Lauren

I absolutely loved the first book in this series, but came into this one not sure what to expect (sequels have really disappointed me in the last). But holy heck, this book blew me out of the water!!

This book took all of my favorite things from the first book (The Ever King) -- amazing characters, an engaging plot, and awesome world building -- and then gave me even more.

I was so engaged that I read the whole book in just one day, because I couldn't put it down!

And the side characters are awesome. I genuinely got so engaged in learning more about them, and there were a few couples who seemed to have some really awesome backstories. Imagine how happy I was when I found out that a bunch of them have their own books!!!! (Look for the Broken Kingdoms series, there's 9 books in total!!)

Wow, I really enjoyed this book. The characters were varied and interesting, and actually felt like people with their own stories, goals, and behaviors. The world building was unexpectedly awesome, with a really cool magic system that I haven't seen anywhere else before. And finally, the plot was really engaging. I couldn't put this book down!

I don't typically enjoy books with a darker hero, but I ended up really liking Erik. His actions could be brutal at times, but he was also thoughtful and seriously hiding a lot of wounds and a secret heart.

Our heroine Livia was also great to read about. She struck a graceful balance between softness and snark, and I actually felt like I could relate to her emotions and desires a lot throughout the story.

10/10 book, and I'm literally about to start the sequel...right now

I really enjoyed this book! The main characters, Colin and Mercedes, had a great dynamic throughout the story, and I enjoyed their interactions and dialogue.

I also enjoyed that this book had a lot of danger, mystery, and suspense, as well as some truly nasty villains. It made me hang onto every next word to see what would happen next. If you enjoy main character whump, this book is for you!

The side characters were also well-developed, and I felt like they fit very nicely into the story.

I really enjoyed this book! The FMC, Lizzie, and her family are experiencing pretty abject poverty, and she’s doing her best to keep their household afloat. One way she decides to do that is to kidnap the man who got her younger sister pregnant in order to make him marry her sister — except she kidnaps the wrong man!

Our MMC, Lucas, was a really interesting character to read about. I liked his personality and how he and Lizzie interacted as they got to know each other. I also felt like he and Lizzie’s personal flaws and problems felt really real and believable, which made their love story even stronger for me.

Highly recommend if you enjoy banter, found family, and characters learning to grow past the problems that have been holding them back from their happiness.

I really enjoyed this book! Some quick notes:

• Really fun and creative world building!
• A unique magic system and some pretty cool magical items and gifts
• Told through 3-4 main POVs, which I thought worked really well!
• TWO SEPARATE MAIN ROMANCE COUPLES! (f/f and m/f)

I went in expecting a typical fantasy plot where you begin with a dramatic event and jump straight into the main storyline. I really appreciated how this book shook that structure up. The adventure plot actually didn’t happen until halfway through the book, and I didn’t mind at all because the character development in the first half was so engaging to me. I really fell in love with each character and reading about their journey felt very cathartic.