I fell in love with this world in the first book, Visions of Magic, and was so excited to dive back in with Visions of Skyfire. The first book was amazing! The characters were fantastic and the rich storyline sucked me right in, but Regan has somehow managed to make this book even better than the first. I was worried because the second book in a series do not always live up to the first, but Visions of Skyfire exceeded all my expectations. With each new witch awakening and discovering her destiny, we get a new piece of the puzzle and discover what has happened to all of them over the past eight hundred years. That is an exceptionally long time for your soul to regenerate and learn from previous mistakes. As these witches slowly remember the sins of their past, they fight harder for a future filled with hope and love.

I think the main reason I enjoyed this book more was because of its main character, Teresa. She always knew she was going to come into her powers and be a part of the Awakening. This made the transition into this lifestyle much smoother than it was in the previous book. She is so headstrong and stubborn; her feisty attitude kept her Eternal, Rune on his toes constantly. I always prefer seeing strong women take the lead in books and I admired her for her courage. I appreciated Regan letting Teresa be that for this book. Teresa does struggle as the story moves forward, but she remains determined and never gives up. Her strong will endeared me to her and won Rune over as well.

Poor Rune, his story is tragic. When the witches originally got into this mess eight hundred years ago, they never fully let their Eternals in. Rune’s world came crashing down the night Teresa betrayed him for the power her coven sought, and he has never fully trusted her since then. It hasn’t helped that in ever reincarnation since then she has betrayed him. He finds it hard to trust someone who always lets him down. He has changed over the years and does not know how he is going to let Teresa into his heart again. Therefore, these two have many obstacles to overcome in this novel; most of them being internal struggles. Teresa has been burned by love before and does not want to open her heart again and Rune fears she will betray him when he needs her the most.

The overall quest is also coming into focus as each witch finds her calling and her Eternal. We learned in the first book that another awakened witch, Kellyn, has turned to dark magic and is trying to bring the others down with her. She claims to have sent her Eternal to a place where no one can find him and is now searching for the awakened witches to bring them to the dark side with her. She does appear in this book sporadically, but another enemy has surfaced. He seems to possess all the powers of an Eternal, which just adds to the suspense in discovering his true identity. I loved this added mystery element that Regan gave us and was eager to discover who this man was, and what his presence means now for the remaining witches waiting to be awakened.

While Teresa and Rune remain the main focus of the novel we also get an interesting subplot laced throughout with Cora Sterling and her daughter Deidre. Deidre is fighting for the rights of witches and finds the fact that they are hunted down to extinction revolting. She is on the front lines of advocating for witches rights and comes up against opposition at every turn. The brief glimpses we do get into her world were very interesting I look forward to her and Torin’s story in the next book.

Overall, Regan has given us another amazing story of powerful witches and the resilient men destined to love and protect them. Visions of Skyfire is a stunning second addition to an awesome series. After reading quite a few mediocre books lately, I was grateful to find a book that can “wow” me again. I cannot wait for the next book, Visions of Chains due out next year. ( )

You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2011/10/review-visions-of-skyfire-awakening-2-by-re...

A very long time ago,the sun god Belan created the Eternals to be partners for the witches created by his lover,Danu. Eventually,consumed by power,the most powerful witches performed a ceremony using an Artifact that nearly unleashed a demon horde upon the earth. After the witches were nearly destroyed by their greed and lust for power,they shattered the Artifact,then they each took a piece and hid it somewhere in the world. They then sentenced themselves to 800 years of atonement,after which there would be an Awakening of power in each of the witches,and also joining with their Eternals to find their piece of the Artifact and put right what went so wrong.

The Awakenings began with Shea in Visions of Magic and I really fell in love with the lore of the witches and their Eternals. Visions of Skyfire is Teresa Santiago’s story,and she’s a bit different from Shea. She’s always known she has power,having been taught by her abuela from an early age. She also knows about her Eternal,so when Rune shows up to save her from the Magic Police,she’s not so much surprised as relieved. About the Magic Police:they’re pretty nasty,rounding up witches and putting them in prison camps. One of their foot soldiers with a personal vendetta played a role in Visions of Magic and also shows up again here,determined to kill any witch he can get his hands on. I had a great time following Rune and Teresa through Mexico as he teaches her to fight using her hands and her magic. Then there’s the Mating (it’s exactly what it sounds like) to bring both of them fully into their powers,and also bind them for eternity. Rune’s having some trust issues however,since in each of Teresa’s incarnations (in the past 800 years),she’s been less than forthcoming with him and a little more power hungry than she should be. Visions of Skyfire has plenty of passion (strictly adult here,folks),magic,and action,and will not only appeal to Paranormal Romance fans but also to Urban Fantasy fans. Teresa is a pragmatic and tough witch,and it’s her strength that really carries the novel. I also really love the idea of having an Eternal (yep,it’s the romantic in me coming out-don’t tell anyone.) The Awakening series is magical,fun and passionate,and not to be missed! ( )

Teresa Santiago is a wanted witch being hunted by the MP's, the Magic Police. A newly awakened witch stranded and surrounded, saved at the last minute by her Eternal.

Between her lightening and his fire, Teresa & Rune make a formidable couple. On the run - in search of Teresa's lost part of artifact. Racing against the clock they need to find it first before it falls into the wrong hands.

Loved it! If you enjoy witch stories, I would recommend this book & series to you. Visions of Skyfire is an excellent tale, a stellar addition to this series. I enjoyed learning more about the witches and their self cursed situation. I don't think I would want to live in this world, but I'm sure intrigued by it. Regan Hastings' witch hating world is both exciting and scary. Magic, power and passion make this story sizzle. ( )

It’s not rare for paranormal romance heroines to learn about magic, secret worlds, and even their own abilities under the guidance of a heartthrob hero, and The Awakening mythology of witches and their Eternal soul mates plays right into this trope. VISIONS OF SKYFIRE, however, adds a new and fantastic twist, when the Eternal Rune finds his witch Teresa has spent her whole life studying magic, learning lore, and preparing herself for the Mating that will bind her and her Eternal together forever.

This simple change made a big difference in the story for me. Rather than retreading the mythology already explored in book one of the series, VISIONS OF SKYFIRE focuses on Rune and Teresa as individuals. Though united in purpose and on board with the whole Mating concept, neither one is ready to fall headfirst into “trust” after lifetimes of betrayal. Teresa is scarred by an abusive ex-boyfriend and Rune by the actions of Teresa's own previous incarnations. Hastings doesn't use the soul bond between witch and Eternal as an escape hatch, nor does she torment us with characters who with hold information from each other. I was impressed and engaged watching these two grow closer together in realistic and mature ways (“realistic” given that their sexual relationship starts long before any personal relationship does). As for the plot, certain details were over the top, to the point of being distracting (like Dr. Fender's former profession and Chico the gallant bird).

While the villains struggled to keep my attention, the romance in VISIONS OF SKYFIRE was more than enough to carry me through the book. Thus far in The Awakening series, my emotional investment in the main couple has been what makes or breaks my enjoyment of the books. With a plot that doesn’t have me hooked yet, the third installment in this series, VISIONS OF CHAINS, will stay on my “maybe” pile until I find out more about our new hero and heroine.

Sexual Content: Sex scenes, an attempted rape. ( )