Rating: 
Summary: Amazing Read!
Review: I'm a big fan of Lackey's, and when I read this book I was absolutely blown away. The world inside our own that she creates just makes you want to believe it's true, and when I finished reading it I was begging for more, I wanted to find out what happened afterwards. It's one of her books in a collection of fairy tale novels, and I've read a few of her others, and they are all just terrific. I would reccomend this book for anyone who either likes her other writings or is a fan of fantasy writing. The characters are round and well-developed, there are aspects of magic, adventure, romance, and of course a familar story of Beauty and the Beast stuck in there too.
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Summary: The BEST I have EVER read!!! (and i've read alot!;)
Review: This is the first of Lackey's book I've ever read. I LOVE IT! The whole time I've read it, I couldn't put it down! Rose comes from Chicago, she's a woman scholar when men ruled the world. Almost with no hope, she gets an uncanny letter one day. A man named Jason Cameron wants a man, or woman, to teach his children back in California. Seeing no better option, she accepts. But when she gets there, she can't believe what she has gotton herself into! She finds herself in the mansion of a railroad baron, who is never seen, and has been disfigured. (with no children to boot!) After an accident she sees that Jason is half-wolf, from a magick working that went awry. She finds her self in a world full of magick: Firemasters, Master of Dragons, the elementals (like the fire salamanders) and she herself has the magick of air within her. Rose meets many challenges, will she defete them all? I'll let you read the book to find out! =)
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Have Been Better!
Review: I LOVED this book! I'm a fan of much of Ms. Lackey's work, but in this she has outdone herself. I have read this book at least ten times by now, and it never ceases to thrill me. The Elemental Masters series is a favorite of mine, as every story is a retelling of a classic fairy tale, but rewritten so that the female protagonists actually *do* something, and Fire Rose is the best of the bunch. Rose is a strong, proactive woman, and yet she's realistically drawn at the same time -- there are things that can shake her. She's human, flawed but likeable, as is Jason Cameron.
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Summary: Great historical fantasy
Review: "The Fire Rose" is an excellent historical fantasy, full of period detail and rich characterizations. This was Mercedes Lackey's first book about Elemental magic, and in my opinion, her best of the three (so far). Rose is a scholar in a bad bind; her father's just died, her money is gone, the creditors are howling at the door, and she has few options and almost no hope. Enter Jason Cameron. He's a man with a bad problem of his own; because of extreme hubris, he attempted a spell to turn him into a werewolf. It didn't totally work, but the partial working has left him tired, ill, injured and feeling almost without hope himself. Cameron needs a scholar who can translate old manuscripts, because only those manuscripts have the potential to help them, and because of his disability, he can no longer read them himself. Rose is a scholar who can read almost anything (she talks of reading Ovid, Sappho's poems, the Decameron, etc.) in just about any language, which is why he wants her help. The two of them link up, and find a most unusual love. Other than that, I don't want to give away the plot; they obviously face trials and tribulations on the road to a fuller realization of their love, but if I talk about them, I'll definitely spoil this unusual and unique story. So all I'll say is, "Read this book for yourself!" Five stars. Recommended. Barb Caffrey Oh, and if you've tried "Gates of Sleep" and didn't like it (I didn't, although I enjoyed "Serpent's Shadow" well enough), you might like this. I did.
Rating: 
Summary: Oy. Worst book EVER.
Review: I'm not big on giving books one star, but beleive me, this one deserves it. The main character is completely irritating, and I rather was hoping for her downfall by the end. But not only that, this book just worked too hard to make that one evil guy really really bad. For instance, she spends several pages talking about how the villain likes to practice "sex magic", and break the spirits of women by insulting them and raping them, degrading them to mere whores. I was so horribly upset by this book that I haven't been able to touch another one of her books since. (Except for one time when I read Black Swan- which was a complete let down too). Actually I read this book 4 years back, but it horrifies me to this day. If you like books about fantasy in our world, might I suggest "Mairelon the Magician" by Patricia C. Wrede, or "A College of Magics" by Stevermer?
Rating:
Summary: Definately the Best Mercedes Lackey Book I've Read So Far
Review: I, as an avid M. Lackey reader, have devoured virtually every book she has written, but of them all, I enjoyed this one the most. She seamlessly wove a timeless fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast, together with a blend of historical fiction and original magic. As always with her Elemental Masters books, she explains natural occurances of history with huge magic uprisings throughout the novel, but I won't tell you more, else I give away the end! This is a definate buy for anyone who enjoys historical fiction with a dash of something new!
Rating:
Summary: Dumb story
Review: So now I know the "truth" about the great fire of 1906...
A more dumb story I`ve seldom read: A "hero" looking halfway like a wolf (the author didn`t even forget the tail). Spare me!
Rating:
Summary: Never, Ever Judge a Book By It's Cover...
Review: I have read so many retellings of Beauty and the Beast. It takes a lot to impress me anymore. I was not impressed by this one either...I was astounded and overjoyed. It is so fresh and unique, no matter what the cover looks like. Here is a slice of plot for you. Rose Hawkins' world is turned upside down by the sudden death of her father. Her world spins out of control when she finds out that her father has left her penniless. So, with very few respectable options, Rose journeys from her home in Chicago to mysterious San Fransisco to become a governess in a wealthy household. She arrives to find that she has been deceived, there are no children, only a wealthy invalid who longs for someone to help with his research. Rose stays and is content...for awhile. Rose is far too intelligent not to notice that things are not exactly as they seem. Where are the servants? Why can't she see her employer's face? And what are the strange manuscripts she must read to him? I don't want to spoil it, so I'll stop right there. This is a great book. The love story is romantic, but never sappy. Best of all, you feel like they really get to know and understand each other. There is some mystery, adventure, and magic thrown in too. And a rather unusual, but just right, happily ever after.
Rating:
Summary: I'm a sucker for books like this
Review: I adored this book! I'm a huge sucker for Beauty and the Beast/Jane Eyre stuff. I really loved the characters. Rose and Jason are what really make this book special. I really liked the elemental magic system as well. Usually explanations of magic bore me to tears but I found this one to be just as addicting as the rest of the book. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the ending. It was very rushed but at least it didn't make me want to bang my head against the wall like all the other Lackey endings I've read. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this book. Before you buy it check to make sure the cover is firmly attached if you can. Mine fell clean off before I was even through the first 100 pages. I really wish there were more books like this one.
Rating:
Summary: Ta Da
Review: The way the plot is set is great.How each party finds each other even though forces are out there to tear them apart.
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