Review: Phoenix Unbound by Grace Draven

Phoenix Unbound by Grace Draven

Fallen Empire #1

A woman with power over fire and illusion and an enslaved son of a chieftain battle a corrupt empire in this powerful and deeply emotional romantic fantasy from the USA Today bestselling author of Radiance.

Every year, each village is required to send a young woman to the Empire's capital--her fate to be burned alive for the entertainment of the masses. For the last five years, one small village's tithe has been the same woman. Gilene's sacrifice protects all the other young women of her village, and her secret to staying alive lies with the magic only she possesses.

But this year is different.

Azarion, the Empire's most famous gladiator, has somehow seen through her illusion--and is set on blackmailing Gilene into using her abilities to help him escape his life of slavery. And unknown to Gilene, he also wants to reclaim the birthright of his clan.
To protect her family and village, she will risk everything to return to the Empire--and burn once more.

PHOENIX UNBOUND was such a rich and enjoyable story! It had such a great premise and incredible characters that I was hooked from the first page. Sometimes full fantasy worlds can take me a bit to get into due to all of the necessary world-building set up that can sometimes slow the early pacing. However, this was not the case in this book. There was no sacrifices made anywhere in this book, the pacing was executed flawlessly without sacrificing anything. The world, the plot, the characters, the conflict, all wrapped together perfectly making for one heck of an enjoyable read. I felt like I was experiencing things right alongside the characters.

Onto the romance: that it centered around my all time favorite trope of enemies to lovers, only sweetened the read for me. Azarion and Gilene start out as utter enemies in the truest of sense. Gilene couldn't possibly hate him as her captor any more than she does. And yet, slowly throughout the book she starts to see him in a new light. I know some would say Stockholm, but it didn't really have that vibe throughout. Yes he kidnapped her, and yes he's using her for his own gain, but it just worked for me. The progression of the romance is slow, but believable considering the circumstance, and I loved every minute of it.

After finishing this book, all I can say is that I'm so glad this is to be a series, because I can't wait to read more in this incredible world! PHOENIX UNBOUND is an incredibly enjoyable read that you won't want to miss!

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Review: Amid the Winter Snow by Grace Draven, Thea Harrison, Elizabeth Hunter, Jeffe Kennedy

Amid the Winter Snow by Grace Draven, Thea Harrison, Elizabeth Hunter, Jeffe Kennedy

As the snows fall and hearths burn, four stories of Midwinter beginnings prove that love can fight its way through the chillest night...

THE DARKEST MIDNIGHT, by Grace Draven
The mark Jahna Ulfrida was born with has made her a target of the cruel and idle all her life. During the long, crowded festivities of Deyalda, there’s nowhere to escape. Until a handsome stranger promises to teach her to save herself…

THE CHOSEN, by Thea Harrison
In her visions, Lily sees two men fighting for her tiny country’s allegiance: the wolf and the tiger, each deadly, each cunning. One will bring Ys chaos and death, one a gentler path—but she’s destined to love whichever she chooses. The midwinter Masque is upon them, and the wolf is at her door…

THE STORM, by Elizabeth Hunter
When her soul mate died in a massacre of the half-angelic Irin people, Renata thought she’d never feel happiness again. She’s retreated to the snowy Dolomites to remember her hurts—until determined, irrepressible Maxim arrives to insist on joy, too. And before she can throw him out, they discover a secret the Irin have to know…

THE SNOWS OF WINDROVEN, by Jeffe Kennedy
As a blizzard threatens their mountain keep, the new Queen Amelia of the Twelve Kingdoms and her unofficial consort Ash face their own storm. Ash knows a scarred, jumpy ex-convict isn’t the companion his queen needs. But when a surprise attack confines them together in their isolated sanctuary, the feast of midwinter might tempt even Ash into childlike hope…

This anthology was the perfect evening read escape for this hectic holiday season. Each day has been filled with all the crazy planning and prepping, errands, and work galore. But each evening I had this fun anthology to look forward to, and it was just what I needed. Despite not being familiar with most of the worlds behind the stories below, I found myself easily slipping right into the stories.

THE DARKEST MIDNIGHT, by Grace Draven 5/5
I hadn't read anything from this series previously, but I will have to remedy that soon. The world behind this novella was incredibly rich and had so much to offer. While Grace is a new to me author, her storytelling was truly masterful. The characters, the plotline, the world, everything hooked me in from the start. I particularly enjoyed seeing Jahna's progression from damaged child to a fully confident woman as the story was told over many years. The romance was a slow and sweet build, and just the right pace. Great read!

THE CHOSEN, by Thea Harrison 5/5
I have to admit the entire reason I picked up this anthology was to read Thea's novella. I absolutely love the Elder Races series, and this story was no exception. While it's on a smaller realm that I'm not too familiar with, there were boundless expansions to this already rich world that I truly enjoyed. The idea of the Chosen with a wolf like hero out to conquer, well it was delicious read. I loved the sparks between the two, and every part of this novella. I hope to see more from them in the future!

THE STORM, by Elizabeth Hunter 4/5
Just like Grace's installment, despite not being familiar with the world, I had no problem slipping right into Elizabeth's novella. The fallen angel lore was truly fascinating, and like Grace's installment this one also took place over a period of many years. I'm finding that I'm really enjoying these longer time period books as they allow for such a rich and realistic progression with the hero and heroine. The poor heroine in this story comes with so much baggage and rightfully slow. I truly enjoyed seeing the hero chip slowly away at her armor. Very enjoyable!

THE SNOWS OF WINDROVEN, by Jeffe Kennedy 3/5
I have to admit that this book was my least favorite of the anthology, mostly due to that I don't feel like it stood alone. I have not read anything from this author/world, and this novella felt like it was started right in the middle of a couple's story. The entire time reading it, I felt like I was trying to play catch up. Also, it's told from the hero's point of view, and frankly he was much too whiny for my tastes. However, that could be an unfair judgement based on just this novella due to all my missing backstory. The parts of the world that I did see and the rest of the characters were very rich and well written, I just was missing too much outside required knowledge to really enjoy this one.

All in all if you are looking for a fun holiday read, AMID THE WINTER SNOW is for you. I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I did!

(Received a copy from the author)

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