Author: Aubrey Wynne
Genre/Age: Fantasy Romance/Adult
Series: Unknown
Publisher: Plato Publishing
Format: ebook via The Romance Reviews
Rating: ✺✺✺✺.5
Links: Goodreads
Synopsis: A wizard, a curse, a fated love…
When Rolf finally discovers the woman who can end the curse that has plagued his family for centuries, she is already betrothed. Time is running out for the royal wizard of King Henry II. If he cannot find true love without the use of magic, his line will end.
Melissa is intrigued by the mystical, handsome man who haunts her by night and tempts her by day. His bizarre tale of Merlin, enchantments, and finding genuine love has her questioning his sanity and her heart.
From the moment Melissa stepped from his dreams and into his arms, Rolf knew she was his destiny. Now, he will not only battle against time and a powerful duke, but defy his king and the gods to save her.
To break a curse, two hearts must beat only for each other.
Rolf is running out of time. If he doesn't find his true love before Merlin's curse takes him from this realm, Rolf's own magic will fade away and their lineage of wizardry will end. There is a catch, though. Rolf cannot use his power to persuade his match to love him. He has to earn her affection the old fashion way, by wooing her. But when Rolf finds the woman of his dreams (literally), she's already betrothed to another.
Melissa has been promised in marriage to a duke since she was a child and she has every intention of following through with the match. That is, until she catches a glimpse of a mysterious and intriguing wizard in the forest. Then when she crosses paths with him again, she begins to wonder if there is something more significant bringing them together and causing her to feel so strange in his presence.
Unfortunately, the duke isn't going to let go of Melissa so easily. Especially, to a lower-classed man like Rolf, even if the mage does have the king's favor. And Melissa's father is none too happy with the way things are playing out, either. The battle for Melissa's heart is on and only one man can walk away with it. Rolf will do whatever it takes to be that man.
This was a surprisingly smooth read that I flew through in practically one sitting. I loved how easily I was immersed in this medieval world filled with royalty, knights, wizards, and villains. The magical element was interesting and I liked reading the way Merlin's story was woven into this book. The plot sucked me in and I thoroughly enjoyed following Rolf's journey.
The following thoughts are just me nitpicking at what was a really fun book. It shouldn't sway you from reading the story in any way but maybe will be good feedback for the author. Fantasy Romance is one of my absolute favorite subgenres and we don't really have enough books in this genre right now. I am really hoping that this series continues to bloom because it's starting out really well for me.
The romance between Rolf and Melissa was really quick to blossom, mostly due to the "magical" connection our couple shared. I thought the characters had good chemistry and those stolen kisses were definitely on the spicy side. But I expected to see more conflict between our pair before they came together. The queen's constant intervention seemed a bit too convenient of a solution to Rolf's quest.
Also, Melissa didn't really question everything that was quickly happening, especially knowing that Rolf had magic. She never once wondered if he was enchanting her to fall for him? I would have at least questioned his motives in the beginning but her only real reservation was her father's reaction. She also had no trouble accepting the story that Rolf fed her about their destiny. I get his kisses were tantalizing but come on, woman. Be vigilant in your self-preservation.
I also think that this could have used more conflict, overall. I enjoy a sweet story but I think couples grow stronger when they work together as a team to overcome obstacles. This does happen toward the end but the middle of the story had little-to-no bumps in the road. It didn't necessarily lull or slow down too much, but I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak.
As for the characters, I thought there was a nice array of personalities present. Melissa was a kind and caring character and Rolf had a sort of laid-back aura around him. He had powers most didn't know about and he had no need or desire to show them off. Most wizards I read about are cocky son-of-a-guns so he was a unique mage hero for me.
In closing...
A story with pretty much everything a fantasy romance fan can want! 4.5 suns!
Book provided by and reviewed for:
No comments:
Post a Comment