So I read the novella The Beast of Blackmoor back when it was first published in the Night Shift anthology, and I loved it. A Heart of Blood and Ashes is set in the same world and it was awesome. I adored this book. The world building is fantastic, including all the details. I really liked the plot, with all the political machinations. Plus the scorching chemistry between Maddek and Yvenne was undeniable.

I devoured this book in one sitting and then went back to find The Beast of Blackmoor because I absolutely needed more. Absolutely fantastic can't wait for the next book.

I just wish for a map.

I really liked the premise of this one and the world the author creates.I loved the set up and the story was intrigued!I liked the characters a lot and the writing was great!

Maddek is a commander and the story starts with him learning that his parents, the king and queen of Parsathe have been executed.Yvenne is the last heir of Nyset and she has been locked away in a tower by her father.I loved Maddek and Yvenne.Maddek is a strong hero. I loved the intimacy between these two!

I'm really excited for the next read!

This was EXCELLENT. I’m really picky about what romance I’ll pick up but this was just screaming for me. Loved the chAracters, the heat, highly recommend.

This was my first time reading a Milla Vane book, I will be reading more from here. Absolutely loved the way she writes and her fantasy world was one of the best ones I have read in awhile. I will definitely be reading the next one. I did find the first few chapters slow but it does get better and is worth it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance read, I voluntary read and reviewed all opions are my own.

*4.5 stars*

Love can happen even when all the odds say no way in he**….

I admit it. The cover had me before I read anything more. The author’s name, the series title, the intriguing blurb. I didn’t see any of it, I was clicking too fast…

Yvenne and Maddek were enemies in every way that mattered. Trust was something for other people because they had none between them. And when your life depended on the other, yeah, that was a big, big problem. They lived in times where survival was not a guarantee no matter who you were and they were at the head of the endangered list.

I’m not sure when and where their story took place other than a world of the author’s imagination that had me enthralled. Not right away, though. There was a lot to take in at the beginning as the world-building began, and I had to work at it in the first few chapters. This was fantasy and paranormal, romance and questing all rolled into one beautiful read. Once Yvenne’s character was introduced though, the story just clicked for me and what followed was everything I looked for in a top-notch read…

Adventure, mystery, danger. Comraderie, complicated family (aka deadly). Love, heroism, heroine-ism. Yes, women were as strong if not stronger in this tale of bravery and vengeance…. It was all here to savour and I did just that. The romance was intertwined in this bold story where no one component took over or overshadowed the other. With a story that easily doubled a normal sized read, there was more than enough room for it all…

Yvenne’s gutsiness, Maddek’s strength of will. The amazing character they both showed over and over. Their courtship may have been soaked in blood but it was also enveloped in heart and home that completely bowled me over. Amazing read!

I love a good barbarian romance, Promise of Fire and Ice Planet dudes can GET IT! This did not disappoint. That begin said this book is best for fans of gritty paranormal romance. If you like Nalini Singh's Guild Hunters, JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, or Kelley Armstrong's shit you will dig it. If you don't but everything in the description sounded baller definitely check out Grace Draven!

Vane takes some common fantasy romance tropes such as marriages of convenience, revenge plots, and power dynamic disparities and explores the darker aspect of them. Consequently I want to give trigger warning, for mentions of rape and captivity. That being said reading about Yvenne navigating this world when all of the odds where stacked against was empowering AF. Her take no prisoners attitude towards the bullshit that keeps getting thrown her way, be it about her disabilities, parentage, or gender was admirable as was her willingness to hope. Though the thing I think she deserve extra applause for is is extricating Maddek's head from his rectum.

TLDR: Like GOT meets A Promise of Fire only with more oral and loin cloths. Four Stars.

A dark, well-written fantasy romance with thrilling action, suspenseful plot, and good character development. I really loved Yvenne as a character, particularly her courage, intelligence, and unwillingness to bow down to anyone despite all she's been through. She was my favorite part of the book, by far. While I cannot say I am a big fan of Maddek, Vane does a good job with his character development over the course of the book and I was on board for the HEA. The world-building is quite heavy and there are a lot of names, history, creatures (dinosaurs?!), et cetera that are thrown at the reader all at once, so it did take me some time to really get into it. It's a lot to pack into one book, though, and the pacing suffered for it at times; I went from riveted to bored multiple times while reading. However, I do love detailed world-building, so I was up for the challenge, and after the first fifty pages or so the plot speeds up quite a bit.

Alongside the very detailed world-building, there are dark themes and mentions of rape and other abuse, so I'm not sure this book would immediately appeal to some romance fans. But I do think "A Heart of Blood and Ashes" is a riveting addition to the fantasy romance genre and I am looking forward to reading the next book!

The whole time I was reading this book, I found it equal parts enjoyable and yet tedious.

I enjoyed the story line and I enjoyed the characters. And, despite my disappoint that there were no actual dragons to be had here, I really liked Maddek and his metaphorical "Dragon" (AKA his band of warriors). And the world-building?

Excellent. Truly excellent.

I remember from my attempts at reading Brooks' other books that she really does excel at world-building. The magic system and mythology got a little hazy at times, but overall, she does a really great job of building the world without the heavy info-dumping from which a lot of first-in-series books suffer. So bravo. That takes a lot of skill and I truly believe Brooks is a talented author.

However.

As great as the world-building was and as much as I enjoyed the characters, I also felt like I never truly got to know them as well as I would have liked. I also never had any problems putting the book down or felt any urgency to pick it back up.

I attribute a lot of that to the aforementioned tediousness, which I feel stemmed from both the writing style and the fact that the romance between Maddek and Yvenne would go one step forward and three steps back all throughout the book.

But before I get into the square dance that was the relationship build here, let's go back to the writing.

Honest to God, I sometimes felt like I was in an episode of <Star Wars with Yoda as the narrator.

Ssome excerpts:

"So hot and hard he was, Maddek barely trusted himself to touch her."

"Hard Maddek must have slept. He knew not when Yvenne left their bed or their quarters."

"Rough he was, rougher than he'd ever been, his grip tight upon her arms and legs as he held her wrists..."

"So quiet the tent was, only filled with the sound of their breaths."

"How long Yvenne cried, she knew not."

Not only did said style make the writing feel stilted to me, but having Yoda-speak so often occur during the (super delayed) sex scenes? Cringe.

The biggest annoyance to me in the book though, and what is probably my main reason for not rating it higher, is the aforementioned romance square dance.

I felt like Maddek and Yvenne took FOREVER to get anywhere. They kept hashing and rehashing the same crap - Maddek's inability to see past Yvenne's supposed "sly-tongued" nature. Now, I get that this was very important to Maddek's character. His people take lying and the truth VERY seriously. But I feel like they go back and forth about the same conversation for pretty much the entirety of the book.

And despite the fact that Yvenne's sole goal in this whole thing is to get knocked up with an heir, these two don't get really get busy until upwards of 80%.

Now, I am all for a good slow burn every now and then. One of my favorite authors is Mariana Zapata - the QUEEN of the slow burn. But the situation in this book just left me super frustrated.

Now, I'm not trying to tear this book apart by any means. I DID rate it three stars - which means I "liked it" - I just didn't love it like I was hoping to. As solid as the world building was, it just didn't keep me captivated. As I mentioned earlier, I had no problem putting this book down and had to actually remind myself to pick it back up.

All that said, despite having have mad respect for this author, I truly think it just boils down to something about her writing style and construction just not being for me. But I know a lot of people for whom this book totally worked. And I think anyone interested in this blurb should give it a shot.

Ok this was such a refreshing read for me. The tone, the world building and just the fact I haven't read too many dark (even though it wasn't THAT dark for me lol) barbarian stories. What's even more exciting is the blurb for A Touch of Stone and Snow book 2! I also love both of these covers. I'm also curious as to now I would like to check Meljean Brook's other works as I have heard great things!

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Maddek's parents were murdered while visiting Yvenne and he thinks she did it, along with her corrupt king father. But she looks small, pale. and weak, not at all like someone who could kill two strong Parsatheans. Still, he wants his revenge and she suggest that he make her his bride and get her pregnant, enabling her to take back her throne, for only warrior queens of blood can rule, and she is the only daughter of her mother. But over time, Maddek finds that Yvenne is not who he believes her to be and is falling for her.

If you enjoyed reading the Game of Thrones novels or watching the HBO series, or enjoy high fantasy, along with romance, this first novel in a possible trilogy will fit the bill for you. Dark, brutal, bloody-with splendid worldbuilding, one is taken from the stressful, mundane reality into a world that will have you not stopping until the last page.

Though it was under a different name, this author has written some of my favorite books and even though those were steampunk and paranormal romance, this journey into barbarian fantasy did not disappoint.

The story follows Maddek, a formidable warrior who is pulled from the battlefield when his parents— the king and queen— are unexpectedly killed. Maddek learns quickly that not only were they brutalized in horrific fashion, but the rest of their consortium of rulers has allowed it to be swept under the rug. He is forbidden to seek the vengeance he burns for, else he jeopardize the alliances his parents worked so hard to secure. But the hidden daughter of his enemy offers him a tidy alternative.

Yvenne has spent her entire life locked in a tower, her mother, her only companion. You see, her family line is a matriarchal one and her father does not want to grant her the power to be queen. Not only does he cloister her, but he mistreats her terribly. That’s why she wrote to Maddek’s family, hoping to secure a marriage for herself. That way, she could get away from her father and become the queen she was destined to be. She never expected her father to murder their guests.

I don’t want to spoil too much, but suffice it to say she manages to get to Maddek. Unfortunately, it is hardly a happy joining. He blames her for his parents' deaths, and as much as he yearns to rip away her father’s throne by marrying her, he simply can’t see her as any different than her brethren.

So this is not a warm and fuzzy romance. Maddek is a hard man and can be unkind and unfair to Yvenne. It makes more sense in the beginning, but as the story goes on, it gets harder and harder to reconcile the things I grew to like about him with his obstinate unwillingness to see past his initial misconceptions. Honestly, it was probably my only problem with the book. Because otherwise it had so many great things going for it. The world building is amazing. I felt like I was in this land outside of time where barbarians and swords and monsters and magic all lived. I loved Yvenne and her smarts and quiet strength, despite her physical weaknesses. I loved her stories of her mother and the powerful queens of the past. I loved the gender equality and overall inclusiveness of the many characters we meet.

There is a solid plot going on as these characters move through their emotional journey. Yvenne, learning to trust, and Maddek, learning not to be such a single minded warrior. He really takes a king's journey of self discovery. And she only get stronger as the book wears on.

The ending is a triumph and a solid HEA. And while I did want to kick Maddek in the 'nads a few times, I was all-in and highly satisfied. Would recommend. (And if you haven't read the books she published as Meljean Brook, I recommend those too!)

Okay so there are dinosaurs in this one. I just had to get that out there before I could talk about A Heart of Blood and Ashes. The title is appropriate, because this story is all about vengeance and rage and betrayal and passion…and also there are dinosaurs. In Milla Vane’s fictional world, there are gods and goddesses who interfere in daily life, several human realms with a shaky alliance, and an ancient evil known as the Destroyer. Yvenne is physically damaged by her abusive family, but her mind is sharp and dangerous. Maddek is a barbarian king (he absolutely wears a loincloth), but he realizes that a partnership with Yvenne could be advantageous in his quest for revenge. Our characters do fall in love, but this is unlike any other romance I’ve read. It was incredible.

A Heart of Blood and Ashes is the FIRST book in a THRILLING adventure series by Milla Vane. Now this is the first time I have actually read this author, I, of course, have seen her name around since she has done some anthologies and other writing projects but I was so thrilled to see a full length (really full length at almost 600 pages) epic fantasy romance. I am sure I have mentioned this before but there just isn’t enough of this genre to satisfy me in any way and I am so happy to see that this author come out with such an exciting premise to a story. I took way too long getting to this book and I honestly am baffled at my own behavior in wondering why it took me so long to read this book here. I simply loved every single page.

Our delightful story begins with our hero, Maddek, who is a fierce warrior and heir to his father’s throne. But when his parents are murdered…..Maddek’s driving force is revenge against those who killed him parents so viciously. When a missive from a servant of another kingdom informs him that Yvenne is the one who brought his family to danger, he is out for blood. When he finds her, she is traveling in a caravan on her way to a betrothal but when he confronts her and her brother, Yvenne is not the woman he expects and even though she convinces him to marry her to regain her powerful kingdom and get his true revenge against her father ….their truce isn’t an easy one but these two enemies soon become lovers in the most beautiful of ways. Soon Maddek and Yvenne will have to face off enemies they never imagined…..

what a truly astounding book this turned out to be. I do want to warn readers though, this book starts out a bit slow as the author is setting the stage of the worldbuilding. It picks up quickly once you get through the first few chapters. So I highly recommend you stick with it and you will be golden. It also has some darker elements at times, but when you see what these two are both battling with, it definitely makes sense in that. There is so much to this book I don’t even know where to start to be honest. The world building alone is extensive and so well balanced, I love how vividly its portrayed and you can definitely see how much thought this author went in going into writing this novel. And so many great mixes of characters and creatures that you are confronted with. I loved that this was a whole NEW world that this author creates…so expect plenty of details to open the eyes of your imagination even more.

The romance that builds between these two is so sensual and fabulous in all the swoony ways we expect to see in a romance. Now there is plenty of angst especially the first half of the story, but its not too much. I really loved how these two entangled with each other. It was quite a delight to see them stand on their own and against each other and seeing little by little becoming endeared to each other. Its not instant love in any way, these two really have to work to receive their happy ever after….but it does happen and its delicious.

Overall I found A Heart of Blood and Ashes to be an astounding read that will captivate the reader from the first page….stunning picturesque detail, sensuality dripped on each page, characters that steal your heart and a love tale so rich in its design you won’t be able to put this page turner down until the very end…..HEART AND SOUL —BEAUTIFUL IN EVERY WAY!

A Heart of Blood and Ashes is the first book in Milla Vane’s series A Gathering of Dragons. It starts with the murder of Maddek’s parents, the king and queen of one of the five kingdoms. Maddek, one of the main characters, is now the next in line for the throne but before he takes his place he wants to get revenge for his parents deaths. He kidnaps the rival king’s daughter, Yvenne, with the belief that she was also part of the plot against his parents. Yvenne quickly offers herself up as his bride in her own plot to get revenge against her abusive father. Neither Maddek nor Yvenne particularly like each other in the beginning but see each other as a means to an end. They slowly realize that there is more to each other than what they first thought.

This book was a very good read. It started off a bit slow and confusing, but that is because of the vast fantasy world that Vane is building. Once the background is built the story moves quickly and it’s one of those books that is tough to put down. I really enjoyed getting to know both of the main characters: Maddek is a typical alpha male warrior type and Yvenne is physically very weak but uses her sharp brain to get what she wants.

I love a strong female lead and Yvenne did not disappoint, she never coward in front of Maddek’s aggressive ways and she always held her own. Maddek for me took a while to warm up to, he was very stuck in his ways and thinking, but eventually he does come around as well and you can see under all of that stubbornness is a desire to do right. Both of them are very strong characters individually and together their slow building romance was steamy. The supporting characters throughout the story were also very well developed and I really enjoyed their interactions with each other and with Maddek and Yvenne.

Besides their romance, the storyline is very suspenseful and moves quickly through the book. It is like we are right there on the road with Maddek and Yvenne as they are travelling towards their shared goals. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that likes a good enemies-to-lovers trope as well as fantasy readers. I am looking forward to the next installment in the series.

~ Harshita

A Heart of Blood and Ashes is a barbarian fantasy romance and the term "barbarian" alone is indicative of a multitude of content warnings. I won't post any content warnings on this review because the author already has <a href="http://millavane.com/books/content-warning/">an extremely comprehensive list of content warnings available on her website.</a>

When Maddek's parents are murdered by a corrupt king, he vows to seek revenge for their deaths. He thinks that Yvenne, the king's daughter, is the one who lured his parents to their deaths. But when he finally comes face to face with her, he realizes that there is a lot more to his parents' deaths than he had originally thought. He still blames Yvenne for their deaths and can't bring himself to trust her. But he finds himself accepting Yvenne's marriage of convenience so that they can both claim their thrones and take their revenge against her abusive father and brothers.

Alright, I have a bone to pick with reviewers who are calling this book a "slow burn." I'm sorry, but did we even read the same book? The heroine literally gives the hero a handjob 10% into the book. Maybe my definition of a slow burn is different. There is no actual penetration until the end, but prior to it, the hero and heroine are always going at it in different and interesting ways. If you call <I>that</I> a slow burn, then my definition of a slow burn is definitely different than yours. Alright, moving on. I want to keep this review as brief as possible because this book already took too much time to read.

<b><u>What I loved:</b></u>
The fantasy world building is EXCELLENT. Just incredibly well-written. I mean, there are freaking dinosaurs!!! And the fight scenes are so damn epic. The world building is so rich and detailed that it is impossible to remember every single detail, but the author repeats certain things at crucial moments in the story just to remind us and nudge us in the right direction. It also helps that Yvenne was discovering this world right along with us, the readers. Aside from the world building, I ADORE the heroine! Yvenne is so strong. She is such an admirable character. My God, the things she has gone through. It's incredible how much abuse she and her mother suffered under the hands of her father and brothers. She comes out stronger than ever and is 100% prepared to be the Queen her people needs.

<b><u>What didn't work for me:</b></u>
The hero...I don't like him at all. Maddek doesn't trust Yvenne for majority of the book. At first, his lack of trust in her is totally understandable. But he still doesn't trust her even after she proves herself over and over again. He also doesn't even give her the chance to explain and defend herself and vows to cut her tongue out if she ever speaks of his mother. He ultimately ends up regretting his lack of trust in her, but it was too late for me to forgive him. So, because I didn't like the hero, I ended up not caring about the romance at all. I also had issues with the pacing, which made certain scenes enjoyable to read, but others super boring and tedious to get through.

<b><u>Will I continue the series?</b></u>
Despite my low rating, yes, I definitely will. The next book is not about Maddek and Yvenne, so I'm hoping the next hero will be more likable and that the romance will suit me better. The main reason why I want to continue the series is because I just LOVE this world so much!! I'm really glad that the entire series isn't about Yvenne and Maddek and that we get to explore different places and characters. There is also an overarching plot about the Destroyer that will run throughout the series, so that should be fun to continue reading about!

P.S. I hope Toric eventually gets his own book

This may be an aside, but can I get an amen for romance fantasy that’s actually billed as romance?! I’ve read enough YA fantasy to know that if it had been billed as fantasy romance I would have understood what I was getting into. Also, fantasy fans can be a bit snooty with their fantasy and it is genre that is still rife “boys club” mentality. This is changing but is still a slow grind. So I found it refreshing to see a romance book that within the epic fantasy framework. I am here for it!

I will say that although I enjoyed the dark fantasy at play in the novel it was not the most original fantasy concept I’ve ever read. It clearly pulls on existing ideas in epic fantasy including the vaguely European setting, creatures like dragons, and an enemy of monstrous proportions returning. These kinds of tropes can be seen in everything from George R. R. Martin, to Tolkein, and even J. K. Rowling. So for fantasy readers this may not seeming that the most unique fantasy to hit market. But much like romance that plays off existing tropes, this novel nails a number of enjoyable fantasy tropes.

For romance readers it may be a bit more work to get into the worldbuilding if you’re not used to reading fantasy. Not everything will make complete since at first glance and as a reader you will pick up clues and details that flesh out the world as you go. I personally like this. I like with authors provide breadcrumbs and you piece things together as a reader. However, I know this can be difficult or tiresome for some folks. I think this is a fantastic book and I would encourage you to stick with it!

I found that Vane’s writing was engaging and that she created an intense enemies-to-lovers set up with dynamic sexual tension. And while the romance and relationship plays a central part in the story, I also thought her dark fantasy world was captivating and I was invested in the machinations as much as the budding relationship between Maddeck and Yvenne.

I would absolutely recommend this fantasy romance and I’m looking forward to the next book!

When I saw someone on Instagram sharing a picture of this book, I was immediately intrigued. That cover is amazing and the dude on the front sort of kind of vaguely reminds me of a buffer Charlie Hunnam which I’m totally okay with. Plus I rarely find fantasy romance out there that grabs my attention like this one did.
I’m just going to admit upfront that the beginning of this book was a bit slow for me and didn’t pull me in as much as I had hoped it would, but I didn’t give up and I’m so happy that I pushed through.

This is an enemies to lovers story like you’ve never seen before. The story begins with the deaths of the King and Queen and parent of Parsathian warrior, Maddek. When he finds out what happens he refuses to believe what he’s been told and vows to find out the truth and get his revenge. That revenge shows itself in the form of Yvenne… daughter of the men who killed his parents and future Queen that no one even knows exists.

Yvenne has been locked away in a tower by her father King Zhalen – she’s never seen the outside world and she’s weak and unskilled. What she does have though is her determination to survive and to do whatever it takes to get her throne. Even if that means marrying Maddek and bearing his children.

There is no way to sugar coat this, this story is violent and bloody and brutal and I loved it. It’s so unlike anything I’ve read in the “romance’ genre and while violence is the norm in this world there is nothing non-consensual that happens in this story between Maddek & Yvenne. Yvenne is calculating and thinks like a Queen and needs to learn all the skills of a warrior to survive. Maddek is a warrior who doesn’t yet think and act like a King but needs those skills to maintain peace among his people and lead them against The Destroyer when it is time. Joining forces was the only way they both could get what they wanted they just didn’t expect there to be more to their relationship than that.

While I wouldn’t call the chemistry here sizzling I’d definitely agree to hot … lol – there were a lot of times that the intensity was so well done and absolutely believable. What I think I loved most though, was that you saw the changes in Maddek towards Yvenne. It was gradual and believable and he didn’t even realize what had happened until it had.

Overall, a great story with opportunity to expand on the world and other characters. I’ll definitely grab the next one once it arrives.

Thank you to the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!

If I were judging the book solely on the highly intricate worldbuilding, or the attention to detail in the plot, hands down it would be a five star read. The romance in this book was where things went wrong and ruined all hopes of me being able to immerse myself in the overall story. Maddek of Parsathe was the main character who is described as a barbarian, and he certainly lived up to that title. Basically, his Kingdom is part of an alliance with five other realms that was formed to defend their lands from warlords and sorcerers looking to conquer after the Destroyer had gone. Former enemies became reluctant allies, and peace fell upon the land until whispers of the Destroyer's return started circulating. Tensions began to mount.

Maddek is High Commander of the Army of the Great Alliance. After learning that his parents, the king and queen were lured by the Syssians in the hopes of a marital match to the only heir Yvenne. This entire family is hideously evil, with the exception of Yvenne who has been locked in a tower with her mother and abused horribly. Despite her lack of firsthand exposure to the outside world, she has grown to be a brave and wily woman, fit for the throne. I had a lot of respect for what she endured, and the situations she knowingly put herself into in order to eventually remove her family from power. Knowing nothing but suffering her whole life, she doesn't hesitate to align herself with a man who blames her for his parents' deaths and despises the very air she breathes.

I couldn't blame Maddek for his hatred for her at first. The torture his parents endured, particularly his mother was brutal and devastating. Anyone would feel rage and the need for retribution when your loved ones are harmed in that way. The fact that he was told she was willingly a part of what happened to them would rightfully so make them bitter enemies. The problem is, he was manipulated into believing that about her and he categorically refused to let her defend herself. No matter what she said and did to show him that she disavowed her family's actions and wanted to punish them for it, he would not listen. In fact, he threatened to rip her tongue out if she even mentioned his mother's name to explain her true relationship with her. This is not an idle threat either. I think the turning point for me is when they have their first "intimate" moment and he misunderstands what she is saying, thinking she's speaking of his mother. Am I supposed to root for a male character that viciously reaches into a woman's mouth (while still in bed) and starts to follow through with his threat of harm? I found his actions disgusting and by this point he should have afforded her some sliver of trust.

She endured a shattered knee, fingers amputated, beatings, being locked away and hearing her mother's abuse. No matter what occurred to her, she faced it all without tears or self-pity. Again and again she showed her strength of character as she traveled with him and his men. So for him to treat and speak to her in the way he did for at least half of the book ruined all enjoyment of the story. This is probably the most erotic romantic fantasy I've read, and for me that's not necessarily a good thing.

I tried to ignore how I was feeling because I genuinely loved the fantasy world that was created with the different deities, dinosaurs, and political machinations. I just had to cut my losses and move on.

I really liked this book. There were parts that got a bit too graphic for me, but the worldbuilding and my love for Yvenne made me want to keep going. I appreciated the list of content warnings provided by the author.

I loved the progression of the romance between the two mains. I thought the tension was handled really well, and that Vane did a good job of making sure that Yvenne called the shots and it was clear to the reader that she did. Any apprehension I had over some parts was allayed over the course of the novel.

I will definitely be continuing on with the series! Thanks for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I’d like to make a prediction. A Heart of Blood and Ashes is the going to be on my best of 2020 list. You may say it is too soon to call, being only February 6th. But wow!

Milla Vane is the alter-ego of Meljean Brook. So I kind of knew what I was getting. A complex, yet lush story line. Sharply defined characters – flawed primary characters that are somehow still perfect and secondary characters that add depth and perspective to the tale. And a world intricately built just for them. And me. I immersed myself in A Heart of Blood and Ashes.

Maddek’s and Yvenne’s entwined stories are salient, agonizing and exhilarating. I was amused as often as I was saddened. These two have issues that keep them apart because there is a major communication issue. But there is much to draw them together also. Including a sizzling hot sexual attraction. Speaking as someone who tends to skim those passages, I recommend you read them all. Far from the usual, the sex scenes were creative, blazing and, dare I say, satisfying.

Maddek and Yvenne are still hanging out in my reader’s mind. I will be more than ready when the next installment is ready. The romantic fantasy world will never be the same for me!

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.