Ignis by KJ is a romantic thriller that will keep you reading well into the wee hours of the morning.
Felicity Davis, principal of Rawson Girls Grammar School, is a force to be reckoned with. She’s the picture of calm, cool, and collected. She’s worked hard to construct a life that is both rewarding and painstakingly controlled. While she’s generous to a fault with the attention she gives to the people in her life, she’s vigilant about not letting anyone get too close to her.
When trauma from her past threatens everything she holds dear, she finds herself fearing for her life. Inspector Tal Diamandis takes the lead, investigating the crimes taking place in and around the school and the threats to Felicity’s safety.
There’s an intense spark of mutual attraction between Felicity and Tal which confounds the already complicated circumstances threatening Felicity. It appears Felicity has found the person she didn’t even know she was longing for, but the timing couldn’t be worse.
When Tal and Felicity discover who’s behind the threats and devious crimes, Felicity takes it upon herself to end the madness. Can she stop a man hell-bent on vengeance or is she doomed to become a victim of her past?
Pros And My Favourite Parts
This is going to be hard because I don’t want to give anything away!
Ignis is full of twists and turns, and I hope other readers will be as hooked as I was. The book opens with a flashback to a young woman being raised in a religious cult. These continuous glimpses into the past are set against a very metropolitan Melbourne present. This device gives the writing an immersive, haunted feeling. It’s very disquieting and it succeeded in keeping me glued to my Kindle. As the tension of the plot builds, there are some truly terrifying moments. I’m not talking about boogie men jumping out from behind corners. I’m refereeing to moments that play on the psychological fear that can only be felt by a character who’s experienced trauma. I couldn’t get enough of this.
The book is written from Felicity’s point of view. She’s a woman who’s comfortable owning the power she’s carefully cultivated for herself. All her actions are for the good of others. Her devotion to her school and the young women in her care is genuinely heartwarming. It’s a lovely juxtaposition with the persona she projects to the outside world. Her reactions to the events going on around her make her more relatable with every revelation.
I can’t not mention Tal. They are the perfect character to bring out the best in Felicity and highlight her desire for a deeper connection with another person. Plus, they are just downright sexy. The chemistry between the two of them is off the charts, partially due to dialogue that is filled with delicious sexual innuendo and witty flirting. It’s been a while since I’ve encountered a couple so perfectly matched.
And the sexy bits? My goodness, KJ gets five flames from me.
Cons And Heads Up
It’s a romantic thriller so there are some rough moments. The book deals with the trauma of growing up in a cult and that could be a trigger for some readers.
The Conclusion
I love it when an author steps outside their usual lane to explore something new. Writing a romantic thriller was a bold choice on this author’s part and it paid off. Ignis is my favorite offering from KJ. I was completely present with Felicity and the chaos into which her life was suddenly thrust. By book’s end, I felt as if I’d lived the whole story with her, and that’s due to the writing, exceptional writing that pulls together irresistible characters and a unique, engrossing plot. Yes, to all of this.
Excerpt from Ignis by KJ
Collecting bags, and suit jackets which had been abandoned to take advantage of the air conditioning, they made their way out of the conference room, down the main corridor, and through the front door.
The sight that greeted them was like a scene from a historical film. Or a horror movie, when Felicity properly took in the moment, and she felt, rather than heard, the collective gasps from the other board members who’d exited the building behind her.
Across the road, directly opposite the school gates, was a wooden Christian cross, probably about two metres tall. It had been set alight, and the flames lit up the footpath beside the grass verge, the shrubs, and trees in the Botanic Gardens behind it, and the halo of orange shimmered in the night air.
“What the—” Julian cut off his sentence, and as one, the group hurried over the cobblestones to stand on the footpath outside the gates, as a Metropolitan Fire truck roared to a stop just past their line of sight.
Police cars blocked off either end of the street. The strobe effect of the emergency lights, the yells from the fire crew, the onlookers from the houses on their side of the street, created a cacophony, yet Felicity was sure she could hear the whoosh and crackle of the flames over all of it.
The large amount of spectators made her very grateful that the boarding house was on the other side of the campus, as this situation would have added to the students’ trauma.
And still, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the cross.
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Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 9798531332158
Publisher: Indie author
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