Blurb:

The finish line was only the beginning.

Champion race royalers Ezren Hart and Foster Sterling never dreamed winning the Belethea Race Royale and solving their teammate’s murder would only be the start of their troubles. With legal proceedings taking an unfortunate turn, accusations of a sham race, and a divided Belethea of warring ideals, they find themselves in the middle of a storm once again.

However, when a mysterious private investigator shows up at their doorstep with news that Ezren’s long-missing father’s life hangs in the balance, she doesn’t hesitate to chart their course to the incendiary moon of Otho despite Foster’s misgivings. But after political violence separates the pair before they even get off the ground, Foster scrapes together a crew to go after her.

While Ezren and Foster race toward Otho, the growing ripples of corruption bring the system to the brink of war with the two of them balanced on the tipping point. As they run, drive, and fight across an explosive land scarred with bullets and death, they’ll have to decide what sacrifices they’re willing to make for a dangerous discovery in a world prepared to silence their voices forever.

Because on Otho, there are no winners—only survivors.

Review:

It’s good to be back with this crew. Chow does not skip a beat in this fast paced galactic sequel. If you liked Into the Churn you're going to love Into the Fire. With political tensions mounting and the pressures of her new found fame closing in, Ezren has a lot to deal with, especially with Foster away. But when a quick decision needs to be made to save her long lost father, she doesn't hesitate. As Ezren barely escapes Belethea and heads to Otho with a P.I. with a mysterious past, she’ll need the help of her team to make it out alive…

At the end of Into the Churn, team Sterling/Hart had won the BRR and their future together, and the future of their planet, looked bright. But when we arrive in Into the Fire, exposing the corruption of Calderon Industries and funding terraforming projects on world hadn’t worked out quite the way they’d hoped. With the civil unrest stoked by Belethea’s new advantages, and propaganda on all sides, the System is on the brink of civil war. The plot unfolds from all angles as Ezren and Foster’s trust is stretched by the surrounding dangers, and when they get separated they'll need to trust old and new rivals to make it out alive. Though I think a few of the plot points were more than a little convenient, there were plenty that left my jaw hanging and I was really happy with where we ended up, especially because not everything could be wrapped with a pretty bow. 

“No matter how far you go, my heart is always right here with yours.” 

The world building in this book was as clever as the first book. With terraforming underway on Belethea, our scope of the Casolla System opens way up in this book. We visit new space stations, moons and planets on some pretty epic ships, and experience a lot more of the shaky politics of the system. The motivations from the different players kept me guessing and the constant mayhem felt like we were back at the BRR. Our main characters faced new terrains and I think Chow conveyed the new environments really well. 

“I think you’ll find we all went south together as soon as we started this little adventure.”

The characters made surprising leaps in this book. Seeing Foster and Ezren grow and firm up their relationship was a treat. We got more depth from them both as they processed their individual and shared experiences, and some closure when it came to their challenging relationships with their parents. The juxtaposition between their fathers was an interesting contrast, and I really liked both of their arcs in this book. The growth of familiar side characters like Davis, Bex and Grady were a welcomed surprise and I especially loved Sylvia’s storyline. Joined with a few new mysterious, maniacal, or just plain fun new characters, the cast of Into the Fire turned out to be my favorite of the series so far.

And that's what I love about Hayley Reese Chow’s writing. It's thoroughly entertaining and well seasoned. She has a modern style and her dialogue and in-world slank is so immersive. Her no nonsense prose really complements the race royale vibes. I loved getting both Ezren and Foster’s perspectives again in the third person duel POV. All around it was just so nice to be back.

“Always remember to believe in something bigger.”

With epic world building, perilous action, surprising twists, swoony romance and the coolest of found family, this book will take you on a thrill ride. It makes for a great beach read with its pacing and Chow’s writing style, as the characters keep you coming back for more!