When I finished the Embraced series last year, I was sorry to leave all of my favorite characters behind. But since everyone had their happily ever after, that was the ending of the series.

Imagine my surprise, when Kerrelyn announced a new book in the series. She has forwarded the time with twenty years. So, now we get to meet the next generation of Embraced. Yay!

After twenty years of peace and prosperity, there are new threats on the horizon. So now the children of Luciana, Brigitta, Gwen, Scorcha and Maeve are all grown up and ready to have adventures of their own. However, princess Eviana, daughter of Leo and Luciana has a very dangerous Embraced gift. Therefore, she has not been allowed to go to school with the other Aerthlan’s children. And her gift has been kept a secret.

When multiple embraced children are found dead, under strange circumstances, Quentin realizes that embraced children are in danger. As the royal messenger for the five queens, he has seen and heard a lot in his eagle form. So, he knows that Eviana is pressured into a wedding. And that she doesn’t like her suitors. However, as a servant, Quentin can never be good enough for her. But it doesn’t mean, he can look out for her. When she is almost killed during her travels, Quentin realizes, that Eviana is one of the targets of the mysterious killings. On request of King Leo and Queen Luciana, Quentin and Eviana go on a quest to find out who is after the embraced.

As per usual with Kerrelyn’s embraced series, the story unfolds beautifully. It keeps you guessing until the end. And in between you can enjoy the slow burn and the funny characters.

Yet another wonderful story and I can’t wait for the other children to have their story told as well! Five out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

Another cute book in this fun series. I always enjoy reading whatever adventure happens next! Bring on the next one!

This was my first Kerreyln Sparks novel and now I really wish I had read the first two books in the series. Not that it didn't work as a stand-alone – it absolutely did – but I adored the characters so much, I wanted to know the rest that she had already written about. WIth a solid plot and super fun magic system, this book makes for an enjoyable fantasy romance.

This was a lovely bit of book candy with some spiciness thrown in! I was wanting something fun and fantasy with “burning eyes” and all those goodies to gobble up. This was perfect! If you think tropes are bad or always the same, one you are wrong, and two this isn't for you. The plot is simple and predictable but that's not bad, it serves what we really care about, the characters and relationships. As far as tropes go Ms Sparks picks some of the best to play with. Quen and Eviana are so fun together, quips fly as much as the sparks do. They also bring some heat, I would say two peppers on the spice level, and I lived for each moment. It goes beyond just attraction; they have good conversations that can be swoon worthy too. I would like to thank Ms Sparks for finally showing a believable clothing situation when it comes to transformation powers!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Kerrelyn Sparks for an advanced copy of this book.

I'm a big fan of this series, and I am enjoying this sequel saga so far!
Though this fantasy romance didn't necessarily do anything outrageous or groundbreaking, I still enjoyed the world, and how Evie and Quen ended up together.
Quen has been in love with Evie for 6 years, but has worked for the royal families for so long, that he feels he doesn't have a chance to catch his love.
When Evie tries to recover from a bad night, she is ambushed on her way to her favorite place. A bigger plot is afoot, and it does tie into the previous arc of the story, so you will do best with some context. Even if you just read the one book before this one, The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea, that will give you enough context to fully understand what is going on.
Can't wait for the next installment!

This book took me on a journey full of highs and lows, it was unlike any other. This was my first book from the series, and a few plot details may have flown over my head, but overall, it was a solid novel that I enjoyed. Princess Eviana was the odd one in her family, her gift often feels like a dangerous burden. I could personally relate to both her relationship with her family, as well as her constant wish for freedom. Quentin and Eviana's journey was exciting from start to finish, although it occasionally felt like it was dragging in places. My favourite elements of this book were Eviana's journey of self discovery, as well as the complex and detailed magic system embedded within the book's vivid world.
I would enjoy reading more books by this author, and am looking forward to exploring some of her already published novels.

I was so freakin excited when I found out the next generation of the embraced was coming. I thoroughly enjoyed the crap out of this book.

A pleasant of predictable romp in Earthlan

Thank you to Kerrelyn Sparks, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Spoilers

I could have sworn Sparks told me she was going to write about the children of the vampire series, not the Embraced series, but perhaps I misunderstood. Regardless, I'm very much okay with continuing in Earthlan. It was nice to see old favorites and hear they're doing well. The vampire trend's long since tired out, anyway.

I feel like Sparks should perhaps try to think of different antagonists than just more mustache-twirling, power-hungry evil men who hate the Embraced. Bram, though, was a wonderful antihero, struggling between the ingrained prejudice, his love for his siblings, and knowing instictively they were not in the right. It was really powerful when he tried to explain to Zane they were the bad guys. I was really hoping to see a scene at the end in which they went to bury Arlo but Zane, with his heat powers, somehow revived him. But alas, we received no closure on the boys in this installment.

Eviana was fun and full of life. Sparks managed to make her a spitfire without resorting to stubborn contrariness or snarkiness or other irritating attitudes. She was kind, she was intelligent, and she was sympathetic. Perhaps a bit cookie-cutter in personality, but a great character nonetheless.

Quentin was a great hero, but his character was a bit contradictory. He'd been in love with Evie for years (which a bit too convenient/lazy, denying us the falling-in-love process and inherent character development, but I'll let it pass), he was surprised and excited when he got to be around her, but as soon as she started showing interest back, he built a brick wall and gave it a hard pass. I know he had inadequacy issues (pretty much a princess and the pauper love story), which is valid, but it just bothered me that in his mind he exalted her but in practice he wouldn't even let himself be her friend. Got old pretty quick.

The last thing that bothered me was that the end and marriage and all was rather rushed. I understand the joke behind why the king and queen rushed it, but it still felt unnecessarily quick. It also bothered me that we didn't have any follow-up with Erik, Evie's twin brother, in regards to their adventure, her sudden relationship with Quentin, her marriage, and everything. Not so a much a loose end as just failure to thoroughly resolve.

Overall, aside from a few very minor issues, the characters were endearing and this was a lovely and entertaining adventure in Earthlan. I look forward to the next one! Shall it be Eric? Bram and Faith? Another pair?

Highly enjoyable romantic adventure in the Embraced by Magic series. In this book, the story jumps ahead 20 years from the last one. Now, the grown-up daughter and sons of the King and Queen of Eberon join forces with a few of the Embraced from the Isle of Secrets to protect their kingdom from a dangerous conspiracy.

When a Princess Proposes is the third book in the series Embraced by Magic following a 3 book series called The Embraced so sixth in total. Each book is set in Aerthlan, a world with two moons and magic. Each child born on the night when the moons eclipse or "embrace" has a gift of magic. In the past, the Embraced were feared, condemned to death at birth and had to remain hidden, now they have had 20 years of freedom, living openly among the population. Until recently with two unexplained deaths, and an attempted kidnapping of the Princess of Eberon.

Princess Evianna of Eberon has a secret magic talent that she is forbidden to use. Her overprotective parents have kept her safe in their castles. Not allowed to go to school. No one outside of the noble households knows what she looks like. People think she is privileged (ie. spoiled brat) and receives everything her heart desires, but do not realize what she wants are friends and to be free to go on an adventure.

An eagle shifter from the Isle of Secrets, Quentin has made himself useful as a messenger and spy for the royal families of every kingdom of Aerthlan. He has admired Princess Evianna from afar and knows he must never get too close. There is only heartbreak were he to get to know her and actually fall in love.

Kerrelyn Sparks has woven an exciting storyline for her readers with lovable and unlovable characters and a few that are cleverly written to be in between. Everyone has a secret. Each embraced magic talent was brilliantly chosen to work in the plot and keep the fast paced action moving. As with the others in the series, there are double HEAs. This tale is full of twists, turns, joy, tears, love, hate, cheers and boos plus an opening or two for the next books in the Embraced by Magic series.

I enjoyed every page and highly recommend reading this funny, romantic, fantasy adventure in the world of Aerthlan. Good for young adults, new adults, and romance readers of any age. I received an ARC through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

What an amazing spin-off. I loved getting to visit old characters and meet new ones.
I wasn't sure about the mystery that would happen twenty years later, but it works.
I loved the connection between Evianna and Quentin and how they were devoted to each other, especially Quentin.

So let me start by saying that I would absolutely read the previous books in this series before reading this one! This book is the start of the second generation of the Embraced. With that being said, in this first one we get Princess Eviana and Quentin's story. Eviana needs and wants and escape. She was born with an unusual gift that she is not allowed to use. And now her parents want her to wed. And when all she meets is obnoxious nobleman, she wants out. When Quentin, who is a shifter and royal spy, sets into motion several of her suitors to reveal their secrets-she now has a way out. Quentin is low born, and as such considers himself an inappropriate match for Eviana. Even though she is all he can think about or want to be near. But after she is almost kidnapped, he knows that together they can uncover the plot and figure out exactly what is going on. But in doing so, they will both have to drop the walls between them and face how they truly feel.

Let me start by saying that I have enjoyed these books right from the start. I have always loved how they are written and just the way the story flows from one book to another. This book definitely could be a 5 star read for me, I knocked it down because I was slightly confused as to who some of the characters were. I almost felt like there should have been some sort of novella so that you can meet the children and know who they are before this story started. Beyond that, I loved everything else about this story! Evian and Quentin were both characters that you couldn't help but like right from the start. They have this chemistry that I loved but they also just genuinely like each other. I was sucked in from the start of the story just with the interactions of Quentin and some of the other characters. And then you throw in the suspense of things and I really didn't want to put this down! The secondary romance was super sweet as well! I definitely still love this world and will read anything this author wants to write in it!

Loved reading the mesmerizing and spellbinding paranormal story. Because of Princess Eviana's powerful Embraced gift and kidnapping at a young age, her parents are overly protective and want her to wed someone who will keep her safe. When Quentin, an eagle shifter and royal spy, sees many of the noblemen unworthy of her, his love for her wants to protect her even though he knows he is the one most unworthy of her, a low-born servant. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, full of romance and action, a riveting story engaging the reader from the first page of the story until the last page of the story, and another must read love story by the phenomenal author, Kerrelyn Sparks. Can't wait to read the next book in the series!
I just reviewed When a Princess Proposes by Kerrelyn Sparks. #WhenaPrincessProposes #NetGalley
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I’m always trying to strike a balance between epic fantasy, often full of dark, depressing wars and political machinations, and the light-hearted fare to be found on the other side of the spectrum. I stumbled upon this book while browsing NetGalley one day, and thought it was just the sort of lighter read I was in the mood for. I realized that it was the third book in a series, but it seemed the sort of series that focused on new characters and stories with each book, so I thought it safe enough to jump in without reading the others first. And, while it turned out this was actually something like the fifth book in this series/world, it was still a fun enough read on its own, if not really what I was hoping for it would be.

The Embraced are those born on a particular day of the year, and with this date comes a magical gift. No one knows what their gift may be, whether it will be useful or silly, but the Embraced all have something. It is Princess Eviana’s curse that when her gift shows itself it’s of the sort that her over-protective parents see as more of a threat than a blessing. As such, Eviana has been kept home with her main social opportunities being only the ever-constant search for a betrothed. For his part, master spy Quentin has loved Evian from afar. While he knows that he is unworthy of her hand, he also knows that these supposed suitors are even worse. So when he reveals some of their duplicitousness, Quentin and Eviana’s paths finally overlap. Soon they find themselves on a greater adventure than either could have imagined.

So, like I said, I knew this was a book in the middle of a series when I picked it up. But, being a romantic fantasy series, I quickly noticed that there had to be far more than three books out already. And that’s because you could spot the previous couples around every single corner! It became a sort of game, picking out the various couples that featured as main characters in the other books. And while this book wasn’t really my favorite in the end, some of these other characters did intrigue me. So, who knows? Maybe I’ll go back and check out their stories.

This is definitely a more light-hearted fantasy story. There’s a lot of emphasis placed on characters with only the lightest touches on world-building and magic systems. More than anything, the Embraced reminded me of those with Graces in “Graceling.” The same random gifts bestowed on seemingly random people, some of them being immensely popular and some ridiculous to the point of uselessness. In this world, however, and with the known factor of the Embraced, the story lost me almost immediately with Eviana and her gift. I won’t spoil what it is, though it does come out pretty early on. But I will say that it’s of the sort that could in no way be the most powerful or most dangerous gift that has ever come about. It is definitely powerful, but its advantages seem to pretty clearly outweigh any supposed concerns there could be over it. All of this immediately makes the entire premise of the book a big question mark: that her parents have restricted her choices and life so drastically over this supposedly dangerous gift.

It may seem like I’m harping on a small bit of the book, but ultimately, this book lives and dies by its small moments. The plot itself is very straight forward and simple, which leaves a lot of room to think about these minor flaws. On top of the weirdness around her abilities, I struggled to really connect with either Eviana or Quentin. Everything felt too shallow and too low stakes. I never felt any true concern for either of them or any true investment in the various conflicts thrown their way. They’re perfectly fine characters, but that’s a “fine” in the most dull sense of the word: nothing offensive but nothing to inspire either.

The writing was fine in a similar sense. While the story flowed well enough, the style lacked any sense of flair and unique voice. Instead, it felt very standard and bland. Like the characters, I never felt myself feeling particularly invested in the outcome of the various plot points we move through the story. Honestly, I’m struggling to come up with much more to say about this book, so I’ll just leave it here. This author has quite a few books out, so there are definitely readers out there who will connect with this. And for those looking for a light-hearted romantic fantasy, maybe this will be for you. But for me there was just something crucial missing from the book.

Rating 6: Fine writing. Fine characters. Fine story. But with three “fine’s” comes a pretty poor reading experience, in my book.

A very enjoyable, interesting book. A bit predictable, I thought it would be a bit more engaging too, but I still finished reading it in one sitting, so I guess it was engaging enough. :)

I read it without any knowledge of the previous volumes of the series and had a lot of fun with it, but I can imagine that readers who have already read the previous volumes (which are about different characters, so it's not really a problem) will have a bit more fun with it.

I recommend it for a lazy Sunday with a coffee and a blanket at hand. It is also important not to set the bar too high.
2.5/5 for me

I received ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Being a big fan of the previous Embraced stories, I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. If you are unfamiliar with the previous books, here’s a quick overview of what you need to know. Twice year in the world known as Aerthan, their two moons eclipse. Those born under the eclipse are known as the Embraced, each given a magical gift. For many years the Embraced were feared and reviled. Until five young Embraced young women helped end the war that had raged for centuries. They, along with their Embraced husbands now rule the five kingdoms of Aerthlan. For the past twenty years the kingdoms have enjoyed peace and prosperity.

Eviana has been sequestered in the palace her whole life. Deemed to dangerous for her to practice, she has been forbidden from using her gift. Now her mother is searching for an appropriate suitor for her. Feeling trapped in her life, Eviana is searching for a way out. When trouble strikes the kingdoms, Eviana sees a chance for her to escape

Quentin has been in love with the Eberoni princess Eviana for years. Being low born he knows he’ll never be good enough for her. He makes every effort to stay away from Ebton Palace, but as the official messenger of the royal families, that isn’t always possible. After he discovers two suspicious deaths and ends up in the middle of the attempted kidnapping of the princess, he finds himself working with Eviana to discover just who is behind the latest treachery stalking the Embraced.

The only way to describe this book is fun. I have love the fantasy world of Aerthlan from the first and my enjoyment has grown through each of the books. This book has it all, action suspense, a bit of romance and all the humor and sarcasm I loved in her Love at First Bite series. If you’re looking for escape this is the book for you. It’s one of those books that sucks the reader in so deeply, that when they are forced to stop reading, it takes a minute to come back to realty.

I know books from Ms. Sparks for a very long time (if I can say so) - her first books on my shelf were the ones translated to my language from the Love at Stake series that got me hooked with her imagination and words. And I knew I will have to read her other series and I wanted to love it (and did so!) - the series named Embrenced by Magic doesn't disappoint. This time the couples we met before are the rulers, and we can follow the younger generation of Embrenced and their loved ones.
Quentin is the hero of the story, he's a low-born eagle-shifter that was sent to help Luciana and Leo (Eviaa's parents) in the foreseen danger. This character's main attribute is sincerity and being noble - I know it's not something that we are used to right now, but he has those forgotten and really important traits, they made me fall for him and cheer him to fight his inner battles, about his low status in the social structure. I like that kind of inner turmoils of characters as they allow me to connect better with each person in the book.
Eviana, a girl that I have mentioned above, a princess of her kingdom, had a strict upbringing and was denied using her Embraced powers, as they were so fearsome. Every person in her circle was afraid of her uncontrollable and dreadful powers (especially in the wrong hands). What gift she possesses you will learn in the book - I was not expecting this kind of Embraced. I also really liked her attitude, even as a princess she was not happy with what her life is giving her, and she was trying her best to change it - will she managed to do so, especially when the dreadful danger arises.
I had expectations for this story, as most never next generation is as good as the first one, but Ms. Sparks manage to do that. The relationship in the story will be developing painfully slowly (I loved it!) and there will be also some of the governance parts of the ruling - this was also an important part of the story, so I'm glad it was treated like that. "When a Princess Proposes" set the bar for the other new books in the series - high! Can't wait for the new one in this universe!

Technically speaking, I had no idea this book was part of a series, otherwise I wouldn't have requested it. On the bright side, it worked well as a standalone and the other books would work well as references, but I didn’t feel like the story was hindered by the fact that I hadn’t read the previous books. It also means I can't complain about the lack of proper worldbuilding enough to grasp the story. It wasn’t an issue despite me knowing that there was so much to be explored.

So, as confusing as the worldbuilding was for the initial part of the story, it was actually very rich and I enjoyed it. There was a lot going on and I eventually was able to understand the majority of how it went with the Embraced.

I did find moments with Bran and the Sun God followers triggering and also the most confusing. The, let’s call it “initiation”, was very triggering, I had to skip most of the moments. Alas, it also did deserve a lot more background story and build-up than it got. Also, justification, because I felt it was really badly set up. Like there was cruelty just because, and they had to endure for a faith they were never converted into, but actually kidnapped and forced to follow. It was very flimsy.

The characters were also not exactly the best, even though they were all diverse with their abilities and emotions, I was so detached from them all.

As a whole, the story was entertaining, but not one I particularly loved or intend to get invested into and go back to read the rest of the series.

I adored the previous books in the Embraced/Embraced by Magic series, so I was super excited (I might have even screamed a little) when I discovered there was a new book featuring the second generation.

When A Princess Proposes does a wonderful job in carrying on the tradition of wonderful characters, interesting storylines, danger and suspense, twists, some heat, and lots of heart and family. I loved Princess Eviana and eagle shifter Quentin and their interactions with each other and everyone/everything around them.
Highly recommend.

Many thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

If you love a mix of fantasy and historical romance then this is the series for you! This is book 6 and it’s just as fun and full of action as the previous books. Princess Eviana and Quentin, a shapeshifter are both wonderful characters and the romance was a slow build into some great steamy moments. And Olana’s truth gift had me cracking up randomly throughout the book! Seriously funny!

Quentin is a royal courier and has loved Eviana for years, but feels that his “station” makes him unworthy of her. Eviana feels trapped in her own life and wants to have the freedom to make choices and be happy. The warning of trouble comes out of nowhere, but after twenty years danger is coming back to their world. And Eviana and Quentin, along with a group of others must stop this evil from gaining a foothold.

It was such a good book and I’m excited about the possibilities for where this series will continue to go!

This book did not hold the same amount of interest as some of the others. Really, I think maybe this series is all used up? I mean without spoilers, her power was ????? I really was thinking it's the most ridiculoous power ever and never got over how silly that was. The dialogue was ok and the plot uninteresting. It's likely that there will be other books as there's more offsprings to write books about.