Category: Romance
Feyguard: Royal by Anthea Sharp
(Cover picture courtesy of Barnes & Noble.)
The adventures begun in the Feyland trilogy continue, where a high-tech computer game becomes a gateway to the treacherous Realm of Faerie.Rich-boy gamer Royal Lassiter lives on easy mode—until everything falls apart. Dark faeries are plotting to invade the mortal world, his controlling mom has turned home into enemy territory, and he can’t deny his irresistible attraction to newcomer Brea, despite the danger lurking in her mysterious eyes.
Forced to undertake a perilous mission for the Dark Queen of Faerie, Brea Cairgead finds living among humans and hiding her true nature as one of the fey folk a fearsome challenge—especially when her emotions prove all too vulnerable to a certain human boy. Torn between impossible loyalties, she must serve her queen… though it may cost her heart.
Can love between mortal and fey ever have a happy ending?
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook from Anthea Sharp in exchange for an honest review.]
I’ve never really liked Roy as a character in Anthea Sharp’s novels, both Feyland (the original series) and Feyguard (this new spinoff series) so I’ll admit I was a little reluctant to read things from his point of view for a whole book. It’s a testament to Anthea Sharp’s writing talent that once I actually got going, I really didn’t mind him so much.
Roy is the kind of person that hides his true self behind a facade, both at school and at home because people would disapprove. In the case of school there’s the usual peer pressure to stay cool but at home his mum really is more of a ruthless CEO type rather than the type of mum who would approve of Roy’s forays into art. In a situation like that, it’s easy for him to fall back on the rich playboy facade rather than expose his innermost self. Into all this, enter Brea Cairgead, a fey girl sent by the Dark Queen to make more humans susceptible to falling into Feyland so that they may live. She can see beyond his facade even while she creates her own, so when they start falling in love it makes for an interesting relationship dynamic.
At the same time this book isn’t just about Roy as a character. We see Jennet and Tamlin and some of the other Feyguard as well, but it sort of continues the story of how the fey are desperate to bring unsuspecting humans into their world. In a way I feel sorry for them since most of the mortal realm doesn’t believe in them and their very survival is in peril because of that. However, their methods don’t lend much sympathy and in the end the fey are capricious and often quite vicious so I can’t feel too sorry for them.
This is in many ways a character driven novel, but as you can probably guess there’s also a pretty interesting plot as well. There was nothing all that unexpected in the plot until the end, where there’s a huge twist. I don’t want to give too much away, but it solves the problem of Roy and Brea’s fey-human attraction in a brilliant if semi-tragic way. I’m a sucker for some portrayals of star-crossed love and this is definitely one of them.
All in all, Anthea Sharp’s second book in the Feyguard series was even better than I expected. Roy still gave off rich playboy vibes in the beginning of the novel but by the end he’s actually a pretty nice guy. So there you have it: magic, character development and a pretty fast-paced plot. I certainly can’t ask for more than that.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Hyacinth by Abigail Owen
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Book #2 of the Svatura Series
Selene sacrificed everything when she took her brother’s place as ruler of the Vyusher, including her secret love for her one-time adversary Griffin Aubrey. When nightmares that are just a little too real start, Selene fears she’s turned into a cold-blooded killer…the monster that Griffin thinks she is.
Griffin and Ellie Aubrey are finally safe for the first time in over a hundred years. But when an unknown menace drives Selene to leave her family and ask for help, Griffin must decide. Can he move past his hatred of everything she is? Or will the bond that could bring them both the greatest joy now be the source of their deepest despair?
The threat of the danger stalking Selene in her dreams might be too much even for this powerful group. And Griffin doesn’t want to easily forgive the woman he blames for killing his family…
[Full disclosure: I was provided a free ebook copy of this a couple of months during the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.]
Ellie, the main character of the previous novel only barely features in this one. Although I really did like her, that was fine by me as I got to see way more of Griffin and a whole bunch of Selene. Both of them are fascinating characters in their own right but I’ll talk about Selene first.
She was enslaved by her brother for 150 years, which is long even for a Svatura. More accurately, she had to do what he told her because of his mind control but unlike the rest of the Vyusher tribe she was fully aware of all of the horrible things Gideon had her do. That really just makes it more awful when you think about it. So now Gideon is dead and Selene is having a hard time accepting her role as Queen. Not only that, now she has to cope with the crushing amount of guilt from 150 years of hunting other Svatura.
What I find interesting with the way she copes is that she really doesn’t magically get over everything on her own; for that, she needs more than a little bit of help from the original Svatura group of the first book. One has the power to help heal emotions but even with Ellie’s help in amplifying it Selene will never be totally healed. This is way more realistic than having her completely healed in time for the final showdown. At the same time, even though I wanted to smack Griffin for being indecisive, I do believe it was far more realistic than him loving Selene despite all of their history together. By the end of the novel you’re really in doubt as to whether these two are sure they love each other but I promise you that the ending is a satisfying one.
Just like with the previous book, the plot of Hyacinth is more character-driven than plot-driven. The characters cause many of the events that happen in the end of the novel but this book is far from slow-paced. Abigail Owen managed to balance character development with plot development and I really appreciated that balance. It makes for a much more enjoyable, interesting read. There weren’t really any truly enormous surprise twists for the plot but I did enjoy Hyacinth all the same.
Abigail Owen is fast becoming one of my favourite authors, as you can probably tell by this review. I can’t wait to read the third book in the Svatura series! In the meantime, I’d highly recommend it to pretty much all readers who like a little fantasy in their everyday life. You really can’t go wrong with the Svatura series.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Serenade by Emily Kiebel
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Suddenly the voice she prized is now dangerously seductive…
Lorelei Clark’s only concern was her future as a classically trained soprano, that is, until the day her father was tragically killed. Shattered by his death, she hesitantly accepts an invitation from a mysterious aunt to visit her lavish oceanside home in Cape Cod. She quickly discovers that her aunt and the two women who live with her are harboring a frightening secret they are sirens, terrifying mythical creatures responsible for singing doomed sailors to their deaths. Even more astounding, Lorelei is one of them. In this new world where water comes alive at her touch and an ancient power pulses beneath the tide, the most important rule Lorelei must learn is that a siren never interferes with fate. When she breaks this rule by rescuing a handsome sailor who should have died at sea, the sirens vow she must finish the job or face grave consequences. Finding herself inexplicably attracted to him, she must fight to keep him safe from the others, even if it means risking her own life, and her heart, in the process.
[Full disclosure: I requested and received a free ebook copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
I’ve actually read quite a few books about sirens now since they seemed to be trending in YA for a while, but the thing that attracted me to Serenade especially was that the main character was a classically trained soprano. I love opera and I decided to see if Emily Kiebel’s take on sirens was different from that of the other books in her niche. Thankfully, it was.
The world-building in Serenade is actually much better than in most siren books. In this version, sirens don’t lure people to their deaths, they just soothe them as they die because it’s the will of Fate. They don’t really control their power but at the same time they can’t escape it because the sea will always call to them. Of course this makes for some interesting moral dilemmas like “What if I don’t want to help people die for the rest of my life?” or “What if someone isn’t ready to die?”. It’s that last question that gets Lorelei in some serious trouble, but it presents an interesting answer to the question of whether or not sirens really have free will.
Not only was the world-building pretty good, I liked Lorelei as a main character. She absolutely loves singing and is willing to defy her own mother to pursue a career in opera. When her father dies in an accident right before her eyes, you really do feel for Lorelei even though you’ve pretty much just met her. It’s a rare author that can make you truly connect with a character so quickly, but Emily Kiebel managed to do it. My only problem character-wise was the secondary characters. None of them really stood out for me; they were more average in terms of being fleshed out and I didn’t really connect with any of them, even our handsome sailor that Lorelei rescues and falls in love with.
As for the plot, it takes a while for Lorelei to get her bearings as a siren so it’s not exactly fast-paced in the beginning and middle of the book. There is a lot of tension, though, as she wrestles with many moral dilemmas surrounding her siren calling. But the action really doesn’t get going until she saves someone who is supposed to die. Then pretty much everything goes to the dogs in her family and Lorelei is faced with killing a man who isn’t ready to die or risking exile and knowing he’ll be killed anyway. It’s really not a good situation and I like the little turn of events at the end. Still, I think Serenade could have been a little faster paced without sacrificing the character development.
This book doesn’t release until July 15th, but I definitely urge you to pre-order it. It’s one of the best books in the siren sub-genre of YA that I’ve read lately and I have to say that Emily Kiebel really knows her opera (although that’s just a bonus when paired with the world-building and main character).
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Amazon Barnes and Noble* Goodreads
*Not yet available for pre-order.
The False Princess by Eilis O’Neal
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Princess and heir to the throne of Thorvaldor, Nalia’s led a privileged life at court. But everything changes when it’s revealed, just after her sixteenth birthday, that she is a false princess, a stand-in for the real Nalia, who has been hidden away for her protection. Cast out with little more than the clothes on her back, the girl now called Sinda must leave behind the city of Vivaskari, her best friend, Keirnan, and the only life she’s ever known.
Sinda is sent to live with her only surviving relative, an aunt who is a dyer in a distant village. She is a cold, scornful woman with little patience for her newfound niece, and Sinda proves inept at even the simplest tasks. But when Sinda discovers that magic runs through her veins – long-suppressed, dangerous magic that she must learn to control – she realizes that she can never learn to be a simple village girl.
Returning to Vivaskari for answers, Sinda finds her purpose as a wizard scribe, rediscovers the boy who saw her all along, and uncovers a secret that could change the course of Thorvaldor’s history, forever.
A dazzling first novel, The False Princess is an engrossing fantasy full of mystery, action, and romance.
This is technically YA but I’d definitely have to say it’s aimed at the younger demographic. Maybe that’s why I had a harder time connecting with the characters than I should have.
I can’t honestly fault the plot. It was fast-paced and interesting enough to keep me reading. There were lots of unexpected twists and turns and I like how Eilis O’Neal turns some old tropes on their heads. I thought The False Princess was just going to be another mash-up of fantasy tropes when I picked it up but I’m very glad I was wrong.
The only thing I was disappointed about was the characters. The main character Sinda seemed like she had everything going for her: she was fierce, determined and generally easy to relate to. Except, I had a really hard time connecting with her on an emotional level. Sure, I wanted her to succeed and unravel the mystery surrounding her role in the succession, but I really couldn’t feel her emotions. When she was sad I felt the same as when she was happy and in love. Part of it is that this is a first novel so O’Neal doesn’t quite have that ability to write emotion into the story but the other part may be the target demographic.
Basically, The False Princess is an average novel that I would recommend to teens in the 12-14 age group. O’Neal doesn’t talk down to her readers and the characters face some really terrifying obstacles on their way to uncovering the mystery. I think younger readers will find Sinda and the others far more sympathetic than I did. With all that said, this is not a bad novel and I’d even call it good. It just wasn’t for me.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
The Runaway Highlander by R. L. Syme
(Cover picture courtesy of Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.)
Anne de Cheyne has a choice. She can play the dutiful daughter and allow her mother to sell her to a greasy English sheriff, or she can take control of her own life and find her own match. After a frightening run-in with her promised husband reveals a dark secret, she makes a desperate choice. Flight.
Aedan Donne needs easy money and no-questions-asked. When Milene de Cheyne offers him enough to pay all debts, requests complete silence, and pays half up front, just for a simple recovery, he can’t believe his luck… until he meets his mark. Anne’s beauty and passion ignite something Aedan can’t ignore, even as she leaves him in the dust. Suddenly, he finds himself wanting to capture the runaway Highland lady for himself.
[Full disclosure: I received a free paper copy of this book in conjunction with the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.]
This is actually the second book in the Highland Renegades series, but they can be read as stand-alone novels, luckily for me.
As I’ve said in the past, I know very little about Scottish history. Still, R. L. Syme managed to suck me into the period and really gave me the feeling that I was there along with the characters. The dark, unstable atmosphere of the time particularly rang true and you could feel this sense of doom throughout the whole novel. Scotland is highly unstable and in the middle of it, the main character Anne is being sold off to the highest bidder so her mother can prove her loyalty to the English overlords.
Anne is a decent enough character but I won’t say that she’s one of the most memorable heroines I’ve ever encountered. She’s feisty, determined and brave but at the same time I just had trouble connecting with her. It’s not that there wasn’t enough background information about her, but I had a hard time connecting with her emotions. I didn’t feel what she was feeling, whether she was sad, angry, happy or in love. But maybe that’s just me. Aedan I could connect with a little more but like Anne he’s not the most memorable character I’ve ever read about.
However, the plot was fast-paced and quite exciting. You can’t call The Runaway Highlander anything but a page-turner simply because of R. L. Syme’s talent with suspense. There are twists and turns everywhere and just when you think you know what’s going to happen everything changes. It definitely keeps the reader on the edge of their proverbial seat.
This was an essentially good novel. It will never be one of my favourites but it was good enough that I’d recommend it to romance lovers as well as Scottish history fans.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.