The Talon and the Flame

By: Terry Mancour

Narrated by: Marian Hussey

Time is running out!

Dara of Westwood, known as the Hawkmaiden, has always been caught between two worlds. Born to a humble clan of woodsmen, her unexpected magical talents had seen her apprenticed to Minalan the Spellmonger, the greatest wizard in the world, to fight for years against the goblin invasion that threatened all of humanity. She had been a war hero before her first kiss, riding giant hawks into battle in defense of her people.

But the war is over, now, and Dara finds herself ennobled, wealthy, respected, admired... and completely alone. Her comrades, friends, and fellow apprentices are settling down to enjoy their hard-won peace, but Dara has few prospects for happiness now that the war is done. Her command over the other Sky Riders is in jeopardy as missions dry up, and she discovers she lacks much purpose in this new world. The sacred Flame her family adores beckons her, promising simple homelife and domestic happiness... but she knows no life without her sword Talon in her hand. While her friends dream of love and marriage, Dara's nights are filled with horrific nightmares about her violent past.

Then the Goddess of Fire, Briga, takes an interest in her love life, and everything changes. Charged by the goddess to rediscover her youthful passions after a lifetime of military service, Dara embarks on a quest to fill the lonely place in her heart... only to be distracted by a new danger lurking in the hills near her home. Some insidious force is kidnapping the poor peasant children and inflicting them with a horrible curse, while raising an army of undead, and no one but Dara seems to care to stop it.

Supported by her friends Laretha and Alurra, Dara considers the few motley suitors who may have an interest in her—her childhood friend Sir Festaran, her former suitor Gareth, the roguish mage Daro—and she even flirts with the handsome young baron of Taravanal. But it's hard to take romance seriously when some dark, necromantic force is rising and preying on the innocent so close to home, a power so terrifying it's even scaring the hill bandits away.

Dara has to make a decision: does she put aside her sword and her vocation as a magical guardian and embrace her passion, or does she eschew the Flame her people hold sacred and devote her life to defending the innocent against powers only she can confront? While peacetime brings hope and prosperity to others, Dara is torn between the allure of the Talon... or the Flame!

©2025 Terry Mancour (P)2025 Podium Audio

Worth the time

Missing accustom depth and not as smooth or rich as others, but it was good and worth the time

Had a little bit of everything

It had adventure, action, romance, mystery, you think you know something will happen then find out how wrong it was but it ends up making more sense than your original idea. first romance book and only one unless Terry does another one and when I relisten to this one multiple more times.

The Ending Is Blandly Predictable But Well Written

This is the one installment that is sort of ruined by the two previous installments of the series. Biggest problem is the love reveal was already mentioned earlier. Usually, things are more vague than they are strictly stated. I remember enjoying Dara whenever first came into the story, and enjoyed her previous novels of her growing up. She has been downhill for me since the confession in her youth, yet she always held promise. She still does hold promise.

I'll say that there is one scene I loved a great deal, the Gareth scene. The fact that the way that plays out was both so well written and something I didn't think would play out the way it did is amazing. The problem with Dara is that everything intl this book other than that was pretty predictable. Lastly, Dara's love interest is a puzzling choice but oh well.

I do feel that one last issue for me is that she did pick the one that will probably let Dara bring out her worst traits, whereas I was hoping for the ones that encourage her to shine brightest as the heroic character she can truly be sometimes.

I want another Penny book!

Deeper Dive on the Hawk maiden

To be honest, I was not a fan of the Hawkmaiden herself due to her impetiousness and stubbornness, but this story did a wonderful job of "focusing" that stubbornness; dont get me wrong, there are some friction points with her (but thats just me).
This story matured rather well and I am pleasantly surprised with the overall story. its been awhile since I had a fill of this story line and I do hope they continue on with the wizards adventures!!
The story of the Hawkmaiden was a nice teaser for, I hope, for future a developing storyline.

Mancour does it again!

From catty brawls to confusion of the heart, Mancour does an excellent job in capturing the young female mind. There’s adventure, suspense, and romance—even some romantic stumbles and fumbles. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It’s great as a stand alone and a companion to the main Spellmonger series.