Okay so I loved Zephyrus in book one so much, I thought the first book was done beautifully. Unfortunately, this book seemed like an entirely different book and characters with how different Zephyrus presented. Every piece about this book was very different from the first, so this was a huge adjustment for me. Overall, the author’s world development is fantastic. If I wasn’t so in my head about how different the two books are, this is a great book.

I really enjoyed this book. I only feel like I was missing out because I didn't realize it was a part of a series. I plan to go back and read the rest of the series to see how different it will make me feel about this book. Overall, on its own, it was well written, and the characters relatable. I think the plot line of the book was well planned as well. The author did a great job with their writing style to make you not want to put it down. I can't wait to read more from this author. I recommend this one, but I also recommend reading the rest of the series so you don't miss out on some points in the book.

Thank you Net Galley ARC and Saga Press

Brielle lives a quiet life as a noviate at the Abbey of Thornbrook, tending the land and forging weapons for the abbey. Until one day, she finds a man in the woods and hides him to help him...and an adventure begins which will bring her out of the quiet life she has always lived.

In both the North Wind and the West Wind, Warwick does such a wonderful job of painting a landscape and scene. In the first book, it was a the dark ice of the North and this one gave such a desolate sense of a small village and all the empty land around it. While context clues indicate this might be a land similar to Scotland, I had such a sense of the Yorkshire moors and the empty land around it, so easy to get lost in.

Readers of the last book might remember Zephyrus as a character with a need for a lot of growth and redemption, and I believe Brielle was a good match for him. Only a FMC with a strong sense of faith and the ability to change and do better would worked so well, and I really appreciate that Warwick had such a strong sense of Brielle's faith. Even when she doubts the best path for herself, she maintains a faith in humanity and a kindness that I thought was sensitively portrayed.

My one disappointment was the relationship Brielle had with the other noviates. As Wren did in the first book, she has a complicated relationship with her sisters by choice (rather than by birth) and I would love to see future characters have a different, perhaps more supportive relationship, to the women in their lives.

I am excited to read the books about the next two winds - Norus's brief cameo as the South Wind has made me very excited to see what is next for him in the South Wind, and I will be sure to purchase a copy!

2.5 stars rounded up

This book can be read as a stand alone in the interconnected series that is the Four Winds.

I have read the first book and thoroughly enjoyed it. This book however, I find myself questioning why I didn't just walk away.

For one thing, the book is divided into three "parts" but the first part of the book is nearly half the book. The first part is the longest and the most tedious and could have been edited down significantly. It was not fast paced enough to make me ever want to read this. I think I also struggled with the themes of the religious acolyte as our FMC. I do understand the novel is about her growth and how she comes to question her faith and everything that she's thought she's known but she is so steadfast in her ways in the beginning I found her completely intolerable. I also do not understand how they set up the dynamic between her and the West Wind. Their romance felt forced.

The second part of the book was the most interesting, and then I lost the plot on the third part because I absolutely disagreed with the way the author attempted to achieve a happy ending. I will need to see what old tale the third book is based off before I decide if I want to continue the series, but I'm pretty sure I'll end up picking it up. But if this book has taught me anything, if I'm struggling at all to read it I'm going to quit it and not force myself to power through.

I wanted to love this book. I LOVED The North Wind, so I was so excited to read this book. Unfortunately, due to how much religion (not overtly Christian but very much Christian-like) there was in this, I had to DNF at 53%. I have too much religious trauma to continue with this book. It was a “me” issue for sure, so don’t let that put you off.

I loved Zephyrus in book one, so I was eager to read his story. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem like the Zephyrus in book one at all. He has traumatic things happen to him, but his personality seemed so different. I also did not care for the FMC, Brielle. I think it was because she seemed too indoctrinated in the faith.

I knew going in that this would read like a standalone, but I didn’t expect it to be so different from the first book in the series, both in tone and in character development.

What I will say, is that I love the author’s writing style and world development. Those are both excellent, and I would give the next book in the series a chance, though, I’ll be sure to read the synopsis more carefully.

Even though I DNF-ed this, I still gave this book 3 stars based on writing style and the simple fact that it was my own issues that interfered with finishing this novel.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for the gifted copy to review.

I absolutely loved The North Wing and Zephyrus was a bad boy in it so I was excited to read The West Wind! This was based off of Greek myth Hero and Leander and the Scottish Ballad Tam Lin and I admit I had to look both of these up before starting the book!
Brielle has decided to dedicate her life to the abbey. Enter Zephyrus lying injured and unconscious in the forest. When she decides to help him she does not realize how both of their lives are about to change! I loved this journey with both characters finding themselves along the way...and maybe love?!?!
Thank you SagaPress for the book to read and review.

I am invested in this series however this book didn't live up to what I thought it would be after the first one. It was still an amazing story the plot was good, I will continue this series, but the second book just wasn't for me. 3 stars

3.5 ⭐
I did enjoy this book but not as much as the first. It was written well as a slow burn romance with some spice and an intriguing storyline. However there were parts that seemed to drag on and as a whole the book could have been shorter. I do love how the author takes inspiration from Greek Mythology (which I am a sucker for) and blend it with her own style and fantasy. I will be waiting for book 3 in this 4 part series to see what happens next as they are interconnected stand alone stories.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

[2.5/5] THE WEST WIND is the second installment of The Four Winds, a series of standalone fantasy romances. Half of Brielle's life has been spent in the abbey of Thornbrook training to one day become an acolyte. Meanwhile, she is their forgemaster, creating iron weaponry to guard against the fair folk. One day, however, she encounters an injured man in the forest. After nursing him back to health Brielle learns he is Zephyrus, one of the gods of wind. This brief encounter opens a metaphorical crack into what she thought she wanted out of life.

Although the premise sounds like fantasy romance crack, unfortunately I feel I should have DNF this. The writing style itself is fine, but the plot of THE NORTH WIND was much stronger in comparison. THE WEST WIND needed to be 50-100 pages shorter for the amount of plot the reader gets.

Brielle's encounter with Zephyrus makes her question whether she actually wants to become an acolyte or if she wants to become an acolyte because it is a comfort zone. That is the entire plot. There are a few obstacles here and there to incorporate some action scenes. And eventually there is a questioning of faith and authority. But it all felt relatively low stakes for the amount of time Brielle travels around in Under, the land of the fair folk which is full of danger and trickery.

Considering THE WEST WIND is a fantasy romance, the chemistry barely burned. Brielle spends most of the time upset at Zephyrus because she perceives him as selfish and self-absorbed. I suppose he is, but that gets lost in the repetitive nature of the dialogue. Frankly, I was bored. I wanted more trials and tribulations and less time wandering around Under.

However, I appreciated that Brielle is a plus-sized character. The author remembers this when describing Brielle running or relative to Zephyrus's size. Warwick also depicts fat shaming and the bullying Brielle endures from her fellow novitiates. This translates into feeling insecure about her body, particularly when she develops romantic feelings toward Zephyrus. There is also some bisexual representation, though in a historical relationship context. I also liked the questioning of faith after experiencing more of the world. But I wish the author had delved deeper into that theme.

Overall, though, THE WEST WIND did not work for me. It might work better for someone who doesn't mind a fantasy romance that is less plot and more a character study.

Beautifully enchanting tale! Inspired by the Greek myth of Hero and Leander and the Ballad of Tam Lin. Part of a series of 4 interconnected standalones. The West Wind is an enchanting tale that will keep you entranced from start to finish. I love that the fmc is a person of size & how the story intertwines fairytales within mortal and faerie realms with a nod toward Greek mythology. There is a strong religious theme in this installment. I absolutely love this series and can’t wait for the next one!

Thanks to Saga Press #SagaSaysCrew, NetGalley, and the author for a free copy of this book!

This is a reimagining of the Greek myth of Hero and Leander and the Scottish Ballad of Tamlin. It's a beautifully written, slow burn fantasy adventure and character study with an eerie forest mood.

It tells the story of Brielle of Thornbrook who has committed her life to the abbey, vowing never to touch a man. However, she finds an injured man in the forest who turns out to the West Wind, setting off a chain of events that lead her to the land of Under, the dangerous and mysterious land of the fair folk that feels like it's straight out of a Hieronymus Bosch painting.

I loved the themes this book explores: redemption and mistakes, desire and boundaries, faith and kindness. It's a book that really makes you ponder deeper ideas about the choices we make, how we can change, and our agency in our own stories. It was a refreshingly unique fantasy book compared with all the others I have read this year.

It's part of the Four Winds series, which will be 4 interconnected standalones. You don't need to read the previous release, The North Wind, to enjoy reading this one. Definitely looking forward to the next books in the series!

This is a fantasy romance book for the religious trauma girlies. Brielle has been working hard for years at the abbey to become an acolyte and feels her time must be soon. But her plans get a little complicated when she finds an injured man in the woods and rescues him. It is against their religious for her to ever touch a man, much less start to have the feelings she does for him. She goes through a journey of understanding her faith while also working to save the man she learns is, Zephyrus, aka the West Wind aka the Bringer of Spring.

We met Zephyrus in the first book, The North Wind (which I loved) and he was definitely painted as a bit of a villain so I was interested to see how he developed in this story. It is inspired by the Scottish ballad of Tam Lin so the plot its self was a bit predictable but his arc was ok. What brought my rating down was how slow the book is overall. Not only is the romance a slow burn, the plot moves slowly with strange time jumps. The general concept of the "Under" where the fae and other immortal creatures live is interesting but didn't feel as connected to the world we had already learned about in the first book.

I am still intrigued for the next book but I fear this one suffered from second book syndrome.

I had a hard time getting into this book and staying engaged. I think because I didn't realize it was a sequel I was missing key information.

The West Wind, the latest standalone in Alexandria Warwick’s Four Winds series, brings a darkly reimagined tale influenced by the Scottish ballad Tam Lin. While the first book, The North Wind, enthralled me, The West Wind left me with mixed feelings.

Warwick’s poetic writing is beautiful and evocative, painting vivid pictures of both Thornbrook and the eerie Under. However, the pacing felt slower this time around, with multiple points in the story that could have served as the conclusion, leaving the narrative feeling uneven.

As for the romance, I struggled to feel the connection between Brielle and Zephyrus. While there were moments of potential, the emotional depth I was hoping for between them never fully materialized. Even Brielle’s jealousy over Zephyrus’s interactions with Harper didn’t add much tension or complexity to their dynamic.

The inclusion of the South Wind felt more like a setup for the next book than a meaningful addition to Brielle and Zephyrus’s story. It pulled me out of the main narrative and added to the sense of disconnection I felt with this installment.

While The West Wind wasn’t quite what I’d hoped for after The North Wind, I still appreciate Warwick’s lush storytelling and creativity in weaving Greek lore with her unique mythology. Fans of atmospheric fantasy romance may enjoy this one, but it might not resonate as strongly as its predecessor.

I’ll start by saying that i didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first. I don’t love it when a “series” follows different characters for each book. with that being said i did still like this. i loved the representation we had in our FMC and i also loved that it didn’t take over her character. The dialogue was witty and fun and the mystery of the book kept me interested!

The West Wind by Alexandria Warwick

The West Wind is book two in the Four Winds Series by Alexandria Warwick. Thank you to Saga Press and Net Galley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was an immersive slow burn romantasy based on the greek myth of Hero and Leander and the Scottish ballad of Tam Lin. Both of which I was unfamiliar with so I went into this one blind.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I had some issues but I would recommend this to readers looking for a leisurely read with a little spice and a sweet FMC to root for. It gives dark fairytale for grownups and I think has many different elements for every reader.

Things I did like….
-Plus size FMC. I LOVED how she was described. Often when you get a full figured FMC, her descriptors are borderline rude and in a nutshell are just some version of “FAT”. The author in this instance SHOWED the reader the FMC’s size in multiple different ways AND the love interest appreciated it WITHOUT focusing on it. As a bigger girl, I appreciated this detail. So many authors get it wrong.
-He fell first…. This was so subtle but you felt his interest right away and I liked that.
-Brielle being the breadwinner….and being a swordsmith.
-The descriptions of the fae and the different realms, great detail here.

The story follows Brielle of Thornbrook, a novice of a covent set on the edge of Under, the fae realm. Brielle is a gifted swordsmith and talented in sword play but all her strengths are constantly dimmed by the people around her and her own self doubt/lack of confidence. I found her inner dialogue to be distracting mostly because she was constantly repeating almost verbatim what people were telling her. Like she was piling on to her own pity party. There was a lot of apologizing and feeling sorry for themselves from all the characters not just Brielle. I started the novel rooting for her but by the middle of the book, I was ready for her character development to hurry up and happen cause I was SO sick of the sad puppy dog routine. The MMC Zephyrus was NO help with this.

Speaking of him….. he also suffered from being a Debbie Downer on himself and generally the world so all his false niceness and good nature smiling “good retriever” tinge of a personality never hit like it should. His character development took WAY too long as well. I found myself rolling my eyes after he repeated for the 100th time, that he was a disgraced god. WE GET IT YO…….

A few other things I didn’t like…..
-IT WAS WAYYYYY TOOO LONG….. the first 45% should of been three chapters and gotten right to the tithe!
-The whole novel needed more editing or flushing out of ideas. It was doing too much. There should have been a consolidation of plot and subplots CUT CUT CUT.
-DID I MENTION IT WAS TOO LONG…… the pacing was all over the place
-Character development happened WAY too late in the story
-The wrap up at the end was too quick and too easy.
-Wasn’t a fan of the twist AT ALL. Brielle watched the climax happen, she didn’t bring it about herself….. it was too obvious she was a pawn in a story SORT OF about her. At some points she stops being the FMC and she feels more like a secondary character.
-Lot of superfluous character who felt like they served almost no purpose at all other than to be background objects or devices to move the story along.

Solid three star read for me. A lot of things I liked but a lot I just did’t vibe with. Would still recommend this book to several friends of mine and planning on buying as a gift for one! Also posting a video review on insta a little later on!

The West Wind by Alexandria Warwick is the second book in the Four Winds Series. I really wanted to love this book, and there are parts of this book that I did love. I loved the writing, the plot, the world building, the journey, and the relationship between Brielle and Zephyrus. But, and there is no easy way to say this, the physical relationship between the two is cringe. The dialogue is awkward - the whole of their physical relationship is incredibly awkward. This is a romantic fantasy and so lowers the experience of the whole story. I still give the book 3.5 stars. I want to thank #netgalley and Saga Press for my e-arc.

This is a captivating, magical series. This fairytale retelling (Tam lin) is steeped in fae, magic, wit, and a little spice. The fmc goes through an amazing transformation, morphing from something timid to a strong, independent woman. The west wind himself is witty and teasing, very much like loki. Like the first book this is a slow burn. But, spice is done very well. I can't wait to read the next installment.

It is the second in the series about the gods of the winds. In this tale, which is a similar retelling of the myth Hero and Leander, Brielle, a devout woman of faith, finds and heals Zephyrus, the West Wind. While the first book, The North Wind, was more to my liking (more angst, more romance), this one was intriguing. I love a good redemption story and this one is filled with them. Brielle is an amazing main character - her strength, her love, her faith, her compassion etc. She grows and changes as the story evolves and that is something I also hope for in a character. Her nemesis, Harper, is hateful and truly despicable until her chance for redemption. Lastly, Zephyrus. He is not a hero but maybe an anti hero? He too changes throughout. So, like the Bringer of Spring and the changing of the seasons, this book is more about that - change and redemption. There were some factors that were not my favorite throughout and there wasn’t as much connection between the two mains as I’d have liked but I truly don’t think it was the point of the story. I really enjoyed the voyage to Under and all the encounters with the fair folk. I can not wait to read The South Wind and eventually meet The East Wind. I wish we had visited with the North Wind and Wren in this one but maybe the next? I love strong female leads and this author doesn’t disappoint. Thank you @sagapressbooks #thewestwind for the chance to be in the brothers’ world again.

I loved The North Wind.
So I was super excited for the chance to read and review book two in The Four Winds series The West Wind by Alexandria Warwick.
A phenomenal New Adult Fantasy Romance story with a plot that was absolutely fascinating!! I was enthralled.
It's enriched with Greek-myth inspired lore and transports you to a new dark fantastical world.

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!