Tag: romantic fantasy

This Chick Read: A Trial of Sorcerers by Elise Kova

Eira Landan is a young Waterrunner, an apprentice in the Tower of Sorcerers, living in the shadow of her older brother. After an accident where her powers killed a couple of innocents, Eira has been held out of the spotlight making her an outsider within her own caste. When a competition is announced, her entire family asks her to stay out and let her older brother compete but Eira wants only what is fair, a chance to become the champion Waterrunner and an entry into the Tournament of Five Champions. She is ready to fight and to win, but at what costs?

A Trial of Sorcerers is set in the Air Awakens world where sorcerers have an affinity for the elements. Eira’s affinity is to water but she also hears whisper’s, past voices that live and haunt in the castle. Her family thinks these voices are a kind of psychosis but in reality they are a part of her magic and make her unique. This uniqueness may set her apart, and maybe not in such a great way. Through a lot of this novel Eira is fighting her feelings. She feels like she should honor her parents wishes and allow her brother, whom she loves, to be champion, but she is also tired of being held back. This may be her only chance to show everyone that she can control her powers.

I’m a big fan of Elise Kova’s fantasy novels. She has created an intricate world and seems to be adding to those intricacies. The Air Awakens series centered on characters who could control Air, and in Trial of Sorcerers we are learning a lot about the element of water. In Eira’s case how water can be used as a tool for good, but also can be turned against them. How can a girl of eighteen overcome all odds and become Champion Waterrunner? A Trial of Sorcerers borrows from the thrill of the Hunger Games, and the elemental punch of Jennifer’s Estep’s Elemental Assassins. I love the mix of action and romantic fantasy!

If there was one thing I’d change about this novel it would be the amount of time Eira feel sorry for herself. I love a good underdog and I get the trope, but I really wanted her to show strength before she was in the actual trials. I wanted her to believe in herself, despite that it seemed her family didn’t support her choices. Otherwise, this was a really fun book and I loved being back in the world I grew so fond of in the Air Awakens series. If you love fantasy novels with a female lead, you may want to give this one a go! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase!* A Trial of Sorcerers

Copyright 2022 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Ruby Fever (Hidden Legacy #6) by Ilona Andrews

Catalina is the head of her household and lead investigator of Baylor Investigations. She’s used to solving riddles and being in charge but when she becomes Acting Warden of the State of Texas in addition to the above it just might be more than she can handle. Good thing she has fiancé Alessandro Sagredo by her side… of course he brings his own set of problems as well.

Ruby Fever is the conclusion of Catalina’s three book story arc, and all of the sub plots that have been in play are coming to a head. Arkan is out to destroy Alessandro and her family, and they are under constant attack. She is pursuing an investigation into who has attacked the warden, and Alessandro’s family is still trying to farm him out to save their family name and bring in some much needed dough. There was a LOT going on in this book and looking back on it, the plot is a bit of a jumbled mess in my head. Not that I’m going to spoil your fun in reading this novel but I’m having trouble deciding what to write about without giving anything away.

As with all Ilona Andrews books, I loved jumping back into the world they’ve created and Ruby Fever gave us more peek’s into some of her family’s lives than we’ve gotten in the previous two novels which focused more on Catalina and Alessandro’s love story. That story is a foregone conclusion in Ruby Fever and we are given action sequence after action sequence and good investigative moments for the Baylor family, including Nevada and Rogan. The whole family gets involved in the resolution of all of the problems they face, which is fun. We get a hint of a couple of possible love matches for Arabella which made me eager to read her story, but alas, this book concludes Ilona Andrews deal with their current publisher and we may have to wait until they are in the mood to write and self publish the next novel in the series which could take years to happen, if they do decide to write it. Regardless, Ruby Fever was a fun way to end the series.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase!* Ruby Fever

Copyright 2022 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- If you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Year One (Chronicles of the One #1) by Nora Roberts

I’m going to admit, I bought this novel in 2018 and let it sit on my shelf. Then the pandemic hit and the last thing I wanted to do was read a novel about a virus that wipes out half of the population of the world. Time has moved on and I thought I might be able to separate the topic from the world I was living in.

This novel starts with the person who was the original spreader of the virus and seeing how it happened made me realize that this novel will be more fantasy than reality and as the book moved on and I read how the world divided between those who survived with change and those who survived still human I was able to even more immerse myself in this novel and the new world it was building. Following a few different story arc’s I came to care for these characters not caring if they were human or enhanced with inhuman traits caring more if they were good people or bad. A natural feeling when you are reading a novel that pits good versus evil.

Nora Roberts follows a formula she’s been very successful with throughout her career, especially when writing fantasy novels. She gives us several story arc’s, and in Year One I learn to love Max and Lana and then again Rachel and Jonah, as well as some other characters who help them survive and build new lives. What surprises me is that this plot is leading us to a hero and heroine who can lead them in the fight against evil, the children that they fight so hard to protect.

While there are elements of love throughout this story this novel is not a typical Nora Roberts romance novel. This is a three book series about a fight to come against good and evil. I am curious enough about where it’s headed to pick up the second book in the series but I will give one bit of criticism, I hope it starts off fast because Year One was a bit on the slow side and I like a quicker pace. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase!* Year One

Copyright 2022 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Gossamer in the Darkness(Fantasyland #5.5) by Kristen Ashley

The Count of Derryman has a secret. His daughter, who has been betrothed since birth to the handsome and powerful Marquess of Remington, fell and hit her head when she was six and has the mental acuity of a child. Not wanting to give up that association with such a powerful house, the Count of Derryman hears of an alternate universe that twins this universe. Determined to find his daughters twin and bring her over he hires a witch, who succeeds. What the Count doesn’t realize is that this Maxine is no pushover.

The Fantasyland series is one of my favorites by this author so when I heard she was writing a novella set in that world I was excited to get my hands on it. This fairytale proves that every woman can find her prince and the modern Maxine wishes Loren could be hers. It wouldn’t be a true fairytale without an evil character and the Count certainly fits the bill. Holding her mother and “twin” sister hostage in order to make Maxine do as he pleases the author didn’t take long to resolve that short conflict. Which was great because we got to spend the rest of the book with fun characters who were falling in love, learning their new world, and spreading the joy of living in a world full of color.

What I love about Kristen Ashley’s novellas is that they are the length of a short full length novel. Her real novels are very long. You’d think she’d have a tough time get the full story arc in this short length novel but she really does a great job of developing the characters, letting the reader in on the storyline quickly, and cut down on some of the descriptions that make her regular novels so lengthy. I really enjoyed this novella a lot and didn’t feel like I was missing anything that would lead to that overall enjoyment.

Now, if you have never read a Fantasyland novel, you may have some difficulty falling into a world where cats and birds speak to women, but if you have an open mind you may find yourself totally enjoying the experience. You’ll never know unless you pick it up and give it a shot. It is very different than her contemporary romances in the best way possible, but you’ll find similar character types that will help get you settled into another amazing KA story. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this novel!* Gossamer in the Darkness

Copyright 2022 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: The Taellaneth Series by Vanessa Nelson

This series was recommended to me but I could never remember the author in order to look it up. It just so happened that it was recommended to me AGAIN and I was getting ready to look for my next book. It’s a Kindle Unlimited series, which I do subscribe to, so I thought “no harm no foul” if I don’t like it I’ll just close the book and send it back. Little did I know that I would read non-stop, with only breaks to go to work, eagerly reading this fun series until I turned that last page in book #5.

Our hero Arrow is half human and half Erith, a race that is magical with elf-like physical traits. Having been determined to have magical talent at a young age she is entered into an Academy where she overcomes the odds and becomes a war mage despite all sorts of discrimination from the Erith for her half-human blood. As we get to know Arrow she is oath-bound to the Taellen to solve any task she is given. In the first novel she is given the task of investigating the death of the mate of the highest ranked shape-shifter, traveling to human lands to complete her task.

In Concealed, Arrow eventually solves the mystery but reveals an even bigger dilemma that all three races need to work together to solve, each book leading to Arrow becoming a stronger mage, important ally of the shifters, and eventually free from her ties to the Taellen- the committee of law-makers among the Erith. Her identity is also revealed in stages that keep the reader fascinated and the plot draws you in deeper until you have to read until the end to see how Arrow and the mystery resolves.

If you, like I, have never heard of this author then you are in for a treat! This series is fantasy-candy. There is only a hint of romance, it is pretty much straight up magical-fantasy. There are some very likable characters and you’ll certainly have your pick of who you want to follow but there is no better than our heroine Arrow. Misguided, misunderstood, and straight-up bad-@$$. I loved her to death and hope that this author’s other series are just as addictive. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase the first book!* Concealed

Copyright 2022 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: The Storm’s Whisperer (The Broken Lands #5) by T.A. White

Eva is the Kyren’s chosen Ambassador to broker an alliance between their two races. At their invitation she and Caden take a group of Trateri into the herd lands to form a colony and become the bridge between the two groups. Evil follows them and threatens the threads of their alliance. Eva must figure out her new abilities in order to save the man she loves and the two people’s her duty calls to her to protect.

It seems a simple synopsis but there was a LOT happening in this novel! Eva is the Kyren’s chosen Ambassador, but when trouble knocks on the Trateri’s door, her alliance seems to dissipate leaving Eva reliant upon the Trateri’s strength and her own uneducated skills as a Caller. Despite the dissipating alliance with the Kyren, Eva still finds strength in her friends and shows incredible leadership when it comes to her responsibility for other side characters like Brisa a young Tenrin who becomes attached to both she and Jason, her apprentice and future Trateri warrior. These subplots are what ultimately bring the book together and give it the meat it needs to reach its conclusion.

I mention Jason, above, because despite the love story between Eva and Caden, Jason’s character shows the most growth in this story arc. Eva has her calling and sometimes seems to struggle finding the strength and will to overcome her obstacles. Jason acts as the impetus to drive her character. As her apprentice and responsibility it’s through her interactions with him that we see her “become” her destiny. I liked that for him as a character because despite his whiny self-involved beginnings he has turned into a strong character and has become one of my favorites.

Did I like Storm’s Whisper as much as the previous novel? No. Despite it reaching its conclusion I didn’t feel the tension of the first novel, or any of the first three in the series. Even so, it was a decent story, and showed knew aspects to the world these stories reside. So to me it was worth the four or five hours of reading. I do hope she picks Jason as the next character to follow in the series. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase!* The Storm’s Whisper (The Broken Lands Book 5)

Copyright 2022 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: The Wind’s Call (The Broken Lands #4) by T.A. White

After escaping her village Eva stumbles across the Trateri and decides to join with them, becoming a Herd Mistress, taking care of the animals she’s always loved. Kind of a loner she is close to only a few, relying more on her horses than she does people. When she discovers a winged horse caught in a net, she risks her life to save him earning his regard. Her ability to hear the Kyren’s mind speech puts her in the middle of a fight with evil that could bring war to the Broken Lands.

The main characters from books 1-3 are put on the back burner so we can follow Eva and Caden, Fallon’s 2nd in command into the Highlands to follow the Anatari’s hope of brokering an alliance with the Kyren. I liked Eva as a side character and grew to like her straightforward personality even more in The Wind’s Call. This is a person who doesn’t have a hidden agenda, speaks all truths, and may be a difficult person to love but her self-sacrificing tendencies give her heroic qualities that instill confidence in others and are the traits of a true leader. Caden, as Fallon’s 2nd, is all warrior. He looks death in the face and kills with an instinct reserved for the soulless. However, Eva calls to him and shows a different side of his personality. Together they make a pretty awesome couple, complimenting each other’s strengths. The funny thing for me is that neither of them are romantic or mushy and yet their romance was very sweet!

I love that in a fantasy novel you can have wonderful characters with humanistic character traits who are not human in the least. Take Sebastian, they Kyren with whom Eva bonds. Kyren are not pegasus, or angelic horses with wings, they are beings with human intelligence and can communicate with the help of a Caller, such as Eva who can her their words in their minds. Just as humans are, they can be good or evil and seeing behind what they look like is part of the fun of reading a good fantasy novel. The Wind’s Call has some awesome secondary characters who are a big part of the plot but who are not “human”. My favorite is Eva’s horse Caia, who will not deal with anyone but Eva and has the biggest personality of all of the dragon-like characters in this book.

I thought it interesting to choose new characters to write about yet keep the books in the same series as Shea and Fallon’s novels. I’ll admit, it was fun to see what Shea was up to and how she and Fallon’s relationship has progressed. The Broken Lands has been so much fun to read and explore that I’m hoping after Eva and Caden’s story is completed that this author can pick another character to carry on this lands story. I would recommend starting at the beginning of the series because the knowledge of the world this novel takes place in really builds from book to book and I feel like your experience will be more well-rounded. However, this is the first novel in these two characters story and could be picked up and read as a stand alone.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Wind’s Call (The Broken Lands)

Copyright 2022 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: The Becoming (The Dragon Heart Legacy #2) by Nora Roberts

At the end of the previous novel The Awakening, Breen had left her legacy in Talamh to go back home to the US to see her friends and tidy up the life she’ll be leaving behind when she returns. She knows that despite the growth of her powers she still needs training and can’t remain in the US too long while her evil Grandfather is trying to break through to Talamh to conquer and rule. Despite her saying she would return Keegan, the man who leads Talamh, and her lover, can’t take the chance that she won’t return and comes to take her back, and accidentally transfers her best friend Marco as well. Now she and Marco are in Talamh, where fairies, dragons, and mermaids reside to try to help save Talamh.

The uber talented Nora Roberts doesn’t always hit a home run when she writes fantasy novels and The Becoming, for me, follows that theme. I love the world she has created. Talamh is one of those places we’d all like to visit, a veritable fantasy land filled with gorgeous creatures both animal and human. Despite our heroine’s love for her family in this world I just don’t feel a connection between she and Keegan who is her love interest. He seems to have a switch that turns on and off. He wants her, he doesn’t have time for her, he is a taskmaster, and then he is a lover. It may just be that if I were Breen I would’ve looked elsewhere for a partner. Yes, Keegan is their leader, but leading is not always the best qualification for love.

I was so happy that Marco’s story arc expanded. He is so much fun and his own love story gave me what I needed. Romance! It also helps that he is just so likable and seeing Talamh through his eyes is so much fun.

I am looking forward to the third novel in this series because I want to see how the author will tie everything up. Keegan needs to show a little emotion for Breen. How will they end their war with her grandfather? Will Marco and his lover find happiness? There are a lot of pieces that need resolving and Ms. Roberts is very good at capturing all of those loose ends into a fancy bow.

❤️❤️❤️❣️

Copyright 2022 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved.

Click this link to purchase!* The Becoming: The Dragon Heart Legacy, Book 2 (The Dragon Heart Legacy, 2)

*Amazon Associate- If you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads1 Comment

This Chick Read: Fated Blades (Kinsmen #3) by Ilona Andrews

When Ilona Andrews releases a book I eagerly anticipate the drop into my kindle so I can read it right away. Fated Blades is the third novel in an older series called the Kinsmen. I’ve read the first two books a couple of times each but I’ll admit it’s been awhile. Not letting that stop me from reading this one right away I jumped right in. It is novella length so it didn’t take me more than 3-4 hours to read it in its entirety.

Fated Blades takes place on Rada where a few families all with Seca powers reside. This power enables them to become bladed, and as such their history is filled with violence, but currently people have forgotten who dangerous they can be. The Adlers and Baenas are two of the families with these powers and despite living relatively close, they consider each other enemies. When Ramona Adler shows up in Matias Baena’s place of business and tells him that her husband and his wife have run away together, and they both stole their research. The two of them join forces to investigate who is behind this plot and are determined to bring them down. What they haven’t taken into consideration is their immediate attraction and connection, something that the two of them may not be able to live without.

As I do with all Illona Andrews books, I read a book first, and then follow it up with listening to the audiobook pretty quickly after. I think with this one, I’ll need to go back and start at the beginning of the series. Not because this book wasn’t good, it certainly was, but because I feel like there are some details I’m missing that may make my journey with this story even better.

As with the Hidden Legacy series these novels fall into the romantic fantasy genre. My favorite genre and this author duo excels at bringing life to the page and their characters. Fated Blades was no different, and in fact I’d like to see a longer length novel for these characters or at least in this world. If you’re a fan of this author I’m sure you’ll feel no different. If you haven’t read the previous two books, you don’t really need to, but like I said above, a refresher might have been necessary and might enhance your pleasure in this well written novel.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Fated Blades

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associates- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (11/29/21)

I love the long Thanksgiving weekend. With the exception of spending time in the kitchen it’s all about relaxing. We even put up our tree last weekend so that chore was checked off the list. What have I been doing? You got it! Reading! Here’s what I’ve been reading.

JUST FINISHED

My favorite writing duo dropped a book from an old series last week and I eagerly dove into it this weekend. It’s novella length so it didn’t take me long to read, but it was a fun new world to relearn and the characters were great!

JUST STARTED

The series that got me started with binging Kristen Ashley novels. It’s been awhile since I’ve read these so I decided to read one or two. They are so fun!

Now that you know what’s on my coffee table, what books did you read this weekend?

Happy Monday!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads