I have a fondness for Cynthia Eden’s heroes and I generally find the darkness of her stories intensely entertaining. Saying that, I found this one to be simply average and I longed for more in terms of characterization and actual romance. I read this book one week ago, got distracted, and needed to reread in order to write the review because I couldn’t remember the characters. This is never a good sign.

Zane Wynter is a high level demon who works for Night Watch, an organization that specializes in tracking dangerous criminals, human or otherwise. On this particular assignment, he tracks a deadly ignitor responsible for heinous crimes and when he finds her he is quite surprised. First, he’s unexpectedly attracted to the deadly ignitor in a way no other woman has ever captured his attention. Second, he’s torn between his duty and by the desire to protect and help her find the truth.

Jana Carter is a human ignitor with an extremely troubled past. Unaware of what she was and unable to control her abilities, she turned to those she thought she could trust. Despite her efforts, she again is alone, with few options, and accused of crimes she didn’t commit. As a result she quickly becomes a target for Night Watch and the human police. However, with Zane things are different and she knows she can’t get him caught up in anything that might get him killed.

As I read this book, I often felt that things were needlessly complicated. As with many other books, I wanted the heroine to open up and talk to the hero and give her side of the story; explain it all and get it all out on the table. Another huge detractor was the fact that I never warmed up to the heroine (pun intended). She is the center of the story and everything revolves around her and her abilities and, unfortunately, I never felt any sympathy for her. Also, the fact that I forgot the characters’ names after a week and had to reread is a big indicator that, though I enjoyed the book somewhat as I was reading, it was ultimately forgettable.

Though on the whole the story is average, there were some things I enjoyed. Ms. Eden’s heroes are usually quite impressive and Zane lives up to that standard; still, since to book is centered on Jana, he gets pushed aside. Despite that, he is intense and powerful, both of which are a heady combination. There are few moments within the book that aren’t action packed as the momentum is pretty much continuous. Also, there are numerous characters introduced that give the story depth. However, I think that momentum and the characters detracted from the relationship building between the primary couple.

In this economy, trade paperback prices are a lot to ask for a book that rates as average. Unfortunately, that’s the best way to describe Eternal Flame.