I had a very hard time deciding what grade to give Tina St. John’s Heart of the Flame. It’s a pleasant read, smoothly told and nicely written, and I can’t really say there’s anything I disliked about it. But while it was nice enough, it had a number of flaws that kept it from being particularly satisfying or memorable.

Kenrick of Clairmont is a former Templar Knight who recently emerged from a six-month captivity in the dungeon of the evil Silas de Mortaine. The wealthy and ruthless Silas was determined to learn what Kenrick knows about the legendary Dragon Chalice. The Chalice originated in the mystical kingdom of Anavin, which legend has it co-exists with our own. It’s a very important item which numerous parties will do anything to obtain and Kenrick has vowed to locate and protect it.

After his rescue from the dungeon, Kenrick travels to the home of his friend Randwulf of Greycliff, only to discover Rand and his family were recently murdered. Kenrick had left one of the Chalice pieces in Rand’s possession, and that seems to have led to his friend’s death. While searching the castle, Kenrick finds Haven, a woman who survived the attack. Haven is badly injured and near death, and he takes her to the home of his sister and brother-in-law to nurse her back to health. Kenrick wants to know if she saw those responsible for the attack on Rand and his family, but Haven doesn’t remember anything about what happened. Wary of him and his questions, Haven just wants to leave the castle as soon as possible. But of course, they spend time together, an attraction develops, and they begin to fall in love, something that may be jeopardized by Haven’s returning memory.

This is an easy, lightly enjoyable read. It’s not overly heavy on the period detail, but it delivers a decent amount of atmosphere, giving me enough of the Medieval fix I was looking for when I picked the book off the review list. It features some intriguing paranormal elements, a sweet romance, and sympathetic main characters.

So what’s the problem? Mostly, a lack of development. This is the second book in a series that began with Heart of the Hunter. I haven’t read the earlier book, and I suspect this one will work better for anyone who has. While it stands on its own well enough, it very much reads like the second installment in a larger series, coming directly out of one story and leading straight into another. The backstory regarding Anavrin and the Chalice is sketchy. I had no trouble following this story, but the history wasn’t explained well enough for me to really care about any of it. The Chalice is supposedly vital to the survival of Anavrin (or something), but I didn’t really know anything about Anavrin, so who cared about what happened to it? Without the backstory, the Chalice is basically a MacGuffin, the story device that the entire plot revolves around but which is essentially meaningless in its own right. All that matters is that everyone in the story wants it, and that’s more important to know than anything about the item itself.

Similarly, Kenrick and Haven are sympathetic people, but their development and histories felt sketchy to me. They were fine, but lacked that extra dimension that would have made them truly compelling characters. The romance is pleasant, as Kenrick slowly works past Haven’s guardedness and they grow closer. Kenrick’s sister Ariana and her husband are both likable characters. While there are some allusions to looming threats and some darker elements, the story is mostly low-key and character-driven. It was nice without really grabbing me.

It wasn’t until the two-thirds of the way into the story that I really noticed what it lacked. At that point there are some juicy developments and key revelations that raise the stakes and immediately make it a more interesting read. The emotions are more gripping, the romance is more dramatic and the story has a sense of urgency that was lacking in the early parts of the book. The final third of the book is the best part. Had the rest been as exciting and dramatic, I could easily recommend it.

Heart of the Flame isn’t a bad read by any means. It’s a decent diversion, but my response was a little too lukewarm to call it much more than that. Even so, readers with a taste for medieval settings and paranormal elements may find it worth a look.