Much appreciated receiving the second installment of this series! Such a fun and world and excited that all the books are out!

"A Warrior at Heart" by Melanie K Moschella is a spellbinding continuation of the saga introduced in "Iron-Bound Flames."
From the very first page, readers continue their journey into a world where love, magic, and courage intertwine to create an unforgettable adventure.

Moschella's writing effortlessly transports you to a realm where humans and magical beings coexist- but not without tension and conflict. The world-building is vivid and immersive, painting a picture of a society teetering on the brink of change. Themes of loyalty, sacrifice, and self-discovery resonated strongly with me and are themes that guarantee a good read!

Meera, the resilient protagonist, finds herself navigating this unfamiliar territory. Her journey, filled with challenges and unexpected twists, keeps you enthralled and her evolution from a hesitant outsider to a fierce warrior has you enthusiastically rooting for her.
Another aspect that stood out to me was the depth of the characters and their relationships. I particularly enjoyed getting to delve into the evolving relationship between Meera and Shael after their escape. Their dynamic is a combination of tension and tenderness - a mix that has you captivated as a reader!

While I found myself completely engrossed in the story, I did notice that the pacing was occasionally slow compared to the first (just for my taste!). However, this minor quibble did not detract from my overall enjoyment of the book. In fact, I am eagerly continuing with the rest of the series as soon as I can!

In conclusion, "A Warrior at Heart" is a captivating tale of adventure and resilience that will appeal to fans of fantasy and romance alike. The book delivers an enthralling experience that will leave you eagerly anticipating the next installment. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a gripping read that will transport them to a world of magic and intrigue. I, for one, will be recommending this series to everyone I know!

This is the second book in the five paet Raek Riders series. The story picks up right where the first one left off. After freeing Shael and his reak he offers to take Meena so she has a place to stay. She is thrust into a society in which humans are detested and magic is commonplace. Finding her new home-and host-more seductive than she could have ever anticipated, Meera envisions a future for herself among the raek riders. However, after a devastating rejection she realizes she has been distracted-she has forgotten what really matters to her and forsaken her only her father. Determined to rescue her father from his brutal forced service to the king, Meera strikes out on her own. But she soon learns that things-and forests-are not always as they appear and that only a warrior at heart can weather the harshest of storms. Meera may or may not find her father, but what-or who-she does find is sure to change her ... forever.

This second book is slower paced than the first one. We are given time to settle in and learn more about the world. Meera is also given that time as up until now her knowledge has been limited. Meera is a strong character and we get to see her to continue to grow. We also get chapters from Shael's perspective which is nice.

This fantasy is unique with all the detailed world building. There is action, romance, and heartache. If you read one you'll want to read them all.

The second book in the Raek Riders series had so much growth with the characters to the world building that Melanie Moschella navigates in such a real way.

We continue Meera’s story escaping from Terratelle and exploring the world of the knell in Aegorn and Levisade. However, this time we alternate between the POVs of Meera and Shael (half-knell / half human) from the first book. This was such a welcomed change of pace in the second book. The lore we get from Shael and perspective helps create the frustration that is between our two main characters. Had me screaming out loud “kiss already” so many times. Enjoying the buildup but it can be frustrating at times since you want Meera to be confident in her choices because she’s already proven herself..

Throughout the book we learn more about the riders code, the magic system that is unraveling more and more about the Raeks. We meet new characters like Kennick, Darreal, Hadjal, Isbaen and others. Of course there is more of Cerun, the Raek we met in the first book who helps understand more of their mysterious background. Meera continues to find her father, Orson, and in this journey she has a fated encounter with a wild Raek who will change the journey of our main FMC throughout the remaining series. The way this ended had me feral - I could not get over the build up to that final scene. Excited to continue on with the rest of the books which are all out now!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Smith Publicity and amazing author Melanie K. Moschella for this ARC. Thank you for this wonderful story.

Thank you NetGalley, Smith Publicity, and Melanie for the opportunity to review the second installment to the Raek Riders series! I am truly honored!!

First, I'd like to say happy publication day! It is a considerable feat to publish a book and releasing a whole series requires the greatest of celebrations and congratulations!

Once again, I have been blown away by this series' world-building and the writing. I absolutely love being able to see the world through the eyes of both Shael and Meera. Being able to see how the events of the first book (which if you haven't read it, you totally should!) were interpreted and processed by both Shael and Meera is so pivotal to their character development, especially Meera, who continues to grow through this book. I think this character development is setting up the characters and the story to be quite the epic tale.

The book feels like a movie in your hands. I could see all of the events clearly playing out. And the side characters, who are well-crafted, really added to that feeling. The descriptive world, community, and characters made for a complete and excellent picture in the form of words on pages.

I cannot wait to see where this series goes.

5/5 stars

I really enjoyed this second book in the series.

Meera has grown a lot, even if she does still lose sight of herself. However, she has a tenacity and bravery to her that makes her likeable, even to those who don't like humans.

Learning more about the riders and raeken and seeing more of the world building is great. I love the memory keeper, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of this in the third book and learning more of the history. There are some interesting clues dropped in the book to show some directions it may take.

A Warrior at Heart by Melanie K Moschella is the second in the Raek Riders series. If you have not yet read Iron-Bound Flames, please give it a try as this is building to be a blisteringly good series (and what I am really excited about, is that the whole series is going to be released at once on March 19 on kindle but I think I will do the punt and buy the ppbs as this collection is a keeper if the first two books are anything to go by)

See, this is how invested I am in this storyline already, gripped from book one and by eckers the cliffhangers! I digress. Have you read book one or at least the reviews? Then I shall continue

Meeera my lovely, you are an absolute boss! Book two is a stage setting, a reconciliation of book one, Meera really grows as a character in this book and her strength and tenacity is portrayed beautifully as she explores her new world (at the same time is some brilliant world-building, props to that!) Meera has to look at herself in a brutally honest way and this is what really makes her shine as an fmcfor me, there is no flashiness, no pretence, just a character with depth and integrity and I am absolutely here for it

This book can be read as a standalone, but it is truly a great follow-on frrom the first book and leaves you hungry, not just peckish, but starving for your next bite and I will absolutely be getting the set as soon as it comes out (the covers are fantastic too, but that is by the by) A flipping win and cannot wait to read more!

Thank you to Netgalley, Smith Publicity and the outstanding author Melanie K Moschella for this glorious ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

#AWarrioratHeart #NetGalley @raekriders

A warrior at heart will send you spiraling into the world of raek riders and the countries at war. Book two the main character wakes up and starts her journey into her new life in the country she has never been before. Once again the author has given us exceptionally rich characters that are diverse and show true emotion. They have their faults, they grow. They show signs of ptsd and work their way to get past it. I absolutely love the way the author writes their characters. It’s so in depth, and ugh. Give me more. This series is extremely addictive and I will always give 5 stars. I can not wait for the next books to devour.

Meera really grows in this book. I enjoyed her journey immensely. It was interesting seeing the two points of view, between Shael and Meera. It gave some good perspective and needed growth between the two characters.. The side characters were well written and fleshed out, having distinct personalities that stood on their own. I really liked how she grew closer to the knell and adopted some of their ways. Her journey at t he end showed her strength and determination and it was recognized by the most unlikely of sources! I am pleased to know that this is a series and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Having Shael and Meera's relationship stumble, grow and then stumble again was very realistic, Instead of instantly falling in love, there is struggle that lent veracity to the story. I enjoyed reading about the kingdom, the knell and the human community. It was all well-written, very visual and you can picture the scenery quite easily.

Meera is a strong, spirited protagonist that has only grown in leaps and bounds since her first showing. I am eager to see what is going to happen next in her journey.

After reading an ARC of Iron-Bound Flames from #NetGalley, I was lucky enough to be gifted with the chance to read the second novel in the Raeken Series: "A Warrior at Heart". Thank you, Smith Publicity, Melanie Moschella and Net Galley for this opportunity!

I absolutely adored the first book. I gave it a 5* review, because I could not put it down. This second one was the same, although the storyline is drastically different.

In the series starter, there are a lot of scenes that are dark or gruesome (violence on page) but still balanced with light-heartedness and sheer determination and self-reflection from our FMC, Meera. This second book still contains some violence, but feels like a nice breather between the first, and what I am anticipating will happen in the following three books.

This book takes a pause on progressing what I consider to be the primary conflict of the series. It doesn't go away - but instead is almost forgotten about, since our FMC is swept up in experiencing a world she has only read about on paper. This book is filled with her wonder, delight and struggles with culture shock in a new kingdom. There are still some darker themes, such as racism that are explored in this novel, but it does focus more on the emotional abuse rather than steering into physical violence.

This book is more so about world building and character development than it is about progressing the main storyline. It is not, however, a filler novel. It is setting the stage for what is to come. And just like the first novel - it ends on a cliffhanger that perfectly sets up what is to come. So thank you again, Melanie Moschella and her publishers for not making us wait!

I loved this book just as much, if not more so than the first book. Although the first book for me had more tension/conflict, this one just made me happy. The entire read I was filled with excitement for our FMC and starting to understand our MMC. It is overall a fairly short novel (~5 hr predicted timing on my kindle), so even if you are the type to prefer main-plot-progressing storylines, this should not feel like it is dragging on or delaying the story's progression and I feel critical to understanding the world for the future novels.

Once again, 5* from me for The Raeken Series!