Bound in Flame

Bound in Flame by Katheine Kayne was such a fun read! I am so glad I got to dive into the stories of the Hawaiian Ladies' Riding Society because once I started on this book, I could not put it down. I finished it in one day. Kayne had just the right mix of strong women, animals, and the ancient powers of the earth. I enjoyed the romance in it but am glad that there was so much else to the story that made it so well rounded. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series!

A Fantasy Historical romance with some Hawiiaian myths.
A good story about Letty a girl who a connection to animals and the islands.
Some drama, twist, angst,romance and Island history.
Enjoyed reading ablot the Islands.
Voluntarily reviewed.

Loved this little jewel of a book . It was good and good read , I loved the setting
thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

How can I punish her now? How can we proclaim that we want more bold women and then the minute we have one, put a bridle on her? Sheer hypocrisy!


My friends, this book is about Hawaiian suffragists on horseback.
Yes, I didn’t know that was a book I needed either, and yet, here we are.

So, Bound in Flame is about Letty, whose full name I’ve forgotten as soon as I read it (my abilities to forget names in a matter of seconds is not even funny anymore, but I looked it up and her full name is Letitia Liliuokolani Lang), is training to become a veterinarian. In 1909. As a Irish-Hawaiian, who’s tall and dark skinned and female and all the things men hated back in the day.
She doesn’t give a fuck, tho.
I may have a crush on her.
She loves animals fiercely and sometimes makes rash decisions, that end up saving lives sometimes.
The setting is Hawaii, only years after the Kingdom of Hawaii became American. The majority of the cast is either Hawaiian or east Asian (I think a lot of them are Japanese? But that’s never disclosed, that’s just me assuming because of names), with only few exceptions.
And it would’ve been very easy to make the white man the enemy (because they did basically outlaw Hawaiian culture and then later exploited it for money), but they weren’t. Hawaiians do, after all, have Ho’oponopono, which is a practice of forgiveness.

The cast was great!
Letty, goddaughter of the last princess of Hawaii, studying to become a veterinarian, with a fierce love for everything four-legged and great with a bullwhip.
Agnes, an Australian woman and the stepmother of Letty, was so fierce and protective and she was ready to fight whomever dared to threaten her children, Letty included.
Princess K, who had been trained to take the throne until there wasn’t a throne anymore, was so compassionate, kind and strong.
There was a bunch of other female cast members, the British grandmama, Irene, that one weird lady with her mule, it was great. I was having a wonderful time.
And, I want to repeat myself: this is about Hawaiian feminists and suffragists, that ride around Hawaii. I love it.


My biggest problem with this book is, that I’ll have to wait for the second one.



Thanks to the author and netgalley for providing this ARC!

I'm a sucker for anything set in Hawaii, especially when it references any of the old beliefs. Bound in Flame is a poetic novel filled with romance and magic, but I struggled to connect with any of the characters until about halfway through which was unfortunate. This novel has a beautiful story woven through it and I especially loved the afterward that explained all of Katherine Kayne's inspirations, I just wish there had been a bit more character development in the beginning to help you become more emotionally attached to the characters sooner.

Wow! I am adding Katherine Kayne to my MUST READ authors list. This was an incredible debut. It does not suffer from being the first in a series at all. This is a fantasy book that feels more like historical fiction. The world building is so well done and blends beautifully with early 20th century Hawaii. All the characters are well developed and somehow manage to be both believable and magical. I think that is because the magic itself is slow and natural and ancient like the islands and the people it comes from. I honestly cannot wait for the next books.

My only criticism would be that the villains could have been elaborated on a bit more, they felt a bit like an afterthought but not to the detriment of the book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

An interesting read, good storyline, and the author captures the reader right from the first paragraph. I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

Heat Factor: She’s on fire. The sex is not (and it’s not meant to be, really).
Character Chemistry: Yes.
Plot: I can’t even begin...
Overall: Try a little something different on for size.

Historical romance is great, but it’s so hard to find historical romance that’s not 19th century British. There are also the various popular American settings: Wild West, Gilded Age, Reconstruction. So when I found this Hawaiian historical romance I jumped right on it. Also my in-laws have been living in Hawaii, so we’ve had a Hawaiian culture inundation the past couple years. Basically I had no choice.

This book is set in a very early 20th century (1909) Hawaii, in a fictional, mystical world, where Americans did take over Hawaii, but Lili’uokalani was succeeded by Kehokulani, a suffragist princess born with mystical powers. There is all kinds of stuff going on in this book:
1. Mystical Gates are ushering the world from its past to its future, led by Princess Kehokulani.
2. Letty’s family has money trouble.
3. Letty is part of an equestrian society of Hawaiian suffragists.
4. Timothy has family/plantation issues.
5. Letty was sent to school in California where she decided to become a veterinarian.
6. There is a psychopath who hates Letty because Timothy fired him.

Some of these things are more relevant than others, but be prepared for a lot of moving parts. Kayne also dates all the chapters, which was too much. As far as I could tell, the narrative moves in a chronologically forward progression, so the dates really just made me feel like I was missing something, because I paid attention to them not at all.

It’s going to be really hard for me to be succinct, but I’ll try. Because we at The Smut Report talk romance, I’m going to leave some of our plot points outlined above alone in favor of the romance between Timothy and Letty.

Letty Lang just can’t seem to control herself sometimes. It’s the reason she’s sent to boarding school in California. The reason she can’t control herself? She is a Gate, one of nine women who will “open new ways for our people.” (It’s a period of change, the early 20th century. There are cars, for starters.) Her power is healing and it manifests as flames. (Get it?)

It is because she can’t control her power that she throws herself off a ship after a horse as the book opens and then curses the horse’s owner, Timothy Rowley, when she and her equine friend arrive safely on shore. Timothy is a very good friend of the aforementioned Princess K, who also happens to be Letty’s godmother, so Letty and Timothy are thrown together over and over as the story progresses. They live on different islands, though. Letty starts out on the big island because she’s visiting Princess K, but most of the time she lives with her parents on Oahu, while Timothy’s plantation is next to the Princess’s on the big island. Distance makes the heart grow fonder? I honestly didn’t know if this was actually going to be a romance or if we were going to do some more series, Stephanie Plum nonsense because first there is a very slow burn and then it turns out that Gates kill romantic interests with their powers. (?) (???) I got to a point where if Letty broke up with Timothy without telling him to his face what the issue was one more time, I was going to throw the book. Teenagers.

Letty and Timothy train horses together and are generally quite proper. They write each other. The visit politely when they’re in the same space. But they are insta-attracted to each other, so it’s a subtle romance. Also there’s the issue that Letty is half Hawaiian, so Timothy, as not only a white man but as an English aristocrat, would face a degree of social ostracism if he were with her. Going home to England in glory to stick it to his father goes up in smoke and all that. The romance, therefore, is one that I really wanted to happen, but it was on-again-off-again, sometimes even seeming non-existent before swinging back to burning and yearning.

Much of the story isn’t really centered on the romance anyway. Timothy ties directly into Letty’s journey of self discovery, but Letty learning she’s a Gate and subsequently learning how to accept and harness her powers is a lot of the narrative. Given the lack of an external conflict to drive the plot, the story lives or dies based on the quality of the narrative and the writing. The narrative is definitely engaging. It took me a little while to warm up, but by the end I did become totally absorbed in all the different goings on Kayne had whipped up.

So how’s the writing? It’s good, or I wouldn’t have enjoyed the book at all. But… The first, and honestly very minor, thing is that the story is written in 3rd person omniscient and in the past tense (as most books are). So when the author says, “That is, of course, until one crafty mama decided to make a break for it….”

It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s super jarring. The other aspect of the writing I feel compelled to flag is the pacing. As I said, there’s a lot going on, so there was a lot of story to tell, but I probably shouldn’t have wondered if we were ever going to resolve the central Gate/Relationship conflict in this book, especially if it’s marketed as romance. There were a few points along various plotlines that geared up to high drama and then… resolved? Just like that?

Some of these things matter more than others, but holy wow did that ending feel packed in, like, “Let’s not make this book too long!” Hi, I just read a 500 page romance novel (Like, why? Different issue...)--this book is not too long. Or if it is, cut down on some of the story lines. Don’t fail to flesh out all the drama that’s been created in all the other carefully crafted pages!

TL;DR - I liked this book, and I really liked that its setting both physically and temporally were different than most of what I read. Is it my new fave? Nah. But that’s okay, too.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

I love how diverse this book is.
This book creatively combines Hawaiian folklore, horses, and female suffragettes. All of these aspects mesh together to create an entirely unique story. From the very first page I was intrigued and wanted to know more. The cover is absolutely beautiful and the story contained within its pages was full of fun YA adventure and romance.

Bound in Flame is a historical novel with romance, magic, and a hell of a lot of fun. In 1909, Letty Lang is a headstrong Hawaiian suffragette and horsewoman who dreams of becoming a veterinarian. But life, an English man, and a strange power get in her way. Letty must learn how to handle her fiery healing touch before her inner flames consume her. This just might come at the expense of love and ambition. Can she channel an ancient power and be a modern woman at once?

Kayne clearly loves Hawaii. That love shines through in every sentence. She takes liberties, but has done her research. Letty and the people around her are interesting characters. While Letty is intelligent and powerful in multiple ways, she is flawed and needs help. Thankfully, she has friends and family.

Throughout the novel, Kayne hints that other women in Hawaii may also have powers. Bound in Flame is set to be the first in the Hawaiian Ladies' Riding Society series. I look forward to reading about other members of that Society and their adventures.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A glorious "retelling" as alternate history of the Hawaiian Islands at the turn of the Century (19th-20th), with strong female heroines (multiple), paranormal elements founded and grounded in the Islands, the suffrage for women, and the rights of women to independence and careers; plus romance, animals, danger, and victories. Additionally, the author provides an inspiring and educational afterword about Hawaii's history and royal bloodline.


BOUND IN FLAME will appeal to fans of historic Romantic Suspense (think Phyllis A. Whitney and Victoria Holt), Alternative History (Harry Turtledove), history as-it-should-have-been and as it was, and readers eager for strong female characters.

I was provided with an ARC of this title by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a delightful story about a heroine determined to flout convention and find her own path. Her journey is made all the more complicated by the legacy of magic that runs in her veins. It is a legacy that ties her to the lush history of her Hawaiian homeland.

I found the pace of the story a bit slow, and the dialogue was stilted at times. However, the story includes many cultural aspects that will be fascinating to readers who are unfamiliar with the history of Hawaii's colonization, and the primary character is a wonderful reflection of the women who launched the Suffrage Movement.

A lovely historical fiction novel with horses, hula and beautiful Hawaiian traditions woven throughout the story. I especially like the mystical magical element of the story.

This was a wonderfully written romance with some interesting Hawaiian folklore/magic. I really liked the characters in this story Letty being so determined to make women equal was wonderful. I do however wise the romance level of this had been amped up just a smidge, The first half of this book felt more fantasy then romance and when its billed a certain way readers often lose interest. Just a thought.

Overall, I liked this book. I think it is the perfect summer read with its slow-paced plot and rich setting. The writing creates the perfect atmosphere for a summer holiday read. The plot was incredible and kept me interesting but there was a small pacing problem with major events in the book. The characters were fun to read about and I cannot wait to read more about their stories in future books. This is a book best going into without knowing too much. Thank you so much to Smith Publicity for providing me with a copy of this book!

There is fanstasy, romance and all that is set in an historical setting.
I am not sure I liked it nor can I honestly say I did not enjoy this book.
However my experience with this book was different. I do look forward to reading more from this series though. Perhaps then I can write a complete review for this book.

Thank you for the chance to review this book.

I do hope Kaherine Kayne has been busy writing the next instalment in The Hawaiian Ladies Riding Society series. I was totally drawn into Katherine's debut book.

Bound in Flame is a story of Letty and Tiimothy; a love story...which keeps us waiting. But also so much more..........Set in the most beautifull of places and laced with the most alluring language, I felt as if I was in Hawaii, rooted to the aina myself. The imagery is undeniable - the colours, scents of gardenia and pikake, sounds of the sea, leap off the page.

Coming from New Zealand, pacific island life is known to me. The language is melodic, the sun warm and the people equally so. Magical mystical powers exist in our culture too.

So many historical fictions currently in vogue seem to be set in Paris - a city of love for sure. But I have discovered the history and the beauty of Hawaii works as a unique backdrop too, as this strong wahine discovers her powers and her destiny.

We are also introduced to many characters in this book - too many some would say? But I can see the value of this, as we expect further books in the series. I am keen to see where these "co-stars" also take us. Agnes the Lioness particularly.

Thanks to Netgalley, Passionfire Press and Katherine Kayne

Absolutely loved this book! This follows a young woman in Hawaii who is a women’s suffragist before her time. I love the bold characters in this book and the beautiful imagery that you get of the island! This mixes historical fiction, romance and fantasy all into one magical book! Excited for more of this series!