| Title | : | Heart's Ease (Northwomen Sagas, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 395 |
| Publication | : | Published October 1, 2016 |
When raiders from the North land in Olga’s world and take it over, she is captured and made a slave. She and her people suffer at the hands of creatures that seem more beasts than men, and not even her talent and skill as a healer can help them.
But one barbarian, big and golden, seems different from the others. He doesn’t revel or partake in the suffering of the new slaves, and, when he learns that Olga is a healer who knows some of their words, he releases her from her bonds.
The raiders stake claim to Olga’s world and mean to settle it, and she and the rest of her people who survived make a new community with the invaders. The barbarians who destroyed her world and made her a slave grow to be her friends and her equals.
The friendship she forms with the one who cut her bonds is the deepest of them all.
Leif is a valiant and esteemed warrior who’s raided for many summers. As a leader in this new world they mean to settle, he forges deep, close ties with those who’d been only allies, and sometimes enemies, and with the native people of this new land.
In particular, he’s drawn to the dark-haired healer, whose tiny body holds the will and spirit of a mighty raider.
Leif is deeply loyal to the jarl who’s treated him as a son. When the jarl arrives to view their success, Leif struggles to understand the ways his mentor has grown cruel and deceitful and to see the man he’s loved as a father, whose sons he loves as brothers. But he recognizes the brutal lies for what they are.
Torn between the man to whom he’d long ago sworn his unconditional fealty and the friends to whom he is devoted, Leif makes a devastating choice, trying as best he can to save those he loves, at any cost to himself. Even at the cost of their love for him.
The consequences of his choice are severe. Perhaps too severe to allow forgiveness.
But until there is forgiveness, there can never be ease.
Note: Explicit sex and violence.
Heart's Ease (Northwomen Sagas, #2) Reviews
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★ 4.5 Stars ★
"This is the last of us, my love. You must stay away from me."
Heart's Ease is the second book in the Northwomen Sagas. Although this installment can be read as a stand-alone, I highly recommend reading God's Eye, the first book in the series, in order to grasp the full complexity of the plot and characters in this series. I have always been a fan of Susan Fanetti. After reading God's Eye, I became addicted for more!
"He had given up the deepest love he'd ever known."
Heart's Ease begins with the POV from Leif and Olga from God's Eye. We experience the action, blood shed, passion, and pain experienced in the first book through their eyes. Olga and Leif formed a passionate, yet secret, romance and although they both long to claim each other, the constraints of their circumstances continue to drive a wedge between them. When Leif left Olga, she was forced to endure torture and pain. Although Leif thought he was leaving her safe, she was left unprotected, and the emotional and physical pain breaks her. Leif is no stranger to battle, and when he returns to win back his love, he is ready to fight the battle of his life to get her back in his arms and into his bed. He is confident that if he can win her trust once again, they will be able to hang on to each other and never let go.
"She craved even this corruption of what they'd had, even this double-edged blade of love and hate."
Told in dual POV, Heart's Ease is a stunning addition to this series. Although I adored Brenna and Vali story, I felt that Leif and Olga offered an even more complex perspective of the Viking Laws and World. The journey they took to be together was full of trials and tribulations, and there is nothing I enjoy more than a couple that fights to be together and finds joy through heartbreak. I respected both Leif and Olga for the fierce loyalty they have for their friends and family. Both act selflessly and remain protective of each other even when they face terrors beyond the imagination. The action is intense and drives the plot with each battle lost or won. The treachery of the Viking World is raw, and Fanetti does a fantastic job painting a clear picture as each moment unfolds. The passion between Olga and Leif is sizzling hot and paired with the tenderness they share left me swooning for more.
Overall, I cannot recommend this series enough. If you enjoy action, romance, passion, and complex characters than this is the series for you. Heart's Ease is my favorite book in the series to date so I look forward to continuing my Viking journey by starting Soul's Fire as soon as I can. Fanetti has long been one of my favorite authors due to her diverse writing style and her ability to explore the depths and complexities of her characters to the fullest extent. When she is writing, my Kindle and I are ready and waiting for more!
***Northwomen Sagas***
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FOUR POINT FIVE STARS
"Loss and gain. Dark and light. Pain and joy. Such was life. It was the way of things. The world kept its balance."
Wow, Heart’s Ease really was an emotional read. The depths these characters endured made me glad I didn’t live back then. The opening scene where the village is raided and the women are being treated as casualties of war was a brutal representation to what it must have been like during that time period.
Heart’s Ease has so much loss and hardships balanced by the love and trust among Olga and Leif. The beauty of their relationship eased the harshness of their situation. Both lost loved ones and yet they were able to find an inner strength to continue on.
I really enjoyed this book even though I know nothing about Vikings. Some of their practices were beyond comprehension for me and I'm glad they aren’t still performed today.
Heart’s Ease is set during the Viking Age. It’s the second book in Northwomen Sagas and the main characters in book 1 play a big role in Heart’s Ease. To grasp the overall arc of this series it’s recommended you read them in sequential order.
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5 "BRUTAL!! VIOLENT!! RESILIENT!! HOPEFUL!! Heart's Ease" Stars!
"Loss and gain. Dark and light. Pain and joy. Such was life. It was the way of things. The world kept its balance."
Wow! Let me star off by saying I struggled with my rating for this book. The short story of why is because it is brutal and violent and harsh and tragic and sad and I just never knew when the next blow would come. I was on edge the entire time I was reading. Just waiting for the next horribly tragic event to occur. But it also showed so much resiliency of the human spirit. It made me wonder at how humanity could have survived from this time to present day; and gave me hope for humanity's future. I'm sure that sounds dramatic, but looking at the news day by day, it could be easy to see only the worst in people... Any who... off the depression of real life.
Susan Fanetti is a fantastic writer. The world she has brought fourth feels completely authentic to me; that's why I became so emotionally vested in the characters' lives. I hurt with them, I rejoiced with them. I wanted them to overcome and live happy peaceful lives so desperately. I felt it all and for me that is the mark of a great book. The kind that just sweeps me up and carries me away to another time and place. That's why PNR and Fantasy type stories are my favorites. I don't want to go into much detail because I think this is a story you should just jump into if you are so inclined. Now, on that note... anyone who has read
Susan Fanetti before knows she goes her own way... no character is safe. That said, I think most readers who know and enjoy her work will be fine with this story, especially if you read
God's Eye. Oh, and very important, you must read
God's Eye first. Otherwise you will be lost. Especially in the beginning. But if you have not read her before or have triggers related to rape (including a young girl) or extremely graphic violence, this book may not be for you.
Ok, with all that said, I liked
God's Eye better. It was one of my favorite books of 2016, maybe the favorite, but I really loved this one too. IMO,
God's Eye was all about Vali and Brennan.
Heart's Ease was more about overcoming tragedy and heartbreak, though there is a good amount of romance between Leif and Olga as well.
I will say this ended a tad abruptly for me. I wanted just a bit more in the epilogue. I wonder if there will be another story. If so I have no idea who the main characters would be. Happy reading! -
I guess you could say Heart's Ease is a retelling of God's Eye at least that's how it kinda starts. But the whole perception is different, that coming from a slave and no less explosive. The storyline dramatically changes, becoming more of Leif & Olga. How far would you go to protect a valued close friendship? Would you kill, betray loyalties, sacrifice those you love? Hmmmm any other questions as to why I love Susan Fanetti and her writing? Five battle axe stars, happy reading!
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I started Heart's Ease rather nervously, not knowing what to expect from Susan Fanetti. What I got was the most amazing read set in a harsh and brutal world. Her writing is breathtaking and I felt Heart's Ease went above and beyond God's Eye which was a 5 star read.
There's not doubt that SF doesn't pull any punches and says it like it is. She writes such fantastically strong characters, with such deep, raw and honest love for each other no matter what is thrown in their way and although I loved Vali and Brenna, Leif and Olga take the top spot. Leif's undying love for Olga truly was fabulous to witness.
I absolutely LOVED their story. -
5 "I doubt you know how much." Stars
Having been looking forward to the second installment of the Northwoman Sagas since the end of book one, God's Eye, my excitement for Leif and Olga's story was way up. If you follow my reviews you know I'm a huge fan of Susan Fanetti's writing and story telling. I find her stories pure in a very natural way. She's not afraid to "go there" with her characters and she's definitely not afraid of the dark side of human nature. She consistently stays true to her worlds and her characters while producing brilliantly written prose. For these reasons among many others I become on fixated with her stories and admire the lengths this author goes with each one.
Heart's Ease was different for me than the first book yet no less powerful. I found it less about the romance between the two characters and more about resiliency and strength, more about overcoming and understanding. I doubt you'll find a Fanetti book review of mine where I don't say strength many times. It's prevalent in all of her works - the strength of the human spirit. With these vikings stories it's a naked kind of strength stripped of contemporary influences where we see people who handle life, death, and everything in between with a strength of a thousand people, men and women. It's poignant in a retroactive way because of the setting yet relates to contemporary times so vividly. These characters are put through violence and bloodshed as a way of life. What they overcome leaves room for hope and sustainability. Overcoming odds aren't even thought about it rather this is just their way of life. It's a lovely difference because these people just are resilient. They have to be. There's no question about it.
These themes seem to be what I always touch upon when I review this authors work. I can't help it as she's constantly reminding me of hope. Even in these darker, violent reads there's such a pillar of strength through adversity it's hard not to become enamored with the stories. Leif and Olga are two people fighting every day for something, internal/external, whatever the case. And the depth of the characterization astounded me. Less romance here had me loving and reliving parts of Vali and Brenna's story as we meet these former characters again. I don't want to spoil any plot here as this series is something wholly different than what I'm used to reading and I feel it needs to be experienced.
With that said, I'll tell you I'm not a fan of Vikings generally. These books are my first Vikings books and will probably be my only. There's a lot of history and terminology and even some of the politics that's a bit lost on me because I'm not a quick study in all things Norse. However, the beauty of Fanetti's writing is that it constantly proves that I don't need to be an expert, not even close, to feel the depth and breadth of her vast knowledge, beautiful language, and fantastically created worlds. Heart's Ease is a story you won't easily forget in a series of characters that stay with you past the end.
My 5 star review for book one:
God's Eye -
3.5 to 4 stars. I ended up liking this book more than I expected to. I became more invested in Olga's convoluted story than I thought I would. Both Olga and Leif had very dramatic, horrifying experiences in their lives, both before and after they met each other. But they clearly belonged together. Olga was Leif's 'heart's ease', and for Olga, Leif kind of gave her back herself and her identity.
This is a book depicting brutal, difficult, devastating times in the lives of the Vikings. It's not a pretty tale that glosses over and romanticises their lives. But in spite of some brutal and violent moments in the book, it's also quite moving and uplifting. Olga and Leif have both been married before, and they come from two different cultures with different languages. But they fall in love, and the strength of their connection enabled them to overcome their different backgrounds.
As the book went on, I became more and more involved in their story, and I really wanted things to work out after all of the horrors they overcame. A powerful and engaging read.
I read this book as my March challenge (Vikings theme) for Romance Across the Ages for the Historical Romance Book Club of GR. -
The way this authors writes about how bleak and hard and raw their lives are... it makes the HEA that much more powerful. This was hard to read in many places but these characters just don't let go.
4 stars
2.5 on the spice scale -
It's no secret that Susan Fanetti is my favorite author. She writes with such clear thought and deep meaning. It's hard to read one of her books and not see a bigger picture - the story beyond the story. Inevitably, I always fall in love.
I think Vikings may not be fully my cup of tea. But that's okay. Susan makes me care about the characters, all the same. This story is a little less bloody than the first, although still full of strife and struggle. I enjoyed seeing the world through the eyes of Olga and Leif.
I'll be interested to see what happens in the next book. -
4.5 Stars.
Fantastic read. Gritty, Gory, raw but oh so good!! The different characters, the relationships, the rivalry, the deaths, the violence, the love..it was really a full circle with this book.
Loved that i got to read more of Vali and Brenna of
God's Eye as well.
I have to say however i enjoyed this book more than the book 1.
Side Note: Rape Triggers in this book. -
Another stellar book by Susan Fanetti. I'm addicted to this series, and Leif is one of my favorite fictional heroes ever.
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6 + ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
So brutal, yet so honest. And that's the key to this series, staying true and honest to this time period, (which SF does perfectly by the way.)
I was so in love with the 1st book, God's Eye, so I was really hoping that book 2 would live up to that, which it did, and then some.
Leif & Olga...a match made in Valhalla.
Heart's Ease revisits the first part of God's eye. Retelling from both Olga & Leifs perspective. It was so much fun catching up with Brenna & Vali through these two.
Some very difficult to digest scenes in this story, but that's to be expected from their brutal times.
Olga, and absolute star she is, this woman doesn't have a bad bone in her body, she forgives and loves so easily. She endured much throughout this book but still remained true. She warmed my heart.
Leif. It was SO good to get his perspective on a certain part that I struggled to get my head around in God's Eye, and why he did what he did. This golden giant is very clever, very good at reading people. He's a true warrior through and through, yet tender when needed. I truly believed his actions saved lives, I think he deserved forgiveness earlier. I also felt his conflict in certain matters.
I really LOVE this series, everything about it I love. The dedication to detail is just brilliant. I know when we read we get whisked away to a different time, and this is very much true for me when I read this. I could feel the pain in the great Hall, the harshness in the changing of seasons, and Olga in her hangerock. And dare I say I loved the part when Vali cut the cord, so primitive yet I felt that would form an unbreakable bond between both father & child.
I could go on and on about this series, it may not be for some due to the brutality, but I urge you to just give it a try, it's outstanding.
#ILoveVikings #ButGodBlessAntibiotics
#TheFussAboutSwords #Friendship #SolveigIsSoCute #Magni
I also may have cried a smidgen when Vali gave that beautiful speech. #YouAreAfriendOfMyHeart
(I love their rituals.)
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Good second part
I liked the story. It did get a little draggy because we had a review of parts of the first book. I know it was necessary, but at times I was bored.
Olga was a darn strong woman, I thought the God's Eye was strong....heck no. She went through so much pain and loss, but kept surviving. I am glad she overcame her hatred to make a happy life.
Leif was very complicated and I did have lots of resentment towards him at the end of the first book. I always felt he could have done more. I too had a hard time forgiving.
Good to visit Vali and Brenna in the book I loved them! There story was better, but this was good too. I couldn't put it down. -
An epic love story set in such a brutal world. I love Susan's writing. She's one of my favorite authors. Loved it!
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Book 1 of this series, Gos's Eye, is still my favorite book of 2016. I mention it here because you really would want to read book 1 before this one. I didn't love this book quite as much as the first one, but the writing and the way it draws me in to the story, makes it still a 5 star rating for me (maybe 4.5 stars). It's hard not to compare the two books. Brenna and Vali (book 1) have such an epic love story that not much can compare to that. But here is what was great about this book: the writing, the continuation of the overall story and seeing more of Brenna and Vali (I know enough already about them), there were some great moments of love and sweetness in this story, despite the fact that it felt a bit more focused on overcoming and the overall world storyline than the couple and the romance. There were also some horrible and heartbreaking moments. I highly recommend this series and I hope there is more to come. Maybe Astrid will get a story???
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This book is pure escapism and I’ve not wanted to put it down.
I’ve truly travelled back to the time of the Vikings, glad I’ve watched some of the TV show as I can picture exactly what the time period is like. Susan Fanetti has written amazing characters, a fantastic series so far with the right amount of romance and adventure. To be fair I’d say this is the best book I’ve read by her so far, including her Bikers and those books are my favourite.
I’m definitely going to be trying some more historical romances after this series, as I tend to purely stick to contemporary these days, but I’ve got to remember romance can be told whatever the time period or setting.
Straight onto book three now, Astraid’s book another Shieldmaiden. -
Her heart was broken, but her spirit was not.
Everyone knows I adore the strong kickass lady, but sometimes the quite and unassuming heroines can be the most profound. Olga was phenomenal, and I never expected her to be the powerful woman she was. Like the first book, the story was brutal and difficult to read at times. However, I love these strong women. Yes, there's great romance, but this series is more about girl power than anything else.
This is my second book by Fanetti and my only complaint is about her writing is I wish there was more dialogue. Overall, I am really enjoying her works! Thanks to S&P for insisting that I read her ;-) -
4.5 stars!!
This is Leif and Olga's story and although the first half or so follows the same events from Vali and Brenna's story (book 1), it is told from Leif and Olga's perspective which I appreciated. I'd been wanting more information and more of their story since getting snippets here and there from the first book. And I was glad I wasn't disappointed.
Like the first one, this book is just bloody brutal! Especially the beginning. There are parts when I had to put my kindle down and breathe (because I'm a wuss like that!) and I was tearing up big time. It was so hard reading about all that Olga had to face and endure. And yes, Leif's actions caused even more hurt and trauma for Olga (not from him, but because of what he did, more bad shit happened to her). But Leif's unwavering love for Olga drew me to him and I found myself hoping against all hope that they were going to pull through and make it work. It took some time - a hell of a lot of time! - but they made it and what a journey it was!
Although I didn't love this as much as the first book, it was still a very good read. -
I absolutely love this series. I really enjoy reading about this time period - it was such a harsh and brutal time, so it seems weird that I am able to get so into a story filled with so much of what I hate - violence & cruelty - and yet I get so sucked into it because SF tells the story so well that I feel like I'm watching a movie in my mind, and I am able to just escape into it. This is because she weaves into her books various lessons in strength, passion, death, love, family, hate, forgiveness, hope, heartache, redemption, etc. I just adore her books.
If you enjoyed the first book, I don't know how you won't enjoy this one. The first half is a bit of a parallel retelling of some events that took place in the first book but through the eyes/heart/experience/POV of Olga and Leif (this didn't not feel repetitive or make it boring to me - I feel like it just widened my lens of what was going on in the first book to see things in a different way). It was hard to read many parts in the book because Vikings were a very savage people at times, but I love that SF is able to create these stories of deep and undying love within the harshest of times, and that she does this through very strong female leads who are respected, admired and loved by the male leads. -
Again very good work by Susan. The 3 stars are because I liked it but im used to reading her books with a certain amount of nerves because its exciting and you have no ideas whats going to happen.
In this book I didnt get those nerves. Maybe it was the calm character of Olga but I didnt get the fear while reading. And of course because a part of this story was already told in book one, so you know whats coming.
Early on in the book the h does something that I found very egocentric, it came across as if the h saved herself and forgot her friends. I kinda of resented her because of it.
Still a good read but the first one in this series is my fav. I have no idea who will be the next ones in this series but Im still reading it.
Fanetti is an auto buy author for me. She releases good quality books, I love her work. -
3.5 stars.
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In this book we get to see Olga and Leif's story. And I loved it just as much as the first book.
The first half of this book goes through the story of the first book but from Lief and Olga's pov rather than Brenna and Vali. Normally I hate back tracking like that, especially for an entire half book, but I loved it. Watching Brenna and Vali grow from an outside prospective was just as beautiful.
Both Lief and Olga lives very hard and trying lives, everything both of them went through, both in their pasts and in the moment, was heart breaking. I love that Lief didn't give up even though he kept saying he was done explaining his actions.
Anywho it was another brutal yet beautiful story and I can't wait to read the next. -
**3.5 stars**
I love the author's writing style, immersive storytelling and her characters, and overall I'm loving this series. While the first book was a five star read for me, this fell a little short for me.
This won't bother everyone, but I personally don't like when parts of a story are retold from a different perspective. This went on here for about a third of the book. Also, while I loved Olga and Lief, they lacked the intense chemistry of Brenna and Vali. But to be fair, their chemistry would be hard to match! 😄
Still a very enjoyable read, and I move straight on to book three! -
Heart's Ease gave me everything I expected and then some with all the intensity, emotion and brutality I expect of this world. All tempered with a beautiful love story that made my heart sing.
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3.8 stars
Lief and Olga's story renewed my interest in this series. I'd tried the first one, and though I knew I'd like the legendary Vali and Brenna, I didn't finish the first book with my normal Fanetti fixation. I got distracted.
I've deduced that I have to be in a certain reading mood for Fanetti even though I am still infatuated with her storytelling. I mean, who better than to carry over my Vikings show addiction to the romance genre? Fanetti's Viking world is as rich with the rawness of unforgiving landscape as it is with characters from a glorified culture of harsh practices and beliefs steeped in the juxtaposition of paganism and organic transformation, wrought by survival.
I shall refresh and reread
God's Eye. Then I will fully review the two books in the Northwomen Sagas. -
5+* Loved it! Review to follow
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GENERAL INFO : Heart's Ease
=======================================
Year Pub/Re Pub:10/1/2016
Indie/Publisher:indie
Page Length:395
Genre: Historical fiction
Sub-Genre/Age:18+
Book's Price: 3.99/KU
Price I'd Value: same
Standalone/Cliffhanger: standalone
Standalone /Part of a Series/Installment: Bk 2 Northwomen Sagas
Epilogue Included: yes
=======================================
POV (1st/2nd/3rd Person): 2nd
Character(s)POV Spoken: H and h
=======================================
BOOK DESCRIPTION
=======================================
M/F-M/M-M/M/F-etc:M/F
HEA/HFN/etc Ending:HEA
Contains Cheating:no
Contains Children:yes
Flashbacks:a lot from Bk 1
Jealy/Possy/OTT Rating:no
Amount of Sex In The Book: enough
Overall Smex Rating:3
=======================================
CHARACTER DESCRIPTION
=======================================
HERO: Leif
Hero Description: warrior, raider
Hero Likability Rating: 4
HEROINE: Olga
Heroine Description: slave turned healer
Heroine Likability Rating: 4.5
Secondary characters: Vali,Brenna,Frida,Jakob
=======================================
H /h RELATIONSHIP INFO
=======================================
OW/OM/Exes:no
Cheating Before/During/Outside H/h Relationship: no
Grovel Rating:n/a
Did OW/OM/Ex Ruin the Book For You:n/a
=======================================
TRIGGERS/WARNING:contains rape
=======================================
AUTHOR OVERVIEW:Susan Fanetti
=======================================
Technical/Editing Quality:4/4.5
Writing/Content Quality:4.5
=======================================
PERSONAL OVERVIEW:
======================================
Overall Rating:4.5
Do You Recommend This Book:yes
Will You Re-read This Book:maybe
Would You Read More Books by this Author:yes
=======================================
COMMENTS/NOTES: Olga goes through a lot as a slave and as a healer. She accepts that terrible things happen by her motto "that's the way of things." I guess I want her to be more like Brenna and fight against men who would hurt her, even if she couldn't win at least she didn't just give in.She is a survivor regardless, which is why I ended up liking her so much. She also stands up to Leif and Vali about keeping slaves which took a lot of courage. I loved her HEA and reunion with her eldest brother even though I think there was something fishy with him and Leif wasn't going for it. I love how each book gets more intense. Can't wait to read Astrid's story next! -
3.5 Stars
First off, I LOVEDDDDD catching up with Vali and Brenna and seeing what was going on in their lives.
The first half of the book was so-so for me. There was a lot of rehashing events from book 1, and although I definitely saw the purpose of seeing things from Olga and Leif's eyes, I already knew the way things turned out so....
But the second half got better. Seeing Leif try to redeem himself, but also reaching a point where he felt he'd apologized enough and was ready to move on. But seeing him grovel to get Olga back didn't hurt either. Olga went through a hell of a lot. But for the most part, she kept her fighter spirit. Although they had a while where they were separated (too long), I'm glad they got the ending that they did. Decent amount of fighting and rebuilding of relationships and friendships. -
Romance:3.5
Steaminess:4
Action/suspense:2
Overall:3.5
So not as great as the first novel but pretty good.
I liked Olga and Lief. They were old souls and gentle with each other. They both knew pain and I’d have liked a little more insight into that. But the major thing that I didn’t like about this novel was the fact that a good first half of the book was a recap of the first. And I get why but it felt more repetitive than necessary and I was bored. In that first half, it also felt like Brenna and Vali were the main couple. So they stole the show in some parts and took the focus.
The next half of the book was good and I liked the emotions between Olga and Lief. It was steamy but it felt more real to me.
Overall, the first half of the story didn’t grab me but the second half sure did.
