Review - Fire & Ice by J.C. Owens
Fire & Ice
by J.C. Owens
My rating: 
Heat level: 
Volume 2 of Tarsus
Posted in Book Reviews on January 28, 2026
After two years living with the Silvermanes in their isolated kingdom to be with his lover Tarsus, the king agrees to allow a visit by Varan’s brother Ariel, along with his personal guards. Things don’t go quite as planned, but when Ariel finally meets King Arhanyin, he is instantly attracted to the much older centaur. Never shy nor one to be deterred from a sexual conquest, Ariel sets about wooing the old king. A night of pleasure seemed like enough, since Ariel would have to return home soon, but the connection between the two proves stronger than either imagined.
“Fire & Ice” is the sequel to Tarsus, set in a world where the centaurs of Greek mythology are the dominant species. The focus of this story is two characters that played minor roles in the first book, but the main characters from the first story, Tarsus and Varan, play key roles in this plot, so you need to have read the first book to know who all the players are.
We get different parts of the story from Tarsus, Varan, Ariel, and Arhanyin’s points of view. Varan remains the stoic soldier we got to know in the previous book, although he still has a challenge keeping up with his younger mate, Tarsus. The former outcast is still trying to find his place as a prince who will one day take his father Arhanyin’s place as king of the Silvermanes. It’s a daunting prospect, and Taurus isn’t sure he can live up to everyone’s expectations.
We get to know Ariel much better in this book. He is one of those personalities that’s hard not to like. His disarming nature means people don’t always take him seriously, but beneath the easy-going exterior is a centaur with a keen understanding of human nature. At times Ariel displays a wisdom that feels beyond his age.
We met Arhanyin only briefly at the end of the first book, where he was keen to take the son, Tarsus, whom he had long thought was dead, away from the southern centaurs that, for a while, mistreated the white-coated young centaur because he was different. The king lost his wife, Tarsus’ mother, many years ago and has buried his grief in the responsibilities of his office. He resists the idea that there’s room in his life for another love, but Ariel’s charms prove hard to resist.
“Fire & Ice” is available from Smashwords.
