This story had a lot of potential but never really delivered. I had hoped that this one would be one of those that you can't wait to tell everyone about, but sadly that didn't happen.

Good writing and storyline. You must keep you mind open to the story as some concepts are certainly far fetch. I enjoyed the story and the characters hoping they would connect on a different level.

This book had all of the elements of a great story- a tough heroine demonstrating her strength (training to become a knight- how awesome is that?!), a slow building romance with an admirable hero, a tyrannical step father just asking for his comeuppance. I expected a really exciting read. Sadly I was bored through most of this book. Even the romance fell flat for me. Yes they spent a lot of time together but I never felt as if they were attracted to each other at all. They only really discussed her training and never had a real conversation as equals when suddenly they are kissing. After countless pages on her training, the resolution of the mysteries were rushed and really unfulfilling.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I tend to favor the 18th-19th C for my romances but this was rather awesome despite that. I loved the head to head between the two, her being broken down (though I personally think she didn't complain/antagonize him enough). Well written and easy to read. The story was good to follow, though some of the plot seemed glaringly obvious (Heath, really? Couldn't miss that.). I liked that there wasn't a lot of push into unnecessary secondary characters and it really focused on the couple's interactions.

3.5 stars

This book had all the makings of a read I would enjoy - a historical setting, a non-rushed and believable romance, a strong female protagonist, an admirable and respectable male protagonist and really great character development on all fronts. The female lead, Audri, is tenacious, fiery, vibrant and extremely likable as a character. The male lead, Roland, is (of course strong and handsome) tenacious and fiery in his own way, as well as loyal and kind. It is well written and once you get past the first 60% of the book, it moves along at a swift pace.

While I did enjoy the book overall, it took me over two weeks to just get past the first half of the book. This was frustrating for me because I typically finish a book, start to finish, in one day. It's not that it didn't interest me, I just felt like the buildup took too long and lagged. I would read a chapter and put it down because it wasn't the page turner I was hoping it would be.