
I have a harder time writing reviews for books that I really loved because the whole time I’m low key anxious that I won’t be able to properly convey how much I enjoyed the book. This is one of those books that has taken me a while to write a review for because it was so freaking awesome I’m scared I won’t do it justice- either that or be one of those reviewers who do nothing but end all their sentences in an exclamation point (!!!!!!!!!!!!). But honestly guys, if you love fantasy romance with great world building, awesome dialogue and relatable, fully fleshed out imperfect but perfect characters then please buy this book.
I need to say that this isn’t my first book by Stacia Stark. I read ALL of her Deals with a Demons series when I was in a book slump and that series snapped me out of my reading funk within the first few pages. That series is great too so if Urban Fantasy is more your thing then definitely highly recommend. When I heard she was doing a high fantasy romance book I did do a happy dance around the room.
Our heroine is Prisca, and she lives in a little village with her mom and brother. The first chapter introduces us to her and the world they live in where if you’re caught with magic you and your family are killed by the king’s men. The world is a pretty grim one and you get a good picture of what’s happening in the first chapter in a very natural way without a giant information dump. Of course, Prisca does have magic and has to run away (sort of but I don’t want to give too much away) and when she does, she meets up with our hero, Lorian, and his not-so-merry band of men. Magic, fighting, adventure and big mysteries ensue.
The premise of the book is good but what makes this novel great is the writing. The world can be dark and as with any fantasy novel there are sad moments but Stacia Stark is SO good at peppering witty dialogue and entertaining character thoughts that it keeps the novel from sinking into totally depressing territory. There is a found family aspect where the not-so-merry band of men and Prisca form a bond while travelling.
Prisca is a refreshingly realistic heroine- she’s smart and stubborn BUT she’s not perfect. She has fears that she has to overcome. Lorian can be a bit of an ass BUT as the book goes on you realize there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye. One of my favorite things though was the banter between the two of them, the sexual tension builds and builds and in between there’s witty dialogue:
I rolled my eyes “The Queen’s lady and the handsome prince. Of course they’re gossiping.”
His gaze returned to my face. “You enjoy the way I look?” His eyes glittered and for a wild moment I wanted to pluck them from his face.
My cheeks burned. “Yes, yes your face is very symmetrical. An incredible achievement.”
He stared at me. Then he threw his head back with a laugh. The sound was the best thing I’d ever heard.
“You could convince the gods they were little more than peasants with that sharp tongue of yours”
See? So good. The whole book is peppered with dialogue like that, between not just the hero and heroine but between all the secondary characters as well. Special mention goes to the letters between Lorian and his brother which provided several laugh out loud moments in between tense scenes and life or death situations. The book finishes one plot point so doesn’t end on a terrible cliff hanger BUT this is definitely the first book in a series with an overarching plot point of magic oppression and corrupt kings that will need to be addressed in the next books.
From the frequency of release dates of her past books, I’m sure we won’t have long to wait for book 2 in this series and I’m really looking forward to it. Let me end this review by putting in those annoying exclamation points that I was very careful to not overuse in previous paragraphs. I LOVED this book! Highly recommend!!! Go out and get it!!!!!!! Phew 😊
Books I Was Reading When I Should Have Been Writing July 2014
15 JulI’ve been on a bit of a contemporary and paranormal kick lately and can’t seem to drum up any enthusiasm for historicals although I have a fair few in my kindle just waiting to be read. That said, I’ve read a few really, really, really (REALLY) good books lately:
• It Happened One Wedding by Julie James– First of all it really must be said- SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE! This book was amazing! I cannot begin to recommend it highly enough. For those of you who may not have discovered her yet, Julie James is an author of contemporary romances usually centring around the lawyers of the US Attorney’s office and the FBI agents that they work with. Although most of her books are excellent this one had a little special something going for it that truly blew me away. The way JJ wrote the slow build romance between the hero and the heroine who by the way started out disliking each other and then liking each other very much was just clever and beautiful. Sidney, the heroine in this story completely rocked as a kick ass investment banker. She’s a strong powerful woman who knows her stuff (work wise at least) and she OWNS it. Vaughn is a tough, alpha FBI agent who is funny, smart and knows himself really well. Both of them, even when they were at their bitchiest to each other were supremely likeable and the dialogue between them was so sharp and funny. It has to be said again- I can’t recommend this book highly enough.
• Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop- I am a huge romance fan girl but I am also a big fantasy/ urban fantasy fan. The books that I love are the ones that meld the two together seamlessly. This is not the case for the OTHERS series of Anne Bishop as it’s still really light on the romance, although you can see the build up to it and just that build up is enough to give me the tingles. But you know what? This is another series that I cannot recommend highly enough. This is the second book in the series following the first book, Written in Red. The world building in this series is done very well. Interestingly enough from a purely objective standpoint, AB does not give us anything ground breakingly original. There are vampires and shifters and elementals and there are the prophets and humans and everyone is just trying to get along and live together. Enter a young woman who is trying to make her way in the world and you have a pretty familiar trope. Familiar though does not in any way mean ordinary. This series for me is proof that it’s not all about the story but how the story is told. In the hands of a skilful writer, the familiar becomes new and cracktastic. There is action and magic and hot shapeshifters all in a very interesting world. I can’t wait for the next instalment in the series.
• Then Came You by Jill Shalvis– I went on a bit of a Jill Shalvis reading spree and read the last 2 books of both her Lucky Harbour and her Animal Magnetism series in a week. If you like your contemporary romances with a lot of humor in them you have to read her. Her Lucky Harbour series is set in a small town in the NorthWest while her Animal Magnetism books centre around the lives of a veterinary practice in a small town in Idaho. You can’t pass by JS when you want a feel good, small town romance. Of the books I read my favourite has to be Then Came You- the story of Emily and Wyatt. The laughs start with the premise of the story- what do you do when you show up to your first day at a new job and realise your new boss is that hot guy that you had a one night stand with? The one that you thought you would never see again? There were several laugh out loud moments and anything with a bunch of animals in them can never go wrong for me. The conflict was largely internal and had to do with both Emily and Wyatt having to learn to bend and let go of preconceived notions of what they want out of life. It’s a solid 4 out of 5 stars for me for this one. As an aside, I follow Jill Shalvis on Facebook and twitter and she is as funny and crazy in real life as her characters. Which leads me to another crazy writer that I like who is a very good friend of hers…
• Waiting on You by Kristan Higgins– When I want funny contemporaries that will make me laugh and then make my chest hurt while giving me tingles throughout the rest of my body there are a few authors I turn to: Susan Mallery, Jill Shalvis, Susan Elizabeth Philipps and Kristan Higgins. KH writes hilarious contemporary romances with witty dialogue. Her latest in her Blue Heron series is a great addition to a really fun series. One of her great skills is in writing heroes who have issues but never cross over into Oh-God-Get-OVER-Yourself-Already territory. Colleen O’Rourke is the part owner of the local bar in her small town. As the resident bartender, she is also the resident matchmaker who sets other people up successfully but mysteriously doesn’t manage to do it for herself until her first and only love pops back in town and into her life. Shades of Emma this book is another example of a familiar trope made entertaining and different in the hands of a skilful writer.
• Kate Daniels audiobooks by Ilona Andrews– This entry has already gone on for way too long and writing about all these books that I love has made my heart start pounding so hard in my chest I’m scared I’ll give myself an aneurysm if I continue but I simply cannot let this entry end without talking about the Kate Daniels audiobooks. I’ve written about Ilona Andrews and how much I love this series before. I thought I couldn’t love this series any more than I already do but hot damn was I WRONG. I thought I could listen to these books in traffic/while on the treadmill/while cleaning to keep my mind entertained. I purposely chose books that I already read since I would be doing other things and didn’t want to be too distracted. Instead, I became obsessed (obsessed I tell you!) with these books all over again. A wonderful side benefit is that my house has never been cleaner! It made the monotony of doing chores SO much easier and just for that I could build a shrine in gratitude to Ilona Andrews . I’d already read all the books in the series more than once because I love them. Listening to the books instead of reading them gave me a whole new perspective though and there were bits that I missed while reading that suddenly became more apparent while I was listening. While I’m talking about these books, I have to give props to Renee Raudman who is Uh-MAY-Zing!!! I now hear HER voice in my head when I read the books. Her “voices” are so distinct and never overdone or exaggerated. Even if you’ve already read this series do give these audiobooks a try you won’t regret it!
Tags: anne bishop, Contemporary Romance, Fantasy romance, ilona andrews, It happened one wedding, Jill Shalvis, Julie James, Kate Daniels, kristan higgins, reading romance, romance book reviews