What's this? Another review so soon? Yeah, I might have been waiting in anticipation for this book! The second I opened the email, I had it downloaded and ready for me to read. Much like Little Lamb, I wound up reading this book in one sitting. Cirrus Rae is very quickly moving into the category of "Auto-Read Author" for me. I don't know how Cirrus Rae manages it, but I just get dragged into her stories and wind up enjoying the hell out of them. This book has a different tone than the previous book and different trigger warnings to go along with it.
A book for those who have dreamed about being watched by someone so obsessed with you that they'll do anything, and everything, to have you. Whether it be fuck you to within an inch of consciousness or kill your ex, they'll do it. Into the Fire and the rest of the Masked Mascs books are erotic thrillers, so do make sure to check the trigger and content warnings before reading. If something will trigger you, don't feel as though you must read it. If it all sounds fun to you, have a great time!
Title: Into the Fire
Series: Masked Mascs, #2
Author: Cirrus Rae
Publisher: Independently
Publication Date: October 17, 2025
Genres: Adult, LGBT, Erotic Thriller
Pages: 199
Ira
After being saved by a masked stranger from the fire that destroyed her home, Ira needs to start over. A new job, a new apartment, a chance to feel safe again.
But when strange things start happening around her, Ira begins to question her sanity and whether someone is pulling the strings from the shadows.
Quinn
Since saving her from the house fire she started, Quinn has been obsessed with Ira. But watching from the shadows was no longer enough.
She is done waiting. Ira belongs to her, and Quinn will do anything to keep her, no matter how dark it gets. Even if it means crossing every line, even if it means getting her hands bloody, even if it means taking her little angel when she tries to run.
This book contains mature content and is intended for readers 18+
Please read trigger and content warnings. If these are too much for you, please take care of your mental health and skip this one!
Finish Date: October 3, 2025
Format: Digital
Source: ARC from author
Representation: Sapphic
Purchase: Amazon
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She had made her choice and I was eager to please.
Into the Fire is the second book in the Masked Mascs series. I reviewed the first book, Little Lamb, about a week ago. The books in this series can be read separately, so you don’t need to have read Little Lamb or my review to understand this review. But one thing I have to say is that I really enjoyed Little Lamb. I thought it was thrilling and just an overall great time. I wasn’t expecting for Into the Fire to feel so different. I will warn you that there may be spoilers ahead. Please don’t read if you want to experience the book firsthand. And I recommend reading it, if it’s something you’re into.
Into the Fire isn’t the same as Little Lamb. They both have similar ideas, in that they both have mascs in masks who are obsessed with their women, but tonally they are very different. Little Lamb was a very fast-paced thriller. Into the Fire feels more like a slow stalking scene. The build-up where you can guess what’s going to happen, but getting there is the best part of the journey. It felt deeper and more intense than Little Lamb did.
One thing I want to say straight off the bat: stalking and murder are not okay. I do not condone those actions in real life. Don’t do it. But in this book…I think I’m down with some stalking and murder. Quinn’s obsession with Ira, because there is no better word to describe it than obsession, was my favorite part of the book. It felt a little feral and quite unhinged, but it didn’t feel wrong for this book. Her feelings, her need to own Ira, slotted right in next to Ira’s own desires. It wasn’t something forced upon Ira, rather it was something offered to Ira that Ira chose to accept.
The first chapter of this book is one of my favorites. It sets the scene and establishes where Quinn is in life. The description of the fire and Quinn’s rescue attempt is so visceral. Cirrus Rae did a fantastic job at describing the heat of the fire and Quinn’s emotional state during it. It wasn’t something that was blown over, readers have to spend time in the fire as Quinn attempts to save Ira from the blaze.
The book is told in dual-POV, split between Quinn and Ira. Both characters manage to have a voice of their own. I think if you took a scene out of the book and gave it to me with no other context, I wouldn’t struggle to figure out whose POV I was in because of how distinctive their voices felt to me. Giving us both POVs also allows us the time to understand each character and their feelings. Not every reader is going to click with Quinn and Ira, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I did. Especially with Quinn. I tend to have a fascination with, and sometimes crush on, the darker characters in the book, but I don’t usually feel connected to them. Quinn was given an emotional depth that I felt attached to. I didn’t just want to see her succeed in getting Ira because she was the main character in a romance, I wanted her to get a happy ending because I thought she deserved it.
The heat and sex in this book is fantastic. There is a fire between Quinn and Ira (even when Ira doesn’t know it’s Quinn) that is present from the beginning. No slow-burn here, rather it’s a race to see who can fall for the other first (Quinn definitely fell first). The sex scenes aren’t exactly the kinkiest/darkest things that I had been expecting, especially after some of Little Lamb’s scenes. Rather they seemed more passionate and emotional.
Between the characters, the plot, and the heat I was entranced by this book. I read it in one sitting, barely even bothered to pay attention to things going on around me as I did so. So far, I think Into the Fire is the best book in the series and I genuinely think Cirrus Rae may be an auto-read author for me. I find myself connecting with Cirrus’s writing and I find myself loving the characters in her books. I’m looking forward to Till Death and any future work that Cirrus Rae puts out!
About the Author:
She’s here to make sure dark sapphic romance gets the shelf space it deserves. She can be found online at TikTok, Instagram, and Goodreads.
The Masked Mascs series consists of Little Lamb, Into the Fire and Till Death, and Sweet as Revenge.
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