A Harmony of Fire and Earth by Antonia Aquilante is the second novel in the duology Elemental Magicae and continues directly where the first book, A Dance of Water and Air left off. The relationship between Arden and Edmund, and we are also presented with another couple, Gaz and Rhys.
While there were some pacing issues and aspects of the story that felt underdeveloped, I quite enjoyed the use of elemental magic in this one. There was much more of it and I felt truly spoiled (in a good way). There are also elements of the story as a whole that felt like it was incomplete - I'm hoping that those are plot threads that were purposely left that way in case the writer wishes to revisit this world. To which I would honestly love to see.

This is the second book in a fantasy series, and likely best enjoyed when read in sequence, though I read it as a standalone and had minimal trouble following the complete story arc. There may be spoilers for the first story in here.

Prince Edmund of Thalassa, a water wielder, and Prince Arden of Aither, an air wielder, met in the first book because Edmund had been betrothed to Arden's Elder sister, Queen Hollis. THis was a way to unite the fractious nations and stave off war. There is a lot of intrigue, some attempts at assassination, and it seems the culprits--backed by the grasping rulers of neighboring Tycen escape, and Edmund and Arden have retreated to Thalassa where now <em>their</em> marriage is part of a treaty to halt escalating tensions between Thalassa and Aither. Tycen's fire-wielding agents have been creating conflicts at the borders of both nations to incite violence that will weaken these countries to make an advantage for Tycen's forces to attack. While the marriage is a political alliance, Arden and Edmund are very much in love with one another, and determined to manage the growing threat of Tycen's plots side by side and hand in hand.

Arden, a scholar in magic, has determined that the way to stop the fire attacks by Tycen's agents is to shore up their borders using a complex combination of the magic of all four elements. He's a strong air wielder, and he sends for a strong earth wielder, Briallen, who travels with her brother Rhys, also an earth wielder. It's trickier to find a fire wielder, especially in Thalassa, where the water-wielding King Torin has made the practice illegal. His second son, Gareth, barely escaped Thalassa with his life once his Talent for fire became known in his puberty. Briallen and Rhys do know Gaz, a reclusive fire wielder who resides in a cottage inside the borders of Aither, where fire wielding isn't illegal. They invite Gaz to come with them on Arden's request to bring any fire wielder they might trust. They don't know that Gaz is really Prince Gareth living in exile with his bodyguard.

Gaz knows that he should refuse Briallen's quest, but he can't resist the possibility of helping safeguard the kingdom of his birth. He doesn't know he'll see his brother again, but he is in fear of discovery. The disguises his bodyguard fashions are pretty good, though. And the growing attraction between Gaz and Rhys is also a balm. Gaz has lived in near solitude for the better part of a decade and he's...burning (ha!) for some affection. The journey unites Rhys and Gaz, but Gaz's true identity becomes a secret that divides them. When the reunion comes, Gaz fears Edmund will send him away--or worse imprison him, but his need to reconnect makes him reckless--with the best possible result. In fact, it is connection that will power the big magic Arden has planned, so Rhys must get past his (kinda unreasonable) hurt that Gaz concealed his true name from him.

This is a quest story, considering the bigger picture, but also a romance for Rhys and Gareth/Gaz, as well as a reunion of brothers/family as Gareth connects with both Edmund and his younger sister. There are many points of view in the story, but I found it easier to follow than I expected. The sexytimes are on the down low--less graphic and more emotional connection, which made sense given the objectives of the story and the needs of the character--particularly Gaz. Rhys, as an earth wielder and low-key healer, is a nurturer by nature, and he's more than willing to care for reclusive and attractive Gaz, but thinks he isn't worthy of a prince--despite these two identities describing the same man. It takes a bit of magic to get his mind turned around, but that's all to the good.

Danger lurks throughout the book, and even up to the end the potential for surprise and disruption are lurking. The location the magic must be performed is close to the borders and sites of incursion, and Thalassan guards could still arrest Gareth, if he's recognized. The climax does bring more battle than expected, but also a better sense of closure, with it. This book ends the duology--leaving the reader satisfied that peace will reign and happiness will follow our stalwart heroes. I liked the book, and would recommend for folks who enjoy fantasy, magical realism and quest stories with a side of romance.

I enjoyed the first book in this duology when I read it in 2018, but I found this follow-up a little lacklustre in comparison. I wasn't as invested in Rhys and Gaz's relationship as I was in Edmund and Arden's in the first book -with the two couples having to share page time, I think it might have been because the new couple didn't have enough time to develop. I also thought that the fantasy politics plot was very thin and seemed to wrap up far too quickly with no real effort or consequences for the characters. Overall, I'm disappointed, but it still gets stars for good gay and trans rep.

I read the first book in this series last year and loved it as an entertaining, quick fantasy with LGBT characters and magic so naturally I had to request the second book - I did have to skim read the later half of the first book before this one though. We follow on from the events of the first book so it would be best to read them directly after one another. As with the first book I loved the Edmund/Arden relationship as well as the elemental magic (I love books involving magic, especially elemental magic) and the politics of the world. I love the new characters in this one, particularly Gaz (although I hate that name!) and the relationship between Gareth and Rhys - it was very sweet. Overall, I liked the first book but I loved this one and if you like magical fantasy with some LGBT characters then check out this lighthearted, easy and entertaining duo.

Entertaining read, didn’t think was quite as good as the first book, but still enjoyable. The characters are likeable and the e is good chemistry but I just thought something was missing

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I loved A Dance of Water and Air, so I was excited to see how the story would continue in A Harmony of Fire and Earth. First off, the good points: I loved Gareth, and enjoyed his romance with Rhys. It was fun to see them introduced alongside the continuing tale of Arden and Edmund. Plus, I still like the idea behind the story of elemental magic and the way different kingdoms lean towards different elements. Where this second volume fell down a little for me was in the pacing. There were some great moment, but then there were also times when it felt like a lot of dialogue and not much happening. In particular I struggled with the ending. I don't want to spoiler it, but it felt like there was a big long build-up only for everything to be over in no time, leaving me a little unsure of what exactly they'd done, how it had worked, and why it came with the provisos it did. That part appeared a little underdeveloped. I still enjoyed this book, but it certainly didn't have as much of an impact on me as the first volume. I gave the first book five stars, I give this one three and a half, and overall I'd put this duology as a four-star read.