Night of Fire by Nico Rosso
The Ether Chronicles, Book 2
Avon Impulse
Steampunk
ISBN: 9780062201089
Reviewed by Shayna




U.S. Army Upland Ranger Tom Knox has just returned to his hometown for the first time in three years.  But Thornville isn’t quite the same as it was when Tom left it.  Thornville is in danger of being wiped out by a greedy mining company’s monster of a machine and the only person willing to help Tom stand in its way is the town’s sheriff…who just happens to be Rosa Campos, the woman Tom loved and lost.  For Tom, saving his hometown seems like far less of a challenge than winning Rosa back.  But this U.S. Army Upland Ranger isn’t about to back down from either fight.

The American West gets a lot wilder in Night of Fire.  This second Ether Chronicles story is filled with non-stop action and wonderfully clever world-building.  Nico Rosso captivated me with the steampunk technology he created in Night of Fire.  The inventions in Night of Fire sparked my imagination and I loved the utter uniqueness of the story’s world.  Equally fascinating were Tom and Rosa.  They’re two tough, sharp, engaging characters who fit each other so well you have to root for them to find their way back to one another.  Mr. Rosso perfectly blends world-building and romance in Night of Fire, a trait I appreciate in an author and one that has me eager to read more of Mr. Rosso’s work.

Night of Fire is the second installment in The Ether Chronicles, a series that contains stories by Mr. Rosso and his wife, Zoë Archer.  Both Night of Fire and the first Ether Chronicles tale, Skies of Fire, can be read as standalones.  Where Mr. Rosso’s stories are Westerns, Ms. Archer’s tales span the rest of the world.  I love the originality of The Ether Chronicles and I cannot wait to see what new adventures Mr. Rosso and Ms. Archer have in store for readers!