Tag: fantasy romance

Book Review: Souls of Fire and Steel (Frozen Sun Saga #3) by Jill Criswell

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 450 pages
Author: Jill Criswell
Publisher: Blackstone
Release Date: September 14th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

To save her lover’s life, Lira of Stone swore allegiance to a demigod known as the Dragon. She’s transformed into his weapon—the Dragon’s deathbringer, using her gifts to conquer nations and unleash demons. Yet there’s a part of Lira not even the Dragon can stifle, and the soul-reader must find a way to free herself before he declares war against the gods.

After the warrior Reyker Lagorsson attempted to overthrow the Dragon, Reyker’s soul was fractured. Now, he’s a shadow of his former self, and his battle-madness grows stronger by the day. Reyker will stop at nothing to kill the Dragon and his mysterious death-bringer before his curse consumes him.

In the final installment of the Frozen Sun Saga, Lira and Reyker face off as enemies, confront their worst nightmares, and make their last stand against the Dragon. But can a god be killed? And if so, at what cost?

SATISFYING CONCLUSION.

I finally took the time to finish this series and I loved it! What a great YA fantasy trilogy y’all. If you only get this far in my review, I definitely recommend for your TBR.

This is heavy in the romance (YAY) so I appreciate that my two favs don’t have to spend a lot of time separated. Even if things aren’t running smoothly while they’re together I can’t stand when a couple is separated for too long. It makes a book drag.

The plot is solid. This series has one of my favorite villains. I kind of hate that I love him? He’s completely warped and consumed, yet the small tidbits of humanity make him layered. He keeps things interesting.

I wanted a bit more from the ending. I thought things were going to be a little different, and it all worked out by the VERY end, but the waiting was a little frustrating.

All in all. READ it. Viking inspired, plenty of action, a forbidden romance and more.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: torture, highly descriptive blood and gore, loss of loved ones

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia #1) by Carissa Broadbent

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 532 pages
Author: Carissa Broadbent
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: August 30th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Human or vampire, the rules of survival are the same: never trust, never yield, and always – always – guard your heart.

The adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, Oraya carved her place in a world designed to kill her. Her only chance to become something more than prey is entering the Kejari: a legendary tournament held by the goddess of death herself.

But winning won’t be easy amongst the most vicious warriors from all three vampire houses. To survive, Oraya is forced to make an alliance with a mysterious rival.

Everything about Raihn is dangerous. He is a ruthless vampire, an efficient killer, an enemy to her father’s crown… and her greatest competition. Yet, what terrifies Oraya most of all is that she finds herself oddly drawn to him.

But there’s no room for compassion in the Kejari. War for the House of Night brews, shattering everything that Oraya thought she knew about her home. And Raihn may understand her more than anyone – but their blossoming attraction could be her downfall, in a kingdom where nothing is more deadly than love.

The Serpent and the Wings of Night is the first book in a new series of heart-wrenching romance, dark magic, and bloodthirsty intrigue, perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Thorns and Roses.

IT FINALLY HAPPENED.

I have been on this eternal quest to find a vampire book worthy of my own five star rating. AND IT’S HERE. 2022 IS THE YEAR. This book deserves all the love and I beg of you to give it a chance too!!

I enjoyed Broadbent’s first series, but this already feels leaps better in the writing and world building, characters, everything. Her storytelling is even more impressive and that’s what had me fall in love with this book.

Oraya was such a force. I loooove morally gray characters and this woman is swimming in the color. She was someone I easily wanted to root for and loved the start of her character arc. Watching her loyalty to one side, and the slow unraveling of everything she knew is only going to make book two that much better.

The romance with Raihn? AHH. Slow burn perfection. The movement from rivals to reluctant allies to friends to lovers was fantastic. There were so many good moments between these two. I could not get enough of them. I liked the way they communicated and opened up and slowly learned to lean on another another through the fearsome trials they were going through.

AND THAT ENDING. Well timed reveals and betrayals abound and I am HERE FOR IT. Throw in one of my all time favorite tropes that I can’t wait to see play out and I am an official fan girl for this series.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: two open door; med-high explicit
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: battle scenes, loss of life, creature attacks, physical and magical altercations, loss of loved ones

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

ARC Book Review: Married by Treachery (Arranged Marriages of the Fae #5) by Barbara Kloss

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance Novella
Length: 250 pages
Author: Barbara Kloss
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: October 7th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Married by Treachery is book 5 in the Arranged Marriages of the Fae series.

Raquel never expected to marry a bear. To be fair, Prince Edom wasn’t actually a bear, but it was impossible to see his face through his mess of wild hair. Not that she needed to see his face. In fact, it was probably better that she didn’t.

Because she was going to kill him.

It had been seven years since Prince Edom had galloped off with her best friend through the magicked veil, and taken her into his magicked kingdom. Seven long years of resolve, of hard work and training, so that Raquel would be ready for this day: the day she would exact vengeance upon Prince Edom, for all the brides he’d stolen.

For all the brides he’d murdered.

Raquel vowed she would be the last, but she wasn’t prepared for what lay on the veil’s other side. It was not the lush and magnificent kingdom from the stories of her youth, and, as it turned out, its prince was not what she’d expected either.

No, Prince Edom was not what she’d expected at all.

Thank you to Barbara Kloss for an eARC!

A GOOD TIME.

I really enjoyed this!! I thought it was a fun idea to see a bunch of fantasy romance authors get together for a mash-up of loved tropes and romantic novellas.

There was some great banter here and I loved the initial reactions between Raquel and Jake. Their natures really bounced off of one another until the undeniable magnetism took hold. I thought the dreams were a unique sequence to kind of further the romantic plot and help change the characters mind about how they were responding to each other.

I do think being a touch longer would have helped. I was a little confused by some magic system and plot aspects which I know can be hard to wrap all up into a novella. This as a full length series?? YES. Maybe that’s in the works and this is a starting point?! No idea, but one can hope!

The pacing made for a quick, finish in a day read and it hit well. I liked the movement and how things all wrapped up in the end. I love Kloss’s writing style and look forward to her next book(s)!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance Novella
  • Language: some
  • Romance: very brief fade to black
  • Violence: medium
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: kidnapping, loss of loved ones, battle scenes, grave wounds

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: Belladonna (Belladonna #1) by Adalyn Grace

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Upper YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 416 pages
Author: Adalyn Grace
Publisher: Little, Brown for Young Readers
Release Date: August 30th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace brings to life a highly romantic, Gothic-infused world of wealth, desire, and betrayal.

Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being—and each has met an untimely end. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy. Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But when their mother’s restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer.

However, Signa’s best chance of uncovering the murderer is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side. Though he’s made her life a living hell, Death shows Signa that their growing connection may be more powerful—and more irresistible—than she ever dared imagine.

ABSOLUTELY LOVED.

Yess. This was everything I wash hoping it would be!! I loved the way the story was written. I CAN NOT WAIT FOR THE NEXT BOOK.

We’ve got to talk about the romance first. Because it was glorious. I looooved Signa and Death’s push and pull. They had chemistry from the get go and perfectly placed banter. Every time he said little bird I MELTED. Give me all of them. I of course would have loved even more romance but I imagine that’s coming and I will impatiently wait for more.

The murder mystery was well crafted too. I tried not to make to many theories because I love being in the dark when I’m loving a read. It made it all the more fun when the answers started coming out and the darkness of others was brought to light. The plot had great pacing and I really couldn’t have asked for more.

It totally lived up to my expectations.

Overall audience notes:

  • Upper YA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: one vague open door
  • Violence: med-high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: murder, poisoning, near death situations

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph