It took me a while before starting this book. At the time when I put in a request I was super excited to dive into this book. Now I'm a couple of years down the road and finally got around to actually read it haha. The book was a fun, quick read but nothing overly special I think. Not a story that'll stick with me in the long run, but definitely a story that's just a good pick as an in between read when you're looking for an addictive romance focused book.

A clash of a sword with a dash of romance. What more could I ask for? Historical romance as mentioned countless times in my reviews, are my favorite type of genre. Something about the glance in to the past really piques my curiosity and the journey into the would-have-been really gets my wheels turning. This could be partly due to my inclination towards historical facts. Regency romance is the genre we are mostly given with thus when I tumble across book of ages before that I really devour them in one sitting.

This book was of no difference. Set during the Medieval eras, the story takes us on a twisted journey filled with romance and the knights and lords but with the added secret ingredient of paranormal to the recipe which makes it much more worthwhile than your normal HR. What really caught my interest in the book was the strength of our heroine. She does not take any "crap" from literally anyone. If she sets her mind on it, she follows through with it. Her undying loyalty to her husband and the love she bears for him makes her stronger and unlike other heroines who stagger under the romance and continue making mistake upon mistake she further strengthens her resolve ans does he utmost to help him.

In truth the paranormal and fantasy element actually left me slightly confused, still I'm willing to brave myself to the rest of the series. I sincerely hope we can get an appropriate conclusion for the series very soon.

Interesting story and I liked the enemies to lovers type scenario. I did want more from the romance though. More of them having a more genuine connection; I don’t mind the instalove, but I wanted to see them have more moments together one on one besides sex scenes. They do have some good passion and some sweet moments; I just wanted to feel the love more. Torch and his men have stormed Calista’s family’s stronghold and taken over. Torch demands that Calista marry him; which she’s not too happy about, but then he falls ill due to an unintentional poisoning. Calista has to nurse him back to health and the attraction between the 2 begins to burn hotter. Plus, there’s more at play than either of them knows with both of them in danger from outside evil forces. Loved the magical element added with the stone and the visions. The story is entertaining and kept me interested the whole time. I would like to see where the story goes because there’s still a lot of story that wasn’t completed in this book. Overall, I’d say this is a 3.5 stars; I went with a 3 star because the writing could’ve flowed a bit smoother.

I made a custom cocktail for this one for SBTB.

Overall, the story was engaging and I enjoyed the hint of mystery and magic. I just wish the main couple spent more time together or rather...conscious.

When her ancestral home Blackbriar Keep gets attacked, Calista decides to fight and uses a crossbow to defend it. When she takes down the commander of the group, she finds that she must nurse him back to health in order to save her father.
This was a fun adventure that I enjoyed reading. I loved Calista’s bravery and determination to do whatever necessary. I liked the peeling away at Torch’s story. I really enjoyed the story of Calista and Torch learning to trust each other as they fall in love. I recommend if you like this genre.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

I really enjoyed this one.

A little bit different to what I have read previously. However, the story was well written. I liked the characters and felt invested in the story-line.

I will be on the lookout for the others in the series.

While I felt like this story had good bones, the execution was lacking for me. A strong battle opening held promise, but the rest of the story did not measure up to the opening chapter. I was hoping to be drawn into the plot and Torch's crusade, but felt wholly disconnected from the characters and events. After that first chapter, the wrong parts of the story got bogged down with details and I would find myself skimming to get back to the action. Without the emotional connection, I was not invested in the romantic relationship - it felt forced and lacking in chemistry. For a couple that is supposed to be destined, I would have liked to see more of a grand passion between the two. As a romantic fantasy, I would have also liked to have more world building and magical aspects. Torch's story is not complete, so I hope that future installments expound on the world and magical abilities.

I really enjoyed Calista and Torch's story!

Calista was determined to hate Torch since he attached her home, but when nursing his wounds started to fall for him. Torch knew that he would marry Calista and set out to seduce her. To go from enemy to lovers had many ups and downs, and he back and forth between these two kept me reading page after page.

I really look forward to the next book in the series!

This book was fantastic. I could not put it down from the second I started reading it. I would love to know what happens with the other characters. I am not usually one who likes fantasies like this, but I think the strong possibilities and ways people healed back then is exactly as expected. I really do hope we get more books and get to read more about these characters in the future.

This was an enjoyable read, and I would recommend it to fans of the genre. I'm not sure if those who don't typically read books in this genre would like it or not, so a more in depth reader interview would be required. Regardless, it is a strong start to a series.

I enjoyed this, but it was too adult for my mostly teen readers, so I recommended it to adult fantasy reviewers instead!

*I received this book through Netgalley, but all thoughts and ideas are my own*

I'm trying to be stricter on my reviews and rating this year and this is a hard one to review. I really enjoyed reading this, but I was a little bored and did in fact roll my eyes a few times. Now, I can't say much for the sex scenes because I tend to skip them so, keep that in mind if you continue to read my review.

One factor I look for in books is a strong female, if they can kick ass too then I will usually read it. This heroine is definitely strong. Yet, I feel the author, in trying to make her appear strong and independent, also made her wishy-washy. How fast can a character go from having passionate lovemaking to never wanting to be with him again? Or realizing she may actually want to marry him because of her growing feelings to "I'm destined to marry a king so, I shouldn't marry him"? It took a page.
And her journey to wanting to be with the man she ended up with was SO ANNOYING. Like, decide if you care more about love or being queen!! In the end, I still dunno which reason actually made her marry him!

Torch is pretty cool. His badass-ness doesn't live up to the hype, unfortunately. He was always getting injuried and having to be rescued! He is the warrior with years of training, I would have liked that aspect to shine at least once.

Also, in the beginning of the book I could have SWORN that our heroine had magical healing powers she wasn't showing anyone-- I kept waiting (literally, the whole book) for her to use these powers. Somehow, I misunderstood.... I was super disappointed, but I can't remember for the life of me why I thought she was a magical healer...

And of course, I thought the story line was a bit overdone. Then again, if people didn't like it, then writers would stop writing it :)

So, I did enjoy the quick read. I'm not waiting on bated breath for the sequel (which I'm assuming/hoping is about Swift), but I'm not at the point to say I wouldn't read it. I am curious to see how things turn out.

If you like romances set in this medieval-esque setting I would recommend you read it. It was fun even if I did have some problems with it.