Red Fire by Deidre Knight

Eternity has become a prison for Ajax Petrakos. Centuries after he and his Spartan brothers made their bargain for immortality, Ajax struggles to maintain his warrior's discipline. His only source of strength is his hope that he will soon meet the woman once foretold to him--the other half of his soul, Shay Angel.

Ajax searches for his destined mate on the haunted streets of modern-day Savannah, but he isn't the first to find her. Shay, the youngest of a powerful demon-hunting clan, can see the monsters that stalk the steamy Southern nights--an ability that draws the deadly attention of Ajax's worst enemy. As Shay and Ajax race to solve a chilling prophecy--one that could spell Ajax's death if they don't succeed--a fated passion arises, threating to sweep away everything in its path.

Ajax Petrakos is a Spartan. When the Spartans lost their epic battle, Jax and six other of his brethren were given the choice by Ares to become immortal and continue to serve their country and be protectors. They accepted and now it is a couple of thousand years later. Ajax struggles with his immortal life, not sure that he wants to continue with this existence. The Oracle has foretold a battle, a mission; one that Jax must complete alone. She has also foretold of his one great love, Shayanna Angel, but he has no idea when or if he will ever find her. The one with whom he must battle is a nasty demon by the name of Elblas (or Sable, as he likes to be called). Sable destroyed Jax's life long ago, so Jax got his revenge by way of removing his once beautiful wings. Sable is very bitter and angry about the fact that he is no longer beautiful, so he comes after Jax full force. But Jax has finally found his Shay, the love of his life. Now that he's found her, can he protect her so that they can be together always?

My opinion: Right away when I started reading this book, I knew I would like it. Anyway that knows me can attest that I LOVE the movie 300. So when I found out this book was about Spartan warriors I was all in! I mean, who wouldn't be? I had great visuals in my head the whole time I was reading the book; you remember what those men looked like right?

When Jax was given immortality, he was also given abilities. He is able to change into a hawk-like creature with big beautiful wings; this shape-shifting is something he has always had trouble controlling. The way he is described in this book, he sounds absolutely gorgeous! Of course, every time they mention Leonidas, all I can think about is the movie and so when I read the book all I can picture is Gerard Butler...which is definitely not a bad thing! I liked Shayanna, she was very tough. I hated the way her brothers kept the family secrets from her, I didn't blame her for getting so frustrated with them. Especially when the information was so crucial! It really was a special moment when Jax finally realizes he has found her, you could feel the love he already felt for her even though this was the first time they had met face to face. And although it took awhile for Shay to be able to fully trust him, you could tell she felt connected to him instantly too. There was a part where they are talking later on in the book that actually made me tear up a little, but I'm not giving anything away! You'll just have to read it for yourself!!

My rating: 4/5 stars