the story is building into something phenomenal. The character development is exceptional, the smut is even sexier, and the story that Baker is creating with these characters is only getting stronger.

I can say with full confidence that I am a #TalGal - I stan an older man. I really enjoyed getting to meet Juno, even if her story had me in a sobfest. Cora and Amryn take a bit of a backseat in this one, but just because Cora is a mum now, she’s not relegated to the sidelines, unlike other pregnancy/mum tropes