ARC Review: Kingdom of Exiles by Maxym M. Martineau

Kingdom of Exiles is a debut for new author Maxym M. Martineau. It was advertised on Goodreads as, "Fantastic Beasts meets Assassin's Creed." I LOVED Fantastic Beasts so it grabbed my attention, and I read the synopsis. Don't really know anything about Assassin's Creed but that's ok.

Leena Edenfrell has been exiled from her kind, Beast Charmers, though she keeps the skills she learned before her exile. In order to survive, she sells beasts that she charms for people, which is against everything she learned from the Charmers. She does the best she can, and it is all to go towards finding redemption for her false crimes. Unfortunately for her, she gets targeted by an assassin, one who though she defeats, means there is a bounty on her head that the entire organization will go after her to fulfill.

Noc is the leader of an undying people in a place called Cruor. They are assassins for hire. When Leena walks into their home with one of his brothers hostage, she immediately has his attention. They strike a deal; she will acquire four beasts for him and his people will spare her life. Noc hopes there is a possibility a beast can stop a curse put upon him. He is also clever though to create a loophole in their bargain so he can still keep his contract.

Leena, Noc, and three other Cruor members set out to find the beasts. All the while, the assassins do what they've learned they shouldn't do to get their job done. They get to know Leena and start to believe in her innocence. All the while, she sneaks into Noc's thoughts and heart, which could be fatal for them both.

Within this emotional struggle and new world was a great starting point for a fantasy romance. I loved learning about some of the beasts described, but I was disappointed that as the book progressed, we learned less about new creatures. The love interest between Leena and Noc wasn't as convincing to me, though it wasn't horrible. I found myself more interested in the three other members of the group.

For me this book had a great build up and idea, and then around the halfway mark, it began to lose my interest. Despite that, I did enjoy the tale overall and I hope to have the opportunity to continue reading the series. Definitely a great debut!

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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Review: Elizabeth Vaughan

Warprize is the first in Elizabeth Vaughan's Chronicles of the Warlands series. It is also a debut book for me of hers. The book has been sitting on my shelf waiting to be read honestly for years. Having finally picked it up, and devouring every page, all I can do is ask myself why I waiting so long to read this book!

Xylara "Lara" is a princess of Xyland. Her older half brother is the current ruler and he is in the middle of a war with the "firelanders" as the Xylander's call them. Lara has defied custom and convention by becoming a healer for her people. This is something uncalled for because of her royal heritage. However, her father allowed it when he was alive, and though her brother doesn't like it, he allows her to continue her work. During the war she is helping with the wounded Xylander warriors, but she is also caring for the prisoners of war. She is the only person with the guts to help them against the King's wishes, but she feels the duty to help all in need because of the oaths she took.

While helping the foreign warriors, she initially begins learning their language to help treat them better. Lara is one of only a few who can communicate with them. Then she discovers that one of her patients is of the higher ranks. She worries that his position will cause her brother to execute him, so she keeps his secret while healing him. After this, she is confronted in the market by a man named Keir who demands to know of her patient's condition and to pass along a message to him. She refuses to pass any information, but does update him on the patient's condition. But by telling the POWs about her conversation with Keir, it seems they've gotten the message regardless.

Very soon after, Lara is happy to hear that peace negotiations are taking place. Until she discovers that she is to be sacrificed to their King as a slave as a part of the agreement. She agrees to the condition (though her brother never even truly asked her) to save her people. Lara is surprised to discover Keir is the king. So he takes her back to his camp. And thus begins a relationship between two people of different cultures that don't completely understand each other. It is also starting with lies. Lara struggles to learn her place, and she is terribly confused.

This is a book written in the first narrative, which is something I typically don't enjoy. However, this story line was best suited with that narrative since the reader is trying to understand this unique culture with her, and it didn't bother me in the slightest. While I loved the supporting cast the most, Keir did end up growing on me. Lara was strong and brave but also naive and too cautious to ask questions. For the most part, I liked her though. The story is full of unknowns that pull the reader in because they want to understand. 

I am excited to have finally read this romantic fantasy, and I cannot wait to continue the series. I only wished I had picked it up sooner!

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ARC Review: Love's Call by C.A. Szarek

Love's Call is the second book to C.A. Szarek's The King's Riders series and the first book I've read of Szarek's. I was hopeful that coming into the series having not read the first book, that I wouldn't be lost, and I wasn't. I believe whenever they referenced the first book, they explained very well what happened. While this was a good thing since I didn't get lost in the story, it did make me wish I was reading that book instead of this one.

Ansley (I LOVE that name) is a Senior King's Rider. Basically she is a messenger for the king. The King gives her a message that needs to go to one of his Duke's with all possible haste. She leaves immediately with her "bonded" wolf companion, Ali, and she pushes her horse hard. Along the way Ali brings her to a stop because there is a girl in bad shape lying on the ground gasping for help. While she starts to try to figure how she was going to get the girl on her horse to safety, a large group of armored men show up. So far this story has really gotten me interested.

Leargan, the man leading the group of armored men, is the captain of the Duke's personal guard. They were out on patrol when they came across the two women. After cautious introductions, the men help Ansley get the girl back the the Duke's town. One of the personal guard, Roduch, seems intensely drawn to the hurt woman, and immediately considers it his duty to take care of her. He recognizes her as a woman he has seen in dreams and visions. Leargan is also immediately taken with Ansley, and Ansley is amazed to discover Leargan there, as she has been half in love with him for years. At this point I am still very intrigued to see where everything is going.

Upon getting to the Duke's home, they immediately get a healer to work on the poor unknown girl who is in such a rough state. After she has been seen to Ansley is able to deliver her message and find sleeping quarters. The next morning, the Duke shows the message to Leargan, and it says that the king and Ansley's father want Leargan and Ansley to get married. While Leargan admits being attracted to Ansley and a willingness to obey his king he isn't sure how she will take being ordered to marry him. He doesn't let her know about it for the time being. Also, that same morning, the mysterious hurt woman wakes up and tells them all her name is Avril, and starts to tell them the abuses that happened to her. It enrages everyone, and they all want vengeance on the man responsible.

This is where the book starts to die down. It focuses mainly on the romance between Ansley and Leargan while Avril gets more and more comfortable to share what she can of her situation. Ansley is annoying. Her thoughts and actions reminded me of a 13 year old girl in a 22ish year old's body. I also later learned how much of a hypocrite she is. Leargan seemed a pretty good guy, but he makes some bad decisions. The two struggle to communicate. And they go from 0 to 60 with the beginning of a kiss to almost being intimate every time they're together. Roduch and Avril's patient and slow time of learning each other and gaining trust grabbed my attention so much more.

As for the magic, there really isn't very much explaining and it seems used in odd ways not really helping the story as much as it could. No one seems worried about being hurt because the healer will have you back to normal in no time at all, and he even can manipulate your body's functions how he wants. I saw great potential in the bonding some characters had with wolves, but that really never amounted to much after the beginning when Ali found Avril. They just acted mostly like domesticated dogs in every other scene. 

With how much the characters talked about the adventures of the first book, all the action in this book was so anticlimactic. Nothing really was any sort of struggle, and I never felt once that I didn't know how the story would go. It was very disappointing. I do hope that the aversion I have to this book is a fluke in comparison to the rest of Szarek's work, because this story had amazing potential at the first. I am very interested to read the first book in the series after hearing about it from this one. I think I might someday try it out.

**ARC provided by NetGalley**

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ARC Review: Phoenix Unbound by Grace Draven

Phoenix Unbound is my first Grace Draven book, and all I can say is, "Why did I wait so long?!" It was a tad slow at parts, but after it was finished it made me feel all the things! It makes me want to grab some of her previous books and dive in right now while I impatiently wait for this series' sequel.

Gilene is an extraordinary girl put into a horrible situation. When I say extraordinary I not only mean she has rare magical powers, but I am also referring to her selfishness. Her small town of Beroe is under the control of the Empire. The Empire requires tithes of it's people in the form of a female sacrifice to the capital once a year. These unfortunate young women, who are called the Flowers of Spring, are forced to endure a night of rape, followed by a sacrificial burning to their Gods. Gilene's burden of fire magic makes her Beroe's annual sacrifice since she can save herself and repeat the trial year after year. This in turn saves her town from truly sending their women to die. But her magic comes with a painful price, and it is because of this selfless act for her town (a town that isn't very welcoming to the woman who saves them) that I admire her and believe her to be extraordinary.

Azarion has been dealt heaps of misfortune in his life that have led him to become a gladiator for the Empire. He is forced to entertain the masses by slaughtering other men and beasts. He has excelled in the arena and become the best, the Gladius Prime, but that unfortunately brings him to the attention of the Empress. She is bloodthirsty to her core, and demands more killing from Azarion only to reward him by raping him. He longs for the day to return to his people and seek vengeance on the ones who sold him to this slavery, but he sees no escape. That is until he sees through a Flower of Springs' illusion and her repetitive presence in the group of sacrifices. So he hatches a plan to break away from the empire with her help. Azarion is determined, and he is calculating. He also has a soft spot buried deep inside under his resolution to survive. When Gilene brings out that kindness, I began to fall for him myself.

These two characters are put into a terrible situation, and their actions are not always honorable. Azarion must blackmail Gilene into helping him, and forces her to leave with him. He has his reasons for his actions, but they are not immediately revealed to Gilene. She hates him for what he is doing to her, and potentially what he is then forcing her town to be subjected to. However, Grace Draven paced their understanding of each other and increasing affections perfectly. This indeed means a few slow parts in the book, but those portions were necessary and made everything so much better. I felt like I understood each character's thinking and reasonings, and it pulled me more and more into this story.

This romantic fantasy is a dark tale, but it makes the good moments shine all the brighter. I loved reading this book so much, and I am highly anticipating its sequels. It's exciting to find another gem in the Fantasy Romance genre. I know I say often how small a genre it is, but my hopes seem to be taking hold as I am finding more and more books within this genre every year. It makes me very happy and excited. Grace Draven has just earned herself a new fan!

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: The Dreamer's Song by Lynn Kurland

The Dreamer's Song by Lynn Kurland is the 11th book in her Nine Kingdoms series, but it is the 2nd in the trilogy starring Acair and Leirsinn. I was saddened by how much this book bored me.

The story line picks up right where The White Spell left off, and I don't really feel like the plot advanced at all in this book. As with I think all of these books (if my memory serves) the characters travel from place to place and hang out in libraries or different person's personal collections looking for more information. The two main characters continuously avoid thinking on subjects that make them uncomfortable (i.e. their feelings for each other), and the female character continues to struggle with the fact that magic is real.

Lerisinn has seen with her own eyes that magic exists. The proof is undeniable, and yet she continues to act like it isn't real and grasps on to naivety tight by "not thinking on it". When I read the first trilogy within this series, this plot line was great. A strong female character who grew up not believing in magic, and she has to come to terms with it's existence. She travels to many places learning more and meeting new people. But that plot line is now being overused in my opinion.

As I said in my review of The White Spell, I was excited to see the new aspects of having a reformed black mage as our hero. I have know determined that I am also disappointed in that aspect. It felt like Kurland was trying to make all of these dark situations be scary, but they ended up being absolutely fine. She overly dramatized different "bad" situations that weren't all that bad, and then when we do finally get to a scene with real danger, everything happens so fast, I had to reread it to figure out what happened.

Honestly, the story may have been decent had I not felt as though I had already read it multiple times in the previous books. However, I felt distrustful of Kurland after the many times the book claimed peril when there was none, and then when the danger was actually there it was downplayed. That partnered with the (to me) unrealistic reactions of her characters confrontations with magic took this book way down for me. This is beyond frustrating because I really used to love Lynn Kurland's storytelling. I am disappointed to say that this book has made me decide to stop reading this series.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: The Sea King by C.L. Wilson

Finally I've got my hands on this long awaited sequel! The release date for this book was extended at least once, and I am so glad the wait is over. Except that I read it so fast, I'm back to waiting for the next book. Oh well, this will have to hold me over for awhile.

Picking up where we left off in The Winter King, Dilys Merimydion is collecting his reward from Khamsin Coruscate in helping her in the battle for Summerlea. He is awarded the chance for his men to find wives among the Summerlea women, and for Dilys in particular to court Khamsin's three sisters. There is no guarantee that any women will agree to marriages, but the Calbernans do not fret. Apparently they've been trained from boyhood on many things, including how best to make the women in their lives happy.

Dilys plans on focusing his attentions on the princesses who seem the most powerful, Spring and Autumn, with the hopes of acquiring a powerful mother to a future Calbernan queen. The third princess, Summer (Gabriella), is too gentle and doesn't have as much power as her sisters. Despite Dilys' well thought out plans with his political advisors, he experiences almost instant attraction to Summer.

Summer has turned wearing a mask to the world an art. She holds within her a dangerous power that she puts every thought and action of her being into hiding and keeping under control. However, lately she seems to be losing that control (and her temper) more easily. Upon meeting Dilys, she too experiences an instant attraction, but she becomes conflicted. She doesn't want and fears love, so she pushes him away in every way she can think of, including magical means.

All the while, the sea has been plagued by pirates that Dilys must get under control for the best interests of his country. A pirate who has unheard of powers that are defeating Dilys' best men. His mother, the Calbernan Queen, seems almost near Fading (basically dying), and if Dilys does not have a daughter before her passing, the throne will go to a cousin. The poor guy has a lot on his plate, and is just trying to do what's best for his country.

Dilys is very cocky and that bothered me a lot in this book. He was too confident in his romance skills, and he was way too pushy as well with Summer in my opinion. He does acknowledge his mistakes however, and tries to make things right. Many of the scenes between him and Summer made me laugh, and some made my heart hurt. There were some scary situations that happened in this book that made me nervous, and nearly throw up. I will give fair warning to readers that there is rape in this book. I don't know how I got through it, because usually I can't stomach it. I still feel sick thinking about it, and I honestly do wish it was omitted from the book.

This book was a roller coaster of emotions for me, and I think partially because of that I couldn't put the thing down. I'm highly anticipating the next book in this series, The Jaguar King. Hopefully the wait will not be as long.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: So I Married a Sorcerer by Kerrelyn Sparks

So I Married a Sorcerer by Kerrelyn Sparks is the second book in Sparks' Embraced series. It is a fantasy romance (which is a very small genre that needs more attention). While I had some of the same misgivings as I had from the first book, How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days, I enjoyed this book more than its predecessor. 

Brigitta knows nothing of her origins. All she knows is her life growing up on the Isle of the Moon with the nuns there and her adopted sisters, and that she is Embraced. Being Embraced means several things. First, she was born on one of the days where the two moons eclipsed, which then caused her to have a magical ability. For Brigitta, this is an ability to know when someone is hiding something, to discover those secrets, and find hidden objects. It also means that should she step foot on the mainland, she is in danger because four of the five kings fears her abilities, and would kill her because of them.

On her way to visit one of her adopted sisters who is about to give birth, her ship is attacked by pirates. She is surprised to find she is a missing princess of Tourin, and her brother, the king, has been looking for her. These pirates think to take a ransom from King Gunther in exchange for his little sister. One of these pirates is Rupert, who has made it his life's mission to thwart King Gunther who he claims ruined his life and family. 

Rupert struggles with his conscience and honor with delivering Brigitta to King Gunther. She is of the same lineage as the man he hates the most, but she appears to be nothing like the cruel man. He then finds out the true purpose for the King's recent search for his sister, and he doesn't want to put her into such a horrible situation. Brigitta is also torn when it comes to Rupert. She despises the way he threatened the people she loves to abduct her, but the secrets he holds close inflame her curiosity. She also gets confused by his pirate side which conflicts with his honorable side.

The romance and passion in this story were very compelling. Sparks was able to create a complex chemistry that worked so well. I found myself needing to know and understand every secret! My only misgivings were the same as with the previous book. Some of the dialogue felt too modern for the fantasy setting. I also didn't like how the book had an intro that spells out the magic system and the land's political standings. In most of the fantasies I've read, you learn about those things within the story so it feels like you're discovering them as you read. This is just my personal preference however; I could definitely see other readers liking it all spelled out in the beginning to help them understand. 

This book was great, and I'm glad I've read it. This tiny genre of fantasy romance needs more material, and I'm stoked to have this installment. It's been quite awhile since a book has captured my attention as well as this one. I can't wait to read the third in the series!

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Roar by Cora Carmack

I don't read a ton of fantasy books, but when I saw the cover for Cora Carmack's Roar I knew I had to read it. I didn't even read the blurb, I just added to my TBR. Once I started reading this story though, I was instantly drawn in and didn't want to put it down. This was a great first book in the Stormheart series, and I am looking forward to reading more. 

Aurora comes from an old Stormling family, and as the sole heir of Pavon has been groomed to rule. But she doesn't have any storm magic, so her mother decides that an arranged marriage is the perfect solution. Prince Cassius is chosen as he has the ability to help her protect her people with the magic she lacks, but Aurora doesn't want to marry him the more she learns about him. So when she stumbles upon a black market selling storm magic and she meets a handsome storm hunter that was born without magic and now has it, she realizes that she just might have another option. 

Roar is on the YA side, and at times the characters definitely act like it. While I did like them, I felt like a lot of what they did was stereotypical childish behavior and at times that annoyed me a bit. I still liked the characters and was interested in seeing how things would play out though and luckily it didn't deter me from continuing on. I really liked the interactions between Rora and Locke, and it was what had me really enjoying this book. Their banter was great, and I didn't want to stop reading once I had started. While things were definitely on the insta-love side, I felt like they had a great connection. I will say though that Cassius also felt like he could definitely be an option for Rora, with the tension between them leading up to a possible triangle in the next book. I'm not entirely sure where I stand yet on that side of things, but the one thing I am sure of is that I can't wait to find out what happens next. 

As this is the first book in a fantasy series, there is a bit of world building that sometimes can drag the story down a bit. But I found this world fascinating and it wasn't too much to get through. Cora Carmack has created a unique and captivating world, full of interesting characters and I am absolutely looking forward to more. If you are a fan of fantasy novels, you will definitely want to give this one a shot. Even if you aren't a big fantasy fan though, I think that a lot of readers will really enjoy this story and it is one I would recommend.

**ARC Provided by Inkslinger PR**

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ARC Review: How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days by Kerrelyn Sparks

How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days is Kerrelyn Spark's debut in Fantasy Romance. I have not read any of her previous work.

Luciana was raised as an orphan on an island off of the mainland. She and her adopted sisters (other orphan girls she grew up with) are all Embraced. This means that they were born when the two moons aligned and acquired magical abilities. It is not good to be Embraced in this world, because the Kings who rule on the mainland feel threatened by their powers. Luciana's world is turned upside down however, when a man who claims to be her father arrives on the island and asks her to come with him back home.

Because the man is in danger from the King, Luciana agrees to go with him despite having had no idea of his existence, because of her kind heart. She must marry a man called the "Beast" per the King's orders, or the King will have her father killed for treason. Leofric, the man everyone has termed "Beast", is the Protector of the Realm in Eberon. He is also Embraced with lightening powers which makes him a force to be reckoned with. His uncle, the King, feels threatened by him, but because of Leofric's powers, he can do nothing about it. Leofric immediately begins to feel a protectiveness over his bride-to-be before he even meets her. He senses foul plots afoot from the King, and takes a portion of his men with him to her home. It becomes a constant battle trying to keep Luciana and her father alive from the assassination attempts.

I disliked the way the fantasy world was handled. In the beginning she has a prologue that basically explains the world and it's magic system. In the fantasy books I've read, I liked learning about it as I go along. It made me feel like I discovered secrets little by little along the way. I did like the Embraced magic system however, because there are so many different forms the magic can take. The religious beliefs aren't too difficult to follow, and they tie into the magic system which is always a good dynamic for a fantasy book in my opinion.

The romance had parts that drew me in hard! I wanted to know how this couple would overcome seemingly impossible circumstances. However, the dialogue between the two wasn't very romantic. It was definitely sexy, but I never felt like I was falling in love with their chemistry. Then it starts to get to some intimacy, and I felt that if I was in Luciana's place I would have been more terrified than anything. However, they each had their own inner demons to face, and I liked how they were able to work through those issues.

I did like this book, but I wasn't crazy about it. I felt like there were minor flaws in both the romance and the fantasy aspects, but that's just based on my personal preferences. Kerrelyn Sparks' writing is very well thought out and flowed well. She has a lot of potential with this new genre for her, and I think she will do better as she goes. I would be interested to see what happens next in the sequel (which I was lucky enough to read a preview of in the back of this book)!

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Ashes to Fire by Emily B. Martin

I went absolutely crazy about this book! It's the second in Emily B. Martin's Woodwalker series. I have not yet read the first book, but I wasn't confused be not having read it. Martin did a great job of catching a new reader up. Though I will say now that I'm going to buy the first one to read very soon.

The female lead is Mora. She's queen of Lumen Lake and takes her role and responsibility very seriously. She is told that her territory is under attack. So she heads out to meet them with her allies from a neighboring kingdom. Turns out it was a false alarm and they are not under attack. But Mona and her fellow queen and friend, Mae, decide to go on a diplomatic mission to meet with their enemies' King.

And thus Mona begins quite an adventure. She meets a lot of unique characters who really made the story come alive. I felt like I couldn't predict anything happening in this book. Emily Martin really kept the reader guessing. The sparking romance was so very sweet, and yet you could never fully trust it. 

A huge reason this book was so amazing for me was two other aspects. Poi and steel mills. My brother learned how to spin Poi, and I felt like I was watching him spin every time it was described. I work at a steel mill, so I loved having that little connection with the story. 

Like I mentioned before, I am going to be buying and reading the first book in this series soon. I also highly anticipate the third book if Emily B. Martin is writing another. Loved this book!

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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