Icon and Inferno: Stars and Smoke, Book 2

While not mentioned in this book, readers of Stars and Smoke will remember that Winter is Chinese American, his manager Claire is gay, and Panacea agent Sauda Nazari is Muslim. Sydney, the Arsonist, Gavi, and Niall are White, and Winter's backup dancer and best friend, Dameon, is Black and gay. Singaporean characters include, Ethan Seah, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Violence in the story is so fast moving there's not time for much blood or gore. Once Winter and Sydney arrive in Singapore, someone's assasinated with a deadly neurotoxin, there's a car bombing, knife attacks, car and motorcycle chases, bullets flying everywhere, and Sydney's targeted by an unknown killer. Sydney tells Winter about growing up with a violent alcoholic father who hit her, her mother and brother, and burned her with cigarettes.

There's one long but not overly explicit description of main characters having sex, without mention of specific actions or body parts, including an orgasm (he "worked" until her body "arched," and "shuddered"), the "sound of their bodies together," and gasps. Sydney's been in and out of brief sexual relationships over the last year and Winter's had an on and off again sexual relationship with Gavi. There's a very brief mention of a past same gender "fling."

Characters occasionally use profanity ("damn," "hell," "a--hole," "s--t," "goddamn")

Winter was a child when his older brother died while working undercover in Bolivia. He was overcome by sadness and the only way he could cope was by sneaking his mother's antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication. Sydney's father was an alcoholic and Winter remembers the "stench of cigar smoke" whenever his father visited. At a party in Singapore, Winter and Gavi drink champagne.