Name: Heat of the Everflame
Series: Kindred’s Curse Saga #3
Author: Penn Cole
Publisher: Podium Audio & Self Published
Format: Audio (Book Beat) & Kindle (through KU)
Genres: New Adult, Romantasy
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
😭? – A few tears were shed
Rating:
Synopsis: Goodreads
The war has begun. Both sides demand Diem’s allegiance—or her death.
After her disastrous coronation, Diem finds herself at the center of the conflict between the Descended and the Guardians. With her newfound friends and the man she’s falling for on one side, and the mortals she has vowed to protect on the other, Diem must walk a careful line to save the people she loves… even from each other.
The mystery of her unusual heritage begins to unravel, sending Diem and Luther on an unexpected journey across the realms. The answers may hold the key to winning the war, but finding them will require her to face painful truths about her mother, her bloodline, and her fate.
Meanwhile, the Crowns have set Diem in their sights. Some could be her greatest allies—while others want her dead. To end their oppressive reign, Diem must sort friend from foe and risk it all to build an army of her own.
But a powerful figure in the north has plans that could change everything…
Review:
Heat of the Everflame is the third book in Penn Cole’s Kindred’s Curse Saga, Spark of the Everflame is the first book, Glow of the Everflame the sequel. It stands to reason there will be spoilers for both of the previous books in the review below, but if there are any for Heat then they will be hidden as normal.
5 Stars. 5 freaking stars. I love this book. I love this series. This is absolutely a god tier romantasy for me and I’m simultaneously so glad I waited to hop onto this obsession train, and beyond annoyed that I didn’t get my ticket sooner. Cast your mind back to the end of 2024 when I was creating my 12 books to read in 2025 list; Spark of the Everflame was one of the ones I was most excited about. But throughout 2025 I kept seeing a lot of reviews of people just not liking this book (or more appropriately, not liking Diem the FMC) and I then didn’t pick it up until DECEMBER 2025!!
Unbelievable.
I loved Spark of the Everflame, and the cliffhanger in that just had me gagging for book 2. I loved book 2, though didn’t love the ending quite as much. Don’t get me wrong, I was still gagging for book 3, but I just don’t like Diem’s mother… AND THEN BOOK 4 WAS ANNOUNCED! I almost put finally as if I’ve been waiting for years like some of the other fans of this series… But I knew given the SIZE of Heat of the Everflame that I was going to need to prioritise getting to it sooner rather than later because I want to be in the group of people reading Burn when it releases, not weeks later.
Let me tell you, Heat of the Everflame does not ever stop. There is something going on at all times in this book, at all times. Whether it’s action, character development, heart break, banter, cute moments, hard moments… it just never stops. Penn Cole really took us on a rollercoaster with this one. The odd thing about Heat is that at the 58% (this is the number that really sticks out in my head, but it might not be entirely accurate) mark it started to feel like it was wrapping up (earlier if a really diabolical cliff hanger was wanted). Which is obviously very confusing when you realise there are still hundreds of pages to go. But I never stopped loving this story.
Diem and Luther in this installment do suffer a little with the miscommunication trope (or the no communication trope, I’m still grumpy about this) but all in all, I had it figured out as to what was going on and I was not okay because Penn Cole gaslit me into thinking I had it wrong and I started to settle into the false sense of security and then BAM she hit me. So, yeah, that happened… I love their relationship, I love how it began and how it’s developing, I can’t wait to see where it goes. I think these two may be one of my favourite fictional couples I just love them so much.
Our little found family was also put through the ringer in this behemouth of a book – it honestly has me scared to read Burn because what could she do that’s worse than what she did in this book? I have ideas, and they scare me… And the ending of Heat of the Everflame is also DIABOLICAL! I thought I knew where it was going to end, and it’s almost like Penn was sat at her computer grinning maniacally to herself thinking about all the people she’d hurt by tagging on an extra couple of pages.
She’ll receive my therapy bill, don’t worry.
I am so grateful that I’m reading this series in the timeline where we know Burn’s release date and it’s coming because if I had to live with that ending for years, I’d be beyond annoyed ha. I need answers and I can’t live with that cliffhanger.
I think I’ve done a good job at telling you the things I loved about this book, so let me quickly squeeze in the thing (singular) that I didn’t love and we’ll leave the complaints at that: Diem’s mother.
I feel very protective over these characters (and the gryvern’s!!!) so I will not hear any slander about them. I love this series, it’s a god tier romantasy series. I need everyone to read it.
One final note about the audiobook! I was so intimidated by the size of Heat that I chose to audiobook it (my mistake because this got me addicted and then I could only listen to and from work… it wasn’t enough, I took matters into my own hands and dedicated all of Saturday to listening to it). The narrator was excellent, I kind of wish I’d immersive read all of the books now!! And if the audiobook releases at the same time as Burn the physical / ebook releases, then I will absolutely immersive read it then too. 5 out of 5 for the narrator, no bloody notes there.
“I am Diem Bellator […] And I kneel for no one.”
Reading With Tyler 
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