Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 435 pages
Author: Sarah Marie Page
Publisher: Shadow Forge Publishing
Release Date: July 16th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

SHE’S STEALING MORE THAN SECRETS.

As the royal physician of a tiny, windswept island, Isabel spends her days trying to keep the queen from dying and the mad king from streaking naked down the halls. But when her best friend is found murdered on the beaches, her world is ripped apart. Desperate for answers, she discovers a stash of letters that reveal a terrifying truth: the neighboring kingdom of Volgaard possesses a kingdom-shattering weapon and is poised to conquer everything in its path.

Seeking vengeance, Isabel infiltrates the enemy. Her mission? Woo Erik Lothgarson, the general’s steamy, illusion-magic wielding son, and steal the dangerous weapon. She can bring Volgaard to its knees—if she isn’t caught. 

But as Isabel dances along the knife edge of deception, the lines between truth and fiction blur, and she must wrestle her quest for vengeance against her undeniable attraction to the enemy.

Please note the spice level is a steamy fade-to-black, meaning there’s some foreplay and build-up, but no on-page sex.

Thank you to the author for the gifted copy!

ENJOYABLE.

I liked this one y’all. It was a spontaneous request based off a friend’s review and I’m happy I read it and can’t wait for book two.

One of my favorite aspects was the general theme of the book. Of finding your worth and overcoming that self doubt and negative thought pattern that can get all of us. Isabel went through this slow journey of self discovery and ownership and I loved where she ended up and look forward to seeing that even more in the next installment.

I think I was hoping for a little more forced proximity in the romance, it took a bit to grow on me. I liked the snippets I got and think there really is a connection between Isabel and Erik. I loved that they took the time to get to know each other and see past what the world had portrayed them as.

There’s some intriguing politics, a good magic system and world building that was easy to follow. I liked the betrayals and twists and think this would be a great read for my low spice fans!

Overall audience notes:

• Fantasy Romance
• Language: low
• Romance: fade to black
• Violence: high
• Content Warnings: discussion of parental abandonment and parental infidelity, murder, loss of life, self harm ideation (non-suicidal), and on page self harm

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