Tag: 5 stars

Review: Heir Undisputed by Hannah James

Published on by Amanda

5 / 5 Stars!

Book 2 is just as good as book 1!

Definitely read Heir Undeniable first, as this book picks up immediately after book 1.

We follow along with Jonathan and Christina as their relationship evolves. They’re so caught up in each other and in love, but still live their lives both separate and together.

They face some major normal life challenges, a long with supernatural ones. We get to delve deeper in to the past, the vampire world, and how things ended up where they are.

I’ll be honest, I got frustrated at first, because there were a lot of chapters sprinkled in that shared Jonathan’s past. While I loved learning about it, I also was eager to move along in the story. However, those glimpses really show how he’s grown as a person (vampire, whatever). I’m guessing it’s also a bit of foreshadowing at how things might develop, but we’ll see.

Also, I just want to applaud the author for characters’ consistent consent, working through of toxic behaviors and owning up to what they do wrong.

I am lost in this world and I cannot wait for the next book!

Book blurb from Amazon:

Relationships can be tricky. Even more so when the person you’re with is unlike anyone else you have ever dated before.

Jonathan is everything I’m not. He speaks more languages than I can count, he has an apartment in every major city, he has more money than I know what to do with.
And he’s over 800 years older than me. And he’s the vampire crown prince.
Needless to say I find myself in unknown waters.
To top it all off, there are things on the horizon that will push both Jonathan and me to our absolute limits. Neither of us are used to relying on others, but sometimes you have no choice, and it might as well be the person you trust with your deepest secrets.
The question is, am I strong enough to deal with the darkness that is creeping up on us? Is our relationship?

***

In all the time I’ve been alive, I have never been happier than I am now. After centuries of trading fleeting connections for loneliness, I finally found the one whom my soul was meant to love.
To be on the receiving end of Christina’s unconditional love was a gift I never dreamt would someday be mine, and I was determined to do everything in my power to keep it. Even though I still thought myself undeserving.

Yet, it gave us no reprieve from a companion that I knew all too well: Death.
Will I be able to hold onto this new-found happiness? Or will encroaching danger rip it from my arms?

REVIEW: The Keyholder of Time by Charity F Nelson

Published on by Amanda

5 / 5 Stars!

What can I say about this book?! It was AMAZING! Let’s see if I can do it justice at all.

The story is told from the point of view of 18-year-old Malina Allaway. She lives in the Lowlands simply trying to survive. After her father’s terrible injury in the war, she took over the running of the farm and providing for her father, stepmother and three stepsisters. Since she still doesn’t make enough for them to get by, she also uses her secret gifts to help people at night. If she gets caught, it could mean her death. The only one who knows about her gift is her best friend Sam, who also loves her very much. She has no intention to ever marry though, since she’s providing for her entire family.

All of that changes on a fateful day when she attends a wedding, dances with a gorgeous mysterious stranger, and is approached by another mysterious stranger. The next day, mysterious stranger number two shows up to her house, and informs her that she is actually the Keyholder for the Tempus Guild and has been betrothed to someone for years. Her family will also receive a generous amount if she goes, and if she doesn’t it might be the end for them all.

Mysterious stranger one helps escort her to the Highlands, to settle into her new life, meet her betrothed, learn more about her gift, and meet the family that she didn’t know she had.

The rest of the story is full of slow-burn romance building, twists and turns you will not see coming, and a cast of amazing characters. This book well exceeded my expectations. The worldbuilding, the unique magic system, everything was just so well executed. The whole story kept my attention, and even through the worldbuilding and explanations, I never felt it slow or get too repetitive. Then the ending just blew me away. My heart felt like it was on a roller coaster those last few chapters I swear.

I cannot wait for the next book! This is an author that I’m so ridiculously excited to see more from and expect to just get better and better!

I received this eARC from the author for an honest review.

Book Blurb from the author’s website:

Death and Time are ancient brothers. Time is nothing without Death, and Death is nothing without Time.
Eighteen-year-old Malina Allaway swore off marriage when she became her family’s only hope for survival after her father was injured during the Clan Wars. She spends her days tending to the family farm while, during the nights, she visits those who call on her for aid in the only way she can, with a rare gift that allows her to step into another’s memories, triggered by music.
Some say it’s a gift from the gods. Others claim it’s a curse. She doesn’t know what to believe.
So, when a pretentious and annoyingly beautiful man coaxes her into a dance, she doesn’t realize it was all an act to discover who she really is. The steward of the Tempus Guild appears at her door the following day to declare her ascension as the newest Keyholder, and she’s to marry the eldest son of the Blacklock clan. Immediately.
At risk of the family she fought so hard to care for become destitute upon her refusal, she’s forced to leave the Lowlands and is swept away into the distinguished territory of the Highlands. She finds more than she bargains for when death and darkness await her at every turn. She’s torn between escaping her new life and the growing desires in her heart for not just one but two mysterious men.
For fans of slow-burn romance, forced proximity, love triangles, a unique magic system, meddling gods, epic violence, and so much more!
The Keyholder of Time is the first book in the captivating and heart-pounding romantic fantasy trilogy The Tempus Guild.